The Florida star., 1901-11-29
KEEPS THEM 1T WORK.
That Is Matthew Borden's Way of Treat
Ing His Employees.

shot As nSsihoW Doroen's way OF Ireat-
Ing His Employees.
FALL RIVER. Mass, Nov. 28.-"What
viii Borden dor Is the question which
Fall River cotton goods manufacturers
ask themselves when they contemplate
making a change In the rate of wages.
the price Of goods or the regulation of
the output. 1t gals them to do II: but.
despite the fact that Mr.. Borden oper
ates but one of the fifty cotton cloth
factories In this city. they are com
nelled to do as he does in the matter OF
wages. prices and production. They
must follow the lead Of the Calico
King" however distasteful 1t may be
to them.
Mr.. Borden. however. does not return
the compliment and ask what they will
do. but goes ahead with boIdness and
independence and does what he thinks
will return the best profits to himself
and keep his people at work at just
rate Of wages. While he does not pose
as philanthropist or the especial
champion Of labor. he has repeatedly
raised the pay Of his employees when
other manufacturers sought 10 lower
the schedule and kept his plant run
ming when others would have closed
down their mills When the markets
were glutted with the Fall River prod
uct. Mr.. Borden would buy up the sur,
plus, thus keeping his own employees
at work and compelling the other man.
ufacturers In self protection to do the
same.
Thus MIR. Borden has come to be
regarded by the $4,000 textile workers
In this city as their best friend and
most powerful ally and by tie manu-
facturers as a radical labor agitator.
an upsetter of values and a disorgan-
izing element In business. The fact
Is he is neither Of these. neither the
ally of the laboring people nor the
enemy of the manufacturers. but SIM
ply q shrpwd business man. much
In the manufacture and sale Of the
commodity formerly and familiarly
known as calico.
If Mr.. Borden's conduct OF his bust
ness inures to the benefit Of the work
ers or causes the discontinue Of the
manufacturers. he claims neither cred
Ii nor accepts blame.
Mr.. Borden does not believe 1t neces-
sary TO reduce wages close factories
or restrict production every now and
then on the ground that the market
is glutted and that there is no demand
for the goods. He insists that the
thing to do Is to go out and find
market instead of sitting around and
cutting down mill hands wages"
Early in his career Mr.. Bordep form
ed certain definite ideas how best to
make and protitably sell print cloths.
Among these were the desira bility. at
times the necessity, of keeping the
operatives steadily at work and the
desirability of paying them the high
est wages that the conditions of the
business would warrant. To this poll
cy he has steadfastly adhered. though
frequently running counter to the no.
tions Of other manufacturers.
1t is perhaps not so much Mr.. Bor-
denis plan of conducting his factory
and his treatment Of his employees as
his bold anG sometimes quite sensa-
tional manipulatiOns Of the print cloth
market that is the particular painful
thorn in the side of his competitors
They have often rebelled against his
dominating influence In the market. and
combinations and pools have been
made against him. These he has al
ways thwarted. remaining master OF
the situation
Matthew e. d. Borden belongs 10 an
old Fall River family. founded two
centuries ago. Matthew early develop
ed his fathers genius for business. He
was educated at Yale and Immediately
upon his graduation began to learn the
cotton business. starting as a stock
clerk in a New York jobbing house.
From this position he rose TO be a
PARTNER in a commission house han
ding Fall River goods. He began as
manufacturer In 1897 and today con-
trolls and operates the largest print
cloth plant in this city and probably In
the world. employing $500 hands. con-
suming 1000 bales Of cotton and turn
ing out 60.OO0 pieces Of cloth a week.