Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-08-27

tract in this city and vicinity haa given n
great impetus to our mechanical Industry
All our great ship yards, foundries and
machine shops are in full blast, swarminr
with busy hands, ani eagerly seeking
more. The many iron-clads, batteries and
rams, Tor there are really many, which we
nave IN coarse Of construction. have
brought into requi>ition every man who
coaid draw plan mould casting. man
age iath, or handle file The wages
paid hre az good as ever, and on. the in.
crease as rapidly as IN the natural result
when we find our they can command il.
Indeed, it may be that the news of our ac-
tivity in this department Of industry will
soon induce large imm igration Of the me-
ohanics required
SO fearful arc the contractors that the
draft soon to be enforced viii leave them
powerless to complete their contracts, that
application has been made to the Govern
ment to exempt all employees ON Govern
ment work whose places cannot be sup
lied. il is pretty certain that this course
is there who cannot perform more effective.
military service by working on iron-clad
than by carrying a musket? The cart
ridge makers, and others whose occupation
requires little manuel skill or dexteritv.
must, Of course, take their chance Of con
scription, as their places may readily be
| supplied by female9
Indeed in other departments of labor.
in type-setting, in clerkships, in all light
manufactures where female hands may be
employed, they Will take the place Of the
volunteer or conscript males, do almost az
much for the family, promote the cause ef
womans rights, and beautifully Illustrates
the fact. that ''its an i'll wind that blows
nobody good
OF course the manufactures OF luxur,es
the silversmiths. jewellers, perhaps print
ers, ithographers and ensrayers, must
suffer in times ike these But while
there is less Of this kind Of work to do,
there arS also fewer hands to DO ii, and
most ali who have the slightet versatility
Of talent are enabled 70 change their occu-
pations.
This is exemplifed in the occupation of
plate printing While in the ordinary
business of the engraver and plate prin-
,cr there is little doing, the vast amount of
printing required for the Government
Treasury notes and stamps, most of which
are executed in this city, has actually fur
nished more employment for plate print
ers than was ever known before. The
machinists have been called upon to build
new presses, and every man who has the
slightest knowledge Of plats printing has
been pressed into the service, whilo still
the cry is for more The similarity Of
photographic printing, therefore, enables
the photographic printer, who would other
wise be idle, to change his employment
and keep at work
The army has certainly carried off ell
the surplus labor. Employers who deny
that there is any deficiency of hands, od-
nit shat tlcy do not have as many appli-
cants far work and that the wages paid
are those of prosperous times There is
HOt tue CDolCe OF MINUS tildl c3leer IN eiafh
times.
For mere manuel labor there is q want
Of hands. This j. accounted for by tho
fact tIeat the bounties, pay, and species of
life insurance which the soldier gets, far
exceed in pecuniary 7aiuc The amount paid
for ordinary manuel labor 1t would SEEN
to be from knowledge Of this fact that
the sGreet-sweepers in three Of our wards
struck the other day. They refused to
work for dollar per diem and demanded
a dollar and quarter The increase was
paid bv the contractor, who threatened to
employ not other men, but the machine
street-sweepers The City inspector how
ever saws that men arc constantly apply
ing to him for work.
Some idea Of the comparative resources
of the Northern and Southern population
may be formed from the fact that while
the South has just commenced its draftsn
the reserve, between the ages Of 30 and 30,
we have not get commenced our FIRST draft
and that even now, the Withdrawal Of car
laboring population is just beginning TO
be felt While the older men Of the South
are lust going into the field. ours VIII be
filing the places Of the young conscrpts
This is very good for our older men, ana
another Illustration Of the "ill wind &c,
principle. The Southern leaders predicted
that our industry would be paralyzed be-
cause our Iaberers wonld have to do the
fighting; while they could leave :he'r
slaves till while they went to battle The
fact seems to be that those of the North
who do work will haze only to work
little harder, ard get better paid for 1t, II
order to help those who % 70 the wars.
The present aspect Of the labor -arkss
is therefore cheering to tho laborsr and to
the employer. for, after al, their interest.
are ideatical, and, in spite of the var, ~e
seem Ino-s likely to have .,r:kes than
clothing c. feed;ng the rofio'
h- - ead developing