Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-19
BIDDEFORD STRIKE ENDED.
Operatives Secure Six Of their Seven
Demands Of Firm.
Better Wages Promised soos-Strikers will
Return to Work Teday.

| brppEroKD, June l7.--Praetically the
cotton mill strike is over. Agent Near
thur has yieLied 50 far as to concede some
of the minor demands of the committee
and il is confidently expected that most Of
the PeppereIl and Laeonia operatives will
return 10 work when the gates open Mon
day morning.
| Ever since the committees last meeting
with Agent Macarthur, when he threw 4 wet
| blarket upon their hopes by announcing
thai he would make no concessions until
the operatives returned to their looms, the
committee have been struggling be-
| twee their desire to have the men back at
work and Discrimination to advise them to
| return until something more encouraging
| hal been obtained from the agent.
| This afternoon the committee was in a
measure successful. They had list of
seven grievances which they presented to
| the agent After some discussion and with
considerable show of reluctance Mr.. Nc
| Arthur agreed to grant six of the demands.
| The seventh was for advance in wages
and the agent told the committee that he
would consider this matte and do what he
possibly could.
| The six demands which he was willing to
concede are as follows;
First-That 10 hours shall be the exact
limit of days labor.
| Second-That the length of cuts shall
not exceed the standard measure, and that
| in case the cut should run over, the weaver
shall receive pay for the extra yards.
Third-The abuse of children by over
| seers is to be prevented.
FOURTH Children under the age of Is
| shall not be hired by the corporation.
Fifth-The workmen in every instance
are to get from the overseer just the rate of
wages they are engaged for.
Sixth-All the striking workmen are to
be taken back by the employees. With
these conditions the committee is satisfied
with the result of its labors. The opera
tivcs are to go back to work for 30 days
while the main question of an advance in
wages is being arbitratcd. At the end of that
time if satisfactory terms are not arranged
'we shall order the people out again, and
they will come out with a jump was the
way one committeeman put it tonight.
The corporation officials say that these
concessions really amount to very little, for
they assert that that the people really have
no grievance IN this direction.
Another mass meeting was held at city
Opera house tonight. Addresses were
made in both French and English by the
strike leaders and the operatives were ad-
viscd to return to work
Lawyer Max l.. Lizotte who is looked
upon as the guiding star of the situation,
gave lengthy address in which he said
THE conclusions at which we have now
arrived are still for your interests as we
believe. We think that in the future we
shall get some of the concessions We have
demanded. We could not make them con-
cede everything but they came up TO the
scratch pretty well. 1t is because it takes
time to settle the rates of wages that we
have been Obliged to give them little
more time
When he said that the committee thought
it best for the operatives to return to work
pending the settlement of the trouble
there was very little response from the au
dience. and Mr.. Lizotte found it necessary
to explain at great length the reason which
led the committee to their decision.