The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-08-21
A NEW ENGLAND MILL TOWN
Foreign Operatives Taking Possession
the Manufacturing Points.

dI ANdLiCh, IeuOOO ISlouO, WHICH 10 all H.
tents and purposes is counted the most
typical of mill towns in all New England.
Many of our readers may care to know
what an eastern mill town is like, hence
our excuse for giving the result of our
observations. Natick is a country vii
lage, nine miles from Providence, of
about 1000 people, and nearly every
man, woman and child is dependent for
support upon one industry, the big cot
ton mill owned by the firm of B. B. & r.
Knight. While this firm operates from
20 to 30 mills throughout New England,
the one at Natick is the largest of the
group, if not in the state. The mill was
originally one of the Sprauge properties
and consisted of four separate factories
which have later been joined in one large
building 1900 feet in length, five stories
high and employs 1900 hands besides the
bosses, heads of departments and other
laborers. It's rated capacity is 100000
spindles and consumes just about car
load of raw cotton each day. The Pow
tucket river furnishes one of the finest
water powers in the state, having 80
foot head which is drawn on for it's full
capacity in furnishing power for the
acres of moving machinery but these
are supplemented by four steam engines
ranging from $50 to 200 h. p. each, so it
can readily be seen that an enormous
amount of motive power is required to
| operate mill of this character.
The old custom for the mill company
to own the houses of its operatives is
still in force here and the 400 or more
double tenaments, built exactly alike,
painted alike, with the same style picket
fence, does not give the town the variety
of architecture that is pleasing to the
eye. The average rental to each family
is only about 500 per month, which is
cheaper than for the operatives to own
the property. The houses are generally
kept in good repair, neatly painted, even
to the white picket fence surrounding
them. Some wholesome sanitary re-
strictions lending to the health of the
community are rigidly imposed. which
could scarcely be enforced if the resi-
dence property was not owned by the
mill company. For instance, none of the
tenants are permitted to keep COWS, pigs,
chickens, or to have garden plats. and
the garbage, cess pools, etc, are removed
regularly by the company, as evidence
that the company is mindful of the SAM
tary condition of it's town. There is
company department store where the
hox oh
but the rent and store account is de-
Quoted from the weekly pay roll of the
operatives. The town also has half a
score or more of other stores, shops, sa-
looms, ETC., but their patronage evidently
must come from the mill hands. The
company has in connection a 200-acre
farm devoted largely to dairying and
raising vegetables. About rs cows are
kept and milk sold to the families of the
operatives. Milk is delivered both morn
ing and evening and COWS are driven TO
the barn at what must appear to west
ern dalryman as unreasonable hours
2 o'clock a. m. and o'clock p. M are the
milking times. Mr.. I'll. E. Miner, a
former resident Of Milton Junction, is in
charge of the mill company farm and we
found him in the midst of putting up a
2OO-ton crop Of hay. The corn crop last
season reached more than 1000 bushels,
which is considered big for New Eng
land farm. The team work on the place
is done largely by three yoke of oxen,
though fine horses are kept on the farm.
The township OF Warwick in which
Natick is situated is considered the rich
est town in Rhode Island. 1t embraces
territory about 5 miles wide by IL long
and includes half dozen or more other
mill towns, has population of $4,000
and an assessed valuation of $4,000 900.
A township government by seven select
men prevails, and the town house at APP
ponang is a handsome structure costing
$4,000. The board has control of grant
ing excise licenses, keeps the macadam-
lied highways in repair. A system of
water works has been installed in sew
eral of the villages, and all the main
travelled highways in the town are light
ed with electricity. All these improve
ments are enjoyed by tax of about S19O
per 81, 900 valuation. We were surprised
to learn, however, that such thing as
high school is not maintained at public
expense in any one of the villages in the
town, though the town pays portion of
the tuition of students who desire to at
tend outside high schools.
IQOS0 VINO remember a mill town or
generation ago would scarcely realize the
conditions as they now exist. Three dis
tinct changes have taken place in the
nationality of the operatives. Then the
mill hands were the descendants of the
Puritans, who later were supplanted by
importations of Irish help, but these
now have disappeared and in their stead
have come foreign speaking population
that is fast overrunning all New Eng
land. First to come were the French
Canadians and later the Italians are Civ
ing them a close race for supremacy in
the mills and factories. At Natick 50
per cent of the operatives in the big mill
are either French speaking or Italians
and one will hear as little English spok-
en- on the streets as he would in foreign
land. | watched bunch of boys play
ing ball for time one evening and the
only ineligible language heard was when
the youngsters attempted to swear. [
am told thatthe laboring man through
out New England is invariably an Italian