Imperial Valley press., 1914-03-14
OAKLAND MILLS
BLAME THE TARIFF

BLAME III AhlH
San Francisco, March 14.-Demo-
cratic tariff legislation has forced
the California Cotton Mills Company
to discharge more than one third of
its employees.
William Rutherford, managing di-
rector of these Oakland mills. which
represent a cash investment of
$1,000. 900. said today his company's
consumption of Imperial valley cot
ton had been reduced, as a result of
the new taraiff law, from $4,000 to
10000 bales a year, while the manu-
facture of burlap had been disconti
ued.
As a result, many of the spindles
and looms of these mills are idle. The
eliminations have been made where
the labor element in the cost of pro
iuction is greatest, and the mills are
now running on a non-dividend paying
basis.
This company, which was estab-
lished in 1888, is distinctly Califor-
MIA industry, not alone because 1t
is the only cotton mill in the state,
but also because the source of its
raw material and the market for its
product are either within California
or the direct result of California en-
terprise. Its cotton comes from the
fields in the Imperial valley. Among
its finished products are 'cod lines
for the Alaska fisheries, and fine
towels, in which is in-woven the
name of San Francisco hotels. Up
to the time the beet sugar industry
was killed by the Wilson tariff
aw these mills also turned out large
quantities of cloth used in the beet
sugar refneries in this state.
The power used in this plant comes
from the Sierras over the wires of the
Great Western Power Company.
The California Cotton Mills is,
therefore, a characteristic example OF
manufacturing in this state. Being
business built up with regard to
every advantage Of raw material,
power and market here, it should
have been able to withstand hostile
and adverse legislation if any Cali
fornia manufacturing may continue
20 exist in the face of these discour-
agements.
The announcement that one third
If its employees have been discharged,
its consumption of raw material deci-
mated and a portion of its work COM
pletely abandoned, while its stock
holders receive no dividends, is conse-
1uently fraught with interest for Cal.
ifornians who had hsped to see manu-
featuring prosper in this state and
receive new impetus with the open
ing of the Panama canal.
81 cannot see where the workers
who will come here with the opening
# the canal" says Rutherford, "are
going to find work.
"Our situation, if it illustrates the
conditions in this state. is most un-
fortunate. One should keep Ill mind
that we pay considerably higher wages
than they pay in the east, and that
this is the only cotton mill in the
world that operates under an eight
hour day law. This might have
been considered handicap enough; but
now on top of this comes tariff
bill that cuts away our protection
rom the cheap labor of Europe and
India in textile products.
"The result is that part of our
machinery is idle, our monthly pay
roll has been reduced by the dis
charge of 275 of the $50 employees
Who had been working here. We
can no longer consume the same
mount of cotton from the Imperial
galley as we have in the past, and
he weaving of burlaps has been dis
Continued completely