The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-23
rHB soUTHgRa COTTON MILLs.
A TALK wIrH AN EXPERT

An experienced Mil Man Gives N
Reasons for His Confidence I'm the
South as - Manufacturing District.
Hon. G.. c.. Jordan, of Columbus,
Ca, Is an experienced cotton manu-
facturer, and gave twenty years of his
life to the business. In an interview
with a<%eporter for the Atlanta
Iaarha1, SMr. Jordan expresses his
views as to the relative superiority of
the North and South for manufacturing
purposes, and the incidental questions
In connection herewith
What do you really feel most in
terest In concerning it? Will cotton
manufacturing increase rapidly in the
South, and ii you think SO, give us
some good reasons for it as q practical
manufacturer yourself.
!" have always thought that, and
when, Othello-like, after the late var
/ found myself a young man without
an occupation,' l went Immediately
into the cotton mill business, believing
then as | do now, that the South, and
especially Georgia, is the proper place
for spinning and weaving the cotton
fabrics of the United States. Now,
you know the strongest manufacturers
In the Union begin to believe the
same way, and we may expect phenom-
email development through the entire
South in all manufacturing branches,
but especially In cotton spinning.
Some of the reasons for it? Why
these. The cotton grows In u win
dows. We can take it direct from the
gin without it even passing through
the unnecessary stages OF bailing and
compressing, and put 1T directly into
~ pur piclxar. rppnl Tho dayc ORC lpnu
here. The climate is all hat any
: manufacturer could desire. Labor is
not only reasonable in. it's demands,
but 1t is the very best in the world. |
speak ~advisedly on this particular
point, because the Eagle and Phenix
mills, with which | was connected,
brought here q good many years ago
several hundred English operatives,
and we have tried Canadians, Now
Englanders and others, and | speak
truly when l tell you that Southern
labor is tho best | have ever seen any
whore. They want to be treated
justly, but they do not consume all of
their time in quibbling and argument,
i&saapSesides. being native and to the
manner born, are Extraordinarily
imagining they are imposed on; they
have no quirks on the trade union
subject, and adapt themselves to all
their surroundings quickly and easily.
Asa matter of fact, this climate allows
an operative to live more cheaply than
anywhere else in the world in tho tenn
perate regions, and with free schools
everywhere as there are now there is
plenty OF intelligence, plenty Of sap,
n in q place like Columbus, which
has been a manufacturing point since
1884, the mill help has Inherited by
transmission an adaptability for cot
ton manufacturing, and there is plenty
Of that kind Of help there.
"No, / do not fear competition from
the North, and would really like to
see Northerners and Fasteners come
here with their capital, and enjoy
some OF these advantages. Why not ?
The world is the market of compe-
g manufacturer, and under the laws
OF this country as they now exist we
should not rest until we havo our full
portion of it. | never had any
sympathy for or could bear the policies
of the dog in the Manager manu-
facturer' who thinks that when he has
got a good thing he should shut up
like the oyster and keep it to himself.
That Is too narrow-minded and really
10 senseless. The South has less than
four per cent. Of the cotton spindles of
the world, and there is plenty Of room
here for increase. The tittest should
survive in this world and will do it..
The history of manufacturing in this
town, in the South, New England, and
elsewhere, has always been of one
char acter, that is. that the more i'm
portant u point becomes as u manu-.
featuring center the more attention is
drawn to it from the whole world. and
the markets broaden. Comparisons
by the mill superintendent generate
q healthy competition, and give birth
to new ideas and new economies. No,
1t is not only foolish, but very uncalled
=, for to fear competition. Some of the
advantages that have not enumerated
are not only the great saving in freight
ON the raw material, the long days
which we can utilize, the tractablc
labor, but u laws have all been
directed to that end to induce capital
TO be invested in the State in cotton
Manufacturing. For instance, our
taxation in this State is low. We
have no Severe legislation as to the
employment ri labor, and then in
points like Cosnmbus, we have the
easiest controlled water power in the
world. This market receives about
y one hundred and fifty thousssid bales
OF cotton per annum, and car ware
houses have always q sufficient stock
vi huho W uId" iIoH, anu Lncn' III
we all know, taxation in this city is
remarkably light.
Disqualification ? Certainly / ap.
prove of 1t, and If you will carefully
look at the Columbus mills before you
leave here, you will see that we act
upon that idea. The largest corpora.
tiOn here probably manufactures two
hundred different varieties OF goods
and every N of these requires more
or less colored yarn. The truth is,
you will find that the Columbus mills
manufacture colored goods almost ex
clusively. Wooden goods of q great
variety, quilts, towels, portieres, cling.
= hams, finer grades of c~OttOnades, anG
all sthese things are having a benef
cial effect In more ways than one
Especially / would mention that it ha.
given birth to several large clothing
manufacturing establishments here
employing o great number of opera
tives, and manufacturing shirts and al
varieties OF mems clothing.
"Do | think the South capable OF
producing the finer grades of any
thing? Why not? The only reason
that this has not been done Is because
the field of the medium and coarse
grades has not Q en occupied, and on,
advantages are so much more NANTES
In these weights Of goods that it ha,
seemed to the interest of the
S0utherners to go into the finer grade!
as yet. This will come more proficient
as the rate of interest," becomes lower
OF Money, and the demand for The
finer goods warrants IL In nfha,