Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-11
CURTAILM EMIT.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

sion of work for PA working hours be-
tween the date of the agreement and
Aug. 1, 1910, to become effective when
no less than 1000, 900 spindles have beef,
signed up.
Reports from different sections of
New England indicate that the prop
osition of the Arkwright Club is meet
ing with an encouraging response.
Such a curtailment, however, is not
likely to become effective in this state
in the immediate future, as many of
the mills that will sign will be unable
to fill present orders without steady
running until well into January.
The Rhode Island and Fall River
manufacturers are. as a rule. willing
to curtail production, provided that
they are not called upon to figurative-
ly hold the umbrella" for other Sec
tons of New England. or, in other
words, to withhold goods while outside
centerS continue to run in full.
The curtailment movement is of
great interest in New Bedford and
other places, where the operatives have
been refused Il restoration of 10 per
cent cut in wages made in 1908. 1t is
suggested that if the New Bedford
manufacturers are in sympathy with
the 30-day closing idea the effect of
strike in that city would be partially
nullifed.
The curtailment has also been taken
up by the Southern cotton mill own
ers. Saturday the board of governors
of the American Cotton Manufacture
ers' Association al a meeting setting
forth their claim that the present dis
parity between the price of cotton and
cotton goods precludes the possibility
of the successful operation of Southern
mills. A committee was appointed to
formulate Il curtailment agreement,
which every mill in the South will be
urged to sign.
Sec. T. w. Crews of the Southern Hard
Yarn Spinners' Association states that
more mills are closed down now than at
any time in the history of the country!
He says that unless prices improve de-
cidedly at once mills will be forced to
close rather than continue operations at
heavy loss
At Frankfort-on-the-M Maine the interna-
tional conference of cotton spinners in
which the United States and Great Bri-
tain We're strongly represented, adopted
the following resolutions Wednesday:
Whereas, all the European spinners
have expressed the opinion that the Wis
ble and invisible supplies of cotton to-
gether with the prospective favorable
East Indian and Egyptian crops, will suf-
flee to cover the requirements, even not
wthstanding the unfavorabe American
Therefore, it is urgently recommend
ed, in view of the unusually high price
of cotton and the unremunerative selling
prices of goods, that the existing restrlc-
tions must be maintained and extended as
far as possible
In certain cotton producing and selling
centers the claim is made that the present
cCrtailment movement is largely an at
tempt to hold down the price of the sta
pie. The officials of the operatives
unions in several New England cities pro-
fess to see in the campaign an attempt to
avoid an advance in wages, but the Off
Gals of the Arkwright Club deny that
the wage question has anything to do
with their existing plans.
The cotton mills of New England, In
GLIDING yarn mills, employ upwards of
| 200 600 hands.