The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1878-08-09

turer to purchase his cotton in South Car
olina, Or even in Texas, transport II TO
Fall River, Boston or even Manchester,
New Hampshire, fifty miles inland. manu-
facture 1t into cloth and calico, and sell it
for 81 cents yard A TASTY calico dre, Of
recent desiga can be bought, all materials
included, for sixty cents,
THE SHOE TRADE.
Mr Hyde and Mr.. storrow also appear
ed before the committee, the former rep
resenting the shoe trade. This branch of
industry contains some astonishing figures.
1t is said to be almost the largest sndustry
in the United States. By the census of
1870 the annual product of the business
was $1s1, ,644, ,090. The only products ex-
ceeding it were -four, iron and lumber.
On the simplsa article Of shoe pegs and
peggers there are 276 patents, and there
are 1900 patents on shoe machinery. One
class of machines last year sewed 45, ,000,-
600 pairs of shoes, and another class of
machine pegged So, 900. 900 in the same
time. Ten men, with the present rnachin-
cry, can make 600 pairs of shoes in day.
$50 bushels of loose pegs are made in New
England, and one cents worth of pegs will
peg four pairs of shoes. Mr.. Hyde relates
an incident that recently happened in Mas
sachusetts to show the possibilities of New
England yankees: A large shoe
factory, turning out 2,40O pairs of
shoes per day, was destroyed by fire on
Wednesday night, with contents valued
at $4,000. 1t was busy season, with
plenty OF orders ON hand. On Thursday
the manufacturer hired neighboring
building and set carpenters to fitting itup;
on Friday he ordered his machinery from
Boston on Saturday the machinery ar
rived and the men set it up ON Monday
work was started and ON Tuesday he was
filing orders, turning out the full amount
of 2, 400 pairs. Now, had that occurred %
years ago, the seasons market would have
been entirely lost to the manufacturer.
AS it was, his customers never knew, by
the want of goods, of the fire, and what is
true of that man is true of others.
One shoe manufacturer in Massachusetts
makes two hundred different varieties.
$4,000, 600 in leather was exported in 1876,
and the same amount in 1877. Two mil
lions of shoe lasts, all turned by machinery,
were made last year. The United States
have just begun to export boots and shoes.
Large eonsignments have gone to South
America during the past year, and agents
are now in Japan seeking orders.
Mr. Storrow made long argument on
our agricultural products. Cheese is one
of our large products, and it is almost en-
tirely made IN factories. The factory sys-
tenn was started in 1864 We consume in
this country not far from hundred mil
lion pounds year. Last year we export
ed one hundred and seven mill ons of
pounds.
4 gentleman III Philadelphia, who has
accurate knowledge of the subject, re-
ports that the exports of articles manufac-
turea under patents or by patented ma
chinery from Philadelphia alone last year
were eleven and half million dol
lars, not including furs, breadstuffs, arti-
cles of diet or fresh beef. The export of
fresh beef, due to several American inven-
tions, was more than million dollars from
Philadelphia alone.
lam sorry that time and space will not
allow me further extract and comment
from the 460 interesting pages Of the book
referred to. The subject Is one of the
most interesting in the country, and the
Importance Of machinery on the great |
question OF labor is werthy of the attention
of the ablest men i'm the land. Now that
the question of labor has become such 8
factor in politics and is likely
to become still more powerful, 1t is posi-
bic the philosopher, the statesman and the
politician may be abls TO solve the question
whether the introduction of so much and
varied labor-saving machinery in this
country will help Or hurt the laboring man.
III. J. r.