Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-11
Cotton Manufactures In the South.

The remarkable statement of Mr.. At
kinson, of Boston, recently made, that
the climate of the South presented
fatal obstacle to cotton manufacturing
in this section, has induced more than
usual research into the subject, with
view of showing up the utter absurdity
of such theory. The productions Of the
Southern mills. their prosperity as a
rule, the excess of dividends over those
of Northern mills which they pay-all
these have been pointed out as a practi-
cal demonstration of the fact that manu-
featuring not only pays In the South,
bat that in the future she must inevita
bly, become the cotton manufacturing
centre of the country.
Not with the intention of disproving
Mr. Atkinson, but merely for the pur-
pose of discussing very interesting sub
iect, the New York Cotton, in its issue Of
last week, contains an article under the
caption "Can the South Manufacture p
which is well worth considering. 1t
alIudes to the fact that the Atlanta cot
ton factory-which, it will be remem-
bered, was thought certainly destined to
fails doing so well that it is kept
running day and night. and
that the same extremely brisk
demand is reported from other
Southern mills. particularly those that
make yarns and the heavier classes of
goods The yarn manufacturers Of
North Carolina. of whom there are over
thirty, all unite in speaking of this
marked activity and the impression made
upon that paper, latter comparing all
accounts" is that the Southern mills
have actually been doing better since the
cessation of the boom last summer than
those of the North.
Our New York contemporary then
goes on to account for this increased
activity in the cotton manufactures of
our section. 1t attributes it mainly to
the fact that, on the whole, the water
courses of the South have not been so
low during the past fall and winter
months as in the North-a state of
affairs due to the fact that in the North
the water courses have been frozen
up tight, while in the South no such
hindrance to manufacturing has oc-
Cured, or is ever likely to occur.
This, of itself, must always prove a
great advantage to the South over the
North, but it is not, by any means, the
greatest advantage which, it is admitted,
the South possesses. The cheapness
with which she can obtain the raw mate
rial is a point in her favor which
far exceeds all others, and this
is the point which is being
appreciated more and more each
year, and is offering great inducements
to capitalists North and South to over
come the present obstacles, in the way
of wholesale extension of the cotton
manufacturing industry in the South,
hulCn OUSedC4Co dAC DCl4CfO0 W NC bHc
unintelligent character of most of the
labor in the South, the absence of the
thousand and enc petty economies which
the old establishment and heavy concen-
tration of manufacturing interests at the
North have brought about, and the dis
inclination of the salaried men at North
ern mills to settle in the South.
These obstacles, however, are, in the
opinion of Cotton, all of character that
can be overcome with comparative ease,
and they certainly will be overcome in a
few years. That paper truly says: 1.-THE
victory will be practically won as soon
as Northern capitalists are aroused to
the fact that in spite of all obstacles they
can earn say even 10 per cent on their
investment in mills at the South, as
compared with per cent. on Northern
mill stocks. We believe that where the
same amount of enterprise and energy
is bestowed in each case. a greater differ
ence than 2 per cent can be made in
manufacturing at the South over manu-.
featuring at the North