The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-06-23
Southern Cotton Mills.

SSO0Ob SO0o1 SSdU %
al Of their leading experts into the
South to Investigate the conditions of
manufacturing in that section. The
mission was, of course, prompted by
the increasing competition Of Southern
mills. The reports of the three gen.
tlemen who we're sent practically
agree, and that of President Sanford,
of the Sanford Spinning Company, is
especially interesting. His chief re-
marks were as follows:
"While the Northern manufacturer
has been arguing and specializing as
to what his Southern competitor
would be able to accomplish, and while
many people felt no fear of any dan
ger that the South would be able to
compete, much to my establishment I
find from apersonal inspection during
the last ten days among some Of the
mills Of the South that they.have sue
cessfully solved the problem of cotton
manufacturing, and are now making,
and have been making for some time,
fabrics and yarns equal to our New
England mills, and for less cost.
"They are selling them to GUS
toners, supplanting our productions
to an alarming extent, and from fgur-
es obtained of cost of same 1 find that
they are enabled in their finely equip
ped and well-organized mills, by good
and cheaper labor, to make a profit,
even on present depressed market
prices, while our own New England
mills cannot manufacture without
loss.
"While this is a hard fact to face,
nevertheless the condition confronts
US, and is no longer theory or specu-
lation, but fact. On certain fabrics
and yarns, such as made in Fall River,
New Bedford, Lowell and in New
England generally, embracing goods
and yarns up to and including 40s,
they are masters of the situation, and
claim they will soon make fabrics call
ing for SOS and Cos yarn.
"There has been a great deal said
during the last five years about the
ineficiency of the Southern operative
that he is not able to do as much work
md as well as his Northern competitor
I find the operatives are good native
American whites. They very quickly
adapt themselves to the work, are
eager to learn, happy, contented, with
no tendency to: strike or to Join labor
organizations. They want to work,
are Industrious, and are proud Of the
mills they work in.
"Wood is used largely; two cords Of
wood, against one ton of coal, costing
for same s1.15 per cord, or at the rate
of $3.50 per ton of coal. Coal also
can be had cheap costing, according
to location, $3.50 to $3.50 per ton.
Some mills located on fine water pow.
ers are making great saving. Alaba-
ma exempts from taxation for ten
years all corporations locating within
her borders.
I'm North Carolina, South Carolina
and Georgia taxes are very low. One
mill which I visited, having $4,000
investment, pays a tax of only s2,40O
per annum. Such a mill in Fall Riv-
er will pay $4,000 tax. All the large
mills are paying almost no tax to
speak Of.
1.-THE mills recently built and now
under construction by our leading mill
architects, located in the Piedmont
belt, arc the equal Of anything in New
England, both in design, construc-
ton and equipment of machinery,
nothing overlooked to make them
complete. They have al=o reduced
the cost Of building Of $50 per spindle
formerely down to SIS and SIG, includ'
ing tcncments for help. Owing to be-
ing able to run day and night, they
arc also cquipping mills with half of
the machinery for carding and spin,
ming dcpartmcnts-say, for running
1000 looms-opcrating their carding
and spinning day and night, thus sap
plying the looms for the days run.
This enables them to get the produc'
ton of a 40, 1000 spindle mill, and hav:
ing to buy equipment for only q ,0O(
spindles in carding and spinning
rooms.
1T is very clear we cannot stand III
Massachusetts any more adverse lcgis
lation against our industries for tho
Southern mills can make dividend:
while their Northern competitors arc
selling r. Us at cost. And, in proof
Of this, many of the Southern corpor.
atoms have been paying steady ane
continuous dividends during the hare
times of the last twelve months. -
N.-.T T1 &c Hop,p,oroo