New-York tribune., 1907-09-23
FALL RIVER PR0SPERS.
Cotton Manufacturing Experiencing
UnequaLled Boom.

rsu p.ver. Mass. Sept % CspeciaD.-while Wall
r.-.s- and the rest Of the country are complaining
:. ,-ce-ratnty and depression this large centre OF
o,ton manufacturing is experiencing an uneQualied
s,-, The old established mills ere declaring extra
.,saa,ds of and per cent quarterly: two $1,000
,nsa mills ere IN the process CT building. one OF
- largest real deals in the city's history
Sc sust been completed. as consequence OF which
-, more rnills are planned. and to III the cup OF
a. N c. D. Borden IS buying regular printing
-. st b. cents a yeard. the highest price paid
- these goods IN q quarter OF century. In 1888
-. sa-ne goods were going begging at rs cents
ysrd
..s,ion would soon its head has been fully
,rro,nsted FOR the next seven months at least as
80 the last week President Tansey OF the Tex
r. coyncu announced that the basis on which
r.res IS figured under the new wage agreement
r,u he high enough 70 warrant the maintenance
:. Che present high schedules until well through
tNs spring Of 1905
Trbr. the foregoing things have been accom-
,,shes in the way OF material factors in Ife the
.ek has also witnessed the conservation OF a new
r.stsol,c bishop. who IS Massachusetts born and
b--d snd the board Of trustees Of the Boys Club
h.s taken the $4,000 building. Just COM
rte.aE as an addition and supplement TO the orig
,oal slcoeo structure given the boys Of the city
nv " C. D. Borden a few years ago. II IS agreed
n the community that these two things Will con-
tribute very largely in the next few years the
moral uplft Of those whom Il is expected to reach
end control The Boys Club. by the way is the
nroeelltor oc many other similar institutions in
different parts OF the country. and the out
growth O. the work OF a city missionary, who was
connected with the church OF which Mr. Bordens
father was member.
Mr. Borden's Remittance into the local print
cloth market after al absence Of nearly two years
appears have been OF more than passing interest
elsewhere, es the newspapers Of the country have
been calling hin the head OF the Cotton Goods
Trust One very well known and conservative Con-
rectcut newspaper says OF the matter: The COM
sane is in fuil control OF the market. and its
word Is law. What will the women do about It?
What can they do7'' To those who are ccnversaIt
with the facts Of the situation-and everybody in
this large community Of workers is-lhe suggestion
OF Mr. Borden's alliance with trust, even with
other Fail River manufacturers in combination
Ct any kind. is considered laughable
Mr.. Borden is the sole owner of the American
Printing Company and the Iron Works mills but
he and the rest Of the Fan River manufacturers
pursue radically different business policies. It is
not yet Of the remembrance Of most newspaper
readers how MI Borden kept his mills running
steadily all through the long Fall River strike Of
lse4 and how ne has pe7sistently thwarted the aims
q the Cotton Manufacturers Association in Its
wage policies
The effect Of his purchases Of cloths has been TO
atien prices for the next four months. and Incl
1entaIly 10 make il morally certain that the high
wage schedules for operatives VIII prevail all
through the dreaded Presidential year.
But despite the effect his buying Will have IN
MS direction Il IS not the underlying motive for
4 To quote his expression on one important
occasion, he does not mix philanthropy with busi-
tess He was forced into the market TO replenish
bis stocks of unfinished cloths. first, because his
e1fils have not TIE immediate capacity for sup
plying the great demand which exists for the fin
shed fabrics, and. again because II he must
Aox-e Fpr
must order them by contract, because there is
surplus here or anywhere else IN the country.
The common calico that mother used" has be-
ZONE the printed wash fabric for mothers little
g1rl. In other words. the designs and finish Of the
.aI.coes now made have become particularly at
iractive. ard every print works in the country is
being pushed its utmost 70 supply the demand.
Attention has been given largely TO Mr. Borden
ma his works for many reasons, but the great
Garner plant et Cchoes, the Bddystone in Penn
Erlvania the Pessafc in New Jersey. the Wash
hngton IN Rhode Island, the Hamilton and Merri-
mae at Lowell and the Algonquin in this city, are
n IN the same boat-trying 10 i'll orders that
VII keep them fully employed until after the turn
- the year To say there is combination Of these
.!fferent works is 70 presume the almost impos-
fble suppression of q competition that viii last
rhfle the present owners OF the various plants
last They al act independently, and they are now
n prospering at the same time
The rise IN the price OF calico from 51z 20 Z
rents which goes into effect tomorrow. is the
legitimate result Of the law Of supply end demand
In its final analysis Il viii be found that the buyer
and not the seller has forced the new price, for
Re wants the goods, has ordered them and Is
killing 10 pay for them.
IN the matter Of figures. il can be shown that
there IS less profit fer the printer to-day IN buying
unfinished goods at 5l4 cents and selling them at Z
rents than there was when he bought al 17s cents
and SOLD cents hack IN 1888 Il the same ratio
margin were preserved for the printer price
-f fc-rs1 eE,o 10 and mot rants
What has occurred in the calico market in the
last week has also occurred in the market for ging
hams. Prices have been raised from cents 70 s1s
Everett mills which made in New York, through
Smith. Eogg & Co. during the week. will not be
able TO I'll its orders before September Of next
year. and Is already engaged in cutting many Of
the orders down 80 per cent. The reason for this
abnormal situation is found in the fact that ging
hams. Ike calicoes. have become very popular in
The last three years largely because they better
maze and better finished than ever before To test
oae's curiosity about the Legitimacy Of this
demand It is only necessary 70 pass along any
crowded stree: nowadays and note the hundreds OF
Einghsm dresses that are compared with
any recent year IN this country's history
The question Of when the prosperity begotten by
these conditions Is TO END is not interesting this
Community II IS such a radical change from
the strike closed mills OF 1904 that no one here
cares TO think Of what may happen. In any event.
Unless all merchants forfeit contracts and unless
general panic in there is nothing in sight
70 make either manufacturer operative look for
Oppression in this centre many 10 come