New-York tribune., 1919-04-26
Cotton Men Call
For Removal of
All Restrictions
Demand Abandonment of
Government Control and
Brand Demand for Short.
erHours Economic Fallacv

Demands for the removal Of govern
mental restrictions on private business
and the branding Of the system OF de-
creaslng output for the supposed good
Of employees as a fallacy were embodied
IN two resolutions passed By the cot
ton manufacturers at the close of their
business meeting yesterday afternoon
While the cotton manufacturers,
along with other American business
men, gladly subordinated the direction
OF industry, transportation and anance
to the government for the purpose Of
the winning OF the war, they say that
with this object attained all restric-
tlons on private business not hitherto
found necessary IN peace times should
be removed, and that the control of
industry should be returned to Ameri-
can business men, whose enterprise
and patriotism nave beer. demonstrated
during the war
The reason for the adoption of the
second resolution was 20 give an an
swef TO the labor unlonlsts agitatlng
shorter hours OF labor as a solution to
the unemploymerc problem. 4 was
brought out ir discussion that certain
economists and labor leaders have been
urging such course, The cotton men
believe that any reduction in the hours
o. labor necessarily curtails produc-
ton, raises the cost of the article pro-
duced, decreases consumption and
thus slows Cp industry as whole,
causing unemployment. The remedy
tor unemployment. according to the
cotton manufacturers, is to increase
production through greater efficiency.
thereby lowering the cost Of manutact-
ure, which viii increase the market.
greater employment for labor.
President " Frank Snrove, q Fall
River Mass; first vice-presldent Rus
sell b. Lowe, Of Fitchburg. Mass. and
second presiden, James Thomson
of New Bedford Mass, were ali re-
elected fo. the ensuing year Directors
elected were as follows; Morgan But
Ter. New Bedford Mass, Lewis Dex-
tsT jr~ Manchester, N II. a ".
Dimick, Providence, R. L., Johr T. Ne
Laughlin, Utica. n Y, and John Skim
ner Easthampton, Mass
lhe meeting Yesterday morning
opened with tae presentation o. the
ASSOCIATION medal 20 Randall n purfee
treasurer Of the Border City Manufact-
urlng Company Fai River. Mass. This
media IS gwen every yea 10 the man,
who IN The opinion { the medal commit
tee has aone the most during the last
yeal C advance the cotton industry
The medal was awarded Nh Uurfee
primarily for his work in helping to
establish the trade acceptance as the
customary method ot meeting business
obllgauons George p Grant, ir,
chairman ot the medal committee, made
the preaentation
Releasing the foreman of his merely
hiring and Hring duties and focusing
his energies ON the problem of produe-
tlon was suggested by DR. llolNs God
trey, presldenl OF tho preNei Institute,
Philadelphia, as 4 NeW plan Tor sav
ihg the problam OF production pr
Godfrey advocated the application IN
industry or principles used IA the war
tn Nt puldiefa into their proper spherea
and to train them Tie likened tho
Ietemeh IN factory te the non-eem-
msFioned eficerF il an army
Make Nout foreman sub engineer"
he said, 'and how him that hp has
chance for promotion "
To train the foromon AZ sub-cngi-
ncors be advocated night schoola where
they could be given the requisite cdu-
cation along practical production lines
ty actual test, lie SAID, it had been
found that 400 houra of training were
suihclent tol turning skllIed crafts
man into good foreman He also
emphasized the need of a personnel or
employment department in each fac
tory, where the applicant for work
could be given certain tests ta ascer-
tain his fitness tor the task he would
be expected to perform.
Finance and export were the chief
topics of discussion at the afternoon
session.
The future OF our prosperity" said
O. =. Austin, statistician of the Ma
tional City Bank of New York, both
at home and in foreign trade, lies in
the enlargement of our manufacturing
industries. We can no longer confine
our export trade to raw materials and
we have but small amounts of food
stufs to spare He cautioned the cot
ton men to consider we'll the desires
and wishes of the natives Of other
countries in foreign trade and illus
trated his point by showing samples OF
cotton prepared for the Java trade and
for other foreign countries
"Thc Javenese don't want solid fcolors
or small designs and modest stripes"
he said. They want large floral and
bird-l.ke figures printed on their cot
tons. Other countries prefer other de-
signs. The manufacturer seeking eX-
port trade must ascertain these native
wants."
Speaking on Our Role as Creditor
Nation" b. NJ. Anderson, Jr, of the
National Bank of Commerce, said that
whether we liked it or not we must
continue to reinvest the interest on
the money Europe owes us. in Europe,
and must also sell to Europe on credit
since the nations over there cannot re-
pay our loans to them in cash or in
goods, because of the general demoral-
izatl0n OF business.
Eiry3f-FSCysr ED0y and