The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-02
farther or the latter soon decline, TO enable our
operatives to live as we'll as formerly.


"CIrY POINT MACHINE WORKS, BosTos, March
l6, 1861 have had compiled from NV books
ali accurate statement that the average number
OF men employed IN my works during the first
six months Of the year 1850 was 1858 lib, while
the average number employed during the cor
responding period just closed was but 55 213,
with very little prospect of Improvement until
some alteration is made in the tariff laws re.
ducing or repeating the duties on raw materials
and the necessari6s of lite.
HARRISON LoRING, NEW YORK, March 6,
1869. In answer TO the statement that labor is
now immeasurably more fully employed at an
advance OF from so to 100 per cent, over the
wages oflS6O, we would state that in our branch
OF business is not so. For two wears past we
have been employing fewer men, and, at some
seasons of the year, we have been running short
time. The rates OF wages of our men, as COM
pared with 1860, average about so per cent.
increase. JOHN STEPHENSON & Co.,
'Car Builders, No. AZ East 9th street.n
"BRIDGEPoRT, Conn, March 3, lS69.-Sr:-
We employ more labor in our business than in
80 or 100 per cent. above that date. Probably
so per cent. would be nearer correct.
WHEELER d WILSON
Sewing Machine Company"
"PENN URoN) WoRKs, PHILADELpHIi, March
a, 1S69.-At present labor seems fully occupied.
judging fIom the very few applications made for
positions. The advance of wages has not been
'"BosToN, March o, 1s69.-Labor in our
branch OF business is unquestionably more fully
employed now than In 1860. An examination
crease of between 40 and 80 per cent. over the
prices OF 1860. CHICKERING IL Sons,
"Piano forte Makers"
"IRoN WORKS, HARTFORD, Conn, March s,
DTnyestirafion shows that he -tr averase
number of men employed in our works from
September 1859, to March, lS60 was one-thrd
greater than in the same months of 1868 and
1869; wages about one.third greater at the latter
period than during the former.
"PHrLADELPHIA, March 6, 1S69.-Skilled labor
to C,,1l Ah,x,
was in 1860 at an advance of wages equal to
from 60 to 80 per cent.
STUART, PETERSON & Co.,
"Manutacturers of EDamelled and
"Tinned Hollow Ware, ETC."
"OFFICE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT PA. L. R.,
ALTOONA, Pa, March 10, 1S69.-We have now
great many applications for common labor, but
very few for skilled labor-meehanics. The
applications for the former are mostly from
other sections of the country, where they have
been thrown out OF their regular employments
by the stoppaPe of the manufactures, or by
reduction of force. Very few are of the class of
mechanics required on railroads; and all they
could do for us would be common labor. The
percentage OF advances in labor in 1868 over 1861
cent?, is less with us. We were paying in 1860
for common labor ST. per day, and are now pay
ing Sl4O Yours i9 SSFS EIIa5
Iewoud seem as if no further evidence could
be required to prove that the statements made
by the Commis soner in his report respecting
commodities in 1860 and 1S67-68 were not as
charged by you, "skiltully manipulated" and
'ga1bled," but were IN all respects fair and
truthful
/ come next to the consideration of the sta
tistics of life insurance and savings banks, which
have been referred to by you as proving that the
condition OF the laboring classes in the eastern
sections of our country was IN all respects better
in 1S67-6S than IN 1860, or, indeed, than at any
former period. very slight examination OF
these statistics, however, is all that is neces-
sarv n ms,
their true meaning and significance.
Late Insurance. In respect to life insurance,
the case is simply this:-ln l959;6O the system
was comparatively new, and little understood
throughout the country. There were also but
comparatively few companies, and the majority
of those were of recent organization In 1867
SO, however, the system had been found by
| experience to be SO profitable that companies
were greatly multiplied--those OF New York
alone having increased from eight in 1859 to
thirty-four in 1868; while the competition for
business has induced the employment of large
numbers of agents, who, stimulated to effort by
liberal commissions, scour the country in every
portunity indulge applications ao,dOg for poll,
fs Inference hs from "i statistics Of ths sas c6arace
IN 20 o e Of peoe
during the period under consideration, is there
fore on its face an absurdity As well might
you attempt to prove that the ratio of disease
and mortality throughout the country had
diminished, because of the unexampled sales by
travelling agents of certain popular works on
remedies and therapeutics. Besides, 1t seems
that of those who take out policies OF life 1nsu-
rance in the Eastern States, but very small
proportion belong to that class whose prosperity
is the most sure index of the prosperity OF the
country, VIZ, the class that work for day wages.
ESauin9s Bdnks.-In like manner the statistics
OF savings banks are referred to by you at length,
as showing a highly prosperous condition OF
the masses. Properly considered, however,
| they indicate very different state of things.
| Thus the first. and almost the only, fact which
arrests the attention of mere superficial OBJ.
| server IN examining these statistics, is large
apparent increase in deposits from 1860 to 1867 or
| 1868; and this fact you have taken great care
| shall not be overlooked. But an intelligent ex-
| animation will at once show that very great
| part of the apparent accumulation referred to
| Is mere imitation. For example, let US take the
| case of Massachusetts, where the conditions for
Increase may be presumed to be especially
| favorable
in 1860 the savings bank deposits in
In 1867 in currency, $50, 43l 1888, or -.
| in gold, at 1856 6S,oIS,OOO
Increase in seven wears Sl4,525, 900
| Or $4, ,397, 900 less than simple interest (goldl
| for seven years on the aggregate deposits OF
| lS60 that is to say, the deposits OF 1861 were
| rot made good in 1867, ii we reckon onl ~ their
| simple natural increase at INTEREST," or, IN other
words, it has been found that the sum in the
possession of the depositors in 1867 lgold
! values) was far less than would naturally be
be eXpecteS N view of the sum they already had
in 1860.
1t is evident that some cause had eaten into
the accumulation which existed seven years
previously, and had occasioned the withdrawal
of portions ofthat accumulation. Ot course, II
| was to be expected that Withdrawals would take
place, but in an ordinary condition of affairs the
new deposits would certainly equal those with;