St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-02-16
Prosperity of the Cotton Trade.

| The year 1888 was one of the most pros
porous years the cotton trade of the world
has ever experienced. Cotton manufactur
ing centers everywhere report handsome
profits on the results of the years business
and in spite of the fact that the shipments
have been unprecedentedly heavy, consum
ers are reported to be short of supplies
and mills everywhere are crowded with
orders
In England the revival in the manufac
ture of cotton goods has been most pro-
nounced, and the comparison with recent
seasons is absolutely startling. Profits
have been larger than for any year in the
past decade, and the year closed with
stocks depleted, and with orders abreast
for several months.
| American cotton mills have been hardly
less fortunate than those on the other side
of the Atlantic. All the New England
mills earned large profits, and Southern
mills without exception did handsomely.
OF the Northern mills the Pepperill paid
IA per cent, the Dwight 10 per cent, the
Pacific 10 per cent, the Lawrence 10 pei
cent, the Amoskeag 10 per cent, the Man
chester 124 per cent. the Nashua 10 per
cent, the Low per cent, the American
Linen 225 per cent, the Browne Is per cent,
the Fall River IL per cent, and others of
less note from 10 to % per cent.
| If these Northern mills have found the
business lucrative, how much more profit
able should Southern mills be considered
that are placed directly in the cotton fields
with the staple growing at their very door.
This must necessarily put them in possess
sion of their raw material much cheaper
than the Northern mills
AS matter of fact the South has already
successfully competed with the Eastern
mills in manufacturing coarse fabrics, and
considerable exporting has been done. In
this connection the following, which is an
extract from letter published in the Bal
timore Manufacturers Record, will be in
teresting:
"The mills of the Southern States possess
decided advantage over the mills in the
North and Great Britain, in that they have
the raw cotton at their doors, and that this
alone represents money value sufficient
has been fully demonstrated within the
last ten years. This difference can be
more clearly shown by the following illus
tration: Let US assume a 40, 600 spindle
mill located at any well selected site in the
States. This mill, properly equipped with
the latest and most approved style of ma
chinery for the manufacture of standard
A sheetings to Nos. 10 to IA yarns. would
cost complete 100000, aud would con-
sumo 10000 bales of cotton per annum. 1t
is variously estimated that the difference
in cost of bale of cotton (490 pounds) be-
tween the mills in Augusta, Ca, and Fall
River, Mass, is from 81 to Sc per bale.
Assume the lowest estimate of 81 per bale,
and you have s0,0OOx$4 equals $50, in
favor of the Augusta MILL or saving of
10 per cent on the complete cost of the
mill in cotton alone"
Southern mills have made great strides
during recent years and are annually ab-
sorbing large amount of raw material
New mills are going up in all directions,
and the day is not far distant when this
section of the country will be as noted for
it's manufactured cotton goods as it now is
as the home of the raw material.-N O.
Picaya1ae,