Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-30
COTTON STRIKE OVER
Operatives Compromise Trou-
BILE in Lancashire Mills.
STRIKERS SUFFER MOST
One Million People Directly, Ten
Millions Indirectly Interested.
COST THE W0RKMEN $4,000, 900
There Were No Riots. No Attempt
to Discredit Unions, or Nom
Union Men Employed.
COST THE WoRKMEN $5,0o0,ooo
RY WILLIAM r., CT RTIS.

Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
NEW YORK November 2S. 1905
The great strike in the cotton factories
of Lanca shire. England. has been happily
terminated after seven weeks of idleness
for 500 cotton mills. representing a cap
ital of a quarter OF a billion dollars. 40
100000 spindles and $4,000 looms. About
10000 operatives left their work and
went for seven weeks without wages:
, about a million people We're directly in
terested in the strike. and 10000 Indirect
y. The Manchester papers. in summing
up the results, estimate that 100000 men,
women and children suffered acute dis
tress and 100000 suffered more or less pri-
walton. The loss of wages during the seven
, weeks was about s5oOo.COO to the oper-
atives and about $;;3.OO0.0oO to the manu-
facturers More than a million dollars
! was paid out by the several unions as
relief funds to their members.
While. the losses and the suffering were
considerable. as above estimated. they
, were not nearly as great AS those that
have occurred during previous strikes.
Indeed, it is estimated that this has been
the easiest experienced of all the MANY
that have taken place since the Lam
, cashire cotton industry became of i'm
:, portance.
Other Strikes Have Occurred.
There was a strike in 1873 which lasted
nine weeks; another in 1855 which lasted
thirteen weeks; another in 1887 which
lasted six weeks; another IN 1892 which
lasted twenty weeks. but at that time
there were only 1900, 600 spindles in the
district and 10000 looms
The strike of 1902 resulted in what is
known as the BroOklands agreement I'M
der which both the employers and en-
ployed agreed to give three months no.
tice of any change in wages or regula-
tons and permit a full and free discus
sion before final action on any matter
of Importance concerning either side.
Since that date wages have been adj
vanced an average of IS per cent all
/ around. and there have been no reduc-
/ tons suggested until last July when ow-
ing to the depression of business and low
| prices. the manufacturers announced
| horizontal reduction of per cent in the
entire pay rolls throughout the entire cot
/ ton district. to take effect in October. The
multitude of unions composed of opera
tives of the different branches of the bus
mess held meetings and sent committees
I to conferences with the Cotton Manufac-
/ turers Association and with each other
/ and the pros and cons and the conditions
and circumstances were thoroughly
threshed out. The manufacturers sub
mitted schedules showing the falling off
in prices and in the demand for their
goods; the operatives submitted state
ments showing the increase in the cost
or living. in rents and food and every
thing else except clothing.
IF After this discussion the spinners who
are the strongest in number of all the
classes Of factory operatives. agreed to
accept the reduction provided 1t was
postponed until January l, and to this the
manufacturers consented But the other
! unions refused to concur.
/ Other Unions Forsook Spinners.
! 1t is probable that they would have
consented had il not been for repre-
sentatives of other trades from all the
manufacturing districts OF England, who
implored them not 10 yield for fear that
a reduction of wages in the Manchester
i cotton district would be followed by
similar reductions throughout the United
/ Kingdom. Under this influence, all of
the UNIONS except the spinners rejected
| every overture for peace and a strike
was declared. 1t is suspected that nearly
all of the members of the Manufacture
ers' Association were willing to shut
down. and were really glad the strike
compelled them to do SO, because their
warehouses were already filed with goods
for which there was no demand. The
market was very dull and there was no
prospect OF immediate improvement. The
strike gave them an opportunity 10 re-
duce their stock, to repair their ma
chinery and to make improvements
which could not have occurred if the
mills had continued running. In that
respect the mill owners enjoyed consid-
cradle advantage from the strike. and
he alleged loss of $35,O00,OGO is almost
entirely fictitious, because it is merely
that mis-, have been derived if every
mill had been running full time during
the period of the strike and it's output
sold at last years prices.
Strikers Suffered Most.
AS is invariably the case. the strikers
suffered most. They were not prepared
for such an emergency. For six months
most of the mills had been working for
! thirty-two ins cad of fifty-six hours a
week and large majority Of The 10000
operatives had been living on half
lions. Many of them had already been
compelled to dip into their savings bank
any provision forfainy days. The maxi
mum wage paid in the Manchester dis
trict Is 70 shillings, or 50. week for men
and "a shillings. or SO, a week for women
while those who are less skillful and for
tunate receive all the way down the
scale, some of them only 80 cents day
!. Although living Is much cheaper In Eng
land than in the United Safes. it is not
possible TO save much money on 'hose
wages :, ,
! GOOD shane to meet the emergency. and
| some of them still have funds in their
! treasury after paying their members
! MAXIMUM of ten shillings. or $50. and
an average OF 81 a week relief funds
Tradesmen Opposed Strike.
The tradesmen throughout the district
were almost unanimous In opposing the
| strike. and the grocers. butchers. bakers
| and other unions took radical action in
refusing credit to the strikers. This reso-
| LUTON was based upon their experience
| during the strike of 1892. when they gave
| universal credit to the strikers well as
| universal sympathy. and suffered severely
| for that reason. Thousands of tradeSmen
| throughout the Lancashire district were
| ruined because of the long duration of
| the strike: because SO many of the strik
| ers to whom they sold food. fuel and
| other supplies on credit either moved
| away, leaving their accounts unpaid, or
| refused TO pay them when they went
| back to work. Refusing to expose them
| experience the market people and shop
/ keepers simply shut down credit and
| demanded cash This was one Of the
| most powerful influences that terminated
| the strike.
| The mayors of thirty-fo towns got to-
| gether and organized sort of concilia-
! ton board under the presidency of Mr.
| Frenkenburg, mayor OF Stafford. They
| held frequent consultations among them
! selves and with the leaders of the strike
/ and the manufacturers until both were
| brought into conciliatory mood and
| finally agreed upon terms of settlement