The New York herald., 1873-11-08
Nailcrs' Wages Reduced.


At recent meeting OF the several nail manu-
facturers doing business In Boston 1t was voted
to reduce the salaries OF all their employees,
except those whose daily earnings do not average
more than 81 so, by ten per cent, the reduc-
ton to commence on the lst OF December.
The mills affected by this reduction are the
weymouth iron Company, at weymouth the
Parker MIL, wareham; the Provdence Iron Com
pany, at Providence; K j. Lazen, Perkins Co,
Bridewatcr; Somerset Iron Company Somerset;
Old Colony Iron Company. Taunton; fremont Rail
Company, Tremont East Bridgewater Iron Com
pany and the Wareham Nall Company. These cor
porations conjointly do a yearly business OF up
wards OF $6000,000 and the reduction will affect
large number @ OF men men. IFS cause Is alleged TO be
vigorous retrenchment. In order that the manu-
iacturers may hold their own, preferring 10 winter
all their help at reduction OF pay rather than TO
discharge portion thereof to effect similar result
the course above stated has been decided upon.
The Manchester Of America-Mills
Half Time-Mill Owners Attribute the
Condition OF Affairs to q Tight Money
MArkct-No Apprehension OF Distress-A
Better Season Hoped For.
FALL RIVER, Mass, Nov. 5, 1873
Most Of the mills here are working On half time,
which means that the hands are employed and paid
for thIrty-two hours labor in the week. in place OF
sixty-two, as heretofore. The town has been
ceptionally prosperous so far, and q case OF this
nature, where the mills have been compelled, from
the stringency OF the times TO run on half time,
never occurred before except in the panic OF '57.
When this place feels the effect OF hard times it is
safe to conclude that few manufacturing towns
win escape. Fail River, within the past We years,
has doubled its population, rebed Its taxable
property and more than quadruped its man
ufacturing capacity. 1t has shot ahead of
Lowell and is now unquestionably the greatest
centre OF cotton manufactures in the United
states. Lowell has 5oo 900 spindles this place has
over 100000, besides vast number OF looms.
The capital invested in print works and manu- iac-
lures Is estimated at $2 100000 and the number Of
hands employed at $4,000 The population this
year is reckoned at 40 900, that it would appear
that over a third belong to the operative class.
The capital employed belongs almost wholly to
Fan River. Many OF the operatives have shares in
the mills and some have succeeded in becoming
mill owners. AS rule they are thrifty and sober,
and it is no unusual thing among them TO build
and own the houses IN which they live
THE PRESENT DEPRESSION
is not looked upon with any feeling OF apprehen-
sion by either the mill owners or the operatives.
1t seems there never was more prosperous
season in cotton manufactures up to the
breaking out OF the panic In Wall street.
Manufacturers were absolutely coming money,
and in this place some OF them were
clearing as high profit as one cent and one cent
and half per yard on their printing cloths When
the panic appeared the mills had considerable
surplus OF goods on hand. 1t has been their
policy ever since to go trimming down TO the
smallest possible margin, so as to be prepared for
any emergency. When the present stringency
gives way they hope to have such renewal Of
business as will tax every mill in the town to its
utmost capacity. They argue that when the
money which has gone West to move the crops
fetprns East TO buy dry goods the stock OF prints
and Y1usllns now In the market Will be ''goboed"
up IN no time apd ths Sry wy be Tor more, but the
demand will have to wait upon the supply, as few
mills working on half time will have much OF a
surplus.
WHAT THE MAYOR SAYS.
The Mayor OF the CITY, Mr. Davis, told me that
there were little fears OF the present depression
"WOrking on half time, said he. theY will at least
all be able to pay their board straight along
will be assisted by the city authorities This busi-
ness Is different from most others. A man and his
wife and his children, II not TOO young. may be en-
ployed all together in a cotton mill and making
between them $50 or $50 week. In an iron foundry
the man alone can work, ana his family have to de-
pend on him for their support Our operatives have
considerable money In the savings banks, and many
OF them have invested In lots and built houses. You
see, we don't like to lose any OF work people II
lily who have been mere long time In the mills are
valuable 10 as The children grow up to acquire
working OF mill, and their worth TO us on that
accounts all the greater. We shall strive to keep
III
help them through the dun season."
From inquiries made among the mill owners as
to the cause Of the unusual depression found
there was unanimous concurrence in the belief
that 1t was attributable to the Jay Cooke failure.
That was
THE PRIMARY CAUSE.
Money suddenly grew scarce and the stocks OF
print and cotton goods III the wholesale houses OF
New York and Boston had lever and lever pur-
chasers. This reacted on the mills As long
the stores in the large cities renamed heavily
freighted with domestic productions the factories
ha q lnlucemeut
ally the effect was the shortening OF the hours OF
labor ana reduction OF fifty per cent OF the ex-
penses
As the arrangement stands now the operatives
In twenty mills work Tor thrtytwo hours of
the week. They begin work on Tuesday and con-
tinue until Friday evening. being four days at
eight hours day. 1t was formerly SIX days and
eleven hours day. There was
A COMPROMISE
some time since between tue mill owner, and the
workers, the latter demanding ten hours as the
limit OF days work and the iormer insisting on
eleven. 1t was finally settled by yielding on both
SIDES and making slxtytwo hours Tor the week,
ten hours and traction per day. The thirty
two hours. or hall time as IL Is called, brings
the average male operative at the aver
aged wages OF mill about S4 50 week. and
the average female operatives about So a week.
These amounts can deiray little else than board ;
but that is some consideration. Out OF the Is, 900
operatives there are $4,000 who are depositors IN
the savings banks. The Fall River savings Bank
has SJ,34l,3i7 deposits; the Citizens Savings
ST. 336, 200 ami the Union savings Bans S622, ,s44,
making grand total OF $9,059, Oly OF which amount
triile over toOOOU0O constitute the savings o the
operative class. Or
THE MILLS RUNNING
full time are the NarraQansett, which has 1880
spiDdes 615 looms, employs 40 hands and has a
monthly pay roll Oi 5000; the Border City Mllls
with 34928 spndles, S3G looms, employing 425
hands and having a monthly pay roll oil Sl4.5O0; /;
the Sycamore Mills, 1913 spndes sl6 looms, en-
ploys 425 hands, with monthly pay roll OF $4,000
and turns over 1000 900 yards OF manufactured
cloth per year; the Mechanics Mills 50, III spin
dies, l.248 looms, 6z5 hands employed and a
monthly pay roll OF 81, ,000 the Richard Borden
Manufacturing Company, 42,52s spndcs zoos
looms, $50 hands, monthly pay roll $1,000
MILLS RUNNING on HALF TIME.
or the mills running on hall time are the Flint
Mills, win 1872 spindles, s92 looms, $50 hands
monthly payroll $4,000 and turning out IL, ,O00, 900
yards OF cloth in the year; the Fall River PRINT
Works, 13,O24 spndlcs, 3O6 LOOMS lis hands and
monthly payroll t5,25o; the Granite Mills, 1882
spndles /, s4s looms, 900 hands and monthly pay
roll $50, 900; the King Philip Mills, 3s656 spndes
go looms, 375 hands and monthly payroll $4,000;
the MassasOit steam Mills, 1886 spIndles, $50