Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1891 — Another Wage Reduction. [ARTICLE]

Another Wage Reduction.

To the list of protected industries which have reduced the wages of their workmen, the New York Mills Cotton Company, at Utica, N. Y., must now be added. The President of the concern is W. Stuart Walcott, and the Treasurer is Samuel R. Campbell. Both are ardent and active Republican politicians, and devout disciples of McKinleyism. Mr. Walcott has long been credited with aspirations to the State Senatorship from bis district Mr. Campbell is the son of the late State Senator Samuel Campbell. He is a liberal contributor to Republican campaign funds, and in Presidential

years generally equips one or two campaign clubs at the mills. On Saturday notice was posted in what are known as the lower and middle mills of the company that a reduction in the wages of the weavers would take place on December 7. The former schedule was 77 cents for weaving a cut of fifty-five yards of shirting, and each weaver had charge of four looms. The new schedule makes a different scale, and provides that the weaver shall operate five and six looms Instead of four. The new prices are 70 cents per cut lor an operative who has charge of four looms, 66 cents a crj, where fivo looms are operated, and 62 e;nts a cut for six looms, The average operative can get two cuts a week from a loom Under the old schedule the average weekly wages of weavers was 86.16. Under the the average weaver will earn new scale $5.60 a week working at four looms. This reduction makes a bleak outlook for the weavers just at the beginning of winter, and the warmest indignation is expressed by them. The weavers say they cannot run six six looms because tfie cotton is poor, and some of the operatives are inexperienced. They insist that four looms are as many as they can handle It is said that many of the best weavers will have to seek employment elsewhere. At any rate the new arrangement will compel the dismissal of from one-tenth to one-fifth of the four or five hundred weavers, and harder work or smaller wages will be the lot of the rest. One operative summed up the situation in this fashion: “We will say you are paying a man 81 per day for sawing wood at the rate of a cord a day, and it is all he can do, and you say to him that hereafter you will pay him 81.50 per day if he will saw two cords.”