The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-19
THE SOUTH'S NEW WEALTH
Vast Growth of the Industry of
Cotton Manufacturing.
GREAT INCREASE IN MILLS
The Present Outlook Is Encouraging Local
as Well as Foreign Capital Invested
Good Profits Are Assured.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Baltimore, Dec. 1.-THE development of
cotton manufacturing in the south has
commanded more attention than any other
industry in that section, and southern
cotton mills have probably been more gen.
orally successful pecuniarily than any 9TH
er Industrial enterprise in any part of the
county. In 1880 the south had $50 cotton
mills, with a capital of $21 100000. These
mills had 667 900 spindles and 1900 looms.
BY 1890 the number had increased, accord
ing to the census report, to 254 mills with
SCI 100000 capital, 1,712000 spindles and 3d.,
900 looms. Since 1890 this business has
more than doubled, and at present the
south has about 400 mills, representing an
investment of nearly SIPS, 900 900, and hav-
ing 4,10O,0O0 spindles and $4,000 looms. That
there is no danger of OVERRIDING the cot
ton manufacturing business of tho south
may be seen from the fact that there are
in the world about $780, 900 spindles rep
resenting an investment of about $4,000 ,000,-
600, and of this vast industry the United
States have little more than one-ffth in
capital invested, or more than $500 900 900,
and only about one-fifth of the total num-
Der of spindles, II 900 600, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the south produces moro
than 60 per cent. of the worlds cotton crop
For 100 years the south has been raising
the cotton, shipping 1t to New England and
TO Europe, and permitting the manufacture
ers to grow rich by turning 1t into the fin
ished product OF all the vast wealth of
material with which the south has been
so abundantly blessed, there is no other
element, not even iron, equal to cotton
in It's possibilities of wealth creation for
this section The $500, 600 year which
the cotton crop brings to the south would
be trebled If it could be manufactured at
home.
In the last twenty years the cotton crops
OF the south have sold for an aggregate of
about $500 900, 900. Before they have
reached the consumer their value has in
creased to SIS 900 900 or 500 900 900 000 This
enormous business, creating wealth wher-
ever established Is the prize for which the
south has now begun to contend. Many
years ago 1t was vigorously claimed by
the cotton manufacturers of England that
New England could never become a seri-
GUS competitor with their country In cot
ton manufacturing. "Our climate" they
said, lis better suited for cotton manufac-
turing, especially~for fine goods. Our labor
has had more experience and is more
skilled. Our capital is more abundant and
is cheaper" To their minds these argu-
ments were convincing but while they ar
gued New England went on building mills
and making cotton goods.
When the south first undertook to de-
velop its cotton manufacturers with any
vigor the people of New England ridiculed
its efforts and declared that the south
could never develop a large cotton man
ufacturing business. Its climate" they
said lis too enervating and hasn't the
degree of moisture needed, as ours has;
1t has no skilled labor: capital is scarcer
than with us, and interest rates higher,
and, besides. our New England people are
so energetic and so much better able to
retain their business than southern people
are to win it away that the south will
never become a serious competitor in cot
ton manufacturing" The people who said
these things, and they included the lead
ing manufacturers and business men gem
orally, honestly believed their own argu-
ments Matters did not work out In the
way they predicted. The south was seen
to be rapidly capturing the coarse cotton
trade and absolutely controlling it. I'm
der these conditions 1t became necessary
to find some new arguments, and then It
was unanimously decided by all New Eng
land, following exactly Great Britain In it's
arguments OF years ago as related to New
England that the south could possibly
make coarse cottons successfully, but it
was out of the question for 1t to spin fine
yarns. New England" they said, will
always retain its supremacy In fine cot
tons" Even today such claims are often
heard, but they now sound like the grave
yard whistle, intended to bolster up cour-
age that is fast slipping away.
Starting without capital and without ex-
monopolized the coarse cotton trade, and
is pushing into finer goods with the de-
termination to capture that line The
worlds needs are growing. Increasing
wealth of the masses Increases the
quirements per capita of cotton goods. The
extension of civilization into the dark
places of the world opens new fields for
cotton goods. Civilizations advance is
measured by the increase in cotton con-
sumption. This increase must go on con-
OF MI the O 0n0 ha Ia orc be
exceeded before many years by crops of
900 and then 100000 and then 12.0O0,-
900 as the worlds ever-increasing require
ments shall demand.
With this growth, and even more rapidly
than this, will the cotton-manufacturing in
terests of the south develop. While the
increase in the number of spindles in
southern mills from 667, 900 in 1880 to 4000,-
900 in 1897 was taking place, the increase in
the rest of the country was from 9,9S6,O00 to
5000 600, the gain in the south being about
500 per cent and in the whole country out
side of the south about 30 per cent. In
1880 the south had one-fifteenth of the
number of spindles in the country; now it
has nearly one-fourth of the number Cot
ton mills are probably the most popular
form of investment for local capital in the
Carolinas and Georgia. Nothing else
seems to appeal so directly and forciby to
all who have spare money to invest The
result is that the astonishing advance in
mill building in those states has been due
almost wholly to local capital. The mills
are In nearly all cases earning good profits,
thus steadily increasing the popularity of
cotton mills as a safe place for money
One of the most marked features of the
industrial development of the entire coun-
try has been the very great activity in
cotton-mll building in the south. The
success of the mills in operation, even dur
ing the hard times of 1893, demonstrated
as nothing else ever had done the inherent
strength of the south's position for this
business. Even before there were any
signs of revival in general business inter-
ests throughout the country there was
decided tendency toward increased cotton
mill building in the south on the part of
southern people, Mills already In oper-
alton began making extensive additions,
while many new mills were projected.
About two years ago several of the largest
mill companies in New England decided
to build mills in the south. Tho Massa-
chusetts Mills company, one of the Oldest
and strongest corporations Of Massachu-
sets, built $500 900 mill, with $4,000 spin
A. AAn L.