The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-17
WHEELS STOP.
TheF'Era of Prosperity" Rudely
Ends This Morning
At New Bedford, Mass. and g.
900 Operatives Idle.
1T MUST BE A MISTAKE
About the Gold Standard Open
ing New EngIand's Mills.
Fight Begun Against Cut of
10 Per Cent in Wages.
IT MUST BE A MISTAKE

New Bedford, Mass, Jan IA shut
down, the most complete in the history
of the cotton mills of New Bedford, be-
gan this morning.
Not spindle was turning, not a loom
in motion in the factories of the cloth
corporations an hour after the usual
time of beginning work. Between 40 and
so operatives went into the Bristol and
25 or 80 into the Whitman, but aside
from these no mill made any show of
running, and these two soon shut down.
Nine corporations operating IS mills
in which upwards of 5000 hands are
employed are involved in the strike.
The cut down is uniform all over
the city. 10 per cent. The total pay roll
of these corporations is estimated at
$4,000 weekly.
Boston, Jan. 1.-THE $4,000 or more
skilled operatives employed in about 20
of the chief cotton mills of New Eng
land states will today come under the
sweeping order of a new wage scale
which entails a reduction of 10 per
cent or more. This reduction will be-
sin in New Bedford, Mass, Lewiston
and BiddefOrd, Maine, labor strikes
which may prove the beginning of an
industrial battle greater in extent and
more disastrous in effect than any in
the previous history of cotton nanufac-
turing in the United States. The battle
against the corporations undoubtedly
would have been fought everywhere,
had not the voice of men and women
who are i'll prepared at this time of
year to go into idleness, been needed by
the conservatives.
AS it is the great majority of persons
employed in nine corporations in New
Bedford and one corporation each in
two Maine cities will take upon them
selves the task of forcible resistance to
the reduction.
In New Bedford, the nine corporations
represent % mills, giving means of uv-
HhoOd' to nearly ten thousand
The strikes viii be directed by the Ia
Dor unions, the lead being taken by the
Mule Spinnars' union, the national ex-
ecutive committee of which has sane
toned the strikes of opposition and
promised financial aid. The spinners
and WeaVerS are practically the only
maintained organization. One striking
feature of the preliminary agitation
against the cut down and the strike
talk was the plea of the national labor
bodies interested, that no strikes be
begun except at New Bedford and Low
ell, and asking that all strength be
concentrated on the former place.
Lowell operatives held in allegiance a
decision to strike, p1edging their sup
port to the other city. The strikes in
the other places mentioned have yet to
be officially sanctioned by the govern
ing labor body.
There is one feature of the labor
troubles and cut downs which may
manifest itself and that is the return to
their Canadian homes by hundreds of
families, who speak French, who flock
to the states in winter to secure en-
plOyment.
Following is an estimate of the num-
Der of operatives affected by the cut
down. but the actual result will scarce
1y be seen until the new schedule of
wages is tried:
Knight. Goddards and Chase mills in
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con-
necticut, 10000; Lowell mills, 49, 900;
Lewiston, 5000; Fall River, 1000; Bidde-
ford and SacO, 1000; other Maine mills
1000; Nashua, 1900; New Hampshire,
other than Manchester and Nashua, g.
600; Worcester county, 5000; HOIyOke
10000; Vermont, 10000; miscellaneous,
5000.
Woonsocket, Jan. 1.-THE 1900 people
employed in the Social, Globe and
NOurse mills of the Social Manufactur-
ing company and the Clinton mill in
this city went to work at reductions of
wages averaging it is stated about 10
per cent. Fears are felt that trouble
may yet arise.
BiddefOrd Me. Jan. 17-Every de-
partment of the PeppereH and Laconia
mills, in this city and all the depart
ments of the York mills in SacO with
the exception of the carding and mule
spinning rooms shut down today as a
result of the decision of the operatives
to resist a 10 per cent reduction in wag-
eS, which was to go into effect today.
At the York mills in SacO, the Weav-
ers remained out and We're followed by
the slashers and ring spinners. The
cut at these mills is said to average II
per cent. There are ], 500 operatives
and 81 240 spindles. The management
of the mills refuse to say what their
policy will be.