The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-09
STARVATION IN A STRIKE.
The Fall River Operatives Ready TO
Return to Work.

| The Mill Men Consider Proposition to
Reopen the Mills at the Rsduoed
Wages for Sixty Days and Increase
Wages After That Period if Business
Warrants-The New Bedford Opera
tives Accept a Reduction of Per Cont.
Fall River, Mas, oct. S.-The eighth
week of the strike is on. The city is stll
orderly and the charity of all who can
! give is being tested freely. The letter
carriers have contributed $500 loaves of
bread to the poor and the United Friends
Social club gave away 800 dinners this
afternoon and evening. Free soup distri-
| buttons are going on and more than 1000
persons are being fed daily In this way.
| Tonight Secretaries Ross of New Bed
| ford and Howard of this city left for New
| YORK to meet Samuel Gompers and ar
range for regular support for members
of the National Mule Spinners Associa-
ton. The executive committee of the
| weavers will meet tomorrow morning to
arrange for the distribution of $4,000
among the 3,e00 members
This morning several manufacturers
met at the association rooms and talked
over the situation at some length. IT
Is not definitely stated that any agree
| ment was arrived at, but Il was given out
! by one manufacturer that he and others
| will not continue in a stand-firht that
| means starving TO anyone. He is willing
| TO start his mill just as soon as the other
| manufacturers release him from the
agreement that binds him and them
| From his statement ii is inferred that all
! the manufacturers are not agreed upon
| a continuation of the fight policy, and
| that overtures toward q settlement are
| not wholly ended. He also stated that
| something of Importance would soon han
| pen, and from this statement it is in
| ferred that the manufacturers are about
TO make some sort of an offer to the spin
| ners.
Fall River. Mass, oct. Sill y.
m. - There has been furry
| Brewers row since early this
! forenoon when it became known
| that the mill-men, who held the
! key to the present situation, were engaged
| In discussion, The excitement was in
| creased about O'Clock when it was noised
| about that Secretary Howard of the Spin
mrs Union was engaged in an earnest
talk with Hon. Frank S. Stevens, one of
| the most influential stockholders in the
| local mills, 1t was soon generally re-
| ported that Mayor Coughlin had written
| a letter to Secretary Rounseville of the
/ Manufacturers Association, calling atten-
ton to the destitution of the CITY. and
/ N'+I AAAN4AAbCAS VI Tie association 10
| endeavor to open the mills on some terms,
and offer opportunities for work to the
| ldel operatives. Then the manufacturers
| got together in the association roome and
held long conference. A group of mill
| men said that the meeting had consid-
cred the proposition that the operatives
| return to work. forssiXty days under the
reduced schedule. The old schedule 10 he
restored later, If business conditions war
| ranted. The men who were in consulta-
| tlon said that they were not empowered
| TO make any direct proposition to the on
eratVes, and, therefore, they did not care
| to make statement
1t seems to be generally accepted that
! the WeaVers will take any form of com
! promise without question, inasmuch as
their funds are rapidly growing less and
| there is much destitution amona those
| not directly affiliated with the union.
The manufacturers made several state
ments tonight, tending to throw new
light on their side of the situation.
With the exception of the already re-
| corded sales of 100000 pieces at advanced
| prices, very few sales have been made
by three-fourths of the manufacturers in
| the past seven weeks. The sales that
have been made take no account of the
invisible supply of goods stored here,
which goes to show how little demand
there is among large consumers, for
N~NAANS PNiA SA0oIu many ilOulnS ago. VI
400 cases, in one sale, only fifty have been
shipped in five weeks. There are several
agents who have sold only 10000 pieces of
possible production of 10000 pieces In
consequence of these facts, the manufac-
| turers argued that it is useless to start
the mills with no chance of selling the
production.
Speculation is at fever heat tonight, ,ow-
ing to the action taken by the New Bed
ford operatives In accepting a per cent
reduction in wages. This Acceptance places
the Fan River spinners in a bad light
since they have been asked for a full re-
storation of wages as soon as the mar
ket was cleaned out of goods. 1t will put
the manufacturers here into a disturbed
frame of mind and will upset all the plans
agreed upon at this afternoons con-
ference. No one can now tell what may
happen. 1t would surprise no one now If
the Fall River manufacturers took the
bit in their teeth, raised wages 10 per
cent. opened their gates and compelled
the New Bedford mills TO do the same
Tonight the city government made an
apprOUriatiOu of S500 tn helm o,,t The