The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-04
CURTAILING EMPLOYMENT.

The New England cotton mills have
curtailed the employment for week,
with the possibility of = repeat, of So
600 cotton operatives \ Western con,
temporary, noting this. says that the
action is governed by the law of supply
and demand - But hardly. in this
case II is, indeed a complicated ques-
tion, much mixed with politics and
with the monopolistic avarice so stead
iv and largely fostered by the tariff
bill passed two years ago. Directly after
the enactment and approval of that
bill. some seventy Of the cotton manu-
featuring companies of New England
entered into n general combine for the
purpose of controlling the output and
the prices of cotton goods in the mar.
kets of the United States. That com
bine could not control the open mar
ket for cotton. because of the English
demand: but has done its best TO keep
down the price, this, however. not for
the purpose Of reducing the price of
cotton goods, but for the purpose Of in
creasing the profits for the manufac
turers.
The bunko tariff law Of 1909 in.
creased the tariff rates on certain lines
of New England manufacture, making
the rates as high as $50 per cent in
some cases; and there was general
increase all along the line in the cot
ton schedule. This was demonstrated
against at the time, but Senator Aid
rich, who WAS chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee which reported the
bunko bill, WAS firm. lie would listen
to nothing except the fleeing of the
American people for the benefit of the
New England cotton manufacturers.
These manufacturers. after their com.
bine, put up the prices of cotton goods
so high that the world outside could not
buy. from us, and our cotton trade is
So high, indeed, have they put the
prices of cotton goods, that in many
lines the English manufacturers arc
able TO pay the exorbitant tariff rates,
and still sell their goods in this coun
try in competition with American
manufacturers.
To say, under these circumstances,
that it is simply a question of supply
and demand, is TO ignore the manifest
and controlling facts. The laying off
Of the cotton operatives is for the pur
pose Of reducing the output of the mills
so that stocks will not accumulate and
will be starved, and that it will be
easier to hold up the prices accord
ingly, with especial view to the enor
nous cotton crop of this year If 1t
had been simply question of supply
and demand, with reasonable tariff,
the New England manufacturers would
be making less per bolt of cloth; but
in the aggregate they would be max
ing far more money on their capital in
vested. and the capital invested would
be honest capital. AS it is, they are
making very large returns on their in
fated. watered capital; but in order
TO do this they have TO put prices up
beyond reason, so that the people of the
world at large cannot buy American
cotton goods; and by the starving OF
our own markets we have TO import
upwards of 10000, 900 of cotton stuffs
every year from abroad
The operation Of the tariff, with the
fostering of the combine which it puts
into effect. has the further disadvan.
tage of continuing antiquated and
worn.out machinery that cannot pro,
duce cotton goods in fair competition
with improved and more exact ma.
chinery such rs is used in the best mills
at home and abroad,
It looks very much as though the
cotton factory industry OF the United
States will have TO be remodeled from
the floor up, the surplus water squeezed
out of cotton stocks, better plants and
machinery put in. and genuine compe.
tition entered into with the world nj
large. which ought TO be primarily in
favor of the American manufacturers
since il is America that raises mos,
Of the cotton. Those who think that
the cotton goods making operations in
this country are conducted on the basis
of the law of supply and demand.
either misspeak themselves in sol
treating tho question, or else they have
much TO learn about It,