Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-06-01
The Martins Ferry Nail Mill.
From the News, 25th ult.


The Ohio City Iron & Nail Mill is now
running under the management of the
Benwood Iron Works to its full capa
city, and is demonstrating the fact thai
with the natural advantages it posses
es, under proper management, it Is ne.
cessarily prosperous and profitable
enterprise 1t labored under dissdvan.
tages while the old company operated
it which made it a wonder that it could
exist as long as it did. 1t lacked many
essential requisites, such ascapital, ex-
perience of managers, fair markets for
manufactured articles or products OF
the mill, which advantages have been
: given it since the new management
took charge, and which mark its sue
cess as inevitable under. such circum-
stances.
Now the question is, what is to be-
come of it as a mill? The company
operating it now have lease for linn
tied time. Will that lease be renewed?
will it be sold to the highest bidder?
will it remain idle, or will it be opera
ted by another company? We think
q magnificent affair can be built
upon the fixed and firm foundation of
the mill, as it now stands, with its ma
tural advantages for the production of q
good line of work at very low rates, the
problem should be easily solved-let
the old stockholders rally to the res
cue, put their shoulders to the wheel
with will, and induce new opes to en-
list in the cause, and there is no reason
able doubt but success must follow.
The nail market is improving, money
is plentier. Skilled labor Of the best
class can be procured at reasonable
rates. The operating expense of the
mill is light compared with many 9TH
ers.
Had the mill stopped on account of
capacity and general failure of any de-
partment of the institution, the matter
would be different, but it, as an insti-
tuition, is as near perfect in all IFS ar
rangements as possible, or should there
be any exceptions to this sweeping as
sertioa, it could be remedied by chan
ges made by the experience already
bought and paid for.
A STATEMENT just prepared by the
Commissioner of Customs, in response
to Senate resolution, as to the receipts |
and disbursements, and the balances |
outstanding in the Treasury Depart |
ment, shows the total collection from
customs from January 1. 1880, to June
so, 1860, to have been 81 ,005, ,258, ,049 05;
while the outstanding balances from
the same time were $3.50, ,660 56. The
customs collections from July /, 1860, |
to June 80, 1875, were 50, ,170, ,460, ,215 80;
same time, 81 ,451, ,14S 80; from which
do1 o 70 I'D,
ded, but account not yet adjusted,
81 ,O25, 900, leaving actually outstand-
ing S426, 14S 80. The loss on the trans
actions of customs officers was from
1880 to 1860, S25 in $4,000; and from
1860 to 1875, S19 in 100000. The Com
missioner says: 81 am impressed with
the belief that no private business in
this country has been conducted with
so small loss as that given for the first
period viz: S25 in $4,000, and when
we consider the loss during the second
period, it seems incredibly small, viz:
s19 in o100, 900, and is convincing evil
dence of the general efficiency and in
tegrity of the officials engaged in col
lecting the vast sums involved, and
paying them into the Treasury" A
similar examination of the facts pre-
sented in the second statement gives
the following results: On disburse-
ments from 1880 to 1860, amounting to
s., ,755, lis II, the deficiency was s20,-
959 80, or $40 in $4,000; on disburse-
ments from 1860 to 1875, amounting to
s., ,423, ,625 81, it was 81, ,319 45, or $54 in
Sl00, 900; 1919 Sc of this S1,319 45 has
been paid into The Treasury since the
above letter was written, leaving the
deficiency S940 90. This exhibit de-
that the same care and f.
deity to the Government which was
shown by customs officers in account
ing for duties collected, was also exer-
cised in the disbursements of Congress
sional appropriations by those having
them in charge. s