The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-20
HARD TIMES IN ENGLAND.
IRON INDUSTRIES DECLINING UNDER
AMER CAN COMPETITION
Unemployed Work men md their Families In
York shire suffering a Nobiemnn Giving
very GrutFi nKIy OF his Immense Wealth.

SHEFFIELD, Jan. 3.-Groat depression has
come upon tho manufacturing industries Of the
north Of England and tho south Of Scotland.
few towns feel tho stress ofthet times severe
ly than Sheffield. perhaps but no town OF any
thing like its population is so badly on. except
Manchester alone. People are out OF work in
| large numbers In all largo manufacturing cen
tres, and the poor nre in great distress. The
| severe weather Of the present winter makes the
distress all the greater.
Sheffield was once tho great mart Of the world
for cutlery. Its dominion has not altogether
passed away ns yet. but II IL going fast In
years past tho brand Sheffield steel" was an
unchaenged test Of quality II Is not 80 cor
tain a guarantee OF excellence now II ia be-
| yond doubt that the quality OF English manu-
| features OF iron and steel has much deterio-
rated in late years Tho great industries OF
| Sheffield are almost wholly Of iron and stool.
| Tho depression is mainly in the heavy iron
| trade, not in the stool. though tho latter has
also fallen Oft very largely. Nevertheless. it is
| found that tho various steel works are mostly
working nearly full time. with the exception Of
| those engaged in turning out Bcsscmer steel
| rails; while largo numbers Of works engaged
| In the heavy iron trade arc entirely stopped.
and very few ire working full time. Tho fall
| ing off in some lines has been tremendous. II
| is estimated that fully 5000 workmen are
wholly unemployed. The classes who have snug
| incomes and live upon tho M Of Tho land pro-
frss to doubt the extent II the destituton that Is
| claimed. but such people are very apt to be
| outimi-ts IN such matters.
| relief tuud was started sOme time ago undcr
| the supervision Of the Mayor. and the fund
! now reaches over $4,000. great parade II
| made Of the efforts II tho town 10 relieve the
| distress which prevails among the unemployed
| poor. and the country seems generally to I'M.
aagin,e that every hungry mouth is being we,
| The real amount OF the relief given Is simply
| .ontemptiblc. and most of tine talk about the
| prompt and efficient measures taken II mere
| nonsense. Here Is n sample Of their magnin-
cent relief: The officers II All Saints Parish
Of sheffield report that they relieved in the last
week 722 families. consisting Of 29l2 persons.
M total cost Of nearly G92- say siGO This
amounts TO a little less than l6 cents week to
each person and less than al n week to a family
| 81 six persons. Think what an enormous guam
| tity OF broad. meat. potatoes. and coal 81 week
| viii buy Tor hpngry family! Yet most people
seem 10 think the work Il being well done
That is what is being dono by the Mayor and
is ono Now the greater ptrt of the land upon
which sheffield 100000 inhnbtanis Is built is
| a good ground rent. As leases expire, the
buildings also become absolutely his. without
| payment lii house property Is also immense.
even now, He subscribed pqtry $500 to the
| Mayors Relief Fund. and the Duchess gave
81 Norfolk Is not less than 81 5O0OuO, 1t is said.
aud tho greater part u this comes from rents
N ana about shGiileid L. dos not sesn to
pressure Of the times by reducing his rents one
But the real relief of tho unemployed Is no
doubt chiefly done by their poor neighhors. who
have scarcely enough To live upon themselves.
No noise Is made about this but II is the chief
part Of the relief after all. This Is considerably
supplemented too. ty the private charity OF
miny well-t1 do peop(e who attend 10 tho dis
irihnt Ian ibrn,soi,,s IN, niip,rns fnr ali thesa
public and private means OF charity. there Is
still sad amount Of suffering which Is almost
wholly unreiicvcd Clothing has gone 10 the
pawnhrokcrs. and hundreds Of houses are
stripped nearly baro Of their necessary furni
ture to get food. one Of the surcst marks Of tho
4 restitution Is the number Of houses that have
been cmptlcd because the tenants could no
longer pay the rent. The families leaving them
have boon crowded into single rooms OF other
houses and too often almost crowded out OF
suburbs ! have passed through streets whore
the families of irOnworkers mostly live. and
| have sometimes seen more than half the houses
Of nm entire Little street empty. The rent paid
by such families Is from ninety cents to 81. 80 a
The ladies Of tho town have opened work
room In the central part Of tho town and here
they give partial employment 70 some 400 poor
women n making clothing for families in need
Another plan is now on foot. and will no doubt
hn nut into force in u few days. 90 haul together
larg" quantities Of stone. aud employ such men
as ueCi work ina breaking them at 30 cents u
day. The broken Stone will be- used iu making
| permanent street improvements. and there "
great Mood OF them Ia many parts II tho town.
rms j. felri ot thoroughly practical KIND
one al thr rcmnrkahio fenturr, Of tho iron
and coal trades ia tho last few years ts the de-
rr.d-" in values The, puauiity ms also fallen
% with the lull iu values In 1874 the average do
! rlnred value - pig iron WIS 9j-. a ton; the
i}-. ii q ton. showing decrease OF 4 per cent
But prices much lower than that have been
quoted as low AZ 49, a ton in Glasgow a it'll,
| mora IMAM Wgrk ago. ami lu 10" Glove
reachgd. The doslar"d value Of coal ana othci
iu'l exported nl-o shows like fan in value. the
: than half that in 1874. Thi- decline IN vaiu' p.
I | has taken away the margin 81 profit and IN
4 | urnN OF cases the margin Is now on thewrone
, The cry oi American competition even in tn,
. home markets. Is ovrry day growing louder
| All the best troumong"ry stores now keep
I good limo ~ some kinds ~ American wares
such - locks. tools a.. A few sonten as from
the EHgweg OF last week will tell how things
! are gong Tho article IL editorial. and headed
e American lronmonsery."
r. " a,k Tor i,'k; gss 'aniaris roller blind fittings
anl TOOLS substantial TOYS ami very many other thns
man, n., lhc prcicrcnce /, rol Superficial hsrd,
any English small casuns. ANY Thing Ike nnc d
surface, u-ht pattern ami oiesnY turned out ar'
| ur,c Am'uch t.nns. small English castings oitci
uc, arc either iurnei out uucoatd. ar dauhed with
o. .csw hoc. arc 5ihtr too arec Of too ,ua Ia al
$ iho~ thing, ihc Americans ar" ahead OF
Tho article runs on at much length in prais,
% | OF the better goods and superior method %
. acklng oi tho Americans, and finally uses thi'
I sentence;
, nhc. clean finished ,t'ut-' tAh tAe English c"Hno
/, qunntltir- and varieties of food, too. On ever,
4 hand We soe American fresh meat. hams, hlron
! luri. cheese. apples. and canned goods Their,
u h scarcely good provision store in Shriliel,
whore American comurr-seG cornrd beef Is no
. to bn found mostly from Chicago. ! see th'
, nume of Libby Mcneil a. Libby" evcrywher,
y ON these goods. hava boon in scores If large
/, towns Oi England. AMI the- goods seem 90 have
y gone everywhere. II seems almost ncrodibl,
y to what an oXtont American foods have come t,
o. hn used ia this country and 1t l7 an within th,
s. last few y"ur~. This Chicago cornrd beef n
4 cans soils IN Snrfold NJ ld aud Is ccutsa pound
y AmcrHan applr, have also come upon us IN
" perfect druEr TINS winter selling AT about 3 81
W u husn"l Tor tho cnmmoner qualities. That Is
Il minimum price for apples in this country.
Il The Sheffield " Red Book" issued % few
works ago. gives some startling figures con
corning tile dopr' citation IN the stocks OF man
uinrturiug enterprises in sheffield. Tho sam,
3 depreciation may Doe said ALSO 10 prevail al
, through the country. The " Red Book give
= statistics concornue tho Joint stock companie
In sheffield and noighhorhood. All are strlctl'
C local companies. the stock being nearly all hcl,
- b re- and all are Organized an tho plan az linn
s tied liability Of shareholders. Fiity-nine com
10 panics arc represented, and tho figures arr
T.. brought down Ia ID t'. |. 1875.
~ The aggragatn ealled-up capital Of thes
~ lny-nino companies Is sjS.3luOOO. ut th
10 par Value Of the shares. Eleven compa