The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-05-09
verlaont's Condition.

A town meeting was hold at Water
bury last week to consider proposition
to exempt from taxation for ten years
the real estate, machinery and capital
of any individual who should rebuild
and operate the tannery destroyed by
fire last winter. Hon. w. p. Dilling-
ham, in speech, favored the proposed
exemption, dwelt upon the rctrograde
tendency of things in Vermont country
towns and urged the necessity Of some
energetic measures to arrest this back
ward drift. He believed in the policy
of encouraging the growth of msnufac-
lures in the State. Comparing the con-
dition of the New England States, as
shown by the last census, he showed
that those States which had made the
largest gain in population and material
resources were those in which there had
been the greatest increase in manufac-
turing. Massachusetts, in ten years had
gained in population nearly one-third
of million souls, or about the entire
population of Vermont; Connecticut
had gained eighty-five thousand; Rhode
Island, (which one could almost cover
with ones hat" fifty-nine thousand;
New Hampshire, nearly twenty-nine
thousand, and Vermont only one thous-
and seven hundred and thirty-five. All
these States, except Vermont, had made
wonderful advances in u,fs iniin.
and in Vermont fifteen GOWNS NAc
manufacturing had beco elaAlha
made gain of eight the sna atSA5E
dred and eighty-seven,a ua arit'fea
and thirty-eight out Of the ~ ..ulu. O..
and forty in the State had lost. Mr..
Dillingham; gave the matter a practical
and forcible local turn by showing that
Waterbury itself had been adversely
affected by the decay of manufacturing
there. AS showing the area and extent
to which Vermont, New Hampshire
and Rhode Island are engaged in man
ufacturing, the following figures were
presented: Vermont has an area Of
nine thousand one hundred and thirty
five square miles, New Hampshire nine
thousand and five, and Rhode Island
one thousand and eighty five. Vermont
has employed in manufacturing seven
teen thousand five hundred and forty
hands, New Hampshire forty-eight
thousand eight hundred and thirty-one,
and Rhode Island sixty-two thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight. The
following is the statistics of the manu-
features in these States:
Vermont. NH. RI.
Capital $s3,2s5,2A $5l.ll2,2sa &7S575,saa
| Wages 5,164479 1&,Sl4,I93 2l,3s5, 6l9
Material ls.33o,677 43.ss24S2 5s.l03, 44s
Products al.a54.se7 7s.s7s,o2s lo4,lss,o:l
The valuation of real and personal
property in Vermont for taxation, in
1881, under the operation of, the new
and stringent listing law, was e149, 1884, :
O79; in New Hampshire. for the census
year (1s79), s164,755,ls1; in Rhode
Island, s252, 536,673. 1t thus appears
that Rhode Island, with one-ninth the
area of Vermont, exceeds Vermont in
the value of taxable property by more
than one hundred million dollars: and
New Hampshire, with substantially the
same area, but q much poorer State for
notwithstanding million acresless
Of improved lands richer in taxable
property by more than fifteen million
dollars. Notwithstanding the inferior
ity of that State agriculturally, the val
ne of the products which its farmers
raise sustains about the same ratio to
the value Of farms, tools and stock, as
in Vermont. This increased value Of
more meagre returns, it is fairly argued
is owing to the better local market
which manufacturing communities af-
ford for farm products. Mr.. Dilling-
ham further supported his position by
quoting from the recent speech Of Sem
ator Morrill, upon the tariff. The Sena-
tor showed, by reference to some twen-
ty agricultural States. that in those
counties where manufacturing had be-
come established the value of the farms
is from two to four times greater than
in the other countless Montpelier
Waterman.