New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-17
UNITED STATES MANUF4CTURES.
GREAT BRITAIN SURPASSED.

GREATER NUMBER OF MECHANICS IN THIS COUNTRY
SMALL NUMBER OF PRODUCTIONS IN WHICH
GREAT BRITAIN MAINTAINS sUPREMAcY-DE-
MAND FOR MANUFACTURES IN THE UNITED
STATES.
To the Editor Of The Trfoune.
SIR 1t has been the prevalent opinion abroad that
agriculture was the chief occupation of our people.
The revelations of the late show that such is
not the case, and that the operatives engaged i'll
manufactures and the mechanical arts in commerce,
transportation, and the professions, exceed in num-
Der those who cultivate the earth This disparity is
constantly increasing as mechanism in the shape of
modern sewers, reapers, and thrashers, with steam
plows, diminishes labor, and new branches OF
manufactures are established. BY the late
census the annual production of our manufac-
lures is valued at $4,000 100000, while that
of agriculture is only half that amount. by
the previous the former was less than that OF
agriculture This change is remarkable. The num-
Der of persons in this country engaged in the various
pursuits of life appear in extracts from the Census
Report for 1870 to be as follows Number of opera
tives employed in agriculture, 1922 AIS in manu-
features, 2,J55,34; in the mechanical arts, in the
professions and in personal services, 2,684,793;
number engaged in commerce and transportation,
1,101,238; number engaged in mining, 1870
total number of mechanics, G,5S3,452.
Another fact is disclosed by our census and By
paper presented to the Congress at ST. Petersburg
few months ago by Leone Levi one of the prominent
statisticians Of England. These when placed side
by side show that the number of operatives en-
ploycd in Great Britain and Ireland is only three
ffths the number thus employed in the United
States few of the reports Of the transactions of
this Congress have recently reached this country in
three large volumes of more than l 800 pages EACH
These volumes contain papers from the statisticans
of many countries, including several from England
and the United States Among these is the paper of
N. I. Levi, which gives the following statement of
the division of labor among the operatives
in the British Isles: Number of persons
employed on textile fabrics, 1,05f,947;
metal manufactures. 1S0,G60; leather, $500;
chemicals, 1887 articles of food, 1855; build
ing, 20,S23; paper, 81 miscellaneous, 211,-
522 total, 1,595,2SS Comparing the number of
American operatives, 2,555,314, with the number
of British operatives 1,5952SS, find that there
$50 O2G more operatives in the United States than
in Great Britain.
Ihave no means of comparing the value of British
manufactures with the value of those produced in
the United States, for l cannot find any returns.
But as labor is better paid in this country than it is
in Europe and the rate of interest is higher, may
safely infer from the greater number of operatives
and dispatch easier access to better markets than
English workmen, that the annual produce of our
manufactures is twice great the annual produc
ton in the British Isles. 1t is probably nearly equal
to that of both France and the United Kingdom.
Should this suggestion be made to an Engishman
he would probably at once exclaim This cannot
be-" He would then ask, DO you make more tex
tile fabrics, more earthenwarc, or chemicals, or
fabrics from metals, or steamshipsW This question
we should be obliged to answer in the negative. We
should then, however, ask him in reply, "HOw do
the countries compare in their production of
locomotives, carriages and other vehicles, fabrics
of leather clothing, bricks nails, and other
building materials, clocks, watches and long
list of other fabrics :" Think of the new
houses and furniture required by the 100000
persons yearly added to the population of the
United States; of the boots shoes, hats yearly re-
quired by this population, and also of the masses
who are improving their position from year to year,
and requiring yearly better houses clothes, and fur
nure Contrast their progress with the SOW growth
of England. Think of the cars and engines now in
use on $4,000 miles of railway: there are only
10 900 miles of railroad in the British Isles Think
of the great in the number of horses in this
country of more than three to one and OF
the horseshoes saddles, harnesses, and vehicles |
which they demand.
When our European cousins visit us and inspect |
our fabrics at the great Exposition of 1876, let us
show them what has been effected in a single CEN
tury since Burnaby wrote home that w-England
could never compete with old England in cloth, then
the great staple of the LATTER because her sheep were
inferior to those of England. That was time when
the artisans of America forbidden to slit iron
or to export hats from province to province Let us
ask them to see what a home market has been Gre
ted by the importation Of the workman rather than
his products. As wages advance the other side of
the Atlantic and recede on this may reduce many
Of duties: but could our country afford to part