Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-03-03
MANUFACTURING AT THE soUTU

The Savannah Republican replies as follows to the ob
lection that manufacturing cannot be prosecuted will
success at the South
factories 10 be unsuccessful has been farther back thar
the management OF the works after they are completed
IL arises from undertaking to out up buildings aud equiI
them with necessary machinery on scale entirely ou
of nroporton to the money subscribed for the purpose
and the company is generally Durdened when their build
incs are finished with heavy debt and no cash to star
hnsiness with We probably should be within the bound.
C trutb if we asserted that four of five of the facto
,es erected in Georgia the South have undergone
this experience With this state OF affairs existing the
company cannot buy its material TO advantage TO be-
gin with and being pressed with money the goods have
to be sold no matter what Is the STATE of the market
som as tbey are completed This cuts off per cenaee
at both ends and is almost guarantee for embarrass-
meut at the commencement and iailure in the end.
We do not know a factory in Georgia which has had
plenty of means to conduct IT'S business that has not
earned fair dividends The factory at Macon which BY
the wav is perfect model too extensive scale
for the amount subscribed and bid fair to run the same
cours of others which had started under similar circun-
stances The stockholders, however, seeing the danger
likely 10 arise from it, instead Of selling out their inter-
est and thereby bringing discredt their enterprise
stepped forward and increased the stock sufficiently to
enable il TO 20 on without embarrassment Another
fact NAV he stated about this factory to eute the gen
orally entertained opinion that we have not the managers
here to conduct such establishments.
When the Macon factory FIRST started il was under
the control of man brought from New England at a
high salary; but he soon convinced the that he
did not understand people, and would not answer
for the place. A Georgian, born and raised, then
appointed as his successor position he still occupies
with credit to himself and satisfaction TO the company
The annual dividends ten per cent and believe
that every yard Of goods that Is made is sold the
spot.
This is not the only case of this kind in Georgia Mr.
Burlington King manages flctory at Roswell with
marked success The Augusta factories also profta
ble we believe. But il has not been object to show
what factories in the State pay dividends much to
show that the reason why they don't pay is entirely with
in our control Every one is apt attribute failure
to any cause which does touch themselves bring
the calculations they make into question We are ready
to believe that labor is TOO high manufacture
fully and therefore adopt it conclusion, without
giving the matter thought Convinced by experience
that we can compete with the North in this branch Of in
dustry it becomes us to make ourselves independent of
her by pursuing it,
The Norfolk Day Book on the same subject, remarks:
1--WE conceive there is some little credit due the indi-
vidua, who, amidst the surroundings of old notions,
fearessly breaks through and ventures the improve
ments which the inventive genius OF the age has de-
veloped and made ready for his Great would be
the difference in the affairs of the South if her master
mechanics would avail of all the improved machinery for
conducting their trades They would soon find that they
would be able to deiy competition from the North; and
that the thousands of articles manufactured at the
North and South for sale would have to seek other
markets They would find that there really nothing
to prevent them from working cheap if not cheaper,
than the NOrtherners it they possessed Of all the
facilities which are afforded them in the way Of the
rious improvements Of machinery, motive power, &c.