The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-09

ing Company paid Ple.s0a. Those are a few Of
the largest. The mills of Fall River. all told,
paid nearly e80o.0 900 in taxes last year.
Take another item OF the fixed charges-for
example, the salaries OF tho mill treasurers.
who are really the heads Of the mills. The
treasurers run things. On tho business capacity
of mill treasurcrs depends the success or the
failure OF tho mills. They run the financial end Of
It as we'll as the manufacturing end. They earn
and deserve large salaries. Their pay runs oil
the way from $500 q year to $4,000 II
averages about s6.5O0 a yer The total pay
OF the mill troasurers in Fall River probar
year. Add that to the taxes. and In those two
items alone are $500. 900 OF fixed charges that
could not under any circumstances DO increased
II the mills ran every minute OF every hour Of
every day Of the year, Sundays and holidays
included.
While the reporter was in New England in
vestigating the cotton question he drove from
Fall River In twenty-five minutes across to
Rhode Island, and he found n mill there that
was working sixty.two hours n week. He drove
o half hour longer and came TO another one
whore they were working sixty-four hours Q
week. and It happened that these two mills
were making practically the same kind OF goods
as tho Fall River mills. So, there at the very
doors Of Fall River wero two mills with nd.
vantages that the law did not permit Fall River
to enjoy. How could Fall River be expected to
cope with thesei
A hundred incidents could DO recited showing
how strictly the law regarding the hours Of
labor is enforced in Fall River. A dozen instances
came under the reporters immediate notice.
One afternoon while ho was sitting in the
factory inspectors Office q member Of one of the
labor unions camo In and informed the inspector
that one Of the mills had. the night before, run
Tan NtntNNa Mo- ,wAa NAIA -
that by the inspector: the mill owner was visited;
he was hauled over the Goals and was informed
that II 1t occurred again no would be hauled TO
court and fined 500. These very employees
who. when a mill Is running with a new force
until 10 o'clock at night, 60 to those mills and
work, run Off to the factory inspector IL their
own mills dare to run ten minutes overtime.
although they arc paid for the ten minutes.
LABOR UNIONS ALLPowERFUJ.
The labor unions in Fall Rive are alLpower-
full. With tho assistance of the law they die
tate to the manufacturer what he shall do and
what not. The first labor union that got a foot
hold there was the Spiuners' Union. There are
only a few hundred spinners. The men who
formed the union got in every spinner there was
in the town. Not ono was left out. and then they
were prepared to do business. The manufac-
Jurors started in to fight them, but times were
good; there was plenty Of demand for the
goods; the increase that the spinners de-
manded didn't amount to more than two
or three thousand dollars in a year, SO
the manufacturers gave in. limo and again
the spinners won. because the things they
wanted cost 80 little. The manufacturers. per-
haps. were not far.seeink. The other operatives
organized one branch after another. under the
tutelnge OF the spinners. until finally every dc.
partment Of the mills was organized. Then, In
stead OF having the spinners TO fight, the manu-
facturers had all their employees TO fight. And
that is the situation to-day so far as the mills
are concerned. Probably a half. possibly more,
Of all the employees in each OF the mills
are members of a labor organization.
and when 1t comes to q strike. every en-
ployee. organized or unorganized. joins. In
place OF the one or two thousand dollars
a year 1t cost the manufacturers to yield TO the
spinners, It costs tens Of thousands a year to
yield to them all, as they have yielded on one or
two occasions. As the labor unions have be-
come stronger In the mills they have also be-
come stronger in politics in Fall River. The old
Secretary Of the Spinners' Union. the man who
conducted all the fights Of that union. became
a State Senator. and is now. 1t is said. worth
100000. A spinner earns about $12 q week.
The present head of the weavers' Union has
served one torn in the Massachusetts House
Of Representatives, and Is now serving another.
EaLL . ~ LAboh-
A great deal is said about tho extraordinary
intelligence OF the labor In Fall River as COM
pared with the labor in the South. The labor
men with whom The Sun reporter talked said.
when tho reporter spoke of the longer hours OF
the South and the various advantages: But
the operatives down there can't do the work
that the men are doing here. They are not as
experienced, and they are not intelligent. If
you ask any manufacturer In Fall River he
will tell you that the labor In Fall River is as
intelligent as any in the world. He will tell
you that this intelligence enables him to turn
out more and better work. The very fact that
those people in the South work for so or rs
cents a day is an evidence that they are not in
telliGent."
The reporter heard Statements similar to this
great many times, and he put tho question of in.
telliRence to a very largo number OF mill mon
with whom he talked. They said it was true
that the labor OF Fall River was as intelligent
as any labor engaged in the cotton industry any
where in the world. but they added:
The degree OF intelligence required to work
In a cotton mill is not so great as they say 1t Is,
and the experience doesn't count for 30 much.
1t is experience and not intelligence. anyway"
said one man. And SO far as experience is
concerned. I will take you, who never until now
have been in a cotton mill, / will take you to
any department In tho mill. will show you what
to do. and in one-half hours time you will be
able to do it. and in two weeks lime you will be
able TO do It as well as YOU could ever do it in
your life.
"Ihavc been through the mills in the South"
said this man. and / have talked with the
laborers there. Tho fact that those people are
willing to work for so or rs cents a day is no
sign that they are not intelligent; 1t is a sign
that they want TO mako money. The fact is
that those people who work in the cotton mills
down there were nearly all OF them farmers. or
farm hands, or the wives or sons or daughters
OF farmers. The life of a farmer in the South Is
hard. He may work q whole year 10 get a bare
living and at the end, perhaps. have $40 or SIS
left. They go TO the cotton mills and they get
their 80 or 20 cents a day, or perhaps a little
more. A whole family may work in "A mill and
altogether they may get as much as $50 a week.
which is n fortune TO them. oh, no, it isn't lack
Of intelligence. it is the lack of money that
makea thoaa Deonle work in the milIs for an nr