Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-20
Southern Cotton Manufacturing.


The Atlanta Constitution has succeeded
in interviewing Mr.. Hanson, of Macon.
President. by recent election, of the South
ern Cotton Manufacturers Association on
the subject of a late circular put out DY
the association, reviewing the southern
cotton manufacturing interests ana Warh-
ing the people against reckless investment
IN slack. and bad management OF their cot
ron mills. Mr.. Hanson gives the figures of
the falling of of his own factories as evil
dence of the decline of the cotton manu-
featuring interests Of the South, and as
practical, skillful, experienced manager
of cotton factories, he declares that the
fault lies in the fact that 1--WE have built
too many mills in the South in the last
few years. Inspired by the fiatterlng es-
Inmates Of what Southern mills were dong
and could do. saws Mr.. Hanson, and told
that we had an advantage of about two
cents a pound over New England mills,an
led to believe that cotton machinery, set
up anywhere and run by anybody In al
most any sort of way, would pay big pro-
fits we have had a number of mills built
without Judgment. Many mills were put
ND III a loose anu ltAh VI
and then given to farmer or merchant
or professional man to manage. The re-
/ suit has been damaging to the mills them
selves. and to Southern mills in general
I The South. he saws, has an advantage over
| the North. but nothing like what has
I been claimed. The advantage we have is
/ lust the difference in the price of cotton
/ in Macon and in Boston. which is about
/ one cent. We get labor cheaper than the
New Englanders can, but they get better
/ labor. 80 that on the labor question one
advantage balances the other. This leaves
us as our only margin the difference in the
price of cotton"
Against this Margin" continues Mr..
Hanson, 1.-The New England spinners bring
the very best business training-fitty
years of experience-the most accurate
/ system of business-perfect organization
"a thorough understanding of the cotton
market in which they buy and of the goods
market i'm which they sell, and of the gen.
! eraI laws of trade and tinance-buildings
and machinery that stand as the perfection
of three generations. building and opeEat-
Ing one mill right against another. You
+ can easily see how competing mills in the
I South-built TithOut experience or model.
equipped by whatever machinery an agent
offers at the lowest prices, run by men
who have been trained rs farmers or law
yers or merchants, buying cotton without
Judgment and selling goods without know
ING anything of the markets, and each mill
working i'm ignorance of what other mills
n
warns and clOth-how easily, say, such
mills can eat up the vantage margin of
one cent per pound and the New England
margin Of profit, and come out with loss
beside
We have been thus cOpiOus TO get in MIR.
Hanson's full bill of indictment, not he
cause we indorse it as an argument, for
it i vulnerable in several points. but that
our readers may have the benefit of his
Judgment as to the causes of his reported
decline in Southern cotton manufactures.
1t may be mentioned that further on in
the interview Mr.. Hanson desires
To open an office in New
York. that his association may have
the benefit of his skill and expert
ence in the buying and selling of their
manufactured goods. etc., and, perhaps
far better observation in general over the
field Of competition between the South
and New England. and it is probable that
a measure for such an advance step will
be prominent before the meeting proposed
for the manufacturers. At another time
we may draw on his views as to the fur
Their remedy of the evils he complains OF,
as a matter of some Importance TO those
/ who intend to continue the business of
setting up and running Southern cotton
I mills