The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-18
THE SOUTH'S RIVALRY OF NEW
ENGLAND

shown from figures that ms south is
forging away. doing we'll in fits mills
after having made most notable pro-
gzpss for the last ten years. With A.
COG. 600 spindles representing a capital
of $50, DOC, 900, the greater part CT which
being southern none Csome 10 per
cent. only being %northern) h south
looks forward in 1898 to other progress,
perhaps fully rivallfng that of the past
few years. North Carolina leads in
Ede number of it's mills, and of the
capital invested fully 90 per cent. is
native, home capital. Nearly or all of
her mills are managed by her own
ssons.
On n east at one time the dream
was that the south must continue to
aconfine itself to the manufacture of
coarse goods, while New England
sxodfld make the fine goods. But this
dream like some others indulged
tSrough the last quarter Of a century
mas been readily dispelled. Now they
are talking in Boston and elsewhere
'ta1at the south would show itself a rival
in the fine goods as we'll as in the
coarse. Recently a meeting was had
in Boston of the Executive Board of
the American Federation OF Labor
IT was stated, so says a dispatch, the
higher grade of goods could be manu-
Tactured in the south as successfully by
in the north, and that the wages to be
paid would equal if not exceed those
paid in the east. "A certain town in
9f1e. south would give land sufficient
for a large factory and would furnish
$50, 900 cash and would guarantee stock
subscriptions of the amount eff 800, 900.
The committe instructed the officials
OF the board to Investigate the matter,
and to report at nice as to the aid
visibility Cf sending a commIttee
south to hook into the matter"
THE beginning OF manufacturing fine
goods has not yet come, but soon or
late it will come. Then, we believe, it
viii be shown that the south a as
well take care Of herself in manufac-
tSiring the finer grades as h has
UaIIIOllSL I'd leu Ilslly sic Cdu LII ulldhllS
the coarser fabrics.
las to tn bad conditions existing
among New England operatives ana
mill owners the half is not known to
us. The outlook is stated to be in
deed very gloomy" The Philadel-
phia Record says that 1.-THE fat has
gone forth that the wages of ten
Thousand operatives in New Bedford
alone will be cut 10 per cent. ON Janu-
airy 17th, thus following quickly in the
wake of the Fail River reductions Of
a similar mount. simultaneously
with this announcement comes the in
formation THAT the agents OF the lead
eng cotton mills in Rhode Island, after
delaying their decision to the last in
the hope that in the meantime Goa
s1itions might change SO as to render
che step unnecessary, have decided to
reduce wages. The cut down will
average about II per cent; it will take
effect January nth" In Connecticut
mills Will follow, and SO elsewhere. In
al 80, 900 WOrknlen will be reduced in
their wages. The cry now is there are
Two many workingmen. Ah! and that
100 in the midst of a declared ''pros-
perfty'' in the newspapers and trade
Journals. The Hartford Post has a
whispering fancy and takes to Itself
Ine comfort that the south cannot
make fine goods. 1t says:
THE manufacture must be changed
10 a higher grade OF goods in which
h SOU III cannot compete. Indeed,
we are not sure that the south a
compete with the north in the MANU-
facture of the inferior goods if the
mill management were what it ought
10 be. The skill of the operatives, sur
rounded with New England conditions,
may be greater than that the southern
operatives can ever hope to ATTAIN"
This win prove a delusion and a
snare. Ten years hence the south Will
have dozens of mills making the finest
grades that will rival New Engiand's
best. We would like to see a company
organized at once and a mill of this
kind begun at once. There is one
fhlnS quite Certaln-for the demand on
goods there is too much production.
Ii the south can make finer goods
than the north as it is making THE
coarser grades, it can do well while
New England groans and sorrows. Tt
as known $50 Bradstreet reports) h a
there is a large stock of print cloths
on hand, placed ait quite 1000, 900
pieces a month ago. Raw cotton is
extremely cheap, and manufactured
goods are ditto. 1t is said it paid from
2 to 21a per cent. more for RAW cotton
than present prices. The Fhiladel-
yhia Record says of the distress:
"AnOther cause of New E~ngland's
distress emanates from the south
THE southern mills are nearly all of
r,1r.jnr,, aarsa-fyrtf,t iry,. Snr,Aa off fhay,,