The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-26
CLOTH PRICES INCREASE.


| The settlement of the strike at La 2
renee, Massac husctts. as announced a
, few days ago, resulted III an increase
Of ahout five or xix per cent 10 the
wages of tho masses of the iahorers IN
the mills, not only in Lawrence, but
| throughout New England, 1t was
stated that this increase would amount
in the course of year TO Sl0,oo0ooo.
The operators Of dhc mills granting
this increase were unable 10 face the
situation politically this year, and so
they ought to have agreed with their
operatives before letting tho facts be
come known. that the tariff does not,
in fact give to the laborers in the
wooen and cotton mills in New Eng
land the protection which the protcc-
tive tariff was supposed to give. On
the contrary, it was shown very clear
" that the laborers in those mills got
the lowest standard Of European
wages, and that the mill owners put
into their own pockets the difference
between the wages that they actually
paid to their foreign employees and the
wages that the protective tarih con
templates that the mill owners shall
pay This difference, it appears,
amounts to $l00o0,000 a year for the
mills in New England, and that is the
difference that the mill operators III
New England were swindling their em-
poyees out of under the pretense that
the protective tariff was benehtlng
American labor by paying it largely
more than the pauper labor of Europe
receives, when in fact, European pau
per wages were the rule in those mills.
These facts were fully developed, and
the operators of the mills gave way;
it was too heavy an argument against
the protective tariff which lines their
pockets, for them to stand up against
in the Presidential year.
But now comes the announcement
that the operators of those mills Will
not only continue to pocket good deal
of the difference between the wages
which they will actually pay and the
protective tariff wages expected, but
they will increase the price OF their
cloths to the American public, so as to
make the people at large pay them
back this $l0,000,000 That is, these
operators propose to recoup themselves
out of the money of the American pub
lie for the increase Of wages which
they have been constrained TO agree 10
pay to their operatives. This Is there
fore a double imposition on the Amerl'
can people. The mill operators come
far short Of paying to their operatives,
even under the agreement which they
have entered into, the wages which the
protective tariff contemplates. Inc
combines Of the mill operators have SO
increased their fixed charges by taking
in mills and groups of mills at exorbi-
tant valuations, that the American cot.
ton trade with the world has been
largely cut of. The exports Of Amerl-
can cotton goods fell last year fifty
per cent short OF the average annual
exports Of such goods in the ten years
previous. With every raise in the price
Of cotton goods, the exports decrease;
| but the increase Of population In
America takes pretty much all Of the
| cotton goods that can be made by the
American manufacturers, and so, as
| long as they are at liberty to increase
the price Of their products, they don t
care whether they sell TO the home con.
sumer or to foreigners. The IaIih
! Board reports that our cloth"making
| machinery, both wooIcn and cotton, Is
antiquated, worn, and inefficient. Inc
protective tariff has made the manu-
| facturers Indifferent about keeping u
with the progress Of machinery, and
we have fallen behind in the world :
race for efficiency and economic pro
duction in this respect. And as long as
our tariffs are laid as they arc at pres
ent. unquestionably the American pub
lie will be fleeced by the combines Of
manufacturers, both of wool and of cot
ton goods It is time that Congress
awoke to the situation aud afforded re.
lief