The Washington herald., 1922-02-13
Between 10000 and $4,000
Workers Expected to
Strike Today.
UNIONS RESIST
FURTHER PAY>CUT
Governor Threatens to
Call Out Troops in
Rhode Island.

BOSTON, Feb. 12.-New England
is on the eve of its greatest tex
tile strike.
By Monday night. it is expected.
between 10000 and 5o.opO cotton mill
operatives will be idle in Maine. New
Hampshire. Massachusetts and Rhode
Island in the bitter fight against the
general 20 per cent wage reduc-
ton and abolition of the 4s-hour
week.
Tonight there were no hopeful in
dications of compromise. Cotton
manufacturers and officials Of the
textile workers unions were agreed
it would be a fight to the finish.
In some of the mill cities where
strike votes were polled the per-
centage in favor ran as high as
80 or more, which would indicate
that the majority of the mills will
be forced to close.
Fear Southern Competition.
The manufacturers sum up their
situation in the statement that eco
nomic and industrial questions de-
mand this step in the return to
normal conditions. We must meet
the competition of Southern mills. Z"
And union officials reply: f'Our
wages have been cut AZ per cent in
sixteen months. This is an attempt
TO draw Northern operatives down
to the starvation wage level of the
Southern cotton mill workers"
Resentment against the new wage
scale has been stronger, perhaps.
than any ever made in this section,
following as It did a general slash
of twenty-five and one-half per cen,
a little over a year ago. The Rhodr
Island cotton mill workers were the
first to suffer and In that state Is.
oa0 strikers already have tied tre
thirty plantS and staged such serI.
Gus mitigate disturbances at other
plants that the governor has
warned that at the next outbreak
he would. call out the militia
to maintain order.
Troops Await Orders.
Two troops of cavalry. fully
armed and equipped. were in Proyf-
dence armories tonight awaiting
orders.
Representatives sent from WASH
ington by the Department Of La
Dor are in the field attempting with
poor success to halt the strike. Of
fcers of the United Textile Work
ers of America and the other rex
tile organizations are on the way
to the New England battle front.
In towns and cities where new
strikes begin Monday, every regu-
lar policeman and many special
| officers will be on duty. Riot guns
are ready and all mill properties
will be closely guarded by mounted
men and motorcycle squads.
Union officials in Manchester
N. H.. and other cities have an
nounced they will picket the mills
but have promised that the pickets
will not be looking for trouble
Their duty will be to advise EN-.
ployes that there Is a strike on.
10000 to Quit in Manchester.
The largest center affected is
Manchester, where $4,000 employees
of the great -Amoskeag Cotton
Company and 1000 more of the
Stark Company. have voted tc
strike. Vice President James Starr
of the United Textile Workers is In
personal charge of the strikers
there and in Nashua, Dover and
Suncook. where strikes have also
been called. In Nashua the vote
favored a strike by 3.0s9 to II
and in Suncook II ran 80 per cent
| in favor.
Eight mills in Lewiston and on'
in Auburn Me. will be affected
They empld more than 5000 op.
eratives. Wage cuts have also beer
Announced in Augusta, Waterville
Brunswick. Biddeford and Saco
and the American Federation o.
Textile operatives has sanctioned
strikes in those cities, but theil
local unions have not yet taker
action.
About $500 are expected to strike
in Lowell.
Mass meetings were held today
in all the centers affected ant
union officials gathered for coun'
ellis of war at which plans for the
strike were completed.