Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-11-06
Growth of Southern sIanuiac.
lures.
Chicago Tribune.

NhANAkV AiAuuucs
Few persons in the North will be
prepared for the exhibit made in the
article OF the New Orleans Times
Democrat on the Growth OF the
South" with regard to the develop.
ment Of the manufactures Of that sec.
ton. Next to the evidence presented
as to the diversifcation OF the agri
culture in the South, which of course
remains its chief interest, that about
the increase Of its manufactures will
command the most attention. This
goes with its general prosperity. In
the last four years the taxable assess
ments Of the twelve Southern States
have increased sl60, 176,757 a year.
The rapid rise Of wealth is evinced BY
the fact that the gain In 1882 was
just about equal TO the value Of the
cotton crop. In the last three years
the South has built one quarter Of the
railroad mileage added TO the United
States.
| Alabama is now the sixth iron pro
ducing State in the Union, and the
peculiarly favorable conjunction Of
her iron, coal and limestone and the
richness Of the deposits make it not at
all unlikely that the ambition Of its
Governor, that it may soon hold the
second place, may be fulfilled. Geor.
gia is already the eighth cotton man
uiacturing State, and its investments
in that industry are constantly grow.
ing. The figures of the manufactures
OF heSouth may not be great TO New
Highlander or q Pittsburg capitalist,
but that the South should be able to
make anything like such an exhibit is
amazing when one considers how re-
Gently that part Of the country was
almost exclusively given over to agri-
culture, and that almost entirely in
one staple.
Many iron furnaces have lately been
closed in Pennsylvania that will never
open again, and the capital that ran
them is reappearing in Virginia and
in Alabama. The extent of the reyo.
luton that IS thus being accomplished
is as yet unsppreciated by the eoun
Try There can be no doubt that all
that the Governor Of Alabama claims
tor his State in iron and coal is with
IN the limits Of the real. The iron
industry Of Alabama is only ten years
old, but has a capital Of $5,00O,000
The ore is the best in the country,
yielding 90 per cent OF metallic iron
The pig-iron product has mounted
from 62,330 tons in the year of the
census to 100000 for this year. Biz.
mingham and Admission, manufacture
ing tewni, are growing with Western
vigor. North Carolina has good de-
posits Of ore, but not, as yet, any man
utactures to speak Of. Georgia has
some promising furnaces.
1t is the manufacture Of cotton, its
great staple, of which the South has
the best record to show. The increase
OF over 60 per cent. in the last three
years in the capital invested and the
uniformity Of yearly dividends like 10
and 70 per cent. tell the story of this
interest. In South Carolina last year
the Legislature chartered nine new
factories with an aggregate capital Of
81, 725,000 The stock Of every cotton
mill in the State except Eve sells above
par, and the stocks Of those five sell
at par. The number Of spindles in
Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinss
has gone from 45l SOL in 1880 to
726,73l 10 1883. Louisiana is not
commonly thought of as a cotton man
uiaoturing State, but mills are begin,
ming to be found there, and its Cover.
nor quotes the prediction Of Massa-
ehusetts manufacturer, made unwil.
lingly, that the humidity Of its atmos.
phere would bring it at no distant day
a great share of the cotton industry.
Cotton seed oil mills are springing
up all over the South, and their pro
duct is finding such favor in the
kitchens Of the North as we'll as the
South that is fast becoming unneces-
sary to export it 10 Europe 20 be ship.
ped back as olive oil. Georgia has
quite a New England diversity Of
manufactures, with its lumber mills,
-four mills, carriage and wagon iacto.
ries, iron foundries, potteries, tanner.
les, paper mills, match factories and
blind factories. At New Orleans there
are cotton mills, oil mills, jute and
rope factories, canning establishments,
ioundries, machine shops, ice facto,
ries. Mississippi reports $7,O00,00O
Invested in manufactures, aud gain
Of 100 per cent in the last Eve yeara.
SouthCarolina sdvertises the fact that
it can furnish water power at an aver.
age cost Of $l.76 per horse power q
year, as against $3.50 in Georgia and
h4.l2 in Lawrence, Mass and has
enough Of it to run all the cotton fac
tories, -four mills and saw mills now
run by water in the whole country.
For tromulousness, waketulness, dizzi.
ness and lack of anpr0v n most valuahle