The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-23
INDIANA As A MANUFACTURING
STATE

STATE.
The last census report contains some In
teresting statistics bearing on the growth
of manufactures in this State and the rela-
tive Importance of particular industries. 1t
Is instructive to note how steadily the
State has passed from exclusively ag:i-
cultural State into the rank of a manufac-
turing one. though agriculture is still its
main interest. From 1850 to 1900 the popula-
ton of the State increased from 9SS, 416 to
2.5l6,4s2. while the average number of wage
earners employed In manufacturing estab-
lishments increased from 14,44O to 1886.
During the period named the population OF
the State increased 154 Per cent, and the
number OF wage-earners $50 per cent. In
1850 the wage earners in factories were IL
per cent OK the entire population. while in
1900 they were 81 per cent. prominent
among the causes of Indiana's progress in
manufactures" says the report, ''are the
utilization and development of excellent
natural resources, including natural gas
and petroleum, forests of excellent timber.
extensive coal fields. oolitic limestone, kao-
lin and other clays. and building stone"
To these should be added superior sand for
the manufacture of glass. and material for
the manufacture of Portland cement. The
capital invested in manufactures increased
from $7,75o.402 in 1850 to 1924 4s1, SIS in 1900
and the value OF manufactured products
from s1s Us. 423 in 1850 to s37s TO- l4O in 1900
Slaughtering and meat packing is the
most important industry i'm the State. From
1890 to 1900 the number of establishments in
this line increased from twenty-one to thir-
ty-six. and the value Of products from
| s27.o13.s40 to s42. 49,. 273. At present Ham
mond, in the northwestern corner of the
State, within a short distance of Chicago.
is the leading slaughtering and meat-pack-
| ing center of the State, with indianapolis
second. This industry could not prosper
but for the magnitude and reliability of
Indiana's corn crop. The State is a great
producer of hogs. and they are brought here
in large numbers from other States for
| slaughter.
1T may surprise some persons to learn
| that the milling business ranks second
| among the manufacturing Industries of the
State. In 1900 there were S97 milling estab-
lishments whose products were valued at
sSO,1507 66. The manufacture of liquors, dis
! titled and malt-that is. whisky and beer
ranks third in the list of industries, there
being in 1900 fifty-four establishments and
| products valued at s9,677973. There were
1,S49 establishments engaged in the manu-
facture OF lumber and timber products in
1900. and their products were valued at
| $20,613,724. The fact that the products in
4 this line increased from 1890 to 1900 only
| sSS5,7o1, or a little over 1 per cent. in ten
years. points to the failing supply of hard
wood timber The report says: 1.-The for
ests of Indiana contain hardwood timber
which is comparatively of great value, but
the timber supply is diminishing, and hard
wood logs are brought from Kentucky and
Tennessee" If the early settlers of the
State had been told that the time would
come when hardwood logs would be inn
| ported for manufacturing purposes they
would have laughed at the idea.
| In 1900 there were in the State twenty
seven establishments engaged in the iron
4 anu SlScl iiuuStTys Will prOQuctS VdlueQ at
S19,33S, 4S1; there were S37 establishments en-
gagged in the manufacture of foundry and
machine shop products, with products VAL
ued at ST., 22S ,e96; there were ITO glass fac
tories, with products valued at s14, Isl, SS3;
275 carriage and wagon factories with prod
ucts valued at sl2,742,243; 129 furniture fac
tories. with products valued at s., 6s2 $50;
45 agricultural implement factories, with
products valued at IS, Ale. OS1; COZ establish
ments engaged in the manufacture of clay
products valued at s4.222. 500: 80 paper and
wood pulp factories, with products valued
at A,17O 497-and so on.
The report calls attention to the fact that
the growth of manufacturing in the State
has been concurrent with railway building
and the growth of transportation facilities.
Prior to the extension of the railway sys-
tenn of the State its few manufacturing in
dustries were dependent mainly upon the
few nayigable waterways for transporting
both the raw materials and the surplus
products to market. Hence the factory sys-
TEN began it's growth along these natural
channels of commerce and grew with the
extension of railroads. Indianapolis never
could have become a manufacturing city
but for railroads. Without them the coal
fields of the state would be of little value
and the discovery of natural gas could not
have made manufacturing cities of towns
that had no transportation facilities. With
navigable river forming the entire south.
err border Of the State, great lake afford.
ing transportation to the north, and rail
roads traversing every county In the State
but one or two and reaching all parts OF
the country, no State is more favorably sit
uated for the future development of manu-
features than Indiana.
THE HIGHEST LAW.
The fact that a member of the Painters