The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-05-09


The Textile Manufacturers Journal
after making an investigation of tina
condition of the wooden aud worsted
Industries, shows with a comprehensive
table the terrible injury wrought BY
the Wilson law. Letters were sent tn
mill owners asking "how many cards
or looms are In operation; what Is =
full complement of employees; how
many people are employed at the prcs-
cnt time: how many hours a week con-
stitutc full time; how many are You
running now; how does your pay roll
compare with that OF 1892"
The answers received from 432 milln
afford another arraignment OF FREQ
trade laundering. OF the ESQ woolen
mills that replied 13i were running on
full time, Ga were closed entirely, and
81 were running on fractional timc-
Out OF total capacity of 1852 looms.
l1.50s were still in operation. but run
ming only on an average OF 40 hours =
week, equivalent 10 o,39S looms run
ming on fun time. Only 27,2oo people
were employed, n full force being f2,2S7-
The pay rolls show a reduction from
1909 OF 1873 per cent.
OF the 3,ol1 looms of mills in tho
dress-goods business that were heard
from 1898 were in operation. but run
ming only 20 per cent. OF full running
time, equivalent TO 1907 looms ON full
| time.
Seventeen carpet mills, having 2,2s6
looms, were operating only 1,so2, but
running only 60 per cent. OF full time
equivalent to 1873 looms on full time.
II was reported that IL ITO out OF AGA
looms were running on blankets and
| hnnnels, but only Ills per cent. OF full
time. equivalent to i,of6 looms on full
time.
In shawl mills only 29.3 per cent. OF
the looms were running on full time;
yarns, only els per cent. OF cards and
combs on full time; knit goods, 90 per
| cent
The pay rolls of these 432 mills, COM
| pared with 1892. the dreadful protec-
ton year. show the following average
reductions by Industries: Woolens,
1873 per cent; dress goods, % per cent
carpets, 1870 per cent; blankets and
fianncls, 1919 per cent; yarns, 1913 per
cent; knit goods, 1871 per cent.
A summary of the condition OF these
432 mills shows that 06 are closed en-
tirely, two running "a hours week,
IL running 90 hours n week, nine run
ming as hours week, IS running 45
hours n week. 81 running 40 hours u
week, 21 running 30 hours n week, eight
running 20 hours n week. and two rum
ming fifteen hours week The total
number of men employed Is 10000.
against the full complement of n 500.
We think that, IL our Wilson law
advocates ponder deeply over this situ~
alton, they will discover why there in
no market in this country under FREQ
trade law. when protection gave us
plenty OF buyers at good prices. There
is no market because In these 432 mills
alone there are 22,500 less people cni-
ployed than there were IN 1902. When
people cease TO earn money they cease
to spend IL. III we find that in only a
part OF the wooden and worstcd indus
tries $4,000 people who are capable OF
earning their livings are out OF work.
how many tens of thousands more must
} there be, for out OF the thousands OF
manufacturing industries In the United
States the Textile Manufacturers Jour-
nal has reports from only 432.
Nor Is this all of this sorry condi-
ton, for, as the Textile Manufacturers
Journal points out. many of the mills
now classed as In full operation have
already announced that they will soon
shut down completely.
And these are the blessings OF tho
Wilson lawl May we be spared for many
generations from another such plague
as has inflicted this country since an
incxplicable madness drove the people
TO elect Grover Cleveland and q free
trade congress In 1sO2,--N " Press.