The Cotton Factory Times. — 1903-05-29 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

NOTES ON PASSING EVENTS.  The Lmployers', Federation decided, at a mass neeting held on Tuesday afternoon, to close the whole of the mills in the Federation area during Whit-week. The members of the North and North-East Lancashire Employers' Association are expected to adopt a similar policy. The adoption of this course will cause a considerable amount of distress among some sections of the operative classes. Especially will this apply in East Lancashire, where low wages generally prevail, and the workmen have no opportunity for making preparations for periods of stress beyond the allowance offered by their trade unions. In spite of the distress inevitably following a stoppage of the magnitude indicated, we commend the action of the employers in the course they are taking. With American spot cotton id. and Egyptian 2d. per lb. dearer than cotton to be taken a few months ahead, it wonld be commercial suicide to continue running the mills full time. The present loss will prevent greater losses later on in the year. Workmen of all grades will be wise to limit their expenditure as far as possible, as it is probable that practically the whole of the trade will find it necessary to repeat the stoppage within the next month or two. It is the first sime in the history of the trade that the Federation have been able to secure unanimity in a policy of the above description. While deprecating panic or the wild words of many, it is necessary to look steadily at the unpleasant situation with which we are faced. What is its teaching? It is absurd to think that we can afford to have the cotton trade made into a seasonal one through a shortage of cotton. The moral is that the whole of the persons who are dependent upon the cotton trade for their living should back up the British Cottongrowing Association in its efforts to promote the growth of cotton wherever an opportunity presents itself. Without taking into account the loss of commercial prestige, the monetary loss incurred by the stoppage of the trade for one week would more than meet the necessities of the Cotton-growing Association and enable that body to obviate the recurrence of a situation similar to the one with which we are at present faced.  The deputation of cotton operatives and other important bodies interested in the welfare of the cotton trade to Lord George Hamilton, on Thursday week, met with no sympathy to their appeal that the Indian import and excise duties on cotton goods should be repealed. These duties were said to be imposed for a certain object, and now, when that object has been attained, we are practically told that there is very little prospect of their being removed, and thus an important and somewhat overburdened industry is to continue to carry the burden, which has unmistakably impeded its progress and development for many years past. In saying this we are not unmindful of the reduction from 5 to 3+ per cent on cotton cloth, and of the uniform excise duty of 31 per cent on all cloth. This, however, was only one step towards the abolition of the duties, which Lancashire objected to from the first. In 1877, and in 1879, the House of Commons condemned the Indian import duties on cotton goods as unjust alike to the Indian consumer and the English producer, and went on to welcome their recent reduction as a step towards their total abolition. It is somewhat disappointing to have to fight these battles over again.  The judgment delivered this week by Vice-Chancellor Sir S. Hall, K.C., in what is known as tha Manchester showmen's dispute, is a case of interest to trade unionists. An action was brought by John Whiting, of Urmston, and Robert Dixon, of the "Flat Iron" Fair Ground, Salford, against William Gibson, of the Eccles Fair Ground, and others, and the Lancashire and Cheshire Society of Showmen and Stallholders. The plaintiffs claimed an injunction to restrain the defendants and their