PRELIMINARY NOTICE, AND CALL FOR MEETING.

DEAR SIR:

NEW ENGLAND COTTON MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION,

53 STATE STREET, ROOM 1043, BOSTON, March 10, 1892.

The Board of Government has initiated a new policy for the Association meeting to be held at the close of next April. It is to dispense with the formal papers heretofore provided, and to limit the proceedings to informal discussion of topical questions by members only. To this end they have selected a list of subjects of interest to mill managers; and have, in each case, assigned a member to open briefly the discussion, in order to call out remarks upon it from the members at large. They earnestly hope for your co-operation in the matter; believing that new interest will be aroused by this method, and the meetings made more attractive.

The topics chosen, and the names of the members who will briefly introduce them, are as follows:

1. The benefits derived from the licker-in and shell-feed system to cotton cards. — Mr. E. W. THOMAS, Lowell, Mass.

2. Is the production of a mill increased or diminished by stopping for Saturday half-holidays? - Mr. F. M. MESSENGER, No. Grosvenor Dale, Conn.

3. What is the best policy to pursue in manufacturing concerns having large quantities of similar machinery; whether to have one overseer over a large amount of work, or to distribute it among two or three overseers?— Mr. CHARLES D. MCDUFFIE, Manchester, N. H. 4. What has been the result of experience in bringing the power from engines or water-wheels into the mill; at the end, or in the centre, in mills of not less than 350 feet in length? - Mr. JOHN KILBURN, Lowell, Mass.

5. The use of single or double boss rolls on spinning frames; from which can be derived the most benefit? - Mr. WILLIAM J. KENT, New Bedford, Mass.

6. Tests of spindle oils.

Mr. A. M. GOODALE, Waltham, Mass. 7. The life of incandescent lamps. - Mr. W. S. SOUTHWORTH, Lowell, Mass.

8. Picking, as applied to the English system of carding. Mr. ROBERT MCARTHUR, Biddeford, Me.

9. What is the best design for line-shafting, transmitting over fifty horse-power, permitting stopping and starting on any floor, without interfering with the motor or with other shafting? — Mr. STEPHEN GREENE, Boston, Mass.

This preliminary notice is issued by direction of the Board, in order that the members may take part, with more interest, in the discussion.

AMBROSE EASTMAN,

Secretary.

NEW ENGLAND COTTON MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION,

BOSTON, April 11, 1892.

DEAR SIR: The stated Annual Meeting of the Association will be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boylston Street, Boston, on Wednesday, April 27, 1892, at 10 o'clock A.M., for the choice of officers for the ensuing year, and the transaction of other appropriate business.

Upon the conclusion of the business of the meeting the topics announced in the circular issued under date of March 10 ulto., will be taken up in their order; and the Board confidently hopes that the members at large will actively participate in their discussion.

By order of the Board of Government,

AMBROSE EASTMAN,

Secretary.

PROCEEDINGS.

Pursuant to the foregoing notice, the stated annual meeting of the Association was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday, April 27, 1892, at 10 o'clock A.M.

The President, Mr. WALTER E. PARKER, occupied the chair. The call for the meeting was read by the Secretary, and also the preliminary notice issued in advance of the regular call for the meeting.

The President then announced that the meeting was open for business; the first item of which was the election of officers for the ensuing year.

On motion of Mr. RICHARD GARSED it was voted that the Chair appoint a committee to nominate officers for the ensuing year. Accordingly the President appointed as that committee Messrs. H. L. PRATT of Lewiston, Me.; CHARLES D. MCDUFFIE of Manchester, N. H.; JOHN KILBURN of Lowell, Mass.; RICHARD GARSED of Philadelphia, Pa., and HERBERT FISHER of Taunton, Mass.

The reports of the Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor were then presented: and by vote were accepted, and ordered to be placed on file.

The SECRETARY. At the meeting of the Board of Government, just held, the Secretary was requested to announce a gift to the Association by Mr. E. M. SHAW of Nashua, N. H., of a complete set of Reports of the Association from the beginning; which will be very valuable in the office, for

reference. The Board has passed a vote of thanks to him for his generosity.

The Secretary then read the names of persons who had been recommended by vote of the Board of Government, for election to membership in the Association; as follows:

On motion of Mr. O. S. BROWN these gentlemen were elected as members of the Association.

The PRESIDENT. We will now take up the first topic for discussion, before the committee on nomination return to make their report. If there is no objection, I will call upon Mr. E. W. THOMAS of Lowell to present the first topic for discussion to-day, viz., "The benefits derived from the licker-in and shellfeed system to cotton cards."

Mr. THOMAS. One of the great benefits derived from using the revolving top card is the method of feeding the cotton to the card cylinder, which is peculiar to this class of card, and one adopted by practically all builders of the card to-day.

The figures to be presented are from the results obtained by the adoption of this kind of feed to the Foss & Pevey and the Whitehead & Atherton patterns of cards, and figures can and probably will be presented showing the benefit derived by its adoption on the common American thirty-six-inch card.

In the fall of 1890, the management of the Tremont & Suffolk Mills, in considering what improvements could be made in the carding department in the Suffolk Mills, which consisted