New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-31
PROSPEROUS FALL RIVER.
THE EFFECT OF The M'KINLEY BILL ON
MANUFACTURES.
IT HAS PERMITTED A SHORTER WORKING WEEK
WITH NO LOSS OF wAGEs-EARNINGs
r WORKING WEEK

OF THE MILLS.
Fall River. Oct. 3O.-For many weeks the attention
Of cotton manufacturers In New England mas been
turned toward this city, because OF the great earn
ngs Of its mills. the general prosperity OF lis co.o
po.i,an people and the rapidly increasing growth IN
Its wealth and Its number of cotton Spindies. lh's
has been particularly noticeable here during the
mast week because OF the advent Of the political CAM
paigners.
The local mills are making handsome profits ana
the causes will be left TO the readers minds after
statement OF facts has been made bearing on yehr
cotton manufacturing review. and supplemented Dy
statement Of the present condition OF labor and capital
In the city, In the general depression OF year ago IL
was expected that LOCAL mills must reduce wages a
few wellknovn manufacturers who foresaw tn" pros
perity that must follow the settling OF the arh qcs-
tion jumped into a widening breach between st"o.
born labor union and equally STUBBORN caPi'h>tN
association. and after little fight OF some weehs
succeeded In avoiding reduction ana IN meaning EN-
FILTERED operatives minds Shortly after the open
Ing OF the present year the dawn Of rising prosperity
srev brighter and the thoughts OF labor dlnerences
wore dropped The cloth market strengthened, anu
the price of cotton weakened as the great figures OF
the crop became known. New mills were talked OF
and their erection begun:
A Sshour bill embOdyins Saturday nall nohoa!
and q lessening Of two hours In weeks worh ior
Massachusetts, Industrial laborers was passed Win
oomparattvcy little opposition from this city. II
went into operation. apd Its advent was sienaNzed
nv a tremendous labor jolllHcatOn here More thaA
that. tho Fall River Cotton Manufacturer Assoca''h
voted unanimously to increase the wages In ala OF us
sixty .nve mills la per oent-to the same amount
paid for sixty hours labor. For twelve mohp'D
strikes Of serious nature have been unhead o. .ne
only exception being In one Of the sixy'hve mills
mentioned. Matters have gone along swimminsly.
and to-day the extent Of the prosperity Is published
Mills that have been closed for months are running
again. There isn't mill Of any size In the heighoor
hood that hasn't been recently Improved.
The actual facts speak for themselves and they
speak too, to the country at large II 1t comes III
listen. Tho American Linen Mill. capital oo'ooo,
will declare quarterly dividend Of L. perhaps
Der cent, next month. The Borden Gty Mills vial
declare or more per cent for the quarter. The
Richard. Borden and Troy Mills Will also pay an nn
their dividend day comes around next month. The
auartery dviderds Of twenty eight other corporations
g. mt as SSef sa cent
n 90 1S1 by my
DO they in any plain cssS me lSr %x
S Wer" I on capital Of $3.50 600. AbSHt T.
h. n Sss" In xh hs
% as eSf Savs sapg
success for three years In PROFIT WIN It's It's
a:s pAs %
idcnd to operatives. and still has found some surplus
10 add to its funds for rainy day The Granite Mis
one OF the Oldest and most conservative concerns IN
the city has almost enough surplus money for nhe
goods MILL and will begin Its erection next Spite
The 20 900 spindle mill owned BY NJ: C. ID. BORDEN
of New-York, will commence operations IN Imii D'
fore March, while the Kerr Thread. the stevens
Plush ana the HargraveS and KING Philip fnr fahric
mills will soon be sending their products to lie she
by side with the best that Europe car produce The
Hargrsves Mill earnings during the past year wer"
nearly 50 Is per spindle. a phenomenal show s1i
The King Philip Mills. one OF the four great cotton
corporations in the coustry, earned $2O3OOo gross
These latter two mills are directly benefited by the
provisions Of the Mckinley BILL and seven-eighthS OF
Fail Rivers manufacturers are devotees OF Mckinley
Operatives were never In q more prosperous con-
d,tion here than they at the present time. The
depositors In savings and cooperative banks arc
greater in number, It Is said than In any other city
With the same number Of banks In NewE England.
Besides the reduction In hours OF labor and the In
crease In wages already spoken OF. Fall Rivers
workers better housed and clothed than ever be-
fore.
There will sgitatons for increases In wages here
As long ~ workers exist and to-day the embryo Of
one has been discovered The above seems lore
pertinent now because 1t has became fashionable to
refer to all manual workers as poor. down trodden,
and generally abused. while brain workers rich,
healthy and prosperous. Whatever may be the con-
dtions IN Europe India 1t can be proven by moro
than volume Of facts that Fall Rivers workers OF
al kinds were never more numerous happier, nor
more progressive than now.