St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-09-14
The Fail River Strike.
lFrorn our special correspondent

of an early end, and with very little excit-
ing incident. The work of gathering
funds for relief and of distributing money
and useful articles. as well as food, is
going forward steadily, the territory of
the country in which canvassing is being
done being extended daily.
The leaders of the labor organizations
no longer give the press information as
to their receipts from out-of- town; but
they issue statements of amounts
received from local aivers regularly.
They decided that it was unwise to keep
condition of their finances so far as pub
lication of their receipts from out-of-town
went, and hence the limited publication.
During the last week one of the largest
totals vet realized was announced by the
labor secretaries. Today Labor day.
the relief stations of the unions are
closed, and the day is passing unevent-
fully; the only demonstration of labor
ing people in the city is the parade of
the Slasher-tenders, and that is a very
minor affair. The members are all being
inspected with reference to determining
whether or not they are wearing union
made" goods. This evening it is proba-
BILE that a large gain will be added to the
strikers funds by the Jewish concert to
be given in New Bedford. It is interest
ing to observe, by the way, how undi-
vided is the interest in, and the practical
sympathy for, the strikers among organi-
cations of several Mathematics and creeds.
There are hundreds of Jewish and Polish
operatives here, and this fact indicates
the interest expressed by the Jewish resi-
dents; but the effort which these people
are making is on an extraordinarily
large scale. In the concert this evening,
one of the Fall River synagogue choirs
and it's cantor will participate.
The stockholders who have property,
and who, therefore, are less seriously
affected by the strike than some who
hold shares in the mills, are often heard
expressing anxiety touching the conclu-
sion of the contest, and some have pre-
dicted that the week after Labor Day
would see its end: have as yet seen no
of such change in the situa-
tion there is no appreciable improve
ment in the print-cloth market, and the
strikers are not weakening. Until an
very marked occurs in the
change.
Manufacturers say little, while the
la Dor leaders and their people talk much;
but the judgment of the case which
will yet pass before any marked change
occurs in the market. Meantime we
hear talk that the one million pieces of
cloth, or Whereabouts in this market will
probably soon be disposed of. It is GER
tain that there will eventually be an in
creased call for goods but while south
ern mills are running, and are offering
goods at as low prices as Fall River, the
of Fall River are not bright.
Your readers may be interested to
know something of the salaries which
mill treasurers and agents are being paid
here. These salaries, it should be re-
are not being cut in harmony
with the cut of the operatives. but are
moving on, affording the treasurers and
agents every opportunity to enjoy very
leisurely time. The highest salary of
which I know in Fall River for a treasurer
is SIS. 900; but in the case Of one or two
tn +xy0 (oe
is that of Mr.. Seth A. Borden, treasurer
of the Hargraves mill in this city and
the Parker mill in Warren, R. I } the
treasurer gets $4,000 each, making
his income, aside from returns in divi-
dend form, $4,000 year. Other
treasurers receive $4,000 for single
and others, $4,000.
think that no one receives as little as
So 500, although the superintendent of
the public schools of the city, embracing
about $4,000 pupils, receives no more
than that, and the salary of the mayor
is only $4,000.
A first class mill man is worth great
deal, OF course to a corporation; but
such salaries as are paid in Fall River
are never dreamed of in the great manu-
factoring cities OF England. Some of the
mill superintendents here excel the mill
Ll@oodANL cho oSNistS III AVA db(uSSlCl
and other English cities in the amount
of their salaries.
A movement looking toward the
of the condition of the most
distressed operatives here has been be-
gun by few citizens of Boston, who are
two experienced lawyers to
inquire into the situation. These rep
re sentatives were here last week, and
saw several leading men in business and
professional lines, as well as the secre-
taties of the unions; they gathered much
data and returned to Boston. Such men
as Charles T. Sherer, of Worcester, by
lending aid to the distressed, have given
an impulse to general charity, as this
shows. The local charitable
societies are very critical, and the bulk OF
what is done for the needy comes either |
rom the city. the weather. citizens, or
the unions, collections and outgoes. II |
he. Boston citizens should thoroughly |
investigate, they would find opportunity
% use $1,000 week in cases which |
could not be questioned Or these cases