The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-03-29
NEW ENG
LAND STRIKE
SPREADING
Seven Moro Mills Announce
Cut in Wages-Woolen and
Cotton Mills Affected


takes on u new angle this week
with. its extension to the import
ant cotton and Woolen mill center
OF Lawrence. Seven mills have
announced 20 per cent reduc-
ton. effective tomorrow. and some
Of the operatives have declared q
strike. Another mill has announ-
ccd an indefinite suspension begin
ming tomorrow and tho Lawrence
Textile council has declared this to
be in the nature of q lockout. The
big mills of the American WOolen
company have not joined in the
wage cutting.
The largest plant affected is the
Pacific. employing some 10000
operatives. The six others at
which wages are reduced employ q
total Of about 1000 The wool
sorters affiliated with the United
! Textile Workers of America and
first 10 declare a strike are plan
ming to picket the Pacific and
Everett mills tomorrow.
The strike situation in New
Hampshire and Rhode Island,
where thousands Of operators have
been idle for many weeks, appears
| TO be deadlocked.
The special state board Of medi-
alton and cancellation in Rhode
Island has been dissolved after sew
eral futile attempts to bring about
q compromise between workers and
| mill owners on the matters OF
wages and working hours. Efforts
| to arrange conferences between
strike leaders and manufacturers
in New Hampshire have failed.
Minor strikes are in effect at Lowell
and Fitchburg. Mass.
The declaration that the strike
in New England mills will go to
the limit TO see whether the stock
holders. by refusing to scut fat
dividends. can force workers TO
reduce their meager wages was
made by Thomas F. Mcmahon.
president Of the United Textile
Workers of America, today. Mr..
McMahon was in this city on his
way from Rhode Island TO strike
centcrs of northern New England.
Citing the case Of the Pacific mills
at Lawrence. he said:
The strike against the Pacific
mills which begins tomorrow
morning would never have been
called if the company had treated
its workers with a degree of JUS
tice which would stand in COM
parison with the company's gener-
osity 10 its stockholders. In 1921,
IA year Of depression. the Pacific
mills paid to its stockholders
enough to have given every one OF
its 10000 employees a % per cent
wage increase instead Of the 90 per
cent. wage cut they are trying 10
force upon us.
This company paid out $2i00,
900 in dividends in 1927 and con-
tinued the same rate OF dividends
in the first quarter Of 1922. They
are paying y per cent. year on
their capitalization in spite Of the
fact that the capitalization in 1919
was increased by $5.000.000. in
stock dividends--a 33 l-3 per cent.
increase. They have a surplus OF
over $4,000. .000-enough to pay
the entire wages of the operatives
for q year without penny Of other
income and at the end Of the year
they void have q surplus remain
ing equal TO more than % per cent.
of their capitalization.
In 1921 the Pacific mills made
q profit OF over eight cents on
every dollar of their sales. not
much below their average profit
FOR the war years
The trouble with the textile
industry in New England is that it
has capitalized its huge war profits
by stock dividends. Now with sales
slack the mills determine to in
crease the margin. of profit on their
products SO that dividends as big
as in the war years can be paid
The figures which l have given
Will stand the most rigid test for
accuracy. They were secured for
the United Textile Workers in the
course Of an investigation Of the
industry which we are having
made for us by the Labor Bureau.
INC, of New York and Boston
New York. March 26.-CharSeS
that New England cotton mill
owners are driving away and
starving out the human capital on
which industry rests. in attempting
70 enforce wage reductions" were
made here tonight by Russell
Palmer. secretary Of The Amalga-
mated Textile Workers of Ameri-
ca.
Wages in the Northern cotton
mills, even before the present cuts
he stated. We're lower than those
III many other industries in the en-
knit goods. He declared the year
~ earnin" of male skilled opera
tivcS in the North averaged ST.
.0S3.44 before the recent cut with
out allowing for any unemploy-
ment whatever. whereas the mini
mum subsistence level" based on
~ study made by the national con-
terence board. an employers or
"anizat;on at Fan River in 1919
and taking into account present
prices. waS $l.l09.04.