States and Territories. TABLE XCVI.-Manufactures, by Totals of States and Territories-1870. The scope of these statistics.-The above tables purport to exhibit the production of every mill, factory, or shop in the United States in which any class of mechanical industry is carried on to the extent of producing the value of $500 a year. Inasmuch as, with ruling prices of labor and materials, few able-bodied artisans working ten months in the year but produce to the value of $500, these tables should comprise all the results of substantially all the manufacturing and mechanical industry in the country. Between this, the theory of the case, and the facts exposed to criticism in the above tables, will be found a difference so great as only to be accounted for by a full explanation of the mode of collecting these statistics. (See page 372 et seq. of Vol. III, Ninth Census.) The period covered by the returns.-It needs to be borne carefully in mind, in the use of the above tables, that the period covered by the returns is the twelve months from June 1, 1869, to May 31, 1870, inclusive. The fluctuations of productive industry are so incessant and so extensive, that it is necessary to fix precisely the period covered by any statement before tests can be applied to ascertain its completeness and accuracy. Especially in the United States, where these fluctuations are far greater than in older manufacturing countries, is it essential to observe this caution. It often happens that the comparison of two twelve-months periods, having so many as ten or eleven months in TABLE XCVI.-Manufactures, by Totals of States and Territories-1870. 2,227,968 45, 580 673,963 13, 136, 722 528,221 38, 987, 187 989, 592 4,844, 508 112,372 31, 100, 244 18, 366, 780 6,893, 292 2,377, 511 9,444, 524 4,593, 470 14, 282, 205 12, 682, 817 118,051, 886 21, 205, 355 4,052, 837 1,547, 428 31,055, 445 114, 628 2, 118, 208, 769 664 84 3,077 150, 700 47 82 24, 040 873 479 876 874 89, 523 1,782, 913 39, 728, 202 2,835, 605 95, 281, 278 21, 106 3,692, 195 2,007, 600 574,936 4,322, 164 13, 575, 642 347, 578 4,376,849 406, 821, 845 66,557, 322 41, 981, 872 370, 843 1, 429, 913 2,498, 473 13, 823, 091 32, 648, 409 167, 281 142, 466, 758 2, 195, 711 49, 066, 488 1, 120, 173 127, 976, 594 19, 354, 256 1,543, 715 5, 390, 630 1,787,835 395, 365 6, 264, 581 5, 343, 099 7,592, 837 110,090 2,536, 998 35, 351, 193 1,593, 280 86, 419, 579 105, 997 10, 206, 397 691, 785 1,316, 331 2,902, 074 10, 315, 984 44, 577, 967 103, 415, 245 880, 957 452,065, 452 12, 824, 693 157, 131, 697 3, 419, 756 421, 197, 673 73, 154, 109 5,855, 736 19, 657, 027 6, 273, 193 1,238, 252 17, 007, 769 23, 832, 384 1, 435, 128 14,503, 701 45, 851, 266 280, 156 23, 110, 700 23 8, 154, 758 24 206, 213, 429 25 2,494, 51126 5, 738, 512 27 15, 870, 53928 71, 038, 249 29 169, 237, 732 30 1,489, 868 31 785, 194, 65132 19, 021, 327 33 269, 713, 610 34 6,877, 387 35 711, 894, 344 36 111, 418, 354 37 9,858, 981 38 34, 362, 636 39 11, 517, 302 40 2, 343, 01941 32, 184, 60642 38, 364, 322 43 2,851, 05244 24, 102, 20145 77, 214, 32646 765, 424 47 common, will exhibit important differences caused by the eleventh or twelfth month, or both. Capital invested in manufactures.-The census returns of capital invested in manufactures are entirely untrustworthy and delusive. The inquiry is one of which it is not too much to say, that it ought never to be embraced in the schedules of the census; not merely for the reason that the results are, and must remain, wholly worthless, the inquiry occupying upon the schedules the place of some technical question which might be made to yield information of great value, but, also, because the inquiry in respect to capital creates more prejudice and arouses more opposition to the progress of the enumeration than all the other inquiries of the manufacturing schedule united. It is, in fact, the one question which manufacturers resent as needlessly obtrusive, while, at the same time, it is perhaps the one question in respect to their business which manufacturers, certainly the majority of them, could not answer to their own satisfaction, even if disposed. No man in business knows what he is worth-far less can say what portion of his estate is to be treated as capital. With respect, indeed, to corporations having a determinate capital stock, the difficulty of making a correct return in this particular becomes very much reduced; yet, even here, the difference caused by returning such capital stock at its nominal value on the one hand, or at its actual selling-price on the other, whether above or below par, might easily make States and Territories. TABLE XCVII.-Manufactures, by Totals of States and Territories-1860. The United States 140, 433, 1, 311, 246 1, 040, 349 270, 897 1, 009, 855, 715 378, 878, 966 1, 031, G05, 0921, 885, 861, 67% Alabama. Indiana.. 1, 459 7,889 22,043, 096 45, 590, 430 5,452, 887 2,905, 865 28, 402, 287 1,874, 125 10, 890, 875 27, 548, 563 2, 925, 148 9, 986, 532 35, 558, 782 18, 451, 121 6,318, 335 27, 142, 597 7,247, 130 1,922, 417 8, 612, 259 1,084, 935 20, 256, 579 7, 151, 172 3, 083 28, 403 15, 587, 473 38, 193,954 21, 630 6, 773 Massachusetts 71, 153 1,046 Minnesota 562 2, 123 2, 104 19 Mississippi 23, 230, 608 132, 792, 327 23, 808, 226 2,388, 310 7, 190, 672 56, 960, 913 6, 735, 047 25, 494, 007 41, 735, 157 255, 545, 922 32,658, 336 712, 214 Missouri. 15, 628 1, 053 4,384, 492 20, 034, 220 Nebraska. 1,618, 320 New Hampshire New Jersey. New Mexico 82 1,074 New York 22, 624 266, 575 23, 274, 094 40, 521, 048 2, 008, 350 172, 895, 652 9, 693, 703 57, 295, 303 1,337, 238 Rhode Island 190, 055, 904 60, 369, 165 153, 477, 698 24, 278, 295 8, 760, 125 South Carolina. 19, 858, 515 1,230 6, 994 6, 931, 756 1, 380, 027 Tennessee 5, 198, 881 9, 416, 514 3, 449 Utah.. 3, 367, 372 148 443, 356 231, 701 8. 563 32, 606 1,934 Washington. Wisconsin 135, 053, 721 20, 539, 857 367, 892 1, 431, 952 439, 512 7,608, 858 30, 840, 531 502, 021 17, 137, 334 3,373, 179 6,590, 687 41, 782, 731 607,398 37,586, 453 76,306, 104 1,249, 19 378,870, 900 16,678, 68 121, 691, 143 2,976,761 290, 121, 188 40, 711, 296 8, 615, 195 17,987, 925 6,577,202 900, 153 14, 637, 807 50,652, 124 1,406, 921 27, 849, 467 a difference of 50 or 75 per cent. in the aggregate amount of capital stated for any branch of industry. Where, however, business is carried on outside of incorporated companies, the difficulty of obtaining even an approximate return of capital, resulting from the nature of the inquiry itself, irrespective of the reluctance of manufacturers, becomes such as to render success hopeless. So numerous are the constructions, possible and even reasonable, in respect to what constitutes manufacturing capital, that anything like harmony or consistency of treatment is not to be expected of a large body of offcials pursuing their work independently of each other. The Superintendent is free to confess that he would be puzzled to furnish a definition (fit for practical use by enumerators) of manufacturing capital, or, even in a single case, with complete access to the books of a manufacturing establishment conducted by two or more partners, and with the frankest exhibit of the assets, both of the firm and of the individuals thereof, to make up a statement of the capital of the concern, in respect to which he would feel any assurance. When to such difficulties in the nature of the subject is added the reluctance of manufacturers to answer an inquiry of this character, it may fairly be assumed, in advance of any enumerations, that the results will be of the slightest possible value. It is greatly to be regretted that the census should be incumbered by an inquiry yielding so little, yet provoking so much opposition to the progress of the general work. The aggregate amount of capital invested in manufactures in the United States, as by the following tables, is $2,118,208,769. It is doubtful whether this sum represents one-fourth of the capital actually contributing to the annual gross product of $4,232,325,442. It is a pity, and may almost be said to be a shame, that statistical information, in TABLE XCVIII.-Manufactures, by Totals of States and Territories-1850. NOTE. This table 13 an exact reproduction of Table 4 of the Abstract of Manufactures at the Seventh Census. [Senate Ex. Doc. No. 39, 2d session 35th Congress.] The table is arithmetically imperfect, and it is not known whether the errors are in the items or total of the table, or in both. The true total line of the items as printed is: Establishments, 123,029; hands employed, total, 958,079; male, 732,157; female. 225,922; capital, $533,245,351; wages, $236.759,464; materials, $555,174,320; products, $1,019,109,616. 4 HANDS EMPLOYED. The United States... 123, 025 957, 059 731, 137 225, 922 533, 245, 351 236, 755, 461,555, 123, 822 1,019, 106, 616 4,528, 876 537, 903 12, 862, 522 47, 114, 585 4, 649, 296 2,690, 258 -668, 335 7,082, 075 16, 534, 272 18,725, 423 3,551, 783 21, 710, 212 6,779, 417 24, 661, 057 33,043, 892 157,743, 994 11, 169, 002 58,300 2,912, 068 24, 324, 418 23, 164, 503 39,851, 256 249, 010 237, 597, 249 9, 111, 050 62,692, 279 2,236,640 155, 044, 910 22, 117, 688 7,045, 477 9,725, 608 1, 168, 538 291, 220 8,570, 920 29, 602, 507 9, 293, 068 many respects, of high authority and accuracy, should be discredited by association with statements so flagrantly false, even to the least critical eye; yet, as the manufacturing schedule annexed to the act of 1850 requires this return, and as there is a vague popular notion that the statement of capital in this connection is of real and great importance, (instead of being, as it is, at the best, of the least consequence,) the Superintendent does not feel at liberty to withhold the results from publication; but he feels not only authorized but required by the facts of the case to brand them as he has here done, in order that no one may be deceived by the show of authority they present. The relation of wages to product. In reference to certain of the common trades, it needs to be stated, in explanation, that the apparently inadequate amount of wages reported is due to the fact that a very large body of labor is included which is not represented in the wages columu. Thus, the statistics of carpentering show that, for a total production of $132,901,432, (the value of materials being $65,943,115,) the amount of wages paid was only $29,169,588. The consideration above noted is sufficient to account for the seeming deficiency, inasmuch as the labor of proprietors of establishments in this line (certainly not less than 17,142, and probably rising to 20,000) was compensated, not out of the wages paid, but out of the profits of the business. In some branches of industry the number of "hired hands" is even less than the number of artisans working in their own shops, and, hence, receiving no wages, but living off` the profits of manufacture. Relation of materials to product.—The relation of materials to product, in the Statistics [Continued on page 810.] Dollars. TABLE XCIX.- The United States, by Specified Industries-1870. (a) Acid, sulphuric, includes 1 establishment, having 1 steam-engine of 6 horse-power, 18 males above sixteen, $50,000 capital, $20,000 wages. $21,600 materials, and $90.000 products, styled Acids, (not specined i in Table IX (B) of Connecticut. The remainder of Acids, (not specified,) in Connecticut is here included in Acids, pyroligneous. |