Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-13


United States as here. Shifting and
sheeting if anything are superior in
quality for the same price. Articles Of
underware for women are superior IN
workmanship and cheaper in price IN the
United States. Nor are mems shirts,
when chiefly of cotton, any cheaper here.
Of boots and shoes factOry-made the same
may BE said Articles made to order are
cheaper in England owing to the lower
prices of hard labor, but the difference in
prices Of ready-made things is not so mark
ed. In workmanship and finish find the
corresponding articles of wholesale manu-
facture superior In the United States.
This is true of clothing as well as of col
lars. cuffs, and like articles"
Again, Consul Schoenhof, writing from
Ireland, in Consular Reports, No. so, No
vember, 1887 (see page 300, SAYS
at is useless fer me to dwell much on
the linen industry of Ulster. 1t is well
known in Ulster they are foremost in this
branch in the whole world, SJill | find
that
THE EARNINGS OF THE PEOPLE
employed III the linen mills in Ulster are
far below those of any class employed IN
the textile branches in England. Mill
regulations and working time of course
are the same for the whole kingdom.
breakers, men who have TO do very
exhausting work, earn from Is shillings
$3.50 to 20 shillings $3.50 per week.
hackers from Is shillings to % shillings
spinners and girls from shillings to 10
shillings; half-timers, boys, 5 shillings,
and girls A shillings; and weavers, mostly
women tending looms, from 12ss shilings
+a Ill RI- y | FOL hat
the earnings were only, for weaVers, 8
shiIlings to 10 shillings, and up to Is
shiIlings only for the finer goods
OF the wooden mills in Ireland he re-
ports: The wages have noted down
are: For men, from II shillings to II
shillings, IA shillings being about the
limit of the best men. Spinner girls s
shiIlipgs to 10 shillings; children 5 shil
lings to shillings: and weavers earn from
10 shillings to IL shillings The mill ELI
ploying about $50 hands pays cut about
G400 per week in wages, This includes
oversccrs, etc, which is p trihe over 10
shillings (S2.40) per head.
Mr.. Schoenhof says that he found man
who was hand loom weaver and the
weaver said that lin his younger years he
was bricklayer in England; now he has
returned to Ireland, and is well satisfied if
he can ply his old trade and earn enough
to keep him in bodily repair. Work, how
ever, only lasts for him from summer I'M
til after Christmas, and very little work
can be found for the first six months of the
year, which is the case with all hand-loom
weavers | asked about his diet
and he gave me piece of bread made of
yellow meal, which | have been shown by
nearly all poor people and small farmers
where have visited.
THE old hand-Ioom weaver said: AS
to tea, coffee, or beer, and meat we know
nothing at all of that. Cold water is what
we drink and yellow meal we eat. If 4
have two ounces of tobacco [ am very
happy" He pays no rent, as his neigh
bors, also very poor people, give him the
little shed which he occupies free OF
charge.
A few years ago the question of common
clothing being cheaper in England than
in the United States came up, and in Mac
millan's Magazine for February, 1882.
under 1.-The industries of the United
States in relation to the tariff, > mem
bers of parliament, DR.. Lyon Playfair, at
tempted to show how the poor man in the
United States was robbed, etc, under our
protective tariff He said:
"A workingman having an ulster coat
for the winter at Boston must pay double
the price than an English working man
does; that is in Boston it cost fS and IL
England less than 4. A workingman !
woolen trousers in Boston cost 7shillings
like pair in Manchester can be got fol
On reading this statement the Hon
A Titus Sheard, OF Little Falls, n. Y, him
7 self an Englishmen, proprietor of the
Eagle mills at Little Falls. had worked
when a boy in English wooden mills fol
$50 a week, while he had many boys
in his employ in the Eagle mills to whom
he paid that amount daily, wrote to TIT
Boston Commercial Bulletin and prickeo
etc:
UNWORTHY A GENTLEMAN.
Now, sir. is no this a statement III
worthy Of such right honorable gentle
man? 1t is not like majority of tn
statements make by the free traders, I'm
true; and an outrage upon the inteIllgen
reader?
We do not know at what price You cal
get a pair of wooden trousers In Boston
but if you can get them for ''seven shil
lings' you can get them in Boston a
cheap as in Manchester, quality consid
cred.
As to the ulster coat, we can buy them
all wool mot cotton warp, at $40 In on
village-about two pounds, not leigh
pounds so that they must cost mucl
LESS than four" pounds in England be
fore they can buy as cheap there as here.
While this is being written working
man, an Englishman, who has been i
this country a little over a year, enters
The above extract is read to him, and b
is asked how it is about the prices give
and compared.
equality considered, can buy as chea
here as can at home in Yorkshire.
1t is asked him about the all-wool uste
coat whicL lie has on, and how much
cost He answers: Ten dollars, and
aren cotton warp, either.
is the suit of clothes you have on a
wool?"
Eyes sir
''What did they cost?"
TEN DOLLARS
"What did those new shoes you have O
cost?''
1.-TWO dollars and half