St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-07-30
Cut Down, or Shut Down ?

The operatives of Fall River conclude
that they would rather have the mills
stop for Il month than to accept another
reduction of wages, and the managers
of the corporations appear to feel Ger
tain that il would he for the interest of
the Stockholders to shut down rather
than to continue running at the present
rate of expense. Whether this sort of
remedy is likely to effect permanent
cure of the difficulty which distreSsrs
manufacturers and their employees
alike. is Il question calling for very care
ful consideration from both. 1t de
ponds largely on what is to be regarded
as the real cause of the depression from
which they are suffering, and what is
the natural mode of relief.
Ii Is pretty generally admitted bV
those who have studied the causes of
the Stagnation which has brooded over
the Industries OF this country for many
months past. that it is due to over slim
Ilation of business and an abnormal
Initiation of prices, and that the process
We have been going through WAS an in
evitahle reaction calculated to bring
both business and prices back to their
normal limits. This has been working
through every department of business.
producing many LOSSES and failures and
seriously diminishing the ability and
disposition of the people to make pur-
ch;ISr>. Take lis effect upon the cotton
manufacturing Interests of Fall River.
In the first place there was Il falling off
III the demand of fabrics produced,
owing To this le>Scncd ability and dis
]
/ the market became ovcIStockcd with
the goods and prices were forced down.
| This cut of the profits of the mills and
they Were obliged to rctrcmcl their rX
pcnst.> 10y insisting upon the lowest pos
>ihlc pIicc for the raw material. diSpcm>-
III. with every >upcrtluuu> kind of >erv-
ice. Introducing the most economical
methods of conducting business, and
| finally ny reducing the wages of opera
tiNcS. =. Ion" us they ran their mills
1t their fullest capacity. and used the
>lmt amount of material. they could
not greatly affect the price of cotton.
| for only 10y The elimination of the tie
mand could this result he brought
ahout. There Was Il limit to the re-
duciion thai could hr mI.ld,. in the gen
J rI;il tNpcm>t> ut management. and there
WAS Ii" possibility of IN"idimg the
Necessity of cutting down Wages. Nat
ur;illN the operatives struggled against
it. bur had To give way. and. not giving
way tan enough. the Necessity comes
again. and the question arises whether
ihrN shall accept Il further reduction or
the mills hc compelled Ia stop.
There i II" d"uhI that when the price
81 cotton manufactures reaches a crI-
tain minimum tlit.S will lr carried Oft
the market. Net uul, viii our people
even undrI the plr>>uIr OF hard tunes
Ice cuahI,d I" hu, AT the low prices, but
the :..nd> viii come Inlua Wider com
petition and meet Il larger demand. Ii
may hc p"~>ihlr /" sell them il Eu"pc
and other distant places. n"tNith>tamd
/ im@ The cost al transportation. ia com
petition with manufactures from other
>otncc>. Ia short. if the necessary
MINIMUM can pc reached. the mill can
lind al ample market at home and
abroad for their products. Now the
question: i. whether il il practicable.
lay 4 further reduction ot ,NpriI>r>. to
meet the market and give operatives
steady employ mcut al lower wages. and
vet such a. viii hc tul.rahlc. and en-
pl"Ncl> Il constant though marrow n:Ir-
. 1iu of profit. The Other alternative i
to stop work tuI Il time and allow the
stock ON the market to work of and
prices To recover 10y shortening the sup
pl! instead al increasing the demand.
This L. Il >oIt of hlund-lctting operation
which Is not likely To effect Il ptImd-
ncnt cuIc. If it i Il fact that the bot
tom prices alc NOT Vet Irarhcd. prices
which will give ON manufacturing c>-
Establishments Il steady market for all
they can pi"ducc in the settled times of
the future, then the effect Of IL tempo
Iary >tnppagc will hr To create Il tenn
p"I:Iry demand. which will he speedily
met when the mills are again in full
operation. and another glut will follow.
1 precisely the same state of things
The question then resolves itself into
this: Whether it is better for both
employers and cmpI"lc ed to have spas
modlcallN. Tor a few months ut IL time.
better profits and better wages OF t."
have continually smaller profits and
smaller wages. The matter i certain
Ia cqualizc itself in the long run. and
the reduction and loss will he made.
taking the year through. likeness cam-
not create anything. and the same
amount of work will produce II" more
10y being done III SpaSms of activity.
/ The spaSmodic method will. in fact. he
the losing one. in ease it is possible, us
we have limited. to come down to the
minimum price which shall secure IL
wider market. for that certainly cannot
he secured 10y the policy of shutting
down. If 1t Is not possible to come
down to that minimum and secure OPP
crItives who will work at the wages
which it would neccssitate, and if at
the same time it is to he admitted that
the bottom prices for cotton fabrics
have not been reached and there is not
to he ii permanent recovery from the
present figures. why, then the only con-
cluSion is, the business is ovcrlone. and
some of the concerns must fail and shut
down permanently. Then both en-
ployer> and employed will be thrown
ont of their present business to seek
some other, which will he but another
method of reaching the equilibrium
which must come. - Boston GIobe
NELLIE AND THE BABY. Those who
knew Mrs SartoliS as il girl. IA belle and
Il wife. will admire her even more as IL
mother. and her friends are crowdinr
upon her their congratulations upon
the attainment of the purest and grand
est womanly ambition. Esteem and
pleasure and conyratulation have taken
every form. and the proud Young moth
er is bewildered with poetry and pres
ents. All of Washington has been Won
dering why the little fellow was not
allowed to he ''borned' in the White
House. So as to have started ont in life's
journey with the greatest possible eclat.
and Il great deal of Indignation is ex-
pressed by ambitious mothers at the
slight imposed upon the youngster