Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-30
NAMES MANUFACTURERS.
Address OF Hon. S. W. Matthews Before The
State Board Of Trade.

mlSSlbIpr, before tlr stdlt I1bdiu VI
Trade al the semi-annual meeting II
I'ortlaEG, " edneSday.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen:
The value OF our manufacturing in
terests to the state together with the
facts and figures connected herewith,
such as the number of plants, persons
employed. capital invested ana value
of product is the broad subject as
signed to me upon this occasion.
The State Of Maine with more than
500 cities, towns ana plantations within
her borders, in nearly every one OF
which manufacturing Of some kind is
carried on to a greater or less extent.
aggregating in 1850 over 5000 eStab-
liShments, giving employment to over
$1,000 Workmen and paying out more
than $2I G00. 900 in wages, using over
SOL 600, 900 worth of raw material and
producing more than $y5, OO0 GOO iii
manufactured products annually, is a
field so vast and varied as to make it
impoSSible for me to consider the Ques-
ton except in a desultory and imper-
feet manner. Added to these figures
must be the large growth and increase
in the development of new industries,
ture Of wool products during the past
ten years which have become among
the most important in the State. and
have recently been investigated by the
Bureau of Industrial Statistics.
AREA.
The area of the State as given in the
census of 1900 is, gross area. So, 04G
square miles: water surface 3l43: land
surface 1895. About one-third of the
total area of Maine is included in
farms. but the quantity of improved
farm lands is much less, being only -
tween three and four million acres.
The forest primeval is our most ralu-
able inheritance. We have here in
Maine more than 1900, 900 acres OF
timber land.
WATER POWER.
The 1,G20 lakes in Maine have an
area of 1890 square miles, ana when
to this are added the more than 5000
rivers and streams, Names inland
water surface aggregates nearly 500
square miles. The almost universal
connection of Names lake system with
the rivers, and the location of so many
of these lakes near the heads of the
rivers are important features in the
storage of manufacturing power.
Walter Wells estimates that the guam
tity of water delivered by our rivers
falling on their passage to the sea
through a mean distance of eco feet.
yield a gross power OF 4,429 horse foi
each foot of fall. wl.ch in the aggre-
gate amounts to 1855, 200 horse power
-,,,.,,
energy of over "A. 900 900 of men.
TEXTILE MANUFACTURING
Names water powers early attracted
the attention of manufacturers Of tex
tile goods. and in this way very
large amount of outside capital has
been brought into the State, the cotton
and WOODEN plants in operation here
now representing very large invest
mentS and giving employment to q
numerous army of employees. Cotton
manufacturing was inaugurated in
Maine early in the present century.
one of the pioneer mills being cStab-
lished at Brunswick in 1910. Other
factories sprung up at Saco in 1881,
Biddeford in 1S45 and Lewiston in 1916
while in later years Augusta and
WaterVille secured large plants, and
likewise several other towns in western
Maine. In 1890, Maine had % cotton
factories, representing an invested
capital of 500 S5U.75 The number of
employees in 1890 were 1899 and wages
paid $4,3I2, 4l3 The cost of materials
used was $S.407 3G2, and value of
product was $l53l6. 903. Since that date
the cotton manufacturing plants have
additions. The industry today is il
prosperous condition.
Wooden manufacturing early secured
n foothold in Maine. The conditions
have been very favorable for its
growth and development. The wooden
business is more generally diffused
throughout the State. In 1890 the cap
ital invested was $1,000. 525: number of
hands 5,453, and wages paid 81. 9l1676;
cost of materials s., 104 500 and value
of product $S,S14256 Since the last
census a large number of new mills
have been erected and numerous others
have been enlarged. In addition to the
wooden mills there are fourishing
plush and worsted mills at Sanford.
while a worsted mill has been erected
ana is in operation at Fairfield. There
is one silk mill in the State located at
WeStbrook
LUMBER.
The average amount of lumber cut in
the State is about coo, 900, 900 feet year
ly. The cutting and hauling of this
amount of lumber requires the labor
of 15.153 men and 6,136 horses for a
period of 1341a working days each wear
while the item of mems wages alone
amounts to nearly $2000,0O0.
PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY.
Maine now stands among the very
first in the United States in the
amount of pulp and paper produced
Number of feet of lumber used go 600
600. THIS at cost of $500 per thou-
sand feet would amount to S315O 600
In the manufacture of lumber the
average amount paid for labor is about
sl.3o per thousand feet while the aver
age amount paid for labor tor convert
ing 1000 feet of logs into pulp ana
paper is about $500, and in the mann
1acture of pulp and paper labor is ON
pioyed the year round, day and night
while in the manufacture of lumber
the saw mill would not average NOR.
thdh SIX months in the year. There