Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-10


ties. The parent establishment, VIM.
Barbour G. Sons, manufacturers of
faxen goods, is located at Lisburn,
Ireland, and the mills have been run
ming since 1855. In 1864, when the
duty was removed fromhax machinery,
the Barbours determined to establish
branch works at Paterson, New Jersey.
Extensive purchases of factories, tene-
ment-houses, and water privileges were
made. Flax machinery and skilled labor
wereimported at great expense. Large
numbers ~ofoperatives wer etroughtfrom
Ireland, houses were provided forthem,
steady work was furnished them, and
the prosperityof the City Of Paterson
was much increased by this enterprise.
The manufacture of shoe-threads and
of linen threads, which arelargely used
In various leather manufactures, was
begun ON a liberal scale in mills called
the Passaic Flax Thread Works, driven
by water-power and employing $50
hands. An extensive department was
established for the spooling of linen
threads imported in the bundle, as cot
ton for spoolng is 50 extensively i'm
ported to this country. A manufacto-
~ known as the Arkwright Mills, dri-
ven by steam power, was also started
by the Barbours, for the manufacture
of fax twines and the coarser grades of
goods for which American grown fax
is suitable. Yarns to supply this
mill were imported from various
manufacturers In Dundee, Leeds,
and elsewhere, and from the parent
housein Ireland. Thebusiness steadily
increased from 1864 to 1872, the time
of the customs trouble of the house, and
the extension of the business by putting
up a large new mill was begun. This
would have given remunerative employ
ment to many hundred operatives, and
would have developed largely a new
branch of industry in this country.
The foundations of the new mill were
laid and additional machinery was
ordered from Ireland, but the revenue
oppression of 1872 checked the enter
prise.
Mr.. Thomas Barbour, senior member
of the firm, and President of the Flax
Spinning Company, describes the diff
Guilty substantially as follows:
The first intimation we had of any
trouble came from u customers. We az
terward learned that the special agent, got
his information from a rival manufacturer,
who had exerted himself to stir up the rev.
enue informers against US, and had made
false statements to them. In order to hurt
our trade this manufacturer circulated re-
ports of impending troubles with the au-
thorities among our patrons, and took pains
to see that these reports should be proved
correct by the issue. The steamship Italy
brought us a shipment of goods which the
authorities did not deliver as usual on the
payment of duties. They afterward recall
ed goods previously received, on which du-
ties had been paid Our shipments con-
sisted Of fax, which paid a specific duty;
without our regular supplies of this fax it
was impossible TO keep our machinery in
motion. The supplies for our Arkwright
Mills consisted of linen yarns, which paid,
for the most part, a specific duty. Neither
the yarns nor the fax were affected in any
way by any assumed charges of undervalu-
otinn Onr chsDrnauNo Of -aoohinaru u-ara
also kept back, together with d~ye-stuffs,
blea~ching-stuffs, and supplies of foreign
paper for wrapping.
1 ascertained that the charges on which
these detentions were based came from a
department afterward known to me as the
Special Revenue Detective Bureau. There
l was told that information had been
lodged, which accused Is of irregularities.
The particulars of these alleged irregulari-
ties l could never find out from any one,
although | was busy upon the matter more
than six months, and had a great number
of interviews with a great many officials.
As the delays and endorsements devised
by the officials absolutely Frustrated bust
ness for many months, l bad nothing else
to do but to Lry TO clear up the matter and
get it settled. Our troubles lasted fourteen
IlOllLllS III dlls dlu III ILAd I'LL Il III law
had several hundred conversations with
various officials. Some of these men were
| often hard to find, particularly Frank E.
Howe, Of the Special Revenue Bureau.
A marked instance of the unfair and OPP
pressive treatment TO which we were sub
jected was the unreasonable advance made
upon the valuation of our finished goods
ready for market, which was beyond what
was well known to be their actual value,
or the value of similar goods from other
manufacturers at that time; their valuation
had been already put at a higher rate than
those set by large competitors of ours. We
protested, and a reappraisement was made
before Judge Hogeboom, General APP
praiser, George Chapman acting as mer:
chants appraiser. After a very long and
careful investigation, in which every mum
Der of our thread was analysed, measured,
and weighed, and in which every detail as
to price was gone into with the utmost dill
igence, our invoices were sustained in ey-
cry particular. Not a single instance of
undervalustion or ~irregularity was diseov-
cred. Delivery of the detained goods was
ordered, and on May p, 1872, the last
package of goods was received by us.
With the advice of Deputy Collector Ly-
decker, we entered a large number of in
voices, which had accumulated during the
time when these proceedings were in pro-
gress, first asking him if our troubles might
be considered to be over. A favorable re-
ply was received.
The bulk of our importations for the
spring trade was comprised in the invoices
then entered. To our great astonishmsnt
we were treated in the same way as before.
We had supposed the matter settled by the
result of the long and thorough inyestiga-
ton Just concluded, but the invoices enter
ed were Immediately advanced, although no
new question entered into the case of these
goods, and although they were precisely
similar in numbers and qualities, and in
all the various grades precisely identical
with those on which judgment had been
passed with so much care. The invoices en-
tered consisted of fax, of yarns, of threads
ready for market, and of threads in the
bundle ready for spooling. They were ad-
vanced without reference to their contents:
Thus fax was advanced 10 per cent and
detained for undervaluation.
The proceedings were spun put at an
enormous length. Judge Blodget, the
Appraiser-G General of philadelphia was call