The Portland daily press., 1898-01-12
CONDITION NOT THEORY.
Lowell Cotton Manufacturers Reason
With Employees.
CUT ONLY DROP TO WAGES OF
FEW YEARS AGO.


Not Editors and Ministers-southern
Mills Are Best That Can be Built-No
Change at New Bedford.
Lowell, Mass, January 1.-The
agents from the seven mills which have
posted notices of reduction made public
the following:
To whom it may concern:
The undersigned. local managers OF
the seven principal cotton manufacturing
corporations, of this city, where gem
eral reduction of wages is to take effect
next Monday, consider that circum-
stances justify them in breaking their
rule of silence upon what they are Or
dinarily accustomed to consider theif
private affairs. That portion of the pub
lie which is interested has had spread be-
fore it in the newspapers a large amount
of alleged information, most OF which Is
inaccurate or otherwise misleading; ac-
companied by comment, generally from
persons having no connection or expert
acquaintance with the textile manufact-
uring business, who are therefore liable
to make erroneous deductions, and, lead
away by sympathy to pass unjust Judg-
ments,
Under these circumstances, and IN
view of the threat of strike which will
| if entered upon, affect very large pro-
portion of the people of our whole city,
we think it proper to state authoritative
ly some things which deserve considera-
tion bv every one in this city who is
interested either directly or indirectly.
One would suppose from what is local
lv printed that some new and deadly
attack upon our employees was con-
templated by us.
This is absolutely untrue. There is no
such absurd idea as the quotation en-
bodies in the mind of any Lowell mill
managers. The wage scale to be adopted
is not at all horizontal reduction OF ten
per cent. but is in many If not most
nothing more than return TO the
schedule of September, 1898, Whlch pre-
vailed for.about two years, to August,
1895. At the last named date an advance
of from to I per cent. was maze, dls-
counting what seemed like the d@wnihS
of new prosperity; the event proved
that the advance then given was not
justified. by business conditions. During
the wear ending March, 1886, at which
date an advance was made, wages were
in many cases lower than it is now pro-
posed to put them.
1t is not argument, nor deserving a
serious answer for any one, be he mule
spinner, or clergyman, or editor, to say
to MS that it is not necessary to reduce
wages. because the seriousness OF south
ern competition is exaggerated; or be-
cause this or that alleged cause OF the
depression is open to contradiction; 1T
| is a condition not theory" with which
we are obliged, as business men, to deal ;
and we repeat that the condition is
beyond the possibility of dispute except
! bysignorance or malice We are not con-
sidering the rest of New England. but
our own Lowell concerns, about which
we know.
The only other remedy for our trouble
which has been proposed, is curtailment
of production. This was the only sug-
gestion made to us by the mule spinnefs
| to whom we recently listened. Well the
memories of Lowell people must be
short if they do not remember the stop
pages of the past three or four years.
| More than a million dollars have been
| lost by curtailment from the w-ges,
of our workers within the time named,
and the result has been--what3 Merely
to stimulate the competition from which
we suffer today. Contracts for cotton
| ClOLn 90 lOL Ill IuCoO UeeJo 81 Niio''N'
begging for takers.
| That there are in the south many small
mills, filled with old machinery and run
ming on low grade goods, is true enough,
| but also immaterial. The fact remains
absolutely indisputable that the south
ern mills of recent date which we have
most cause to fear as a competitor, Is
built on the very best plans that the
most skillful engineers of New England
can draw, and the best contractors in the
country can erect: is filled with the best
machinery that America or England car
produce; is officered by able men; and il
turning out first class goods, as coarse
OF as fine as any made in any quantity IL
Lowell, at living profit, at prices which
would net loss to any mill in this city
This we know; let who will deny it.
We invite the careful attention o.
whom it may concern to the points above
stated, which in our opinion are all tha
need be considered to determine wha
action should be taken under the circum
stances. Poetry and eloquence are pleas
ing in their place; unadorned facts arr
what practical men want and what WI
have endeavored to supply to the decis
ion of the hour, that no one may pleat
ignorance of our position.
(OT13lndi SlBAou NY lHoe dSolto VI uii
Merrimac, Hamilton, Appleton, Tremon
and Suffolk, Lawrence, Beott, and Mas
sachusetts corporations,)
ARBITRATION BOARD FAILED.
New Bedford, Mass, Jan. 1l.-Th
state board of arbitration accomplishe'
nothing on it's visit to New Bedford to
, day, and the situation is practically un
changed from it was before the visit
the board. This afternoon the boar
met with the manufacturers and repre-
} sentatives Of the spinners. and the stu
! alton was generally discussed. Severa
propositions looking toward the settle
men of the strike was made, but n
agreement could be reached.
u CHRISTENING OF THE KASAGI.
Washington, January 91.-Mi5s Hele
Long, daughter of the secretary OF til
navy, will christen the first Japanese wa
chin to he launched in the United State