The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-25
SOME DEMOCRATIC PREDICTIONS
Respecting tho Mckinley Act Not
Fulnlled..No Reduction in Wages.
One of tho Great Industries of
Rochester, New York--some Inter
esting Facts and Figures From a
Great Clothing Centre.



Democratic newspapers that the Amer
lean consumer would be compelled to
pay far higher price. The prophecy
was also made that the manufacturers
OF ready made clothing would find it
necessary to advance the price Of their
goods and reduce the wages of their
hands. As the ready made clothing
industry is the greatest Rochester pos
sesses, this question has been closely
studied here. Out OF the population of
LA, 1874 credited to the city by the state
census Of the present year, $4,000 per,
sons are employed in the making OF
clothing. New York and Philadelphia
alone surpass Rochester in the number
OF persons employed in the ready made
clothing industry, but, OF course, d
larger proportion Of tho residents here
are engaged in the business than in the
two larger cities. The prediction.
therefore, in 1890, that the price Of
ready made clothing might be adj
vanced through the operation Of the
Mckinley act excited much talk in
Rochester, because it was believed that
if it we're fulfilled the business of the
city might diminish.
Two years have passed and now it is
possible to learn what has been the ef-
feet of the tariff act upon the clothing
industry, The results were explained
to-day by Max BrickHer, president Of
the chamber OF commerce, of Rochcs-
ter, and member of the Vile & Brick
ner company, one Of the largest cloth
ing manufacturing corporations in the
city. 1--WE are selling ready-made cloth
ing, both that made from foreign goods
and that made from domestic goods, at
the same price us before the Mckinley
act was passed. The same statement
would also be made by every other
manufacturer OF clothing in Rochester.
The consumer, therefore, does not pay
a cent more for the clothing which he
wears. OF course l am speaking OF
ready.made clothing-that worn by
millions of Americans. A small per-
centage OF Americans who buy costly
foreign goods, to whom 1t is matter of
indifference whether they pay $50 or
500 Tor suit made to order, may pay
more for clothing. But they form only
q small proportion OF our population"
Mr.. Bricknar, in proof Of his state
ment, exhibited to me price list of the
clothing made by his firm in 1890, and
another Just issued. This list contained
the prices Of fifty articles of clothing OF
various grades. In every case the price
OF the article of clothing, whether coat,
waistcoat or pantaloons, was the same
as in 1890. "The price Of some foreign
goods which we use in making our
clothing" continued Mr.. Brickner, ''is
higher in market, but the increase, de-
spite the tariff, is SO slight that we bear
the loss, and our customers do notknow
OF it. This proves, OF course, that the
foreigners have reduced the price Of
their goods to importers for the pur-
pose Of jumping over the tariff and get
ting into our market. AS an instance
OF our disregard of the increased price
OF some foreign goods, take Italian
cloth, which we use for lining clothing.
In making SO suits We use only five
cents worth more OF the cloth, and of
course we do not increase the price OF
our goods TO $40 05 because OF that in
crease. We buy %orsted goods in
Europe at cost to US now, when
landed in Rochester, of g a yard, for
which we used to pay 81 80. But 1t
only takes yard and three-quarters Of
that cloth to make q coat and waistcoat.
That makes the additional cost Of the
cloth seventeen aud one.halt cents. We
pay that seventeen and one: half cents
and do not increase the price OF the
clothing to the consumer. He gets his
coat and waistcoat at abe same price as
before. We thus sell ffty-fve styles Of
clothing made up Of foreign worsted
goods at precisely the same prices as be-
fore the Mckinley act was passed."
"Some Democratic partisans are de-
ciaring that large amount OF shotdy
has been put in worsteds; is it true?"
at is not true" replied Mr.. Brickner,
"for these foreign manufacturers under,
stand that we would detect the trick, II
they were thus attempting toswindle
us. No, think they have maintained
the quality OF their goods by cutting
down the wages Of their workingmen.
A weaver In England can only make
about $2S month, while in this coun-
try, a weaver earns from $40 to S45
month. That is why they can make
worsted goods so cheaply, and why 1t
ia necessary to maintain the present
tariff duty If we are to have protection
for the American manufacturer OF
worsted goods and offer inducements
for our manufacturers to engage in that
kind Of manufacture. We use enor-
nous quantities OF American-made
cloth. II the tariff is maintained we
shall eventually manufacture in this
country all the cloth wo need"
"What was the total amount Of wages
YOU paid to your hands in lS9l| 1--WE
paid $1,000 in wages to our hands;
and / do not put in that amount what
we paid to our men in this counting
room, nor to our Haiesmen. We sold
goods in the course OF the year which
brought us in $4,000. 1t is thus OBJ.
vious that 3St per cent of the cost OF
clothing is the cost OF the labor used in
making it. Cutters make on the aver.
age $50 week, and our other hands are
equally well paid. II you will 80 about
Rochester you will find that the hands
are well housed. There ere but few
tenement houses here. Alarge proper
ton Of our handsowntheir own houses,
and they have large savings bank de-
pOS "About what is the total yearly
amount the clothing hands receiver
"About S4,000,000"
"And what is the value OF your total
product OF clothing% eve shall make
about Sl2,0Oo,0OO worth the present
vaar That is - nm O0O more than we