The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-09-27
'B Bringing the Mills to the Cot
ton.'

A public speaker at the South once
said OF this system Il raise a bale of
cotton in North Carolina. | carry it to
he depot and ship it North. l pay
freight, drayage, storage, insurance,
commissions, and ever for weighing it.
1t passes into the hands of the manu-
'tacturer. He spins. weaves and prints
1t. lie sells it to the jubber in New
~ York, and the merchant at my home
brings 1t back to my doOr and sells it as
calico to my wife and daughter. Every
man hat touches that cotton, from the
time it leaves my hands till it returns,
makes his living out of it; and in the
price | pay for it | pay every man that
has handled it. Now, why can't we
spin and weave that cotton in the South?
why cont we keep at least a large part
''Of that money, which now goes North.
at home to stimulate industry and de-
"velop the resources Of our own coun-
''tryY"
Look at the commanding position of
the Southern spinner. The New Eng.
land mill must pay all these charges OF
freight, commissions, insurance, drayage,
&c, which aggregate several dollars a
bale, whereas the Southern mill has the
cotton delivered at its door comparatively
free of these charges. Thus, the North
ern mill must labor under this increased
cost OF the raw MATERIAL difference
which alone, upon 10. 900 bales of cotton,
would probably be equal to 10 per cent.
$500, OO0: SO that the saving In transpor-
tatlon alone to a Southern mill would be
equal, as a general thing, TO a profit of
10 per cent. Oh it's capital, while at the
same time the goods manufactured in the
South largely find a ready market in the
same section, and a second saving in
freight is made. Some months ago the
Baltimore Journal Of Commerce present.
ed carefully complied statistics of the
p:oitS Of cOLIon manufs curing iu the
South, and found that these ranged as
high as 90 per cent. a year, which asre,s
with The statistics the Nems and Courle,.
has published, The .Jouraoi of COM
merce says: Ia nc case have we heard
.'of any mill declarug less than 10 per
'celt annual dividends, and in every
case IN winch only this per cent. was
declared a large mouut was taken from
be ealnings and used for repairs. ad-
"uitioos TO machinery and increasing
the Size aud capacity OF the mills.
''IrroLGhout the South the cotton mills
= e prosperous and their owners are
mat. money. As compared with
.'tbe cotton ma1ufacturers of New Eng
''laod, the Southern m,iis show a won>
de tul difference iu edrnings." Mr..
i%}nsseii, a Massachusetts member Of Con-
( 'ess, said. IN IA recent speech in the
bouse @. Representatives: Il bave from
Official sources d statement showing that
fly o.t5e Leading o prrations 20 Low
ell, Lawrence, Chicopee and Salem.
Massachusetts. Manchester, Nashua and
New DaIrei, New Hampshire, Lewis
" Oh ADD other points in Maine, repre-
'sent.ng a ,apital of $50, coo, GOO, enga-
'ged n manufacturing The variou.
OF cotton Id woolien fabrics,
pave pad 10 their s,ocl holders IN the
'fas. TIE yeas 40 average dividend of a
little less then z PEI cent per apunm
onis." He"e is an authoritative state
mtrU ,h2t ire manufacture ~ COTTON
sooIs Il New England is GO. ouo half 80
p-oh spte as n tie South. OutnisS50,.
COO, 900 Insee,ei % Norlbero rs.iis the
pI"9,- for TIE past FIVE years Ia v4 been
less ,Lan SIT 5000, 600; While ,oe same
mouDr Of capi.al "a Southern mills, ba-
ou- csicrlar:ons upon wbat other
lri's Gov paw, would lave been from
fsp. 900, 600 20 $50 900, 600, or possibly
OO"e Such a d ,drrence as lhls Is bound
tell. Inc Southern mills save from
81 20 50 a TALE io tie matter of freight
aio1e as compared with what the North
crn mills pay. They have lighter e1-