The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-20

who is making heavy brown paper for
building purposes out OF the straw which
is past It's usefulness as bedding for horses.
Theses stables are glad enough to nave the
refuse carted away. So 1t is much cheaper
than fresh straw which Is shipped from Out
of town. The contamination which IL mas
suffered In nowise interferes with It's value
as fiber and disappears completely In tho
process of manufacture.
Paper is also made out of the sage
brush OF the Western plains aud out Of
the undigested food in the paunches OF
beeves. 1t really seems that any old thing
can be utilized in paper making, conse-
quently we will no longer have to grow
forests In order to have newspapers to
read. and SO much more energy of nature
can be put to some other use in serving
humanity.
But doesn't this constant striving TO
make articles OF manufacture from every
product that grows on the face OF the
earth serve to emphasize the need in Texas
of few factories that have already
grown common elsewhere? Think of other
States utilizing grasses and numerous
other waste products, while we have not
vet furnished factories for manufacturing
the ordinary articles Of commercial use.
What Is the use of talking about grass
factories In Texas when we haven't begun
to utilize our cotton, our rice, our corn
and wheat our hogs and cattle, our fruits
and Vegetables, and other products for
which Texas is noted?
These articles are in demand the world
over, but in the STATE in which they are
so largely produced the plants for fab
ricating them into goods and wares for
ba mi
to be seen. We have two rice mills, three
or four packing houses, several flour mills
and few other industrial plants, but the
number of such institutions in the State
is not one-tenth what 1t should be. The
majority of the articles that we eat and
wear are made in other States.
We raise and ship the raw products, and
furnish thousands of factories with their
crude material, and then pay them big
prices to send 1t back to us. Our wonder
full crops bring millions into this State,
but we return 1t all, and much more be-
sides, to the manufacturers of the New
England States, and we even help to
keep busy the factories of Europe and
Asia Not only are we losing the benefit
of money paid for articles manufactured
elsewhere, but we are actually throwing
away thousands upon thousands of dollars
annually for freight charges.
In Minnesota they are making grass
into binding Irvine and other manufactured
articles. I'VE can spin anything that has
! two ends" is the motto of textile experts,
but in Texas 1t seems that we can't. or
rather won't. even spin our cotton-the
finest that is grown in the world. with a
staple that Is in demand by the cotton
mills of every section.
~
There must be an awakening of the in
dustral spirit in Texas. The State car
not secure its full and lasting develop
nent until there is an increase of manu-
featuring We have been adding to OUT
industries each year. it is true, but it has
been done spasmodically. We have now
reached a point where expansion of manu-.
featuring must be made a business.
The cities of Texas have heretofore
grown and developed strictly upon mer.
thaniiSing lines, assisted by number o.
the country's best railroads systems ex
tending their roads to all POINTS OF the
State and distributing our products i'll al
markets
These factors have been utilized for all
they are worth. They have been wonderful
aids, but their limit has been reached.
They can do nothing more until manu-
featuring boom strikes the State. Let
Houston begin TO establish factories. ant
then we will realize as never before wha
1T means to have ten or twelve railroad.
radiating from the citw like spokes from
the hub of a wheel The world will Their
understand that Houston is in the cento
of an inviting area for wealth producing
and that her facilities for manufacturing
selling and shipping are unequallcd.
The farmers of the State are crying GU
for better markets They complain. anC
justly too, that they can not success
fully diversity their crops until the de
mand for diversified products is increased
This demand will never come until III,
cities are built up, and the large cite
VIII never be reality until manufactur
ing Is made our greatest aim.
~
Every interest Is now waiting for thi
line of development.
The men who first venture will get IL
on the ground floor, as 1t were and will
be sure of success. Let these men be gu,
nome capitalists. Let them put some O
the money they have made here into man.
uiacturing enterprises that will benefit
the city and its people. They will fl.t
the investment good one and will at Ia,
same time be paying this city a create
tribute than could be done in any othe
way.
unless our home people begin to shoy
their confidence in Houston as a factor,
town we can hardly expect outside invest
ors to do So