San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-04
No NEED OF MONEY.
Utah Mormon Community That
Does Without Cash.
All business Is Carried On by Bar
tcr-WOrk Is Paid For In
Necessaries of Every
Description.

In the extreme southwestern corner
of Utah is a cotton and wooden MIL
more than a hundred miles from the
nearest railroad, run with practlcally
no cash capital and doing business al
most entirely through trade and barter
The story of the factory is closely asso-
ciated with the early colonizlng EFFORTS
of the Mormon church directed by Brig
ham Young. 1t was his policy to estab-
lish colonies wherever the land and wa
ter rights seemed to offer a prospect
of permanent homes for his people.
He selected a number of families to
establish a mission among the Indians
in what is now Washington county.
The mission was begun in 1861, and had
among its objects the cultivation OF
cotton with which to supply the people
with cotton goods. The soil proved well
adapted to the purpose, and the first
crop gathered in 1862 was about 100000
pounds. To save freight on the raw
material and at the same time afford
work for skilled labor a plant was
skipped by wagons to Washington
where there was water power adapted
to manufacture purposes. The plant
had originally been brought across the
plains by OK team. and was set up at
first in Salt Lake City, but had not been
used much for lack Of cotton.
Since it was first established the mill
has been run regularly, supporting a
number Of families and forming the
center of a very Interesting industrial
community. The resources of the coun-
try are necessarily limited, and COM
munication with the outer world is diff
cult. The present manager is Thomas
Judd. He has been a Mormon mission
airy in England, he was for long time
bishop of one of the wards in st. George,
his home town, and he is partner in
large mercantile firm, manager of sill
yer mine and mill at Silver Reef, and
owner of a big ranch on the Rio Virgen.
To dispose of the cotton and wooden
goods made at Washington, Mr.. Judd
has found it necessary to take anything
in payment that is offered. The man
who wants overalls or towels or sheet
ing or cotton bagging may come from
away down on the Muddy in hottest
Nevada, a hundred miles away. He
may bring rock salt to trade, or butter
and eggs or dried fruit He may come
from across the Arizona line and bring
lumber from the forests that fringe the
grand canyon of the Colorado.
Wherever the customer comes from and
whatever he brings he is accommo-
dated. Possibly $1,000 in cash passes
the door of the mill in year, but Mr..
Judd declares that the total is not more
than that. The cotton batting manu-
featured is sent to the big cooperative
store belonging to the church in Salt
Lake and brings cash or its equivalent
in merchandise credits. Outside of
that the expenses are met without the
passing of n dollar.
Pay day furnishes one of the novel
ties of a lifetime to the visitor. The
cashier, who is also bookkeeper time
keeper and paymaster, takes his place
in a warehouse adjoining the mill.
When the time comes for closing on
Saturday evening the men, women and
girls file into the warehouse. Each
operative checks up the time credited
for the weeks work and makes his
wants known. The groceries. meat.
butter, eggs and sundries are weighed
and measured out and charged as an
! offset against the credit for work. Cen
crazy the Daiance Is IN FAVOR OF the
WOrhlnuI' ana SeheFaiIy the balance is
auo"eo 10 accumulate until the en-
! ploye needs it. Then if it happens the