The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-06
ENGLISH INDUSTRIES SUFFERING.
Poverty and Want Prevailing TO an Alarming
Degree Amoaa the Masses.

come to q state that is truly deplorable The
cotton trade seems all going to ruin the iron
trade is not a whit better of the coal trade is
only trilo better and other industries. al
most without exception. are in n worse state
than has been known before since the Crimean
war. Not day passes but tells OF more COM
mcrcial failures. The newspapers seem care
fully to avoid giving any prominence to such
news. and many failures for sums of 100000
or moro ore noticed in a short paragraph Of
only two or three lines. and that. perhaps.
moro note at the foot OF some column. where 1t
is likely to attract very little attention.
Here are few prominent failures. noticed in
the papers OF yesterday and to-day only They
are strictly the occurrences OF only two days.
though the list certainly Ia a tri1e longer than
usual for that length Of time. The pound
sterling is taken equal 10 exactly five dollars.
Messrs. Matthew and Thielman OF Glasgow.
merchants. have failed. with liabilities amount
ing to o. 432, 600. and assets t10i 1876. showing
n deficiency OF 1881 .495. &. Bonner & Co. OF
Great st. Hclens havo failed. with liabilities OF
aboutst50O 600 +. Whitaker OF Halifax York
shire. wool staplers. with liabilities OF 100000
and assets Of 100000. Tho above are OF yes
terday's news. This morning the failure is
noticed Of Messrs. Potter. Wilson h Co. OF Glas-
gov. merchants. with liabilities Of 1850. ss7.
600. Several more failures for comparatively
small amounts. could be given. The liabilities
OF tho four firms mentioned above amount to
t4.213.577.
The masses OF the English people are very
poorly prepared for times like these. In tho
first place very few OF them own tho homes I'm
which they live. But few Of them know that
Independence which comes from the absolute
ownership OF a home. This first great nccn-
tive to prudence and accumulation OF property
Is entirely wanting. Tho chief obstacle In the
way ofths is the fact that the land is not for sale
They understand the practice OF rigid ocono-
my. for their wages are low but the trouble IL
that they spend their all a. they co. In tho
strlctest sense the British workmen may DO
said to live from hand to mouth.
Another sad fact is the national habit OF beer
drinking. The beer used by working people
costs. In London eight cents q pot QUART. and
in other parts OF the country II is often no more
than six cents. One pot OF beer day IL GER
tainly the least quantity workingman uses
This alone will come 10 500 or t25 year. Two
pots dav are far more common. Add to this the
fact that his entire family uses beer and II will
be easi!y Understood that tho beer money ~ n
runs up To Us or soC y WSrk pS not Al
uncommon to find one-third OF the whole family
The masses Of the English nre also very de.
iicient u education. The sum Of the matter is
about this: The system OF the country has
forced tho masses very low down into ignorance
and poverty and they seem 10 have been taught
20 drink plenty OF beer, and spend their money
must be- confessed; but look upon them ns
undeservinR OF blame. after all. At all events
when they get out Of employment 6y tens Of
thousands. As they are now. very few have any
thing To fall back upon. and they are charges
on the parish at once. and almost IN masse.
working classes Is the enormous cost OF all
staple. articles Of food. A fair quality Of beef
steak is 70 be had nowhere In England or Scot
land under twenty eight cents a pound and
the poor mans staple. potatoes rarely costs less
than 81. rs or 81. 80 bushel.
In the cotton manufacturing districts many Of
the mill owners are struggling for existence.
Within the last month or six weeks mills have
where Wages were reduced ten per cent all
through that district last spring: many mills
| all are threatening a second reduction.
Many OF the masters now freely admit that
American composition in their foreign. and even
In their home markets has great deal TO DO
with the crisis in the cotton industry. As
an average. the mills OF the whole cotton district
days a week and the trade rapidly grows worse
Many mills have entirely stopped. In Black
burn, town 81 10000 Inhabitants. there arc
now between 5000 and 10 900 operatives OF the
cotton mills entirely out Of work. The greater
hSs' n 11 ,nsm arc Secsiyng parish relief eqt
SO very small that II scarcely keeps them from
absolute starvation telegram received from
| walls In every ward employment In the cotton
mills r. decreasing. and great crisis is at
| hand"
some other towns are Just as badly of as
blackburn The worst has not come yet. how;
| the distress douhly intensified. In Oldham the
mills have had scarcely anything else than
losses TO report in the whole Of the last eighteen
months. and several firms have had adverse
| balances OF t25 900 each. The Greenacres
| Spinning Company, which Ia one Of the model
yoIkingmen's companies and which used to
| declare 80 per cent. dividends OF profit has now
| declared loss OF nearly $4,000 in the last
quarter. In Darwen tho largest mill has
| stopped entirely. and in Preston 3l4.500 spin
| dies are idle.
In the coal and iron trades wages have been
| and the last reduction Of the Northumberland
miners was l2A per cent The average Of
day. in Wales about So cents and in Northum.
berland about 81 .25. In the Black Country
desituton Il is asserted thai al woIyer6sm m'i,,
| ton and other centres OF the coal and iron
trades many hpndreds q people are. actually
| eral days IN succession. In some cases men
have been found TO Dc SO. weak from want OF
| food that they have actually sunk 10 the ground
| exhausted upon attempting TO work. The same
| story comes from Shefield Thousands are
| entirely out OF work, and almost none work full
| time.
Journals devoted to the coal and iron iron trades.
| ~ follows from Sheffield
pr foote, Che medical ohcer, says the present con
|
comparison with anything In previous years The dis
tress Is deporabe and narrowing 10 behold. and the
Doctor adds can truly say have never witness d
| ANYTHING Like the present scarcity and poverty"
| Then the correspondent adds something tina,
| shows that American competition Is felt in the
| iron trade too:
Although trade is known 20 be bad in America and
Germany the local hrns IN Shedeld who import Ameri
can aud German protc about the nny person.
who do not complain OF dull trade was talking 10 the
senor partner at one Of these firms Tuesday aud he
told me that the demand Tor the innumerahe Yankee
notions as well rs German articles. parii uarly those
known as Lancashire tools shows no AppTecahe falling
on During all this prolonged period N depression,
| SAID he We have really not lclt much change
=, That, is most remarkable language for mn
| Engllshman, and especially for one versed In
| the iron trade. Those same Yankee notions
| are also sold at scores Of places in London and
| the amount Of English goods displaced by them
| must DO very considerable. They ara attractive
| alike by their quality. adaptability. and cheap
| ness. The very fact that an article is American
made has come TO be a recommendation OF lis
quality
| A year ago the building trades we're compar.
| atively brisk, and in some cllses the work men
| actually were on strike for better wages Now
| they are glad 70 get work even ut lower rates
| than year ago. The tin min ng trade of Corn.
| wall IL also IN a state Of great stagnatiOn. and
| the same II true OF the pOtteres OF Stafford
| shire. No industry IL doing we'll ami the best
| that can be said OF any is that they are working
liill lima md