The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-17
Fewer Persons Employed and
Trade Much Less Than
a Year Ago.
BUT WAGES ARE HIGHER
Representative Treadway Pre-
sents Results Of His Investi-
cation to the House.

gard to industries in the Bay State much
along the lines employed In more
general way by Representative Humphrey
OF Washington earlier In the week.
Mr.. Treadway has been doing a little
investigating on his own account. He has
sent out more than five hundred letters
to as many employers and employees or
Massachusetts industries asking number
Of questions about present business con-
dtions compared to conditions year
or two years ago. and also about the
prospects
The replies came in a mixed form. but
aggregated opinion Of Mr.. Treedways
correspondents was decidedly pess'nistic.
The Massachusetts member awaited him
self OF an allotment OF time to-day during
the course OF the general debate on the
Post Office appropriation bill to present
20 the House the result Of his inquiries.
Extracts From Correspondence.
Mr.. Trcadway read to the House
number of extracts from his correspond
ence. The following citations In the
opinion Of Mr. Treadway represent a fair
consensus OF the opinions deduced
Employing the same number or people
and paying same wages. but we are piling
UP goods to some extent"
prospects OF business are exceedingly
poor We ascribe it to the uncertainty as
to the effect of the tariff. the new cur
rcncy bill and also the scare thrown into
business over the resuming of more anti
trust legislation"
''The unfavorable effect of the tariff
bill may he somewhat offset by the pas
sage OF the currency bill and while not
wishing to appear pessimistic we feel that
the outlook is decidedly uncertain. with
the chances. largely favoring "a decrease
of business over former years"
While we do not believe in taking any
pcssimistc views of conditions and believe
that occasionally we are bound to have
depressions in business. yet business in
general with us does not look as bright as
We might WISH
I'VE have no positive way OF comparing
prospects OF business during the next six
months. In this connection will add that
on December /. 1912. We had on hand four
times the volume of orders that We had
on December !. 1918. There has been a
heavy decEne in new orders during the
last two months. For the last six weeks
the universal reply of our prospective Gus
toners has been that they are marking
time In other words, waiting to see what
effect the tariff will have on the situa-
ton
Spa smo ode Condition.
business has shown very spasmodic
condition during the last six months.
There has been no pressure or stability TO
II. We think that our business is quite
indicative of general conditions and have
found the entire business situation UNI
even. We feel that the spotted condition
Of business is very apt to continue during
the coming six months. basing our judy
ment upon futurities In orders this year
as compared TO previous years
From present Indications our business
for the next six months will undoubtedly
1,. thar, Hpri Inc sh., Ia af Cd
months. owing to the fact that there are
practically no new Developments contem-
plated"
The prospect of business for the next
six months is not at all encouraging IN
comparison with the large volume we
received during the first six months of
1913 We We're then tremendously busy,
IN fact running two or three nights We
had a large number of untitled orders on
hand at all times. At present the outlook
Is not at all encouraging We have very
few orders on hand and have the largest
stock of finished goods on our shelves
that we have ever had in the forty years
we have been in business, which means
that we will be obliged to go on short
hours in the factory for some time until
there il n decided change for the better.
"Our business for the first six months
OF 1913 was by far the largest we have
ever experienced. We are starting of
does not look very promising for the first
six months OF 1914. We have on hand
at the present time the largest amount
OF semi finished and finished goods We
have ever carried, and II simply means
that we are obliged for the first time In
many years to run our factory on short
hours"
In answer to the question as to whether
people We're generally employed In the
community and also the comparison OF
number of their own employees at the
present time and the corresponding time
last year the replies were as follows:.
Twenty-Five per cent. reported the same
number employed in the community.
Six per cent reported more people EN-
ployed in the community. Seventy two
per cent reported fewer people employed
In the community
In answer to the second part Of cues
ton
number employed In their own business.
Seventeen per cent. reported more PEG
pie employed In their own business. FIJI
ty-siX per cent. reported fewer people
employed in their own business
Some of the replies to this question
are interesting, and Mr.. Treadway read
few of them:
AT the present time we are employing
about per cent more men than sam
time in 1912. In 1912. however, we wer
operating fiftyfour hours a week. whil
now we are running only forty hour!
week"
There seems to be a great many NOR,
unemployed in our vicinity than las
year at this time. Our number employed
has decreased Is per cent"
People in the community are fairl!
we'll employed although We have reduced
our working force about 30 per cent"
1.-The number Of unemployed has in