The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1894-06-02
C0TT0H MILLS IN ALABaMs.
What Has Been Done and What 0yqht to Sc
Done

me- ce OF Alabama
The branch of Alabama DEVELOPMENT
which, in my judgment, should first
| occupy the attention of our Chambers
| of Commerce throughout the State is
the manufacture of our great staple,
cotton, and in view of the fact that
this State has advantages for manu-
featuring cotton goods equal, if not
| superior, to all others, we can, by "a
Iudicious system of advertising these
| advantages, secure for this State man
ufacturiug plants which will add mil
lions to our valuation and tends of
thousands of industrious families TO
our population.
The mercantile history of England
during the past century is the history
OF her cotton manufacturing, and the
same is true of New England, while
the South, which has furnished the
cotton, has very little show in improve
ment for the many millions received
for her staple, while the value of her
lands has gradually decreased and ber
substance has been used in buying her
foodstufls and clothing from the North
and abroad.
The following statistics will serve to
illustrate the Importance of this great
industry, and the ridiculous position
we occupy in regard to the same:
There arc over 81, 500, 600, 600 in
vested in cotton mills in the world, n pd
over 800, 900, 900 in the United States,
and yet the South, furnishing so per
cent. Of the worlds cotton. has n total
| capital Invested in its manufacture of
| hnn
| twenty-hfth of the worlds investment.
Tho value of the crop Of cotton of
1898 liz calculated to be about 1915,
OOo,O 900, aud this income would be
trehled or qundrupled five could man
uiacture our goods at home.
Alabama possesses every requisite
Tor the manufacture as we'll as the pro-
duction OF cOtton-a splendid and
hcalthful climate, low cost of living.
cheap power, intelligent labor at a
small cost and long hours at work.
i. We have the cotton at our doors
from first hands. and il costs us at
least 81. 80 per bale less than it costs
the New England mills, which are
| obliged to pay freight on seventy five
pounds of waste and dirt with every
freight rate and the expenses of dray-
ing, sampling commission, etc, brings
| the raw material at the Eastern mills
10 per cent. above the cost to us-a
fair dividend
:. We have our power at the lowest
possible cost, for in addition to our
numerous and splendid water powers,
we are able to buy good steam coal
i'll most oil portions Of the State at less
than 81 % per ton, against a cost in
New England OF from "a. 90 to So. so
per ton, and as Alabama is we'll sun
piled with water, mills would find no
difficulty in securing an abundance of
cold spring water for condensing, fre
of cost. New England mills figure
their cost of power at about $40. 90 to
$500 per horse power per annum
where steam is used, and from S15. 90
to $1,000 per horsepower for water
power. In comparison i find few
Southern mills whose power costs to
exceed $1,000 per horse power per an
nun, and many of these mills in the
south use cheap high pressure engines.
! In the nanufacture of print cloths
IN tue East It is estimated that power
and heating cost one cent per pound
OF goods produced. While we cannot
make comparison VITA. Southern
mill OF this character, ! do know from
actual experience that in producing
coarse yarns the cost of heat, light and
power in our mill is only one-tenth Of
one cent per pound. This is not fair
comparison, owing to the different
pl nf I,,t ka
heating the large mills of The North
and East for about six months each
year, when fuel is high, is an enormous
expense as compa red with our cost for
teatiOg in Alabama, when We have but
"A few days when II Is necessary to use
artificial heat.
3. We have intelligent labor which,
by reason OF the low cost of living, we
can hire at saving Of 25 per cent.
over New Engjard prices, and we Sc
care siSty-siy hours labor per week,
against SIXTY hours labor per week in
New England aud fifty-two aad a-balf
hours labor per week in England.
A. We bave no labor organizations to
| bother us.
3. The mill buildings and teneme cts
Tor the hands can he built in this State
At a saving of from 20 TO 10 per cent.
from the cost OF eqnallyas good build
ings in the East
3. We can secure freight rates 10
market from most Of our Alabama
cities on manufactured goods at <
saving OF nearly half what il costs TO
transport the raw cotton, and by q lit
tie effort on our part could get rates
TO Chicago and other Western cities
lower than they are at present, al.
though our rates now are lower than
from New England to many Western
points
| 2. The record oi Southern mill sa,n n-
ings, compared with the earnings OF
Northern mills for the past few years,
is much in favor Of the South, and is a
strong argument TO use with our East
ern friends. Ii is, perhaps, not gen.
orally known that Alabama has made
the greatest relative progress in cotton
manufacture of any State in the Union
in sbe past four years, but such is the
fact In 1890 we had but thirteen
cotton mills with 80, 900 spipdles and