Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-12-12
MECCA FOR
FACTORIES

Whatever additional argument
may, byschance, be necessary to con
vince eYerygody that New JERSEY Il
pre-eminent among the industrial,
states of this country, may be found
in the fact that the majority of new
/ industries, which are now coming into
that state from the middle states.
the south and the west, are making
the change because the skilled labor
of our state is of so high class that
it cannot be equalled elsewhere" said
prominent manufacturer OF Pater-
son.
TThe mill hand has been forced by
circumstances TO follow the factory
since the beginning of things so far
as history tells. The factory has
been accustomed to choose it's loca-
tion because of physical advantages
such as proximity of waterways and
railroads. Hhat was what originally
brought the industries TO New Jer-
sey in great numbers and now the
state has been able to set such a high
standard of skill for factory wage
earners as to place it far ahead of lis
rival states. A few years ago a cloud
seemed to have obscured our future
and for brief period of nine months
we were compelled to witness the
emigration of considerable number
of our Industries to other states in re-
sponse to inducements offered by sew
eral railroads in the way of freight
transportation and cheap land. At
about that time with the aid of troll
ley development the tide of prosper
ity for New Jersey turned to the flood
and the gaps in the ranks of our in
dusrries were quickly filled. The
fact that some of our mills had gone
did not then worry us SO much, and
the exodus would probably have
passed out of mind had it not been
recalled by events of the present year.
refer principally to the return Of
former mill owners of Paterson for
the purpose of repurchasing their old
mills and moving their plants back
to the banks of the Passaic because,
as they told me, nowhere else could
they get labor equalling that offered
by New Jersey. At this time al, Of
the mills that once left us have per-
fected plans for re irnjng and, bet
ter than that, othe.s nave followed
the example of the first mentioned
and are crowding in wherever space
is available.
THE silk industry is not the only
one affected by these conditions. New
Jersey has long held high reputation
| as producer of high class machin-
cry, fine tools, cutlery, and numer-
Gus other small articles. Almost
wherever one may travel over the civ
ilized portion of the globe the famil
lar mark Made in New Jersey may
be found on hundreds of manufac-
| tured products, ranging from steel
railroad bridges to penknives and
surgeons instruments. New Jerseys
long career in the making of these
articles has developed a class of
skilled labor which can be found no.
where else because nowhere else are
so many persons engaged in the sew
| eral occupations. Therefore, many
old factories which must compete
with New Jerseys output find it nee
essary to seek the source of the high
est skilled labor ip their lines and
are settling here. This is also true
of the manufacture of heavier steel
and iron products, clay products,
cloth and tailor's furnishings. Fig
ures in course of preparation by the
state bureau of statistics at Trenton
when completed will show that some