Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-08-25

$50, 900 yards of cloth. The city con-
tains one-sixth of the spiudles in the
Uuiied States, and manufactures over
two thirds of the dome sic prin. cloths.
In the chief industry of such city. en-
ployiDg y, $50 men and women in its
mills. we're depressed and its mill hands
suffering from reduction of wages and
an increase in the cost of living, as Sen
ator Carlisle asserts. there would natur-
ally be outward signs OF the prevailing
distress. The most industrious and
fanatical tariff reformer will fail to find
here any indications of that sort All
the superficial evidence points in the
opposite direction Th. mill operatives
are well paid and psospesOus, and In
stead of having had their wages reduced,
have virtually had them advanced with
in a month. The mills are in full oper-
alton and their owners are enjoying
exceptional prosperity. The manufac
turing business of the city is expanding
under the influence of the Mckinley
tariff Investors are building new mills
and increasing the number of their
spindles. The only dark cloud in the
Fall River sky is the avowed determine
ton of the Democratic party to sweep
away the American Protective system
and to substitute for it "a tariff for re-
venue only" under which manufacturers
and operatives will be exposed to de-
structive competition of the cheap labor
of England, France and Germany.
Wages il the cotton mills have not
been reduced but substantially have
been increased. The mill owners during
the past fortnight have cut nown the
hours of labor of their hands from sixty
to fifty-eight hours week, aud in order
that there might be no decrease of earn
ings from this Encouragement of the
working hours they have advanced their
wages l 3 per cent. The hands who
were paid by the day have had their
wages advanced 3 l.3 per hour, while
the Job hands get Is per cent advance
on piece work. The operatives get the
full benefit of two hours week without
having to pay for it On the other hand,
the manufacturers lose two hours work
from each bend and have to pay for it
in reduction OF weekly product of
each mill One mill-owner has estima.
ted here to-day that this increase of the
wages of the men and women and the
decrease of their hours of labor will
make difference of $500, 900 ia the in
come of the Fall River manufactures.
That 100000 has been given away
without solicitation from the operatives,
and by the voluntary action Of the mill
owners, Business in tho mills. more
over, is so active that the weayers are
confidently expecting and additional
increase of per cent in their wages in
the course of year.
eve employ in the King Philip Mill,
said Mr. Chase, the treasurer, Il, 100
hands, evenly divided between sexes.
Our weekly payroll amounts to $4,000.
Since the fifty-ei ght-hour schedule went
into effect our weavers get 81 Oh wages
for piece Of goods, instead OF 81, as
formerly, and 10 SIS cents is paid in
print mills for piece of torty-tiye
yards instead of 10 cents for the same
amount The tariff has especially aided
us in the goods made of the finer yarns,
and in selling the fancy woven fabrics.
A good weaver on low grade goods in
America will make from 80 to so a
week, but in England only from So to
Sc week. The wages are higher upon
the fine grade goods a weaver earning
from $40 to Sl4 in America, and only
from Sc to 81 in England"
Wrong in the facts about labor, Sena-
tor Carlisle is strangely misinformed
respecting the condition of the opera
tives of cotton mills These victims of
tariff taxation and robbery keep their
surplus earnings in the four savings
banks of Fall River. The Mckinley
Tariff act went into effect in the fail of
1890. During the next year, according
TO Senator Carlisle and his Free Trade
friends, Tie mill hands ought to have
suffered from cut in wages and from
increased burdens Of Mckinley prices,
and to have been unable to enlarge
their deposits in the savings banks.
Unfortunately for the tariff roformer's
argument, the mill hands have been
overwhelmed with misfortune. They
have increased heavily their savings
bank deposits The savings banks write
up the books so as to show the total
amount of each depositor' ; account on
October 81 of each year. The following
is comparison Of the total deposits in
the savings bank on October 81. 1890,
and DpfDhpr RI 1901.