New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-22
,ETrERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
1Np,ysTRIAy. FIGURES OF THE CENSUS.
LETTER FROM GENERAL WALKER.

A LETTER FROM GENERAL WALKER.
m IN, Fdtfor OF The Trt5une.
S,n: In your issue of the 18th You indicate cor
,ectlv the reason why, in the face OF large III
.rease in the number of hands employed III the
..arufaetures o. the United States between 1870
and 1880 rs we'll in the amcunt of materiai con
sumed and in the values of the products, the NUM-
her of establishments shows hardly an appreciaple
cain. notwithstanding 80 per cent increase IN
norulation Ii is the tendency, everywhere mani
coat toward the concentrating of labor anu capi'a'
In larger shops and factories which explains 'his
phenomenon The establishments Of 1870 shower
: "a the average number of hands and SS'ioo as
the average amount of capital. The estaoiisnho".
of 1850 show 1917 as the average nnmOef Oh na'"S
and $40, 992 as the average amount Oh capital
gerry good example of the effect OF TINS cause 10
,ound in the coopers' trade, where, notwlthstahohg
= reduction of 20 per cent in the number OF estao-
rs,ments TIE hands employed have increased II
per cent. Ill.
Thu cause has not. however, operated county 70
produce proportional reduction IN all branches VI
industry. Thus in the carpenters u"He, we nav.
the average number of hands employed 90
,ca;nst q o in 1870 But this increase IN the aver
aro pumhef of hands does t'alonc explain the de
~ooso in the number Of establishments. we HSNo
cleo 10 take into account the prodigous. ehect oi
The growth of the sash, door and blho i'c'oi'o''
doing ON n large scale and by machinery What<Na
sor,oerlv done slowly and on the spot by the Ih"i
v;dnal carpenter In other words Il large part oi
tbe carpenters of to-day work in factories when aie
not known az carpenters shops. We nave, theD, 10
,.l,. ;n4o oncount the growth of tie wheeiWrlshtS
srcde which has reduced appreclabIy thv h%tHoSi
hcfb of.blacksmithS and OF caipehleIs. III IoCo'
and again IN 1862 no esIabilsnib IN, 49,, 49, T.
,nrre,l a. EN- caged distinctly in wheelwughtlhg IN
fs-0 there were 3.Gl3, employing IN aggregate Oh
a aep hands In 1850 there were lO,IOl, employ
no 16 GS hands We have, also. 70 take lh,o dC-
onnt the introduction OF machinery INTO me Iuih-
snp, and cabnet-making industry, ana the Nlue
tsansnortation Of the products Of that industry
ifnInitnre being now brought III y.st quanuuGs
nom Indiana and Michigan even 10 NeH-Eh8iMhul'
aims replacing ;auch Of the former WORK OF me 10
cal carpenter III rural dlsiIlcts anu e1lLI. ~
in late years, of the contract system OF erecting
bindings tie immediate ana necessary eHeCt oI
which Is to disc0nncc large p3ft OF tpe NpIhlAG
cornentes OF every cts from actual shops ana con-
t;,ff,ie them a movable dsposable force, 10 be
hired now by this contractor and now by ihaL as
sobs arise We have last, 10 consider te IaplQ SUI
sufu4iCn of brick and stone Tor WOOD IA JUilUll!s'
evidenced by the fact that the peIsl uS e po3 III
the manufacture OF brck in the United STATES h@Te
increased more thst fifty per cent IN lel Yeas N
tIe s,me WAY while tae crossroads blacksmith
sbon Is sill necessity of tens or thousands OF 10
cqlties much of the work formerly done 10y phCk-
smiths is now done by Wh9elwUghts, lCCksinllns'
or ,nachipists or IN hardware factories or III eSta-
Gshrents nroiuciug the Thousand and one special
ties i'm iron and steel known to the market
will not trCspaSs Oh your space 10 tahe w othcl
trades and indicate the conditions when may
nave affected thus rate OF growth dullng the decace
lust closed. The above Will serve 10 snow tue va
rely and the nicely of the considerations whch re-
oui.e to be taken into account in this c0uneclon,
Respectfully, FRANCIS A. WALKER
Boston, Dee. -, 1882.