North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-03-15

OF Inc present suffering OF Massachusetts The
high price OIL the raw material cotton at this time
is perhaps the main element of her distress There
is another reason, however, which ought not to be
overlooked mean the growing competition of
the Southern States This is a cause which is
rapidly becoming stronger, and which the lepisIa-
ton of this government cannot materially check |
would direct your attention to North Carolina
because know more about her. and what she
contains. must first, however make passing re-.
mark with reference TO coal and iron, lest should
be supposed that am Indifferent 10 the interests of
Pennsylvania, because my own State has not SINH
lar advantages. Iron ore is not only generally and
abundantlv diffused throughout the State, but she
has also two large deposites of coal. The fields
of this mineral, too, fortunately deposited on
the two rivers most easily rendered navigable of
any in the State, and emptying into the ocean with
in her own limits. The existence of the coal on
Deep river, has been known for half century.
but until recently 1t was not supposed that it could
oe transported with facility to the markets of the
world. The operations, however, of the Cape
Fear and Deep river navigation company, have
within the last twelve months rendered it certain,
that this coal can easily and cbeaply be transported
to the ocean. The field is extensive, and cannot
be exhausted for centuries II contains in abun-
dance the best varieties highly bituminous semi
5ltumlnous and anthracite coal. Capitalists from
Massachusetts and New York, " no have recently
acquired interests in the mines assure me with the
/ utmost confidence, that they will be able to mine
this COAL and transport it to tide water, cost of
less than one dollar per ton. 1t costs more than
three dollars per ton to transport the Goals of Mar
yland, and Pennsy lvania to the sea- The stream
with the locks already nearly completed is capa-
BILE OF conveying in steamboats, several millions of
tons annually. We expect therefore, to be able
to supply with the best kinds of coal, the cities of
the Atlantic coast, and the steamers of the ocean,
There are also iD some places, lying Immediately
above the coal, large deposites of rich iron ore
In the production of ron either free or slave labor
can be obtained at 40 or so cents per day. This
labor, when employed in raising coal and iron ore
in the vicinity of Pittsburg, in Allegheny county,
costs not less than one dollar per day. Provisions
case above stated, the labor employed tn making a
ton of iron in Pennsy vania costs S45. the same
would cost with US only $22,50 We might,
therefore, when the PennsyIvanians were making
nothing, realize profit of S22 per ton.
! do not however, regard The calcu Iatons of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Hampton.] as
entirely accurate. Still have no doubt that we
should be able to produce iron cheaper than they
are doing in his State. The iron, too when thus
made could be transported to the ocean for less
than 81 per ton. 1t is obvious therefore, that our
State might put forward demand for high pro-
tective duties, with much show of jus tice as
Pennsylvan does. [ trust, however, that her
people will be satisfied with the existing rates,
highly protective they are. North Carolina
has also not less than fifty cotton factories, most
of which have been built within the last four or
five years think she is in advance Of any of the
Southern States in this branch of business. Wheth-
er | right not, 10 entertaining this opinion,
the returns of the late census when completed will
decide. 1t is believed by many that the South
cannot compete successfully with the North in
manufacturing, it being supposed that have
not the capital 10 spare to such Investments Let
us look for moment at The elements of manuac-
turing capital. An important one is water power,
and North Carolina has more than enough of this
to move all the machinery now existing in the
world 1t may be had too, in most of the locali-
ties, at a price merely nominal. Timber stone,
and all building materials are also equally cheap.
North Carolina, though not great cotton State,
also produces five times as much, probably, as she
or any one Southern State is now manufacturing.
She can, too, obtain easily an additional supply
from South Carolina by means Of three railroads
connecting her with that State The cotton now
produced by her, is cheaper probably, by one cent
in the pound, than the article at Cha leston
1t is also cheaper at Charleston by thu ee fourths
of cent, than in New England Our manuflc-
turing establishments, therefore, can obtain the raw
material at nearly two cents in the pound cheaper
than the New Eng land establishments. Provis-
ions also only half as dear with US. Labor is
likewise, one hundred per cent cheaper. In the
upper parts of the State the labor of either Fl zee
man a slave, including board clothing, &c, can
be obtained for from Sll0 TO $3.50 per annum. 1t
osts at least twice that sum in New England.
| The difference in the cost of female labor wheth-
er free slave, is even greater. AS we have now
population of nearly one million, might advance
to great extent in manufacturing before we mater-
ally increased the wages of labor. We have, there
fore, all the elements of manufacturing capital much
cheaper than the North, except the machinery, and
this should be able to obtain at the same price.
There is sufficient surplus capital among us for
its purchase. Two years since, legislature i'm
posed tax money placed at interest, whenever
the individual had than 81 ZOO above his own
Indebtedness. 1t appeared that there was more than
$15000,000 so lent. If, as think il is probably true,
that there is as much now outstanding in smaller
sums there is less than thirty millions of capital
( be invested in manufacturing. The other Southern
States are doubtless in a similar condition Our
Southerners have abundance of money to expend for
purposes of business pleasure. We shall, there
fore, think, at no distant day, work up large, if
not the reater portion, of cotton into manufa
tured fabrics. Should this opinion of mine be well
founded it is obvious that duties which we could
impose, would long enable the New England facto-
res to sustain themselves in competition with US.
They would find 1t their interest go into such finer
| fabrics would not produce for some time to
come, or into new employments. [ have appre-
henslon that people intelligent energetic, and
terprising they are will fail to find means of sus-
| tanning themselves in comfort and prosperity.
If object now to the imposition of high protec-
tive les for their immediate benefit, it is because
regard such line of policy adverse to the gen.
eral interests of the country. admit the advantage
of manufacturing establishments to all classes of per-