The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-06


families.
Such depression in the tex
ance of cut-throat competition
we'll known to millions of wor
other decade is out. British
textile concerns are foregoing
profits in order to capture not
only Americas foreign market
but her domestic market as
we'll. German and Italian cot
ton manufacturers with cheap
er labor are also snatching
markets from American in
dustry.
Exploit Cheap Dixie Labor.
The answer of American capital is
seen in the rapid building up of
new cotton manufacturing industry
in the south where labor is cheap
and women and children can be ex-
plotted for 60 hours week.
In the week ending Feb 16 sales
by Fall River manufacturers fell to
about $4,000 pieces while in the fol-
lowing week only about $4,000 pieces
were sold. Production has been re-
duced to keep pace with these orders.
Normal production is $4,000 pieces
week. At Pawtucket, R. l., the
Tamarack mill Of the Manville-
Jenckes Co. has been closed and its
machinery will be removed to Gas
tonia, N. c. During the war it en-
ployed about 1000 workers.
North Carolina Busy.
Massachusetts with 11,9S5,346
spindles reported 100000 fewer spin
die hours activity than North Caro-
lima with only 5,715,207 spindles. AS
competition develops northern oper-
atives with some pretense at work.
ing standards are goinA to be elimi-
mated by cheaper competitors in the
south.
That foreign competition is re-
sponsible for the slump in the Amer
lean textile industry appears in u.
S. department of commerce reports
that exports of cotton cloth fell
from 587,492,532 square yards il
1922 to 1929, 759 square yards in
1923. At the same time imports Of
cotton cloth increased from approx
mately 142,0O0,O00 square yards in
1922 to 216,O00,0O0 square yards in
1928.
British Imports Gain.
Great Britain broke into Ameri-
cas- domestic market for unbleached
goods altho American manufacturers
have always been considered in an
/ impregnable position at home. I'M
ports increased from 35,000,000 yards
in 1922 to 90,000,O00 yards in 1928
The department of commerce says
the British cut prices below cost to
obtain this market They sold at
43 cents a pound compared with the
American price of SO cents.
In South American markets Ger
man textiles have again come into
the market with prices from 10 per
cent to Is per cent under the Ameri-
can. AS result Germany gets heavy
orders and the textile industry in
that country is reported booming. In
Peru both British and Italian manu-
facturers are Offering cotton goods
at prices varying from Is per cent
to 20 per cent below American
prices. In Asia and the Philippines
the commerce department reports
that the products Of cheap Chinese
and Japanese workers are uneer-sell-
ing American goods.
Low Wages-POor Market.
The present state of the textile in
dustry is a warning to labor. The
British cotton industry. in scite Of
its capture Of Amcri AN markets, is
lepor ted depressed with mills EN-.
ploying 100000 workers reducing
weekly hours from As to 26A. The
inherent tendency Of the present in
dustrial order to force the develop
ment of various industries far be-
yond the capacity Of low paid work.
ing populations to purchase their
own products is resulting in COM
petition of the various groups Of
owners for some sort Of final supre-
macy which will mean to labor un-
employment with increasing pressure
for lower wages and longer hours.