The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-30
MONEY IN THE TEXTILE MILLS.
THE SITUATION IN NEW ENGLAND.
NOT so VERY GLOOMY.

out of 4sI Heard From 1s5 Have
Passed Through the Hard Times
without Reducing WaEes-The
Volume of Production and EN-
pIoyment and the Wages Paid Now
Only Per Cent. Below the COndf-
tIons of Two Yenrs Ago.
Boston, April 29.-The May number OF
the Home Market Bulletin, issued to-day.
contains the result Of a canvass of the
textile manufacturers OF New England
New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania as to the conditions
of their business, which proves
20 be highly interesting. Answers wera
received from 4sl establishments, abouu
evenly divided among the states nameds
and fairly representing city and cOun-
try, and large and small establishments
These answers compare April, 1898, with
April, 1885, and are summarized as ace
curately as possible in table.
As TO reductions and restorations OF
wages. 1856 OF the 4Si establishments did
not reduce at ALL Sixteen reduced and
have partially restored, and 252 reduced
and have not restored. The FAN River
and New Bedford mills, which have re-
Gently made partial restorations, do not
enter either Of the aggregates above
Nearly all the concerns which did noe
reduce at all are either small mills in tho
country, or are producers OF specialtiess
IN which there Is little competition, or fon
which fashion has made a good demandS
In many cases, too, where the wage rates
have been maintained, there have been
reductions OF running time, or Of hands,
or both
OF course, it Is impossible 10 put into a
table or summary all that was written in
the returns But the table fairly shows
nF mr.. ara4ff IN =
ployment and the wages paid are still )
per cent. on the average below the condi@
ton Of two years ago, while the orders
for goods are not quite one-half so en-
couraging as they were then; the cancella~
tions are far greater, and the profits ara
almost out of sight
1t is the condition Of orders and profits
which best indicates the true state of
business and affords a means of Judging
whether or not the present rates Of pro-
duction and wages can be maintained
or Increased. Several pages of brief re-
marks from the manufacturers are print-
ed which show that most OF them are try
ing simply to hold their investments and
keep their help so as to be ready for tho
better business indicated for the future
by the elections Of last autumn and this
spring. They claim TO be suffering far
more than formerly from foreign and cut-
throat competition. Orders are cancelled
upon frivolous pretexts. the real meaning
Of which Is that sales are disappoint-
ing or similar goods are offered at lower
prices. Some of them speak OF the under
valuations OF tofelBn goods which of
course, says the Bulletin, were unexpected
under the ad valorem feature Of the new
| tariff. This enormous evil has only Just
| begun TO be felt, because until business
revtvesifffe frnporfattous were small They
/ have recently been rapidly increasing, and
not only in the treasury department dis
| tressed over the unexpected smallness OF
| the revenue and the undoubted frauds
| I'm the invoices, but 1t is now an every day
experience in all the commercial cities
| that foreign fabrics are offered al prices
could here with
profits sacrificed and wages cut 25 per
cent. below the present average.