The Portland daily press., 1895-04-25
Special Correspondence.)

topecldl GOrfeSpOnueuce.)
Sanford. April 24.-The visitor in San
ford would not know that there is a
strike i'll progress here. That is partly
because it is small strike anyway, and
partly because the strikers seem to be
living up to the agreement. which they
made between themselves to stay at
heme until the trouble is over. The
amount of self-denial they have shown
it this particular will, perhaps, be ap-
preciated when il is shown that the
strikers are nearly all young women
and this is, in Sanford as elsewhere, the
season of Easter hats and spring suits
The fact that this strike is engineered
almost entirely by girls makes it some
what unique. Some of the disaffected
are pretty young to be on strike, many
of the little band being less than 16
years old. No labor organization is in
volved, and as the strikers put it, they
have just talked things over among
themselves. In all 76 persons, including
women and girls, left this work Monday
noon and didn't come back after the
noon hour. They were employed as twis-
ters and frame tenders in the spinning
room of the Sanford Plush Smills and
asked that their wages be restored to
what they were before the cut down of
70 1-2 per cent made by the mills when
the business depression made itself felt
AS there are 1850 hands employed in the
great concern, the departure of the rs
made no difference in the appearance
of things, except that in two spinning
rooms most of the frames are unattend-
Ell and there is a silence here i'll sharp
contrast to the busy hum in the other
buildings.
Among the leaders of the strikers
is Mrs. Lillian Murphy. Mrs. Murphy is
good-looking young woman, apparent
ly Of about %. She is memb Der OF the
strikers committee, but today appeared
perfectly eontented to stay at home and
help her mother do the housework. Mrs.
Murphy said she had been advised not
to talk much to reporters, and she
didn't think it fair TO say, as it was
said, that she was responsib bic for this
strike. They just talked it over among
bic for it. She went with the commit
tee to see MIR. Goodall, because the other
girls wanted her to. Will San born and
she were ON the committee to represent
the English and Americans, and Agnes
Riccard and Eliza johnson in behalf
of the French-Canadian girls. They
told the strikers what MIR. Goodall said,
aid it was voted to stay out Nobody
influenced anybody and every body did
Just whag she wanted te.
Mrs. Murphy added that if the strikers
could get a definite protuise that the old
wages would be restored say at the
end Of two months, they would be per-
fectly satisfied, but this promise the
corporation was not ready to make Be-
fore the cut-doWn was made, she said,
the wages were dollar day. for the
twisters, 90 cents for the spinn rs, and so
cents ror the dOners, the youngsters
who bring and carry away the bobhins.
These wages were cut - l-2 per cent.
Mrs. Murphy explained that before the
strike the parents OF the children Wera
visited and their consent obtained to the
participation of the young folks i'll the
movement. Mrs. Murphy said that she
did't see how they could work at the
present rate of wages. Seventeen or
is could get work elsewhere, but none
would take it until this matter at San
ford was settled one way or the other.
She supposed that it the vacant places
were filed by new hands or the spin
ming was done elsewhere, the strikers
must 90 way to find work.
b.
calls attention to a phase OF the situ-
alton, which is interesting. La order to
get the young people to do the work in |
the spinning room, 1t is necessary to |
furnish employ yment to the Older mem
hers Of the family, SO in a case where the |
Young people went on a strike and their
places were filled b5 others. the fathers
and big brothers might lose their jobs |
to make room Tor the fathers and big |
hrotherS of the new arrivals
The reasons given by the company for |
not complying with the demands of the
strikers have been already stated in the
PRESS. The young women seem to |
have made natural mistake. just at |
present the mills have many orders |
ahead and are very busy. So, agreed |
the young women, business must be
good and now is the time when the wag- |
es should be restored. AS matter of
fact. say the Messrs. Goodail, the num-
bar of orders do not make business good,
In the present era of low prices. In order
to retain their trade and keep the mills
running, the company must take ord-
ers at the prevailing prices which leave