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Mr. K. P. Lewis Dies June 29
The entire Erwin Mills organiza
tion paused at 3:30 P.M. on Tues
day, July 1, in respect to Mr.
Kemp Plummer Lewis, Chairman
of the Board of Directors, who
passed away suddenly at midnight
on June 29.
Mr. Lewis had been with the
Company since 1900. His first job
was counting brick. He also
counted payroll money during his
early weeks of employment but was
soon made secretary to Mr. W. A.
Erwin. Mr. Lewis became thor
oughly familiar with every phase
of cotton manufacturing and iden
tified himself completely with the
Kfe of the people and the spirit of
the mill. By working closely with
Mr. Erwin he absorbed the suc
cessful business principles upon
which our Company was founded.
In 1927, Mr. Lewis became Secre
tary and Treasurer of Erwin Mills
and was made President in 1932.
Under his leadership the Company
expanded, gross sales increased
from $6,395,017.86 in 1932, to
$54,574,487.40 in 1948. In that
year he resigned as President and
became Chairman of the Board of
Directors.
Over 2 l n Millions
In New Equipment
Improvement* Voted By
Directors for Durham,
Cooleemee and Ertcin
The Board of Directors voted
more than $2,660,000 for new
equipment last month for Coolee
mee, West Durham and Erwin
almost half, nearly $1,260,000
will be spent on 800 new X-2 looms
in No. 6 Mill, Erwin, a humidifica
tion system in the weave room, and
changes in the slashers to accom
modate larger loom beams. De
livery is expected to begin in No
vember.
Over 300 new looms are on order
for Cooleemee, and with new rov
ing frame, the costs of modernixar
tion of Plant No. 3 will come to
600 or 700 thousand dollars.
THE ERWIN CHATTER
YoL VIII, Ho. 7
His many honors included presi
dency of the N. C. Cotton Manu
facturer's Association and of the
American Cotton Manufacturer's
Association, director of the Fidelity
Bank and the Durham and South
ern Railway, member of the Coun
cil of the Episcopal Diocese of
North Carolina, trustee of the Uni
versity of North Carolina and
many others. In 1948, Mr. Lewis
was presented the Civic Award of
the Durham Chamber of Commerce
in recognition of years of outstand
ing service to the community.
The Durham Sun expresses the
feelings of all who knew Mr. K.
P. Lewis in saying, "In his pass
ing, Durham has lost a leader and
a Christian gentleman."
Will Probated
Mr. Lewis' will was probated
July 8. Among his bequests were
$5,000 to St. Philip's Episcopal
Church of Durham and $2,000 to
the Thompson Orphanage in Char
lotte. He also remembered his serv
ants Maryland Jones, Aaron Moore
and Janie McCoy as well as his
secretary Miss Zoe Young. The
balance of his estate was divided
between his four daughters.
New Combers at He. 4
No. 4 Mill will receive a new
unit of combers and necessary
auxiliary equipment to increase the
combed percale production. Two
hundred and seventy-five new looms
for percale sheeting will be in
stalled, plus long drafting cradles
in the Spinning Department and
changes in creels and top rolls.
Slubbers will be moved from No.
4 to No. 1 Mill. Spinning will be
changed to a super long draft, and
pneumafil attachments will be
added. Costs for No. 1 and No. 4
Mills will be about 666 thousand
dollars.
A new 84-inch Morrison San
fomer to shrink sheeting for mak
ing contour sheets —and equipment
for vat-dyeing sheets will be in
stalled in West Durham's Bleach
ing and Finishing Plant at a cost
of about 125 thousand dollars.
This equipment is expected to be in
operation late in October or early
JULY, 1952
The First Six Months of This Year
A REPORT BY PRESIDENT RUFFIN
THE first six months of this year witnessed
one of the toughest periods of competition
we have ever seen in the textile business. Most
authorities in the textile industry say that it
has been worse than the depression of the *3o*s
as far as priees for mill products go.
We have regretted to ran so much short
time in our mills, but I am sure that you know
that this has been the ease in most textile mills.
The market for sheets and pillow eases has
been, for us, the worst of all. The market priee
for sheets and pillow esses got so far below
cost that we had to seriously consider closing
down Nos. 1 and 4 mils and a good part of
the bleachery and sewing room department here
in West Durham.
Needless to say, we were most reluctant to
even consider that but the snd
are, that bad. You realise, o£ course, that it
would have meant serious losses for our .Com
pany to close down these plants in Durham
and to carry on all the expenses that would
have to be borne whether the mills were run
ning or not. ft
Decision Madej
However, we decided that it would bJr best
for all concerned to continue to ran not less
than three days per -week. If we shippel our
goods, for a while, now costs
more losses we could keep our people on our
working force. Then, too, we knew that it
was important to keep our sheets and pillow
esses in the market
We, therefore, are keeping the mills in Dur
ham running ss best we can. We are hoping
to see the market picture improve. Goods will
have to be shipped at heavy losses, however,
for the Durham plants through the next three
months at least. It is more important than ever
for us to get the highest possible efficiency in
our operations with a low percentage of sec
onds and high production in our mills.
Fortunately, some of our other mills are do
ing better and we hope on the whole that our
Company will not have to show a loss for the
year's operations.
In spite of the above discouraging news, our
Company is determined to keep its equipment
modern and our mills in the best possbile
operating conditions. We know we cannot
compete and stay in business unless we do that
November of this year.
This is not an expansion pro
gram. The equipment and changes
will help ns maintain oar position
in the market by increasing our
efficiency and reducing costs. Con
version from muslin to percale pro
duction is being made at West
Durham to take advantage of a
stronger demand for percales.
Vacation Pay: $378,556
Hourly employees collected the
following amounts in vacation pay
this year:
Durham $130,962
Erwin 142,375
Cooleemee 73,411
Stonewall 26,195
Neuse 5,613
Total $378,556
We hope that the money bought
a lot of fun and interesting trips,
good food and rest. Let's hear
about your trip. See your CHAITB
reporter.
ISew Equipment Ordered
With that in mind our Company has plaeed
orders for considerable new equipment includ
ing larger roving frames for No. 1 Mill and
new drafting equipment for the roving frames
in No. 4 Mill, new spinning frame attachments
for No. 1 Mill and eomhers for No. 4 Mill to
give us enough combed yarn in that plant to
ran about 275 looms on eombed sheets, the
same product as No. 6 Mill is now making.
More Percale Production
The demand for eombed sheeting is better
and the prices, while below cost, are not as
bad as they are on the muslin sheeting made in
Nos. 1 and 4 Mills, some of No. 4
Mill to combed sheeting, we hope, will enable
us to run fuller time on the rest of the ma
chinery in No. 4 Mill and in No. 1 MilL
We have also plaeed orders for over 300 new
looms for the Cooleemee plant and for all new
looms in No. 5 Mill at Erwin. We have also
ordered a sanforiner, which is a nhrinking ma
chine, in order to make fitted sheets in West
Durham. We have also ordered dyeing equip
ment for West Durham for colored sheets.
What I have said about the purchase of new
machinery is one of the best ways of telling
you that I have confidence in oar Company
and in its employees, looking to the future.
I hope that you in turn will pledge us your
best efforts and best cooperation in meeting the
hard competition against which we have to
strive.
Your Help is Needed
I want to ask that each employee think about
how to reduce our costs and get more efficient
operations in our mills. If you will jet down
on a piece of paper any thought you have
along those lines and hand it to your super
visor, it will have the serious consideration of
all of us. May I add that we want to try to
keep you bettor informed about conditions in
the textile industry and news of various kinds
about our Company. I think that you are en
titled to know these facts about our operations. „
"Fair treatment" has been the creed of the
Erwin Mills for 60 years. We want to make
sure that you understand what we are doing
from time to time and why we are doing it.
I need not tell you that there are many
mills to the South of us the same prod
nets that pay very much lower wages thin we
continued on 2
Union Hearings In Durham July 22
United Textile Workers (AFL) Presents Case To
National Labor Relations Board —Plants at
Cooleemee, Erwin, ISeuse and Durham
involved —Decision To Be Made *
About Election
As we go to press, the date has
been set for hearings July 22 be
fore the National Labor Relations
Board in Durham. The United Tex
tile Workers, A. F. of L. are ask
ing the Board to decide that they,
rather than the Textile Workers of
America, C.1.0., should represent
Erwin employees.
The National Labor Relations
Board will then decide whether or
not elections should be held at
Durham, Erwin, Cooleemee and
Nense to settle the question.
Meanwhile, the contracts in force
will be respected in every detail,
just as they have been in the past.
Presidaat Gives Assurance
Mr. William H. Ruffin, Presi
dent, speaking before a meeting of
supervisors at Erwin, July 2,
Circulation 6,000
brought up the subject of the Nil
RB hearings, and said: "It is dis-fl
tressing to see that our people
being pulled one way then anothofl
in this controversy between the A!
F. of L. and C.1.0. Unions. I wouUH
like to assure each and every emfl
ployee of Erwin Mills, Inc., thafl
he should have no fear of
the benefits he now enjoys regard*
less of whether an election is heMfl
or not. If such an election is heljH
he will continue to enjoy thofl
benefits regardless of the
C.1.0., A. F. ofL., or no-UniaH
Our Company will do the best tifl
our people. We have always doJ
that. We can't do mote than 00l
best, and we certainly ioa'tWMmfl
We will try 7° B
Ciiim