The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-24
THE TEXTILE WORKERS.
Committees Soliciting Aid For the
New Bedford Strikers.
A LONG STRUGGLE PREDICTED.

Executive Officers of the National
Spinners' Union Meet In Boston-Sec-
retary Ross Thinks the Strike VIII
Probably Last All Summer.
New Bedford, Mass, Jan. 24.-There
is no change In the strike situation. no
attempt was made to start the striking
cloth mills today, and no excitement is
expected at any Of the mills. Secretary
Ross is In receipt of offers to aid the
strikers from Lowell and other places.
At Lowell a subscription paper has
been started by the Lowell Sun, and
the amount subscribed is already con-
siderable. From shop in this city. not
connected with the textile industry. Mr..
Ross has been informed that the work.
men employed there will contribute $50
to the strike fund weekly as long as it
lasts.
The committee of the general strike
committee. composed of representatives
of the various associations, began to-
day to solicit funds for the strike. Gre
dentials, stamped with the official mark
of the union, have been supplied to the
members OF the committee All funds
IctelNcu ny tItlll VIII Dt ueNOleu u tIie
benefit OF the strikers. union and nom
union alike each receiving per capita
share.
The center of the interesting scenes
in the textile troubles temporarily shift
ed from New Bedford to Boston yes
terday to the meeting of the executive
council of the National Spinners union.
This meeting was called to consider the
strike situation in New Bedford, and
also the matter of the Fall River mills
and other mills in New England where
strikes or lockouts are imminent or
have already taken place. The meeting
was one Of discussion rather than of
action although it was resolved to con-
centrate all the efforts of the organiza-
ton on the New Bedford situation.
leaving the Fall River trouble and the
difficulties in other cities for local
unions to handle and adjust If possible.
The principal feature OF the discus
sion was the denunciation of the Ark
wright club, and the charge that that
organization of mill treasurers and
agents Consplred with Agent Chase, of
the King Philip mill. of Fall River. to
substitute ring for mule spinners. There
as to whether Agent Chase was Il will
ing party to what was called the con-
spiracy or had been forced into it by
the Arkwright club. 1t was, however,
generally accented as a fact by the
meeting that the attempt to put in the
ring frames was merely an entering
wedge to put them in every mill in
Fall River.
The spinners say that the machines
do inferior work, and that their IN
PRODUCTION in other mills in New Bed
ford has not been profitable to the mill
owners. In mills where the ring frames
have been placed no dividends have
been paid. An instance was cited of
one mill that had been shut down for
ten years simply because there was no
demand for its product after machinery
took the place of men.
The New Bedford strike situation was
fully discussed, and the general opinion
seemed to be that the settlement of the
trouble would be a long time in coming.
In fact, Secretary Ross said that he did
not look for its solution until far into
the summer, il, indeed, it came then.