Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19

fin coat has been put on the threads look
like white wires of about the thickness Of
q match. They are wound on big drums
and the rest of the process Is much like the
making Of the wooden matches above de-
scribed.
In other rooms the boxes are made by
box-making machinery being turned out
by the millions a day. The boxes are of all
shapes and sizes. The greatest number are
of pasteboard and paper, many of brass
and tin, and not a few of wood. Some Of
the straw-board box machines Will turn
out seventy boxes a minute.
The total output of the factory runs into
hundreds of millions of matches a day, and
it is enough to keep these 4S.00O,O00 people
in lights and to furnish an enormous prod
uct for export to the continent, the colonies
and other parts of the world. The COM
pany is, l am told. paying good dividends
and its business is steadily increasing.
Other American Plants.
I find that the Americans are doing a
great deal in many lines in Liverpool. They
handle much of the cotton business, they
have established a steam laundry which is
making money and they have recently got
a contract to electrically equip the Mersey
railway, which runs through the tunnel
under the river from Liverpool to Birken-
head. This road is now operated by steam
and it gives about disagreeable ride as
you can find anywhere. The tunnel is badly
lighted and poorly ventilated, the cars are
of the English pattern and are filled with
smoke during the journey. The British
Westinghouse Company contracted to make
the change. and the machinery to be used
will probably come from the United States
as the new Westinghouse shops have but
lately begun working.
There is also an American cold storage
plant here, and the Diamond Rubber Com
pany has erected factories to supply rubber
to Great Britain. Americans are also in
terested in a monorail road from Liver
pool to Manchester. The distance is about
thirty-five miles, and the trains will be ex-
pected to cover it in twenty minutes. If
they do the traffic will be enormous. Man
chester, with it's sister city of Stafford, has
765, 900 population, and Liverpool 6S3.o00.
At present there are three steam railroads,
which cover the distance in fOrty-five min
utes The new road will be run at inter-
walls of ten minutes and it's speed will be
40 miles an hour. The system used is
known as the Behr system. electricity being
the motive power 1t is really a five-rail
line two rails being carried on each side
of an A frame and one on the top. The
right to build the railway has already been
secured from parliament and it is believed
that the road can be successfully operated.
1 understand that Cleveland parties are in
terested in it. If it is success 1t will lead
to the construction of mono-rail road not
only all over the united kingdom, but all
over the world
Troubles of Builders.
I have already written of some of the
troubles of our railway builders in Eng
lard. The men who are putting up the
different factories have troubles as well.
One was complaining to me yesterday
about the difficulties he has had in getting
good work out of English Iaborers. Said
he:
II don't like the hours, nor the breaks IN
the working day that we have here. The
English hand begins labor without his
breakfast. He brings his meals with him,
and it is the usual thing for him to work
about two hours before he knocks off Tor
breakfast. My men first came at and
dawdled over their work until half-past g.
when they stopped to eat. After breakfast
it took about half hour to get into
shape to do their best work, and the result
was that the morning was practically
spoiled. 1 called them together one even
ing few days ago and told them that
they must get their breakfast before they
left home l said they had better come q
half hour later and bring their breakfast
inside them. There were some objections,
but upon my telling them that they must
do this or stop work they stayed.
another trouble is the holidays" this
man continued you only get half day
on Saturday, and as many of the men
drink you often find your force short On
Monday. At Easter and Whitsuntide the
whole country stops for a week to loaf ard
play, and there are other holidays. / have
also had considerable trouble to get full
work out of my men. The masons will not
lay more than 45O bricks day without
you push them. and it is only by Offering
extra wages that l have succeeded in get
ting as much as nine hundred one thou
sand bricks Per diem"
FRANK G. CARPENTER.