Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1887 — THE LABOR HORIZON. [ARTICLE]

THE LABOR HORIZON.

Items of Interest to Employers and Employed. The Boom in All Industries Continues — Building: Interests Booking Prosperous—The Labor Organizations. [From the Philadelphia Record.] Labor is in steadily increasing de mand throughout the country. Immigration will increase the supply of both skilled and unskilled labor, and no general advance in the rate of machineshop and mill labor is regarded as probable. Employers are taking more decided grounds against labor dictation and demands, and are gaining an occasional victory. The general industrial prospect is inviting, and a great amount of work is awaiting its turn. Raw material is scarce, stocks are everywhere low, mills are sold up, and frequently orders are not accepted. Trade organizations are strong and confident, and if labor disputes can be avoided the year will be one of phenomenal prosperity. Cotton goods manufacturers are not meeting with as much success in establishing an export trade as their mechanical appliances, cheap fuel and cheap cotton call for. Great Britain’s cotton goods exportations last year Vere yards, while this country’s shipments fell below 200,000,,000 yards. China takes six yards of British cotton cloth to one from ns; South America, sixteen; Central America, seven. The East Indies take nearly one-half of the British product. Brazil takes over 240,000,000 yards from Great Britain, while we export less than 8,000,000 yards. The salesgirls of the Grand street, New York, dry goods stores have formed two assemblies. The reporters on the New York dailies have been granted a charter, which is the first of its kind. The New York elevator-men have been telling secrets, and thirty of them have been expelled. The jewelers have an assembly of their own. The dry goods salesmen consider themselves the meet aristocratic assembly in the order. The great membership of Distriot Assembly No. 49 is to be reduced by the formation of six industrial councils. The building trades in all large cities west of the Alleghenies are better organized this year than last, but for all that more conservatism prevails. The number of strikes is trilling. Stonemasons and bricklayers evince a strong dislike to idleness during the building season. The plumbers and painters are more inclined to make trouble. Printers are finding increased employment. Machinists find work more abundant and wages better than they have been for years. Late reports from Western cities show that great activity in building operations will prevail. Smnll houses, something after the Philadelphia pattern, will be erected in large numbers, which can be rented or sold on reasonable terms. Workingmen are exhibiting a desire to buy, and in many localities every opportunity is offered them to obtain homes. The textile manufacturers here and elsewhere have been greatly encouraged by the steady inflow of orders during the past few weeks. Prices are higher and the tone of the market firmer. Manufacturers are, therefore, ordering additional capacity. All the machinerymaking establishments are very busy, and no labor troubles exist or are threatened.

A hosiery mill is to be erected at Louisville. A large cotton mill addition is being made at Borne. The Southern textile mill capacity will be largely increased this summer. Within thirty miles of Charlotte, N. C., twelve cotton factories turn out $2,000,000 worth of .goods annually. Manufacturers generally are increasing their output and booking orders for future delivery at the same mill or factory price that has been ruling for the past three months. The upward tendency in prices has been arrested, but the upward tendency in wages continues.

All through the New England iron centers there is great activity. The loom manufacturers have all they can do. Cotton-goods mills are particularly active. The car shops are driven to their fullest capacity, and all the New England roads are adding to their rolling stock. A Manchester (Eng.) mechanic, after taking bids for the furnisqing of flexible shoe-nailing machines in several English machinery centers, placed Iris order in Bostbn, where he found he could make them cheaper,’including ocean freights. American pump-makers are crowding English-made pumps out of the ndian markets. They are even selling in England, and have forced English prices down. The competition is both in hand and horse-power pumps. The miners in the East have shared in the improvement, but in the West more or less latent discontent exists. All through the Ohio Valley the iron, coal, lumber, and machinery interests are prospering. Boot and shoe employers say their employes are earning higher wages than are paid to workers in any other mechanical industry. They say the average is for women $9, for mea at the bench, sls to $lB. _ Thousands of women and girls in New York who have heretofore worked in shops are pow working at home as manufacturers, find rig the item of shop expenses equal to a fair margin of profit. The boot and shoe lockout continues •>in Massachusetts, and neither side exhibits signs of weakening. Nearly onehalf the usual force is at work, ft is said, on the non-union basis.