Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-08
CARPET MAKERS STRIKE.
About ], 1000 Called Out from the
 Higgins Factory.
LABOR'S FIGHT AGAINST CAPITAL

The Committee Ask Somo Pertinent Oues- tions Concerning the Profits of the Con-
 cern, and Are Told It Is None of Their Business-To Resist a Reduction. NEW YORK, Jan S-A committee consist Ing of two members of the national execu- tlVe board of the Protective Carpet Workers union, three members of the arbitration com hl1tee or the Central Labor union and three members Of the local executive board of the carpet Workers union went to the factory or E. $. Higgins & Co, at the foot of West Forty-third street, and saw Manager John Higgins and asked him to explain about the reductlon of 121a per cent i'll the wages of tEe men and subsequent reduction in cer- 'alh departments and the victimizing of prominent members of the organization.
 long discussion on the question of wages LOOK place. The committeeman claimed that the wages paid in the factory of E. s. Hie- gins & Co. were from 12 to 20 per cent. lower than those paid by factories in Phila- deiphla, Other factories, they claimed, were atso paying higher wages and making money
 MT Higgins said that the reduction was necessary because the firm had lost money last year and wanted some profit this year. lie was asked by the committee if the stock or the firm was not $3, 500, 900 and if 6 per cent. interest had not been paid on this amount in addition to per cent. for the depreciation in the value of property ana per cent for the depreciation on machinery, aud if after the valuation of the property of the firm last July the entire value was not set down at Sl GOO, ,OOO, so that really the business had been paying IS per cent. on nearly s2,OO0 ,0OO, which did not exlst before any so called profits were de- clared. Mr. Higgins said that that was the business of the firm and not of any commit tee. He claimed that tho reduction made was necessary, and he offered to re-employ all the union people gradually, and to get rid of the non-union hands, provided the re- duction was accepted.
 The committee told him that they were not lighting for or against the non-union men, put for wages, and his proposition was de- clined He was then asked if he would guarantes that there would be no further re- duction, but he refused to enter into such an agreement, and said that the present re duction was simply an experiment.. This ended the conference, and the committee left.
 The national and local executive boards of the carpet weavefs held @ meeting last night. at which 1t was decided to call out all the skilled workmen in the factory This in- cludes the settlers in the tapestry department and the weavers and dyers in the Brussels and lngrain departments in the carpet mill, and the spinners, twisters, reelers and doublers in the worsted mill About 1000 people will go on strike immediately. This will involve shutting down the entire mill and throwing out of employment fully 1,sOO people,
 John Morrison, master workman of the carpet workers, claims that there are only about 200 non-union people who will be ready to take the strikers places. The firm has been given until a, h. to-day to restore the wages and avoid the threatened strike.