New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-26

The growth of the woollen industry OF the ohlteu
States dates from the close of the war. III iooo
the country produced but go. 100000 pounds OF
wool and imported about 42.OOO,OOO POUNDS con-
suuing annually about 1O0,000,0OO pounds
Under malicious tariff, the wool clip reached IN
1881. 900. 600. 900 pounds, and the Importation
Gs. 600 600 pounds making the total consumption
nrobably 35S. OOOO 900 pounds Now that the
United States has embarked this industry II Will
not do to pause and suppose that the United STATES
is strong enough TO compete with England. IL -
easy to say the total product of the wooilen acto
ries has reached in value in 1850, $207 100000;
that in consequence il is no longer an infant indus
try and needs no more protection.
What have shown in this letter
That we are competing with country employ
ing double the number of operatives with less
number of establishments;
That the mills in England are concentrated IN
radius Of twenty-five and half miles,
That during Americas second war with England,
when Richard Golden was picking up the rudments
If knowledge at the old grammar school at Mid
hurst, and generation before the Manchester
school carried the day in Parliament. England was
exporting annually $5O.OOO0O0 worth OF woollen
goods, while after sxty-fve years of Free Trade
she ONLY exports 800 600, 900 worth!
And vet the British Free Trader and his echo III
the United States talk Of monopoly
Wherein is the monopoly
The Official figures show that GAS wor-
sted mills in England employ 1850
hands. while in the United States 1
have shown that nearly 900 wooen mills, spread
ingtheir benefits throughout the broad land follow
ing closely along the lines ofagncuture and build
| ipqup thriving manufacturing cities in the West,
employ bnt sG.5O4 operatives. Had it not been for
this development in America, England would have
maintained the American trade, and her exports of
voollen goods to-day would have been
60 eo 600 600 instead of but S42, 100000 more
than il was in 1915. Wages in those times III Eng
land were good. and the British manufactures
really supposed that ali the world was dependent
| ON him for manufactured goods. weaver in $40
couId earn 34s. Cd or about So 90 week. while To-
| day he is lucky to earn half OF that amount vi
conrse am aware that these high wages arose
| in mart out Of improvements in weaving IL was
dihrult TO get weavers But the profits of weaving
sooS increased the supply, and children we're ex-
| tersivelv taught TO weave In the case of cotton
| and worsted in which work is light the labor OF
| the norent was soon transferred TO the child but in
| woollen cloth weaving. which is practically a man
work the change was not so rapid. the statistics
already given show that the proportion OF males III
this latter branch Of the trade is much greater than
| in the worsted division
| Next comes a comparison of wages III this indus
| try. In the following table the average weekly
| earning III the United States are taken from MI
| Carroll O. Wrigbts report for 1882 which regard
| nc the very best authority; while those for Eng
| land were obtained by myself direct from the pay
rolls of manufacturers in Yorkshire: