The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-01-30
SPlNDLES OF THE SOUTH.
Their Roar Should Frigiten Northern
Manufacturers.

Manufacturers.
BALTIMORE, Jan. 24.-Nlr. William
C..Loverng, president of the Ark
wright Club, which represents all of
the large New England textile manu-
facturers, was invited some months
ago after returning from a visit of in
vesti@a;ion to the South. 70 deliver an
address before the New England Tex
tile Club on Cotton Manufacturing IN
the South. This address, which has
never before been made public, is now
By the consent Of 1Ir. Lowering. pub
lished in this weeks issue of the Man
ufactures Record.
In his address, which is a very full
and comprehensive study of the whole
situation, Mr.. Lowering says:
The time has passed when New
England manufacturers need 10 give
but little attention to cotton manufac-
turing in the South We have come
to realize that the South has entered
the race in earnest and to stay. Hence
forth, it must be the survival of the
fittest. The old mills in the South
with their antiquated machinery have
been succeeded by first-class mills
with the best equipment, and we find
mills in the Soath today that will COM
pare favorably with our New England
mills built in every respect to do their
work in the cheapest and most ap-
proved manner.
While it has long been conceded
that in certain lines of coarse goods,
the advantages are in favor of the
South, North manufacturers have
comforted themselves with the state
ments that the manufacture of the
finest goods would remain with them
and that the South could not make
such goods. In this we are mistaken.
There is an actual increase in the pro
duction Of finer goods in the South
and where man 1facturing is once
firmly established, it is only matter
of short time, when the labor en-
ployed will improve in skill and adapt
itself to the finer work. There seems
to be no reason why as fine yarns may
not be spun in the South as in any
other section of our country.
A mill in the South running 6S
hours per week for so weeks in the
year runs $500 hours. a mill in Mas
sachusetts limited to IS hours per
week. for so weeks in a year, runs
$500 hours-a difference Of 100 hours
a year, or seven weeks in favor of the
Southern mills Two mills of the
same size, construction and equipment,
one in New England and one in the
South will cost about the same SO far
as buildings and machinery are con
cerned. The very low cost of build
ing material in the South is partly off
set by the higher cost of the machine
ry due to the expense of freight.
There is a large population at the
South eager and anxious to work. The
class of help at work in Southern
mills today is as good as can be found
in the whole country. They are ma
tive Americans with but few foreign
ers among them. The South is in this
case, really more Americans than the
North. The taxes in the Southern
States are not half what they are with
us. It has been found that Southern
men ale more desirable and efficient
as superintendents and overseers than
men brought from the North, as they
seem to understand and control the
operatiyes better than Northern over
SeerS.
New England has, however, the ad-
vantage of establishment which may
be termed the prestige of priority.
This is tremendous advantage and if
we are not legislated out Oft, we shall
hold it for long time by sheer forces
of New England pluck and determine
ton"
In summing up his investigations
and seeking to draw what conclusions
he can from them, Mr.. Lowering says:
1T seems to me that the cotton manu-
facturers of New England are in a
critical condition. The tendency is
away from New England and towards
the South, and any legislation that
stops looms and spindles in New Eng
land today for any considerable period
stops many never to be started again.
In making these statements. | DO not
wish to be understood as sounding any
alarm, but think it is wise for us to
know what the future possibilities and
limitations Of cotton manufacturing
are in New England.