The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-24
springfield Republican.
BOSTON. Tuesday. May

OF the legislative labor committee, Is
able 10 report unanimously as i result
Of their recent investigation. The re-
port substantially follows:
Your committee has inquired very
closely into the causes for the
present conditions attending the
cotton industry and believes
that both the employers and laborers as
a result OF the hearings, have 4 much
better understanding of the condition.
Of the business, and the difficulties at
tending the successful operation Of the
cotton mill plants i'll the commonwealth.
The cotton industry we found TO be
much depressed; the selling prices of cot
tom cloth had fallen off materially and
print cloth, Il staple of general prOduc-
ton, had fallen during the year from 2h
to IA cents Il yard, the lowest prices
ever quoted for these goods, the average
price for these goods for the preceding
eight years having been about three
cents IA yard. The annual returns Of
the corporations showed Il considerable
decrease in their assets and III dividends
declared. There was also Il large.
amount Of manufactured goods on hand
and unsold. The manufacturers tried 10
arrange a combination to reduce produc-
ton and advance prices. but were UNI
able to induce Il sufficient number t.
agree to avail much in that way. and
in place thereof Il general reduction in
wages WAS made. This in brief was
the situation generally, which We were
called upon to inquire into.
Your committee desired to investigate
the cotton industry III other States and
make comparisons with the conditions
there, but as the bureau of statistics
Of labor has gone much more extensively
into this question than your committee
possibly could have done, and has made
ii thorough and comprehensive report. We
feel that we would not be justified III
going over the same ground. We have
been much aided in making our report
by the figures. averages and compare
sons made in the report above mentioned
and by figures and explanations made
by the commissioner OF corporations. As
IL basis for the ines Of the investigation
your committee adopted the following
list of questions, which will also serve
as a basis for tho report which we are
to make.
/. The "Dingley Tariff."-The present
tariff on cotton goods is substantially
the same as under the Wilson bill, ex-
cept as to the finest goods, which are
mostly made in New England. it is some
what higher. 1t is agreed on all sides
that the present tariff is sufficient to
give all necessary protection to the cot
ton industry against foreign importa-
ton.
?. The establishment of Southern
mills-There have been no general sta
tistics taken regarding the cotton in
dustry in the South since 1890, and n,
we are convinced that much change has
taken place since then We do not think
these statistics very reliable as to pres
ent conditions. We find. however, that
about one-fourth of the whole number
Of spindles in operation III the United
States are located in the South, ana
as these are mostly engaged in the manu-
%facture Of the cOarser grades it follows
that upon these ines the Southern mills
are large competitors in the business.
Southern mills have recently been
underselling the Northern mills, on some
of the cOarSer grades of goods. and are
Il considerable factor in the present pro-
blem. The number of spindles South
has increased in the past few years con-
siderably. but not sufficiently seriously
to menace the industry in New Eng
land. Since 1891 the number of spin
dies in operation i'll the commonwealth
has increased 1,4S1,717, and in Della
ware, Maryland. Virginia. North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia and Florl-
da the increase has been only 1.2SS,24O,
and from 1904 to 1896 Massachusetts
increased $50, 162. while the other States
named increased U9,316.
g. Wages.-The wages paid cotton OPP
e%ratives in Massachusetts are SGbstan-
tally the same as those paid in other
New England States. In the South,
however, the wages are much less. Or
dino " 1ay l. hoI. iG Maid ~ ppr cont laCc !
and the piece prices paid are from %
to AZ per cent less.
4. Salaries of treasurers, superibtend-
ents and other officers.-We have not
been able to get any definite testimo-
nv as to the salaries of officials, but
have some Indirect information which
leads us to the conclusion that the Sala-
rieS paid are on the whole very good,
and some are large. We have no IN
formation as to salaries paid in other
States and so can make no comparisons.
In Il few instances. At least, the salaries
were reduced when the labor reduction
was made, but not all were 50 reduced.
>. Dividends and Protits.-The diyi-
dends paid by the Fall River mills III
1896 are about the same. III most cases.
as paid by the same mills for several
years previously. From 1896 to 1897
titI1 hiS pSti1 Il ~ SIN "a ST. htS
in dividends. In New Bedford, Lowell
and Lawrence there has been a SimilarI
shrinkage. but not so marked as in Fail
River. and in the past the dividends in
these other cities have been more even
than in Fail River.
In q few cases. large dividends have
been paid. but this we find due, as in one
or two cases, to small capitalization. and
in other cases it seems to be due to some
peculiar advantage in the business, on
account of which the large dividends
have less significance to our present in
Quiry. We find. on the whole. that there
is no Over-capitalization. This is shown
from the appraisals made for local taxa
ton. In the past the profits of the bust
ness have undoubtedly been large and
large additions to the mills have in some
instances been made from the profits
and q large surplus accumulated. For the
past year, however, the profits seem 10