The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-19
HOWARD TALKS.
Answers Recent Claims Made by
Cotton Manufacturers.
Why Reduction OF Hours of Labor Will
MOI Iujure tn: Textile Industry.

Fall River, Mass, March 19.-In reply
60 the arguments of the cotton manufac-
turcrs relating to the danger of southern
competition if the hours of labor in Mas
sachusetts are decreased, Secretary Rob
ert Howard of the Mule-spinners Associa-
tion said today:
'Since the passage of the 5s-hour law
in this state, no state in the Union has
Increased the number Of her spindles as
this state has done, and none has made
better average dividends in the cotton
mills controlled by them than have been
made by the mills of Fall River and else
where I'm this vicinity. Take the same
number of mills and the same number of
dividends and outside mills cannot com-
pare with Fall River mills. It has been
said that the Fall River mills can stand
southern competition If the help do not
crowd the manufacturers. There Is no
state I'm the Union that has as good help
as the state of Massachusetts They have
been drawn here by the shorter hours and
the higher wages. There is no city in the
cotton manufacturing business that has
as good help rs Fall River has. / have
told the mill men over and over again,
when discussing the matter OF southern
competition. that if they can show me
that the production per spindle or loom is
greater in hanks or cuts than the produc-
tion Of operatives i'm this city and i'm our
mills, L will cease to agitate until the
South has come to our standard, and /
think that Others will cease also.
1T Is said that the state is Handicapped
by the adjoining state of Rhode Island
where no 5S-hour law Is i'm force. We
can boat Rhode Island mills and we do
beat them in the prnduct per loom and
spindle. Rhode Island mills do not aver
age over 5S hours per week because they
give time for cleaning and for washing
up, while the mills i'm this city require the
operatives to work up To the last minute.
II agree with the manufacturers that
1t would be faircr and better If we could
secure national legislation and ! would be
willing To help them To secure national
legislation from Congress at any time.
lin answer To the statement that they
may organize u crusade and have the 5S
hour law repealed or have 10 erased from
the books l think that kind of talk is all
folly. IL is folly To think they cannot
prosper under s hours. The southern
mills have been compelled To curtail pro-
duction as well as have the Fail River
mills. They had tn curtail production
last summer and at that time all the de-
tails of the shut down were published in
the papers. Mr. Mason, their secretary,
said ut that time that unless some of the
southern mills could secure foreign
markets they would have To close them
and keep thom closed
They say the restrictive laws are hurt
ing them They've lost no more ting than
the mills anywhere else. WEREN'T the
mills I'm Rhode Island and Maine and
New Hampshire compelled to shut down
Look over the stock list and sec the prices
at whichFall Rriyer mill stocks are selling
and see If they are not above par That
is the best gauge OF the condition Of the
mills. T"