The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-01-25
MANUFACTURING INTERESTS.
How They Appeared TO an BditOr.--The
Prospects Ahead.

lArgest manufacturing interests begin TO
feel the relief Of getting down TO hard
pan, says tho Springfield Republican,
There is great difficulty III securing q
continuation Of the agreements to cur
tail production. Those industries, par
ticularly, which have reduced wages be-
gin to feel themselves in accord with the
reduced scale of profits and production.
The paper manufacture is no longer chr
ried on at q dead loss, ut least, and the
cotton mills nre genenllly resuming full
time, with reductions in wages The
market for cotton goods has been re-
licyed OF the surplus and, in general, tho
textile markets are not oyerStocked with
manufactures During the year, raw
cotton has sfallenlll percent. inprice, e,and
the manufactured article quite as much;
brown sheeting, forinstance, II percent,
prints five or six per cent, and denims
12t. Both the manufacturing and the
Trading interest have weathered the
double embarrassment oil q dull year and
q great cotton crop successfully. Never.
theless, it is not to our credit TINT
foreign nations should still be able 70
supply us with s23, ,239, 600 worth Of
cotton goods, Us they have the past year,
through the port OF New York alone.
This isa reduction Of 80, OO,OOO from
the importation oil tho same class OF
goods two years ago. Again, our ex'
portation OF cotton goods is nothing TO
what it may become under fair financial
conditions. Alltold, 1t hmornts TO only
81, OOO, 900, and Q very small share Of tnls
goes TO the rest oil America. we Duy
$50, ,0OO, 600 worth OF suglr and tropical
products from Cuba, for instance, and
sell her only S83, 200 worth oil cottons.
Now, 1t Is evident TINT every preecli'
clout and shirt in the American tropics
ought to come oil from our looms:
Improvement in manufacture Is most
discernible in woolens, although the
woolen manufacturers claim TO be more
depressed than the cotton. American
dress goods and cloths are gradually
superseding tho foreign. American
silks, too, are received with increasing
favor. The importation oil silks at New
York for the past two years Inns fallen oil
one-tourth III value, and not, we suspect,
in amount, as the reduction In tho price
OF silks must have sustained tic total
consumption, il not increased 1t: u Is
singular injustice, by the way, that TINS
most serviceable Of all fabrics Should DO
hRbitually denominated as "gcw-gaws.
One OF the most striking features oi
American manufactures at this moment
is the rapidity Of their western develop
ment Tho prosperity OF the West dur.
ing the past year has greatly aided that
development. The Chicago Tribune
claims that nearly the entire bulk OF the
ready-made clothing sold in that city,
amounting for tho past year 10 81, ,O0O,-
900 Wholesale, is made up in that city
and employs from 5000 to 5000 hands.
The Chicago makers conform the char.
acter OF the clothing to tho climate ot
the consumer, whether 1t be Michigan or
Texas, while eastern makers attempt to
strike IN average, they say. The first
western felt-hat factory has Just been
opened ut Chicago. Nearlyall the mems
heavy wear Of boots and shoes sold in
Chicago arc now manufactured there
This business has grown fully one-tllirl
in the past year, and competition with
the East has beon greatly aided bya rc.
duction Of 10 por cent. in wages. Tho
reputation of st. Joseph-mado boots is
not second on tile plains to those from
any quarter. The boot and shoe manu-
facture is likely to tend westward, where
the hides are and whore the leather will
ultimately be tanned. A great cluster Of
iron industries Inns gathered at Chicago,
which have produced, this past year,
$40, ,727, 900 worth of goods, against
$32, 100, ,000in 1873, the reduction being
in the price rather than in the quantity
OF the goods manufactured. Farm i'm.
plements and wagons show q great iii.
crease, but carriages, which are of tho
nature Of luxuries, n falling of; 5000
reapers have been made, an increase Of
one.third, which is attributed to the
English demand for American machines
to take the place of tho striking agri.
cultural laborers. This is curious con.
troyersy Of private interests, that the
English farm-hand, striking for higher
wages and threatening to inmigrate to
America, should be beaten out Of his
position by American reapers and other
products Of Yankee ingenuity. Weshall
finally corner poor Hodge, and make him
immfgrate to us or starve. This theory
has some confirmation in the returns Of
the bureau Of statistics, which show tint
Of the $3,310,000 worth OF agricultural
implements sent abroad, Inst year,
1911 900 went to England; 1853, 900
also went to Germany, doubtless dis.
placing some of the countless German
Immigrants to this country.
The wide geographical distribution Of
the few manufactured goods which we
"a 3.s-is,' 49, Al ei.si ss,,sti l.,