The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-24

TSE COST OF FIREWORKS.
Various Causes INere. Explained Hsvs
Caused a Daire.

Various Causes IEere. Explained Have
Caused "a Eaice.
Especial Cor e-srondencel
Nsy YoRK. June ;ls-EumoS have ap-
peared of late IN me- Of newspapers Of
shurtage7n tho sEsaplg of frecr1ckers for
the cunning FUu.tA of J1ly, and investi-
gsticn proves that the sesTumorsAare prob
ably true.
The Importation of frecracl1eB has in
creased considerably tfuEing the last six
wears, and il is moi, azn.slxaggeration to say
that the ccnsunE Eslo1i of the small crack
ars. leaving alorattte large ones. amounts
10 from TUl.UUosJoEf5CsBUU Doxes N sH0 UnIV-
ed Statesevery f ,OUrsh Of July.
This wear. tesre' is a shortage OF about
150, 600 boxes swhich z111Jy send the price up
70 So box Of forty packages. The retail
ers VIII probably charge from ~ to 10
oeuts a raci,aaa. Aai;h package contains
siKtyfoUr ffrgcE7scEsJEs.
For a few yaqzE Itrices Of frecrackers
have been worry low There has been no
Droft in then, AMI many Of the importers
have become 6isg1E &c 5aand have cut their
orders down
In December a s5lil REas lost which had
On board about &c, or boxes. As it takes
vessel four or fiEe1noc, sls TO sail from Chi
ma to New York the tsss was hard to re-
plsce Furthermore, extensive labor trou-
HES made tho Chinese merchants indiffer-
ept sellers; tkssy we've afraid of signing
contracts ahesyl -TficI they were not sure
of being able to f1iflH.
The price asked add 3 for the small fire
crackers Is 81 p pelf ibox wholesale. This
IS higi2er than it has; 'oean at this time of
the yesr for several, years; but in 1888
the prizes ranged from $lE5 to 81, and be-
fore that el.75 WAS &C Fsklered cheap.
The tariff law o. ! vs. reduced the duty
10 about % cents be Z, bat under the Nc
3[inLey administrative bill, restoring duty
on charges, the duty VII he increased
zbou1 II cents por boz; and If the Nc
Kinlcy tariff bill goes tPra 1gh, it viii be
nbout II cents a box The chances are that
before the Fourth the she TsaSe viii be Sc
riously felt AID prices wiz materially ad-
vance, but the little bOyWTll get his fire
crackers just the ss5Lle-
4 pack OF the regulation size contains
sixty-four frecr2ckeis, ali LGcely braided
together and bundled up, wrapped in
coarse gray and then in fine white paper,
and adorned with q T9d label bearing the
golden dragon. Cut drccrac ker open and
YOU will see that II Is made NJ sof from six
10 ten layers OF paper, Wra{ ped around
clav, powder ana fuse. AS there are
forty packages II the box yyu can now
buy 1850 OF these cuIaT 3iuIteG Little rolls Of
clay, powder auC piper CT 5l-z3- The first
cost price in China is about 90 Mexican
cents a boz, packed, marked and paper
covered That is about 80 cents of Amer
lean money for z. $50 firecrackers, including
the box. the wrappings and cost Of pack
ing 1t is staggering
The market where most of the frecraclz-
nrs are bought is at Canton, where four or
five reputable dealers control the larger
part Of the trade. Yheysupply the export
commission merchants or Eu-
ToDeans-yTi5 Il 5haiTgColis.
The lirecrac9leEs. are taken to Canton
from the inferior provinces, where thou
sands CT po2- families are working day af-
ter day Il2sl. -lonGgstriagS CT them,
thousands and thoUsa nLis- These strings
are sent 30 Canton TO the dealers, whose
men pack tllzn. The dealers furnish the
workers with the paper ana powder, and
there is wherethe labor troubles como in
The paper InaI1ers went On strike.
One thing is,csEt32, iS'ls1Ottke Chinese
dealers or the poor Chinese in the interior
who are nakinga irLg az. gold out of fire
crackers; but If the YaIlzee now and then
puts by q little money out of the fire.
cracker trade Che doesn'tdo It often) he is
entitled 10 il, for he does not live on rice
and dris6 fish, nor is ne satisfied with
sleeping on top Of aAstonefuTnace to keep
warm. G. V. PCSTAU.