Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-12
Many Employees Believe Strike
is Imminent.
E. j. MoULToN STATEMENT.
Quotes Wages Earned By Some
of the Hands.
Believes That Strike Would Neither Harm
the Town nor the Firm Dissatisfied Help
May Seek Other Employment.


makers are very gloomy people today.
A strike is imminent. Prices have been
cut at the c. II. Moulton factory, and
many of the hands employed are great
ly dissatisfied with the new schedule of
prices. The treers will feel the effect of
the reduction in wages more than the
help in the other departments. The first
Of the present week price schedules
We're posted in the bottoming depart
ment; the Iasters grumbled considera-
bly, at the change, but the shop rum just
the same, and the help kept at work.
Later on, majority Of the women en-
ployed in the stitching department were
| nOtlf1ed that their wages had been re-
! duced 10 per cent. Wednesday morning
a schedule of prices was posted in the
/ freeing room, which caused still more
talk The boot treers We're not cut, but
| the following prices show that the shoe
| treers have received a cut in wages,
which WILL in some instances, .necessi-
tate their moving tC other towns for
| employment:
Grain strap and dress on tree, former
price per case $0.0S, new price 5000:
grain wet, machine man, former price
per case $0.19, new price $O.071a; box
| toe strap and block, former price per
| case $O.0S to $0.13, new price $0O5; kip
ana split stoga machine man, former
| price per case $0.12, new price sO07l6
kip and split, creased, former price so O5,
new price 1904; split bal, machine man.
former price S0.12 new price 5000: the
freeing price Of satin balls was not cut.
Inc treers are downhearted, and claim
that, work as hard as they can now.
they cannot average $150 a day. and
Ihey have heretofore been making from
S1.I5 to $2.75 a day.
Superintendent E. J. Moulton of
the G. III. Moulton factory, told a, Spy
/ reporter today that the firm was well
aware that certain of the help would
4 gfu1nble at the new methods which the
ilfm was introducing. He gave the fol-
rowing statement for publication in the
i spy, zone would naturally suppose
from the talk and criticism heard on
the streets and among certain of the
help, that the people in this factory
were very much abused. I would saw.
4 however, that in some instances we
nave made it possible for the help to
d make more pay under our new sched-
uIe of prices In the freeing depart
ment we must tree shoes for much less
} than we have been paying. I engaged
man to come here last fall to do a
certain amount of work After he
work was unsatisfactory and I was
paying him cents more than he ought
} TO receive, yet kept him all through
the winter and now think it no more
than right to cut the price. We are
simply arranging our prices so that we
can do business here. We pay as much
for piece work as is paid at other shoe
factories. The laSters have been cut
121a per cent Yet they will have more
work and make as much money as
they have made heretofore"
How can they make as much money
as heretofore?'
well, where six men formerly did this
work, five will now do the work The
six men formerly did 20 cases a day,
and the five men will now do % cases.
We cut the price of some of the stitch
ers 10 per cent, but let me tell you
what some Of these girls and women
earning. Here is what one woman
earned for nine consecutive weeks:
$1404, $15.49, $15.S4 $12.43, $10.05, $14.24,
S14.01, $1469, $1S.08 This is an average
of what the women earned whose wages
we reduced 10 per cent. Another woma
ans pay for ten weeks ranged from
$1093 to $1696. With these figures be-
fore us, 1 don't consider that we have
used the stitchers very bad. OF course
we dislike to reduce the wages Of our
help, but it is this way: At our large
factory at Dover, N. H, we can do this
same work for the prices we have re-
Gently scheduled here, and we cannot
afford to pay higher wages at our
Brookfield factory than we do at the
Dover factory.
eve are doing the best we can for our
help, and we shall continue to do so.
These things are done because it is
absolutely necessary. We have reason
to think that our lasters and heel trim
mers will make more money than for
merly. [ have put in a new heel trim
ming machine, which will enable the
heel trimmer to make $500 a day and
over which is not less than what he has
been accustomed to earn And as far as
a strike is concerned, [ care no more
about a strike than do about your go
ing home We don't anticipate a strike,
and if there should be one, believe it
| would hurt neither the firm nor the
town. If the men don't wish to work
under our new schedule of prices, they
can go elsewhere to work We purpose
| to put more money into this town this
season than ever before"
The stockholders of the Moulton fac
tory do not feel disconnected by the ac-
lions of the c. H. Moulton firm, and
they are satisfied to allow the shoe firm
to carry on its business without inter-
ference.
Superintendent E. ]. Moulton says
stock will be taken soon, preparatory to
a large seasons business. Mr. Moulton
also said that a greater amount of bust
ness, by far, was being done at the
factory than one year ago. Three hum
/ bred people are now employed and the
factory is run ten hours day. In a
few weeks the factory will be running
at full capacity and 400 hands will have
employment.
CAMBRIDGE ANSWER ARRIVES.