The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-16
THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
Continuation OF she Hearing at N1nnches-
ter, ". m.

MANCHESTER, Oct. 15-The subcommittee
of the Senate committee on education and la
Dor this morning att o'clock visited the facto-
ries. The mills of the Amoskeag and Man
chester companies, the machinery observed
and processes of cloth making examined. The
vast extent and variety of machinery were a
wonder to Senator Pugh.
AT o'clock the committee returned to the
Manchester House and continued the examin-
alton of witnesses, among whom we're Will
liam Stearns, Father Chevaler and Father
Mcdonald of Manchester; Emery j. Randall
of Great Falls, and John d. Swain, saperin-
tendent of the Nashua Iron and Steel Works
of Nashua; Timothy B. Crowley. of the Coop
erative Iron Company, also of Nashua, N. H.,
and Thomas Sands, manufacturer of ice
cream freezers, Nashua, N. III,
Father Mcdonald disputed the right OF a
committee of Congress to come into New
Hampshire to inquire into the affairs of its
people.
To this Senator Blair replied that citizens of
New Hampshire were citizens of the United
States and exercised their right as such by
voting for members of the United States Con-
gress and for President of the United States;
that the National Senate and House OF Repre-
sentatlyes had always exercised the right of
sending committees anywhere in the United
States to gather any information needed by
either house, and that the present committee
was acting under a resolution of the Senate,
but it was not their desire to compel any one
to stste what they preferred not to state but if
he knew any grievances that the laboring peo-
pie suffered the committee would like to
know them. Father Mcdonald then went on
to say the tenement houses were very hot in
summer on account of their flat roofs and
were not properly heated in winter; and they
did not exercise any supervision over the food
supplied by boarding house keepers, which
was often bad.
Other witnesses testified in regard to their
different industries.
Col. B. G. Dean, superintendent of the
Manchester Print Works. testified that the
company employs $50 hands including several
engravers and printers. High skilled sketch
men receive from 1922 to $28 per week; en-
gravers $22 to $26, and printers $28 The most
skilful laborers are foreigners but the most
skilled sketchmen are Americans trained in
the Manchester shops. The company pay
$250,000 annually for drugs and coloring, on
which they pay an average duty of 25 per
cent; consume % 900 tons of coal annually.
The number of hours of labor is ten per day.
Lillian Maynard and Lizzie Mcclure, mill
operatives, testified that the mill corporations
treated their employees fairly and a good feel
ing toward their employers we're entertained
by the operatives.
Charles A. Wason, master of the State
Oranges of New Hampshire, testified. Farm
ers living in remote places from towns and
villages are going behind, having no market
for what they produce. Hence many have
left the State. Some villages remote from the
center of population have diminished half of
their population since the war. Farm hands
are scarce.
The result of sharvests is not much affected
owing to increased facilities from improved
machinery. Farm laborers command from $40
to $25 per month and board. II manufactur-
ing were stopped in New Hampshire farmers
would be ruined, as they would have to COM
pete with farmers of the prairies. Politics is not
known in New Hampshire oranges. Farmers
believe the patent laws work hardships to
them, owing to the difficulty of ascertaining
the rlghtful patentee Laws should be passed
holding innocent purchasers harmless in case
OF purchase from infringers. Farmers also
believe railroads should be restricted in their
right to charge rates at will. Taxation should
be more adjusted to make the burdens fall
more on the Dondholders and moneyed men,
and less on the farmers and house owners.
James G. Adams, Secretary of the State
Board of Agriculture of New Hampshire, COR
roborated in some respect the testimony of Mr..
WaSon
Alphonso Crosby, journeyman carpenter,
said the rates of wages in all mechanical trades
were seriously affected by decentralization
caused By drink and drunken mechanics who
are obliged to accept work on any terms when
they become sober, aud all wages finally ad-
just themselves to the terms accepted by them
Rev. DIR. G. W. Wallace said that Manohes-
ter with a population of 10000 depended en-
tirely on manufactures. Stop the mill wheels
and the city would not sell for ten cents on the
dollar. Such poverty and wretchedness as ex-
listed could in most cases be traced TO whiskey
and tobacco Ten cents day spent for cigars
would keep family of four in flour. The
tax on rum and tobacco should be made to pay
all the expenses Of the government. The
credit system induces extravaganza in the
purchaser, dishonesty in dealers and should be
abandoned by all.
The members of the committee resumed
taking testimony at o'clock and sat all day
till 10 O'Clock this.eyening when their laborr in
Manchester closed. Tomorrow morning they
go to Boston. Mr.. Kmball, clerk of the COM
mittee has been obliged to go home to Ports
mouth on account of sickness