The sun., 1903-11-13
WHAT CUT COTTON WAGES 4?
BULL PRICES IN RAW COTTON is
FALL RIVERS VERSION.
Manufacturers Say They Can't Raise Print
Goods Prices and Keep the Market
Another Version Is That Fall River
Can't Compete With Southern Mills.


Another Version Is That Fail River
Can't Compete With Southern Mills.
The reduction OF 10 per cent. in the wages
OF some 10000 cotton mill operatives in
| Fall River, Mass, of which formal an
nouncement was made yesterday. caused
no surprise in the cotton goods trade in
| New York. In fact, some such move as
this had been looked for for some time.
The trade seemed to be especially inter-
ested, in view of the cut made in what are
known as .the association" mills. to know
what Mathew c. u. Borden would do with
| the wage scale in the four mills he owns.
Mr.. Borden was not at his Office yesterday,
| and at his house it was said that it was not
| known whether he was in town or in Fall
River.
All the mills in Fall River not owned
| by Mr.. Borden are referred to as 'associa-
| ton" mills because the owners act to-
gether in all important matters. Several
months ago Mr.. Borden made a big ad-
vance in the wages Of the operatives in
his mills. 1t was said at that time that he did
this in order to force his competitors to
raise their wages to point where they
could not successfully compete with the
Borden mills, or to bring on strike in
| the "association' mills.
SolilCc tlldl tlIHe lIe PRIV vi tottOi
has advanced so much that many mills In
Fall River and elsewhere in New England
shut down. The owners said that they would
| lose less money with the mills idle than
to run them with the price Of raw cotton
| elevated beyond all reason by the specula-
tors in New York, New Orleans and Liver
| pool.
1t was thought that, after the spec ulators
had made or lost all the money they could,
the price, Of the raw product would
| spinning it into cloth. The specrlators
have not been inordinately active for some
time it was said yesterday, but the price OF
| raw cotton has remained firm
THE principal reason for this, said
one Of the largest print goods dealers in
the world yesterday, els that, according
TO the best information we can get, the
new cotton crop is going to be small. Con,
| servative estimates are that the crop will
not yield more than 10. 600 600 bales. These
estimates have had the effect Of keeping
the price Of raw cotton firm. quite apart
from the operations Of the speculators. al
though the result Of their manipulation is
'Curiously enough, the price Of print
goods has not advanced. It now costs,
roughly speaking, about one cent pound
more to produce print cloth than 1t can be
sold for The manufacturers' situation Is
rendered more pleasant by the TACT atasi tnasi
tions are for a small crop, the buying orders
for the manufactured product are by no
means up to the normal.
Buyers OF print goods throughout the
country are holding Of. They do not be-
lieve that the condition Of trade warrants
heavy advance purchases. 1t must fol-
low, though, that, II the advance reports
on the new cotton crop prove true' the pr1ce
OF print goods must advance.
"As to trade wages. even with this oTt
Of ~ per cent, the operatives will still
be getting the wages OF normal times
While the cotton manufacturers OF new
Southern manufacturers are happy. The
big mills at Huntsville. Birmingham and
other places in the South are working ful!
time and the New York representative OF
no prospect Of any out IN wages. :.
I'VE think said this man. 'that. despite
the prestige of New England as the centre
Of cotton manufacturing, the South has away
later, the world must come to us for its cot
ton goods. Take, for instance, the item
OF labor: In Fall River eight hours is days
work. In our mills the working day is
eleven hours.
But can you, compete in freight rates
to Northern markets With the New England
mills2" asked THE SUN reporter.
THE best answer to that is to quote
figures. was the reply. 1T costs US 40
in He"ss New 1e York! It 10 costs % the New England
manufacturer 74A cents q hundred to get
his raw cotton to New York. 1t seems from
that that we ought to be able to compete,
doesn't it?"
If the Fall River operators can't advance
the price of their products and get 1t, GER
tain operators in other parts of the country,
apparently have been able to raise the
price of their products. For instance, 1t
was announced yesterday that W. H. Rowe |
Il Son, who operate large mills for the
making of cotton shirts in Amsterdam, N.
Y, and Huntsville, Ala, had advanced
the price of the output Of the Amsterdam |
mills 10 per cent and that the mills are
working full time.