The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-04-17
ABOUT MANUFACTURING.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY
ING OUR INDUSTRIES.

ANu W Ii lNDt > MES.
Let us Make More of the Articles of
Every Day Use and Consumption at
Home.
All over North Carolina and the
South the subject of manufactures is
being discussed as never before, and
greater attention is being turned in
that direction. We have always ap-
preciated the importance of making
for ourselves such articles as it was
possible to manufacture here at home,
and have encouraged the idea of pat
ronlzing such institutions after they
are established. We recognize the
value of factories in affording a home
market for the raw material and their
great benefit to a community in giving
employment to our surplus labor and
in creating a demand for skilled work
men at good wages. When the Nr7os
ami Observer suggests the formation
OF a society for the encouragement of
home manufactures it finds willing
ally in the GOLD LEAF. Speaking on
the subject of manufactures that paper
says:
Time was when if any one in North
Carolina made little money. he put
it into land and negroes-agrlclture
being chiefly in the minds of the peo-
pie. Now that has changed. Agri-
culture is no longer the sole occupa-
ton of life. We are beginning to
manufacture. From partial list be-
fore us we find that we have more than
hundred cotton factories in the State,
more than dozen woolen factories,
one silk factory, thirty making furni-
ture, carriages, buggies, sash and
blinds, plows, wagons, agricultural i'm
plements and other such articles; seven
guano factories, carpet and bagging
factory, brooms, wood plate, wood
pulp, paper, crate and basket, bucket
and churn, leather, harness, koalin,
knitting factories, shuttle works, pipes
and pottery, tiles, sewer pipes, cans of
fruits and vegetables, candies, cotton
seed oil, foundries, rope, snuff, cigar
cites, clothing, tobaccos of all sort,
Touring mills, and spirits ofturpentine,
as we'll as alcoholic spirits.
We make socks; cashmere and all
sorts of articles for household use and
personal wear; we make agricultural
implements, leather and whatever is
necessary for farm use. We have mills
to convert our raw material into articles
ready for our market.
In a word we have mills to convert
our raw material into articles ready
for market.
In word we have made a begin
ming in nearly every line-and in
some lines we have made very great
progress.
We are thus diversifying our indus
tries. All this is gratifying, but in
order to advance the good work, we
must pull together. We must talk
home manufactures. But we must not
take it out in talking. An ounce of
example is worth a pound of precept.
Let us use North Carolina blankets,
cassimers and other woolen goods !;
North Carolina plows, agricultural i'm
plements, wagons and buggies
North Carolina fertilizers North
Carolina provisions; candies, snuff, to-
bacco &c, &C., all along the line. If
we shall cause demand for our home
products by using them, their manu-
facture will be largely icnreased. This
will create use for our money here at
home and will give employment to our
home folks. Young men are con-
stantly leaving their homes to make
living elsewhere; there is I" no chance"
here.
Public attention is perennially di-
rected to immigrants-andf from every
county is heard a demand for out
siders to come and locate in our
midst. That is right but what is
better is to provide employment for
those wo are here now, for our brothers
and sons. We hope to see the sub
ject taken hold of by the Alliances and
a strong sentiment developed in favor
OF our own State. Suppose we could
go to bed tonight and wake up to-
morrow with three thousand manu-
featuring establishments, giving en-
ployment to 10000 persons, turning
out articles twice as valuble as the
whole cotton crop of the South; and
flooding the country with the money
earned by the employees as we'll as
with the profits of the factory owners.
What different scene would be pre-
sented here in poor North Carolina.
That cannot happen in a night, but it
can be attained if Our people will only
work together and seek to accomplish
it. Let that be our object, and the
first step is to patronize our home in
dustries, those already in operation,
and the next step is to increase them
month by month, year by year, until
at least we shall have hundred live
manufacturing towns where now we
have only dozen. The ball has
begun. Every one of our
towns is now pushing ahead. Let the
good work continue unabated.