The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-02-25
Valuable Information.

! Mr.. Fl. G. Hester, secretary of the
New Orleans Cotton Exchange, was
in Alexandria on Monday, and to a
representative of the press he gave
these views concerning the cotton in.
dustry. Being an exceptionally we'll
posted man, judging from the posi-
ton he holds, we are led to believe
many things concerning this industry
that we had not dreamt of. The
i gentleman's topic, however, was, prin-
cipally the advancement of the South,
that is as to manufacturing the staple,
and be said:
i Last week the cotton receipts were
ninety per cent over the receipts of
last year. 1t was the general impress
sion that such a movement would
break cotton. In fact during the past
ten years the Southern people have
been better educated to the meaning
and knowledge of statistics than any
where else in the world. The coun-
try ought to know that to-day cotton
: is handled better than ever before.
Cotton factors are posted on all ques-
tons of supply and demand, and they
: can judge better when to hold and
when to sell. We are getting news
: direct from all the leading cenrers
and whereas years ago the people of
the South were almost wholly de-
pendent on New York Ia market one
d thousand miles away from the center
: of the cotton producing country for
: information they are now entirely in
: dependent and have u new system
3 that enables them to take full advan-
x tage of every change and of every
huctuation.
q Not only this, but we are slowly
&c but surely realizing eur brightest
. dreams relating to the consumption Of
our own staple. Last year we made
- up into yarns in our own mills more
4 than 100000 bales, and new manu-.
- factories are springing up in every
- State in the country. Dozens of new
factories have just been completed
4 and are ready to commence work, anc
number of others have been com
menced or are projected. Texas ba
GO just started fine large mill in Gal
weston and Denison, near the North
ern border of the State, a magnifcen
mandatory is nearly ready to work
r. turning out yarns and some of tn
We faer goods.
IS, Georgia is enlargipg some Of he
ne old mills and new ones are projecte'
SIS ia that State and in South Carolina
he A new mill is reported in North Car
gs DINA, several in Virginia, besides tn
en- outlook for our own State is fair. TIL
mt largest mills in New Orleans hav
We nearly doubled their capacity, and ar
or now in position to run 10000 spin
Of dies. One of the drawbacks to cotto
We manufactures in the South is the lac
at of skilled labor. This is a fact bein
rectified, and as years go by an abun
dance of the requisite help is bein
a. educated. We have more than dot
~ bled our cetton manufactures, and
80 can see no reason why we should nj
again double them within the ne,
uo ten years. In other words it is on til
Y" cards for the South to manufacture i
~ own cotton, one million bales per a,
~ mum, by the close of the year.
- l look to see the day when Alexal
90 dria will have factory. The Re
u' River Valley is like the valley of tt
GO Nile, the only difference is that tt
Co. Nile is limited and this is limitles
| don't believe there is commun
hts ty on the globe that have more e
ell ergetic and pushing set Of people tha
err in this SECTION. New Orleans has
is banking capital, including surplus,
I'M IS, 100000, hardly more than the ca
are ital of first-class bank in some
is the great financial centers Of Il
Ac- world, and yet she had bank clea
,at ing of s5Oo,O0O,oOO. Just think
GER the amount Of energy and the numb
;er- of times our limited capital had to
it TUNED over, the business season beil
In hardly more than seven months in
year, in order to accomplish the
for facts. Last year the port receipts
icb New Orleans, gross, were 2,222,OO
nod Some cotton came to New Orlea
,,n and was sold on the table Of facto
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