Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-23
BEYOND ANY DOUBT Two Leading Cotton Mills of
 Lowell, Massy WILL COME SOUTH AND BUILD Petitioners Before the LegiSla- tive Committee on Mer-
 CantiIe Affairs.
WILL COME SOUTH AND BUILD

BOSTON, Mass, Jan. 22.-The legislative committee on mercantile affairs gave a hearing this afternoon at the state house on the petition of the Boott and Merrimac mills of Lowell for permission to manufac- lure goods outside of the commonwealth, the latter corporation also asking for au- thority to increase it's capital stock from S2, ,5oo, ,OOo to B, 300, ,00o.
 D. c. Clarke, treasurer of the Boott mills, first addressed the cc m nittee, and exhib- factured by the mills. These consisted of coarse cotton goods, drillings, sheetings and shirtings and a class of finer goods.
 MT. Clarke said the Boott mills were in- corporated by special charter in 1895 for the manufacture of cotton goods in Lowell. For fifty years these goods have been made for export and home consumption, the only competition for the greater part of the time coming from the northern states and from abroad. Within the last few years, however, competition has arisen in the southern states, where fuel and labor are much cheaper. The increase in the num- Der of mills in the south has been phenom- enal, being in the past few years 50 per cent, to 12 per cent at the north. All the southern mills are making the same class or goods aS are DelnR maQe ln tne DOOtb mills, and they are making them much cheaper; and if the Boott company is to continue to make the goods they must make them where they have the same ad- yantages as the southern companies. At present the southern companie are making a good profit at what it would be starva- tion prices for the Boott company. He further said that the principal desire of the company in it's present move is to preserve its trade markets, which are very valuable, especially in the foreign coun- tries, notably China. The company, if al lowed to go south, will devote it's Lowell plant directly to making the finest goods, in which living wages can be paid. The committee intends to keep the southern labor on cheaper goods, although MT. Clarke admitted to member of the com mittee in time it is supposed that the la bor in the south will become as skilled as that in the north. The capital of the com pany is now permitted to be Fl ,500, 900, but only $l 200, 600 has been issued; so that enough remains authorized to allow the company to build what it needs without asking for an increase.
 Augustus Lowell, president of tue com pany, said the company has not yet de- cided into what southern state to go, and the idea of moving has not yet been subs mitted to the stockholders. No decided ste D has yet been taken, but it is seen that some move of this Kind must be made in the near tu ure. If the plant is established In the south It VIII De lKeIy 10 go where the white element predomiuates, rather than where the negroes are. MT. Lowell said that the Boott and Merrimac com panies are the only Lowell concerns that are likely to move, but that 1t IS pro ba bic that some of the Biddeford companies will huve to do so.
 Howard Stockton, the treasurer Of the Merrimac company, said that the reasons for his company's asking 10 go GU. of the state to make goods are the same us in the case of the Boott compiny. The Merrimac company, however, uesires an increase Of capital, because the capacity for printing is so great that it will be necessary to erect large plant to supply coarse goods enough to meet the demands of the print works. At present the company makes each year 58, GOO, ,00) yards of coarse cotton goods and prints S3 .0J0, 900 yards, making il necessary to buy 30 ,0o0 900 yards.
 ''It is a sad matter Tor Lowell, too,o said MT. Stockton, "that of the goods buy about all are bought in the south, although they are made by a Lowell con cern next door to me. l cannot buy in Lowell because they cost too much. At present it costs us s25, GOO more year for our coal than it costs a mill at the sea- board like New Bedford and s50, 900 year more than if our mills were in northwest ern Georgia.''
 No one appeared to oppose the petitions and the hearings were closed.