purpose of still further discussing these subjects more comfortably than we can do by continuing the meeting at the present time. The President said that he trusted the gentlemen present would appreciate the importance of the ideas advanced, and come prepared to take part in the discussion. Voted, To adjourn to the third Wednesday in October, at 10, A. M. New-England Cotton Manufacturers' Association. BOSTON, October 1, 1868. DEAR SIR: The adjourned Semi-annual meeting of the Association will be held at their Rooms, No. 53 Washington Street, Boston, on Wednesday, October 21, at 10 o'clock, A. M. As stated in the call for the meeting held July 15 (which was adjourned without action to the above date), the Board of Government invite the careful attention of the members to the Papers heretofore submitted and published, with a view to their thorough discussion. They also renew their suggestion that, where practicable, gentlemen will prepare written memoranda of their proposed remarks, in order that the published proceedings may give their views with more fulness and accuracy. Should time allow, the following topics, suggested by different members, will be brought up at the meeting: 1st. Card Clothing. 20 The Distribution of Oil in the Mills. 3d. The Marking of the Webs at the Dresser. The following amendment to the Second Article of the By-Laws, proposed by A. D. LOCKWOOD, Esq., of Lewiston, Me., is now pending, and will be in order for action at the coming meeting, viz.: "That the By-Laws be so amended as to substitute April and October for January and July, as the months for the Annual and Semi-annual Meetings of the Association; the Annual Meeting to be held in April." If adopted, the altered clauses of the Second Article would read as follows: ARTICLE 2. There shall be a meeting of the members of the Association annually, on the third Wednesday of April, in Boston, at such hour and place as the Board of Government may determine. There shall also be a Semi-annual Meeting of the Association on the third Wednesday of October, in each and every year, at such place and time as the Board of Government may appoint. The Board extend a renewed invitation to the Treasurers, Agents, and Managers of Cotton Mills in New-England, to unite with the Association by communicating with the Secretary. By order of the Board of Government, AMBROSE EASTMAN, Secretary. BOSTON, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1868. Pursuant to the foregoing notice, the adjourned Semi-annual Meeting of the Association was this day held at their office. About seventy members present. The President in the Chair. The proceedings of the last meeting were read by the Secretary. The amendment to the By-Laws proposed at the last meeting, and recited in the call for the present meeting, was adopted by unanimous vote. Upon nomination by various members, the following gentlemen were elected to membership in the Association : A. Robeson, Jr., Esq. . Fall River Print Works. Treas. Boott Cotton Mills, Fall River, Mass. Pontiac, R. I. Killingly Centre, Conn. The business of the meeting being concluded, the subjects announced for discussion were then taken up. Mr. DRAPER, of Hopedale, from the Committee appointed to take into consideration the return of the Weighings of Picker Laps, submitted the following Report: The Committee have considered the matters referred to them, and beg leave to report that the tables concerning the weight of laps, published by this Association, do not give all the information necessary in order to an accurate judgment of their merits. 1st. They do not give the standard aimed at in any case. 2d. They do not give the date of the weighings, or show how they succeeded each other. We submit some tables made up from the same table, as published, to show practically what a difference a different succession of weighings will produce. Tables formed on checked paper will convey the facts to the mind more readily and accurately than columns of figures. This is shown in those tables showing the prices of cotton and different kinds of cloths which members are familiar with. We wish to have the tables, prepared and submitted herewith, considered a part of our report. In order to promote accuracy and uniformity as much as possible, your Committee recommend that suitable blanks of checked paper be prepared by this Association, to be used in case of any future Weighings or Measurings for the purpose of ascertaining existing facts. GEORGE DRAPER, I. R. SCOTT, A. G. CUMNOCK. Upon motion, it was Voted, That the Report of the Committee on the return of the Weighings of Picker Laps be accepted, and the Tables be placed on file. Mr. BORDEN, of Fall River, said that in the President's Paper on Drawing he did not remember that any allusion was made to the most desirable size for Rolls used on Drawing Frames. He would ask the President what his views were on that point whether it is policy to make the front Roll on Drawing Frames an extra size, and reduce the next Roll back of it. His own idea was that a 13 inch front roll is preferable to 14. The PRESIDENT replied that his recollection was that there was some discussion on that point at the time he presented the Paper on Drawing, and that he then presented his opinion to this effect: In making the Drawing Frame, or any kind of a Frame where Drawing Rollers are used, I should make the Rollers as large as they could be made without injuring the Drawing; depending, of course, very much upon the length of staple of the material to be drawn. So far as I know, that is the general custom of machinists. The size of the Rollers ought to be governed very much by the length of the staple that is to be worked through them. What experience I have had on that point goes to show that a short staple cotton can be worked much better with small Rollers, because you can put the "bite' of the Rolls much nearer together. If a Roll is 1 inch in diam eter, of course the surface as compared with one which is 13, is as the proportion of 3 to 2, inversely, as the diameter of the Rollers. In reply to a question as to whether he considered there would be any less liability to lap on the large Roll than on the small one, the speaker replied, No more nor less than the surface of the Roll was injured by use; that is one cause of lapping. Another cause is outside of the Roll. Mr. DAVIS, of Holyoke, said that if Rollers were not well weighted the Sliver will occasionally pass through. He hoped this matter would be duly considered. He had had himself so much business on hand, that it had been almost impossible for him to take the matter into consideration. The PRESIDENT remarked that probably every member of the Association had given the subject more or less attention. He believed it to be the duty of every member present to express his opinion in the matter, whether it agrees with the opinions previously expressed or not. Mr. DRAPER said that it seemed to him that the President had started a definite idea. We do not want to deal in generalities. This proposition was, that we should make the Rollers as large as circumstances would permit. If you have a certain length of staple, make your Rollers of a given size. You want the Rollers large enough to carry the weight without spring. To make the Rollers as large as possible, and yet have them as close together as you can practically without interfering, would be, in his judgment, the right size to make the Rollers. Mr. CUMNOCK, of Lowell, thought the President was a little cautious in his remarks in regard to the Roll. If he were to advise about building a Drawing Frame for common middling cotton, how large would he make the Frame? The PRESIDENT replied that it was hardly a fair question. He could answer it, however, by saying that his practice has been in building new Drawing Frames to make the front Roll 1 inches in diameter. It is larger than you have been in the habit of making, but he did all he could to make the people who purchase, buy a long staple cotton. They have reference more to the cleanliness of cotton, than to the length. |