The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1914-10-22

/ anu IHdhiDB the HlOSl Oh lldI OppOTluu-
| ity. The policy of the business men
| of Skowhegan is broad minded. 1t
| invites the stranger within its gates.
| 1t makes no distinction between home
capital and capital which il attracts
| here. And when a firm or company
comes and tries to locate within its
/ borders il suffers every inducement 10
give that enterprise fair start. and
once having started it treats it fairly
ard just as well as its own people who
| have started industries themselves
This is not so in some communities
where outside capital is treated unfair
/ ly, subjected to most severe taxation
and especially Disseminated against
think the broad policy of Skowhegan
| in time will tell. For one, l recon-
mend this community to all those who
are looking for a place to establish
their business. My experience in the
State of Maine has been such that
recommend it cheerfully to such in
dustries as are seeking a location
| love the State of Maine. If
had not been born in Massachusetts
think | would prefer to have been born
in the State of Maine, among people
by nature honest, frugal, peaceable,
shrewd, fair and broad-minded, whose
policy is one of encouragem and
friendliness. / am glad that we have
interests in Maine, and | hope that the
business of the company will prove so
tlourishing that we may be able to
show to the citizens of Skowhegan our
faith in them by a substantial enlarge
ment and increase of our business
here.
In six years we have had three diff
ferent tariffs, accompanied by the tar
if agitation so unsettling to business.
We have had almost continuous ses-
sions of Congress, with disturbing leg
islation, until the business men of the
country have been nearly distracted
So long as we send men to Congress
who do not understand business,
suppose we shall be constantly harass-
ed and annoyed. The men we send to
Congress should be men who under
stand business, who are not theorists,
but who know what practical business
is and if we had in Congress the pro-
portion of business men that We have
of professional men and theorists, it
would be a grand thing for the coun-
try
The wooden industry is a great in
dustry. 1t has had at intervals a
few chances to show what it could do
if it We're allow ed to go ahead; but it
has been seriously handicapped by be-
ing made the football of politics. We
can manufacture wooden and worsted
goods just as cheaply in the United
States as anywhere in the world if the
same conditions prevail. We are hand
icapped by a labor item ranging any
where from 100 to $50 per cent higher
than that of Europe,
| am very happy to make this state
ment, for | believe in good wages. and
like to see people in America get
them. | want to see them have the
market which enables those high
wages to be paid.
Every nation takes care of its own
interests. so far as | have observed
and | have been trying to do some
/, business in foreign countries. | &c
to France find tariff wall against
me, and behind that wall such a low
rate of wages that the manufacturers
of France are able to put their goods
on their market at a price We could
not possibly compete with. | find tht
= same condition in Germany. l look
to free trade England and find thai
there is no barrier tariff wall: that
there is a market we could enter with.
out at least that obstacle. But | also
find that the wages there are one hall
or less than those Of our own country
find that European manufacturers
are operating the same kind of mach
inery that in fact in the worsted
mills - or so per cent of our own
machinery comes from England.
| find that the English mills can
run that machinery at the same rate
of speed that we can here; that steam
has the same power in England that il
has in the United States. | find that
the efficiency there is often greater
than here from the fact that for gem
erations in England son has succeeded
father at the loom. and he has by in
stinct and intuition from his cradle
known the particular kind of work he
was To do in life; whereas in the
United States we attempt TO manufac-
ture in many of our large communi-
lltS Will NHt uHSNlliti itboI iHdt
comes to our shores-labor whose eff
ficieney. because of lack of training
and lack of knowledge of our Ian
guage, cannot possibly approach the
efficiency of the skilled labor in Eu-
rope
also find that the climate of Great
Britain is more kindly and more ia
yorahle to the manufacture of worsted
yarns A certain grade of wool under
the atmospheric conditions of me
United States can be spun only to Il
certain fineness; whereas that same
wool in the moist atmosphere OF Eng
land will spin six numbers finer. This
is great advantage in itself And
so when We are given the task OF
marketing our products in a country
which has advantages such as | have
enumerated. ii is hopeless one. We
can pit our wits against the wits u
other men. but we cannot overcome
natural and artificial barriers So seii-
Gus as those which | have enumerat-
ed The present tariff bill has CIV,
| the wooden manufacturer free wool.
| but has cut the protection on the cloth
10 point so narrow as to make 1t a
matter of great anxiety and nervous
ness for many manufacturers. There
certainly was no occasion for this eX-
cessive cut.
! The wool clip of the United States