Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-17
THE DAY ARRIVES.
Cutdowns and Strikes Will
Be In Order, Today.
New eed ord Will Be The Scene Of
the Greatest Struggle
And the tyes Of All New England viii
Watch the Battle.

| Boston. Jan l6Thc 10000 or more
skilled operatives employed IN about 20
of the chief GOTTEN mills of the New
| England states viii, tomorrow, come
under the sweeping order of Il new
wage scale. which entails reduction
| OF 10 per cent. or "A little over.
| This reduction viii bring on in New
| bedford. Mass. and Lewiston and
| fiddefoid. Me. labor strikes. when
may prove the beginning of an indus
trial battle greater In extent and more
| disastrous in effect than any In thu.
| previous history Of cotton fabric max
| ing in the United States
| Tn" battle against the corporations
undoubtedly could have been fought
everywhere had not the voices Of men
and women who are lily prepared at
| TINS tim" Of the year To go into en-
forced ihleness been needed by those
| who are claased as conservatives
| AS II IS. the great majority OF per-
| sons employed in nine corporations in
New Bedford ana one corporation each
in two Maine cities win take upon
themselves the task Of rorcIbIe resist
an"e to the reduction. In New Bed
| ford, the nine corporations represent
% mills with over 10000 gpndlcs or
2l,o0o looms, giving means of Hvcll-
hood 10 a little less than 10000
persons
II ~ 10 that city that the attention
of the labor Glasses Of the entire coun-
try win be drawn, and while It Is an
tiCipatod that peace viii prevail. there
is no telling what may come before
the battle is ended
The strikes will be directed by the
LABOR unions, the lead being taken by the
Mule Spinners Unions. the national OK
ecutive committee of which craft has
sanctioned the means Of opposing and
promises financial aid from all the sub
ordinate bodies. The apinuers and weaV-
ers are practically The only branches Of
textile operatives which have maintained
an organization.
one striking feature Of the preliminary
agitation against he .cutdown and the
strike taiK was the plea of the national
labor bodies interested that no strikes
be lnaugurated Except ut New Bedford
and Lowell. and asking that an strength
- concentrate At the former place
Lowell operatives hold In allegiance a de-
clAion to strike, plcdging their support
to the other city.
THE 'tril:ca in the other places men
TONED nave yet to be officially sanctioned
by n" governing labor body
] hi# was quiet Sunday IN every mill
center and especially 40 in New bedford
Their" Isl one feature Of the labor troubles
ANA cutdpwra which may manifest Itself
ana that ~ the return 10 their Cafiadi
homes Of hundreds Of families who
sp"ak the French tongue who flock to The
5tAtca ii tn" winter to secure employ
mont II eF"n very low wages. in the cot
ION mills
I b" following estimate shows the num-
Der " operatives affected by the cutdpwn
but the actual result viii scarcely he Aeen
until the new schedule OF wages is tried.
Knight. GoddarJs and Chase mills In
Massachusetts Rhode Island and CON
uectieuf, employing a total Of 29DpO;
Lowell mills, i5.V1: New Bedford ggyD;
Lewiston. .]10. Fall River 800: Eiddeford
and sa42, fS9 other Maine mills. 1000:
Eash'ia5ysaJ; New Hampshire. other than
VI ngfI1stek8ud Nashua 800; Worcester
eoahlsy41kx iioiyoke. 1909. Vermont. 10
go; sGs EineouH, Gg1.