Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-12-25
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The Providence Journal of the oath instant,
contains long and carefully prepared article,
showing the great suspension of labor in the
manufacturing region of which Providence is the
center. The statistics show far greater depres-
sion Of business than is generally supposed to
exist even BY those well informed on such mat
ters. about three fourths of all the cotton ma
chiner, is now idle, and although the depression
Of the wooden manufacture is not SO general, yet
it is large, and still increasing.
The Journal enumerates eighty-two cotton
mills that have stopped entirely, in which we're
employed nine thousand nine hundred and six
operatives, to say nothing of the hundreds Of
other laborers who were indirectly dependant
upon the operation of those mills for their daily
subsistence. which would carry the number up
to more than ten thousand. The number of
spindles stopped in the eighty-two mills above
named, is 50e,29l. OF that number, 320.567 have
been run for the production of printing cloths,
and 1871 724 for the production of sheetings, shirt
ings, warps. and cotton goods, other than print
ing cloths.
Assuming that every 1000 spindles will, upon
an average, produce 1000 pieces of printing cloth
per week, on full time, and each piece to contain
81 yards, we have, as very nearly the number Of
pieces taken from the usual production of the
spindles named above, $4,000, and 1854, O00
yards It is impossible, at the present time, to
tx upon price per yard for printing cloths; but
assuming il to be five cents, we have, as about
the cash value Of this non-production Per week,
the.sum Of S7S,2O0. Assuming that 10000 of
the 724 spindles put down above, manufacture
sheetings and shirtings, and that 5000 spindes
will, upon the average, produce on full time 1000
pieces per week, each piece to contain 50 yards,
we have, as the number Of pieces taken from the
usual weekly production Of this kind of goods,
% 900, and 100000 yards. This, at z cents per
yard amounts TO S53.900.
The Journal enumerates twenty. four cotton fac
tories as now running, but Of these only three
are running full time The number Of hands en-
ployed is 4o70. at average of about four days
in The week The production of printing cloths
is with the reduced time, about 10000 pieces per
week, or for the four days in each week. The
number of yards made at this rate is $40 900, and
at cents, gives the value at $4,000. The mum.
Der Of pieces Of sheeiings and shirtings produced
innate that 5000 spindles are necessary to make
1000 pieces per week. is little over 5000 pieces,
which, at s. yards per piece, makes 2SO 900 yards
This, at seven cents per yard, is of the value of
$4,000
OF the wooden mills in that vicinity, only eleven
are running full time, and there are ffty.sx 9th.
ers which are either stopped running on short
time, whose weekly production of goods, il run.
ming full time, would be about S2S7 900
From the tables of the Journal, we estimate
that the reduced production of cotton goods is
equal to 1900 pieces, and 2,e44,OOO yards per
week, Of the value Of $780, 400; and that the re-
dneed production Of wooden goods is equal to
Sl2f9l5 per week; making a total reduction in
these two departments of Rhode Island industry,
Of g27s,Sl5 per week.