The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-03-03
TARIFF AND WAGES
AS ILLUSTRATED BY ONE BRANCH
or American Industry Represented ia wheeling.
tn. Difference In POtten' Wages aud LIZ.
lag In this Couatry and England The
Real Necessity For Protection.

ThI Difference IN fOtttIf Wages anu hiNs
lag In this COuntry and England The
Real Necessity For Protection.
There is probably no industry in the land
Which 50 iorcibly illustrates the benefit OF
to the prosperity Of the country,
and It's influence In developing valuable
natural resources, Us the manufacture Of
Though numerous rich beds
Of potter's clay were known to exist in this
country century ago, the manufacture oil
pottery never assumed sufficient proportions
TO attract attention till since 1868, at which
time the premium on gold afforded incl
dental protection, under which the industry
began to grow and thrive. Trenton, New
Jersey, aud East Liverpool, Ohio. have
become famous for their pottertes. Before
the year named there was scarcely sucoe S.
full pottery in the country. Last year about
Ave and a quarter million dollars worth OIL
ware was manufactured, by potterries IN
which over five million dollars are invested,
aud seven thousand hands were employed,
10 whom wages were paid TO the amount OF
81, 1857 900, and the raw material cost about
an equal sum.
There Is popularity about pottery which
demands protection 10 greater extent than
any other common article OF manufacture,
and that is the large percentage OF labor
which contributes 10 the cost Of the finished
ware. With the difference between wages
In England and in America, manufacturers
on this side the water cannot compete In the
home markets with foreign potteries unless a
import duty Is assessed upon the
imported goods.
A TALK WITH NIB. L. N. PEARSON.
A reporter visited the Wheeling pottery
yesterday, and had talk with Mr.. L. NJ.
Pearson, the Superintendent, In one OF the
shops, and occasionally one oil the workmen
added some pertinent comment to Mr.. Pear
sons remarks, In response 10 an inquiry. Mr..
Pearson, IL will be remembered, made an ad
dress before the late Tariff Commission when
1t visited this city, aud made very fayora-
BILE impression, his lifelong experience both
10 America and the old country giving him
a familiarity seldom met with the bearing OF
the tariff on earthenware manufacture. He
was asked yesterday how the wages OF
employees OF all classes In pottery In this
country compared with those In England, A
printed slip was circulated year or so ago
giving the wages abroad and In this country,
which made tho American wages about 10
percent higher. Mr.. Pearson says this Is not
now reliable, even agreater inequality exist
Ing, By careful computation OF the wages
paid at the Wheeling pottery In six
months operations, and a comparison with
those paid In pottery OF the same capacity
In England, be thought that the wages paid
operatives In all departments here exceeded
those paid abroad 'l26 percent.
"How does the purchasing power Of money
compare here and abroad2" the reporter
asked.
swell, some things cost more money there
than here, aud some less. But take 1t on the
whole, q man can live more comfortably
abroad on the same money. Meats beef and
more than here. Vegetables
aud provisions on an average cost about the
same. But clothingand other necessities are
much higher in this country, and particu:
larly Is this the case with house rent.
should soy that rents are 100 per cent higher
here than In England :" This opinion was
concurred In BY Z very intelligent journey.
man who was near, and whom Mr. Pearson
referred to for corroboration OF the state
ment.
TUE RESULT or PROTECTION.
This difference In tho rental value OF
houses, Mr.. Pearson explained, was the direct
result OF protection. The iron workers, the
potters, glass house employees and other Ia
borers In factories, on account OF the protec-
ton OF these industries by the tariff, receive
much higher wages, 8nd OF course the wages
earned by other mechanics and SPILLED work
ers adjust themselves TO this state OF affairs
Lumber, brick, stone, and the other materials
which enter into the construction OF house
are not on sn average much different in price
here and In the old country, while the labor
OF the mason, the bricklayer and the carpen.
ter here costs great deal more, SO that the
ultimate cost OF house is considerably
higher, and the rent accordingly more.
hWhyn said Mr.. Pearson, "in England a
man can rent hopse for what is the equiva.
lent OF $40 OF American money, which would
here cost $25, so you see II the wages potter
gets are not considerably higher here he can.
not live as comfortably as he did in the old
country"
Another popularity about English work
men who immigrate to this country Is that
here they generally live better than in their
former homes. One gentleman said yesterday
that In Engl8nd potter Is satisfied with
meat once or twice week, while here, seeing
other workingmen OF his grade having 1t
avery day, and more than once day, he
must also have 1t so. ~ should be very
sorry 10 see American laboring men have TO
work for the wages paid for the same kinds OF
labor abroad s8id man who knew what he
was talking about,
The benefits derived by the pottery interest
from the tariff are shared by fifteen different
States besides those In which the principal
potteries are located, Us these States all FUR
nish the raw materials which enter into the
OF the ware. Until the adoption
,f the present tariff the beds OF clay and de.
posts Of other valuable material were al most
untouched, while now large numbers OF per
IONS are engaged in getting out the materials.
WHO THE IABoREgs ARR.
With view to sscertainining- how the es.
Adjustment aud operation OF the pottery had
Affected the city, Mr.. Pearson was asked how
large proportion OF the employees OF the
pottery were citizens Of Wheeling before Its
He answered that about
thirty OF the men and boys were Wheeling
people, and all the girls but one, a married
: oman, who works with her, husband at the
lathe. In all about seventy OF the employees
we're residents OF the city before their EN-
ployment at the pottery. Most OF the
Iourneympn are from abroad; some from
East LIVERPOOL Boue l[Om 1IentonI N' J.i
and some from England. Mr.. Pearson
himself Is from Cobridge, in the heart OF the
famous stafIordshire P0tterries, in England,
where over century ago Wedgewood estab.
Iished the industry which has grown TO such
vast proportions there. In the early days Of
his business career, Wedgewood wrote let.
Ter, in which he said that he feared the Eng.
ISL manufacturers OF earthenware were
abont 10 lose their trade in the American
colonies us Al extensive bed OF finer clay
than any found in England had been dis.
covered in Carolina. The fact that bis fears
were not realized Is significant, aud the flr'
ther fact that for century all attempts
% successfully establish potteries In this
country on large scale proved vain,
and that not until the adoption Of the pres.
ent schedule OF duties on imports, which i'm.
poses tax OF 40 per cent Gd ydlortm on plain
white ware and 50 per cepton decorated. ware,
could these ysre,,be manufactured here In
with foreign establishments, Is
conclusive evideace Of the value Of q pro-
tectiye tariff.