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Show A Prosperous Manufacturlne; City. Brockton's prosperity is so closely allied al-lied to the prosperity of the shoe industry indus-try that It will, no doubt, prove a matter of interest to a large number of people to learn the actual average earning capacity of each individual employed in the making mak-ing of the world-famed Brockton shoe. For illustration: At the factory of the W. L. Douglas Shoe company the payroll pay-roll for the week ending Sept. 30. excluding exclud-ing superintendent, foremen, salesmen, and all clerical help, shows the average "earnings of the employes. large and small, to be $15.54 per week. This was not an extraordinary week. It was the customary cus-tomary pay roll. The amount earned per week, however, does not always tell the story of prosperity. pros-perity. The number of weeks employed each'year is the determining factor in the wage earners' prosperity. The Douglas factory has been closed but one week this year, and that for the usual summei stock taking, and It will be closed but three davs the latter part of December. This would make but nine days out of the year that the factory Is closed, which is surely as steady work as the most industrious in-dustrious shoemaker could desire. It Is believed that the average pay and the number of days worked is larger at the factory of the W. I,. Douglas Shoe company than at any manufacturing institution in-stitution in Massachusetts. Owing to increased business, another addition Is to be made to the Douglas factory. It will be 100 feet long, 40 feet wide, and five stories high. It will be ready for occupancy early in December. This addition Increases the capacity 25 per cent. The W. L. Douglas Shoe com- I oanv has the largest factory in the world, producing an advertised line 53.50 and J3.00 shoes. Mr. Douglas says that the prospect for successful business for Brockton manufacturers manu-facturers was never so good as now, and that collections are better than for years. The Brockton (Mass.) Times, Oct. 10, 1899. |