The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-09-21
Southern Cotton Mills.
SOME INTERESTING AND IN
STRUCTIVE FACTS.
What the South is Doing in The
Way Of Cotton Manufac turing
North Carolina Leads in Num-
ber of Mills and Spindles.
Wilmington Star. j

1uS ldol lSouC VI TIC HtHUNLIH<
Chronicle, in its article on the cotton
movement and crop of 1892-93, pre-
sents some interesting facts and figures
showing the progress of the cotton
manufacturing industry in the South
since 1880, progress which it says
every one who has given much atten-
ton to the matter "recognizes as
phenomenal" We reproduce some of
these figures because they show on
what the South's claim of progress is
based, that it is not an idle boast, and
because they are more eloquent of
future possibilities than any speech
could possibly be.
In 1880 there were in ten Southern
States, (omitting West Virginia, Mis-
souri, and Florida, in which there are
no mills reported,) 164 mills; in 1888,
235; in 1889, 259; in 1890, 271 ; in
1891, 2S3; in 1892, 293, and in 1898,
314.
In 1880 there were 561,3So spin
dies; now there are 2,o82,1o7, each
year in the interval showing large
increase.
There were in 1880 12,329 looms,
there are now 46,297. The mills
then consumed 188,748 bales, this
year they have consumed 733,7o1
bales, or 87,61o,889 pounds in 1880
compared with 339,65o,657 this year,
about four times as much.
The States are reported as follows
Virginia, 10 mills, 1oo,o86 spindles,
1913 looms.
North Carolina, 125 mills, 0he N.
c. Bulletin for August reports 14o)
543,So9 spindles, 1o,527 looms.
South Carolina, s. mills, 5o3,269
spindles, 900 looms.
Georgia, 50 mills, 5oo,4oS spindles,
11,238 looms.
Alabama, 22 mills, 129,776 spin
dies, 2,2o2 looms.
Mississippi, 7 mills, 52,64S spin
dlen, 1,285 looms.
Louisiana, 4 mills, $4,000 spindles,
I,434 looms.
Texas, S mills, $500 spindles,
1000 looms.
Arkansas, 9 mills, 5000 spindles,
ia looms.
Tennessee, 23 mills, 11o,485 spin
dies, 2,o7S looms.
Kentucky, S mills, 1886 spindles,
696 looms.
1t will be noted here that North
Carolina leads in the number of mills
and spindles, the mills being over
double as many as either South Caro-
lima or Georgia has, while the number
of spindles is also considerably larger
than either of these States has, al
though when it comes to looms South
Carolina takes the first place, Georgia
the second and North Carolina the
third, but not very far in the rear.
North Carolina worked nearly as
many bales of cotton as Georgia, and
not 10000 bales less than South Caro-
lima, the figures standing thus, North
Carolina ,647 bales, South Caro-
lima 200, ,219, Georgia 1S7,7o2.
Another thing may be noted in this
connection, which is that the bulk of
the cotton manufacturing industry in
the South is in what is known as the
Piedmont country, which does not
rank with the country further South as
cotton producing country, although
in close enough proximity to the cot
ton field to enjoy all the advantage
which nearness gives. 1t has been
predicted that this Piedmont country is
eventually to become the center of the
cotton manufacturing industry of this
continent, as it will also be of the iron
manufacturing industry, and for the
same reason that it has abundant,
cheap fuel, as we'll as unlimited water
powers, the latter of which accounts
for the large number of mills in North
Carolina, energetic men of limited
capital taking advantage of the nu-
merous water powers afforded by the
rolling lands of the central belt of
counties.
In some respects there is an advan-
tage in the larger number of small
mills, as being more distributed they
offer more home markets for the cotton
grown in their neighborhood, and as
they pay as much for it as other mills
do, they are of more direct advantage
to the growers OF cotton by enabling
them to market their cotton with less
hauling, less loss of time and conse-
quently with less cost and more profit
to the grower. Other things being
equal two mills, each consuming one
half the amount of cotton the larger
one consumes are better than one OF
| double the capacity of either. OF
course when it comes to competition