The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-01-12
Wcavers at the Geneva
Mill Are Now Out.
MErcALF's STATEMENT.
Strikers Say That His Figures Are
Very Misleading.
TWO LOOM SYSTEM CONDEMNED

The sitution at wanskuck today remains
unchanged. Everything is very quiet ana
bout the only signs of activity are In the
groups of men standing on the corners
discussing the mater among themselves,
+ but there Is much unwillingness On their
part to talk in general and this is to DO
taken rs o sign that the men are deter
mined among themselves but fully real
ize the necessity of preserving order ana
quiet. and no ons cares to assume the
responsibility of saying anything about
the situation that could In any way COM
promise the position OF the men. Every
thing il left to the Judgment OF the n o
in control of the strike.
A meeting is TO be held tonight for the
purpose Of organizing branch OF the
Textile Union. and after that the exact
position OF the weavers can prOpaoly 10
officially defined.
Considerable stir was created among
the men here when they Sead the state
,nent made by Mr.. Metcalf yesterday.
Itey declare that the statement Is highly
misieading. They say they DO no lind so
much fault with the amount OF their
wages.
Ine weight Of their complaint is that
they have To do two mons work and that
they will stand linn for the singing out
OF the broad looms.
One of the men best posted on the
question and best qualified to consider
the statements made 10y Mr.. Metcalf said
tnat the advance OF cent yard on work
made with over 10 harnesses does not
necessarily mean an advance OF 20 per
cent to the weayers, for the work that Is
now made on looms using more than 10
harnesses can be put on to looms using
less than ten by simply making some
few changes In the harnesses. III this
was done no advance would result and
the mill would be- making the same pat
terms as at present. Go the men do not
1c0K upon this proposal as genuine one.
In regard to the statement made by
Mr.. Metcalf that there was no general
cut down In 1893 the men say that there
was cutdown. That where wages were
not actually out the operatives were
Obliged TO do additional work. For in
stance. the filters were required to pick
up the bobbins In the alleys that BOYS
were formerly employed To pick up at IS
q week. So the moppers were required
to do sweeping in addition TO their form
er work. About the only men that were
not affected were the 1talinns, who only
got about 80 or 20 cents day.
1t ID further stated that tho clay goods
are not made to any great extent on the
broad looms. and that the singing out OF
these looms would not affect tho Ameri-
can market In relation To the English
goods.
The broad looms are In use in the
Rkersidc and Washington mills, and
onyy one loom IL opsr ated by each weaver.
The class OF goods that Is made sn these
], oms is called heavy goods, and the
men say that IL is altogether too much
for one man to do to run two Il these
looms
The Riverside mills are also makers of
clay goods, aud they are made on the
csin loon 5 largely, as they are partly in
Wsnskuck.
Tie complaint is not on the clay goods,
bur On the broad looms, and this ques-
tion, the men say, Is one that Mr.. Met
calf studiously avoids To bring out.