New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-16
GROWING BY PROTECTION.
THE FLOURIsNING PEARL BUTTON IN.
DUSTKY. ,'"
WAGES RICHER MORE HASps EMPLOYED
BETTER ARTICLE TURNED OUT AND At
~~ss. M rtrr COveJYMEA


WAGES HIGHER, MORE HASps EMPLOYED
BETTER ARTICLE TURNED OUT AND AT
LES. cosr 10 THE CONSUMER.
The articles published In The Tribune In regard 70
ihe SSftelkf Effects Of the Mckinley act on tho pear
buttot industry Of Newar. n j. have attracted m"cn
atfsron throughout the country and strenuous enors
have been made BY the Democrn"c pros anu rJ
tic,ans 10 controvert them. One Of these nr'cies
v~s reproduced by "The Fort Wayne Daily Gahe''e'
NJ Fort WAYNE Ind. II attracted the noucc Oh
A. NJ Foster, q manufacturer OF chdrehs "s''' '
that place. who Is q prominent Democrat and can
Aidate for electos He sent letter to "Ihe "aAee'
in which he says: 81 had the curiosity to ascef'a"
how much capital was being employed In IDS mtso
and nomshne business, engaging the enors OF NOR
than score Of firms with large capital ana vA'"o'e
machinery and giving employment to several thonsana
persons. I consulted the mercantile directory OF L.
g. Dun Co., tust issued. i found Ihomc y.
Webb rated at 5000 To 100000: newark fe"r'
Novelty Company, $4,000 to $4,000; H. j. "res'''s
rated less than 81 600 Whorton Brothers, not H.
And myself wondering how men can manufacture 50
extensively, as they claim TO DO, on snch SINH
euppIy Of cash and credit as these concerns secm "
possess.'
Mr.. Foster then proceeded 10 assert. In substance
that tho Government, under the Mckinney ac'' WIS
booming the pserl button business at tne eApe"'o
Of those who use the buttons. and added Every
man who wears a shirt, every woman who wears
shirt, and every child that wears dress Is con-
tstbuting little here and litste there TO the pr"s
pcnty Of these same pearl button manufacturers"
The editor Of 1.-THE Fort Wayne Gasette' wrote
to tho editor Of The Tribune inelosing copy OF Mr.
Ywrsr's article ana asking for additional fnforma''on
n ree.rA N the pearl button industry IN Newark
A reporter OF The Tribune made u careful lhVesu-
caton Yesterday and the results OF his iDqures were
such as to show that the Mckinley act had un'
ouestionasly been benefit not only to the manu-
faeturers OF pearl buttons and tAeir empoyos' ou'
also to many Of those who use these gooos' rs ,ho
pr,ces Of the buttons are lower with the exception
az the smaller and interior sizes such as are used on
shirts waists and garments Of this Description "ncre
IN some instances there has been sieht Increase !"
price, This has been occasioned by the increase II
wages but on the other hand much better class Oh
buttons is being manufactured. while In the inner
grades Of buttons the price per gross hns been muc"
reduced In aG1ition TO this, employment has been
oven 10 thuusands Of hands who were Idle. wages
are increased and more capital has been attracted 10
the business
In Newark are the factories Of the following pearl
button manufacturers: Thomas A. Webb, Joseph weop'
Young d Webb, tie z. r. rursil Pearl Button Com'
pany. Thomas Davis whatton Brothers Newey, c.
Blakeuuah @. N. Dicer, d. H. Smith, and several
ohcr firms, oil Of them doing good business and EN-
p,oytug q number OF hands. To Thomas A. wsoo,
who is the leading pearl button manufactures In that
CITY, was shown the statement OF Mr. Foster ana also
the article which originally appeared In The tribune
IN regard - the pearl button industry lie SAID
.The article which was published In The Tribune
is correct and there Is use In trying to deny Inc
facts. As far rs Mr.. Fosters statements about my
rating BY Il. G.. Dun d Co. arc concerned, VIII say
that that Is the same as was made TWO years aso'
Nv capital Is now from $4,000 TO $4,000. The
figures ~ given by Mr.. Foster, represented my capi1a'
before the Mckinley act was passed. when my busl-
ness did not amount 10 anything, and II did not pay
itaI In business. since
the passage OF the Mckinley act have invested more
ca p,tal In my business, added new machinery ana
Increased the number Of my hands having been COM
peed do In order TO meet the Increased den"nos
az the trade that have been created In consequence OF
the passage Of the Mckinley act
AMY present factory is proving altogether too sno
for my business md am about 10 put up a three
story brick building, 1oox32 feet, in Highst., near
Orangs In regard to Mr. Fosters statements that
severy man who q shirt, every woman VINO wears
n skirt and every child that wears dress is con-
trbutpg little here and little there 10 the pNs-
pcrisy OF the pearl button manufacturers WISH 70
soy this: 1t Is true that the smaller grades OF pearl
buttons are little higher to-day than they were be-
fore the passage OF the Mckinley act, and VIII cx-
Main the cause OF this little later on but II IS non
sessn to say that tile wearcrs OF shirts. sRirts ana
dresses are paying all the increase Does Mr. fos'er
nlesn TO shy that because he phys cents per gross
more on certain sizes Of pearl buttons though he only
Yutk U lew common uuttonS "" e"''N'N"S """'' y
shirts, he Is going to charge the consumer or ~
cents more per waist than no did before?
n is no fault Of the manufacturers Of pearl but
TONS II manufacturers Of garments. Who perhaps get
their gsods after they have been through the hahds
of fonr or Ave parties charged higher prices Tor
their buttons. The fact, however, remains that we
near, button manufacturers make and sell pearl but
rons cheaper now than we did before the Mckinley
Sin wss passed; yes, thirty per cent cheaper IL
NAV be that Mr.. Foster has to pay more Tor his
bvttons than he nda before. but that Is no fault OF
nines n the prices have been raised BY middlenen
he charges his customers more for their goods ne
Is N fault not /. 1t may be that he has reference
to some common, trashy buttons. for which the
name Of pearl IS q misnomer. am glad to say We
do not manufacture these goods IN this country IL
Is only an imposition on the poor worklngman ana
workincwoman to place these socalled pearl buttons
ON wearing apparel foe they are liable to break the
very first time the garment is worm
There Is no question:" continued Mr.. Webb "tiat
the Mckinley act has been q benefit not only to the
manufacturer aud bis workmen, but to the consumer
Of pearl buttons well. Now here Is a statement
whs,. made out recently for a member Of the United
States Senate
"Thc number OF pesrl.bs;Non manufacturers In the
United states IN 1884. was eleven; four in Newark.
tbrce In Philadelphia two IN NcwiOrk, one in Brook
Ign. ana in Springfield Mass. while at the present
tine there are between seventy-hve and eighty. and
may be more, rs trims beginning evry day :;
some la the extreme West and some as far South as
Nashville Tenn, while a great many new firms have
begun business on Long Island. The number OF
persons employed prior 10 1896 was between 300 ana
600, and the wages paid were from 60 10 s12 per
week. but It must be understood that none Of these
persons worked than three. at the most four
days per week. The amount OF production then was
not more than 100000 pei year. The amount Of
capital Invested was very limited prior to 1890. In
the scvcny-0vo or eighty pearl-buttOn factories In
operation at the present time there are about 1000
pessoas employed, certainly not less aud the number
vii probably exceed that figure. The wages paid
from els TO "a per week. according to skill There
Is plcrty O! wor. for ali employed and the capital
invested Is considerably over 81 100000 while the
production OF the manufacturers 81 the present time
win amount IN th" aggregate 10 between S60OO,OOO
on A 20 IN .,riIa of ri hiatt