The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-27
PROSPERITY" IN EAST
SOME OF ITS EFFECTs SHOWN IN
 MASSACHUSETTS.
An Examination of Existing Conditions Shows That Republican Policies
 Have Produced Other Than
 s4t COraGemtmemt.

Lowell, Mass. Oct. 26.--tSpeciaLl-- Something of the scare which industriai conditions are giving the Republican party in the State of Massachusetts mas just been illustrated here. The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowelh ono of the iargest .InstitutEons of its kind In the tinted states, stopped its looms and nut out it's fires last August. It was announced that the mill would resume within a month. The three thousand employees who were thus thrown out og work and forced to live upon their fneagre savings bank deposits, were patient. They believed 1t was true that the mill could not afford to operate because of Q reduction of demand.
 When the month was up, however, the operatives who called at the factory offices learned that not only was the mill not ready then to resume. but there was no telling when 1t would do so. Then these employees became restive. They began to inquire why it was that 1t was necessary to close down for so long a time. They felt that at time when the dinner pair was "fulr' and when the dotainant party was standing pat" upon con- dition of alleged prosperity. it was not fair that they should be thrown out of work indefinitely No hope, how ever, was v0uchsafed until a day or two ago when notices were unexpected ly posted that the mill would resume operations on Monday. October 31st-- just eight days before the Presiden- tiai election. There are a great many here who believe this was the result of hurry call sent ort from the State Republican headduarters in Boston.
 MIII Resumes at Redneed Wages
 xrffh annOg1uet.- ment of the Boott Mills. comes the an- nouncement from the Edwards Manu- featuring Company of Augusta. Maine which promises also to resume on octo- Der s1st This mill has been closed down since the 1st of July and it's 1900 employees have been without work. Even upon resuming upon a date so suspiciously near the time of the national election. this factory will re- duce wages by 10 per cent. The coin cidence of the announcement here and in Maine has impressed itself very for cibly upon the mill operatives.
 But even with the resumption of the Boott establishment things are still with Encouragement for the 10000 or more cotton mill employees here in Lowell. The Merrimac Mills. which employ more than s.000 opera tives. were shut down recently for two weeks, and their output has been de- curtailed in both the Print and Mule Departments. This, of course, has it's due effect upon the wages of the people.
 The Massachusetts and the Prescott Mills have likewise been shut down for period of more than two weeks. This resulted in loss of work and wages by 1,500 employees. gI. mT~ ml.w.k not long since for a short period, several hundred employees being ad- concerned. All departments of the Bigelow Carpet Company closed flown on June 2sth last because of a general falling off of business. Thirty live hundred hands were affected. These mills have now resumed. however. though with a greatly reduced output. It is not known when the factories will be running upon their full capacity.
 Bad Conditions in Other Cities.
 Conditions in the cities near here are not much better than they are in Lowell The Boston Manufacturing Company at Waltham recently reduced the wages of its long chain beamers by from 25 ko 30 per cent. Efforts were made to cut the wages of the weavers, but this was successfully re- sisted.
 The MiddIesex Mills, at Middlesex. Mass. were closed down on June 24th last for several weeks. The Warren Woolen Mills at Warren Mass, were running on reduced time for the greater part of the summer. The Calumet Woolen MIL at Uxbrtdge. Mass. closed down May 21st on account of the gen eral falling off of business.
 But even here in Lowell. in some cases where there has been no formal notice of reduction of wages. the employees are finding that their earn ings are really growing less. This is due to new and generally receptive reg sslatsans onneerning piece work "A A