The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-13
THE SENATE COMMITTEE
Holding Session i'm Manchester, N. H.
Interesting Testimony from the Amos
keag Mills Agent.

MANCHESTER, n. H., Oct, 1.-THE sub
committee of the United States Senate conf
mittee on education and labor consisting of
Senator Blair of New Hampshire and Senator
Pugh of Alabama. met this morning at the
Manchester House. Col. Thomas L. Liver
more, agent of the Amoskeag Mills, was the
first witness. On being sworn the witness
testified he had been agent of the mills four
yeari and half before that for ten years was
a lawyer practicing in Boston, The Amoskeag
Mills use 10000 bales Of cotton yearly and pro-
duce from ifty-ive to sixty million yards of
cloth at cost of between five and six millions
per annum. In addition to the manufacture
OF cloth he manages the water power which
belongs to the Amoskeag Mill Company and
runs the mills at Manchester. He also at
tends to the mill construction. The cost of
labor is about 30 per cent. of the total cost of
the goods or about one and half million
dollars per year. The amount of capital en-
ployed in the plant. building, ETC., is about
equal the quantity of produce. Wages paid by
the Amoskeag Company taken from the rolls
of two of its mills, one manufacturing the
coarsest and one the finest grade of goods show
the following average: Carding, males 81 90, /,
female 95 cents; spinning, male 81 60, female
50 Cts; mule spinners, $1.09; dressing, SIPS.
The following includes both male and female:
Weaving, $1.34; cloth room $1.25; dye room,
$1.42; carpenter and machinests, $173. The
average includes children as well as adults.
The company own number of houses which
are let to boarding housekeepers very low with
the provision they will board the women em-
ployes at 1925 per week. The company has
many tenement house which rent from Sc to $8
per month. The sanitary condition of these
houses is excellent and they are kept in good
repair. The company has a great deal of
land and gives employees the use of garden
plat at the nominal rent of one dollar for the
season. There is a hospital here conducted by
ladies to support which all the mills contribute.
1t was to their own interest to have the best air
and light in the mills as better work was turn
ed out in consequence.
The hours of labor average 10 3-4 daily
One-third of the employees OF the Amoskeag
Mills are Canadians, one-fourth Irish, one
fifth Americans and the balance Germans,
English and others. He thinks there are more
Americans in the mills now than thirty years
ago. Americans make the best employees and
the French are among the most active and do
good work. the managers consider them as
among the best If they were more stable.
An employe has the power of appeal from
the overseer to the agent and justice is always
done them. Did not think there was q labor
union in Manchester. Several attempts had
had been made by the Fall River agitators but
they always failed. There has not been a
general strike for thirty years. The labor
market is good because the prices paid are
better and the hours of labor are not limited
by law as in Massachusetts,.
Questioned by Senator Blair)-How long DO
you thing an operator can work on an average
without injury?
Answer-fen and three quarters hours per
day. Much of the labor does not require
muscular exertion. He believed wages would
adjust themselves the same as water seeks its
level. There never was time when the con-
dltion OF tho working man was unusually bad
and from what read should say the laDorer
does not put forth as much labor making a
yard of cloth as he did fifty years ago.
Senator Blair-You would say then that the
advent OF machinery has not only leSSened the
hours OF labor but also much lightened labor?
A.-Yes, sir.
Ia regard to apprenticeship he said he had
rather have country than city boys. That the
principal reason why New Hampshire mills
worked longer hours than those of Massachu-
setts was on account of transportation; that
the Amoskeag Mills paid 100000 per year
more freight than they would if situated at
Fall River or New Bedford.
Regarding the tariff he said all the profits
from fine goods were derived from protective
tariff. Do not believe, with the labor market
as it is now, that the cotton manufacturing in
terests could compete with foreign countries
without protective tariff. This is partly due
to the cheapne of labor and partly to the
cheapness of coal and iron. In England the
cost is about $12 a spindle in this country SIG
is the cheapest Have had manufacturer of
glnghams in England tell me he could have
coal delivered at their mandatory for little
over ~ per ton, while it costs here Sc per ton.
Most OF our machinery is made in Saco and
Biddeford, Maine and here in Manchester.
Consider American made machinery the best.
Did not know of manufacturer in this coun-
try getting unreasonable profit from his busi-
ness.
Gilbert P. Whitmore, agent of the Amory
Mill and Major Charles d. McDuff, agent OF
the Manchester Mills was then examined at
length going over the same ground as Col.
TiVarmora