The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-01-01


NBW YoRK, Dec. 26.-The Herald
this noEning prints letter from Fan
riSer, Mass, showing the real eoaditl0n
Of the mills Of that city end the outlook
for owners and operatives. Il says:
The real condition Of trade here is not
such Is to warrant any one In belses.
ing the sensational reports which ep.
pear in newspapers outside the city
Articles are frequently written solely in
the interest of the mill owners and ope-
ratives. Thus great injustice "a done
both classes. Tue Herald representative
carefully and imparatielly looked the
field over, conversed with mill officers,
business men and operatives and reached
the following conclusion In reference to
the situation: Forty odd mills are run
ming afOrdIng employment to all oper
atives ct wages paid since the strike q
year ago. No strikes are contemplated
ead no further reduction suggested.
The operatives here are an Intelligent
poEts that the print cloths are being
sixteeths of cent per yard 70 mill own
ers. With one or two exceptions the
mill corporations pay no dividend jan
| usry LIST, and those that do
say 1t is from the surplus
of former years These facts cause I'M
| usual fFiendlInees between operatives
and owners. The mill officials assert the
| worst il over. The operatives have
steady work and many own shares In
the mills. The city mill stocks have
heretofore been paying investment.
Many investors were carried away with
large dividends in the past. Everybody
desired to speculate, the fever was con-
tsgIous and to-day finds the Inhabitants
of the spindle city saddled with unpro-
ductive property. It is reasonable TO
believe the assertions of the mill officials
that the worst is over. They as we'll as
others point TO the fact that the holders
OF stocks are unwilling TO sell at the
market prices. During the year there
have been only few transactions and
brokers had hard work to keep their
heads above water. Weekly sales are
held but are poorly attended. The bro
kers predict rise very soon, and they
seem 70 see the silver lining to the clouds.
They know there il no local remedy tor
the present depression, as Fall River
does not control the print cloth market,
Notwithstanding that at present she
produces 10000 pieces of forty-five
yards each week. The storekeepers
have not recovered from the effects of
the last strike and subsequent running
on short time, which took about $3.50,
600 from circulation. They treat the
operatives well and give them weekly.
Oemi-Weekly and monthly credits, while
many of them, especially house furnish
ers, have InaugurRted an economical
loan system, which does not include the
extortion usual in such branches of
business in many places. The most suf-
fering among operatives comes from
the saloons which infest the city. H.
curry at the savings bank, Postofflce and
at the emigration agencies revealed
some interesting facts. The postolflce
officials state that the operatives, despite
dull times and the losses incurred by
the last strike, have generously remem-
bered their relatives and friends in the
old country during the year and that the
amount forwarded through the foreign
money order department is only 25 per
cent less than that of last year. A lead
ing emigrant agent states that during
the year he has sold between $50, 900 and
100000 worth of drafts and
one half of this sum was sent by
operatives. The amount forwarded for
Christmas Is considerably larger than in
1882 and 1888. These facts speak for
themselves. A new mill ia being built
which will soon put 10000 more spin
dies into operation. Fall River to-day
is making 376, 900 feet of print goods per
hour, besides sheetings. sbirtings and
goods for conversion. Although manu-
featuring 10000 pieces of print cloths
per week, it should be stated that only
two weeks production accumulates.
This fact, together with the stiffness of
the market, is the reason which the
manufacturers give for hopefulness in
the future