Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-03-26
THE MolsTY SYSTEM.
GrRnt's Spies and InfOrncrs Destroy q
large Manufacturing Business.

1t is stated by the Tribune that the business OF
the Barbour Flax Spinning Company, at Pater-
son, n. j., established as branch by VIM. Bar
bour & Sons, of Lisburn, ireland, has been COM
petely destroyed by the efforts of the Custom |
House spies and appraisers TO extort money from |
the firm. The prosecutions of Frank +. llowes |
detectives and agents, who, however, failed to |
extort money, interrupted tho business for IA
| months, scattered the operatives, broke up the |
| assortment OF goods, and drove oft many GUS
TONERS. so that the firm will quit the business in
disgust.
| The parent establishment OF this Company,
that OF William Barbour N Sons, is in Lsburn,
/ Ireland, where their mills have been running
since l7sJ These now employ 1000 workmen
whose houses form village III the nrghborhoed.
Thomas Barbour, member of the trim Of Will
| liam Barbour q Sons, in ireland, tho President
| of the Barbour Flax Spinning Company, and the
senior member OF the firm of Barbour Bros, at
No 1874 church street, in New York, has been
established in business here 20 years, and in
that time his house has paid the Government
over $1,000 900 III duties, while it has always
cupied high position, and never had the least
dispute or difficulty with the customs officials
till 1872 when, the firm assert. Frank +.
Ilowe's SPECIAL Revenue Bureau made a series Of
determined Efforts to eXtort money from the iirm
In 1861, when the duty was taken from lax
machinery the house OF William Barbour ~
Sons, determined to establish branch works in
Paterson. Extensive purchases OF factories,
tenement houses, and water privileges were
made. i lax machinery and skilled labor were
timDorted at great expense. Large numbers of
Operatives were brought from Ireland, houses
were provided for them, steady WORK was fur
nished them, and the prosperity of the city of
Paterson was much increased by this enter
prise. The manufacture OF shoe threads and of
linen threads which are largely used in various
leather manufactures, was begun on liberal
| scale in mills called the passaic Flax Thread
| Works driven by water-power and employing
1 do ArA - Nras na " 1aTf
tablished for the spoollng of linen threads inn
ported in the bundle, IL cotton tor spooling il
| SO extensively imported 10 this country. A
. mandatory known as the Arkwrght Mills,
driven by steam power, was also started by the
| Barbours, for the manufacture of flax twines
and the coarser grades oil goods for which the
American grown flax is suitable. Yarns to
supply this mil were imported from various
manufacturers III Dundee, Leeds, and else
. where, and from the parent house in Ireland
The business steadily increased from 1864 tC
1872, the time OF the custom troubles of the
d house, and the extension OF the business by
putting up a large new mill was begun. Thi'
| would have gwen remuneratiye employment
to many hundred operatives aud would hay'
developed largely new branch of industry IL
q | this country. The foundation ofthe new mil
| were laid and additional machinery were or
dered from Ireland, but the revenue oppression
of 1872 checked the enterprise.
Thomas Barbour Is President of the Paterson
d Board Of Trade and one Of the largest tax payer
Vlu paterson. lie states tual he u'eu every e
fort TO obtain justice, even going to Washing
ION and appealing to Secretary boutwell,, VIII
= stated that if the facts were as represented in
mediate action should DO taken but nothiu
was done. The detectives demanded $3.50, ,00'
and finally came down to $4,000, as the price
a Compromise" but Mr.. Barbour, having con
mitted 10 crime, refused TO give them a cen
And for the sake of satisfying the rapacity
Grants pets in office, this great firm, who wei
about to invest $500 900 in new works and bui
up great industry. will be driven from the
place aud their 1000 woIkmen are left witho
- employment. Mr.. Barbour said that the Phi
adelphia General Appraiser had decided in h
favor, and in blaming the officials for the tres
. meut his house received, he desired 10 exone
ate the Collector. who bad seemed at all tim
anxious 10 enable his house TO recover the
properly, and had appeared ready TO furnish
e the facilities in their power to that end. Th
zee declared, however that in that matter their a
Al. ton was entirely controlled by Howe's burea
ill and they could do nothing to restore the proper
he till the labors of that bureau were closed.
In conclusion, Mr.. Barbour said that the OF
rageous system which rendered possible su
wrongs as his house had suffered would ruin I
importing trade Of the country if continued.
had become SO disgusted with a country viii
fc, permitted such abuses that he would have left
giving up his interests here, if il had not be
for for family ties Ii such abuses go on, import,
ace could not keep books here. They would
II obliged to have their Warehouses and accoul
I on the other side. aud only keep little Off,
~ here where sales could be arranged.