Article Text
thrown out of employment, including the body of opera-
tives who were most prominent in the strike of last Sum-
mer, and who, it may be supposed, drew most largely on
their savings to support that movement. The Atlantic
Delaine Mills are controlled by Hoyt, Spragues & Co. of
New-York, though not run in their name. Messrs.
Sprague have shown themselves very chary of informa-
tion as to the steps they have taken or propose to take
in curtailing their production, and seem inclined to
allow the cloud, which Rhode Island manufacturers say
hangs over all interests in the State from the enormous
volume of their obligations, to put on its darkest aspect.
# REDUCTION OF THE PRICE OF GOODS BY BROWN & IVES.
The Lonsdale Manufacturing Company, which is con-
trolled by the house of Brown & Ives, runs five mills at
Lonsdale and Ashton, manufacturing villages in the
valley of the Blackstone, a few miles from Providence.
Here are manufactured cambrics, Lonsdale bleached
shirtings, jaconets, etc., and in these five mills are
144,000 spindles and about 3,000 operatives. These mills
are still running on full time and with no reduction of
wages or employΓ©s. The agents state that they desire
to keep with them all their operatives, some of whom
have been in their employ 30 years and even more, and
have as yet decided on no curtailment on account of the
financial troubles. Unless matters soon mend, how-
ever, they will be forced to retrench. The reduction
would probably be made in the wages rather than in
hours or force. The agents assert that the operatives
have been getting such very high wages that they can
well stand a reduction. They look, however, for
an early revival of business. The Lonsdale Company
this week reduced the price of their goods one cent per
yard. Other manufacturers following the example have
given orders to their selling agents in New-York to re-
duce prices correspondingly. The agents of the Lons-
dale Company say that as cotton is falling Β½ of a cent per
pound daily, with reduced wages they can make a fair
profit at the lower rate. The reduction has not been wel-
comed by their competitors, who say that they could
keep up their mills at full time at the old rate, but must
now curtail. Brown & Ives also control the Hope Mill,
at Scituate, which makes shirtings. The mill contains
28,000 spindles and employs 350 hands. They also control
the Berkeley Mill, in Cumberland, seven miles from
Providence, which is a new enterprise. The mill is now
running over 300 looms, and, having a capacity of 40,000
spindles, employs about 400 persons. Here are made fine
goods, sixties, eighties, and one-hundreds. The Hope
and Berkeley mills are running on full time, and at the
latter place new looms are being frequently added. The
manufacture of the class of goods made at the Berkeley
is said to be new in this country. The same policy will
be pursued at these two mills as at Lonsdale and Ashton.
Beside these a print cloth manufactory in Blackstone,
Mass., with 50,000 spindles and some 600 hands, is con-
trolled by Brown & Ives. This manufactory was shut
yesterday, partly for repairs, but more on account of the
depression. The present intention is to resume at full
time on Monday next, but action will be governed by
the condition of trade.
Belonging to the Crawford-Allen estate, and now con-
trolled by M. B. I. Goddard of this city, are the Allen
Print Works in Providence, the print cloth mill of the
Bernon Manufacturing Company at Georgiaville, R. I.,
the Woonsocket Company's cotton mill at Woonsocket,
R. I., and the two mills of the Smithfield Manufacturing
Company, one in Alleaville, R. I., the other in Dedham,
Mass. Mr. Goddard also acts as agent for the Fitchville
Manufacturing Company, whose mill, at Fitchville,
Conn., manufactures shirtings. The Allen Print
Works, which have a dozen machines with a capacity
of about 15,000 pieces per week, and employ nearly 400
hands, stopped a month ago. At these, as at other
print works, a stop of a fortnight twice a year, in the
Spring and Autumn, for repairs and preparation for
the change between light and dark goods, has been cus-
tomary. The time of the Autumn closing has been
Nov. 1. The panic hastened the suspension this season,
and no time of resumption is yet fixed upon. The
Bernon Mill, which has 603 looms, 30,000 spindles, and
about 450 hands; the mill of the Woonsocket Company,
with 13,000 spindles and 170 hands, and the Allenville
Works of the Smithfield Manufacturing Company, with
10,200 spindles and 150 hands, all stopped on Saturday,
the 11th inst. When they resume-a time as yet not
fixed with certainty, but possibly Monday next-there
will be some reduction, probably in time. It is thought
by the representatives of these mills that a suspension
of a few weeks will be lightly borne by the operatives,
but longer idleness would drive many of the French
Canadians of whom there is a large number employed
throughout Rhode Island-to Canada for the Winter,
and cause distress among them and trouble to the em-
ployers to get labor in the Spring. The Fitchville Com-
pany-whose new works have a capacity of 15,000, now
running 12,000 spindles-has made no reduction of any
kind. Two hundred hands are employed. At the Ded-
ham Mill of the Smithfield Company, now running on
full time, are 163 hands and 12,000 spindles.
# PARTIAL SUSPENSION OF WORK IN OTHER MILLS.
The Albion Manufacturing Company at Albion, R. I.,
runs a mill for the manufacture of print cloths, which has
400 looms and about 22,000 spindles. It will run on full time
up to Jan. 1, as it has contracts to fill up to that time. The
Monville Manufacturing Company, whose new mill at
Monville, R. I., is one of the largest cotton mills in the
country, having a capacity for 100,000 spindles, has as
yet put in but 1,200 looms, and has been employing 1,000
hands in the manufacture of print cloths, jaconets, &c.
On Saturday, the 11th inst., the mill was closed, with the
intention of resuming this week on half time. The
Chace Mill at Washington Village, Pawtuxet,
R. I., which has 4,000 spindles, was closed the same
day. The Central Manufacturing Company, which
has a mill at Plainfield, Conn., with 10,000 spindles, is
now running on two-thirds time. The great cotton
mills at Wauregan, Conn., and at Ponema, near Nor-
wich-the latter ranking among the chief mills of the
country, and having 72,000 spindles, and the former hav-
ing 56,000 spindles-which are controlled by Providence
capitalists, have been running on half time since Mon-
day, the 20th instant. Their agent in this city, Edward
P. Taft, says that the operatives are excellently well sit-
uated to bear the reduction, being a very thrifty class,
and having saved from 30 to 35 per cent of their abun-
dant wages. The Warren Manufacturing Company of
Warren, R. I., which has near 60,000 spindles, shut down
entirely for a few days, and with the Cutler Manufac-
turing Company of the same place is now running on
half time. Mills in the Quinebaug Valley, in Eastern
Connecticut, which are controlled by Rhode Island man-
ufacturers, have almost all cut down their running time
to seven hours per day for five days in the week. The
owners of the large woolen mills at Woonsocket, R. I.,
and Waterford, Mass., are now considering the question
of running only half time. None of the Rhode Island
woolen mills have yet stopped entirely. The closing of
a woolen mill causes so much more derangement and
loss than that of a cotton mill that the woolen manufac-
turers are very loth to suspend wholly, even though
they cannot sell their goods. The Greene Manufacturing
Company, at Norwich, R. I., which has 25,000 spindles,
and makes print cloths, shirtings, and similar goods, has
been running for a fortnight on three-quarters time.
The Luppitt Mill, at the same place, which makes print
cloths and has 7,000 spindles, will run full time to Nov. 1,
when it will either stop or reduce. The Coventry Mills,
at Anthony village, Coventry, R. I., with 10,000 spindles,
making print cloths, will pursue the same course. Many
other small mills have either reduced their running time
or will do so soon.
# GENERAL PROSPECTS.
NEW-ORLEANS BANKS TO RESUME NOV. 10-A STRIKE
OF COLORED LABORERS.