The sun., 1901-10-27
M.C.D. BORDEN AHDHISRIVALs
SURPRISES mn HAS GIVEN THE
PRINT GOODS TRADES.
Raises Wages whea Hb Competitors Tain
sf Reductions -lsta Purchases On
Weak Market Methods That
perplex the Trade - Hh Success.

perple> the TRADE - hh socc~ss'
Just before the end Of September. when
for weeks there had been serious talk Of
an impending strike Of the mill Operatives
at Fall River. owing 20 belief that wages
would have 90 H. cut Matthew e. u Bor-
dan of this city announced an incren-- In
'he Wages Of his mill hande at Fail River Ia
tho extent Of s per cent. Tho announce
mcn' was a surprise and shock TO th" dry
goods trade. a surprise that anybody should
incrca-c wages when the question OF re-
ducing them had been very generally con-
sider-d and a shock bccause this action Of
MIR Borden's upset thu calculations Of his
compe,i,or- and left them wondering how
they were To come out OF the situation.
Now. In l.s- than one month after that
frsi increa-... Mr. Borden has made the
announcement that. heginnins on Nov 2,
there will H. a further increase Of per
cent, h. the rate ~ wages paid Ia his mill.
II his competitors were surprised In Sep
tefnber. they we're still more sstonished
by his October action. They were not
slow In finding motives for his course and.
although tho motives are such a. govern
generally In business. the implications
made In mentioning them were calcu-
lated to place Mr.. Borden's conduct In an
unfavurahle hight IL ~, however. only
b~cau-e his opponents talk louder. usually.
than his friends. that more has been heard
In advcn-c criticism than IN praise Of hiin
Mr. Borden has made his comp-titors
squirm before A. they are many. while
hr IL hu, a single individual. Il might IT,
supposed that sharp and radical move
in.nts by him which disturb them
would come TO he unfavorably regarded
hy many persons In the business world.
aud this would undoubtedly hs the case
II MIR Bordcn's actions caused real upset
In the business situation. but II Il gener-
allv when the situation H. already a dis
turbed one that Mr. Borden administers
his emergency treatment. He has done
this now for several year- and up ca the
pr-sen time. ~ outsiders say. svents have
justified his course no, only In the increase
of his profits hut In a strengthening Of the
market, which his action has affected
MIR Borden Is "a remarkable man. and
his history a. New York merchant has
teen an extraordinary one. Yet he says
that what he has accomplished NAV ba
done by any one who knows the business
Men who know of him only AZ very rich
man. -ay. when this asp'-ct Of the case h
presented.
'Oh. hut with all his money he can do
what TO the r.st Of VA l. impossible
Which l. quite true. Only, Mr. Borden
made all his money by conducting his busi,
ne-s along the lines which he perceived
Co 10 those Of large suc',@ss .,
Hes done IL all night here, said another
successful New York dry goods merchant
yesterday -Why, ! remember when Matt
Borden used to com" around her" with
print cloths under his arm, selling them
In few words this u what he has done
He came hero a. a clerk. he becane firm
me-ni-.r. when his father died leaving IN"
Fall River business in state of failure
and he disagreed with his brother. AZ "a
business management. he bought out his
brother, reorgsnizad the business and
built u M 40 that " n one OF the greatest
plan,- Of its kind in the world. he hranched
out established a mill Of his own 20 feed
his printing esta bile hment. equipped him.
sssf 80 that he can now make bo.oOO pieces OF
cotton cloth a week and PRINT 5000 pieces
week. employing a.0oo rnan TO do u. he
pro@pered until he can now. single handed.
cNec, his transactions In millions 81 .Dn.-
on ~ single deal-and manipulate IN"
market NJ no other single interest can.
To sfe~' the reorganization Of the fah
River business he nan into debt 20 the eN,
tenn 81 the very utmost credit ne could
get to-day he devoie- two hours daily 10
hi- Office. lunches on bread and milk. and
enjoys life on his luxurious yacht-
This - mo sort ot man with whom the
drv goods men have 10 reckon. so " j. not
20 ~. wonder,Nd A. th1t they have thing
20 say about him There are said Ia n"
70 OOD tnen employed IN the Fall River mills,
-o that hc has le-- than eighth ~ them
The value - the mill plants up there ~
nesrly s:O.c'Gn. and all the other manu-
fac,tIrer~ az. handed together ln mantiia"-
ttirers' association But Mr. Borden CpIs-
VIII them hv himself He ~iir- them up. u
ss,erns. whenever b. wants 20, but 80 far
~ j. known they sre not able 10 do any
thing to hun A. any ratr II they do ht
HIM little or nothing i hoard about n.
buf when h- hits them. A. he has don" just
now by his ~ rs'r cent. adNancH m IN"
wHg,-s of his employees, u f"n'ica a Cal'Hi
20 what l. going On Hls "n"mie~ con
denim him. hi- admirers smile cuinplafS'nilv
a. another trick turned, and usually az"
able g. point oui thif while he has uade a
p-ufit for himself h. has Hl-p relI"v"t the
general situation II II hss b'cn a had one.
A. u ha- br.n H. previous insthno'~, ="
in this one. Mr. Borden'S friends say VA
had h. not advanced wage, Ia his miliS
ia-i september, th"r, would certainty
have ts-.n n strike In fali River, for the
% her manufacturers would hhve c'it wsgs-
and tii" OPERATIVES Npuii not have stood
the cut ib. action In raising the wages
IN hi- mill made u impossible Tor the other
manufacturers 10 lower them In their mills
H- had lu-t previously bought several
hundred Thousand pis,~es 81 gray cloth. .
priC,-s stineuing on hiS purchase, and sino~
then and b. consequence ~ tht act, an
other merchant ~aid yes'erdav, the msrkei
hAS tssn stronger Hl- purclas~~ 81 Tho
gray PRINT CLOTHS sent up the price from two
and seven sixteenth cents to thren osnts
When that adyanc~ was followed hy
Mr. Bor,!en's announcement that he would
pay his workman pr cent more wage.
ii~rr ar,~c th" usual speculation a. 10 lu~i
what hi- sch"me uf buslnes> was Hi-
adverse crl,io, said that u" had found