Evening star., 1901-09-02
Engineering Shops, Cabinet Max
ing, Mining and Other Lines.
RESULTS OF INVESTIG ALTON

| "A.
| Mr.. John c. F. Jackson, the engineers: Mr.
| Thomas Graham, the miners: Mr.. Thomas
Fleming, the masons: Mr.. George Nutley
| the painters; Mr.. John Soutler, the locomo-
tive drivers: Mr.. Kenneth Mckenzie, the
upholsterers; Mr. George Etchells, the
weavers and finishers: Mr.. j. c. Cowen the
hammermen, and Mr.. A. Nicol Simpson,
literary man, who is the conductor of the
tour.
The trip is being made under the aus
piceS of the Red Letter a leading labor
paper of England and was undertaken be-
cause recently SO much has been heard of
American competition with British indus
| tries that the conductors of the paper con-
| ceived the idea that the workingmen
| of Great Britain ought to be afforded the
| opportunity of inspecting and observing the
! methods of work as applied to their re-
| spective trades in America, so that they
| might be able to judge as to how far this
| competition is likely to affect them In Its
| ultimate result.
| In the judgment of those who conceived
| the idea the present seemed peculiarly
| opportune time for the rea tzation Of such
| a scheme. 1t felt that the great PAN
| American exposition at Buffalo this sum-
| mer presented unique facilities for study
| ing the problem of Americas industrial
progress for there the fruits of the enter
| prise and skill of the artisans of the United
| States could be seen to the best advantage,
| and 1t was determined that visit to the
| Buffalo exposition by intelligent represent
| ative of partiSanS and operatives who would
| investigate and report on the subject could
| hardly fail to be productive of good re-
| suits to the general body of wage earners
| in Great Britain.
1t was further believed that not at the
| exposition only, but in their sojorrnngs
| throughout the country, the visitors would
| be enabled to elicit valuable information on
| questions in which the British artisan is
vitally nterested-informatonw which would
| be obtained at first hand and from entirely
! fresh sources.
Selected by Popular Vote.
The selection of representatives was made
by popular vote, in which all classes of the
wage earners participated. Extraordinary
interest was manifested in the scheme, and
the voting assumed the dimensions of
huge parliamentary general election. The
twelve delegates selected are. therefore,
representative in the best sense of the word
of their respective trades
The route marked out for the tour in
cludes New York, Fall River, Providence
Phtadelphta. Washington, Pistsburg,
Cleveland, the pottery districts, Buffalo eX-
position, Niagara, Toronto, Ottawa, Mon
treal and other centers of industry.
In speaking about the trip Mr. Simpson
said: The party is much pleased with ex-
perienceS thus far. We have visited the en-
gineering shops, cabinet-makng and other
woodworking plants, the potteries. ship
yards, locomotive shops, the railroads, and,
featuring trades to be found in New York
and Philadelphia and vicinity. 1t is the
opinion of our party that you are far
ahead of us in almost everything that
goes to make up the trade success of a
country: as matter of fact, you are. No
fair minded man will dispute that fact
This expedition is the second sent out
from Great Britain by the Messrs. Thomp-
son of Dundee. They are owners of sew
eral weekly and daily papers, one of which
| is the Red Letter of Dundee, and this eX-
pedition is known as the British Artisan
Red Letter expedition. The Thompsons
also own a large line of steamers engaged
In the cattle trade. which ply between the
Tyne and Montreal.
Our time is not limited. We may re-
main In this country as long as it seems
wise to enable us to accomplish our mis-
sion. We will go from Washington to
Pittsburg, from which city the pottery dele
gates will go to East Liverpool to study
their especial trades performed by
American workmen and learn all they can
that will benefit the British potters This
| OF course. is the main object of all the dele
gates representing the various trades who
are of our party. AT Pittsburg also the
mining and engineering delegates will di-
verge, going to Cleveland. The others will
go on to Buffalo, the chief objective point
of the expedition, after we have learned all
we can in what you call the smoky city
Our party will rendezvous at Buffalo, where
we Will devote several weeks in a study
| of the various exhibits. We will then go
| on to Niagara, Toronto and Ottawa, and
| will sail later from Montreal.
| Object of the Inquiry
| Our OBJECT Is mainly compare the
| American and British --kman, their
| wages, hours, modes of life. and the do
mestic economies of the two countries, and
| learn all we can of American manufacture
ing methods. There is an opinion that our
workmen are poorly paid, as compared
! with the American, and they are, I sup
| pose, so far as mere wages are concerned,
| but our study has shown us that the Brit
| ish workman is really well paid as the
American when the relative purchasing
| power of wages is considered. Everything
| is dearer here. in proportion, than In Eng
| land, and we have. found that the majority
! of British workmen in this country would
| be better satisfied to return TO their own
| land. Many of them, after fair trial do
| so. Rents, living and travelling expenses
are all higher here than they are i'm Eng
| land
| THE one great thing we have noted is
| the enormous aid the American workman
receives from machinery, and it is that
| which undoubtedly gives America her great
| advantage in the competition for the
| worlds markets. Everything that can be
| done by hand in country is done
| quicker, and generally more accurately if
| not better, by machinery in this county.
! ''All the delegates report at frequent in
! tervalS upon what they see and learn here
individually, in their respective trades,
! sending letters by every mail 10 the Red
! Letter
| I'VE admire your cities greatly in 1uany
| respects. Washington is especially beauti-
| ful. L think II is one of the finest cities in
| the world. 1t has appealed to rs all as
| more like home than any other American
city We have visited. There Is much of his
| torical interest here, too, and personally I
| intend to make a study of all that l can
find In the way of geological interest and
agricultural matters while here On our
| former trip we went as far west as Chi
| cago This time will not 20 farther
| west than Cleveland, and no farther south
| than this city.
| Pleased With American Railways.
I'VE are delighted with American rail-
roads. They are far ahead Of ours. The
| average speed of the trains is much
greater. though there are, of course, many
particular trains in Great Britain which
| make good time any In this country.
| Your roadbeds seem light and slim COM
pared with ours and there seems to be lit
tie of the constant, ceaseless scrutiny of
| every foot of the roadway demanded in
| England. Your rolling stock Is much bet
| ter. handsomer and finer than ours In every
| way. The open coaches, instead of the
| class compartments. strike us as an I'M
81 t. -,nkx l~l-r