The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-10-27
Cotton Manufacturing at the South.

We have time and again written and published ex-
tracts on this subject until fear have tired our
readers without accomplishing any good. We GER
tainly have exhausted patience and have yet to
hear of the first brick being laid the result Of
labors We spin out fine theories, figure like first
class Mathematician foot up profits, but in
spite Of all this monied men can't see the pint
Yet, with all failures staring US in the face we
propose to make another effort. This time shall
call in the aid of the st. Louis Democrat of the l2th
and if that don't operate finely, then shall give up
in disgust. Here is the panacea served up by the
Democrat for eur plethorie monied The
South, it is well known has important advantages in
the manufacture of cotton 1t has the material at
hand, abundance Of food within easy access un-
limited water power, All unsurpassed climate in many
sections, plenty OF timber and COAL together with
tended and extending facilities for communication and
transportation. The only present drawback, or i'm
pediment of any Importance, is the lack of adequate
capital; but as this is being already supplied, there
would seem to be no good reason why manufacturing
industry should not at take deep root since it
has been demonstrated that the relative cost of
verting cotton into yarn as between England and the
South is in favor of the latter. The Superintendent
of the Salnda Cotton Mills at Columbia, South Caro-
lima has furnished interesting facts and figures
on this point He assumes, by way Of comparison,
the price of cotton at Columbia to be 20 cents per
pound, at New York 23.5 cents, and in Manchester,
England, "a cents, which he fair proper
tions. On this basis, the cost of making pound of
cotton into yarn at Columbia would be cents, while
in New York it would be % 81 cents and in Manches
ter 1925 cents. Taking into account the freight and
insurance from Columbia to New York, and the cart
age, commission and other charges here the cost of
manufacturing yarn is found to be fully cents per
pound cheaper at Columbia than in New York assum-
ing that the article is worked up here A similar cal
cuaton having been entered into, as between Colum
bia and Manchester, shows that the manufacture Of
cotton yarns be done cheaper at the South than in
England by about the difference in the value of cur
rency and gold. The figures of manufacturer of
yarns in Manchester show the cost of pound of yarn
there-taking "a cents per pound the cost Of the
cotton, and 11.25 the cost of conversion at 25
cents The cost of transfer of the pound of Southern
yarn-costing in the South 29 cents from the South
to England is, including both freight and insurance.
makes the cost to England 3o5 cents, whereas
the pouno manufactured IN England costs 30 70 cents
showing that the Southern manufacturer can put his
yarns down in England 475 cents cheaper than the
English manufacturer make them there. If these
figures, which refer to No 20 yarns substantially
correct they surely afford very strong argument for
pushing the manufacture of cotton at the South, as
well as its culture. By working up the surplus cotton
into yarns for expectation, it has been roughly esti
mated that profit of twenty dollars bale would be
realised and above the profit of growing the sta
pie In crop of three millions of bales, this would
afford extra profit of sixty millions Of dollars
enough, surely, to create strong incentive the
part of the Of to engage in the business