The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-10-25
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 1t too. Europe had
the established plants, the processes
and the cheap labor. We had the
sand, but that raw material is COM
paratlyely Insignificant item of the
cost OF production. 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 filled with pros
porous glass factories, was mostly
waste There were struggling settle
ments. There We're several glass fac
tories In south Jersey, but their total
product was inconsiderable. The arti-
cles manufactured We're of plain
character, and the wages paid We're
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 days wage.
With the protective tariff prosperity
came TO this section, and 1t came also
10 sections In 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
Sitreous 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 We're located, and In
time 1t was shlftless 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 Il 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 in New Jersey.
Thomas j. Terrell, who served both
In the state senate and IN congress,
was journeymnn glass blower. He
educated himself by the help of his
wages ana 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
afiluent Hundreds of successful bust
ness men In south Jersey and Philadel-
phia owe their start In 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 assocIa-
ton meets, and IL Ii has any demands
II presents them. An amicable agree
ment is reached, ana the season Is be-
gun with mutual good feeling.
In 1909 there We're twenty three prin.
cipal glass factories in the south Jer-
sey section. They employed 6,159
hands, turned out an annual product
worth upward of $7O00.000 and paid
$3.3i0,000 In wages,
In former years New Jersey had
third place In glass manufacture, but
the great increase In the industry In
several other states reduced her to
fifth place, although In New Jersey the
value of products increased by 81 1885,
B73, or 26.6 per cent. bs,ween 1899 and
1904 and by $5l0,S93, or 10 per cent.
between 1904 and 1909
Go where YOU will you find the prod
ucts of the south Jersey glass factory.
In 1909 there We're turned out ZOOS, 6s2
gross of prescription walls and drug
gists' wares alone, enough to stock
thousand drug stores.
The glass factory recreated the sec
ton in south Jersey where ii was To- |
Gated. 1t made prosperity for the fam.
flies of thousands of wage earners; II |
made trade for the village store; Il !
gave employment to the building |
trades; 1t started banks and building |
and loan associations; IL established H. |
braries and reading rooms and halls /
and churches; 1t raised the value OF !
land and greatly increased the taxable
property; 1t was moral as well as a
material uplift for south Jersey com.
munlties and filed them with working.
mems homesteads
The average weekly wage of the |
New Jersey glassworker and the aver |
age wage of the English glassworker !
who is the highest paid In Europe. are
shown in these comparative figures:
rev Jersey .............f.............. lSl4
England ............................. 80
Difference. per cent ............,...... io7
There hangs a cloud over all this
prosperity. II is the Democratic threat
Of free trade and the Wilson candidacy.
The great principle of protection, like
a u.agiciJas Wrud coniured nm the