The news and herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1876-1881, 1876-11-16


about the basement. Smoke and
steam were pouring from door and
windows; forms clothed in slippers
and nondescript white cotton gar
ment like n night gown were
| bustling to and fro: piles of sten'n-
ing clothes lay upon the floor; flat
irons were plying and water squirt
ing, while dreadful jabbering
kept up u running accompnn; nent,
and sign over the door intimated
what WIS already apparent, TINT
All Sing had left vegetables and
gone into the laundry business.
The owner of the house f,lmed and
sworc, os was very natural under
the circumstances. All Sing pre-
sentcd the lease which had been
executed and which gave him pos
session of the basement for three
months. In vain the owner urged
that he had not leased the apart
mcnt for any such purpose as the
one to which it had becn devoted !;
the Celestials remarked "No
shabbec" to all his representation
and calmly continued their work,
and the upshot of the whole matter
was that IL large sum had to be p;sid
before the equipments Of the lnun-
dry were removed and the basement
locked up again. The victim now
refuses all dealings with the race,
and is one of the strongest oppo-
ncnts in the city of Chinese imlni-
grafton and cheap labor.
THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CHINESE
BUSINESS.
1t is difficult to determine accur-
atcly to what dimensions Chinese
manufacture have grown. The
manufacturers themselves arc very
rcticcnt upon the subject, and
usually refuse to afford amy infor-
nation whatever, and the whita
men can only give such rough and
incomplete estimates as are founded
upon the decrease in thcir owl
busincss--a decrease to whicl
other c,uscs may have contributed.
2fhe success which has attended
1n!most every branch of industry in
which the Chinese have cngn, O
is doubtless mainly due to the sys-
tcm pursued, namely, that of co.
operation. Each person cngngin.
in the business puts in fifty or /,
hundred dollars, ns the case may
be, and, besides hiring worlmcn,
does n part of the manual labor
himself. AT tho end of six months
or year the profits of the enter,
prise arc divided proportionatcly
among the stockholders, the amount
realized by trade is generally added
to the original capital, md by t,
slow but sure accumulation the con
corn gains position and influence in
the commercial world The Chi,
ncso have thoroughly tested the CO.
operative system of manufacture
and have almost uniformly made il
successful.
CHINESE BUSINESS HABITS.
| The greatest success of the Chi
ncsc system has been seen in TIN.
shoe trade, which, though less thai
seven years old, is now cnrricd on b,
about fifty factories, representing
nearly two million of dollars cupitll
AS III nll other industries, their
knowledge of the nrt was gained
from American manufacturers, VIII,
introduced this class of labor ut II
time when CliSpin strikes nnt
eXactlons were most frequent and
oppressive Though this step has
finally injured the employers, IL
resulted in this much of good. that
strikes and labor leagues have sine,
then been almost unknown in the
State, for workmcn well know that
If they afford John any opening
whatever hc~Will immediately occ,,pv
1T, and when once established he is a
difficult person to remove. The
Cninose shoe manufacturers procure
nearly all their supplies Of leather.
iindmgs. Nc, from local dealers.
and thus far ut least cannot be con
demncd as carrying all their earn
lnSs out of tn" country. Indeed,
the trade Of our dealers in shoe
making materials is principally thus
supported, for the American manu-
lecturers generally import directly
from the Fast. The trade is very
satisfactory, too, innsmuch rs it is
principally cash, for the Chinese
dislike long credits mdusu,lly come
to purchase with a bag Of money in
their hands. When credit is given
It's | have known it to be to the
extent of $4,000 II month to n single
manufacturer--thc debt is almost
invariably paid ut the exact time
agreed upon; extensions are seldom
asked for, and dealers have few
bad debts among the Chinese. The
tricks Of fraudulent bankruptcy and
other ways that are dark" which
are of not infrequcut occurrence
among white men, arc almost un-
known among Chinese. Cases have
been brought to light, indeed,
where n firm went into insolvency,
oil -