Evening star., 1952-02-03
Fourth Of q Series


north Of Boston, is in more trouble
than at any time since an enter
prising group of Yankees. known
as the Essex. Co, damned the
Merrimack River, built two canals
and laid out the mill city over a
century ago.
There are over $4,000 workers
unemployed in Lawrence, . city
of $4,000 with an area population
of 126, 900. More than 20 per cent
of an unusually big work force Of
$4,000 are looking for a job and
not finding it. The State Employ
ment Security Division listed SO
job openings. most of them in
small shops or as domestics.
Future Also Uncertain.
But that is only part Of the
story of the sad plight of Lawrence
a story that is repeated many
times in the cities and towns OF
Massachusetts and other New
England States. The threat to
Lawrence and other textile cities
lies more in what the future may
bring rather than in its present
low economic state.
The American Woolen Co.-the
General Motors or United States
Steel of the wool industry and
producer of over 20 per cent of the
|country's wooden and worsted
|cloth-has hung d veritable Sword
of Damocles over Lawrence.
Francis w. White, American
Woolen's president, bluntly tolc
the Lawrence Chamber of Com.
merce recently, 1--WE are now Civ.
ing serious consideration to NOV
ing all our operations out of this
and other New England commu.
mites"
Can't Compete With South.
The news shook New England
like an earthquake. The reason
American Woolen is considering
moving out, bag and baggage. Is
an old story in cotton textiles, 9
much newer one in wooden an6
worsteds. It is the inability OF
Northern mills to operate on a
competitive basis with mills in
the South. Lower costs, Mr.. White
said, enable Southern mills to
undersell his company from 80 to
so cents q yard.
For this situation, MIR. White
blamed high State and local taxes
that are more than double those
of the South, lower productivity
OF Northern workers, and make
work" policies of the textile un-
ions. Most New England workers
belong to unions. against compare
lively few in the South.
Mr.. White and other producers
held the matter of what they
called getting "a fair days work"
from men and machines of more
Immediate Importance in meeting
Southern competition than the
wide differential in pay that exists.
Most 3of this gap, estimated at 80
cents an hour per worker in wages
and fringe benefits, they feel can
be bridged by superior know
how" of Yankee management and
workers provided the work assign
ments of North and South are
equalized.
Produce Mostly WOrsteds.
Lawrence's over $4,000 textile
workers are employed almost ex-
tclusively in making worsteds
Itight-woven woolen cloth used in
making suits, for American Wooler
and other concerns. The woolen-
lworsted industry in the South i.
| growing. but as yet amounts tt
only about Is per cent of the ma.
| tional total.
Mr.. Whites words were not un.
expected in Lawrence. American
!
Woolen already was opening {
new mill in Raleigh, N. C. Bu
business, union leaders and work.
erS still were deeply shocked b!
the announcement. It meant tn,
movement southward was on il
full force If this old New Eng1ane
firm was considering moving out
Mr.. White said his company wa!
searching for other mills and mil
sites in the South.
I'VE have, at present, every in
tention of removing q great dea
more of our machinery from thi
area" he said. Whether any o
it will remain here depends en-