The news & observer., 1898-05-22
Report of the Labor
lSnringfield Republican.
lioston. Tuesday, Way l1.

able to report unanimously as 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
result of the hearings, have mucn
better understanding of the conditlon~
of the business, and the difficulties at
tending the successful operation OF the
cotton mill plants in the commonwealth.
The cotton industry we found to be
much depressed; the selling prices OF cot
ton cloth had fallen off materially ana
print cloth, a staple of general produc-
ton, had fallen during the year from ~
to 2H cents a 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 n ward. The annual returns of
the corDoratiOns showed considerable
decrease in their assets and IN dividends
declared. There was also large
amount of manufactured goods on hand
and unsold. The manufacturers tried toI
arrange a combination to reduce produc-
ton and advance prices, but were un-
able to induce sufficient number to
in place thereof u 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 in 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 /
a 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 compari- I
sons made in the report above mentioned I
and by figures and explanations made
by the commissioners Of corporations. As
a basis for the lines of the investigation
your committee adopted the following I
list of questions, which will also serve
as a basis for the report which we are
to. make.
L 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-
tion.
2. The establishment Of Southern
mills-There have been no general sta
tistics taken regarding the cotton IN
dustry in the South since 1890, and as
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 in the United
States are located in the South, and
as these are mostly engaged III the manu-
factnre of the coarser grades 1t follows
that upon these lines the Southern mills
are large competitors i'll the business,
The Southern mills have recently been
underselling the Northern mills, on some
of the coarser grades Of goods, and are
a considerable factor in the present pro-
bIem 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 in the commonwealth I
has increased 1 .4S1. III, and in Della
ware, Maryland. Virginia, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia and Elori- |
da the increase has been only 1,2SS,24O, I
and from 1894 to 1896 Massachusetts
increased $50, 162, while the other States /
named increased 779,316.
8. Wages-The wages paid cotton op-
eratives in Massachusetts are substan-
TALLY the same as those paid in other
New England States. In the South,
however, the wages are much less Or- I
binary day labor is paid 33 per cent less
and the piece prices paid are from 2S
TO ~ per cent less.
f. Salaries of treasurers, superIbtend-
epts and other officers.-We have not I
been able to get any definite testimo-
ny 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 h few instances, at least, the salaries /
were reduced when the labor reduction
was made, but not all were so reduced. |
). Dividends and Proiits.-The divi- |
dends paid by the Fall River mlils mi
1896 are about the same. IN most cases,
as paid by the same mills for several
years previously. From 1876 to 1897
there has been 4 very great shrinkagel
and Lawrence there has been similarl
shrinkage, but not 50 marked as in ran
River, aud in the past the dividends mi
these otner cities have been more even
than in Fall River
In few cases large dividends nave
been paid. but this we find due, as IN one
or two cases, to small capitalization, ana
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 overcapitalization. This Is shown!
from the appraisals made for local taxa
ton. In tile past the profits of the bust
ness have undoubtedly been large and
large additions TO the mills have i'm some
instances been made from the profits
and large surplus accumulated For the
past year. however, the profits seem to
have been reduced considerably and
there has been a shrnkage Of the assets
of the corporations, as shown by their