The Portland daily press., 1884-12-24
Indnstrial Denression

The current number of Bradstreet's con-
tains very elaborate and thorough review
of the condition of our manufacturing indus
tres, showing the number of men out of
employment, and the reduction that has
been made in wages, as compared with 1880,
when the boom was at its height and every
body could get work who cared to. The
reports from which the generalizatlons are
deduced come from Bradstreet's own cor
respondents, and are believed to be accurate
They cover twenty-five States, including
Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ken
tucky and Missouri and all the States north
of them. The showing is not very encour-
aging, though the general tone of the manu-
facturers is reported hopeful of better times
not far off.
By the census of 1880 it appeared that the
total number of employees engaged in manu-
featuring industries in the States covered by
these reports was 2,452, ,749. AS the "boom"
did not reach its climax until 1882 there is
no doubt that the number of industrial en-
ployes in the country in 1882 was consider
ably larger than in 1880. Bradstreet esti-
mates the increase at 10 per cent, which
would make the total number of industrial
employees in the twenty-one States under
consideration about 2,700,000 The total
number of these employees now out of work,
due to temporary or permanent shutting
down of establishments, reductions Of force,
and strikes is about $4,000, or 12 per cent.
OF the number busy in 1882. All of them,
however, are not out of employment for any
considerable length of time. Many OF them
are out only for brief period while the mills
are being repaired. Reckoning the number of
these at one tenth of the whole number
there still remain about 266,000 men who
have been turned out of employment on ac-
count of the depression in our manufacture
ing industries.
The percentage of reduction of force
compared with 1880 differs very much
In different sections of the country, Min
nesota is the worst sufferer the reduction
in her employed industrial population
amounting TO forty per cent. or nearly
one-half-in other words almost every other
man who was employed in manufacturing in
1880 is unemployed or employed in some 9th
er occupation to-day. In New England the
reduction is only per cent. The cities are
much worse sufferers than the country.
Thus in seventeen leading industrial cities the
number of employees reported dispensed with
or ona.strike is III, ,155, or nearly So per cent.
In The country the reduction is not more
than one-half as much. Detroit is by far the
worst sufferer, her employed industia pop
ulation being reduced from 1910 in 1880 to
$3.50 10 1854, falling off of 62 per cent.
Baltimore shows a reelection of only 3.6 per
cent; Boston, 7.6; New York "a; Philadel-
phia 81; Paterson 22.s; Cincinnati 8.3.
The data gathered by Bradstreeps are not
sufficiently full to show the reductions in
each of the different lines of industry. Ia
some of the more i'm portant of them, how
ever, the information is furnished. The
workers in iron in 1880 numbered in
the States reported 5000. $4,000 of such
operators, or 20.6 per cent. have been dis
pensed with. OF operatives on clothing
in New York, New England, Pennsylvania
aud Ohio at least 81, 200 fewer are at work
Der of operatives on cotton goods 10 New
Eogl and, New York, New Jersey and Penn
syvania alone is 10000; and on wooden
goods in the same States 24000. In the
boot aud shoe industry there are $4,000 few
or operatives than four years ago, though