The Portland daily press., 1898-11-11
TO THE BITTER END.
Marlboro shoemakers Decide to Fight
Manufacturers.

Marlboro, November 1O.-The Middlesex
shoe factory of Rice & Hurchins COM
pany. this city, opened Its doors this
morning to receive the applications for
employment of shoe workers who are
willing to work under new conditions
which the firm desires to impose on It's
employees The factory, which is one Of
the three the firm has in this city, has
been closed since last August. owing to
strike of its employees against what was
alleged to be the tyranny of a forewoman.
The new rules are directly opposed to
la Dor unions and state that all price lists
and labor agreements between the firm
and representatives Of organizations termi-
mated now and that in the future such
price lists would be introduced that
would insure uniform prices and good
wages. The firm will not allow any In
reference with outside parties and states
must be settled by the shos company and
the shoe workers individually or By COM
mittees. The rules also intimate that
while the company does not claim to In
terfere with the freedom of any person
they employ yet they desire unanimous
withdrawal from all labor bodies and the
company will not recognize the accredited
labor organizations
The factory can furnish employment for
275 operatives and according to the
officials large number of old employees
have already made application for en-
ployment under the new rules.
It is the general impression here chat II
the Middlesex factory can obtain sufficient
help to run the factory, several other
firms, including that OF S. A, House. g.
A. Frye, the O'Connell factory and the
Cotting avenue factory of Rice &
Butchins will run under tho same con-
ditions.
According to certain labor leaders, there
will be hard battle by organized labor
to resist the introduction of such rules,
which they claim practically places the
employees at the mercy of their employers
without any means of self defense Busi-
ness men are using every effort TO avert .
strike, which would mean the enforced
idleness of about 1000 shoe operatives In
this city.
The announcement of the war upon
labor unions by Rice & Hutchins in
their Middlesex factor was followed later
this forenoon by the statement That the
S. n. Howe Shoe company. one OF the
largest concerns of the kind in the state.
had announced that it's employees must
agree to conditions similar to those de-
manded by Rice s. Hutchins. The Howe
company gave their help until November
23 to aocede to the terms Ihls concern
owns four factories in this city ana en-
ployes several hundred hands j. a.
Frye, another manufacturer, has also
notified his employees that he will treat
with them only as individuals and that
he declines to recognize the unions. He
also gave his employees until November %
to agree to his demands.
When these announcements were made
a feeling Of alarm took possession of busi-
ness men and from the present outlook q
serious strike, that may involve many OF
the factories Of the city is imminent.
The local council of all the boot aid
shoe workers unions in the city held q
meeting tonight. and after lengt by dis
cussion in which President Tobin partici-
pated, decided to fight the manufacturers
to the bitter end. A long and hard fought
contest is therefore anticipated, although
the business men of the city will do
everything to avert it.