The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-09-20

A Scotch Firm Of LaCemakers
Start Works in Columbia,
Lancaster County.
The Mckinley 6ill Closed the
American Market for
Their Goods.

or move Here, and Accepting the
Latter Alternative, They Now Fur.
ntsh Employment for American
Labor and Hope for Harrison's
Re. Election
COLUMBIA Pa, Sept 81.
Pennsylvania furnishes the latest sub
stantial argument in favor of the McKin
ley bill and it comes right from home here
in busy little Columbia on the banks of the
Susquehanna, in rich old Lancaster county
An entirely new industry hereabouts, lace
making, with a plant driven from Scot
land by the Mckinley tariff, is a flourish.
ing innovation of this year
Among the clouds of fatty contradictory
arguments and theories which are raised
for and against the policy of protection in
campaign discussions, it is always refresh
ing to get hold Of a solid, unquestioned,
uncompromising fact The business his
tory of Columbia for the year 1892 offers
series Of facts which prove the truth of
several of the main contentious of the Re.
publican advocates of protection, One
tact is the establishment in the borough
by Scotch firm, of large factory for the
manufacture of lace curtains, the prOprio-
tors having been compelled to move their
business to this country under the stress
of the conditions imposed by the McI<in-
ley tariff. If it be the nobest work of
man to make two blades of grass to grow
where one has grown before, it is equally
a patent Of nobility to make two factories
rattle and hum where one has ratified and
hummed before. And this is only the adj
. nj 1,, o., tab, Iafr
venture proves success, and President
Harrison is reelected, their brother manu-
facturers will follow, and there will be
rush for lacemakers that viii transfer the
centre of the lace curtain manufacture to
this country
\ Wise Business Move.
The firm of Cleland Campbell & Co, of
1 10 Montrose street, Glasgow, having their
factory at Darvel, in Ayershire, is one of
the Scotch lacemaking firms which have
sprung up in that locality since the trade
union troubles blasted and scattered the
lacemaking industries of Nottingham.
The latter place was the lacemaking center
of Great Britain, having 100 factories in
the old days. Ninety-five per cent of the
lace output of Cleland Campbell & Co.
was taken up by the American market,
under the old tariff of 40 per cent. ad
valOrem. The Mckinley bill raised that
duty to go per cent. There were already
two or three lace curtain factories strug-
Cling along in Philadelphia and Scranton.
The American importers had loaded up
with goods just prior to the date on which
the Mckinley bill became a law, to avoid
the higher rate of duty. Their stocks were
sufficient to supply the American market
and the result was that the demand for
q 50 .I-
in America stopped abruptly. With 95
per cent. of their market closed, it was
hardly worth while to run for the benefit
Of the remaining per cent. The alterna-
tive was presented of going out of busi-
ness or of moving to the United States
and getting under the protecting shadow
of the Mckinley tariff. The firm chose the
latter course.
Mr. Campbell, the junior partner, came
to this country. He got into communities
ton with Messrs G. G. Kaufman, ). S.
Detweiler and j. w. Yollum, leading and
enterprisiEg citizens, who are active in
promoting the prosperity of Columbia,
and an arrangement was soon made. Gle
land, Campbell & Co. became the Colum-
bia Lace company. About S35, 600 was ex-
pended on the land and buildings.
A large Plant Erected.
The Scotchmeu have brought over their
lacemaking machinery, because as yet it
has not been made in this country, but all
the bleaching machinery and the boilers
and engines are Of American make. The
present buildings have room for twelve
sets of machinery, and as one set can turn
out about 900 pairs of curtains a week,
the capacity of the establishment will he
about l0OOO pairs of curtains a week.
These retail at from 50 to $40 a pair. When
running full time the mill will employ
about 300 men and girls. The mills run
on double shift from a. m to midnight
3 Mr. Clel8nd, the senior partner, talked
freely 10 a correspondence "We had to
come" A." enid he 1--WE were knocked out
completely by the raising of the duty
Z America is the greatest consumer of lace
curtains i'm the world There are more
people here than in any other country
who can afford to have lace curtains IN
their houses. So, when the American
market was closed against us there was
nothing for us to do but TO get inside OF
O the tariff fence. If President Harrison is
elected as / most earnestly hope he will
d be- there will be lots of other concerns in
our line of business who will move ovel
also We are loaded down with orders fol
months ahead, and the outlook is good fol
most prosperous business in spite of the
high wages we must pay. But | cam
help feeling that we must make our big
: gest profits in the first two years, for by
that time there win be a score of factorie,
coming over here, and prices will be Gu
all to pieces. As to wages, we will hav,
g 10 pay more than double what we did il
Scotland" "
e The cold facts embodied in this littl
I story teach the moral that the Republican
! policy of protection draws manufacturer
u from Europe to this country and give
b Employment to American labor; that il
g the case of lace curtains, at least, it ha
. accomplished this without raising prices
. that American wages in this industry rep
n resent enormously greater power than tn
! wages paid in Scotland; and that the bene
u fits of the policy are felt in the smaller
quiet old towns like Columbia, as well a
N the great centers Of capital.
- Mast Gain in the Senate.
In the last senate of Pennsylvania tn