The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-07
THREAD COMPANIES
SPEED-UP SYSTEM RUINS WORKERS
(Continued from page 1.l

buL rTOIlLS OOmGs
Yet dividends have been paid, at
the rate of 20 per cent on capitaliza-
ton prior to 1919. How is this pos.
sible? With the workers on short
time, how could the American Thread
Co. pile up enormous profits? The
secret is found in the low wages paid,
and in the speeding up system.
All possible improvements in ma
chinery have been introduced, which
speed up the worker, and compel him
to turn out larger product. In adj
dition, much more work is expected
from man than before, irrespective
Of machinery. Twenty years ago
when c. B., a dresser tender, began
shaving for the American Thread Co.
in Willimantic, Conn, it took IA
hours to get out set of thread. Now
1t takes seven hours.
In making shuttle bobbin, there
is new method, which consists Of
punching on a cardboard, which sim
plifes the process, and increases the
output.
The 5uhIman Dye Machine.
There is still some dyeing done by
hand, two men being required to pull
the skeins thru the water, hot tho it
is. But the machine is coming in
The Buhlman machine, according to
men who work on it, has increased
the output tremendously. Four men
on that machine, of German make,
| can do as much as 80 men previously.
In the American Thread Co., one
of these machines was put in three
years ago, another nine months ago,
and still another is being installed. AS
result, many workers. were laid off.
Now two men tend 80 rolls or pins.
The Buhlman machine allows 10
different dyeing operations to go on
at the same time, each Of the 13 box
es containing a different wash. The
machine is about 40 feet by Is feet,
with rows of boxes Cor wash tubs)
on the outside, the regulating machin-
cry being on the inside. Partitions
separate the various boxes. These
partitions can be raised, thus increas-
ing the size of the box, when the ma
terial to be dyed comes in greater
amounts, thus being put on more
pins. ~
There are seven boxes on one side,
and six on the other, of various sizes.
The skeins of thread are placed on
the pins, about dozen on each pin,
the pin revolving, automatically pass
ing the skeins thru the wash. The
machines in use at the American
Thread Co. have sixty-five pins each.
The machine can be used, too, for
+ rinsing operations. 1t has revolution
lied the dye room.
These are only a few instances Of
capitalist introduction of more com
plicated machinery, to attain greater
production. 1t can be duplicated in
most departments.
Making Men Do More Work.
On the bobbin press, where former
ly four presses were run by two men,
before the strike was called, seven
presses were being run by two men.
In the shuttle bobbin department, six
months ago, four enclosing machines
were run by one man. But before
the cut, one man was running six ma
chimes, and was lucky enough to es-
cape having two more wished on him,
because they were out of order.
A worker doing fancy bleaching
told me that he used to do 300 lbs. at
a time. Now he often does 400 lbs,
and even up to $50 lbs. And for this
work, this strong, well developed type
of man gets S23.4O.
Years ago, by hand in bleaching,
two men did 400 lbs. together at one
time, getting $25 and s26 week re-
spectively. Now one man must do
the work alone, doing 500 lbs, and
for this gets s23.4O.
These are first hand stories told by
the men themselves to the writer.
They are not taken from books or
from my imagination. When spoke
at the strikers meeting on Friday,
March IL, gave figures on profits Of
the American Thread Co, taken from
Moody's Manual of Investments. At
that time, the strike leader, Miss KEEL
leher, organizer for the United Textile
Workers of America, complimented
the writer for the speech, and accept
ed the figures as correct.
But when Communist propaganda
began to make Roadway, the takers
began to attack the DAILY WORK
Err and the Workers Party, and Miss
Kelleher reported on my speech Of
March IS, "the figures were fair, but
were taken from a hearing on the
4S-hour bill hearing" Comrade Ida
Rothstein and the writer had appeared
before the legislative committee on Ia
Dor at Hartford, and had made use of
figures, but not these.
The deductions on stock manipula-
tons and concealment OF profits were
not in any book, but the timid soul
which is running the strike in Wilt
mantle wished 10 discredit the Com