The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-12-09
BE PREsENT.

BIZ PRESENT.
The committee appointed by tn,
citizens in muss-meeting to raisC
subs uriptions for cotton factory
report they have some S25, O0J
subscribed and call meeting OF
both subscribers and citizens who
are interested in the work az City
Hall on Dec. Is. As the matter
is one Of the very greatest impor-
lance to the commercial and trade
interests of the community, we
urge upon every citizen who can
both Of city and country 10 attend,
whether he is q subscribes or not.
Cotton is the staple of our
country and the Southern planter
and merchant together should re-
ceIye the profits from its produc-
ton as it is today, that profit is be-
INC placed in northern banks to
northern mems credit.
A pound of cotton which only
brings in the South > or : cents
Wiilproduce I yards of print cloth
which Is worth at the mills from
3 to % cent a yd. and sells at 5 and6
cents a yard at our retail stores. |
Ia other words, this pound of cot !
ton which we sell for : cts comes
back to us in manufactured form, |
and we pay 80 cents for 1t, In
fact, we give them the cotton, pay
the freight and q profit of 10 or Is
cents for tribute.
To show the loss to GreenvilIe
last year on the cotton crop let us
take the amount handled at this
place which was y, 600 bales which
averaged 500 pounds; yalueing
this at 5 cents per pound, we have
~l,o0O, 900, Now, had we enough
factories to have worked this cot
ton into marketable goods we
would have produced 252, O0O, 200 1
yards of 3 cent prints worth S.
SO, 600, leaving a profit to moth
ern mills or q loss to us of 81, 020,
600. This profit constitutes
largely the profits of the mills.
With this light before you, is there 3
any reason why Massachusetts one ;
of the poorest agricultural states
in the union, not near as large as
Mississippi has 80 times popuIa- t
ton, and a millions times its wealth.
Now, this difference between the {
raw and manufactured article is ;
not the only profit city or people !
derive from a cotton mill. They
draw money to a city that would /
never 90 there and prevent large c
sums from being sent away. They =
encourage other manufactures and !
enterprises, as is illustrated here ;,
by the oil mill industry, draw out Q
Of town trade to the city, increase il
the population, and after a few II
years decrease the rate Of taxation. !,
Already in the South 60 mills |
nave been completed or are under L
erection up to date, and to them D
an the advanced price in the Ii
staple this year be credited. For ia
he Southern mills, in defiance to
liverpool and New York, have set /
he prices on corton-and in the III
ace of Neillism have upheld it pt
nd saved for the South thousands al
f dollars. he
We want to see more mills in ~
ne South, and we truly believe ~
Is an ideal site for them. 81
is a city that should stand at the er
cad in Mississippi for enter mt
rises Of this kind with the faciii- Sc,
as and country it has to back it. ro
t the meeting on the 18th, let ~ -
II business men and capitalists VI
It together and secure for our its
ty enterprises Of tins kind, which
cans to them a greater volume lar
circulating money. more trade -,
ID a larger city Will our peo- '''
e grasp the opportunity, or will the
ey stand still and see a sister ten
Y with none Of the natural adj of
ntages Greenyille possesses,
ow in population and wealth by o,
'uring these necessary and ~"
)ney producing enterprises. III
Ngtl