The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-20
Southern Cotton Mills.
ct. Louis Times.

The advantages of cheaper production and
larger profits of southern as compared with
northern cotton mills are pointedly set forth
by a correspondent of the Times, who has
been taking notes of travel in the east. Fol-
lowing is the gist of a letter which he sends
from Fall River, the great center of the New
England cotton industry:
A day was pleasantly and probably
spent in Boston, and the evening train
brought us down TO Fall River--that city o.
factories, which a few years hence, when the
cotton crop is manufactured when it is
raised, will have to resort to other lines OF
trade to maintain its position.
Just here want to tell you what I know
about cotton factories down south. make
this assertion, that cotton factories in the
south have an advantage equal to twenty
four per cent. over the northern factory in
the saving Of expense to begin with, and
will proceed to demonstrate it so clearly that
he who runs may read and blind man can
see it.
A Fall River, Mass, cotton MILL for exam
pile invests fifty dollar bill in bale of cot.
ton, buying it as they all do, through a
broker either in Fall River or Boston. TIE
incidental expenses on that bale of cotton are
about as follows; Bagging and ties, say
Sl,50 (he has 10 pay as much per pound for
the bNgging and ties as he does for the cotton,
and yet he can't use it); packing and weigh.
ing, fifty cents; comprising, fifty cents in.
euranna tnec mt Of fua 4.
fifty cents; two boxers commission fifty cents
per bale each, 81; freight to Fall Rivet, So so
per bale; total 81 per bale, or ons seventh
the original cost, which is equal to about
fourteen per cent.
Now, then, the southern mill invests $50
in the seed, which will buy 1900 pounds of
clear 800 pounds of feecy lint and about fifty
bushels OF seed, worth ten cents per bushel,
equal to SIS; that is one.tenth of the cost,
which is a saving of ten per cent more max
ing in all clear total saving of twenty.four
per cent to begin with. Is 1t a wonder, then,
that capital is seeking this investment?
A Boston cotton broker was Boosting to
me that his mill paid twenty per cent, and l
astonshed him by telling him that the Wis
son, Mississippi, mills had paid thrty.three
per cent the first year. AT Augusta, Geor-
gia, there is 100000 invested in cotton fac
tories. Last year they declared and paid q
dividend Of twenty-eight per cent, and pro-
ceeded to build another 100000 mill. The
Columbus, Georgia, mills pay over thirty per
cent To show how the southern
people are going into this, l
know of one little city where $4,000
has been raised, and they sre trying to get |
$4,000 of outside capital to make $780, |
900 mill. know of another southern city
where 100000 worth of machinery and
buildings are waiting outside help of $780, |
900 to $4,000 to begin operations. know
of small thread mills where the cotton is |
spun into thread and sold to the factories
One example of this is where a farmer has
Sll 900 invested In a Clement attachment |
mill. His first years business was as fol- |
lows;
Daily average expenses, S41; daily average
receipts, SOC; net profit per day, SIS, which |
is equal to $3.50 per month, or $4,000 per |
year. can furnish any parties who desire it |
full information on this subject, and | will |
guarantee to find one-half the capital neces-
sary to start as many of these factories of |
any kind as can find the capitalists to find |
the other half.
, The Fall River manufacturers said that |
every time a big mill started in the south it
stopped one in the east When we reflect |
that there are thousands of princely rich |
men in Observation-Disclosures dwell in palaces |
by the sea-who have amassed their fortunes |
in this line, can we conceive of the colossal |
fortunes which the southern manufacturers |
will amass in the next few years?