The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-11-25
TEXTILE WAGES
 IN NEW ENGLAND
Statistics For Cotton, WooIen and Silk Industries
 Show Increases.

wages and hours of labor in the cot ton, woolen and silk industries from 1907 to 1913. shows that wages have varied in these industries in the states of southern New England. There are many increases, but :. number of exceptions to this tendency. especially in the woolen industry. The census reports for 1910 showed that there were 10S,000 persons employed in the cotton industry in Massachusetts, over 25,000,o 900 in Rhode Island and IA, 0oO In Connecticut. The department of la bor's statistics for 1918 contain data for 965 employees in cotton goods fin 1sh1ng in Massachusetts, S72 in Rhode Island and APO in Connecticut. Data is given for eighteen establishments in the cotton industry in Massachu- setts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. In the wColen and worsted goods industry 4he labor bu- reau covered thirteen establishments and 6,100 employees in Massachusetts five establishments, 2,2OO employees in Rhode Island. four establishments and 454 employees in Connecticut In the silk industry the bureau reported upon five Connecticut and one Massa- chusetts establishment and 800 and 546 employees respectively in these states.
 Taking up the cotton industry, the bulletin shows that in 1912 Connecti- cut card strippers averaged 1880 cents wages per hour Massachusetts card shippers 14.3 cents. Rhode Isl and 14-93 cents. These figures in creased by 1913 to 1884 cents for Connecticut, 4.s cents for Messachu- setts and 14.95 cents for Rhode IsI- and. Drawing tenders, male, receav- ed 12.45 cents an hours in Massa- setts two years ago. acompared with 12.67 cents last year. In Rhode IsI- i Q F E n1 and 13 cents a year later. Female drawing tenders also received small advances in Massachusetts.
 t Fine speeders had their wages raiss ed in Massachusetts and Rhode IsI- and, but were reduced in Connecticut Loom hxers on the other hand. were somewhat decreased in wages in Mas sachusetts and Connecticut, but i'm creased in Rhode Island from 26.52 to 26.62 cents an hour. Male siashers were raised in Massachusetts, mills from 22.95 cents to 23.45 cents per hour Spinners, frame, male. dropped slightly in wages in Massachusetts Female spinners had their wages re- duced in Connecticut, but they were anvanced in the two neighboring New England states from 1912 to 1913- in Massachusetts from 1457 to 149O cents and in Rhode Island from 12OS to 14-30 cents an hour.
 hu4e sp1nnerS wages decreased in the Bay State, but were raised i1l tin. Trimmers or inspectors were rais- ed in wages in Massachusetts, but low cred in Rhode Island. Male Weavers were increased in wages in each of the New England states mentioned, but the women weavers,. except in Rhode Island, were not so lucky
 The bulletin also g3Nss In great de- fST1f Hos employees by establishments and years. the average number of full time hours worked, and the average weekly earnings on a full time basis On that basis the earnings should have been in many cases larger last tunately it also appears that hours of work were shortened in some places.
 In the cotton goods finishing branch of the industry it appears that the hourly wage rate was increased to cal endeners, but decreased to engraxers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. and. on the other hand, Ngot small in- creases but were reduced in wages In Massachusetts. There was consider able variation in the wage rates of knotters and laborers. The wage rates paid cotton printers increased in Con uL, In Rhode Island, and decreased in Massac achusetts.
 In the woolen and worsted industry the rates of wage paid to burlers, dresSers and laborers in the Massa- . cf1lsetts, Rhode Island and Connecti- cut mills covered in the report were reduced from 1912 to 1913. This was true also of the male frame spfnners employed in Massachusetts and of the loom hxers and menders employed in that state, but in Rhode Island these last two classes of employees received a higher wage rate lastgyear than the year before. The same was true of Rhode Island wool frame spinners, whereas their Massa chusetts competi- tors were reduced in wage rate.
 Wool mule spinners in Rhode Isl- land and Massachusetts received slight wage rate cut. Wool twisters in Mas sachusetts mills were reduced; 7 but in Rhode Island they were advanced somewhat in wages. Male weavers in the three states in the southern part of New England were reduced, except in Connecticut, where there was an advance of a, fraction of a cent in the hourly wage rate. Rhode Isl-s and female wool weavers were in- creased about half a cent an hour in the wage rate, while the women weavers in Massachusetts wool mills were reduced nearly ? cents an hour Wool sorters received advances in, wages from to cents per hour in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
 Full information is given about working hours, numbers of each class of employees, etc, which is probably familiar to the; workers in the New England wooIen industry.
 The figures for the silk industry are not given in detail for any New Eng land state except Connecticut, as the industry is not so great, in the neigh boring New England states. Dye- house 1aborers in the silk industry in Connecticut received an average of 1856 cents an hour in 1912, compar- ed with -20.49 cents last year Connec- ticut silk loom xers, on the other hand, were dropped from 27-62 cents in 1912 to 27.03 cents in 1913. Mean