Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-01-30
COOPERATION
Industrial Council of
Names Employers
Needed to Meet the Needs of Names
Industries, Says Executive Seere-
tary cleaves

1
| secretary of the Associated Indus
tries Of Elaine. acting under instruc-
ton from his board of directors, is
calling the attention of the, people of
the State to the necessity of greater
| cooperation among employers with
reference to those matters which are
| of common interest to the employer
| and his employees, and to the citizens
f.. of the State at large, if Maine is to
maintain it's present Industrial sta
tus and show any kind of a healthy
| growth
Believing the matter to be Of pub
lie interest, Mr.. Cleaves was asked if
he would make a statement. and gave
! the following interview to our repre-
| sentative:
! 1T should be understood in the be-
! ginning that while membership in
this organization is limited to en-
| ployers, the objectives which he have
| i'll mind involve the interests of our
| workers, and incidentally and neces-
! sarily the well-being of the entire
| State. Manufacturers today are
| realizing that as between themselves
| Gnu lLSlI WYNN lliSH IAS III iittAS
respects acting as trustees, and that
| in their keeping is placed to L large
| degree much of the prosperity and
growth of Maine. In administering
| this truSteeShip. they are not author
| i2ed TO act selfiShly, but on the other
| hand they are not warranted in clos
| ing their eyes to existing conditions
| Industry i'll this lar northeastern
| corner of the country is enmeshed
i'll adverse conditions which either do
not elsewhere exist, or if they do
| exist at all arc found less onerous
than in our State. We are far re-
| moved from practically all of the
| sources of raw material, and our
| markets-common to similar manu-
! facturers eiseWhere-are on the av-
, erage several hundred miles further
| away than the same markets are to
| cur competitors. The enormous hor-
! iZontal increases in the ~Iates for
. transportation, necessary under ex-
listing conditions but admittedly un-
, scientific from every viewpoint.
placed an additional burden upon us,
which in some instances has result
ed in entire loss of market. and in
many instances in a decrease in pro-
duction. In our textile industry, we
! have very pronounced and increas-
ing competition from southern mills
who are nearer the source Of raw
| material, nearer the common mark
cts, and permitted to operate during
! very much longer hours. The general
government reports upon the indus
| Try as a whole, while entirely correct,
represent only an average figure, and
! DO not with absolute correctness rep
| resent the situation in Maine. If the
! character of our help and the volume
| Of their achievement were not great
! ~ superior to that possible in the
! south we would not be able to COM
| pete.
That which is true of the textile
| industry is relatively true of other
Maine industries, and it would per-
haps be a matter of real surprise If
| our people knew show close to the
wind" some of our Industries have
been sailing during the past two
years, and how closely reefed they
| must sail their craft during many
| months to come.
! 1t is not within the scope of the
| space within which This statement
must be confined to. even sepitomize
the situation and the conditions.
| Freight rates enter into it, all the
other costs of operation, the general
business conditions prevalent here
and everywhere. world conditions
! thoroughly appreciated, taxes local
I and government, the tariff situation
all of the myriad conditions under
which all manufacturers are struggl-
ing, and which in Maine are made
especially hard because of geOgraph-
ic situation and keen industrial COM
petition.
Encourage and Support
Here in Maine. we have never been
given to organizing or to Boosting
Not until the Public Utility Act was
passed was there any attempt to
regulate our public utility services
| and practices. Very lately the hotel
men and the Automobile Association
have inaugurated campaign Of pub
llc1ty to advertise and boost our sum-
mer business. Important as is this
industry, Maine could not live upon
this alone. Our agricultural inter-
ests must be encouraged. sustained.
and supported. Your industries are
essential, and must be properly or
saflized, conducted and supported.
We have not Dragged enough about
our State. As matter Of fact Maine
has, aside from its geographic situa-
ton, nearly all the beauties and adj
vantages which any other State in
the union possesses, and we have
many things which no other State
can boast of. 1t was at one time
thought that California was the only
state in which the moving picture
industry could thrive and grow.
Some of the biggest producers have
come to realize that Maine Is the
ideal State. within which to carry on
their activities. Other states have
carefully and scientifically organized
their industries, their. agriculture.
and their other activities. Who to-