The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-12
Cotton Mills South and East.

tuDHllI tlc IMPRESSION TalllcI UE Il
few weeks study Of manufacturing in
the South. its advantages and disad-
vantagcs and prospects for the future,
but wish to say at the start that my
Investigations were not so thorough as
to detail as could be wished. Still, a
fair idea of conditions was obtained
aud the conclusions will be found, l
think, to be fairly correct.
| reasoned before / started that the
main point to be considered was the
efficiency of the Southern operative.
Was he equal to the Northern op-
erative, or likely to develop equal
skill?
If he is not equal or incapable of
reaching the same degree of skill as
our operatives, then Southern compe
tition does not amount to much, ex-
cept temporarily, but if the Southern
mill help is Of as good material as our
help here, there is no reason why the
South should not take up any line of
cotton manufacturing and make sue
cess of it, and at lower cost than
would be possible at the North.
Now, as far as my observation went:
the Southern operative was doing
about as much work as ours here, and
doing as good work. [ have seen no
better running mills anywhere than
some of those visited in the South.
Aud when got at in detail, it was
found they had no more help than
would be the case in a we'll regulated
mill here.
The speeds Of the various machines
were fully as high as usual here.
In appearance they compared we'll
with our help in the North, except in
the case of some of the older mills,
while found that the newer mills
were getting the best of their help
and compelling them to struggle along
with the poorest operatives | had ever
seen, either North or South.
| have examined mills where every
thing compared we'll with the North,
where the managers would claim that
Southern help was the best in the
world; and in the same town have
visited mill where disorder rcigned.
and mismanagement was apparent,
and where | was told that the South
ern operative was lazy and shiftless,
and would never be any good.
But Judged from all this that with
proper handling, the same results as
to skill and efficiency would be OBJ
tained there. as with US here.
When it is argued that the Southern
operative will never equal the North
crn operative, it is proper to ask why
not?
The material we are getting in our
Northern mills at present embraces
nearly all nationalities, large num-
Der of which are ignorant of our Ian
guage and without any previous ex-
pcrience in a cotton mill. Now why
should they make better operatives
than the native Americans of the
South, the descendants Of those spler-
did fighters Of the Confederate army?
think little reflection will satisfy
any one that they should be better
than the average material we get here
or are likely to get in the future.
The wages in the South are % to 30
per cent. below the average prices
paid in the North for the same amount
of work, but it is expected by many Of
us in the North that this is but tenn
porary, and within Il few years wages
will have reached the level of New
England wages.
The conditions arc against this
theory. To begin with, there is an
abundance of white labor subsisting
on farms where the income is very
small, to whom the present wages of
cotton mill seem large. They have to
labcr in competition with the colored
race whom they dcspise, while in the
cotton mills they are free from their
competition and presence.
Their living expenses and wants are
small, as compared with the Northern
operatives, and the mild climate they
are in means saving in fuel and win
ter clothing. all of which goes far to-
ward making their present wages salts
factory.
Again, they are too far apart for
any united action The cotton
mills arc scattered over vast ex-
tent Of territory, many Of them in
very isolated districts.
Communication is slow and difficult
except, of course, at the large towns
where several mills are located, but
the tendency is toward building the
mills out on the cotton fields rather
than in large centres, and the mills
usually own their own villages, so the
chances for any strong organization is
very remote.
Newspapers are scarce and expen
sivc, and as education is very limited,
they do not circulate very extensively,
so that the operatives of one factory
are not apt to be very we'll informed
as to conditions in other places.
Next in value to low wages is the
advantage Of long hours. The usual
week in the South is supposed to be
66 hours, though as matter of fact
they yet in about is hours.
Now 10 hours more per week than
Massachusetts, means about Il per
cent. more time in which machinery
is turning off finished product. This
means lower cost for manufacturing