Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-10-13
EDUCATION AND LABOR.
Col. Thomas L. Livermore, Agent Of
The ADoskeag Mills, Before the
Senatorial Subcommittee The
Average Wages Paid the DIFF.
ferent Classes Of Employees.

MANCHESTER, n. H.. Oct. II.
The subcommittee of the United States
Senate committee on education and labor,
consisting of Senator Blair of New Hamp-
Shire and Senator Pugh Of Alabama, met
this morning at the Manchester House.
Col. Thomas. Livermore, agent Of the
Amoskeag mills, was the first witness sworn.
The witness testified that he had been agent
of the Amoskeag mills for four years and
before that for ten wears a lawyer, practicing
in Boston. The Amoskeag mills use 40, COG
bales of cotton yearly and produce from fifty
five to sixty million yards of cloth at cost
of between five and six millions of dollars.
In addition to the manufacture of cloth he
manages the water power. all that belongs to
the Amoskeag Mills Co, and runs all the
mills at Manchester He also attends to
mill construction. The cost of labor is about
30 per cent of thescost of the goods or about
one and half million dollars year. The
wages paid by the Amoskeag Co, taken from
the rolls OF two of its mills, one manufact-
uring the coarsest and the other the finest
grade of goods, show the following average
Carding, male, 81 20, female. 80 IS; Spin
ming. males SLIGO, females S0.95; mule
spinners. 81 %; d.essing. SIPS. The fol-
lowing includes both males and females
Weaving, 81 "a; cloth room, 81 25; dyer
room, SLAP; carpenters and machinists,
Sl.73. The average includes children as
we'll as adults. The company owns a num-
Der of houses which they let to boarding
house keepers very low with the provision
that they will board women employees at
81 % per week. The company has many
tenement house which they rent from SO 90
to IS 90 month. The sanitary conditions
of these houses are excellent and in good
nod daoI nf
land and gives employees the use of a garden
plot at the nominal rent of dollar for the
season. There are fine hospitals here, con-
Quoted by ladies, to the support of which all
the mill contributed. 1t was for their own
interest to have the best air and light in the
mills as the best work was turned out in con-
sequence One-third of the employees of the
AmOskeag mills are Canadians, One-fOurth
Irish, one-fifth Americans and the balance
German, English or others. He thinks there
are more Americans in the mill than 80
years ago. Americans make the best en-
ploves and the French are among the most
active and do good work, the managers con-
slider them as among the best if they were
more staple. The employee has right to
appeal from an Overseer to the agent and
justice is always done them. Did not think
there was labor union in Manchester. Sew
eral attempts had been made by Fall River
agitators, but always failed. There has not
been general strike for thirty years. The
labor market is good because the prices paid
are better and the hours of labor not limited
as in Massachusetts,.
Question by Blair-How long do YOU think
an operative can work on an average without
injury?
Answer-Ten and three quarters hours
per day. Much of the labor does not require
muscle exertion.
He believed wages would adjust themselves
the same as water seeks level. Never was
the time when the condition of the working
man was universally bad. From what |
read, should say the laborer does not put
forth as much labor making yard cloth as he
did fifty years ago.
Senator Blair-You would say then that
advent machinery not only lessened the hours
of labor but also much lightened labor?
Answer-Yes sir.
In regard to apprenticeship, Col. Liver
more said he would rather have country than
city boys; that the principal reason why
New Hampshire mills worked longer hours
than those of Massachusetts was on account
of transportation; don't believe, with the
labor market as it is now, that the cotton
manufacturing interests could compete with
foreign countries without protective tariff !;
consider American made machinery best :
did not know of manufacturer in this coun-
try getting an unreasonable profit from bust
ness.
Col. Gilbert 2. Whitman, agent of the
Amory mill, was then examined at length,
going over the same ground as Col. Liver.
more.