The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1894-04-21
An EXPERT VIEW OF SOUTHERN
PROGRESS.
Industrial Commissioner Power, OF
the Illinois Central,

industrial Commissioner Power, Of
the Illinois Central,
Submarines Existing Conditions in the
h Sunny Section
Into an Encouraging Picture, Whicf, Will
y" Aid in Attracting
Farmers, Capitalists and Manufacturers to
u u Seek Investments Here.
Industrial Commissioner George C.
Power. of the Illinois Central Railway,
writes to the Manufacturers Record, of
Baltimore, regarding the business con-
ditions of the Southern States through
which that road passes as follows:
I'm my opinion the present outlook
for industrial growth on those portions
Of our lines south of the Ohio river has
never been better. During an expert
ence of nearly eighteen months in look
ing for the location of factories, l have
never seen the time when there has
been SO much interest manifested in
the South for the requirement of new
industries. Traversing, as we do, the
States Of Kentucky, Tennessee. Missis-
sippi and Louisiana, in sections of the
States where we have no coal or iron
to draw upon for raw materials. the
character of industries that could Op.
crate to success In utilizing the raw
materials is necessarily limited to
those working cotton, wool, clay and
hard and soft woods. The extension OF
the manufacture of cotton the past year
has been greatly curtailed, as the ma
jority of concerns have conterted them
selves with saving themselves from
loss, and have not been disposed to
branch out in the way of location ol
new factories for the manufacture ol
this staple. In the north the depres
sion has been most general, and has
affected, amongst others, the success
full operation of woodworking estab.
lishments which have been in existence
for years. Many of these, which wouli
have sought locations in the south
have had all they wanted to do to keep
| in existence. without attempting t(
branch out to new fields.
'In spite of this depressed condition
OF affairs the fine character of timber
and the greater cheappess at which it
can be obtained, together with the com
parativcly new markets open to north
ern manufacturers, have induced quite
a number OF woodworking industries tt
locate in the south on the line OF the
Illinois Central and Yazoo and Missis
sippi Valley Roads. Many of these in
dustries have come from Wisconsin
Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania
and as the character OF timber and the
prices at which it can be had become
better known, the prejudices that ex
ist amongst northern manufacturer!
against locating in the south will be
gradually overcome, and do not hesi
tate to say that within a very few years
there will be a large influx of the wood
working industries, now SO plentiful
Throughout those states, ufOr wherever
northern manufacturers have been 10
Gated along our lines each industry 81
located has proved the best sort OF ar
advertisement for the country and foI
the people.
while the condition of depression
has been almost universal Throughout
the north, do not find any such con
dition Of affairs south Of the Ohio river
especially through the territor!
Through which our road runs. In mos
cases find hotels full of travelling
salesmen, selling dry goods, shoes, hats
caps, clothing, hardware and other ar
ticles which do not come under the
head of provisions. The sales of ives
tern provisions in the south have fallel
off enormously, and I do not think it |
extreme to say that where one hog wa
raised ten years ago, today there ar
100, and the same holds good for corn
while in early vegetables and fruits tn
increase is astonishing. This hog mea
and corn are raised now largely by tn
holders Of small farms, who heretofor
have raised nothing but cotton, hav
depended upon the merchant to tax
care Of it, while buying all other sur
plies from the merchants. In ever
place have been in during the las
two months ] have interviewed tn
presidents of the different banks, an
they all tell me that they have NOR
surplus funds on deposit, and that tn
applications for loans from the smal
farmers are very much less than the
have been for years, and, in many case
for the first time In twenty years, tn
small farmers have gone out of tn
town with cotton still to sell and none
in their pockets.
LAS an instance of the sclf-suppor
ing character Of the farmers of tn
south to-day, a farmer told me that h
had raised on his farm last year all tn
hog meat necessary to carry hil
through this present years crop; h
had sufficient corn to last him over th
season, with a:.surplus to sell;he had IA
his cottonseed, and the only thing h
would have to buy would be hay
When asked why he did not raise hi.
last year he said that he had been to
poor to buy reaper, but this year h
had sufficient corn to sell 10 buy all h
hay and the reaper beside, and frol
this time out he expects to be self-sul
porting. He had contracted for til
growth Of five acres of potatoes, seve
acres of onions and was going to plar
tomatoes to see what the result wOul
be. He told me that he had been nb
to raise his cotton this last year ut
cost of 5 cents per pound. He sal
what was true Of himself was true
:, all his neighbors. In number