The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-07-08

nifty the trade shrlnkage is felt In
turn Sy the wholesaler, the maniac.
turer and the original producer. Each
one reduces the number of his en-
ployecs. and with every increase In
the army Of idle ones trade generally
contracts more and more.
DARK DAYS ARE AHEAD.
This process has been in operation
for the past ten months, and, accord
ing to those who keep in constant
touch with such evolutions In the bus
mess world, is still progressing with
increased momentum.
1t began with the contraction in the
iron and steel trade, last October. This
has progressed steadily, and, according
to advices from ell Of the centres Of
that industry the shrinkage is still go
ing on.
1t Is started with the refusal of the
railroads to continue paying S28 ton.
the price fixed for steel rails by the
steel trust. But for the protective
tariff steel rails could be delivered in
this country for German and British
manufacturers at $2l ton, with a
fair margin of profit.
1t costs about SILL SO ton to pro-
duce steel rails. The steel trust has de-
livered in far of Syria en- q contract
with Syrian railroad the same steel
rails that 1t charges American roads
S28 a ton for S22 ton. This Syrian
contract was taken on basis of about
SIG ton for an American railroad.
A year ago there were 168, 900 work
ers employed by the United States
Steel corporation, which benefits more
largely through the protective tariff
than any other corporation in the
country. The number employed toda
is about 900, and many of these
are working only on part time.
The full dinner pail has proved a
melancholy myth to the employees Of
the steel trust.
The workers for the smaller iron and
steel corporations like the Republic
Iron and Steel company; the Tennes
see Coal and Iron company; the
Schloss- She iiield company; the Colora-
do Fuel and Iron company; the Lacka-
wanna Steel company and the PENN
Sylvania Steel company are even worse
or.
In good times about So ,000 men are
employed by these companies. The to
tai now at work is less than 40, 900. OF
the still smaller companies, with no
powerful influences behind them to
hand out contracts even at the expense
of the railroads or others which are
the buyers. several have gone tn the
wall, notably the United States Steel
company, $4,000, 900 Massachus ,tts
concern. Others are tottering upon the
verge Of dissolution.
The railroads of the country being
the largest employers OF labor, have as
a result Of the contraction in business
made the largest additions TO the idle
army.
l20, 600 RAlLROADERS LAID OFF.
Since the hrst of the year fully l2O,-
600 workers have been discharged by
the various railroads, and the wedding
out process is st'll going On.
The full dinner pail is only a memory
with these 100, 900 men.
The cotton mill towns of New Eng
land have much poverty TO deal with.
In ordinary good timf S there are 200,-
600 operatives employed. These reo-
pie do not earn much money aud are
able to save but very small sums.
Most of them do lot attempt to save
any thing.
These mills for the past nine months
have been Shutting down for few
weeks at time. When they are do
ing business they ale run only on two
thirds time or four days week.
There is actually only full weeks
work for about 100, 600 Of the 200, ,O0C
workers, but the largest number are
given parttime employment through
the system OF running the mills foul
days week.
This has been cne Of the most dire
full years to the workers in the history
OF the cotton mill trade. Many of the
operatives are French Canad ans OF
their descendants: So extreme has
their poverty been during the past few
months that thousands OF them have
gone back to Canada, relying upon the
generosity Of relatives there to support
them in the south, In the manufac.ur.
ing district dependent upon the Goa
and iron trade, there are large mum
bers OF unemployed.
DISTRESS Is WIDESPREAD.
In the middle west, particualarly in
the cities where large packing houses
are established, the army of idle work
erS is extensive.
There are 100000 packing house
employers in times of fair business
perty. Between - and 40 pei
cent. of these are now idle, or about
$4,000 men.
The lcthargy in the packing house
industry Is most significant OF general
trade conditions and Of the great idle
army throughout the country. When
| the average workman is idle and is
forced to reduce the expenses OF his
family to : minimum the article of
food that Is cut down as much as
possible is meat. When only few
cents can be expended upon each meal
meat becomes luxury that is seldom
INDUCED in.
In Chicago alone, where 10000
men were employed last year In the
great packing houses in that city, the
number now employed is %, 000 or a
reduction Of 374 per cent.
That the contraction in trade is
about the same in various cities is
shown by the shrlnkage in the bank
clearings.
For the week ending June l the
bank clearings we're 3O.2 per cent.
less than year ago; in Boston they
showed a decrease Of 81 per cent, in
Baltimore decrease Of %. 2 per cent.
and in Philadelphia 20.6 per cent.
The tremendous reductions made