Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-03-22
WILL NOT LEAVE Us.
No Fear Bay State Cot
ton Mill Going South.
Massachusetts, Legislators Back
From That Section.
Some Important Facts That the lnves-
tigation Revealed.

The committee on mercantile affairs OF the
Massachusetts Legislature have arrived In
Washington, D. c., after their pilgrimage
through the $ nth for tue purpose oil lnvestl-
eating the question of the threatened re-
moyaI of the cotton mill from Massachusetts
to the cotton growing states, and they are 10
a man Of the opinion that there - no danger
of the industries OF the Bay state taxing
flight. and that il will be good many years
before the southern cotton manufacturers
will be dangerous competitors OF New Ing
land.
The members Of the committee have not
decided what their report will be and VIII
wait until they meet in executive session.
but Senator Darling OF Hyde Park, the cha'r-
man of the committee. summed up the COM
bined judgment of the members when ne
said There are three reasons why Tue Soutu
cannot compete with the Massachusetts cot
ton manufacturers. In the first place, they
have not got the right kind Of machinery; III
the second place they have not got the neces-
| sary skilled abor, and in the third place.
| they have not got the required capitai anu
| enterprise.
None ofthe members OF the committee were
aware of any pending or proposed lesisia-
| ton against which the Bay state cotton man
| ufacturers were protesting, and, as ior ihe
| restrictive laws already on the statute DOCKS,
! the committee is clearly Of the opinion that
| they harm no Massachusetts, industry anu
| threaten no driving out of capital f.om the
| orders Of that state. The 5S'hoEr law, the
laws against the employment OF women ana
minors, the laws regulating inspection, the
liability of employers and similar enact
ments are not, in the minds ot tue
| senators, dangerous to invested captal
or manufacturing interests in Massachusetts,.
| Chairman Darling said that he found
that the real conditions prevailing az the
south in regard to manufacturing cotton
had not been set forth before the Leglsia-
ture, and were not understood by that BODY.
He found that the labor was poorly paid, but
that the laborers were, generally speaking
satisfied with their compensation.
There was no skilled labor in the sense III
which that term is used in the New England
cotton mills and it was very apparent to HIN
that none of the laborers from the Norm
would ever be contented to live in thest
environments, nor would they for one mo
ment put up with the accommodations ID th'
way Of living which these southern laoorel1
had He was Of the opinion that II any capi
ta was to come from the North and invest II
these cotton mills it would be surplus capi
tai. such as has in the past been invested II
western railroads. an1, indeed, he DID no
know but that there was more profit for New
| ENGLAND capital to be thus invested IN IN
| South. but II that were done, 1t would sini
, ply result in having New England capita
; own these southern mills and supply tn
g market for the coarser grade OF cotton good
s which these mills produce. He was yer
l firmly of the opinion that it would be
. least 20 years before the present young opel
t atiyes in the southern mills would grow
be skilled laborers. and who could tell, i
said, what Massachusetts cotton nanufactu
ers might be doing at that timeE
Senator Hutchinson said that unqnestlol
ably the South had the advantage in Il
=, manufacture of cotton good OF having II
- material the coal and the water power all
hand and of being free from the arge charg
4, for the transportation Of coal and OF the co
at ton which New England mills had to pa
D. He had heard it said that the president OF OF
Id of the great Lowell mills had stated tn
es should their properly in that city he burn'
II. they would never rebuild again there, b
ne would glt nearer the seacoast in some SUI
be city as New Bedford. A mill at New Badlo
SO could save 81 a ton in the transportat'
he charges for coal, and this in years tIL
ry would mean saving of S25, 900 or s3oo'