Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-14
WAGES AND TAXATION.
Mechanical Pr0grt.- III the rRDBfs c.
fure Oh Rass-nn1 en- ksW Mait.
risis Heoucos Wages.
A Liberal Policy will Open Foreign Mar
keIs-ssh~ datters Earn More In New
York than in Pennsy .vsnia.
New York Star.

L
Ccnueticut and Massachusetts who are
engaged in the manufacture OF fur and
six hats, to the ''5ene fits'' which they
derive in the way Of good yearly income
in consequence Ct the kind and thought
full action Of the "defeuders" of Ameri-
can labor who framed the section Of the
tariff schedule fixing the duties on hats
and hstters' FUR aud hasters' silk plush.
Indeed, SO ''peculiarn are the effects of
the present customs duties on the Ameri-
can hat makers, that after enelyzing the
official hat making statistics and looking
st the results IN the glare Of the light
these throw upon the So ject, Ore is al
II st forced to the conclusion that the
tax was framed with the intention of
gripping the American hat making il
dustry.
The facts, which an analysis OF the
statistics show when compared with the
tsrif schedule, sre that in consequence
CT he present Ubiquitous tariff on nat
materials, the American hatmakers are
confined to the United States for mar
ket for the product Of their shops, and
are thus most effectively shut out from
competition in the markets of the world;
and mark the results. The best obtain
able labor statistics show that our hist
tiers do not find steady employment, the
best shops being compelled to close up
Tor period Of from three TO six months
annually, in consequence OF the Ameri-
can market being oYerstocked with
goods; so the only thing that can be
done Is to shut down until lew orders
are received, or else keep the hands
working three or four hours each day.
The result in either case is to reduce
the average wages. In New Jersey, the
greatest iur hat making center 10 the
country, the Labor Bureau has just issued
the t&uth annusl report, ana & large
amount OF space is given hating statis-
tics These figures show that ninety
days is the lowest lost time re-
.pSrtsd as the resulttof over production.
Again, while the returns colls cted by the
ssgeRts of the stsSe show that when hatters
havs plenty ofsNork the weekly wages
per psgson, rasges from Sl2 to S25, yet
owing ID tte loss of time from the causes
heretofore mentioned, the wages per per-
son for the fiscal year ending October,
1887, Go not exceed S7.6l. The number
of hands employed in New jersey last
Yesr IS given as 5000, and the total wages
S. ,243 900. The number Of hats turned
cut fash d was IA $50 dozen, valued ct
Sl0,832, Geo The Capital reported was
81, 3S7, 500. The wages returns OF
last year, compared with those ia tie
EccDsus of 1880, show an apparent increase
CT Is cents per week.
Now, it is fair TO presume that with
our skilled WOrkmen, and the superior IL
cor saving machinery which American in
genuity has produced within the last
twenty years, we could make hats as
cheap as England If our manufacturers
were given the raw materials, which are
rot produced il this country, at first
cost, the sam2 as the hat makers OF Ed
!. pc. Now England has monopoly of
the nat trade IN South America, as re-
salt OF our tar Fl On hat furs.
In order TO 1--WE an idea to your read
ers OF the great Improvement made in
hat mekipg machinery during the past
twenty. Ave yesrs, quote from state
tgert made in the New Jersey labor re-
ports Ct batter who says be "leerned the
fur hat making trade Ia France thirtytwo
years ego" Then he states: "In
order 10 give al idea CT the difference in
production / describe changes in the
various branches. Then one man by hand
could form from to y hats In 10 hours,
now two men and one boy turn cut from
So to so dozen hats il the same time by
the aid OF machinery; do. eizeing-then
one man to IL hats In 10 hours, now he
'oes with hand work II to so, and with q
m&Chire sc TO 60 dozen; shaving-then
one man so to 60 hats in 10 hours, now
by hand $50 to 200 day, and By nechin-
-|E dTy in
fening-old method, one man 60 to so
hats, nov with machinery so to 60 dcZan;
blocking-form9riY one man 40 to 80 hsts,
cow 10 to so dozen, and like improve
ments il other branches of the trade"
With such improved methods Of produc-
ion IS those Just mentioned, why should
rot the American halter be able to COM
pete with the workmen Of other lands?
The only preventive in the way Of an
enlarged market and with this greater
demsnd Tor hatmakers, increased pay and
steady employment the year round, is the
present Ubiquitous tariff. The dut7 on
the foreign manufactured fur or six hat
does not, on an average, exceed muck
over 20 per cent. Of the custom valuation,
and the consequence is that the protection
t. the homemade hat is very slight. But
Jhi6 is by no means the worst feature of
the tariff to American hatmakers. The
far used in our hst shops is nearly all i'm
pCr-eG, and on this raw material, which
is not produced tc any great extent here,
rs daty Of 20 per cent. IS imposed, Just the
same 1sure as that placed upon the
manufactured foreign hat. Then, again,
the logwood used In dyeing hats is taxed
Isl0 per cent, and not stick Of the plant
Is grown in this country. These two
Items make an average duty on the first
cost IF the raw hat materials of 80 per
cent, enough certainly to prevent
cur hats peing cold st anything
like profit outside of the
United States. The removal of the
duty on these materials would In no wsy
il lure any American producer, and il
would be almost certain to benefit Ameri-
can hat makers. So much for the fur hat
industry. Now let Us look into the silk
hat making. So far IS known not single
yard Of the silk plush used by matters is
made in this country, owing, i. is state
by those IN the business, to the fact that
the secret of dyeipg SO as to retain the
gloss is unknown TO our dyers. The duty
on this plush is % per cent. Inasmuch
SIS none of this silk hat plush is manu-
featured in this country it is rather diff
cult to perceive no the wise men of the
Republican party, who devised this
present tariff intended to protect by this