The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-10
AN IMPORTANT MEETING.
Of Manufacturers Held at Fall River
Yesterday.
GREAT SUFFERING rs EXPERT
ENCED BY THE STRIKERS.

Opened to Relieve the Distress-A
Strong Feeling in Favor of Doing So is
Felt Statement of the Situation by a
Manufacturer. n
Fall River, Mass, October 9.-The
manufacturers who are bound in act
ion by the iron clad agreements signed
nine or ten weeks ago, held general pri-
vate meeting this afternoon at the man
ufacturers' association rooms.
The Fall River Iron Works, Durfee,
Sycamore, Kerr and Seaconnet corpora
tions were not represented. These mills
are in full operation, some under a re-
duced scale and others under a scale
adopted last year. The Immediate pur-
pose of the meeting was to. lsen to the
reading of q letter from Mayor Cough
lin,in which the writer asks for an early
resumption of work in the mills to re-
lieve the suffering. and incidentally to
listen to some suggestions made to the
members of the executive committee by
the manufacturers and outsiders.
The manufacturers had no fault to
find with the letter, but the operatives
have the impression Mayor Couehlin in
terfered when the manufacturers were
preparing on their own account to make
some proposition looking toward an early
opening OF the mills under slightly in
creased scale of wages. The meeting of
manufacturers entered into an animated
general discussion of the present situa-
tion and means of remedying it. Nearly
as many views expressed as mem bers
nnrjnr ho =
became kown the New Bedford spinners
were by no means united in accepting
the results of the agreement arrived at
yesterday in that city. This induced sew
eral treasurers to recommend the hold
ing off day or two longer to await the
result in the sister city. as if the reports
of disaffection among New Bedford spin
ners were confirmed, it was Ger
tain no proposition would be finally
agreed upon. A about 4. 80 p. m., the man.
ufacgurers emerged from the quarters
and reporters were quietly told "the mill
men were firm as ever in their position.
Nothing definite was arrived at today
They will meet again tomorrow at 2. 80
p. M, and may possibly have some prop
osition to offer. and perhaps have some
answer to give Mayor Coughlin's letter.
Later it was learned committee
was appointed to sound the various man
ufact1rers to see ii there could be any
proposition formulated which would
meet the approvaa tof the milfmeH re-
presenting three fourths of the spindles
represented in the agreement. The mi.
norIty of spindles who are controlled by
the agreement would be in position to-
morrow if the ageament could he homo
rably broken. Men who wish to break it
unhesitatingly say they do not want
non-union operatives to go on suffering
as they now are. 1t was indicated be-
yond sdoubt today some names
signed to the present agreement will
never again appear at the bottom of any
such document. That some treasurers
will sign an agreement to which the
names of other treasurers are attached
was proven, and for some time to come
Fall River millmen will not put much
faith in the words Of,New Bedford mill
men when questions dealing with oper-
atives are concerned.
The spinners received $1,000 from the
National Mule Spinners Association. Sec
retary Whitehead reports gre at deal
of suffering in the city, and saws an
plications for relief are every day becom-
ing more numerous and pitiful.
A AManufacturer's Statement.
Fall River, Mass. October "a prom
inent manufacturer, present at today's
meeting, makes the following statement:
@The impression seems to be gaining
ground outside the city the only pro-
duct of the local mills is print cloths
known as 64x64 square. 1t has been
argued tberefrom because the prints are
selling at three cents yard, cotton IA
cents per pound, a margin margin for pre-
fit to allow the immediate resumption of
work at the old rate wages AS mar
ter of fact, full half the product Of the
mills today is a better trade of goods
than prints, for which there has been
no market for some weeks. Little de-
mand existing based on prices that offer
absolutely no profit to the manufact-
urers. Based on surface indications, ar
guments can readily be made to show
why the mills could afford. to resume
operations at three cent price for straight
print goods, but with no market Tor
straight prints or odd goods of better
grade the public will see there is some
Justice in refusing to resume work and
pile up stock produced at high rate
of wages"