The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-17
PROSPERITY'S HIGH MARK
ANDERSON PLANTS roo RUSHED TO
ACCEPT ALL BUSINESS OFFERED.
President of File Makers Union Says
the Men Are Well SAT-
listed.
pecial to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal
ANDERSON, Ind, Oct. 16.-Few factories
in the gas belt or elsewhere better Illus
7 trate the prosperity of the country than the
Buckeye Manufacturing Company of this
city, makers of hardware and carriage
1 speciaities. The class of goods turned out
( by this factory is such that almost all Of
its employees work by the piece. The only
( complaint Secretary G. A Lambert has to
make, and he blames Mckinley for that,
is that other factories from which this COM
pany purchases its working stock are so
busy that they cannot ship stock fast
enough to enable the Buckeye Company
4 to accept all the orders it might have had.
I Thus Mr.. Lambert in telling of his own
prosperity also emphasizes the fact that his
company is not the only one that is now
/ too much rushed TO be able to accept all
the business offered. In speaking of the
situation MIR. Lambert said:
Il want to say just a word in regard to
our business in these good Republican
! times. Since the election of 1886 our BUSH
ness has steadily increased. Our men are
principally piece workers; and their wages
vary in proportion to business. Men
who earned 500 each in 1894, 1885 and 1896
are now earning 500 to 500 with the piece
price the same. We work almost wholly
on orders Our shipments in 1885 and 1896
were 900 each, $780, 80 in 1897 and will
reach $5VO000 in 1888 Ii we could have Sc
cured sufficient stock we would have
shipped $.5OOO0 this year. We have not shut
down since the election. September is al
ways the dullest month in the year. but in
September oe this year we shipped $4o,VOO
worth of goods. Future prospects were
never brignte :"
The Arcade file works is large factory
that presents fine showing in regard TO
general prosperity. Files are used almost
entirely in the iron and kindred meta IN
dustries The iron trade is usually the last
to revive after a time of suspension SO that
the great advance made by this Factory Is
of particular Importance. In 1884 IL EN-
ployed 26O hands. 276 in 1896 and SO In 1898.
But that is not all. In 1894 1t was IN opera
ton eleven months. nine months In $780, anu
this year it will run twelve months, ana It's
ovners would be glad to crowd another
month or two in the year, for. they could
get the orders to occupy the time
! WHAT THE UNION PRESIDENT SAYS
Charles Sheperkoter, president OF the. F1ie
Makers Union, is employed in this factory.
In speaking Of the conditions he SAID; me
men have no complaint to make Ihey re-
ceive good wages and are working nun tlme'
We worked more this year and IN 1891 imam
in any previous year since 1872 me men
are ali well satisfied here and are not ready
70 vote for any policy that will give us
again the conditions that existed few
| years ago..
The file works moved here from Pennsyl-
vania six years ago At that time it turned
out 500 dozen files day. 1t now makes 500
dozen or 5000 files every day and does that
every working day in the year and not
merely a part of the time, as 1t ala IN
1894 and 1885,
Speaking of the conditions and prospects
for business the manager of the file works
said: Business is very good, and all condl-
lions indicate a continued improvement
This year has been the best In the history
of our business. We will pay TINS year
$4,000 in wages more than last year"
The Columbia EncausIic Tile Company
will soon have five Mckinley kilnS in opera
! ton besides five others. The Mckinley kllns
are so named by the employees of the fac
! tory l,ecause they have been built since
! President Mckinley was elected. Imme-
| diately after the election in 1896 this COM
| pany announced that 1T would soon double
| very short time. Kiln after kiln was con-
structed as the rapidly increasing orders
made it necessary and before the close of
next month the capacity Will have been
| considerably more than doubled, for while
! the number of kilns has been exactly
! doubled the new ones are much larger than
per cent. to the company's capacity
Harry Haugh, speaking for the company
gave some figures In 1894 the company en-
ployed 50 people and now it has 150 Since
the election of 1896 the company has volun-
! tarily increased the wages of all the girls
in it's employ % per cent. The girls did not
even ask for this Increase. Since the cleo
| ton the company has added seven new de-
partments to its buildings and one other
| large building devoted exclusively to the
manufacture of white glazed wall tile. Since
last September this company mas increased
| its capacity for wall tile from 1900 feet
a month to 10000 feet, with proportonate
| increase in its capacity for making floor
| tile. For the last six months this company
has not been less than thirty days behind
in its orders.
do you see anything in the conditions TO
cause you to think this great prosperity is
| permanent Mr. Haugh was asked.
! Yes think it has come to stay. Our
| advces from the East where most of our
goods are sold, indicate very large demand
| In the future for wall tile. especially
| for the finer grades. This again indicates
] general prosperity, for this fine wall tile is
| used only in fine residences for bathrooms
| and in the finer class of public buildings
| and hotels, This demand therefore ndi-
| Gates a return of that feeling of confidence
nent investments"
| w. II. Stanton. manager of the local fac
| tory of the Philadelphia Quartz Company,
| when asked what ne thought of the past.
present and future. said: "Our business
this year is far better than II ever was.
We are doing more business with less effort
| to secure 1t. Trade seems to have a better
| edge; buyers are taking larger quantities.
They do not seem to be living from hand to
mouth, as they were two three years
ago.
| w. N. Durbn, manager of the Anderson
foundry and machine works, says: ''Busi-
ness now W. the best we have experienced
| in four years. We work on orders only,
and can scarcely keep pace with our or
| ders."
| Judging from what manufacturers. en-
| pioyes and business men here say. ] be-
leve am expressing the general sentiment
| when say that the prospects and existing
conditions were never brighter than now.