Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-12
textile workers in Philadelphia. The en-
ployts in the separate branches of the
woollen industry here are

Hosiery and knitting goods l2VO'
Total 1900
''Their earnings9 That's problematical.
But we can get at il pretty closely (study
ing his note book ~
Carpet weavers per year, average. SS6t
worsted weavers and spinners, per year, ,.,
wi vsrs nsr wear average s2s
Hosiery and knit goods, per year, average" ~
Yarn spnners per year, ayerage........... 81.
Shoddy workers, per year, ayerage.......-.. -
''rhe actual earnings of carpet weavers
in this country do not exceed the earnings
of carpet weavers in England. Besides
that the labor cost is not over cents
yard here, while, taking anything like q
fair estimate the cost in England is 10
cents a yard. This estimate is easily ar
rived at and figures out exactly Is per
cent.-that is 8 cents on carpet selling
at so cents q yard. Many carpets, oil
course, sell above that without having In
curted extra cost, while many sell below
that at wholesale. am prepared to give
my detailed figures"
tWhat is the percentage Of difference,
then, between American and English car
pet makers, &c.?"
az think it will be safe to say that the
difference under the present condition Is
not over 20 per cent"
woRKINGMEN STARVED OUT.
"How many of the woollen workers
you have enumerated are working full
timer"
Scarcely any. Here is very peculiar
condition of things. The streets are full
of idle mill hands, and yet there is work.
that's what it's called, but slavery ex-
presses it exactly. say there are thous-
ands in the streets who had to get out
because not only have the bosses already
cut them down to the lowest notch above
starvation point, but they give them such
miserable stuff to make up that they can't
make a living, no matter how hard they
may work. Only one mill in Kensington
that / know of is running full time
Clark & Greene's. One-third Of the mills
are, say on three-Quarter time; the other
two-thirds are on half time and less
many, such as the worsted yarn men,
being entirely out. Their occupations
gone,' thanks to the 'benefcence Of protec-
ton, +" as Mr. Dolsn has it.
Labor. saving machinery, too, is cut
ting down the pay of good hands. Take
the Jumbo loom, for instance. This big
machine weaves two widths at one time.
Now, allowing two mills per pick, the
weaver, when he has really earned ~,
receives only $1.10, because in place OF
pay ing double for the two widths they only
pay a single rate and 10 per cent. on the
other extra width, or, as / say, they get 81
worth of work for $1.10.
1.-THE bosses complain? Certainly. It's
the squirm Of the leech-more, more. A
rather expensive man was the wool sorter,
but he is being laid aside in poor, awtully
poor, but honorable retirement. He isn't
wanted any longer. Manufacturers have a
contemplate arrangement by which they
import their wool in the shape Of ring
waste 1t is falsely classed, being really
secured wool, but it enables the importers
to so hide the tops that they pass unno-
ticed. Thrift again, Horatio! Uncle Sans
fellows sleeps while the sharpers take his
locks-his tops mean. This waste Is
ready for the spinners at once. Hence over
board goes the sorter, and the dyer, too.
All these things contribute to enrich the
few; the many suffer. In many mills as |
say, men prefer to remain idle rather than
perform such hard work for such meagre
pay. Why, not long ago eight different men
tried to work one warp put on loom III o
mill here, and each in turn gave it upas a
bad job"
"Mr. Herwig," said the correspondent,
''you seem 10 have studied the subject very
closely. What is your remedy for all these
evils under which workingmen suffer-"
There is only one thing-give them free
wool. Pile the tariff up as much as yen
please; that won't remedy TO-"
FREE WOOL AND WAGES.
"The Mills bill provides that. But what
will you say il l tell you leading mauufac-
turers have expressed the direct concern
that if this bill passes it will create revo-
luton among laborers, and that they will
have to cut their wage list down at least
33l per cent"
II should call them first class fools.
Why, my dear sir, if they really believed
that they'd go down on their marrow bones
and pray that it might come to pass l
am inclined to believe these gentlemen
are working for our friend the enemy. The
Mills bill furnishes them far greater pro-
lection than they have now, and if they
are really in favor of the principle of pro-
lection | fail to see where their objections
hold. Ii it is not a protection measure
what is it? l don't see how under it there
could, for instance, be dollars worth of
worsted yarn imported. am, indeed,
sure all importations of yarns would cease,
except, perhaps. such rs those Mr.. Dolan
claims cannot be made here, owing to
climatic difficulties. Another bugaboo!
Climatic difficulties! What twaddle for
babies! l have talked this over with prac-
teal men in the yarn business, who also
claim that their wool, which they them
selves spun, was subject to climatic influ-
ences. ! claim, however, that the only
thing necessary is to devise means by
which certain amount Of moisture could
be added to the atmosphere where wool is
made into yarn and to exclude or counter
act the electricity in the air. This is my
study of the subject. don't pretend to
be- scientific man, yet l have the idea
thaG some continuance can be made by
which at least a certain portion OF the
electricity in the atmosphere can be coun-
teracted."
Mr.. Herwig was next asked to give his
idea of the amount of protection needed to
fully cover labor and give fair return for
capital.
Quick as flash he replied:-"I am sat
isiied 10 per cent. would be ample to cover
all differences. Indeed, if business men
had their material free of import taxation
the amount necessary to cover the differ
ence in labor here and abroad would not
be over per cent. Under present cir
cumstances, if You exscted per cent. on
the product of big factories it would foot
up to an enormous sum-"
"wheww the correspondent exclaimed.
"Why, leading yarn spinner on Chest
nut street told me 40 per cent. was not
euough-it must be 90 or more, because
the worsted cloth weaver must have his
haul, and that 20 per cent. each would
be blank, blank, eternal ruin"
| PROTECTION ENOUGH,