The New York herald., 1875-09-20
Fifteen Thousand Operatives and
Forty Mills Idle.
THE VACATION" DIFFICULTY
Statements of Manufacturers and
Society Leaders.
A Review Of the Situation and
Probabilities.

day after day the victims of shrewd designing men,
who live by their misfortune When they left the mills
six weeks ago to go what termed vacation"
for thirty days it TO avoid the ten per cent reduc
ton which manufacturers proposed in consequence OF
the dearth OF trade and the falling or in prices They
claimed that the mill had reapcd immense
profits before and the war and could afford to
on low rates. for time ut least The vacation"
therefore agreed uponwhich was, in reality strike
and the mills we're closed They did not propose to
bear the burden alone in any case and before the
mnaton of the thirty days two divisions of the help
proposed compromise. They will go to work again at
something less but they must be allowed to 20
back to their old places just they before Then
the manufacturers met them with this reply;-"We
demanded reduction from twenty seven cents to
twentyfour cents cut as only at this
capital would give any return whatever. You i'm
mediately agreed upon plan of suspension and left
works standing idle. Under the circumstances
would keep closed. The demand is slight
for cotton and print cloths that does exhaust
Stock and there but few contracts be had Still
We might go making for stock. We cannot do
your terms however. If you 60 to work again it will
be upon terms, not yours You left without
mony and and will not be ruled by any such
arbitrary discipline that to which you appear sub
ected by your leaders" Thus the manufacturers and
the help stand face to face in open conflict
PROBLEM AS 1T IS
II is strange problem. Here the 15, 900 oper-
atves, mostly without the barest means Of sub
sstence, led to abandon their work by few schemng
organizers Then they willing finally to return
their looms and spndles but want conditions When
they stopped, the monthly wages amounting to
$500 000 was lost TO the town and the tradespeople
There the manufacturers in an attitude of half
defiance, half reconciliation Their forty mills and
plant representing capital of nearly $50 900 000 are
nonproductive, though the heavy mortgage interest
must be met as before They have stock of goods
from which to fill special orders and confident of
meeting limited demand tor six months But thoy
not making any money, and do not expect
to make much, supposng they were to
open their mills tomorrow. If the different
divisions of labor here--the spinners weavers
and carderswi agree 10 forego all claims all society
conditions among themselves, the owners will open
their factories at the twentyfour cents cut and go
on making at the barest profit, as they claim.
But they intimate that it may be necessary to cut
down lower still Supposing the men and women go to
work at the reduced and continue to
the stock the result will be send prices down still
more and, unfortunately the future has not the
most promising aspect for manufacturers II the twenty
four cent rate is the lowest (as the help claim at
which they even the smallest necessaries for
compensation is determined uponS And if the owners
do not receive remuneration now, when they have so
reduced the labor scale they scarcely expect
capital to be more productive later in the winter
when orders and prices may fall of
THE HAND ro-HAND CONTEST.
This seems to be, at first sight Of those insur.
mountable difficulties between capital and labor The
laborer quarrelng with the manufacturer and starry
ing his family because he cannot control the capital
from which his bread is derived to suit the society
rules by which he is governed The manufacturer
stands in a half menacing mood declaring thai he will
do as he likes with his own, and threatens to with
draw his capital into smoother and more remunerative
channels of trade place in savings banks and real
estate The fact is; both sides strongly tinged
with sclnshness The aborer, with that shortsghted-
ness characteristic of him when he wants to STRIKE
mstook the signs of the times, and when
he had filed his employers warehouses with
stock, under the impression that the goods
were ordered, went out believing that the employer
could not Go without aim, Notwithstanding the en-
ployer had demanded the lower rate The manuac
turers little advantages in having their mills
closed for while. In the first place 1t expected
that sudden cessation would prices to 60 up
and then their stock would havo produced littlo
fortunes In the next place. the market was full and
contracts scarce and but little more being
made at the time they did not object to saving the half
million dollars month which they had paying for
wages But both the capitalist and laborer have been
deceived Prices did raise sufficiently to pay the
smallest interest the idle plant and capital and when
the mills closed here in other places be-
gan making the Fall River classes Of goods thus keep
ing down the price of printing cloths TO So 5H cents
UNREMUSERArED ENTERPRISE
Since the panic of 1878 there have been three rcduc
tions in the wages OF the help at the mills e. reckon
ing the present ten per cent about which there has
been so much trouble. Despite these the manufac-
turers claim that the operatives have been saving
money As proof Of this they point the $40 900 900
now on deposit in Fall River savings banks and the
gradual acquisition of dwellings and by the
thrifty and provident But 1t scarcely fair to
place the whole OF this of savings the credit
OF the operatives Hundreds of storekeepers and even
men OF extensive have been accumulatng in the
savings banks during the past two years. tho inter
paid by these institutions has been higher than tho
profits from special specuations. short time since
Governor Howatd remarked that his capital in manu-
factories had not returned large percentage as
though he had put into the savings institutions aud
limited that there no longer margin in the cloth
trade.
THE MANUFACTURERS STATEMENT.
Yesterday met member Of the Manufacturers'
Board of Trade, to whom all matters concerning the
interests Of the mills submitted. Speaking of the
strike, he said:"The whole difficulty has been melted
and fed by few Lancashire men, who officers OF
organizations, 80 around fomenting trouble These
people want us to acknowledge their superior strength
and wisdom by taking back their society friends and
them only This don't propose 10 do. We made
little money by the temporary rise in prices, though
not enough To pay the interest on capital for month.
However, that does not amount to much. There is no
doubt in my own mind that the instant all these mills
reopen prices will fall very low. STILL We are will
ing to go on making goods, for we believe that il is
only by this MEANS by strenuous efforts at production
that trade be brought back again into its proper
channels II man goes on consuming and producing
nothing the veries boy, versed in the principles Of
political economy, will say that there will be
nothing left to So that II want to arrive
at a healthy condition we must produce all can and
then look round for consumers We believe at least