The Portland daily press., 1895-08-10
MANUFACTURING SITUATION.
Mill Owner Borden is Making Things Un-
pleasant for the Mill Owners Associa-
aion.

Fall River Aug 9.-The manufacturing
and wage situation today looks better
than at any tim in three Eyears. The
most interesting featur of the market for
printed fabrics is the announcement that
prices of American indigo blues, both
three-quarters and wide goods and
American shirtings will be advanced one
quarter of cent yard on the 10Th.
1t Wilt interesting to watch bulletins
from the iron works mill for the next
few weeks. The last restoration was
forced as business measure by M. q. ID.
Borden, founder of those mills, and the
keen Judgment he displayed netted him
many thousands of dollars since April
%. The large advance predicted for the
pricesof finished products of his works have
been maintained. He is said to be work
ingssnow on 1-2 cent cotton. Figured on
this basis al margin tbetween the price of
cloth and raw material GAG yards and
eight pounds) is 81 cents at the present
time. If the prices paid for..weaving were
based on the standard recently suggested
by the secretary of the Weavers' Union
the weavers in the iron works mill should
now be receiving 3-4 cents a cut. To
day spot middling cotton is selling in
oiiio lhOU etU LIZ CClUS DOuuu3 AOU
l-2 cents. Cloth at 2 1916 cents a yard
margins.is therefore N cents. Twenty five
per cent OF this sum, 19 IA cents, the
price the weayers say they should now be
receiving for 46 yards standard, 64x64s.
No one can tell what Mr.. Borden may do
for the operatives in the next few weeks,
but it is manifest he can afford to come
up to the standard suggested by the
weayers' secretary. The iron work S
mills are not allied with the Cotton Man
ufacturers' Association an it would not
be surprising if the request for an ad-
vance in wages was soon presented to
their owner. The manufacturers in the
Cotton Manufacturers Association will
not restore wages for the present, until it
appears that Mr.. Borden forces them to
do so. They concede that business is
picking up and the outlook is brigter
than it has been for a long time. They
argue that the last advance was given
when prices did not warrant it and they
think they ought to receive some profits
before further advance is given. The
spinners.sare preparing to ask for more
wages In a circular to be published to-
morrow the executive committee will call
attention to the fact that all mills in New
England outside of NewB Bedford and Fall
River are paying the wages of 1899 and
have restored every cut down made since
that year regardless of whether a wage
schedule is agreed upon or not Secretary
Whitehead of the Weavers' Union says he
would not be surprised if he was ordered
within month to call special meeting
to ask for the restoration of the old rates.
The secretary of the Carders' Union
thinks things are shaping themselves to a
place where an advance canTbe given and
where one should be asked. The feeling
of the slasher tenders is we'll known from
their attitude of few weeks ago. No
one expects the Manufacturers Associa-
tion to grant a voluntary advance, but if
Mr.. G. D. Borden takes the iniatative as
he gave he--slasher tenders to und erstand
he might, they would be compelled to fol
low suit.