Page:EB1922 - Volume 30.djvu/782

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736
COMPAYRE—CONNECTICUT

obtained from the Sperry Gyroscope Co., Ltd., 15, Victoria Street, S. W. I., by whose permission their copyright diagrams of the Sperry compass are produced in this article. Messrs. S. G. Brown, Ltd., of Victoria Road, North Acton, have also published a small pamphlet on their compass. Several types of gyro compasses can be seen in operation at the Admiralty Compass Observatory, Langley, on application to the Director. (F.C.-O.)


COMPAYRE, JULES GABRIEL (1843-1913), French educationalist (see 6.809), died March 23 1913.


COMPTON, EDWARD (1854-1918), English actor, was born in London Jan. 14 1854. He was the son of the actor Henry Compton (Charles Mackenzie) and was educated at Kensington. He married Miss Virginia Bateman, an actress and a member of a well-known theatrical family. He first appeared at Bristol in 1873 and in London in 1877. In 1881 he organized the Compton Comedy company, which for over 30 years played Shakespearean and old English comedies throughout the country and formed a valuable school of training for young actors and actresses. He died in London July 16 1918. Among his children were Mr. Compton Mackenzie (b. 1883), the well-known novelist, and Miss Fay Compton, the actress.


CONNAUGHT, ARTHUR WILLIAM PATRICK ALBERT, DUKE OF (1850- ), 3rd son of Queen Victoria (see 6.950), went in 1910 to S. Af. to open the Union Parliament on behalf of King George V. He was appointed in 1911 to succeed Earl Grey as governor-general of Canada, retiring from this office in 1916. In Dec. 1920 he went to India as the representative of King George in order to inaugurate the provincial legislative councils of Madras, Bengal, and Bombay, arriving at Madras Jan. 10 1921. In various speeches he sounded a note of conciliation with Indian progressive feelings, and it was agreed on his return to England that valuable help had been given by his utterances to the work of self-government in India under the new regime.

The Duchess of Connaught died in London March 14 1917. The Duke's only son, Prince Arthur of Connaught (b. 1883), married in 1913 Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, daughter of the Princess Royal, who had succeeded in 1912 to her father's dukedom by special remainder. Prince Arthur was in 1920 appointed governor-general of the Union of S. Africa. The Duke of Connaught 's elder daughter, Princess Margaret (1882), was married in 1905 to the Crown Prince of Sweden, and died at Stockholm May 1 1920. The younger daughter, Princess Patricia (b. 1886), married in 1919 the Hon. Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay, third son of the i3th Earl of Dalhousie. Princess Patricia of Connaught resigned her royal title on her marriage, and elected to be known as Lady Patricia Ramsay.


CONNECTICUT (see 6.951) had in 1920 a pop. of 1,380,631, as compared with 1,114,756 in 1910. The increase for the decade was 23-0%, as compared with 14-9% for the whole United States, and was the highest percentage of increase for Connecticut of any decade up to that time. In 1900 the pop. per sq. m. was i8i-9;in 1910, 23i-3;in 1920, 286-4.

The populations and percentages of increase of the important cities during the years 1910-20 are as follows:

Increase

1920. 1910. Percent.

Bridgeport 143.538 102,054 40-6

Bristol 20,620 9,572 116-4

Hartford 138.036 98,915 39-6

Meriden 29,842 27,265 9-5

New Britain 59.3'6 43.9'6 35-1

New Haven 162,519 133,605 21-6

New London 25,688 19,695 30-7

Norwalk 27,700 6,954 299-0

Norwich 22,304 20,367 9-5

Stamford 35,o86 25,138 39-6

Torrington 20,623 15.483 33-2

Waterbury 91,410 73,141 25-0

Agriculture. In 1900 40^1% of the population was classed as rural by the census; in 1910 34-4%, and 1920 32-2%. The farming population was actually somewhat smaller than even these figures would signify. In 1900 the farms of the state numbered 26,948, in 1910 26,815 and in 1920 22,655, a loss of 4,160 in the latter decade. During the decade 1900-10, the state lost 126,295 ac. held in farms, or 5'5% of the total area of the state. Moreover, 76,273 ac. of im- proved land, 7-2 % of the total, were allowed to go back to forest.

In spite of this decline, the total value of farm property increased by 40-7 % during the decade. In 1910 the average value of land per ac. was $33.03; in 1920 it was $53.28. The most important crops of the state are hay, corn and tobacco. The rapid growth of the cities has stimulated dairying, market gardening and egg raising. During the World War a Farm Bureau was introduced into each of the counties of Connecticut. It is one of the most important factors in the state, making for better farming and the solution of the local agricultural problems.

Manufactures. Connecticut is one of the preeminent manu- facturing states. From 1909 to 1914 the increase in the total of its manufactured products was 1 1 -3 %. In 1914 thisvalue was$545,47l,- 517. Connecticut, although the 46th state in size, was in 1914 I2th in the value of its manufactured goods. The per capita value was $454 as compared with $245 for the United States. In 1914 the state contained 4,104 manufacturing establishments employing an average number of 226,264 wage-earners, and was the 8th among the states in number of wage-earners. The five most important branches of manufacturing were the following:

Products Manufactured. Brass, Bronze and copper goods Foundry and machine-shop products

Cotton goods

Silk goods

Firearms and ammunition

No. Establish- ments.

67 388 50 44 13

Value of Products.

$69,353.103 67,009,127 30,808,918 30,591,825 25.657,797

The outbreak of the World War speedily brought profound changes to Connecticut manufacturing. Inevitably, large war orders of the belligerent nations were placed in Connecticut. Not only did munitions plants grow, but many other factories benefited by making accessory parts such as springs for shells, bases for machine-guns, etc. A rough measure of the effect of the new stimulus is to be found in the building projects of the state. During the years 1913 and 1914, 254 manufacturers constructed 386 build- ings at a cost of $6,288,230. In 1915 and 1916, 294 manufacturers built 627 buildings at a cost of $18,277,825, nearly three times the amount of the preceding two years. The expansion continued during 1917 and 1918, when 386 manufacturers engaged in 738 building operations at a cost of $13,837,802, but in the summer of 1920 it came practically to an end as a result of the post-war depression setting in at that time. In May 1918 Gov. Holcomb stated that 80 % of Connecticut manufacturing was " directly or indirectly engaged in producing munitions, rifles, machine-guns, clothing and other articles used by the army ; and we have at least five plants within our borders where ships and power-boats are being constructed." With the signing of the Armistice and the cancelling of war orders, Connecticut factories began to reorganize. The readjustment to a peace footing was made easier by the great demand for manu- factured goods that characterized the year 1919, and had been practically completed throughout the state when the depression of 1920-1 brought a considerable slowing up of productive effort. The growth of manufacturing, coupled with the increase in the cost of living that followed the outbreak of the World War, brought labour troubles to Connecticut. Before the war the wage-earners of the state were not well organized, labour organizations totalling in 1912 59,895 members. The bulk of these organizations were among the skilled trades and the transportation workers. Factory employees were in general not unionized. In 1911 and 1912 the state suffered only 48 strikes and in the next two years 45. In 1915 and 1916, the years of the great expansion, there were 422 strikes, involving ap- proximately 68,000 employees. In the next two years there were 183 strikes involving 33,391 employees. From that time until 1921 strikes diminished in number until the depression of 1920-1, when because of wide-spread unemployment they practically ceased. The rapid changes in the manufacturing situation from 1918 to 1921 and the constant shifting of the wage-earning population made it difficult to collect statistics of -value regarding the labour organiza- tions. In 1918, however, there were 327 labour organizations in the state, mostly among the skilled trades and transportation workers. The most important result of the war-time labour disturbances was a general increase in wages. The attempt to increase the num- ber, size and power of unions met with but indifferent success.

Government. In 1911-2, the 34th and 35th, and in 1915-6 the 36th, amendments to the Connecticut constitution were adopted. The first stated the conditions under which the lieutenant-governor was to take the place of the governor; the second provided that the General Assembly should adjourn not later than the first Wednesday after the first Monday of June; the third allowed the passage by the General Assembly of a law to cover payment of mileage to the legislators. In 1914 a workmen's compensation law was passed, which applies to all industries in which five or more persons are employed. Compensation for total disability is one-half the employee's weekly wages, compensation to be not less than $5.00 nor more than $14.00 per week, and in no case to run for more than 520 weeks; compensation for partial temporary disability not more than half the weekly wages, compensation not to run more than 1 12 weeks; permanent partial disability, at same rates; in case of death, graded benefits. The law is enforced by Compensation Commissioners,