A Strike Forestalled

The first of the long expected wage increases in the textile industry was announced by the American Woolen Company, which has granted a 12 1/2% increase to all workers, the new scale to take effect on April 30. It will apply to about 20,000 employees.

Labor leaders are of the opinion that the wage increase was promulgated at this time in order to forestall the textile strike which has been brewing in the New England mill towns for several months.

It has been the custom for other textile centers to follow the lead of the American Woolen Company in adjusting wage scales, so that a gen- eral rise in wages is predicted for the entire New England district.