The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-04
A COTTON MILL NEEDED.
Houston the Best Place In the United
States
FOR ONE OR MORE SUCH MANUFACTURES
Here IL to he Found tho Raw Mate
rial and the Market for
the Unfinished Goods.

ton.
cotton mill Ia one OF the things Hous-
ton needs to add to Its already prosperous
condition and to that of the surrounding
territory.
The reasons why Houston is the best
place known for such an industry can be
quickly told in few words.
Motive power is cheap.
The largest inland cotton market in the
world now and will have a deep water
harbor and an outlet to the ocean in a
short time.
Labor of the kind needed is plentiful
and the best OF It's kind.
Houston has market for cotton cloths
sufficient to keep several mills running
the year round.
The reasons yhy a cotton mill would
also be goodthing for Houston are easy
Ths<swfr that has manufactures is the
town that is on the upbuild.
A cotton mill would not only add an
other Industry, but would increase the
trade OF every other line OF staples
1t would largely Increase the size Of
the already large tin bucket brigade"
tiou.
1t would give employment to class OF
women who can not go out to household
snSvlce because they have others to care
fbr A large majority Of those who have
employment In Houston now are men;
so or 30 per cent OF the employees in cot
ton factory are women and girls.
Ii would keen thousands of dollars at
home that now so tor the paying of
freights on the raw product to the mills
and then back again. II would greatly
increase the purchasing money medium in
the retail market.
a cotton mill situated In Houston could
sell Its product at a much cheaper price
than mills In the North and East, thereby
benefiting the farmer who raises the cot
ton and the class who are the largest
consumers.
There are many object lessons 10 show
that cotton mills In the South and at
points which have far fewer advantages
than Houston. are not only paying in
vestments for their owners. but have
proven of Immense advantage to the com
munities in which they are located.
Take for example the Mammoth Spring
(Ark.) MILL which was built in 1885 1t
was then a small affair 1t has gradually
been enlarged until now It has 5000
Fpindles and daily capacity Of 1000
pounds Of cotton cloth. The town when
this mill was first erected had popula-
ton OF about 500 people At the present
time the population Is between 500 and
1000. The first question with mill Is
power. AT Mammoth Spring this is sup
piled by water at a cost of $3.50 year o.
200 horse power. In addition to this h
the cost OF steam, which they figure at SO
per day, or 5000 for the working year.
This Is 200 horse power. therefore costs
1850 a year.
In Houston as has been figured by mill
men, this 200 horse power would cost
$4,000 a year or $3.50 more than the water
power OF Mammoth Spring.
The next question with a mill Is labor,
The Spring mill employs about goo people.
Twenty per cent are mon, 80 per cent wo-
men and 30 per cent boys and girls The
pay roll Is about $500 a week, The men
make from 75 cents to sl.26 a day, the
boys from 20 TO 70 cents day, the girls
from s12o to 1926 week and the women
from SO to 50 week. The proportion Of
men is twice as great as It would be il
the women needed could be secured As
Il is the labor question Is quite difficult
one. Northern Missouri and Kansas fur
nish the best and larger proportion OF
those employed They come 10 the mill
green and in less than six months are full
hedsed cotton mill hands
They are OF a much better class than the
operatives of the New England mill
towns. Many OF them are saving money
and they are Industrious sober and a
contented lot OF people, II was only re-
Gently that an owner Of several New
England mills WAS looking over the Nam
moth Spring mill and he immedtatoiy
remarked I'VE have no such people with
u.s. Where did they come from" He was
surprised to learn that they came iron,
inc farms OF Missouri aud Kansas and
mat majority OF them were compare
lively new hands TO the business. though
no% experts at tho looms
Houston could furnish the labor needed
for several large mills. for there arc num-
bers of women and girls who would 70
into these factories, All the skilled labor
necessary can be had in the East and lo,al
labor can be made available as fast as
needed y"
The Mammoth Springs mill is now do
voting It's energies to making coarse cor :
son cio,h Tor Hour bags One firm In st.
Louis buys practically It's entire output.
Several Kansas City firms have offered
quite recently to take this output. hut tho
mil Is doing we'll In bagging cloth ana IL
satisfied with presest ARRANGEMENTS rhe
aveiage price Of cotton at Marmoth
springs Is % cents pound
NOW. mere Is where Houston would get
paon tne extra COST OF power over the Mann
moth Sprinss mill. The same clasa ~
colton used by this mill for which # nava
40 cents per pound can be honrht In
houston for from rs to 4 cants NOR
pound. For a mill OF 5000 splndles win
capacity of 1000 TO $500 pounds Of cotton
oay there would be a saving Of sf0 N
slToo per gay IN the cost OF raw material
~ totSl OF $4,000 10 1880, Thus 10 tate
,ne bower and cost Of raw material ms a
pesis OF operations the Houston min eonlI
ne run at an expense of Sl4bO 10 s1Soo nn,.
year less than the Mammoth Spring min
cotton costs the Mammoth sprlng nil
s,o cents per. nound II is mads In,n
cio,n OF which there Is G. 90 Yards Ia pha
BOUND This cloth Is sold for IA 3s cans
per pound Two thousand pounds dnv
y the output. This means four halss :,
raw cotton day. or 1900 a WORKING vas,
OF 9uu days, costing the mill 500 n asv Nv
$4,000 year. This means sss 9So ~ III, m
ine uinerence between the cost OF tba
cotton and the receipts for tha anishsS
pfoauct In one year Is SIS. ESQ This go
20 labor minus the small pereenfays 4,
aepalfs ana the profit In the onaretto,
me nulk or The money drawn N Itsat, ~.
cotton mill Is distributed In ne c,,,s
mnhitv IN which the mill stands
fhis mill pays freight ON Ite n,,,,.,
products to the markets. This ,ra,at, ~
" = higher rate than upon the raw, ~. =
,.an,s ne weight Is the came. hence n
s, snu pe eneaper TO buy the raw cotton
ss,hsssHy u Houston and make 1t into an
ishea goods than Il would be To shin M
lshed goods. '''N the M