Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-24
NEXT MONDAY.
Mills at Fall River May
Resume.
But Both Sides in Strike Re-
main Firm.
Interesting Developments Expected at
Any Moment.

Fan River. oct. 23.-'When will the
mill. start up?" is the whole strike
situation in a nutshell
After Is weeks of the hardest labor
struggle in the history of this city, at
ter the mills have suffered grieVouS
losses in idleness and in the departure
from the city Of some of the best help;
after orders for thousands and thou
sands of pieces of goods have drlfted
away into other quarters; after the
. 900 operatives have lost in wages
over 81 UOO and are in real destitu-
tion-after All this, the deadlock Over
the wages scale is Just as stubborn as
ever ~ both sides. There is absolutely
no sign # weakening.
| The only thing possible to end the
| trouble is to test the issue boldly by an
attempt to run the mills. Then it will
be. found which is the stronger. Accord
| ingIy every one is anXiously asking
when the attempt will be made.
| Reports that the mills may open Oct.
q are being circulated very freely, but
whether this rumOr is based merely on
| tbn growing sentiment in favor of max
in" the attempt at rs early date as
! possible or whether movement au-
thu.iZed by the committee Of manu-
features already has been started, $
not known. Members Of the committee
' state that nothing can be determined
in regard to the exact date of starting
IN until the whole subject is gone over
carefully and all interests brought to-
gether on fixing n date
Mill men declare that they are being
beSought daily to open the gates: That
a large proportion Of the help desire
to work Suffering is keen in many IN
stances. ana it is represented that I'M
til n chance is offered the operatives
to go 10 work the manufacturers VIII
be held responsible" for the suffering.
II the mills are opened and the opera
tires do not return. then the weight nj
responsibility is lifted from the Shout
dcrs Of the mill agents.
| II has been the history of all strikes
that until the moment the workers re-
turn they say they will not return, and
the instances Of strik IS being called off
before the mills are opened are very
few in the history Of textile strikes
here or elsewhere. When operatives
have no chance to work there can be
no question as to who are responsible.
but if the mills are opened and the
operatives still continue fighting, the
responsibility will b" shifted.
| The manufacturers are reported to
have been buying more cotton during
the past two weeks than they have for
two or three months before. All of
them have cotton enough on bond. or
win have before the 31st. to start up
| ,aI, to in
crease their stocks. This cotton has
been high priced. the cheapest of it
costing 10 cents. If the mills should be
started making goods from it. the
goods could not be sold ut the Scent
basis. but must be piled up to wait for
better prices. Tie only excuse for
starting up at the present time is to
give the operatives an opportunity to
relieve themselves from extreme des-
titution.
The print cloth market has been less
active during the past week than for
some time previous. The total of sales
is estimated at about 10000 pieces.
There were small advances on a few
l styles of wide goods. which have be-
, come very scarce. but the quantities
/ wanted were small. Prices generally
have continued unchanged at the s.
cent basis. and the interest has been
very small.
Quotations for standards continue
unchanged. and are as follows: 2S-
: inch. 64x64s 3 cents: 2S-inch. 64x60s.
! rs cents; o7-inch, 56x56s, rs cents.
2 3S15 -inch. 64x64s, Az cents; 39-inch,
, 6Sx72s. AS cents.
? Considerable encouragement has
come to the strikers in the selection
/ of President John Golden of the United
, Textile Workers to go to San Francisco
| to attend the annual convention of
the American Federation of Labor
| early in November, and there to make
an appeal from the floor for the as
sistance of the federation in carrying
, on the strike in this city. Although
, the executive council of the federation
| has power to levy an assessment upon
all unions affiliated with the body. it Is
, though the question will be laid be-
fore the convention for action.
The 13 weeks of idleness have cost
the operatives in wages, figured at the
reduced scale. s1905000. The demand
upon the poor department is increasing
steadily. in spite of the utmost care
that only those in absolute want be
furnished with aid. This weeks totay
OF cases aided will be the biggest Vet
AT the close of business, Friday ar
the Office of the overseers of the moor
the total number of cases aided az.
ceeded the total for the five days. LAST
week, by a considerable number.