The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-26
When the whole hes been

inches wide. When the whole has been
thus stamped or printed, il is taken of the
cylinder and wound in threads 1000 yards
Tor over mile) long and these threads,
being carefully matched at the beginning Of
the web and marked !, 2, 3, &c, form
warp which needs but to be woven with
plain filling to make it figured carpet,
combining a great variety Of colors We
have described this process veryimperfectly,
but the general notion that the colors are all
laid on by printing on the yarn and the COM
bination Of figures and hues effected by the
arrangement Of the yarn in the loom, is all
we have attempted to communicate.
This factory has now forty hand looms at
work on Tapestry, and will have twenty
more before the LIST Of May These are
tended by men, who earn from Sl to 81 20
per day the year round Ofpower-looms but
twenty are yet in operation, but several
more are nearly ready, many others in the
process Of construction, and the number
which it is intended to place in the building
is two hundred There are tended by wo-
men, who also do the greater share Of the
sorting, carding, spinning, &c. These wo-
men most Of them novices at the business)
earn from two and a hall to FIVE dollars per
week There are about $50 males and 100
females now employed in the building, but
the number Of the latter is to be largely in
creased as more looms shall be ready for
them.
The hours Of labor, we regretted to learn,
are long--scarcely less than twelve per day.
The atmosphere did not seem close nor too
warm; but twelve hours per day is too long,
especially since number Of the employed
are quite young We presume It IS quite
true, that (since they all work by the piece)
a majority prefer to work so long, while
many would gladly work longer, but that
does not mend the matter. Ten hours faith
full labor per day, in any vocation not inter-
rupted by bad weather, &c, is quite enough.
We learned with pleasure that work is en-
tirely stopped at A o'clock every Saturday
afternoon, not to be resumed Of course till
Monday morning,
The cost If this one factory, so far, has
been about $126,0O0; when completed and
in full operation, its cost will have been
5000, 900. The power looms are built on
the premises. The production per loom IS
from Is to 10 yards Of three-ply, or from 20
to 81 superfne Competing per day. When
in full operation, this factory will work up
about $500 pounds Of wool per day, or p
000,0 700 lbs per annum, consuming 1900
tons Of Anthracite coal per annum. II will
average about 5000 yards Of carpeting per
day, worth from 80 cents to 80 per yard.
The payroll is about 81, 800 per week for
labor alone. We may observe that this is
strictly an individual enterprise with full lin
diyidual liability and all that-no scorpor-
ale monopoly about it. We do not regard
il as better or worse on that account.
The average price Of carpetings in this
country is now about forty per cent lower
than il was prior to the great impetus given
to their manufacture here by the tariff Of
1912, This fact would not be conclusive if
it stood alone, but if the chatterers about the
absurdity Of growing our own pine apples
and coffee under the stimulus Of protective
bounties will name one article land Just one
that was one wholly imported, and, under
the impulse Of protecting duties, is now in
good part made at home, which is moi new
afforded cheaper TO our consumers generally
than it was when we mainly imported it,
we will admit that this argument has less
force than we have given to it. We may
farther observe that Tapestry carpetings,
which have but recently been made among
us to my extent, are now forty per cent.
cheaper than they were year or two ago.
1t has beenthe vulgar presumption among
US, sedulousy cultivated by those whose
interests were connected with the unlimited
diffusion Of foreign goods, that our arti-
sans could do tolerably well in the manu-
facture of coarse, common, everyday fab
RIGS, but that in all the 6ner and more taste
ful departments Of production we must look
to Europe for models by US unapproachable.
Such was once the fact such it would still
be had those who wish it so, been abe to
control entirely the policy Of the country.
But such, we rejoice to say, is the fact no
longer. The world can show very few
we doubt that it can any--richer or more
elegant specimens Of Tapestry carpeting
than some Of the later achievements Of
Messrs. Higgins s. Co.'S looms. Those
who do not choose to take the trouble to
visit their warehouse and scrutinize their
infinite variety Of carpetings may soon ex-
anime specimen Of their richest fabric on
the floor Of the Governors room in the City
Hall, for which it has jutt been ordered by
the Common Council
The DIsMIssIoN from office Of Mr. Saunders
and Gen. Toulmin Is furnishing topic to ''our good
neighbours" which may last until the end OF Gen.
Taylor's Term.
The affair Is not very surprising. The new In
cumbents are gentlemen who win doubtless serve