Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-21
MILL MEN UNITE,
Fall River Cotton Manufacturers Make
Agreement.

idIl hiNti, July all tIldt
pears at this time the inference may he
fair'' drawn that Fall River will be made
1.-THE ttlegrOund of a contest between the
United Textile Workers and cotton manu-
Federation of Labor. The secretaries of
the local labor unions affiliated with the
other textile unions of the country, are
not sparing of words in denouncing the
wage reduction which has been ordered.
ana the angry temper of the operatives
| Is being manifested in many ways.
While manufacturers do not want any
s str1ke and would do much to avoid one.
| the fact is that they were never SO well
the Cotton Manufacturers Association
held, this week. the attendance was larger
| than 1t has been for several years. and
the agreement which has been recently
signed recognizing the association, was
Ratified unanimously.
The agreement differs only from prev
Gus ones in that ii includes mills Operat-
ing $4,000 spindles. the largest number
ever in an agreement here, and permits
, the mills to withdraw from it under GER
tain conditions not before offered. There
are mills in the association like the Park
er. Hargraves, Bourne Arkwright Davis.
and so on, which have never acted with
the association in other years. and there
Is a greater breadth in many of the pro-
visions, than has previously been at
tempted. In so far as the agreement re-
lates to wages, it does not go any farther
than Others and does not attempt to
say that the new scale shall be perma-
nent.
Much anger has been caused among
operatives by persistent reports to the
effect that in this agreement manufac-
turerS intend to forever bar the work
ers from a higher wage than the one pro
posed. This is absolutely denied and the
mill men go farther and say that supply
and demand will govern wages as hereto
fore. But they add. that high scale will
not prevail here again, if conditions of
trade are so manifestly hard for the mills
The unions are not in as good condition
to fight as they were a year ago and the
operatives would not be induced to strike
If there had not been many reductions in
wages, consequent on the changed meth
! DDS of weaving in many mills. The Mule
Spnners' Union has been paying out
large sums of money in curtailment bene-
fits. .aggregating 5000 in the past twelve
months, and some of the other unions
have also been suffering an unusual drain
on their resources The Weavers' Union
Is erecting a building costing $4,000,
which is to be completed by Labor Day
1t was intended that no mortgage should
be put on it, but if strike is ordered
the mortgage will go on.
In the past six weeks the drain on the
local poor department, consequent on the
shutting down of mills, has been great, al
though even that has been overestimated
as the following figures will show: Total
/; 1903. s65927; 1904. $50, 40 Expended at
the city store. 1903, $9,O22; 1904 $10,6yi
The expenditures of the department in
1905 were larger than this year because
the state did not then care for the insane
as at present. Up to July the care of
the insane cost in 1903 81. 36i: in 1904 ST.
562. But, as stated. since the first of June
the drain has been increasingly great.
The department officials say that save
IT. cases of great strikes, the last one of
importance being in 1894 the present ex-
| the figures show that the operatives have
! not called on the city as freely as might
reasonably have been expected.
The unions have funds for strike pur-
Doses amounting n Slfn Z
less than half what the operatives would
receive for full weeks wages. The eX-
| istence of an angry spirit alone Will in
duce them to go into their reserve funds
and the labor leaders say that factor is
present at this time as they have never
seen it before. Their view of the stua-
Some manufacturers would not raise "a
finger to prevent strike if the operatives
are disposed to have one. but there are
many others who do not wish to face the
DISCRIMINATION which invariably follows
in a cotton mill when general
strike is inaugurated: The mills will be
as they are nearly out of cotton and Will
not be under obligations to buy any.
Contracts are well run out and the freer
selling which has been going on for the
past few weeks has really been to keep
the mills in operation, and not with any
hope of profit.
If the operatives do not want to work
the few contracts which have been made
can he abrogated or postponed without
great loss to the mills, and a three
months idlenesS would bring abOui very
different condition in the relations of the
| union leaders and the mill men. The
city has been so long without great
strike that hopes were entertained that
the union leaders and manufacturers were
close enough together to avoid serious
ruptures, but the Saturday night meeting
of the secretaries, followed by much bit
ter talk on the part OF operatives leaves
everyone in doubt, and most people be
lieving that strike cannot be- post
DOncd