The Press., 1895-07-18
LOCAL TOPICS.
Penned and scissored


 future of the N. Y. and N. E. railroad, very few in this part of the state are en- gagged in praying that it may not become 8 part of the Consolidated system. The Consolidated railroad is one of the best managed, and one of those most consid- crate of the interests of its patrons, of any in the United States.
 The annual meeting of the trustees of Storrs Agricultural Collge was held at the college on Wednesday evening, last week. Dr. Alexander Hyde of Norwich, Congressman E. s. Henry of Rockville, T. s. Gold, J. M. Hubbard of Middletown and Henry c. Miles of Milford were pres ent. The matter of the style and loca- tion of the new dormitory, for which the legislature appropriated $12,000 was dis cussed, and Dr. Hyde, Congressman Hen ry and Secretary Gold were appointed committee to procure plans and estimates. Ex-CongressmanW. B. Simonds was elect ed president, and Dr. Hyde was put on the executive committee in place of J. H. Ildl0, WHO E6GiF6S ILOu lu0 UOdEu Ol GEuS- tees.
 W. Frank Fay of Rockville has been appointed as prosecuting agent for Tol- land county. MT. Fay was for fifteen years prosecuting agent, and was succeeded about one year ago by William V. McNer- ney.
 One communication recently omitted from The Press because the writer did not send his name, complained that the wages in our mills were not advanced to correspond with what the writer tread in our daily papers every day of the better times all over New England, and of the continued advance in wages" He adds, i've pick up our weekly Press and look for some comment on the subject with re- gard to this borough, but it does not as yet come before us. The mills must be making very large profits, and should be in position to pay their hands more than sufficient for a bare living" He instances cases of men working for 90 cents, $1 and $1.1O per day, and in some cases having to support a wife and child. One mill in the center of the town is mentioned as having paid fair wages all along, and the writer would like to read of 25 per cent. rise in the other large mills.
 We sympathise with the writer. It is better for the community outside of the manufacturing interests, those who are not mill operatives, that the pay rolls of our mills shall be large ones, as more money in. circulation means better bust ness for all. The Press office, and the business of every merchant, suffers or reaps benefit as mill wages are lowered or increased. Hence the reasonable demands of laboring men always get public sympa- | thy. But it must be considered that un- der the recent tariff changes our importa- | tions have much increased; and every pound, yard or any other measure of for eign product consumed in America which might have been produced here means that amount of diminished pay roll. Our they can compete with the world, but they can do so only by adjusting conditions of production. For one thing they must be more particular as to quality of goods. We hear mill operatives complain that where wages are not reduced more rigid examination of goods and frequent fines for defects keep down the monthly pay list. This is one of the necessities of close foreign competition. Then, while there are mills which make make money, there are others running at low profit or on the verge of loss. The pubic taste is whimsical or varying. A product sell ing well to-day, tomorrow finds no de- mand, so the mills have to keep feeling of the market and spending much time in