The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-09-15


shawls for Pfoteetion 81 women
Professor Mansfield is among the New
Englanders taking notes Of their factorisky
and writing back 70 bis friends the results of
Fhisinvestigations, The protective doctrine
of the old gentleman must have suffered con
siderably on his visit to the Bay State Mills,
at Lawrence. Mass In a lengthy and inter
esting letter which we find in the Chillicoihe
Gazette upon these Mills, he does not say a
single word about protection. The New
York Tribune and the Journal Of Commerce
have had controversy on the manufacture
of shawls, ihe Tribune claiming. that The
success Of the, Bay State Mills was owing to
to the protection which the tariff Of 1912
afforded them, and the Journal rejoining thai
the Mills, the first in the country were moi
commenced until l847 and did not go into
operation until August, ls48. They were.
therefore begun and put inoperation undel
free trade tariff and have made money from
the first, as win be seen by, the following ex
tract from the Journals article. We expect
to hear Of more ruin from certain quarters
ere long, and an urgent appeal to govern,
ment to put a big duty on shawls for the
protection of ,Oomen.
e" One word more in regard to long shawls
The success of the Bay State Mills is owing
more to the enterprise and good management
ofits projectors, than to the protection on
the part OF Government. 1t was established
under the present Free Trade Tariff-tha
system which the Tribune assured its readers
would break up all the manufactures in'the
country. The ground for the mills was bro
ken in the spring of l847, and the manufac-
ture Of shawls commenced, if we mistake
not, in August, 1848. The greatest Difficult
ty was in regard to the colors. To securt
perfection in this respect, a. German dyer o.
some celebrity was employed, but he made Q
total failure. Then Scotchman from thu
principal shawl district Of his own country
was tried, and he gave up we believe, ascri
bing his failure to some fault in the water.--
The indefatigabe manufacturer fell back up
on a Yankee, who had served his time in tht
dye-house of another mill under his charge
and he succeed in producing the colors which
are the, wonders Of all Europe. The Scot
tish mode Of twisting the fringe was by th'
hand, and this cost, at the lowest rate, Al
cents for each long shawl. A Yankee in thi
same mill invented twiSting machine
) which does the same work in better style
for three cents. ~
The success of the goods was insured from
the outset. The first season the mill produ
ced about $4,000 shawls; the second yea
| 100000; last year, 385 1000; and this year i
will finish about 100000, The compan,
declared last year dividend of IL per cent.
and the year before last 10 per cent, on tn
capital stock, which now amounts to 81 /,
5 100000. The profits for two years amour
to 100000, The buildings used (located a
Lawrence, Mass,) include 100000 squar
feet of working room, and covers an area Q
. about twelve acres. The mill consume
' about 5000, 900 lbs. of wool annually. Fo
the last year, owing to the high rates deman
Ided for American wool, they have been obi
ged to use portion Of foreign. The dali
e consumption Of the latter at this moment
9 sufficient to amount to $1,000 per day in dt
!, ties, which they are Obliged to pay for II
u projection of our wool-growers. Englan
h is the greatest wool-growing country in Il
e world, having as per last census, 100000
!. sheep, which average 81 lbs. per head. Oh
own country has the greatest natural advar
tages for producing this staple, the entil
cost of good grazing land here not bein
equal 10 the annual rental in England, s
that it would seem that the duty Of 30pC
E cent, upon the raw material was oppose
. TO sound policy, and at war with the theor
of the protectionists, who, in this case, al
encouraging manufacturers with ver
geance. a ~
G "Tne success OF the Bay State Mills hs
s induced other manufacturers TO embark
thesame enterprise, and the only quarter froI
which danger is apprenended is in home con
petition, which at one moment seemed like
to produce beyond the demand OF consumI
d tion. II is somewhat singular that Meth
h Germany nor France has succeeded in th
q branch Of manufacture, Notwithstanding Il
most liberal assistance from their respecti'
: governments. Every attempt has been fai
ure, and thev have given up the contest
Even England could not rival her Scottil
neighbors, and to this day yarn is spun
y the midland and northern counties Of the 70
/ mer kingdom, end made into shawls on Il
other side of the border" 40 b. ,e-