Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-21
THE 17th WEEK
Of Fall River Strike Closed With Both
Sides Determined.

Fall River, Nov. 1".--The 18th week
# the strike closes With the operatives
more determined apparently in their
purpose To uake this a fight to the
finish. while the manufacturers are de-
c'aring their purpose not to bulge a
hair from the position they have been
occupying from the first.
Pres. Borden said. today when asked
whether the fact that the A. F. or l..
had voted to give the operatives finan-
citl backing would make any difference
i'll the policy of the manufacturers:
NO change will b" made 50 far as
We are concerned. ana the mills will
not be run except With the reduction
of l2l2 per cent. Tn" notices will stay
up until the operatives are ready to
90 to work
Meanwhile other sections of the cOun-
try particularly Rhode Island. are
rcaping The benefit Of the trouble in
tins city. Operatives in that state, and
in Lowell. Lawrence and Manchester.
are receiving the old rate of wages. and
the mills are taking contracts for hum
drcds Of thousands Of pieces of goods.
While this city can I'll but bare Jo,O0O
pieces a week.
How long such conditions can con-
tnue without serious consequences is
question which cannot be answered,
but it is looked upon as a most grave
one.
In the matter Of fixed expenses alone.
a heavy drain is constantly being made
upon the substances and resources Of
these great concerns that are out of
commission. With the plants idle these
expenses are total loss to the cor
porauicns, and the item in most in
stances is quite large one.
To Illustrate this, take the ease of one
of the representative corporations. Its
last annual report showed bills payable
of 500, 900 The interest on this amount
At ~ per cent is $27. 0an pcr wear. TIL.
taxes paid by this mill exceed S2o.wn. and
the office expenses may he placed al $40
utsi for the year. 4. total for these three
items alon" Of $1,000. or more tm"n $l"an
a week. and to this amount must he add
Cd maIy items which would largely In
crease tn" amount. All III. So cNpcrses
must be taken from tho surplus if the
mills are not in operation.
Another corpora ton has a bill payable
account OF $StN.tW. the interest in which
would ~ $2osn per annum, with taxes
of SCI ana office expenses of not less
than $1O.000. or more than $1,000 for these
items, which cannot be greatly reduced.
Other corpora ions in the city have flE-
cd charges wreaty in excess OF these
cited.
Looking at these figures, it is the con-
tention of the manufacturers that the
officials of the mills must be firmly con
WINGED that the contest which they are
row conducting is a necessary one. ana
there would seem to he little likelihood
of amy change IN sentiment which would
admit of q he StTugS
which has been carried on for II weeks
ut such Il tremendous cost to the stock
holders in the corporations.
The manufacturers expect TO see the
mills idle for three weeks To come. at
least ard many of them predict that the
first Of January will come and go with
tht machinery stopped. unless tho opera
tivcs abandon the fight against the re-
dur:ion.
About a score of the mills that have
been trying to run, this week. most or
them with poor success. announce tina t
they will open up for business again on
Monday. but the management i'll hardly
amy instance is looking for much better
results than the experiment has met with.
this week
The A r Of L. assessment will ',e
divided pro rata among tn" five textile
unions and il will enable lnem To direct
other moneys received to tn end of as-
street store by the ID. of H., was Il
great success.
UnionfStS" said one Of the secretaries.
Saturday morning. ana, Of course. We
shall now H. in a much stronger position
{" grant the aid than heretofore"
NJ the meeting of the Textile Council
on Tuesday. arrangement Will be made
for the distribution of the fund. but it
Is likely that thu various unions will use
the money as advisedly as they have
other contributions. They are hopeful
that the manufacturers will ahnndon their
stand. hut will continue the fight under
the supposition that months will he re-
CURED To- win ont. They do not hesitate
to say that the strike is good for a
long period and that it may mean Il stay
ing away from the mills all winter.
Complains are made that the office of
the oN"rSe"rs of the poor where III State
hoard Of charity has its quarters. have
refused 70 grant aid to people who have
arrn"d ana who have refused 70 go to
work
hr. Lewis of the State Board of Charity
says that there has not been q single
case where relief was needed that it has
been refused He declines To discuss tn"
matter further. hut reports from people
VINO say they have been refused are many
ana emphatic and the exact position the
oVtrSeers and State Board of Charity are