Year: 1872

Reported for the kennebec Journal.
OUR INDUSTRIAL POLICY AND IT'S
DEFENCE.


The fourth regular lecture before the Pat
ten Library Association at Bath was delivered
Wednesday evening last, by the Hon. T. s.


Lang, who took for his subject, "Our Indus


trial Policy and its Defence" His treatment
OF the subject was mastery, showing great


research and familiarity with the industrial
interests of the country, and was listened to


with much interest. Mr.. Lang has pleasant


and convincing manner of speaking and his
points were made with telling effect. He COM


menced by analyzing the industrial interest
which had occupied the attention of our citi-
zens in the past-that of ship building-and
illustrated by telling points the necessity of
diversified industry, calling the attention of
the audience to such cities as had suffered
with like decline of their leading business
interes SITS from similar causes, urging that the
reasons offered before the public for the dc.
cline in this great industry were not to be at.
tributed SO much to the increase in the cost
of materials entering into the construction of
vessels in consequence of the Tariff of 1861,
but to use his own words "Hhe reason for
this decline is the fact which must be accepted
that by the progress of science in Saving time
BY the application Of steam and the adoption
of iron in the construction of vessels, together
with the substantial assistance given by the
English government to their own shipping, by
subsidies and otherwise, we shall find the
true cause for the condition of our struggling
industry"


Mr.. Lang referred to the history of vari-
Gus cities in which the change in the channels
of transportation, commercial interests and
trade, had wrought results which demanded
radical change in their industrial policy;
and that community which cemprehended this
necessity, had profted thereby" In this con.
nection, among others, he referred to the
wonderful change in the condition of the city
of Hallowel, saying that this change (giving
the details) makes up sample of northern
city which does credit to intelligence and
spreads comfort among her people," He then
drew parallel between the natural advantages
of the city of Bath, near the mouth of a river
which drains the watershed of large and
fruitful country, with an open port to the
markets of the world for ships of the largest
tonnage, with facilities by rail not excelled by
sister cities, with coVccntratisn of capital
uncommon to city of like number of inhab-
tants, and demonstrated beyond question
to use his exact words, that ''the power of
any community for any considerable time,
depends upon the mutual exchanges and re-
lations of diversified employments'


Mr.. Lang also demonstrated that the value
OF the components or integral parts which
may be used in the production of profits in
any city, such as lands, ships, railways, ma
chinery, money, credit and labor, made eff
cient by grouping and by combination, de-
pended enterely upon the intelligence contoll-
ing them; and he referred to the points made
and the language used by some of the leading
Industrial Economists of the land. In illus
trating this intelligence and its value in the
hands of labor, the speaker referred to the
power of single ton of coal when applied to
the steam.engine, the result Of mans intelli-
gence, as equal to the power of a thousand
uneducated men, and he pictured to tho inn
aginaton the result of such an application of
intelligence to the 1900 working men of Bath,
urging the necessity that ''the working man
here, as everywhere, should become acquaint-
ed with the stupendous natural force which
wait only his research and application to-
confer blessings and comforts to his race"


In passing from the discussion of the ship
ping interests of Bath, he said: ''No man
more sincerely accords due credit to the sa.
gacity and enterprise of ship. builders, than
myself, or grants more cheerfully the right of
every man to seek his own channels Of trade
or industry, but in considering the industrial
economy of city, labor and the public inter-
est demand consideration to be made on the
same plane as capital. Whatever policy then
encourages the sustaining of foreign labor, or
the labor of adjoining States or communities,
to the detriment of our own, is questionable
would not by these remarks argue the re-
duction of capital employed in building ships
so long as there is demand for them; but to
be obliged to cripple our own industries by
substituting the product of cheap labor which
enters into their construction, simply to keep
the business successful for the builder, is
doubtful policy If then the demand for
ships does not admit Of using the product of
our own mines and labor, but must be substi-