The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-13
LABOR'S GREATEST BATTLE.
SIXTY THOUSAND OPERATIvEs WITH
5000. 900 ON ONE SIDF,
The Federated Owners Of HAIR OF inG'"nds
cotton Spinnine MilIs on tho o'her-i"e
Great struggle Which Began In ianc".
shire Week Retire. Inst = both sides
were Eager for the Frny-Tbe situation.

MANCHESTER England. Oct ~ - By tho
time this reaches SuN readers campaign
gigantic in its proportions and unique ~ I'M
portance and interest vii! have begun IN inc
great industrial di strict II which Manchester
is tho centre 1t is to be tho first great strng-
Gle between capital and labor IN when me
conditions arc apparently e1ual-in whi'h
both sidos arb Thoroughly orgnniHed. wen
cnuipped ard provisioncd. and anxious Tor u
test OF their powers. Capital Is the aggressor.
and. therefore. says lahors army tn" cam
pairn must be called lockout and not
strike.
The opposing forces are the owners 81 cot
ton spinning mills containing about 2o,voo.'"o
spindlrs and located in dozen o" moro ci'les
md towns in lancashire oi which Manchester
is tho centre on one side: 10000 operatives.
including 1000 spinncrs. 10000 srinnrrs as-
sistants. and 10000 car,lers. on til" o'her sid".
The ca sus bclli is a reduction OF live rrr cent
in wages ordered by tho employers. which the
operatives refuse to accept. The employers.
nearly 800 in number. and including fully half
the consumers o! raw cotton in England. are
banded together under the name OF the Mas
tor Cotton Srnners' Federation. Tho OPERA
tives are organized as the AmalCamatcd AS
socation of Operative Cotton SpinnerS ana
the Card and Blowing Room Operatives
AmalEamation.
Tho UNIQUE feature Of the situation Ia the
fact that tho trouble could be amicahly settled
in hye minutes conference IL either side de-
sired to avoid a n..ht. The operatives ndmit
that tho state OF the market makes it ncccs-
sary for the mil! owners to reduce their eN-
pcpses. They argue that the caGse Of the en-
barrassment is uvorrroduction. and thoy ar"
uuito willing to submit to the closing Of tho
mills for one or two DAYS n weck orany similar
arrangement. They will not complain of an
even greater reduction OF incum" than their
cinrloyers propose, il 1t is accompanied by
cores nonding decrease in labor. As a matter
If fact. the employers would rather close thoir
mills than not. and tho operatives arc anxious
to take long holiday. Naturally. 10th sides
are not unwilling to mako the qualification
Of their Joint desires the occasion OF
a test OF strength which must come
sooner or later. The secret OF the operatives
| motive is that they have accumulated Il great
| fund for lust such an issue. and they are i'm
| patient for the fray. They have the strongest
| and richest trade union in the world. and
| they are curious o know how ;hey will far" in
a trial bout with the new organization Of the
| manufacturers.
| The Master Cotton Spinnsrs Federation Is
| only about II year old. 1t took the plurr OF an
| old combination OF about 40 owners Of cotton
| s,inntns mills. which had proved unwedy and
| representatives, Of various local mill owners
associations. chiefly in Lancashire. The
| basis OF representation in the central body
! is one delegate per 100000 spindles. Tho
| confederation consists. therefore. of forty
members or Delegates. and it has its head
| formation was the TACT that the srinners' as:
| sociaton easily enforced its concerted demand
| 1891. That demand tn" "miloycr- say. would
never HAY, hceu nrc"dcd TO i! they ha': pos
! sessed their present power If "rGhnIHation.
| The excuse fog 4 WAS Temporary and speed
! lative rise in III" rric' Ut cotton yarn 1t Is
that advance witch tn" master ms, sn,nners pro-
manufacturers, nnwiIlnEness to adopt tho
policy OF reduced production suggested
that tie lsH'I aemana was an Unjust one One
member may continue to operate his mill
when lockout has been ordered upon pay.
fatt%in ,i:'G PER spindo rer week. nder this
rule it Is probable that nearly G.OoOpoo spin
des W son. the e sa 2p for ms .o
out; About 14.oOO.ooO spindles will stop on
The Operatives side OF the dispute is full Of
Interesting points. Tho history Of urEGnza-
ton among the SINNERS Of Lancashire dates
savage and bloody battles have ,een fought
| under their auspices. Tor more than ilitv
their w.r. W.st OF them
| days were ignorant and untlirI;,y They were
incapable oi making atient and systematic
! preparation for the enforcement "f their de-
| mands. Members Of tine craft HOW living can
remomber the eut husinsttc lri,hmnn' : newt
celebration of St latiick's DAY. a. often as
prlng came round, All that i a thing IF tho
r"rhaps tho lest typ" Of the e,Iucatei FnsIish
workinGman Not for more Than twenty live
years hav" any Of his disputes with his en-
| ploynrs. not few in number. bren accom-
Ianied by lawlcss violence lie proudly
h"ass as have sor fh or tn ,So s:5Snr lest
dom, NOR" tI'an $4,000 are active m,emhets OF
about t $j60o"0 is available for tho campaign
about to begin.
The leadsr5hr and systematic management
admiration. The last two annual reports Of
tho organizati ion. carefully comti ed ramnh-
full Statistics "i ali facts and fgures bearing
upon the cotton trade-croIs. imports. exports,
ous Of S ya F" ami I ynri Of h %%
Tho record OF relations between srinncrs and
their employers during the previous year is
spirit. and both SIDES Of disputed questions
nre presein'"d IN fact. all subjects are tr"nte,!
1t should be- born" in mind. however that all
tive spn"ers vii" aro The best paid and most
inteiIi Ecnt Of thos" employed in the cotton
spinnnhS trade b. 70, every sELnn"t in 'n
SPINNER has tw" assistants. and then
| there are the large number employed in
tho cardlng. blowing. and other departments
Of t ne mill. The spinn"rs. al paid by place,
work. earn on an aymraE" tribe less Than -
sion i, sometimes created hy the -stnlem"n'
that spinners are paid from 30 TO - shillingS
or $3.50 t. SO per week. Thry draw that
amount from tn. WlI treasury. to be sure, lu'
they must out OF il pay their two assistants
who receive respectively ~ and $3.50 on the
average That men with lam lies to supnor
and receiving only * per week should, l",uO'
Of them. add to their reserve fund ut he rate
OF SlOO,uOO Dor year. in addition to disburSe
ments Of S2OO.oOO Ter year for bcnoilts AN,
other drains upon the associations treasury
speaks wei! for their thrift and sc!f.:dcniaI.,
The average spinner and his family liy'
H. iour-room. tenoment1e kitchen m,
living room on the ground floor and tw'
chambers above. Everything is plain. Tn
chances are that tho SINNERS wife and 4
least one Of the children also work in the mill
= Each household is at least independent an
Mndlsturbnd in the occupation OF its domain
!; Tho big tenement house system is unknown
!, Sol the compulsory lodging, in corporativ
. hohrdi ing or lodging houses For mil! owner
, to seek to compel their employees. either III
!, rcc,ly or indirectly, to occupy their houses /