Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-12-04
THE WAGE QUESTION.
All Cotton Mill Operatives Looking for The
10 Per Cent. Advance.

Boston. Dec. 3-The one question
among the cotton mill operatives of
New England is that of securing 10
per cent advance with the Fall River
operatives.
The slasher tenders met at Fall
River, Saturday night, and voted to
accept the 10 per cent and sliding scale
offer.
1t was stated at Providence. Satur-
day, upon the authority of one of the
largest cotton manufacturers in this
state, that wages would be increased
at once to the same figure which VIII
prevail in Fall River The notices VIII
probably be posted. Monday or Tues
day, in the Pawtuxet and Blackstone
valley mills.
A meeting Of the managers of the
New England Yarn Co has been called
at Taunton, for Monday, when the
wage question and the increase of 10
per cent. will be discussed in all its
bearings So far as can be seem how
ever. the'increase will be granted, to go
into effect on the 11th of the month. in
accordance with the plans of the Fall
River manufacturers. The Whitten-
ton and Corr mills and the other little
fellows will undoubtedly follow suit.
although none of them has made any
definite arrangements to this end.
An advance in wages is to go into eff
feet at the Ashland cotton mills, in
Jewett City, CT, this week. The in
crease will amount to per cent.
Should there be an increase in wages
in the Lowell cotton mills. this winter.
it would affect about 5000 employees.
who are earning now about $50 600 per
week. An increase of 10 per cent
would bring the aggregate weekly pay
rolls in the cotton mills up to nearly
a round 100000.
Though no statement of their inten-
tions has come from the officials of the
cotton mills of Biddeford and Saco Me.
it is firmly believed that an increase III
wages equal to that adopted in Fall
River will go into effect there after the
sem-annual accounts Of the corpora
tions are completed, at the close Of this
month.
The Lewiston. Me. mills employ nearly
6000 persons, and 4 rough estimate Of the
amount paid them weekly would be he
tween $4,000 and s6o000 There has yet
been no general raise in wages For some
time past wages have been put up in
some departments in the mills. The Lew
iston mills have always paid as hign
wages as those in other places doing the
same class of work. and no doubt the
wages will be advanced. As yet the man
ayers have had no consultation in rela-
ton to this matter
The news of the increase IN wages in
the cotton mills of Fail River was re-
ceived with joy in Manchester y. H.. and
the prospect of 4 similar increase in
wages there has caused a feeling of grcat
satisfaction among the thousands of mai
operatives, the merchants and the people
in general. A ~ per cent. increase would
mean much To Manchester, ana in the
course of Il year would put nearly S6d0.Oul
additional in the pockets of the laboriug
classes At the present time the pay roI
of the cotton mills there amounts t.
about sll2,W0 per week 10 per cent
increase would mean an addition of about
$ll 200 per week to the pay of the opera
tives
The increase of wages in New Bedford
cotton mlls-fOr it IS conceded as sure to
come. although the question has not yet
been decided there-wiil mean JOY to
nearly 1900 operatives, and will add
about $4,000 more to the weekly wages
earned by the toiers.
Earrs Book, issued at Fall River at the
beginning Of the present year, included
statements of mill statistics up to the end
of 1895 According to these figures there
were 2s,297 hands employed in the mills,
and the weekly wages paid We're Slll.39
Last April, the operatives received n
week The pay roll Of the mills is now,
therefore. sl32, 1872 per week Under 10
per cent. advance on this sum. Sl92.2. the
mills after Dec. II. will be paying S2ll ,1'
per week to their employees.
At the Iron Works Mills the 10 per cent.
advance will go into effect, next Monday
Before the increase Of l2l2 per cent, last
spring, 2I00 employees were receiving SlI,CDj
per week; then its wage schedule per
week amounted to S19 l25. The advance OF
10 per cent. which will go into effect