Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-20
orskPRoDUcT1ox.
ideas o. slssw< On Mas isssrvisw with
Rufus Hatch.

NEW Yorx. December l6.--Rufus Hatch
has lust returned from the West brimfuli OF
ydeAs on the great subject OF overproduc-
ton. He says that the people OF the ganger
States were not disposed to complain Of
this. "You cannot have,v said Mr. Hatch,
"too much wheat, corn, cotton. beef. or
pork, and I win show YOU why.
But first let me tell you that those
who CIV out about over.production. and
try 10 lay the blame on the tariff.
on the capitalist, or on the working
man, don't know what they are talking
about. Machinery gives the clue TO the So
luton Of the whole question. Mans In
ventive genius has been such during the
past twenty or thirty years that one worker,
with the aid OF the various labor-saving
machines can accomplish what II used TO
take ten men TO do. aud In less time. THIS
Is true Of the manufacture OF all kinds OF
fabrics-wocllen, linen, or cotton; shoes,
hats, carpet, wallpaper, OF the manufic-
ture OF brass, iron, and other metals; OF
BODYBUILDING, ship-buildlng, engineer
Ing, mining. blasting, &c. The great
motive power Of steam as now applied
TO the wonderful machinery In factories.
foundries, workshops, sbipyards. and quar-
ries has increased the production OF every
thing more than ten-foId. Take the i'm.
proycments IN the loom, in the machinery
Of shoe. hat, and other factories; for
moidipg and shaping metals to their various
uses for the hosting and handling OF heavy
building materials; In the construction OF
iron steamers, railway bridges, acqueducts.
and thousand other things. The trip.
hammer and steam.drill enable one man TO
accomplish IN an hour what II took ten men
day to do In the od-iashioned way. Who
ever dreamed, thirty years ago, OF
watches being made by machinery,
and that machinery and tools them
selves would be the product OF ma
chinery. The locomotiye-works at Al
toona, on the Pennsylvania road, show
that three quarters OF everything connected
with locomotive Is made by machinery.
The Pullman car-shops show the same
thing with regard TO all styles OF cars. Fur.
Diture Of every age, grade, and value owes
nine tenths OF its construction to ma
chinery. Now. with this great increase in
the facilities for producing and for hand
ling and transporting these productiOng
the political economist has failed to provide
corresponding increase IN consumption.
The trouble lies in the fact that the ability
to consume has not grown with the facility
to produce. The depression resulting from
this state OF things Is rot confined to the
United States; in many parts OF Europe
it Is even worse than here. Manufac-
turers of England complain that where
they once made a profit Of 20
per cent. they are now running their fac
tories at a loss. When the increase 10 pro-
duction caused their profits to fall off 10
per cent. they tried to make up the differ.
ence by producing twice the quantity. and
when they fell of to per cent. they pro-
duced ioul times the quantity. But all this
only added to the glut, lowered prices, and
finally had the result OF bringing them 10
their present condition. In this country
manufacturers increased the steel rolling
mills to a capacity CT $4,000 miles OF rails
per anpum. The consumption does not eX-
coed 1000 to 5000 miles, and will not for
years to come. This is a sample Of all other
departments OF manufactures"