The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-24
Annual Meeting Of Prominent
Manufacturers.
Two Hundred and Fifty Representa-.
tiyes Listen to Prepared Addresses.
Savoy Hall Was the Place and the
Session VIII Continue Tomorrow.

Savoy Hall was fairly well filled with a
representative body of men this forenoon,
representing the New England Cotton
Manufacturers Association. There were
about $50 of them there, slick and fine
looking. The object of their altering was
the observance of the annual meeting of
the association and it was held in Provi-
dence in acceptance of an invitation from
the Rhode Island members and by au-
thority OF special act of the Massachu-
setts Legislature. Incidentally the pro-
gram included a number of interesting
variations from the usual "annual meet
ings." Ii furnishes an admirable oppor-
tunity for the visiting members to COM
bine pleasure with business, making ex-
cursions TO different large manufacturing
plants, with which Little Rhody"
is blessed, dinner given by His Excel
lency, Governor ID. Russell Brown, and
the discussion of topical questions upon
the live issues Of cotton manufacturing,
the whole to last two days.
The exercises began at 10 O'Clock this
morning, President Edward w. Thomas
of lowell in the chair. Z. j. ii. Wood
bury, the official incumbent, was
secretary. The principal feature of
the occasion was an admirably apt
address of welcome by Governor Brown,
who spoke as follows:
Address Of Welcome by the Governor.
His Excellency Governor Brown in well
coming the members of the Association
said
"Mr. President and Members OF the
New England Cotton Manufacturers AS
sooiation-It is my pleasant privilege to
extend to you this morning in the name
OF the Rhode Island members Of our as
sociation hearty welcome to this State.
81 welcome you in q two fold capacity.
First as a representative OF a State whose
history is closely identified with the
birth and development of cotton manu-
featuring and whose industrial promi-
nence today is due to its progress in
textile industries. And then again,
extend the hand OF good-fellowship as
one of yourselves, who, though not directly
engaged in spinning and weaving, am
perhaps just as much interested in the
protection, progress and promotion of
this important national industry.
"Our State, think you will agree, has
been faithful to the heritage of that pio-
neer manufacturer, Samuel Slater, who, n
century ana more age, chose Rhode Island
soil wherein TO plant the seed Of the cotton
branch of textile work, an industry
which, IL we estimate from figures of the
1890 census, requires 500 0OO, 900 capital;
employs upward of 10000 hands, among
whom are expended wages an
nually amounting to nearly II not
quite s0OtO0,0O0. Today Rhode
Island yields place only TO her
sister state of Massachusetts, who easily
by sheer force OF numbers is the lead ing
cotton manufacturing state in the Union.
But Massachusetts has seven times our
population with only three times the
number of spindles, Rhode Island having
more spindles than the Middle or the
Southern or Western states combined.
at was in 1890 that Samuel Slater set
up his spinning jenny on the banks OF the
Pawtucket river. In 1890 there were to be
found in his adopted State, the smallest
State in the Union, "a cotton mills repre-
sentipg 100000 spindles. including the
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