The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-04-19
STILL VERY HUNGRY.

STILL VERY HUNGRY.
LIKE OLIVER TWIST THEY ARE Ask
ING FOR MORE.
Tho Unsuitable Appetite Of the Glass
works-They Are Thoroughly Prosper
ous, but They DO Not Cease to Beg.
Enormous Duties Paid on Glass.
The window glass importers of New
York, Boston and Philadelphia have re-
Gently held meeting in Springfield,
Mass. at which most Of the firms repre-
sented made comparisons Of their figures
to show what the average duties on win
dow glass have been during the past
three years. -H....
The figures Of eight firms were COM
pared, and the average duty was found
to have been 106 per cent. One firm
paid last year average duties Of 118 PEI
cent, and the lowest average was l04
per cent, the average for the year be.
ing 1885 per cent. .a
Duties on some sizes of window glass
however, ran far above these fgurea
One payment Of s19 per cent. some time
In 1888 can be seen on the books Of q
prominent New York firm.
The figures given at Springfield were
estimated upon the cost Of the packed
glass ON board ship at Antwerp. But
the cost Of freight, insurance, etc., il
also protection to the American manu-.
facturer. and ought rightly to be added
to the duties in making up the total pro.
lection. These additional charges would
change the 105 per cent. average above
given to.from 115 to 1875 per cent.
Is not this protection enough?
Our manufacturers say no; and so they
have been before Mr.. McKinley's com
mittee to ask for still higher duties. Ok
these men want the earth? The window
glass industry in this country is no longe,
an infant. It is 100 years old; but 1t still
cries for pap. Our infant Of a century
In its "No. 10 shoes" toddles up to the
pap dispensers at Washington and ask
for more pap and bigger spoon.
The importers have not appeared be
fore the committee to ask for lowe,
duties, for they remember that Mr.;
Mckinley has already fathered one bill
which treats importers as If they were
enemies Of the country, and Of which
The Boston Commercial Bulletin saya
that it is "htter for the era Of the Plan.
tagenets the. for the Nineteenth cen.
tury."''
The manufacturers offer their familiar
plea that wages are higher with us thar
In Europe. It Is their old rot that every
body has become 80 disguised with
comparing the price Of daily wages her,
with the same In Belgium, and ignorinl
the fact that the only. true basis for q
comparison Of wages fs the percentag.
Of labor cost in the total product. Lei
them make that comparison.
But what are their figures on wages
Two years ago Mr.. F. L. Bodine, presi
dent of the American Window Glass
Manufacturing association, who usually
acts as chief spokesman Of this industry
before committees Of congress, told tht
senate committee that the average wages
Of glass blowers in Belgium were $50 te
500 per month, and In the United States
SIS to $3.50. He also told the COMMITTEES
that the Belgian laborers worked all the
year round, but that the American sea.
son for glass making averaged less thar
eight months. III
Let US make it eight months-and here
is the result:
Twelve months in Belgium at 500 ...... 81, s0t
Eight months In the United States at $150.. i.9ol
And the difference is zero.
But It is well known fact that tht
wages Of glass workers In this country
are kept at the highest possible point By
the cast iron rules of the National Win.
dow Glass Workers association, which
regulates the number of apprentices tc
be allowed in each factory. Too many
young men are not permitted to learn
the trade, for Mr.. James Campbell, the
president Of the association, knows that
the supply Of labor regulates wages.
When he goes before Mr.. Mckinley
committee, however. he thinks that the
tariff regulates wages, and accordingly
he asks to have the duties increased.
Mr.. Campbelrs association keeps the
number Of apprentices 90 low that the
working force Of blowers actually does
not meet the demand in rush seasons like
the present, when glass Is taken from the
factories as fast as it is made. There have
been complaints that some of the manu-.
lecturers were delayed In filing ORDER
by reason Of the inefaciency Of unframed
blowers put in for Lack Of experienced
workmen.
This labor, too, is more than half for
eign. The Glass Worker association
although it caused the passage of the
contract labor law, does not object to Inn.
porting blowers on its own account when
there ID an unexpected demand which II
cannot fill. The glass blowers who re.
Gently came here from Belgium to work
in the Jeanette factory in Pennsylva.
mia came through the instrumentality OF
that very association, coming BY differ
emit routes and turning up mysteriously
at their common destination.
II is claimed by these applicants for
higher duties, by manufacturers and
workmen alike, that importations Of
French window glass have greatly In
creased during the past seven years.
There has been some increase, but the
importations last year were 6,0O0, 900
pounds less than in 1883 This is shown
By the latest treasury reports.
But the industry Ii America has In
creased out Of ell proportion 10 the on
larged importations. Ii 1879 so we had
only 646 pots in our factories; this season
there are .900.