The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-05-15
MANUFACTURES IN The
UNITED STATES.
ITImes.D Democrat.

Mr.. Michael &. Mulhall, the we'll
known British statisticlan, aud
perhaps the most eminent man in that
science IN the world to-day continues
in the Northern American Review his
inquiries iutO ''the progress of the
United States" In a recent article
Mr.. Mulhall showed that the United
States surpassed every other country
that ever existed asa wealth producer,
and was growing rich much faster
than the rest of the world, 1t leads
any co nntry Of Europe, appointed out,
in wealth to-day, but its capacity of
production is SO much greater that it
is constantly increasing this lead.
In the May Review, Mr.. Mulhall
takes up New England, and considers
it from all points of view, its speculation
wealth, production, etc, getting many
interesting facts from dry figures and
pointing lAany valuable morals from
them.
1t is in the matter of manufactures,
however, that he is most Instructive,
and the shaving hemakes OF the rapid
growth of manufacturing in New
England, as indicating the success OF
the Amelic lean in any new industry
he undertakes, is valuable and
encouraging.
Manufactures ARE new to America,
coming indeed mainly after the civil
wal. They wero tested first in New
England, but have since gradually
extended over the entire country. but
it is in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
that we a best test the SUCCESS Of
the American as u manufacturer.
Mr.. Mulhall himself grows enthusi-
astic over the figures he gives, and it
is not in the nature Of a statisticIan to
be much of All enthusiast; the science
is too dry for this. He directs attention.
to the fact thaC the value Ut the output
from the factories had positively
%quintupled since 1880. 1t is pointed
out that, relatively to population, no
European country can vie will New
England III the matter 6fmanufActures.
The value of the annual output repre-
sents in her ease S3l9 per inhabitant;
i'll the case of Great Britain, Sis; in
the case of Belgium, $58, aud III that
of France, $74, The rate; moreover,
at which manufactures Lave adv aiiced
has been incomparably greater in New
England than in Crest Britain. Tile
annual value of manufactures per
inlaOitant in Great Britain Was Sill
III 1880, and hut $II5 in 1890; during
tile same period itrdse in New England
from $IO4 to 1919. III other words,
British manufactures during the last
forty years have done little more than
keep pace with population, while those
of New England show u ratio per
inhabitant three times greater than
that of 1880. BnOtmaking is carried
or in New England to a degree that
eclipses all European nations. 'Th
value of the boots aud slices manufac-
tured in 1899 was for New England
$I67 ,00O, 900; for Germany $l53, OO1,-
900, for Great Britain $I44, 100000;
aud for France .$I16,OO0 600. If we
consider tile ratio of this Industry to
the population, We find that tile value
Of tile boots and shoes annually pro-
duced represented flor Great Britain
81 per inhabitant, for France aud
Germany So eacl1, and for Now Eug-
land $50 per inhabitant.
Tie workingmdn has shared ia this
advances and whereas the 3I3.GM am
in manufactures in 1859 re-
al average of $246 u year in
the 555,O5J employed in 1880
got 1869, an increase Of 81 per cent,
increase in the wages bsing oven
greater if the purchasing power of the
InOney be- considered.
1t is true that other sectious Of the
country have not mot with the sans,
Encccss IN manufactures as New Eng
hut that il largely due ~ the
fact that New England was tile first
10 embarkin this business. The other
SECTIONS ought to do and will do as
we'll in lime, and the South las re-
proved that IN two Of tile
industries upon wlrIclr the NJ lnufac-
of Massachusetts, originally
depended to "a large measure, cotton
goods and iron, it can do far better.