Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1888-08-21
ABOUT LINEN THREAD.
What the Mills Proposition Will

The Mills hin proposes 10 re'uce th'
tariff IN linen thread from 20 10 Is pr csu'
al valorem.
Congressman Phelps OF New JerseJ
| strenuously opposed the reduction and
presented strong evidence % sustsin BIZ
| arguments, especially In the statements
made 10 him by the Barbour Bros. Go.
President william Barbour OF this com
psny has been In Boston on . short busi'
ness trip, and yesterday . representative
OF the Advertiser asked him In regard u
the linen thread business and the Arin'
soar concern WAS founded over 100
years ago s Llsburn, Ireland" said Mr.,
Harbour. +" and from there We supplied ell
our foreign trade. when the protective
policy was adopted by the United States,
We found Il % our advantage fo build .
factory over here At Paterson, " j, "a
supply this market Meanwhile the home
plant supplied the rest of our trade.
snow Germany has adopted . strong
protective policy, and We have been fore'd
10 build 9 factory there For 90 years our
mills In ireland have supplied thai trade,
ba, In fe~ months our factory At O.tsn.
son near Hamburg will be completed. and
then We can supply the German market
from that factory. Now In that factory
We will employ perhsps 500 hands 20 be-
gin with. Thus you see what protection
has done for Germany 10 the one article OF
linen threat. But n has done much more
than that for the Unltef States, Tor We EN-.
ploy between 1900 aud $500 operatives 10
our Paterson factories
1.-TWO years ago made careful com.
psrison OF the wages paid In our Paterson
aud Ll.buru factories. In the former We
hsd al that time 1900 hands, and In the
latter $500 Now In two weeks these $500
operatives 10 ireland drew only $500 more
pay than the 1900 operatives 10 Paterson
drew.
"Ot these $500 and more operatives In
ireland, there IL not one that owns the
house be lives In. Hat In Paterson many
have bough. and paid for nice comfortable
homes. Ifam,n working for me wants
10 build q house, I am only too glad IN lend
him the money. for know be will be more
ambitious and better workman In conse-
quence OF H. or II one Of my employees
has saved up money aud wants 10 Invest II,
I will borrow II and pay per cent for II.
I have In mind now two girls who have
saved up slTO0 splecs. They have de-
posted the money with us aud We pay
them 8 per cent for IL"
81 mention these thlngs," said Mr.. Bar.
bour, simply 10 show the difference be-
tween the employees In our two factories.
None OF our employees In ireland ever bad
wages enough 10 be able 10 have money 81
Interest, 20 say nothing Of owning home.
The Paterson employees all came from
ireland originally. so you can see how
much better 90 they are here than they
we're there I never yet hAi one ask me
IN let him return % ireland and work In
that factory bat every time 20 10 Lis.
barn the operatives come In crowds and
beg Tor ehance 20 come over here.
"Now s regards the tsrinl within the
pas, I've years We have paid an average or
eco 600 year duty on thresd. Labor
formed such large prceutsge OF the cost
In this thread that IL WAS more profitable
for o.. To- make 10 over there than here
rhl. mind you. Il under The present isrir
OF 90 per cent. Now this NILS bill pro-
poses 10 reduce the urif 20 Is per cent.
What will be the result Instead OF de-
cresslng the revenue 20 the government
on this particular article such reelection
would Increase IL three fold, because We
would make great deal less thresd here,
aud q great deal more over there. This OF
course, providing We were 10 continue ~
pay the same wages here We are paying
now. Daring the past three years or so
the revenue on linen thread has been grow
Ing smaller ana smaller, owing % the In
crease In factories aud facilities for max
ing H. 1.-THE government wants 70 lessen
the revenue from thl. thread, ls, II IN
crease the tarif, then only the nnest grades
which We cannot make here with our well
paid labor, would b. imported.
ITO give some Idea OF how much In
tsresi our workmen feel In the campaign.
might say that they have formed = urin
clab, which hA. . large membership. aud
they al propose 10 vote for protection, IT,
respective OF party sfils,ions.-Bosion
Advertiser.