The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-10-29
Eighth Article.

The great glass industry in south
Jersey and throughout the west grew
up under tariff protection. Before the
Morrill, tariff was passed we got our
glassware mainly from Europe and
paid roundly for it too. Europe had
the established plants, the processes
and the cheap labor We had the
sand, but that raw material is com
paratively insignificant item of the
cost of produc' ion. We could not com
pete with Europe ON account of the la
Dor cost
Before the protective tariff came in
to enable American capital and labor
to utilize the sand in south Jersey that
section, which is now filed with pros
porous glass factories, was mostly
waste. There were struggling settle
ments. There were several glass fac
tories In south Jersey, but their total
product was inconsiderable The arti-
cles manufactured We're of a plain
character, and the wages paid were
small. The population was mainly en-
gagged In filling The soil and carrying
the produce to the Philadelphia mar
ket. There were few schools, poor
roads. no modern public improvements
and few well built private dwellings.
There were no savings banks and no
savings. no building and loan invest
ments and no prosperity for the man
who lived by a days wage.
With the protective tariff prosperity
came to this section and it came also
to sections III other parts of the coun-
try where glass factories started up.
One after another great factories were
established and gave employment to
men at wages that to them seemed
princely. The industry throve under
tariff protection, for the American fac
tory now supplied the glassware. the
window glass, the bottles and other
vitreous articles that had formerly
come from European countries.
Then began an era of home building
by workingmen. Hundreds of pretty
cottages, paid for out of their savings,
arose In the small towns where the
glass factories were located, and In
time it was shiftless glass worker
indeed who did not own his home.
AS the industry grew In size the en-
ployees organized unions for mutual
help and social purposes. The glass
working towns acquired libraries and
reading rooms and public halls. and
social life, which had been stagnant,
assumed new and higher tone BY
union organization wages were main
tanned and raised until the pay of a
glass blower became the highest Of
any workman i'm New Jersey.
Thomas J. Terrell, who served both
in the state senate and in congress,
was iourneyman glass blower. He
educated himself by the help of his
wages and while working at his trade
was an active figure In south Jersey
politics Other men belonging to the
trade achieved prominence in public
life. Many went into business with
the capital they had saved and became
affiuent Hundreds of successful bust
ness men in south Jersey and Philadel-
phia owe their start iii life to the
glass factory In which they earned
their weekly wage
There is now perfect harmony be-
tween the employer and the wage
Garner in the south Jersey glass in
dustry. Every year the association Of
employers meets to arrange the pro-
gram for the ensuing season At the
same time the glass workers aSsocla-
ton meets, and if 1t has any demands
It presents them. An amicable agree.
ment is reached, and the season is be.
gun with mutual good feeling.
In 1909 there were twenty three prinS
cipal glass factories in the south Jer-
sey section. They employed 6,159
hands, turned out an annual product