The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-03-09
"PassinQ beyond Tondo, i'll the same

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prise, by some arrangement, had oh.
tanned the rental Of this, together with
the three other markets that were to be
found III the city. They constitute
squares, probably 900 feet, and with
the early hours Of morning and the
closing hours Of the afternoon present
a busy appearance. The Chinaman is
there with his pork; the boatman from
up the river with his vegetables; the
man who ia dealing in e~arthenware,
with his oyeIs, braziers and stewing
pots. while the fancy Filipino cooks
are to be found dispensing choice
smells and unsavory decootions, while
in a separate part Of the market may
be found the man who furnishes the
each Of these markets the fishermen,
with their crabs, a variety Of fish aud
strident voices, one would think or
imagine himself to be Oh the stock ex-
change ut Chicago, when the natives
nre buying their fish for supper. OF
all the discordant noises, ge~sticulations
and haggling over Il sAle, commend me
to these people.
"Passing from the market again, Ii
becomes acquainted with the various
small stores that are almost entirely
under the guidance Of the Chinese.
Here can purchase Chinese silks,
oe which n thread will be silk and
possibly three threads ordinary cotton
brought from the United States. There
you may buy Il W%ostenholm razor,
guaranteed to have heen made at Shelf
field, England, for % cents, said razor
having been made at some point III
China. Patent medicines, manufao-
tu1ed in the United States, with a
trade marke and labels, can ba pur.
chased at your own figure. And even
Colubmia bicycles, ball bearing and
with all the latest attachments, can
be purchased at $l5 and $40 from these
enterprising merchants IN the city,
said medicines and wheels being made
in China mad Japan and taken to Ma.
Mia to sell to the unsuspectine limo.
cent. The tobacco factories are quite
large concerns. 1t was my privilege
to visit several. The principal faoto.
ries are the Insular, Society de Anony-
mole. Helios and Dos Mundos. Each
Of these factories employ from 500 to
3 1000 men, women and children. Some
Of the methods Of manufacture are
quite primitive, while Others are after
the latest approved methods. The Gig.
arctic machines are fed by quantities Of
tobacco and by continuous paper. and
the machine rolls the paper. initiates 1t
with compressed air, inserts the to.
bacco, closes the aperture and throws
out upon the table, where it is picked
up by some one Of the small girls who
have attaired great dexterity and are
enabled simply by enoiroling a certain
number between the thumb and the
second finger, to decide the number for
u package. They rarely count. and
the supervisors, whose business 1t is
see that the packages are full, IL al
exception that can find that they have
made a mistake in making up the num-
Der that belong to each package. In
passing, thirty Of these cigarettes Of
he finest make cost about az cents.
The shippers Of tobacco and the other
have attained great proficiency,
and are enabled to make a superior Of.
gar, which ia eagerly sought for and
finds a ready sale. I noticed in some
one Of the papers M argument used by
an anti.expansionist. that IL the Phil.
pine islands became q part Of the
States, the cigar manufacturers
be at a disadvantage because Of
the cheap labor in the manufacture Of
the above. There need be no alarm
along this line, from the fact that there
Is not enough tobacco raised Of a super.
ior kind to supply the demand for a
high.grade cigar. When it is remem.
bered that the goods manufactured in
are used in China and Japan,
and the majority Of the cigars shipped
10 England, II a readily understand
how it would BIO next 10 impossible
FOR the United States to obtain any,
other than in the way that Jim Blaine
to bring them into tho United
States.
81 also visited u m~unufaotory where
felt hats and straw were made. Tho
cotton came from the United States,
and the straw from Germany and
switzerland. About a thousand women
were engaged in sewing together the
strands Or plated Stands of straw and
making hats that in appearance would
anywhere from fifty to two hundred
years old in style. The felt hats were
he same, and | seriously considered at
one time the feasibility of sending back
10 the United States, buying ur two or
three thousand of the style Of ten years
,go, putting them on the market, sell
ing them at a low figure and being able
10 make quite u guodly sum of money,
1t Is needless to say that the natives
IRE very little on style, Any old
hing, that IL In appearance, hut new
u texture, Is all right, II would be a
,oor place for millinefs, inasmuch AZ
l.n $40 .. ax. H. ..@A ,a- t-A-& H.