The Portland daily press., 1897-12-22

production. When we stop our mills,
everyone else runs full time, and II q
ourtailment of production here brings
, ABOUT better prices it is only temporary
ana SIMPLY offers an inducement fnr cap
oai TO build more mills, not in Fall FLY
er, but outside Of Massachusetts.
we work against ourselves every titile
we stop our mills without the co-operas
| tion OF the rest Of the spindles ol
| petitors would be willing to join witt, u, y
IN otfsaliing production only when fall
dlVer Is enabled to manufacture cotuoh
cloth OF as low cost as is possible eise-
| where.
The facts are that Massachusetts mills
work 90 hours per week. the other states
have to hour laws for labor, the Southern
Tuiils run from 66 to " hours weekly,
and IN some cases run day and nighI5.
The cost of labor in the Southern mills
Is very much lower than in New Englanu
and they claim advantage in water pow
CT, taxes, cheap transportation and cheap
cotton as well as in longer hours OF 10
Dor. There mills are as good, but no pet
| Ter than ours and the fact stares us III
| she face that they can undersell us ID
the markets on account of the lower cose
of production.
but reducing labor is not all. Some
concerted action should be taken to see II
| legislation in this state can be made more
friendly to its industries, SO that capital
may be induced to stay here rather than
go outside. The employe and employer
| ought to work together and not CLASH
through misunderstanding and jealousies.
lhelr interests are identical. They eaon
want living out Of this business and
whatever works to the disadvantage OF
one hurts the interests CT the other.
when it is considered that mills in
t2ll RiVor and Macca oh 10 I0Ga
hours than in other states. and that 1t
| IS necessary for US to meet such close
composition in trade under such adverse
conditions, it seems to this committee
eaat nothing is to be gained by putting
| on Ior two months more the date at
whl ea reduction of wages should go in.
10 u eHect, and inaSnuoh as the mills OF
ran River have run during the past year
OF more under conditions so very discour-
aging ana unremuneratiye, during which
| Tune we have tried the experiment OF
curtallment extensively and the commit
| tee OF manufacturers feel that the situa
tion Is such that they must adhere to
their decision that 1t Is absolutely neces-
sary to reduce wages in Fall River mills
II l'9 per cent, said reduction to go into
effect on the third day of January 1898,
10 voted by the manufacturers at meet.
ing held on the eighth day OF December,
| 1897
l VII 4U6u&H OIL C06 commune C0o
manufacturers,
VERY respectfully,
80. G. ROUNSEVILLE.'
At the conclusion of the meeting, the
answer was forwarded by messenger to
Secretary O'Donnell Of the SINNERS
association, who is the secretary Of the
operatives committee. The various sec-
retar1es were seen after the reading of the
answer and their talk indicated opposi-
ton. Secretary O'Donnell said that the
result was great disappointment, but
| he did not care to talk until after the
meeting OF the conference Thursday He
said that if the committee should listen
to the operatives, strike would be put
| In force tomorrow instead of waiting I'M
| til January 3rd.
| Secretary Whitehead of the weavers said
that there was nothing left but action
and that they would act. He felt that
She delegates made good case Monday,
but that the manufacturers did not seem
TO have taken them seriously. They ex-
pected postponement but now 1t re-
mains with the operatives, as whole to
decide upon the action to be taken. The
sentiment among the weavers is to oppose
o cut down.
Secretary Tansey of the Cardera. was
of the opinion that athe sentiment at the
meeting of the conference committee
would be against the reduction and for
resistance. He felt that the arguments of
the delegates IN favor of the propositions
were reasonable from every point of view.
Secretary Mccarthy of the loom flxers
said that the decision WAS contrary to
what he expected. The sentiment in his
union is decidedly in favor OF q strike
and no power on earth can stop them.
They went before the manufacturers as
honest men with honest intentions, but
the manufacturers seem to have taken 1T
rs a bluff. He does not think that the
manufacturers are honest and does not
feel like trying to prevent strike.
Secretary Rounseyille was asked after
the meeting what he thought of M. G.
d. 3orden's attitude and replied that
the manufacturers had acted indepen-
IDENTIFY OF Mr.. Borden and he supposed
that the latter had right to act indie
pendsntly of them. His mills represent
$50, 600 spindles and theirs $3.50, 900
spindles
MR.. BORDEN STANDS ALONE.
Fall River, December 2l.-There was
apparently a misunderstanding some.
where for the announcement by tie 10y
al manufacturers yesterday that the Fall
River Iron Works company. employing
over 2700 operatives, would abide by the
decision of the committee, although the
owner, Mr.. Borden, is not member Of
the association, it was denied by letter
in the following communication today:
1.-THE New York papers of this date
quote me as announcing my determina-
iton to abide by the Recommendation
of the manufacturers committee. Such
a statement is entirely unwarranted,
since have made no announcement of
my determination one way or the other.