Year: 1875

IEMENT.


Of mill Of 900 spndles There arc employed IN inc
picker department, card strppers and grinders q;
drawing tenders speeder tenders "a; other cardroom
hands, 80 spinners, 32 other hands in spinnngroom'
So spoilers %; warpers 8; slashers, 81 web drawers
III weaving department. 200; miscellaneous. Ao total
45O Heretofore the custom has been TO give two weeks
notice intentions to leave, but there has been no oo
cation the part Of the operatives to De IN any way
sponsbe breaking this regulation The time OF notce
required been reduced to ten days and an
fixed by which the operator oreits the wages that
may be due him at the time the agreement is Drokeh
Consequently the regulation is less oneros than hereto
FORE but some responsibility is assumed for breaking
and throwing out OF employment the entire f0rce OF te
mill. and preventing the mill owners from competing
their The manufacturers aver that no candd
minded person. familiar with the thousand and one de-
tails the business and the events OF the past year or
twO will pronounce tho agreement anything more thah
what is to counteract the tendencies whch
been developed the result OF constant agitation


The manufacturers, whose interests are wholly den
fed with the success and prosperity OF the community
believe that the arrangements they have adopted are
vital to the permanent prosperity OF Fall River Ihey
state that the original reduction OF wages was made JAN
/, which, II will be remembered, was general through
out New w-England. 1t vas ten per cent. About April
that reduction was restored in this city, but not generally
in other manufacturing districts. The reduction OF Aug


for the purpose OF placing tc rate OF wages at t
which was current here during the early part OF the year.
and which had remained current throughout the other
manufacturing districts. The object was to continue
business and keep the operatives employed without any


material to the corporations This is the state OF the
case s presented by the manufacturers and their state
nents borne out by large portion OF the community


sPECULATIONs AS TO THE FUTURE.


The streets at evening to-day are universally quiet
The military here still, and the police are 1aithruy
at their posts. But the streets are orderly ana quiet
SpeclaioDs to the future as varied as they coua
well be- 1t is not at all improbable that many days OF
weary waiting will pass before thing Is settled THIS
is the opinion of some wellinormed persons. Others
equally acquainted with the situation think urther
fierce strife must come, while there are those VINO
believe all the men will work before the week
passed


NEW -YORK'S RELATIONS TO FALL RIVER.
EFFECT OF THE STRIKE ON THIS MARKET-HOw


MERCHANTS AND MILL OWNERS IN THIS CITY


LOOK UPON THE TROUBLE-NO GENERAL INJURY


TO MANUFACTURING OR SPEEDY EFFECT IN


RAISING PRICES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VIEWS


AS 70 THE CAUSES OF THE DIFFICULTIES


ASSERTED OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OPERATIVES


EXPECTED TO GIVE wAY-STATisrICs OF THE


FALL RIVER MILLS.


The explanations of the cause of the strike
among the operatives in the Fall River cotton mills as
given by persons in this city who arc largely Interested
in the cotton industry, vary to some extent but the Io
lowing facts TO be generally accepted Fall Kiver
Is the great OF the print cloth manufacture IN the
United States The supply Of print cloths. 1t is stated
in the last two years gradually to be in excess
of the demand. Prices have consequently suffered
considerable reduction and the stockholders IN he S
have found corresponding difference in their DIVIDENDS
this Of affairs resulted the proposed rcducoh
Of wages during the Summer Of this year The opera
t,apf fhnnu n
reduced wages. On returning I'd their work they were
ready TO accent the terms OF the employers The latter
then met them with new demands They asked that the op
erayes should sign agreement to belong to no organ
iztOn in which majority regulates wages that II any
body of operatives quit work without giving ten days
notice they should forfeit all wages due them the EN-
poyers only accept notices from oneeighth OF those
employed in any single department in single week,
thus preventing general strike in less than eight weeks,
unless the operatives prepared for considerable
sacrifice Of wages Employment was also refused TO the
leaders Of organizations These additionai de-
Inands occasioned the trouble OF Monday.


large mill owner and manufacturer and printer OF
print cloths in this State, whose firm employs about
Is 600 hands, gave his opinion that the present ac
ton OF the mill their agents. in Fall River, Is
a blow at the trades unions throughout the country
unions, he convinced were at the bottom
Of the strike there as they had been previously The
organizations among the operatives in that quarter
might assume dlnerent names, Dut thcy arc Ic"hy
branches of the same threatening organization. fed by 1t
and feeding In 1t is local matter just at pres
ent but general its features Last year the operatives
seized upon time for their strike when contracts were
to be fulfilled and the employers were consequently COM
PEELED to accede their terms or else suffer grcvous
loss On this occasion the strike was not so well


timed Business had been dull that there we're no heavy
contracts aud it made little difference to the owners
whether or not the mills were standstill During the


vacation they had organized together and agreed
upou the terms which. body, they would demand OF
the operatives They really formed counter Organiza-


op TO that of the operatives which did not exist in the
preceding year Last year one employer refused work
TO any operatives they went to other employers and oD-
tanned IT, This could not happen under present circum-
stances as the employers had agreed on common action


He believed that the violence displayed by the opera
tyes originated with the agents OF the trades unions
The unions felt that the combination OF the mill owners
was blow struck at them and likely to resist with
all their power. They would supply the funds for
the continuation of the strike II necessary,
Within his own experience Union had been formed
among his operatives. They had subscribed common
fund TO the amount of about 1000 two years ago, and
were preparing strike when he discovered 1t and dis
missed all concerned. This he was enabled to do sue
cessfuly, as he had no one to compete with him. lie
owned all his mills and IL the operatives did not choose
to work for him they could to no rival MILL He did
not know what average for operatives were In
Fall River but they must be much the same rs else
where Operatives there had to pay rent than do
those who work in his mills because he owned the
houses I'm which they lived we'll rs the mills, ana the
rent was almost nominal, being really considered
in their wages. The effect Of the strike
would be felt all over the country In
the department OF print cloths and calico goods are In
more general demand than any other description OF
cotton goods He thought the operatives in Fall River
were offered lust as good average wages as the operatives