The Portland daily press., 1894-08-21
THE SITUATION IN NEW BEDFORD. !
The Majority of the Mills Will Shut Down
for an Indefinite Time

New Bedford, Mass, August 23.-Develop-
ments in the great textile strike today are
many and complicated. During the early
part of the day. the streets presented a
holiday appearance, as thousands of neatly
attired operatives wandered to and fro,
brim full of hilarity and confident of
victory. With the exception of a slight dis
turbance at the Bristol mill, where a dozen
opel atiyss at work were attacked by
strikers at noon time without any serious
results. the behavior of the strikers is
peaceful and orderly. AS the day advances
signs of weakening of the manufacturers
were manifest,and when the announcement
was made public that three corporations
had made the necessary concessi ons. every
body knew the backbone OF the conflict was
broken. One by one the other corporations
gave evidence Of faltering, and 1t looked as
if the great strike was about to die in its
infancy.
VIM. d. Howland. the treasurer Of How
land, Rot oh and New Bedford Manufacture
ing company's, took the initiative in weak
ening away from the manufacturers. From
the start he was opposed to the strike and
his manly action today in making the con-
cessions to the operatives before the strike
was inaugurated in his mills, won for him
the universal admiration of the public.
Mr.. Rowland said he simply waived the
cut down till he can decide what action he
will adopt. He was not present when the
cut down was voted, else he would have
opposed it. The action was taken and
notices Up before he realized it. When he
found what trouble was to ensue, he ordered
the notices down in his mills and notified
the other manufacturers that for the
present he should not make any cut. /
have hut down my mills" said Mr.. How
land, till ind out just what / can do. l,
have already conferred with committees of
help and ! propose to do the same with my
fellow manufacturers. When I ascertain
the position of both, theL 4 will decile
what course will take. Wher it is fully
decided what terms the help will accept,
and the whole matter is adjusted between
us, then l will start mp, the MILL l can't
afford to let the help run my mills just to
suit themselves, but will grant all can"
Suppose it comes to dead open and
shut between the demand for a cut on the
part of the manufacturers and the demand
for the old schedule on the part of the
help, will you say what your course would
be then?"
Mr.. Howland reflected moment and then
replied: II would waive the cut down and
run the mills. can't afford to take any
action which will result in shutting down
our plant and seyering the smooth and
friendly relations weShayei in our mills at
present. Our goods have reputation and
we have orders that must be filed We
can't do anything with the mills silent. 1
can't run the mill without the cooperation
of the help and if l impose such conditions
and they refuse to work, my silent spindles
won't make money for the stockholders
Mr.. Howland said he would try to arrive
at conc lusion and arrange terms with the
help as SOON AS possible, and to leave the
mills silent no longer than necessary. His
action will restore to work about 100 hands,
and most of them represent families.
4 ANOTHER VIEW.
Late this afternoon, Andrew G. Pierce,
treasurer of the Wamsutta mills, was asked
in view of the action taken by Mr.. Rowland,
what would be the course of the other cor
porations. He replied: The mills will lock
up tonight for an indefinite period. His
statement, he said, not only applied to the
Wamsutta corporation, but to every mill in
the city outside of the mills controlled by
Mr. Rowland.