Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15

were carried by the men. ACTIONS speak
| Louder Than Words" and y. b. Ford is
the kind of man who puts money into cir
culation" are samples of these. One sim
pie inscription that touched many hearts
was that reading: "Welcome Friends. See
Our Happy Homes y
Congressman DalzelPs Story,
Captain Ford and his aged wife sat upon
the platform with his sons, daughters and
grandchildren, and distinguished guests
| gathered around them. Hon. Henry Warn
| er, formerly Superintendent of the work
house. and now Managing Director of Ford
City, had charge of the exercises. The
dramatic character of his opening sentences
was sustained throughout Congressman
DalzelPs address 1t was intensely interest
ing. He told a story of economic growth
and progress in the nations indus
try as he found it interviewer into
the threads of Captain Ford's eventful life.
He told how the Captain tried to establish
the industry in the United States first at
New Albany, Ind, at Louisville and then
at Jeffersonville, Ind, but how financial
ruin followed the experiments at all three
places. The first dollar of profit ever made
on plate glass inside this country was only
made when Captain Ford commenced maxi
ing the glass in Allegheny county, Penn
sylvania
Mr.. Dalzell then adduced protective les
sons from this, which are of national In
terest. He said:
EnSlands Duty on Plate Glass.
In 1865, when Captain Ford laid the foun-
dations of the plate glass industry, we were
dependent for our supply upon Belgium,
England, France and Germany, in all OF
which countries its manufacture had the
protection of tariff duties. As early as 167l,
in the reign of Charles H., England i'm
posed q duty of 81 % per square foot on plate
glass; this was increased in 1919 to 81 60 per
square foot; ten years later, in 1929, duties
became regulated according to the dimen-
sions OF the glass, and ran from 81 80 per
square foot on glass less than feet square,
through the figures So per square foot. and
81 35 per square foot up TO 50 10 per square
foot on glass exceeding 36 feet square.
Under this fostering policy capital was
multiplied, production increased ana
processes improved, so that IN leio duties
were reduced to 25c per square foot for the
smallest size SOC for the next, 6219c for the
next and &c per square foot for the largest
And these rates again were changed in the
interest OF English home production i'll lS41
to l2lac for the smallest size to sc and up to
Sic per square foot. And again in lSiS
changes were made to &c per square foot for
the smallest size, l21@c,15 and 1sc for the
various other sizes respectively, and these
rates continued until 1856, when, the indus
try firmly established plate glass was put
upon the free list But this, you will OBJ
serve, was ten years after the passage by
Parliament of the anti-corn laws and ten
wears after the inauguration by England OF
her new policy OF a tariff levied for revenue,
irrespective of any care for manufactures.
1t is worthy of note in this connection
that the duties upon plate glass with MS are
the same to-day as they were in 1860, with
single comparatively lmmaterial exception.
These duties are ), S, % and 80 cents per
square foot respectively, according to the
size of the manufacture. The New Albany
plant was the forerunner ofa goodly num-
Der which now add their products to the
worlds supply. and the influence of whose
competition has extended in many ways to
the enhancement of ourprosperity, material
and moral. We may now boast Of fully,
and Ellwood, Ind; at 81. Louis, Mo-; at But
Ter, Duquesne, Charleroi. Irwin, Creighton,
Tarentum and Ford City, Pa; The aggre-
rate capital employed is no' less than Sl5,-
G01,000. The nominal capital q the Pittsburg
Plate Glass Company is s. $50, ,Oo9 while its
actual investment will reach s4,5OoooO.
The Growth of the Industry.
Now mark the strides of this growing
giant in its onward march. In 1870 the total
production was 900 square feet; five years
later it was $4,000 square feet; five years
later again it was 100000 square feet; and |!
in the decade between 1880 and 1890 it grew |
until in the latter year it reached the enor- |
nous figures of 10, 100000 square feet. am |
told that by April next the output of this |
company will equal 100000 square feet per |
month, or at the rat of nearly 100000 |
square feet per annuIn. In great public |
buildings at our National Capital at our State
capitals in our great cities, whose growth
mark the milestones of our progress from
end to end of this continent, i'm the man.
sons of the rich, nay, even in the
houses of the poor, American plate glass
bears witness to the marvellous develop
uent of this industry. 1 have not the fig
ureS showing the present annual consump-
tion of plate glass in this country, but in
lSSS il amounted to 5000 900 square feet, of
which only about 5000 900 were imported. |
With the increase in production and the de-
crease in price, consumption advances and
importations diminish, so that we have |
reason to believe that the home market and
the home supply will, If they do not now,
equal each other.
Let us not forget the difficulties that were
encountered and had to be overcome.
Skilled workmcn had to be imported from
Europe: now 80 per cent of the workmen en-
ployed are of American birth, while all or
nearly all are Americans by adoption, bear
ing true allegiance to our Institutions and to
our flag. Foreign machinery had to be i'm
ported. Now we make our own machinery,
and Yankee ingenuity, brains and hands |
working in the bracing atmosphere of a land
of freedom have discovered new methods
and invented new appliances saving of labor
and of cost and adding to the quality of the
product. When the industry was started, |
am told. the plates required handling six |
times, where now they require handling only |
twice. Materials had to be imported; clay ,
for pots, SOFA ash, 1elt, emery, rOuge: now all
these have been added to our home products
-" +"e multiplication of the demand for home
.bor.
.loH grave the significance of this story, |
ii w full of interest its meaning! Think for |
a moment of the immense quaD titles of ma
terial of the various kinds necessary to man.
ufacture our yearly output of plate glass,
and think Of the army of men thus provided
with the means of livelihood for themselves
and for those near and dear to them. Think
of the capital invested, of the wages earned |
and paid. The value of finished plate glass
like the value of every thing that has value,
in largest part human labor, and
the value of well paid labor in human hap
piuess is beyond compute. 1t is estimated
that plate glass manufa cture in this country
furnishes employment directly and indi-
rectly to 25 QUO men, and these and their de-
pendents will aggregate in numbers 1850
isencfit to Producer and Consumer.
And let it be remembered that American
uorkmen are paid from So to more than 100
per cent more wages for the same work than
heir less fortunate fellows across the seas.
have here statement in detail giving the
1gures to bear out this assertion. In the
lasting department, the grinding depart
nent, the smoothing department, the pol
shing department, the cutting room, and
elsew here, the story is the same as to all.
Ten years ago the American consumer paid
Tor his plate glass 81 so per square foot. The
asta blishment of its manufacture as a home
has reduced its price to an average
Of less than so cents per square foot Ten
Years ago its use was a luxury to be in
lulged in only by the rich; to-day its use is
IN economy which deserves the attention
eyen of the poor As demand increases COM
petition increases, prices decrease, and the
becomes the beneficiary.
The monument was formally unveiled by
George Ross Ford, grandson of the Captain.
Other addresses were delivered by Judge