The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1924-06-20

= sumption of products and make bad
times.
! Just now strike is threatened in
the women's wear industry in New
York City. Wages in this industry
were enormously increased during
the war period. and have undergone
little or no reduction. The demands
now are for a forty-hour week.
/. which means hours per day for
FIVE days and no work on Saturdays,
with other conditions which evident
~ would increase the costs of pro-
duction. These goods are a class
largely bought by the farming pop
ulation. who in turn are supplying
food to the garment workers in most
cases at but little above the pre-war
prices and in some cases below
them. The price relation between
cloths and clothing and farm pro-
ducts is shown in the Bureau of
Labor tables and the difference be-
tween the farmers hours OF labor and
a forty-hour week is still greater.
The Cotton Goods Situation
The cotton goods industry supplies
most OF the raw material for the
garment industry, and also serves to
illustrate present conditions. Wages
nominally are very high. much more
than double the pre-war level, but
rents and services are high. because
wages are so high in the biuding
trades and building material indus
tries. etc, etc. But cotton goods are
high also because of short crops. and
as they are not selling freely, the
mills have been running on short time.
The New Bedford Textile Council,
claiming to represent 400 textile
workers in New Bedford. Mass, has
addressed a petition to President
Coolidge setting forth the state of
unemployment in the cotton goods
industry and asking if he cannot
take some action under the flexible
provisions of the last teriff act to
stop the importations of foreign made
cotton goods. The petition says in
part:
Your petitioners respectfully sub
NIT that this state of affairs. being
due chiefly to abnormal world con-
ditions. they are unable by their own /
efforts to cope with the situation +;
They are convinced that the indus r
try is seriously menaced and that :
prompt action is necessary to pre- r
vent much hardship and suffering to |
he industrious and deserving cotton =
extile operatives. Delay may mean a
he permanent impairment of this n
'rcat and valuable industry. r
The outstanding fact is that the Il
alter are not able to sell goods St
nough to furnish steady employment
nd that they are not making any h
honey for themselves. The situation r,
an Improbable one all around, but \,
oming at time when the farmers u
re being told that they must adjust re-
to economic conditions, the W
ppeal for a higher tariff on cotton h;
oods does not seem opportune. 1t d,
light be we'll if the mill-workers h;
'uld meet the farmers of all sections il
no are their customers and who m
ipply them with meat. flour, milk ur
I'd other foodstuffs and compare r.
a,
Middleman's Charges he
II. as suggested, the mill-workers b;
ould meet the farmers for con- bo
renee, very likely they might be m,
lie to agree that their troubles m,
ere chiefly due to the middlcmen pc
tervenirg between them. 1t is us IN
lily agreeable to place the blame OF
someone not present, but If they OF
ould examine every item in the au
SITS of making cotton goods and pc
cry item in the costs OF exchanging
tton goods for the farm products