The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-12-29
Ii CANNOT BE AVOIDED
FALL RIVER MANUFACTURERS EN-
PLAIN THE WAGE CUT.
The South is n Competitor and Mas
sachusetts Laws Are in Some
Respects UnfavOrnbIe.

FALL RIVER, Mass, Dec. 22-After an
a formal meeting of the manufacturers
committee was held yesterday and the
answer to the operatives proposition was
received. 1t cites the conditions affecting
the industry in Fall River, and the reasons
Tor the proposed reduction in wages. The
ansWe" says in part:
he manufacturers have carefully con-
sldered the propositions submitted to them
by the representatives of the various labor
organizations there assembled.
AS you very wen know, the cotton
mills In Fall River have confronting them
a condition of things, which, to say the
ledSt, IS starting, and the condition of the
cotton cloth trade is such that the mills
IN FaII River find it impossible to disDose
OF their output at such prices as will
euint VI any return Whatever on the
capital invested. The competition which
Fail River mills have to meet has been
Drought about in part by the philanthropy
with which the good people of Massa chu-
setts nave ever shown toward those of her
citlZehs who have appeared to need her
sympathy.
THE hours of labor in Massachusetts
nave been shortened more than in neigh
porlng states, and more than her manu-
1acturers can stand While such laws have
apparently relieved the burdens of the
operatives in the factories, they have really
worked to their financial disadvantages bc.
cause such laws have induced undue com
petition outside of Massachusetts where
hours or labor are longer and where every
iii'uceinent n1d IS offered capitalists to invest
SOUTH CAN COMPETE
THE South has modern mills containing
most improved machinery, and a very low
cost OF labor. MaSSac achuSettS is handi-
capped py the shortest labor hours an ex-s
tremely restricted legislation compared
with other competing states. Mills must
run and earn dividends for stockholders, or
there is no inducement for capital to in
vest in Massachusetts 1t must be evident
to you, as it is to this committee, that
lhere Is no money for stockholders nor for
employees either when the mills are idle or
running on short time, and that it is use
less for the Fall River mills to do all the
curtailing of production. When we stop
our mills every one else runs full time and
ii a curtailment Of production here brings
about better prices, it is only temporary
and simply offers an inducement for cap
ital to build more mills, not in Fall River
but outside OF Massachusetts.
We work against ourselves every time
we stop our mills without the cooperation
OF the rest of the spindles of the country,
and in our opinion our competitors would
be willing to join with in curtailing
production only when Fall River is able to
manufacture cotton cloth at as low a cost
as is possible elsewhere.
THE facts are that Massachusetts mills
work 5S hours per week and other states
have 6O-hour laws for labor; the Southern
mills run from &C to 72 hours weekly and
in some case run day and night The cost
of labor in the Southern mills Is very
much lower than in New England and they
claim advantage in water power taxes,
cheap transportation and cheap cotton
mills good but bpttpr
ours and the fact stares us in the face
that they can undersell us in the markets
on account of the lower cost Of production.
CAPITAL MUST BE FAVORED.
but reducing labor is not all. Some
concerted action should be taken to see if
legislation in this state can be made friend
ly to it's industries, that capital may be
induced to stay here rather than go out
side When it is considered that mills in
Fall River and Massachusetts run less
hours than in other states, and that it is
necessary for us to meet such a close COM
petition in trade undtr such adverse con-
ditions it seems to this committee that
nothing is to be gained by putting off for
two months more the date at which a re-
duction Of wages should go into effect, and
inasmuch as the mills of Fall River have
run during the past year OF more under
conditions so very dscouraging and unre-
munerative, during which time we have
tried the experiment of curtailment ex-
tensively, the committee CO manufacturers
feel that the situation is such that they
must adhere to their decision that it is alb
solutely necessary to reduce wages In Fall
River mills 1l-19 per cent, said reduction
to go into effect the third day Of jan
uary, 1898, as voted by the manufacturers
at a meeting held on the eighth day Of
December, 1897"
The sentiment of the employees is said to
be in favor of resisting the reduction.