The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-10-13
Cotton Factory.

We have seen letter to Mr.. R. f. Lindsay, of this
place, from cotton machine company in Taunton,
Massachusetts, giving the cost of looms, spindles &c
It states that the cost of machinery of mill OF 5000
spindes, to make No. to No. IA yarns, 100 looms,
and the other machinery requisite to work up 5000
pounds cotton per day. will be s67 800 This number
of LOOMS it is said will all the yarn from the
5000 spndles Ten reels are included in the above es
innate, 50 that yarn can be put into skens desired
The cost of engine and boilers of 10 horse power will
be $4,000 In regard to the building the writer says
I" We cannot give the dimensi ons exactly without max
ing plan and placing the machinery. 1t would re-
quire building about 100 feet long, so feet wide in
the clear, with projection at end for the engine
and boilers, and pick room over head, making two
stories.' aez7G sseas5r- Fssy zE5H sa5@zSf
It will thus be seen that cost of say $lo5 ooo
putting, freight setting up and building at $50 ooo an
establishment be put into operation capable of
working up 5000 lbs. of cotton daily. Now, we wish
10 make little calculation and readers readily
detect any lapse into the impracticabe the improb
able These 5000 lbs of cotton will made 5000 yards
of the best quality lowell, which readily brings at
wholesale in this market 81 cents. Here we have gross
receipts Of $1260 day $780, year, giving 80
working days. Per contra 5000 lbs. good ordinary
cotton land even lower grade is generally used for
owe at % cents would be 5000. For superntendents
operatives workmen, fuel oil, &C., $3.50 aday would
be liberal misunderstanding total of S25l 100
per annum Add to this $4,000 for wear and tear Of
machinery, and, to crafty the incredulous $29 800 for
delays insurance, loss on bagging and ties, taxes and
incidentas and there is yearly outlay of $285 $780,
Deduct from gross receipts and we have clear profit
Of s105 900, or 100 per cent on the investment.
Our readers may consider this visionary. Not So
In calculating the running expenses We have based
estimates upon those given for the cotton factory
its operatives higher wages than any other factory in
the South 1t runs so LOOMS and the monthly running
expenses set down at $780, or about $40 per day
Although that factory will be remarked, has only
half the number Of looms of the one we propose vet
it is evident that it would require more than half the
expense to run it. the price Of labor, fuel &C., being
equal Whereas it is estimated at less than one third
Its employees are all white most of hem of course,
women and girls Senator Sprague has asserted that
the South can manufacture coarse cotton goods cheaper
and better than the Northcheaper because the heavy
OF transportation is saved and better because
the fibre is more plant In addition to this high |
authority, Baltimore manufacturer of large expe-
rience assured citizen OF this place that there was
difference of over l23 per cent in favor of the South
Add this excess to the profits realised by Northern
and it will be seen that there could be
no more profitable investment of money than in cotton
factories here No one will deny but that most of the
large fortunes at the North have been accumulated
from manufactures of one kind or another-of cotton
goods, patent medicines, or wooden nutmegs.
How long are we to be hewers Of wood and drawers
of water for that people-how long? We are per
fectly well satisfied that there enough, and more
than enough, men in this, DeSoto and Bosser parishes
who are willing and amply able spare the capital for
such enterprise this, if some one would but take
The lead in the matter Surely, they are sufficiently
live to their own interests to do so. sag sq