Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-31
LABOR AND INDUSTRY.

A new electrical riveting machine, as
used in the erection of skyscrapers, can do
200 rivets in ten hours.
The Prussian government has extended
the eight-hour workday to the railroad
switchmen in all the larger cities. The
wages are $1.18 lin American money! per
day.
From official sources, says the National
Labor Tribune, we learn that the war has
not interfered with our commerce to any
great extent, especially in the metal indus
tries.
A referendum vote OF the Journeymen
Tailor's Union of America decided not to
hold q special convention next month, but
to save that expense and apply it to the
fight for open shops" October l.
The Goldfish industry of Newfoundland Is
the largest of its kind In the world, and has
been in existence nearly four centuries. The
annual export amounts to an average of
100000 hundred weight.
Shoes made in the United States and i'm
ported into Germany have gained so much
in favor in certain parts of Germany that
official attempts have been made to create
prejudice against their purchase by German
citizens.
The bulletin of the American iron and
Steel association estimates the production
Of pig iron in the United States during the
half year past at 5000, 703 gross tons. This
compares with a production of ,403, 476 tons
In the first six months of 1897, and breaks
all records.
The largest sale of wool ever made in the
west was effected last week by a st. Louis
Arm, 1t succeeded in disposing of three
quarters of a million pounds of wool to a
large eastern mill. The wool was what is
known to the trade as Territory wool"
and comes from the western and southwest
ern states. 1t will require thirty-hye cars
to transport this amount OF wool to Its
destination. That class Of wool is selling at
from IL to II cents per pound.
Berlin is going to adopt strict regulations
against foreign workmen who go to the city
for work. The police will examine the
antecedents of all persons and will refuse
residence cards to any who have committed
against property or have been
bankrupt. Others must show that they have
money enough to support them for a time
or must find work within a fortnight after
their arrival; otherwise they will receive
notice to quit Berlin at once.
Wire probably plays a more important part
in modern life than any other one product
of our industries. The extent to which 1t is
used may be realized perhaps from the
statistics OF the iron and steel wire manu-
features of the United States. Every year
this country produces about 1000, 600 tons
of iron or steel wire. Reduced to pounds
this gives 1000, 000, 900 pound as the annual
output OF the wire mills, or about thirty
pounds of wire for every man, woman and
child in the United States. The metal which
goes to make up this enormous mass of
wire is about one-hfth of the entire output
OF our iron mines, and the finished product
is equal in amount to the average produc-
ton of railroad rails, and Is probably more
than enough to form the frames OF all the
great steel skyscrapers erected in the whole
country during the year. In this country
there are about eighty-iive factories where
iron or steel wire is produced, but one o.
these concerns so oyershadows all the other!
that it produces one-siXth of the entire out
put. This is more than the entire output OF
wire in Great Britain.