The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-29
SOUTH'S COTTON MILLS.
Conditions Under Which They Rival
New England.

ChSrlotte, n. c., Dec. 2S.-In view of
the extensive wage reductions made by
the New England mills on account of the
competition in the South, the growing
mill industry in the Southern States,
which is proving one Of the most potent
influences in building up the great region
below tie Mason and Dixon line, is of
special interest Charlotte is the center
Of the cotton manufacturing interests in
the Piedmont region, which extends from
LynchbUrg Va, on the north, to Atlanta,
Ga., on the south. In 1850, when d. W.
Oates established the first cotton mill
here, the population of the town was
$500. In 1890 it had II 800 people. Five
years later the census gave 600 and in
July, 1897, the town boosted 5000. Not
only are there seven cotton mills in the
place or in the Immediate outskirts, but
within q radius OF 100 miles, there are
over 200 others, embracing "a per cent.
Of the entire number of spindles in the
South, and &c per cent. of all the looms.
The cotton mills of Charlotte, exclusive
of the hosiery, towel and sash cord facto-
ries. employ ,345 operatives. They con-
sumo weekly 800 bales of cotton, and dis
burse every Saturday might in wages, in
cash. S4,7S0. The Highland Park, the
Charlotte, this Anterior, the Ada. the
Alpha and the Victor Mills use up 90, 592
bales of cotton per year, and pay out in
cash in wages 1858, 240.
The mills of Charlotte carry about
$4,000 spindles, the largest of Them, the
Victor, carrying 1860; the Anterior
comes next with 10000, a peculiar char
acterstic of the Athertou, which lies on
the outskirts of the town, being that cot
ton grows at the very door of the mill.
Each mill is surrounded with its colony
of working people.
There are 50 miles of macadamzed
roads in Mecklenburg county and 30
miles Of this in the corporate limits of
the town. They have cost 50, 800 mile
TO build. At the head of the broad stair
way of the Southern Manufacturer Club
in Charlotte is a big transparency. 1t
pictures brad, hard roadway over which
II two horse team is dragging easily n
load of ~ bales of cotton. It, takes 40
| pounds of cotton to make n bale. 80 hire
is represented more than three tons of
| draft, including the wagon itself.
| In an interview with Mr.. L. a
Coolidge, of the Boston Journal. x. NJ
Oates, Jr., the proprietor of the Gold
| Crown Hosiery works, one OF the leading
| hosiery &C ncerns of he South. said re
/ garding the mill industry: "Such IA thing
as strike is unknown, and there has
neysr been any tendency in that direction
among the people in the mills.
''It is true that our wages, as rule
are not so large as farther north. hut the
difference is not so great as some mag ne
/ have in mind mt this moment Il case
where my establishment paid IL 10 cents
Il dozen for class of work which cost
only 3 l-2 cents dozen in Philadelphia.
and have been assured that there is a
certain mill in New Hampshire where the
Philadelphia rate prevails. Almost all
my operatives are girls. I have only II
men in rny whole place. Girls who used
to be satisfied with 81 q week are not sat.
islied now unless they maize 50 ii week.
"You would he surprised 10 know how
chcaply people can live. have in my
mind the case of an old woman in my
employ who lived on the outskirts of the
town and who earned 70 cents 1t lay. She
told me her entire living expenses for q
families working the mills. have n fam
ilv in my employ consisting of six people
who draw out of the mill SOC month
a,nCpg them.
''Rent is net II serious item in The cost
of living. The mills used to give their
houses 70 the operatives rent free. That
was when the operatives worked twelve
hours a day. The mill owners got to-
gether and reduced the hours to eleven
day. and at the same time began to
charge n small rent of 20 cents week for
every room. So far rs religion is con.
cerned I can Only say that the mill own
ers have done good deal to give their
help religious opportunities. Several of
the mills have bnilt chapels for the oper.
ativcs, usually Presbyterian, Baptist or
Methodist
Here ii n point to be borne in mind
\ Oh will find that the owners of mills
down here are always personally active in
the management, My father, for in
stance. is the active superintendent and
treasurer of the harlottc mills, which
he established seventeen years ago. and
am the same in mine. That is the rule
everywhere. "a
Take the Holt famly, which is the
wealthiest and most influential manufac-
turing family. in the State. Edwin NJ.
Holt built the first cotton mill in the
State in 1885. and now the family controls
no less than thirty-two mills Every one
of these mills is under the personal active
of some member OF the
family.
"While the individual cost of labor in
the South is undoubtedly lower than in
the North. the collective cost is not so |
very much different. One man in the |
North, for instance, will handle more |
than one man will handle here,
and the total amount of wages paid for |
work performed is not so very much
higher there than here. after ALL
ut is n striking fact that while the
centers are being rem.
forced from the farms the agricultural
interests have'not suffered at all. but on
the contrary have. improved The expla-
nation is that the places of the white
croppers' have been taken by negroes.
Dur agricultural population is becoming