The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-20
F0STERBD BY PROTECTION.
A Tile-kaker Tells Why the Industry Must
Be Protected in This Country.

"Do 1 know anything about tariff and free
trader said a gentleman, on Saturday, to the
reporter, in answer to a question. perhaps
not much; certainly very little, theoretically.
What 1 do know is from observation in my own
business"
The speaker was Henry Darling, superintend-
ent of the Eneaustic Tile Works, of this city.
Il am a recent Importation, myself, an En-
glishman. and came from Stoke-on-Trent only
three years and four months ago, coming over to
take the place I now hold.
The reporter began to figure whether it was
better to import an Engiishman to teach Ameri-
cans to mako tiles, and build up an industry to
give work to two hundred or more people in this
city, or to import the tiles themselves direct
from England.
Mr.. Darling continued: There are two large
tile manufactures in Stoke-on-Tren One of
these, Minton g Co, employs about ], 900 hands,
men, women and children; the other, Campbells,
employs about $50, These are both very re
spectacle firms, and treat their employees as
fairly as possible. You ask as to wages. 1 win
tell you, The skilled labor, artistic work, which
is but a small part of that employed IN the tile
business, is we'll paid in England, though, of
course, better paid here. There are many small
establishments making tile, and their competi-
ton d~epresses the price of labor over there. The
great majority of the employees. and this is par
ticularly true in these small establishments l
speak of, are women and children, who not only
do the lighter work, as in this establishment
here, and which they can do very well, but they
work about the kilns and ovens, doing work that
in t1ic cor7p4ru oplv MAN orc thouobt or ffniaptlu
strong to do. l have seen women in those facto-
ries carrying saggers "a box made out of fire
clay filed with tile for burning, doing this
work-as unsuited to a woman rs carryinGa hod
would be-when well advanced in pregnAhcy-
within three weeks of confinement"
The reporter asked what wages were paid
the women who did this ork-did they receive
mems wagesl
MEMS wages2 By no means. Women doing
the heaviest work only get what in your money
would be So a week, and lads and girls only get
from 81 to $3.50. The prices of men in the
highest branches in the art are kept up by
trades-unions. You understand that the tariff
duty the United States puts upon tiles is 50
per cent. That, with the freight you pay
on imported tiles, makes the price here. on
English tiles, about 80 per cent. above En-
glish prices. Now, that so per cent. is
the barrier between English and American tiles.
Take off that tariff, which in this case is
strictly a protection to American industry, and
this factory would close up. You couldn't make
a tile in this country. Work for which in this
place we pay $I.25 and 81. so q day to a man
is done in England for s. a week by a woman.
The cost of coal or clay need not be figured in
this. Clay is as cheap as dirt, and coal is cheaper
in this city than it is in England. Some of the
chemicals we use in coloring our tiles here cost
a great deal more than there, but outside of that
and the price paid to labor the business here and
there stand on the same footing. In the United
States the children, boys and girls, go to school
until they are sixteen years old. The head
~ fhA foNn1xr g ,,-Y.nI,r ,I1A 80
a living for the mother and the children, but in
England it is no unusual thing to see whole
families, every member Of the family from the
largest to the smallest, employed in fireworks
and %potteries. There is now a law prohibiting
the continual employment OF children of school
age in English factories under the age of four
teen years, but by permission of the school
board they are allowed to work half time"
'This is under free tradef" suggested the re
porter.
Yes" said Mr.. Darling. Children whose
half holidays should be put in in recreation are
compelled to work in order to help with their
scanty wages to support the family. In the pot
teries it is worse than in the tile factories.
and actually cook their meals and
eat them there. This, of course, destroys home
life. All they have of home is, perhaps, a bit of
bread and a cup of tea for supper and then off to
bed"
And what have they to show for all this
work."
''As a rule they lay nothing by for a rainy
day, sickness or old age. When they get old or
sick they fall upon the parish, and the poor
house gets most Of them. AS | said, tile Is moth
ing bat dirt and labor, and with free trade there
is but one way to compete with English tile-eut
down the pay of the workmen to the English
standard"
Employ women at So per week to do mems
workg inquired the reporter.
That's it" said the superintendent