The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1902-11-07
INDUSTRY H MOVING
Centers of Manufacture Seeking
Centers of Production.
MarVelous Changes in the Location
or Great American Pro-
ducing Institutions,

one OF the most interesting movements
IN American industries is the migration
! which Is carrying each line of work to
the locality where it can be conducted
most economically and effectively. saws
| the San francisco Call. This migration
has been going on for some time. but
was not distinctly marked until of late,
At the present time it has gone so far
toward centering particular industries in
certain localities as to have attracted
| the attention of the census officials and
led to the publication of an interesting
bulletin on the subject.
For the purposes of showing the mi
grafton and localization clearly great
care was taken in preparing the tables of
| the bulletin to prevent confusion. for the
general statistics of any industry show
OF course a great many facts other than
that of lOcalizatiOn, and so it is not
easy to note the localizing movement.
Fifteen Industries were selected for study
with respect to this particular move
| ment, and in each industry four tables
are given showing the localization by
states and by cities and the specializa-
ton OF cities and states in a particular
industry. The tables thus show first
how large proportion of any industry
Is concentrated within a comparatively
small area, and second how largely GER
tain localities are given over to a special
industry.
1t appears that 50 per cent of the col
lar and cuff manufacture of the union is
carried on at Troy; Baltimore does more
than 90 per cent OF the total oyster can
ming; more than "a per cent of our
gloves come from GloversviIle and Johns
town, New York; Waterbury manufac
lures over 10 per cent of our brassware:
Philadelphia more than As per cent OF
our carpets. Providence and neighbor-
ings towns more than 45 per cent of our
IeWelry and 36 per cent of the silverware
manufacture; Meriden produces over 80
per cent OF our plated and britannia
ware; more than 35 per cent of the meat
packing business of the country is car
ried on at Chicago, and the same city
produces more than "a per cent of our
agricultural implements.
Statistics relating to the extent to
which certain cities specialize their in
dustrlal energies show that in South
Omaha nearly 80 per cent of all her
wage earners were engaged in slaughter
ing and meat packing; nearly SO per
cent of the labor of McKeesport, Pa, is
employed in the iron and steel industry;
East Liverpool, Ohio, has over 81 per
cent OF her labor employed in potteries:
Bethel, Conn, has S6 per cent in the fur
hat industry; Tarentum, Pa, Sc per
cent In the manufacture of glass: Fall
River, Mass, 81 per cent in the prOduc
tlon OF cotton goods; BrOcktOn, II per
per cent III the boot and shoe industry;
and Hoboken, N. j., 76 per cent in the
manufacture of silk.
1t is to be noted that lOcalization ia
not definitely fixed. The migratory
movement is still strong. Thus in the
report OF the manufacture OF farm i'm
plements the bulletin says: ga feature
OF the development of the industry dur
ing the last ten years has been it's re.
markable increase in Illinois and it's de-
cline in New York and Ohio. The manu-
facture is forced to establish itself near
its chief market on account of the high
freight rates. The industry has there
tore localized near the center of agri-
culture and especially OF the grain pro
ducing section OF the country, and has
moved westward from decade to decade"
Other industries are of course subject
to like influences. The manufacture of
cotton goods is moving toward the
south, and the center of production of
many lines OF goods is moving west.
The present manufacturing supremacy
OF comparatively small section of the
union will eventually pass away, and
the west and south will build up largely
through industries that move from their
present centers in New England, New
York and Pennsylvania.