The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-01-15

The Providence Journal Of the 9Th
inst. contains very full tables showing the
extent Of the suspension Of labor in the
cotton and woollcn manufacturers bleach
ing and printing, in the region Of which
Providence is the business centre. The
tables do not include the mills in Con.
necticut or Massachusetts, unless transact
ing their business in Providence. II
sums up the general result rs follows:
From the tables We estimate that the
reduced production Of cotton goods, is
equal to 92,+7s pieces, and a,l7s,s4l
yards per week, ofthe value Of tlsl,d47;
and that the reduced production Of WOOL
en- goods is equal to sl4l,ss+ per week;
the reduced production in the bleachcries
is $3.50 per week, and that in the cali
co print works is s49,s5O; making to-
tai reduction in these four departments
Of our industry Of sssl,74l per week.
Providence it we'll known is the centre
of a large manufacturing district, and the
state Of things existing there will proba-
bly be found similar in other manufac-
turing districts. The Journal in com.
mcnting on these tables does not view the
prospect ahead for successful manuiaetur-
ing as very hattcring, it says:
an roughly estimating the amount Of
production that has ceased, We take the
value of finished goods including materi-
ais rs well as labor. No account is taken
of the stoppage OF the numerous kinds OF
business dependent upon the cotton and
WOODEN manufacture. II this could be es-
timatcd, it would extend to almost every
kind of production and OF profitable labor
and would swell the amount to IN ap.
palling total. Among the heaviest sui.
iercrs have been the railroads and the
coasting trade; indeed it would be diff
cult to name any business that has es-
capcd. We shall endeayor shortly 10
furnish similar statistics of the various
kinds of business in iron and OF the jew
clry business, both Of which have largely
suffered in the general depression.
Since We commenced collecting this
information few mills have started, on
short time, to keep the machinery in or
der and to supply employment for labor;
and il is very expensive to stoPa mill, and
il Is better to run il while at modcr.
ate loss; but the prices Of goods and OF
raw materials have made the loss far
greater than that of suspcnding opera
tons; and there is nothing yet to Justify
resumption except partially, and for the
reasons which We have assigned. 1t is
undoubtedly demanded for the manuiac-
turing interests that production should be
kept down for some time. There has
been cotton enough to meet the demands
for the manufactured article, but not
enough to supply all the machinery that
has been sci in motion. The improve
mcnts in the processes OF manufacture,
and the use Of cotton ~ substitute for
more costly materials, have greatly con-
tributed TO widen the unfortunate dispro.
portion between the raw material and the
fabric, while the increase Of machinery
has worked against the manufacturer at
both ends, making cotton higher and
goods lower. We apprchend, however,
little difficulty in reducing the produc.
ton. There is, rs yet, no prospect Of
the profitable employment iorthc spin.
dies that are idle, and the few that are
starting, to keep the machinery from rust
ing and to supply employment to the help,
will produce little effect upon the supply
of goods. Some Of the great corpora
ton that have stopped, and that have
exposed such acknowledgement, will iindit
difficult to start, even undcra much bet
ter state Of the market than there is any
present prospect Of"