Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-02
DONE BY THE TARIFF BILL.
One Of the Greatest Manufacturing
Concerns Of Europe Build
Factory.
An Early and Splendid Result OF
the Operation Of the McKin-
ley Measure.
All Grades Of Silk Pushes To Be
Turned Out-History Of the
Enterprise.

Enterprise.
Bridgeport, Conn, Special to New York
Tribune; On account of the Mckinley
bill one of the largest and best known
manufacturing concerns IN Europe has
Just established factory for the manufac-
ture of all grades of silk pushes in the
United States. This company, Sir Thomas
Salt, Bart, Sons & Co. Qimited), of Saltaire,
England, has purchased the large factory
of the Howe Sewing Machine Company,
at Bridgeport. Conn, to which it has made
extensive additions, and is already manu-
featuring goods. When running full
capacity the concern will give employment
to some 900 hands. Much skill, expert
ence, and knowledge are required to make
silk plush, it being the most difficult of all
textile articles to manufacture. The COM
pany has achieved the reputation of being
one of the best manufacturers of these
goods in the world, and through its New
York selling agents had secured, previous
to the passage of the Mckinley bill, an
enormous American trade. The McKin-
ley bill virtually cut this trade off, and
they must either come to the United States
to manufacture or lose their large Ameri-
can business.
The history of the founding and build
ing up of Saltaire, England, by one man,
and the great gifts and benefits he con-
ferred on the working people and COM
munity at large, is an Interesting one.
Sir Titus Salt, whose title was not hered-
itary, but reward of merit, was born in
Yorkshire. England, and was associated
with his father, Daniel Salt, in the bust
ness of wool staples at Bradford. The
firm, Daniel Salt & Sons, dealt in Russian
Donskoi wool, which up to that time had
only been used in the woolen trade
Young Salt conceived the idea that it
could also be used to advantage in the
manufacture Of worsted goods. He visited
all the worsted manufacturers, endeavor-
ing to get them to introduce it, unsuccess-
fully, however, as they all only ridiculed
the idea. Being firmly convinced that he
was right he took small factory in Brad
ford for the purpose. 1t was finally so sue
cessful that he bought four large mills, in
addition, in Bradford.
It was in 1886, however, that Sir Titus
Salt laid the cornerstone Of the great for
tune he afterward amassed by bringing
into practical use the hair OF the alpaca.
On visit to Liverpool he saw in one of
the warehouses a lot of odd looking wool
wool of the llama) which had been ship
ped there from South America, and as no
one could use it, it lay there practically
valueless.
Sir Titus Saltlexperimented with it, and
finally, by his great ingenuity, persever-
ance. and indomitabe will, surmounted
all obstacles and produced from it beau
tiful fabric now known as al paca dress
goods. He bought up all that class of
wool, and practically had for some years a
monopoly and thus amassed large for
tune He was pioneer of the alpaca in
dustry, which today contributes SO largely
to the prosperity and wealth of Bradford,
England.
Sir Titus Salt then began to take the
first steps toward carrying out the idea
he had formed many years before Of estab-
fishing model manufacturing town, with
the highest possible advantages and coma
forts for the operatives. He bought in
1853 large tract of land in the suburbs of
Bradford and named it Saltaire, after, his
family, Salt, and the river Aire, which
runs through. After twenty years of build
ing and continual improving Sir Titus
Salt had the satisfaction of seeing Sataire
become the model village of Great Britain.
The mills are the finest of their kind, ard
have achieved worldwide reputation.
They give employment to about four
thousand hands. The operatives houses
(about one thousand in number) are built
entirely of cut-stone and are of handsome
md substantial appearance. They are
constructed on sanitary prln eipes and
have all modern improvements. These
| houses are let to the operatives as low as
they can obtain poor and crowded quart
ers elsewhere.
Sir Titus Salt died in 1876, when the
active management of the concern devolv-
ed upon Charles Stead. who is the preser t
chairman of the board of directors and
one of the principal shareholders. Mr..
Stead was an associate of Sir Titus Salt
almost since his earliest manufacturing
He is a man of remarkable sagaclty and
business ability and the success of the
company, present and past, is much due to
his management Mr.. Stead, though
seventy years old, is assactive as most men
of fifty.
Such is the concern that the Mckinley
bill has brought to the United States.
Alter the duty ON tin plate and pearl but
| tons, few items ware attacked with more
violence than the duty on silk plush, by all
the free trade and democratic press. Not
withstanding that an extra duty of go
per cent. had been added to the upholstery
pushes, the prices remain today exactly
the same as they were previous to the pas
sage of The Mckinley bill. On othe:
grades, where the duty has been advanced
40 to so per cent. there has been an adj
vance of only 5 to per cent.-an advance
or decline of this amount occurs almost
yearly from market census. Furthermore,
it is predicted by well-informed persons
in the United states will be made in the
United States. and at prices far lower
than ever could have been under existing
conditions previous to the passage of the