The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-08
PROGRESS OF TIE SOUTH.
Labor Commissioner WriGht's Ad
dress in Nashville

NASHVILLE, TENN. April Hon. Car
roll o. Wright. United States commissioner
of labor, this evening delivered an address
at Watkins institute on the progress of the
southern states from 1880 to 1890, In the
course of which he said;
The southern states in 1870 produced but 1884,
% tons of pig iron. In 1850, 1S0l net tons
In 1880. ,7S09 900 net tons or pig iron were pro-
duced. In steel the south has not yet made
much progress In 1880 the number OF net tons
was 4. $50, and In 1890, iS4 626 This is a most
encouraging outlook, and bespeaks for the south
a steel industry in the future of which she will
be proud. The average cost OF pig iron in the
northern part of the United States Is for the run
of the furnace about Sl4per ton Of 224O pounds
the furnace pig iron is $40 IS This difference
Of 81 25 in favor of the southern product viii be
Increased to a larger amount as the labor in the
so9A 0g and sSs dsveop@sns saqd'Fd Of S
tation increases the facilities for assembling
materials. Tennessee produced o1S tons Of
| pig iron for bhe year ending May 81 1890 while
for the year ending June 1, 1890 she produced
| S90,747 tons. Her percentage of the total pro-
duction the United States in 1850 was g.
while In 1890 the percentage had been increased
TO 3.0i
THE COTTON INDUSTRY.
The largest cotton crop In the southern states
| prior to the war was In 1860, when 4,66S.i7O
bales. In 1891 the production reached s652,S67
| bees, were produced. In 1871 it was d,352,3l7
bales and COS, ,S6l bales Of the production were
| consumed iu southern mills as against less than
half that quantity ten years before
In 1890 cotton seed oil mills crushed 1,05S,200
! tons, the product being worth S27, $40, $50, an
| increase In round numbers in ten years of S24,
| 100000. The number Of cotton mills increased
| from l6l in 1880 to 334 in 1899; the number Of
spindles from about 500, 900 to nearly 2, 600 000
and tho product from Si6,355, IS2 to Sj4 1D9 57g
n hAFn qtab uuE for ha
manufacture OF wool In the southern states,
while in 1890 there we're but 1874. But the de
crease In the number in no way indicates de
crease in other features, for the capital invested
in the wooden manufacture OF the southern
states was 4,l04,077 in $780, and $40, 253, ,00S in
1890.
In 1880 the production of the distilled spirits
amounted TO 2l,4l3,237 gallons, and u 1890 to
4l,216OS3 gallons, while of fermented liquors
the southern states producsd in 1880 SIC, ,037
barrels, and in 1890 the production was 3,4S2.369
barrels
DIxIE's RAILROADS.
Between 1880 and 1850 the mileage OF south
ern railroads, with the exception Of Arkansas.
Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri and Texas, Was
increased from 1928 miles to "a 956 miles, and
the number OF passengers carried from
6,s95,OO0 TO 3O,o6l, 90. The number of
passengers carried was increased nearly FIVE
fold and the amount Of freight grew from H.
159, AL tons to 6..77i 800 tons. The total earn
ings and income Of the southern railroads were
inCrsaS ID from nearly S47 600 0o0 In 1850 to more
than $l03, COO, 600 in 1890.
The capital invested In the great industries Of
tho south is represented by the bank
| Ing capital, which in 1880 was
SB2 900, and In 1890 more than Sl71, 500, 900,
an increase of over 90 per cent. The capital
| invested in manufactures and establishments OF
| all kinds was advanced from Si7Q, 1888 00O in 1880
| to 1851. .50O,0 900 in 1890, while the total num-
Der OF hands employed was more than doubled,
being 1863 per cent, greater In 1920 tnan In 1880
INDEBTEDNESS OF THE STATES.
The total Indebtedness Of the southern states
| including county debts and less the sinking
fund, that is practically the net total debt, was
In 1880 S2l5. 1921, while in 1850 tee indebted
| ness had been reduced to S175, 16t ,756. The re
| duotion is best expressed by figures represent
| ing per capita Indebtedness. In 1880 the total
net Indebtedness of the southern states was
| Sil 20 for every inhabitant in 1890 it had been
reduced SO that each person was represented by
| an indebtedness of IS 08. Tho state of Tennes
see has reduced her total &c 1t from S32, 900 00C
in 1880 to less than $40, 1900 In 1890, or as OK
| pressed in the per capita Indebtedness from
| $50 81 in the first year named to Sii IS in the
last.
COST OF TIE SCHOOLS.
In 1873 the southern states expended 81, ,sS7,
| $40 for school purposes, including buildings
school expenses. salaries, etc, and the payment
OF bonded indebtedness. In 1888, ten years later
| such total expenditures reached Si6, S0S 063
Tennessee alone Increased her expenditures
during the ten years from S794 282 to
81, ,O23, S93. The percentage of enrolment
of the whole population in 1880 was 16 SO and in
1880 1t had risen to 20,21 while In the whole
United States the percentage Of enrolment o4
the total population was 20.22.