The sun., 1898-01-09
American Cotton Spinning.

We print elsewhere this morning the in
teresting result of a most careful and very
extended observation by q competent re-
porter of the present state of the cotton
manufacturing business in New England
1t is we'll known that this business is
greatly depressed, and Is, In fact, In criti-
cal condition. During the current year
most of the mills paid very small dividends
and many of them paid no dividends at all.
A great reduction in the wages of the mill
operatives has become effective. Tho op.
eratives have assented grudglngly to the
reduction, but they intimate that they
will join in general strike as soon as the
time becomes opportune and that they ex-
pect return to the old scale Of wages after
a short period. Our reporter has conferred
with those Immediately charged with the
management of all the important mills,
with the bankers whose business Is inti-
mately connected with cotton manufacture.
ing and with number Of intelligent work.
men. What he has discovered is this:
The new competition of the Southern
mills, of which SO much has been heard,
while very considerable apd likely to be
greater in the future than 1t is now, Is not
in itself the controlling factor in the pres
ent situation and alone would not have
brought about the present crisis. The New
England mills have peculiar advantages in
their own location, which, DO far, have sus-
tained them.
Manufacturing In Massachusetts, is espe-
cially oppressed by the ridiculous labor
laws of the State. which compel the opera.
tives there to work less number Of hours
per day than do the competing operatives
In other States. To meet the competition
of Rhode Island and the South the Massa-
chusetts manufacturers must reduce wages
or work their hands longer hours.
The centre of the cotton manufacturing
business In New England is In the city of
Fall River, and great share of the prod.
ucts of the mills there is low grade of
cotton goods-print cloths and similar fab
RIGS. 1t is In these that the competition of
the Southern mills is most acute. More.
over, there is not the same comparative de.
mand for low grade goods that there used
to be. The women operatives in Fall River
itself will not wear the same caliooes that
their mothers and grandmothers used to.
While the demand for these goods is. of
course, greater than IL was, 1t is not 80
great In proportion to the increased popu-
lation Of the country; and there has been
substituted for it largely the consumption
of goods of o high grade, now to be pur-
chased at much less cost than formerly.
The large stock of manufactured goods
now on hand In New England was made
out Of cotton purchased at much higher
prices than that now prevailing. But the
price of raw cotton huctuates widely, and
as 1t Is selling now below the cost of its
own production. the manufacturers hope
that In the coming year the average cost of
their raw material for the two seasons will
be reduced to degree that will afford
them profit In its manufacture.
All agree that the chief cause of the
trouble is overproduction. More goods are
turned out than there is market for, and
1t is reasonable to estimate that there are
33 per cent. moro spindles running In the
manufacture of cotton fabrics than are
necessary to supply consumption. The
remedy for all this obviously is curtail-
ment of production. But how shall II
be brought aboutf The mill owners at Fall
River, where the distress is most acute, say
that they cannot effect the curtailment
alone. and that II they were to stop their
mills the output of the mills In other places
would be sufficient to supply the demand.
and Fall River would be ruined absolutely
and forever They say, and they say wisely,
that 1t will be much better to keep up the
process of production, with its resultant
general depression Of prices, until all the
mills are willing TO Join In common
scheme Of curtailment. Those who are
best informed Haors than hint that the
emily solution q the problem n q AnAL,