New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-22
Mechanical cotton mills

Under an insufficient protective policy are found
eight out Of the twenty-thTcc mills given above,
making no pToft-Or over onc-third of the entire
number Under protection only one is so returned
and that mill undoubtedly efiectually ruined by
free trade In the four years of the policy the
profits of eighteen mills out Of twenty-three have
largely increased; three remain the same; one
gives no return for 1879 and the profits of one
concern have decreased from . per cent to 12l2
rer cent In 1879 the average profits Of these i'm
portant mills was not over 3 per cent per annum;
to-day the average profits will reach 10 per cent
per annum-an increase of 100 per cent in profits.
In wages it is more difficult 10 establish statist-
caly an increase, though if one compares the re-
turns sent by the several United States COnsuls and
published in Report called Labor and Wages III
Europe by Secretary Eyarts i'll 1878, with the
various reports sent from all parts of Germany and
published in the last ten fifteen numbers of the
State Departments monthly publications., the gen
eIal upward tendency VIII Toe noticed. AccoIdIng
to the last census there are about 100000 persons
engaged III the cotton industry of Germany, about
10000 of which number were females. Inc
wages differ in different parts of the Empire, but
from returns which have FROM the five most i'm
portant cotton regions, including Muh3usen,
Should say that mechanical WcayCrS (menl. work
ing outsdc of factories earn from - - to - ANA
even S6 per week; women - 30 TO ~. Factory
hands: iourucymen, 81; females, - 90 pNefS
- 80 10 81 and nearly - IN some special depart
mentS. | have met with instances OF WcaNeIN on
some fashionable articles earning $40. In cotton
spinning. mule spInucrS earn ~ 30 70 %; pIcCcIs
81 80 Young persons are employed in all these
branches and make from 81 30 les ana sometimes
a triilc more per week. Il | may judge from an
article on the wages iu the cotton districts of Ian
caShire publish IN The London Economist OF sep
tcluhcr D the German operatives are receiving
about the same pay as the English factory hands.
The London Economist while using N some instance
idcuticaly the same figures rs those sent To M
ThHuN, some months ago, estimates thr actual
pay OF tine English operatives at lower rate tIdh
claimed 10y The ! uBU 81 letters The German mas
the advantage over the EugliNhlnan IN cheaper Nv
ing while protection secures for ms employer
IrluuucratiSc home market. IN the cotton IN
duStrv. rs | have already shown IN aIl the nih'I
great industries of Germany, decided improve
iuput set in with the new tariff Protection may
moi have been the only cause of tins PROSPERITY huI
that II helped 10 bring II about no Intelligent, IdI-
minded German seems inclined 20 doubt.
According 10 an estimate received from trust
worthy authoTitle, 10y tinted states Consul BaiIOh
OF Krh the value OF the products % the cotton m
2ustIy Of Aisace was about FGO,OtOonO IN 49,
Nh Bailou also saws that ia most cosrs the manu-
factureIs who have extended their business lblO
Trance have IN no way reduced thelr tstapl~h-
meuts n Germany, but III some instances nave
changed the quality CT their pTocucll"nS-ihr
coarse goous for the German markets ana me Lne
grades iOr the French. The OPERATIVES al AnI-
AHIsen. COluar ana the principal mus III 'his
vicinity are paid every fortnight. MuibauSeU paws
the highest wages. SpnHerS ana TeccTs are Pad
according TO weight. tie sane as iron tenders
So,s Inpsnl Banpu. :" lhe wages III the AlsAtial
cotton mills have doubo! since 1851 with an
average increase of 80 per cent dnrng tho Iast
thirty years Operatives IN Muhauseu now earn
% per cent more than III 1870.
Consul Baiou presents wage tables Whlch nave
been obtained from the various cotton mills OF MS
district and fully sustain this statement OF inc III
crease of wages during the last ten Of twelve
years On tie Oiner hand, wage tables computed 1y
tie Manchester Chamber of Commerce covering ne
saue periods actually show decrease III the
Wye, of cotton summers in England. AGAIN, II
one taxes tAe Official statements OF Consu! BIilnn
rs authority for the MdlhluSen statements ana we
Wancbester Chamber OF Commerce for authority
for the Manchester statements It Is found thai to-
day Williamson is actually paving upon the whole
as high, aud IN some branches even higher wages
tLan the cotton spinueTs Of Linrashirs-and yet
thr Lancashire mills are ut the pfr'cnt moment
forcing a further reduction upon Their operatives
These may appear startling facts to Inglsh manu-
f,ctureTs and American free traders, hat ihelc
seems 70 be no escapiug from them. Foreign conf
petition encouraged Ivy improved apparatus Ue
reduction Of tine rates Of interest and iuGlcious
protection is every year reducing England al
YantaCes IN The cotton industry HS well a ID sew
eral other branches Of industrial ls'or.
RgBtEI p. POETEE.