Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-20
w. B. Moses & Sons, IF St., Cor. 4 4 tin.

dyers. printers. engineers. firemen. pack
ers porters. teamsters and every other
class of labor employed in the cotton
! mills, and directly or indirectly affects
the incomes of more than 100000 people
The wage scales of all the trades In
England have been increased from per
cent to oOtper cent during the last five
years and are higher today for every class
of labor than they have ever been be-
fore This Is especially true of the cotton
trade. Since the strike of 1898 there have
been three advances. and since 1904 there
have been two advances. one of 5 per
cent and one of 10 per cent, which rep
resentS an average increase of IS. Sd In
the wages of every one of the 100 600 per-
sons involved. Hence the employers have
strong case. They say that they shared
their prosperity with their operatives and
now they ask them to share their adver-
Sity which the latter refuse to do.
All demands for increase or decrease
in the wage scale in the cotton trade since
the close Of the five months strike IN
1893 must be submitted under what is
known as the Brooklands agreement. This
requires six months notice on all changes,
and accordingly the Employers Asso-
citation gave the proper notice on the
LIST of July last.
The actual increase in the cotton trade
since the Brooklands agreement in 1893
has been 1871 per cent. hence reduc-
ton of : per cent would leave the en-
ployes better off by more than II per cent
than they were fifteen years ago.
Cost of Living Has Increased.
This is admitted by all the operatives
who are willing to discuss the question,
but they declare the cost of living has adj
vanced quite as rapidly and there is no
assurance that the price of meat or
bread or tea or rents will be reduced when
their wages are cut down. They say also
that they would be willing to submit to
a temporary reduction for SIX months, or
possibly year, were 1t not for the erect
of such submission upon the working
populatio of Great Britain. If the cotton
SINNERS and weavers consented peace
| fully to q reduction every pay roll IN Eng
land they insist would be cut down the
next week.
The question was not decided by those
who have the most at stake. and who VIII
suffer most severely from the suspension
of their pay. The woman operatives. who
constitute more than 10 per cent or the
entire force. were not allowed a voice In
the discussion or in the decision. And
they will receive the least assistance FROM
the relief fund of the unions.
The mill hands have comparatively little
money in the savings banks. 1t is impos-
sible that any person should De anle 10
| lay I'D much from income of five or
| six dollars a week, which is the average
paw of the women operatives. and nearly
all of them have been working on half
pay for the last eight or nine months.
Money Available in Union Treasury.
The Spinners' Union is said to have ST.
| 500 900 in its treasury. from which II is
now paying out about $4,000 week. The
weavers are supposed to have about ST.
500 900. and are paying out about $4,000
| q week. The card room operators are said
| to have about $sOO,OOO in their treasury.
and they are paying out about $3o.OOO a
week. But all OF these sums are mere
estimates and the best informed authori-
| ties say they are exaggerated. About 3D.
WU persons are already receiving relief
| from the unions including nearly 1900
men, who receive 10 shilling week each;
women receive shilings; girls. D shill-
| ings and children under nIteen, 1 ShlilnS
d week.
The great majority of those who are
thrown out of employment. helpless wom-
en- who are entirely dependent upon their
wages do not belong to the unions and
are not entitled to anything under the
rules The General Federation OF Trades
Unions has promised to look after them,
but they will be the greatest sufferers from
| a situation for which they are not re-
spopsfble and, with winter coming on,
| the outlook is terrible.
Tradesmen Forming a Union.
The tradesmen in the cities around
| Manchester are trying to form a union
among themselves for their protection. In
dividual dealers dare not refuse credit to
strikers for fear they will be placed on
the unfair list and be boycotted when
the trouble is over: but they believe they
can control the situation if they stand
together and If every shopkeeper wall be
| firm in demanding cash for every pur-
| chase After the last strike they were
a long time collecting debts incurred by
| their customers, and claim that the losses
from those who moved away or did not
pay at all were sufficient to wipe out the
profits of several years. They do not
propose to permit this to occur again,