Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-08-09
A PROBLEM.

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THE discharge of the Puddlers of the La
Belle mill is the dawning Of a new era on
this city. The blow to the workingmen is
sudden, severe, and in a great .measure IN,
expected. Il demoraizes plans and creates
new necessities. The business men Of the
city will study the situation with great care
and no little concern. Were the move
ment to cease with the discharge Of the
men at the la Belle, the problem would
be materially simpi6ed. But the proba-
biity remains that the other mills Of the
city will from self interest follow the La
Belle and discharge its puddlers. Steel, it
is understood IS to be brought from Pitts
burg. With the going out of the puddlers 5
fires viii cease the necessity for certain and
very positive amounts ofcoal, which repre-
Sents the aggregated work Of many men.
1t is intimased that the change from iron to
steel nails if made in all the mills Ofthe city
would throw out employment 1000 men,
~ho represent population OF 5000.
What vii become OF them? viii new in
duStries spring up and hold them here, or
will they remove to other points? The
question is serious one for the noe. It
cannot be doubted that the future will com
pensate for the loss But it is the present
that must suffer The withdrawal of so
large population from the city in even a
somewhat heightened period would be a
heavy blow. 1t would depreciate real es-
tate; precipitate rents; lessen the volume
Of local business and destroy, or rather re-
move. values. These 5000 people represent
70 Wheeling merchants and landlords snnu-
ally fully 100000, sum that represents
the aggregate profits OF the vast majority OF
the business houses of the city.
But there is a compromising side to this
dark picture. Steel nails, it is believed,
will out-sell IRON nails. The demand will
be of such a character and extent as to
make it not only possible but profitable to
run tn mills without the long, depressing
stopssthat have been the rule in the history
Of the manufacture of iron nails. If this
be true, and there is no reason to doubt
it, the retained labor will find
employment the year round, and as . mat
ter Of fact the volume Of money in circu-
latioa viii not decrease. 1t will remain the
same in amount but be handled by fewer
persons. Consequently the change will
benefit the Jaborers still employed in the
mills. That Is, the same number OF dollsrS
obtained from the nail mills will monthly
be put in circulation, but it will be spent BY
fewer persons, and the benefit to merchants
WILDE positive. To compensate for the loss Of
Population, if loss there should be, which is
rot vet assured, or even probable, to large
'2'snf, rev industries will spring up requir-
n skul,d labor 1t is more than probable
each Of these mills will erect q steel plant,
giving employment to many men. The
subjects reduced amounts simply to this:
shifting and readjustment of labor and
wages. The only question Of interest for
"heeiiBg merchants and landlords to con-
S'der is the probable or possible loss during
the transition period. Nothing is more GER
tam than that the law Of compensation Will
sdIuS; matters satisfactorily to al.