The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1897-05-19
Southern Manufacturing Industries,
Philadelphia Record.

agricultural region, devoted tC
growing cotton, tobacco, rice, SUI
gar cane, corn and It few other
staples; but economic changes
have occurred in recent Years
which render this ielea, formerly q
correct one, entirely erroneous.
Those who have followed the tariff
debates with any degree of atten-
ton have had an opportunity tc
gather from the speeches of Con-
gressmen, not only from the South
but from various; parts of the
country, information of a surpris-
ing character in regard to the
enormous expansion of manufac-
turing interests in the South. II
any one should venture to inti-
mate his belief, unsubstantiated
by facts, that more spindles have
been added to the cotton manu-
featuring industry in the South
in the past two years than in the
whole manufacturing district of
New England, the home of the
cotton manufacturing industry in
America, he would doubtless be
regarded as very unreliable and
imaginative individual; for this
reason the Record prefers to quote
the words of Congressman Lover
ing, of Massachusetts, who testi-
fled in a recent speech that "with-
in two years the South's addition
of spindles had been 982, ,746, and
New England's only 671,223, the
former being an increase Of 80 per
cent, and the latter of 81 per
cent" Startling as this state
ment is, it is only indicative of
many similar changes which have
been gradually converting the
South from all agricultural to a
manufacturing region-or, rather,
more accurately speaking, merging
the growing and the manufactu-
ringdistricts closer together. This
is as it should be. Not only has
the South increased the number
of factories, but the new plants
are all of the very latest and best
design; and Congressman Lover.
ing, who is himself a cotton man.
ufacturer, said: eli | were asked
where, in all our country, was to
be found the best planned, best
ordered and best equipped mil
running on low numbers, and al
the best profit, I would point tc
South Carolina
The reason of this is easy to un
derstand. Most, if not all, of the
new cotton mills in the South
have been erected by Northern
capitalists who have been Ions
identified with cotton manufactu
ring interests in New England
They have discovered that the eli
mate which is favorable to the
growth of cotton is also favorable
for it's manufacture and climatic
Influences are not unimportan'
considerations. The economic ad
vantages of proximity to the cot
ton fields are self-evident; but il
addition thereto may be mentioned
the cheapness of land, labor
power in not a few localities)
and last but not least, low taxes
1t was stated by General Long
street that the products of th'
South had doubled in value in tn,
ten years between 1880 and 1890
while the wages of factory hand
had nearly tripled. Still NOR
wonderful is the statement tha
the capital invested in 1890 wa
estimated at $61, 100000, and il
1897 at $12O,O ,OOOHnearly dou
BILE, while in some industries tn
proportionate increase was mucl
greater. In 1880 the capital in
vested in making cottonseed oi
was $3,50O,O0O; it is now owe
$50, 100000. The production Q
pig iron has quadrupled in tn
same period of time, and the out
put Of soft coal is now five time
greater than it was in 1904
increase from 100000 tons
| 80, 100000 tons.
The cotton crop last year wa
given as 9,837, 900 bales, or 80 pc
cent. of the worlds production
and according to Representative
MeLaurin, of South Carolina,
) "brought more money from abroa
than all other products con
bined." There are more than
million spindles at work in Sout
Carolina, representing an invesr
, ment Of $15,000.000, chiefly No
, thern capital. One of the ne
mills in Columbia was built in
cotton field from which the cotto
7 was picked while the walls wei
l going up.
The figures are given as pu1