Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-12-23
BELLOWS FALL NEWS
Large Number Of Unemployed
Workmen in the Village
Changes Of Various Kinds Have Neces-
STATED Reduction Of Employees in Three
LARGE Concerns.

STATED Reduction Of Employees in Three
Large Concerns.
Bellows Falls is having, just now. a
large number of unemployed workmen,
probably n much larger number being idle
than at any previous time in the history
of the village, and the result is being felt
in all branches Of trade. More appica-
lions for assistance by the charitable
people and the town authorities have been
received in the past few weeks than at
any time previous and they come largely
from a much higher class than usual,
from those who never have found It nee
essary to ask aid before. The three
largest manufacturing plants are getting
along with much reduced force, it be-
ing estimated that they aggregate a re-
duction from one year ago of over 500
employees Many Of these have gone else
where, while others who have families
and homes here are doing the best they
can to get along under changed circum
stances. The Casein company which a
year ago was employing over 200 hands
now is employing less than so, an in
stallment of 10 or 20 in the cold water
paint department being discharged this
week
Saturday night the International Paper
company notified from 80 to 40 of their
men they would not have work for them
this week, and for some time in the flu
ture, as they were going to shut down
their Herald" machine room No. 8, ow-
ing to lack of orders. 1t is understood
this company has lost a number of per-
manent customers within a few months.
for whom they have made large amounts
of paper since the start of paper making
here, and among them the Boston Herald,
Cincinnati Inquirer, and other equally
large dailies. In the other departments
of this company a large force is tenn
porarily idle owing to the low water and
inability to run the pulp mills for that
reason. This has troubled for some
weeks, the number of mills for which the
supply was adequate growing smaller
each week until now the water Is the
lowest it has BEEN and combined with
the extreme cold weather is furnishing
less amount of power than in any pre-
vious years.
Many less employees are being given
work at the Vermont Farm Machine COM
pany's works than last spring At that
time, because of opening n new shop,
and a required increase of production, a
much larger number than ever were
employed until late in the spring. I'm
proved machinery is to some extent re-
sponsibe for not increasing their force
again, as well as an uncertainty regard
ing the general business outlook in the
near future. The office force is as large
as formerly. The sales of this company
have been the largest during 1904 of any
year in it's history, but a conservative
policy is being followed just at this time,
the result of which will depend wholly
upon the condition of general business
in the next few months. Looking at the
situation as a whole. while ii is I'M
pleasant for Bellows Falls just now, the
outlook is no worse than it is in most
other places, and for many years we have
had immunity from such set-backs which
occur frequently elsewhere.