New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-02
INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND.
by ROBERT P. PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION
FACTS AND FIGURES OF THE POTTERY
TRADE.

frpoy A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
HANLEY, England, March IL:
The district of which this town Is cahed the
metropolis may be APPLY described as "a Babylon
of Crockery." Indeed had not been ACCOMPANIED
in my walks through The Potteries' by Mr. Edward
f Lame limited States Consul at Tunstall and Col
Alhert d. shaw United States Consul at Manches |
ter should haze lost myself even in the daytime |
in the series OF dingy towns and most unrural VII
lagos tina, run into one another and sprawl ior
several miles along the bottom of what was once
picturesque valley The Parliamentary borough OIL
Stoke-upon. Trent comprising district OF ABOUT 'en
miles Inv three contains most of the pottery towns
and villages all of which are adjoining ana FORMING
really one large scattered manufacturing town. con-
tanning an aggregate population estimated uoeAceeu
100000. The chief towns of the district are
Hanley, with a population of $4,000; Dursien'
with 10000; Longton and Lane End Win zo'ooo'
stoke.upon- Trent, with 20 900; Fenton. with TO-
OOO and several other villages of less Importance.
Take a good map of Staffordshire ana make a
rectane lie of four by miles and you nave w,hh
an area of less than thirty square miles inc po.e,S
districts of England, in which seventonths OF Inc
pottery is made employing $4,000 persons WIN al
invested capital of over $40, OOOoOo.
The other noted pottery localities in England are
Lambeth Worcester. Coalport, Broseley' anu "a'-
cornbe but of the 5l7 pottery Establishments III
England and wares, acCOIulhs W
recently made by Consul Lane, 800 are In this DIS
t,ict and they are moro extensive than those else
where. some. like Mintons, at Burslem, employing
600 hands Mr. Lanes estimate is as follows:
Tunstall 2O Burslem Including Cobr1dge 90
Hanley So; Stoke 20; Fenton 20; Longton' ooi
total. 3O5 To show how much more concentrated
the English trade than that of the United states,
aud how nuch more nearly monopoly 1t is, need
only saw that there are in the United States $50
establishments, employing less than lo,ooo hahus'
against 3O5 in Staffordshire employing oO,ooO
hands.
Accompanied BY the Tunsta and Manchester
Copsuls. | walked through all the pottery towns.
These places stretch and stragge along contlhu-
ouslv The whole district brisiles with kilns Oh
every conceivable shape and appearance, some hks
pyramids, some like big bellows without hozzie'
some like high shoudered case-bottles, some ike the
typcal American whiskey-jug; In short, some arc
ripged with bullying rims; some are 'arIeoS0'J
yelned with capriciously divereng cracks; some are
castellated; some pierced at the top as II ior
mnsketry: some push out their plump proportion
Mt the angle between two fat walls. like the corner
towers of castesD The wOrk-people all wear
wooden shoes which chatter on the footpaths.
Public houses aud meeting-houses are alike pieh'i-
full. Steam tram-cars toll up the hills ana ruinpie
down with brake-lOcked wheels. "DonKeys says
DIR. Rowe. with implanted mlk-cans. like mag
ni6ed tea-cansters, rumble by milkmen bearing
green milk -cans in their hands and milkwomen uras
cling green milk-cans mounted on wheels 'ruoge
along, Coal-carts, red black and blue, everywhere
grind through the mud or jolt over the frozen rats
Canals. with long narrow barges floating on pea
sonny water run alongside the pOtteries and inter
their wharfs-scored with narrow tramways ana
tiny turn-tabes-with Cornish clay, Goals oohes anu
flint Everywhere there arc potteres SmoAe' SOU
and flames make the air heavy The cows anu
doukeys look melancholy and dusty. The yards ana
the streets are Uttered with mounds OF smasheu
crockery and cracked "saggera."
On all sides Of the waste ground little streets.
with old and miserable houses in winch the potteis
live We walked up and down scores OF these stree's
in all the towns and found them much the same.
The wages paid the great bulk OF the potters only
permit of their paying from Is 3D. to u.s. 20 cents
"a week hOuse-rent. They live In one room'
in which washing and ironing eating and not IN
Frequently slice ping are done. The majority oil inc
houses on these streets are anything put Uoy anu
cheerful. Slovenly women and dlrty ragged emil
dren came TO the doors Of the houses as we passed
nlong and the mere fact three respectfully dressed
men walking Though these streets exci'ed 'ne
astonishment Of the entire neighoorhood, and
curious crowd followed al our heels
Mr. Lane informed me that the majority OF the
potters lived in this class OF houses, WHICH seem 10
be worse at Hanley and LongtOn than In the other
towns. OF course there is class OF operatives VINO
Darn better wages and live in comfortable
dwellings but the bulk OF them reside III Daoly'
ventilated small houses. They rarely accumulate
ANYTHING and seldom or never own their houses. a
great deal of money is spent in drink. The cinel
reereations are during tho wake seasons" In the
potteries there are two kinds OF wakes-thc STOKE
wakes and the Burslen wakes. At these times the
potter will quit work for perhaps two weeks, Oh
until all his money has been spent He gives HIM
self up TO play. All sorts Of shows come 10 town
and establish themselves on the CRASHES vacant
lots Fat women living skeletons, double headed
children shooting ball throwing merry go rounds
"sailpe boatsn Ministries all sorts of curostie'
and oddities and general carnival of drink con
stitute these wakes The entire business OF the us
trict is at stand-stl during these times
Years ago Sunday used to be Il fair-day in the pot
tories lint was told that now it almost "a
quiet as "a Glasgow Sunday. Dr.Rowe SAYS that many
of the potters are Methodist. ASunday lOvc-least
as Ie Describes it, would be a curious surprise to ri
American. The very dale OF the conversion II
given and the confessions of faith are unique One
brother spurned the thoughts Of blown hnp thu
basbes of a hex ting;lished hexperence. A second
beeau: Aim happy TO that ali knaw Oh {
einner-prcese the Lord" third: "Ah kent
mex foin spee-aches lOke SOON folk" tohrlh
Ah kent sc rs ala wor born o pious parents bit al
went to schulz wi Jesus Cbrois an He teachcd n'
hall al wai.Dt to knaw."
Fifty years ago instead of religious experiences
cock-fgating was the amusement. Ask any Ole
potter about those days and he will reply:
"Theer wor cOckin' an dog-foightins theE And
rayther see cock-foIght than battle any dee
The dogs wcely worry themselves to regs boot The
cocks if theys any spoonk TO em, soon gets it over
Tt MOST be q game cockere tbaht 'uil staind th'
stale Aid one once fowt for an hover an wal
hall c5ot hoop joOst as If ye'd carved un."
II is aot within tae scope of this letter to explain
the process of making pottery, which is very inter