The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-11-21
Gives Employees an Advance Of Five
Per Cent Jan. |.
Employees Take 1t Under
Consideration.
Advance Conditional to Accept
ing Entire Scale.

Fall River, Mass, November s0.-Rep-
resen tatives of manufacturers and opera
tivef, consisting Of special committees Of
i've each from the manufacturers asso-
ci alton and the textile council met in the
rooms Of tie mill manufacturers esso-
citation today and after u conference last
ing nearly four hours an agreement was
submitted to the operatives in the form
OF sliding scale which,if accepted by the
operatives. will bring an advance OF
wages amounting to s per cent on jan
usry l. 1860.
The agreement submitted follows:
From and sftsr this dsts, the wages
to be paid to the operatives In the mills
OF this city shall be governed by sohed-
ule based upon the margin existing be-
tween the price Of cotton and the price OF
2s-inch and Ss i-2 inch 6sx6s cloth, made
from the standard yarns required to
make 2s weight seven yards to the pound.
"Ths STANDARD by which wages shall
be figured from time to time shall bs Is
cents per cut for weaving sS-inch 64x64.
and the margin shall be found BY taking
the cost of pounds Of cotton at the price
of New York middling upwards and 45
yards of 2s inch 641e4 print cloth, and
So. 70 yards of 3s i-2 inch 64v64 cloths at
the market price averaged together.
"The margin fixing the prloe Of ID, per
cut for weaving and the existing scale OF
wages shall be 100. II the margin shall
increase to $50 the wages shall be In
creased per cent above said standard.
II the margin shall increase TO o5c then
wages shall be Increased 10 per cent
above such standard. II the margin shall
increase to 1850 then wages shall be In
creased Is per cent above standard.
'If the margin shall decrease to Csc,
then wages shall he reduced per cent
below such standard. II the margin
shall decrease to t5c then wages shall DO
reduced 10 per cent below such standard.
No changes in wages shall be made
oftener than once In six months.
"If, at the expiration Of six month";
period the margin for the previous days
has risen or fallen to either Of thu stand
ards fixed by the agreement. then at the
beginning OF the following six months
the advance OF reuuoblou ehJ1piihhou W
this agreement shall 60 into effect. Said
period of six months shall begin on the
first Monday in January and July Of each
calendar year."
II was further stipulsted that the offer
Of per cent raise on the fret Monday
in January be contingent uDon the accep-
tanoe of the sliding scale followed by its
Introduction.
The textile council received the offer
and agreed to consider 1t and report back
to the manufacturers at their earliest
convenience. This action was in no sense
an acceptance.
NEW BEDFORD INTERESTED.
New Bedford, November 2o.-The COM
mittee from tie labor union met q COM
mittss this afternoon of the treasurers Of
the cotton mills and discussed the subject
Of an advance in wages and standard
scale of wages. After full and free ex-
change of We've, the conference was ad-
iourned to meet In two weeks. With the
action taken by the Fall River manufao-
turers, the operatives here are hopeful
that the manufacturers at the next CON-
ference can see their way clear to grant