The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-11-06
THE PARsEE LETTERS.
No. 10.
10 Hm,ace GteeLeu I

10 Horace Greeley;
SAnB: / must once more revert &c
Roach, sahib OF the Morgan Iron
Works, and the iron manufacture OK.
port of this country, as, indeed, the
revelations made to me by him are OF
the most startling kind, / felt
naturally intesested in the iron
manufacturing business, and made
many inquiries; and the following il
the result which, o Greeley! / give
you yerbatim-of course, in con-
densed form:
Twelve years ago there were, in the
City of New York, the following great
iron-works:
The Allaire Works, employing 700
hands.
Etna Works, employing GOO hands.
Morgan Works, employing 700 hands.
Neptune Works, employing 500
hands.
Novelty Works, employing 800 0hands.
Dclamater Works, employing 800
hands.
These six great works employed
4, 100 hands.
To-day the following is the melan-
choly exhibit:
Allaire works is n car stable.
Etna belongs To Roach, sahib, and
il "sl,m up.s'
Neptune, sold to Roach, sahib. "sIuf
up"
Novelty makes house castings and
no engines.
Deiamater makes Cuban eunboats,
and employees, at present, 500 men.
Morgan works employ 40 men.
To.al, $50
Thus the 4 100 worlsing-inen who
made the river banks giad with their
noisy work, have dwindied down to
$50, and II the gan-boat business
ceases, not GOO Will be employed III
manufacturing engines or machinery.
The 4l0O men who were employed in
these works, before the monopoly.
earned about - 600 GOO annually, or
TN average of SO week. The $50
tlat are at work earn now, Oh ia aver
age, $l5 O week, and their earnings.
together, amount to S74I 900 currency.
Twelve years ago, 70 says Roach,
s1hib, there were no strites, no distress,
either for work or insufficiency OF
wages; the men could live comfortably,
aud naTe even little. Now, Roach
sahib, tells me, Notwithstanding tlle
higher @n2es his few men carr. they
arc always IN distress. and cannot make
the two ends meet. Twelve years ago
the Neptune Iron Works, which arc
now shut up, we're employed chiefly in
building marine engines which were
exported to China. The boats we're
built there, but the Chinese preferred
tho so-callcd b an engine for their
steamboats,, and as Americans ere
adopts in building these marine en-
gines, they were exclusively made
here. Now not only are the Neptune
works shut up, but not one marine en-
gine is made here for export. The or
'ders for this kind of work, rs well as
for sugar-mills or any other skilled.
labor machinery, go entirely either t.
Scotland or Belgium, or even tc
France. All this, Roach, sahib, says
is owing to the high tariff on pig-iron
boiler-plates, steel, bar-iron, copper
brass, lead, &c. 1t is owing, 80 Ii,
SAYS, to the high tariff cn woolers
cottons, hardware, household utensils
to the high price Of rent and eatables
Men cannot live, though their wages
never had nor have a parallel in his
tory, because all those necessaries O
life which they buy with their wage
have advanced 20 per cent. more thar
the advance in wages they earn.
The iron monopoly has driven 3, ,00I
men away from New York City alone
as Roach, sahib, truly showed me-
New York, which twelve years ago ex
ported more than ten million dollars
worth of machinery, does not now ex
port of the same kind ten cents worth
During the excitement of the war
these six works / mentioned were, O
course, busily employed to make wa
material but for the last five year
they have dwindled down, as stated
and will soon become extinct altogett
er, and, said Roach, sahib, further
should this go on four or five year
longer, and foreign war break out
the foes of the United States woul
have easy work, as there would not /
n workshop left to make suitable q
fensire OF defealsice war engine.
Such, o Horace Greeley, sahil
great political economist, is truly til
state of your industry. cannot sc
how these facts can be refuted, as
have them from such best authorit,
and convinced myself with mine ow
ewes ret, so powerful is your gre'
mind and Imagination, that you ma,
! perhaps, after |, convince me that
is absolutely necessary to shut up fol
immense iron foundries in great eli
in four years, to reduce 4,100 bus
! workmen to $50, and to demohsh
: million dollars worth of labor expo
annually, to make industry and trat
: flourish. Pray, enhghten me on til
! subject, and believe me, yours alway
= with great respect,
A. CuRIosIBHoY.
Parsee Merchant of Bombay.
!, No. IL