The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-14
SATURDAY, JANUARY IA, 1871.
PHILADELPHIA Manu. FACT URE9
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PHTIA DELPHIA MANGEACT URES
THE synopsis of statistics derived from the
late census reports, of the manufactures of
Philadelphia, which has recently been pub
lished in The TELEGRAPH, although not COM
plete or accurate in all respects, gives an inn
pressive idea of the extent and variety of the
industrial interests Of this city. 1t will be
seen that the bulk Of our working population
are engaged in manufacturing pursuits, the
reposted number of hands employed being
1852. This aggregate includes 1881
males and 23, 545 females above 16 years of
age, and 1856 children, SO that Philadelphia
contains nearly l20, 900 working men, women,
and children, who derive an average annual
income of nearly $3.50 per head from manu-
featuring labors. Their incomes, in turn,
support so many families that only q small
fraction of the entire population
is sustained by other pursuits, and the fact
becomes more palpable than ever that the
prosperity of the great mass of the citizens of
Philadelphia hinges upon the general condi-
tion of American industry. 1t rises with
protective tariff and falls with free trade, and
the strong sentiment pervading the rank and
file of all parties in our midst in favor of
protection flows naturally from the general
recognition of its importance and necessity.
In the table we published yesterday COM
pairing the census returns of 1860 and 1870,
it appears that the number of establishments
declined during the last decade from 6296 to
5000, notwithstanding an enormous increase
in the amount of capital invested. We are
not sure that these figures are absolutely
t,,,ft OF 10,
the truth to illustrate the modern tendency
to consolidation and to the creation of
gigantic establishments, while they at the
same time show that this tendency has not
yet made as serious inroads upon the old in
dustrial system in Philadelphia as in many
other localities. The average number of
hands in each establishment reported is less
than twenty, so that small factories as well as
large ones still abound in our midst
The returns also show that while the cap-
tai invested is nearly three times as large a
sum now as it was ten years ago, the value of
the annual product has not doubled This is
due in a great measure to the fact that
great deal of the new machinery employed
was bought at war prices, while many of the
productsare rated atrather unusually low peace
prices. The quantity of labor-saving ma
chinery has also been increased, and it has
necessitated an increase of the capital
requisite for given amount of production.
An immense increase in the rate of wages
is indicated by the returns. The average an
nual wages per head in 1860 were less than
$270, while now they are about $3.50, indi-
eating an advance of about seventy-fve per
Tn of haip a
increase in the rewards of capital so far as it is
indicated by the difference between the annual
value of products and the joint value of labor
and raw material, the very reverse is true
An Investment of $73, 900, 900 in 1860 left a
margin of $4O,0o0,OOO for profits, after de-
Quoting rent, incidentals, etc.; while in 1870 a
margin of only So, 1000, 900 was left on an in
vestment Of $205, 900, 900; and the apparent
annual percentage of earnings of capital in
manufactures was therefore nearly twice as
large ten years ago as it is now.
Neither the statistics nor our deductions
are infallibly correct, but they furnish abun-
iant illustrations of the fact that Philadelphia
is ene of the greatest, if not the greatest
manufacturing city in the world, and also that
manufacturing labor is we'll rewarded here,
while capital must take its chances in ventures
which often prove Improbable.
The diversities of our manufactures are as
remarkable as their extent. While an ina
posing display of capital and products is
made in the sta ements relating to prominent
industries, it should be remembered that
thousands of useful arts practised here are
not even mentioned in the brief synopsis
which has recently been published, and that
there is scarcely manufactured article of
real utility or beauty that is not made in
Philadelphia.