The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-11
BY HORTENSE SAUNDERS
NEA Service Writer


NEW BEDFORD, Mass, May II.
Joseph Albino, who until recently
worked in one Of the New Bedford
cotton mills, has wife and nine
children to support on nothing a
week, just now. He is one of the
$1,000 textile workers on strike here.
His rent is $3.50 a week for four
rooms, kept very clean and neat by
Mrs. Albino.
Mrs. Albino Is A, and has eleven
living children. Two daughters are
married, and worked in the mills
before the strike. Manuel, 10, the
Oldest Of the nine children living at
home, Is old enough to work in the
mills, but he too is on strike.
Joseph Albino never has earned
a very large salary. Last winter,
when he frequently was laid OF, he
averaged $14 a week. When the
daughters were employed, they
helped their parents. Now the
daughters are dependent upon
various relief agencies Of the town.
Majority Live Comfortably
The Albino family presents Just
one Of a great many very interest
ing human cases in the New Bed
ford strike.
The Albinos seem somewhat
harder hit than the average. Here
are $1,000 workers with their in
come cut OFF. Few of them earned,
while working, more than $40 a
week. Yet the strikers generally
are reasonably well clothed, have
fairly comfortable places in which
to live, and seem happy as they go
about their battling against 10
per cent wage reduction.
'They never had much, so they
manage now to get along on very
little without seeming to suffer
greatly" New Bedford people eX-
plain.
The Washington Club, a work.
ingman's social club, gives away
bread and soup three times a week
to all children of the strikers who
come. 1t usually distributes around
1900 loaves of bread and hundreds
Of gallons Of soup.
Fairly well dressed children call
for this, the little boys with
mackinaw coats and knickers, good
shoes and stockings, and little girls
with fur-collared coats, new hats
and flowers on their shoulders.
Drew Small Allowance
Ont of the $4,000 workers about
1000 belong to the American FEEDER
alton of Textile Operators, the local
union, and draw a small allowance
ranging from S. to ST week.
Lawyers, clergymen, and public
spirited citizens have organized the
Citizens Relief, which is aiding job
less throngs.
Cooperative buying is lowering
cost, and many grocers and shop
keepers are donating supplies.
New Bedford people call the
strike the "best managed and most
orderly" they ever saw.
It is the first important strike
here in eight years. 1t is no revolt
against factory conditions, which
are admitted to be satisfactory, but
is solely a protest against 10 per
cent cut in wages. Such a cut al
ready is in effect in almost every
other textile center in New England.
Employ Only Skilled Workers
The finest cotton textiles Of the
country are made here, and
naturally the most skilled operators
are required.
OF the New Bedford strikers, the
majority are English, French
Canadian, Portuguese and Polish.
The English are from Lancaster
shire, England, where they worked
in the British mills, and they retain
their broad English accent.
There are about sixty mill units
in New Bedford, and all but about
fifteen are shut down. These fifteen
are continuing to pay the old scale
Of wages. There has been no effort
to bring in strikebreakers.
Efforts Of so-called radical"
leaders to take over direction Of the
strike have caused some trouble,
but 1t has not become critical.