New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-29
THE PROCEEDINGS.

THE PROCEEDINGS.
The committee began work promptly at IL
a. IN yesterday. The chairman announced that MT
Rice had peen called nome, and the examination would
he continued by Mr.. Thompson and himself he also
said that the committee was in receipt OF numerous
letters containing information and suggestions OF great
value which would appear in the report OF the COM
,nttee He read letter just received, recommending
a change In the statute Of limitations; also one from
Woburn Mass containing statistics demonstrating that
weeks wages In that town now would purchase more
than at any former time
G W. Elliott, OF Nebraska, formerly of Boston, was
first called He said; engaged In Boston IN inc
sale Of household articles 10 the West have been an
aRrieulturst have been engaged for many years III
the stndy Of the relations between capital and labor
both in this country and Europe One of the main causes
OF our present trouble that machinery and steam
produce more than be consumed, provided men
work more than ten hours day. In many branches oil
industry one produces as much in one day as
thirty men could have produced one hundred years ago
The use Of machinery causes the massng OF WORKING
men 10 the manufacturing districts and when the de-
mand for their productions falls on distress loio"s
There is an over stock of manufactured goods In Eng
land and the is true to certain extent here IN
the Eastern States. This tends to low wages"
Mr. Hewitt-We have the evidence Of manufacturers
that higher rate Of wages prevails now than ever be-
fore. Aft you offer 20 cents day to 10000 persons
in the City of NewYork, you will have them IN Few
days.
Mr.. Hewitt-That is no test Of the condition Of the
whole country it Is admitted there is surplus Of
labor in New-YOrk City.
Mr. Elliott advocated as the remedy for overprOduc-
ton aud the over-pOpuatOn Of the Cities the removal
of surplus from the OyercrOwded East to the un
oeeupied lands of the West. This he believed 10 be
oroper function Of the National Government Pie
introduction Of machinery" he said to be beneht TO
all must the working hours OF all but as II has
not done this it has enabled large portion OF the
community to live in idleness at the expense Oh the
labOrer"
Mr. Hewitt-Do YOU not know that the hours Of la
nor have been gradually shOrtenedi Would YOU advise
the restriction of the hours Of labor by law Al
woud-ln factories don't how it can he done out
side of factories.
o.-Then the people outside would work as long as
they pleased compete with the factory and close 1t up
then what becomes Of the laws 1t is imperative is It
mott Alt seems so ; in that you may be right.
MIR Thompson suggested that the National Govern
ment had no power regulate these domestic matters
and said that the committee was appointed not 10
gather general information, but such might prove use
full for legislation.
Mr. Elliott said that one great of the present
trouble was the railroad expansion Of few years ago.
based on borrowed capital, and creating an artificial
prosperity which TO end when railroad building
suddenly ceased He favored legislation against the
importation Of pauper labor and Government control OF
the railroads.
FoRTY-EIGHT YEARS OF OBSERVATION.
John Roach the builder Of iron steamships, gave the
following facts and opinions have lived IN Ne-Hork
fortyeight years. fifteen OF winch worked as journey
man. The WOFking-hOurs from the rising to the
setting Of the SUM- aud wages 81 60 day In those
DAYS We had not TO contend with improved ma
chinery; but as machinery has advanced tie
condition Of the working man has steadily
advanced Machinery has enabled him 10 procure many
luxuries which denied him before. have seen the
workingman steadily rise in condition. In the past
fifteen years he has been taught in an extravagant
school and has none Of the frugal HABITS Of former
age Ny business has grown up from one which EN-
ployed four men InOw employ 400, 1000 having been
at work for in all There are three classes OF work
men-hrst the impTOvdent, who never save anything;
second the ntemperate; third, the saving and frugal,
who are striving to become employers themselves Thou
sands are suffering from fault Of their own, through
depreciation OF property failure OF savings banks ETC.
One Of the present trouble b the Imitation OF prices
and extravaganza during and following the war; sue
ceeded by shrDkage which affected everything except
the enormously increased Another is the sudden
sOppage OF railroad building, the effect Of which was
felt through every branch Of industry"
Tire three great industries" continued Mr. Roach,
'upOn which labor depends agriculture, manufac-
ture and commerce The first is in fourishing con-
dOn up the present time, but is beginning to feel
the want market the expense OF transportation
placing the American agriculiuris In uufavoable COM
petition abroad with foreign cheap labor Great Britain
developed agricultural industries by the Corn Laws
until she was compelled have cheap bread in order to
compete with the markets of the world in mapufac-
lures Then she protected her manufactures and only
repealed her Navigation Laws when she could produce
the cheapest ships in the world"
Mr. Roach reviewed the testimony Of Mt. Marshall
given on Monday and disputed his alleged facts and de
ductiOns Wooden ships, he said, were never built so
ehealy in America to-day, and cost only from S51 70
$40 ton One Of the first acts Of the United States was
the passage OF law protecting the shipbuldng indus
try; al other goods could into the country the
payment of some duty but the Navigation Laws shut
III a wa OF Britain In
shipbuildIBg" said Mr. Roach, until we had exported
SA7O0oOOO worth OF ships before other manufactured
goods bad begun to be exported Now tht business has
so far declined lind this slatd the AllSire
Works employed a hOrse-stable, the Fulton Works
used as storehOuse, the Etna Works used for some
thing else, the Neptune Works used as saW-mil the
Novelty Works turned into gas-house, and the place
where $4,000 men were employed now empty. We lost
our commerce, through any want Of enterprise but
because the place Of ships which taken for the
defence OF the Nation and driven of the during the
war was taken by English chips"
"DuriBg the war;" continued the witness revolution
was taking place shpbuding the ship tax
nag the place OF the wooden ship, the propeller OF the
side-wheel steamer, and the compound engine of the
simple engine We absorbed III our efforts to
save the Nation that unable TO keep up with
these improvements. After the close OF the war, pur
chased a site on the Delaware, and went TO building
ships Let me give you the result. From 1871 70 the
present time thnfy-9eyen steamships have been but
having tonnage of $4,000 tons, equal 70 100000 tons
OF sailing vessels. There fifteen trades employed In
the yard ard twelve employed outside in building an
iron ship These ships have cost $16OOOO0o, Of which
S15OOOOOO hes been paid out for labor and 5000 per
sons have been kept ia permanent employment In
1870 this industry was scarcely known now bayo
skilled labor sufficient build the number
OF sblps now built"
OUTLET FOR AMERICAN PRODUCTIONS.
Mr. Roach maintained that he could build iron sail