The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-13
THE COTTON MILLS.
Is There an OVer-Production
Of Cotton Goods?
CONDITION OF THE INDUSTRY
Some Facts About the Fall
River Strike.


The recent unsuccessful strike in the Fall River cot
ton mills has attracted good deal Of attention TO the
condition OF tho industry and Of the operatives
engaged in It, In some quarters the mill owners
denounced as INSCRIPTIONS task masters, who need
essy and greedy put down wages, while their friends
lay the blame Of discomfort and disturbance upon the
operatives Tho following facts may help people to
make up their minds upon what is really not simple
question as many think.
THERE AN ovER-PRoDUcrroNp
There is no doubt that there is, compared
with the present demand, over-producon
OF cotton goods After the market is fully
supplied there a surplus, not large, but
still surplus which be sold and this fact gov
ems and lowers the price Of the whole amount pro-
duced, q matter Of course According to the best
information have been able after careful inquiry to
obtain among the most intelligent mill owners and
pcrts think 1t may be assumed that this SUI plus
less and not much than ten per cent Of the whole
product II is so small indeed that with the first rcyi
val Of enterprise and prosperity increasing tho demand
to normal condition, it will disappear, and there
are cotton experts who assert, and with reason,
as believe can show you, that when we enter
new.career of rrospcrity-which means when
turn TO stable or specie currency-it will be discoy
cred that we have not cotton mills enough In the
first place, 1t Is probably true that if the ordinary
stocks, as in former years now carried by coun
try dealers the present surplus on hand would dsap-
pear at once, though II would reappear unless
sumption increased. But as noticed in the
HERALDs elaborate report on the dry goods market
some weeks ago, country dealers ordering very
small quantities. in spite Of low prices; and this not
only because the times and the variable value of the
dollar force TO be prudent but because there has
been important change in the manner of conducting
business, which likely to last Western dealers
the telegraph more thcy order thus in small quanti-
ties; the business is smpned and the hard times have
obliged greater economies in purchasing.
But, what is of more importance, the business OF
making cotton goods has not increased in proper
ton to the increase of population In 1871 VIC
had probably 40 600 900 of people, and we had then
600 900 of spindlcs Since then the spndles have
increased at the rate at which population has
incrcascd and looking only to home demand the
cotton factories are behind tho population. In adj
dition to this homo demand, however, our foreign
trade is slowly but steadily revving and the neces-
stiles OF the factories in the present dull times are
inducing them to do what they have too long
neglected, use some effort to secure foreign
market for part of their product.
But while the prospect in the future is thus sufh
GENTLY bright to induce shrcwd men to build mills
even now, IN time Of very great depression, because
they know that the good times must presently come,
and they desire to be ready just it remains true
that the greater number OF the cotton mills not
profitable. Some which arc badly situated or have
insufficient capital, likely to perish and great
many would stop work to-day if stop work were
very costly thing to a mill owner.
REAL TROUBLE RIVER.
This brings to the of the Fall River Mills
The trouble there not that the product be sold
if higher wages paid but that it be sold at
oil
for the serious loss which manufacturer suffers by
letting his machinery stand idle there is little doubt
that the Fall River mill owners would stop for six
months and would be wise in doing This is a fact
which is left out by those who speak hsrshy Of the mill
1t seems to be thought that because mill is
kept going therefore the owners find IL profitable; and
the Fall River operatives appear to have been moved
to their strike, vacation as they call
it, partly by this belief 1t should be understood that
the Fall River mills make about two-thirds of the print
cloths made in this country This branch of the bust
has been very profitable and the demand for this
product remained good for time after the market
for other cotton goods became very dull Hence the
Fall River mills not only remained busy, but the opera
tives there actually received, up to the of their
strike higher wages than paid most other parts
OF New England This is true that the wages paid in
Fall River this time-the reduced wages, mean
equal to the wages which were and arc paid in
Rhode Island and in other parts of Massachusetts That
is to say after having failed in their strike the Fall
River operatives still receive much the operatives
elsewhere. This was surprise to me- for had been
led to imagine that they were forced TO take less.
MILLS STOP.
But, If there is demand for the product why do
the mill owners not stop? Because in the first place.
machinery deteriorates seriously if 1t is not used be-
cause il mill is stopped it has still to be kept heated
as though people ut work. the machinery would
rust II il not 1t also be oiled and carefully
looked after Then there tho loss of interest on the
investment prolonged stoppage disbands the labor
ing force, moreover 'brcaks up the organzatonn as
they say which is so seriousa matter that a mill owner
told he would rather lose per cent on the
whole capital than stop for six months. Again the
labor only about one-third of the product and
the sacrifice made in going ahead is not therefore as
serious as though the labor formed half or wohrds
of the cost Finally in the hope of better times
to induce mill owner TO so ahead. You see that
II may be bad TO work but worse yet to stop.
When the leading operatives at Fall River are told
that their reduced wages still equal to the general
rate they reply that their money does not go so far
because house ront dearer there than in other factory
towns; and this is quito true Almost everywhere
else In New England the mill owners build houses for
the occupation of their operatives take care to
charge but low rent for these The difference Is con.
siderable But the other hand, the Fall River ope-
rativcs, who arc mostly English-Lancashrc people
dislike the system of ''m tcnements Y as they are
called they complain that II oblges them live under
rules too rigid for them; that 1t places them in tho
power Of the Superintendent; and was told
by one Of their leaders, that some Of them who
had during the strike gone into Rhode Island,
returned disgust, refusing to work where the mill
provided houses. Now this is a matter OF taste,
and for such things one must pay, everywhere. For
my part. the houses of the operatives in Fall River
seemed TO me in many extremely droary and
comfortess compared with Of tho factory villages
have seen elscwhcre but the taste is not to be
Disputed
THE OPERATIVES.
AS the supposed wrongs Of the Fall River people are
mentioned at public meetings in New York IL is only
right that It should be also understood that some OF
their wisest leaders among them Mr. Soyoy the editor