The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1892-05-07

nothing OF expectation, II will lie
seen that the situation Is hceom-
ing somewhat serious, to say the
least"
Elliott q. Clark, treasurer OF the
Booth Mills at Lowell, testified 60
the same effect, saying:
~ simp'y want to give you Il few
cold facts in reg irl 20 Southern
competition. IL SEEMS To me that
the whole danger 70 our Massa-
chuseits industries is from the
South; that has been brought to
my attention, especially within the
last few year,, by the fact that
Southern mills are taking away my
work from me. am losing my
contracts Il great deal III that
way. IL is also the same in regard
to he trade IN China, because the
Southern States get ahead OF me.
/ have looked into The subject
carefully. Comparing goods, prices,
etc, with tho Q of South Carolina
mills, TO learn where and how |
was being beaten. There are
several good mills down there. The
Pacolet Is good mill; 81 is he
Cl f'ton and the Piedmont. looked
at ia IL goods and found they
were just as good as mine. They
beat me actually ia speed. In the
cost per pound of thiIt, en- to
twenty-five yarn found they
beat me out Of my boots, we are
not in Ii with them. NV cotton
was costing me 1912 cents per
pound and theirs 9.15 cents. The
difference in the price of cotton
was pretty near the profit. They
are just as good weavers, just az
goOd spinners-so those who have
been there tell me. THIS Is the sort
u competition we are meeting
with.
Other witn sses testified TO
about the same effect, that the
New England mills are suffering
seriously from competition with
the > ,uth, being compelled TO
make frequent changes from time
70 time in order to compete with
them, to increase their speed, r..
dnce wages, INTRODUCES new
mechanical appliances; and that
even with these improvements the
dividends are decreasing, and they
iind il hard 20 keep mp. with amy
such Legislation as that proposed 4
they unanimously declared To the
commi tee "it viii be impossible
for MS 10 continne any longer ia
competition u the Southern cotton
mills; AMI this industry upon which
so much of the prosperity Of New
England rests. will leave it,"
This testimony Is beyond dispute;
1 it is that of pr ,ctcal men who fully
understand tho Southern compe-
tition. and is, therefore, of far
| great er weight than that OF mere
theorists like Atkinson and others.
They admit that they are hard put
to compete with the South. and
tnat it will require but "a slight adj
ditional burtlrn---such as the pro-
posed bill reducing the hours OF
labor-to put New England at so
great disadvantage that it can no
longer seriously compete in the
manufacture of most Of the cheap
er grades of cotton goods, but this
DuSlHfbS VIII ~ aibO%tihfi w Ahtl
South so as to be nearer the cot
ton fields. Nor is this 10 be Won
dered at. There is every reason
why the South should largely
monopolize the manufacture of CO..
ton goods, for it has every advan
tage in that industry over New
England. What these advantages
are we have already demonstrated;
and now the owners and managers
of the New England mills come
forward TO point them out and u
dwell at length apOn them.
If there has ever been any doubt
on this subject the testimony oi
these New England manufacturers
ought to be sufficient TO remove it,
THE South is the. natural seat Oi
the cotton industry Of the world
It may prosper elsewhere fol
awhile under certain peculiar CIT
cunstaucrs, but in the end it viii
move nearer the cotton fields-N
o. Times Democrat.