The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-04-12
Read aud Ponder, Citizens Of Anderson.

signed Citizen The writer of that
article is evidently a practical business
man, giving warning to his fcllow-citl-
zens, that unless we move in the right
direction, following in the path OF other
progressive communities by building
and operating more cotton mills. the
outlook for the future eNpanslollo OF the
town would be discouraging.
His survey of the situation is conser-
=vatiyc. his grounds we'll taken. and his
advice timely II all,of our leading
citizens were united on the importance
of industrial development. we could
easily build one or more cotton mills
Immediately. andmore in the future.
There can be no longer any doubt
that all conditions are present to w;lr-
rant. the manufacture of cotton goods
in this section and to insure success III
the undertaking.
Practical tests have swept aside even
the main objections so long insisted
upon by many, and yet urged by few,
the alleged unfavorable climatic con-
ditions and the supposed difficulty of
obtaining suitable labor. The many
cotton mills already i'll successful ope-
ration throughout the Piedmont Belt
and the modern mills now under con-
struction, indicate positively that the
Southern States are destined i'll due
course OF time to be the cotton manu-
featuring center certainly OF the United
States, perhaps of the whole world, and
that the magnitude OF the industry can
be measured and limited only by the
demand for the manufactured product
and the capacity Of the Southern soil
to supply the raw material. AnimporA
tant feature OF heindustrial progress
during the pastyearis is the development
of the plantation factory. Charlotte.
n. c., has been for a long time the
headquarters for the development OF
the cotton oil industry, which has
brought the seed from being, as it was,
almost q waste product, to the position
of an important raw material. An ex-
tensive work has been done in this de-
yelopment by a Charlotte company,
which in the last few years has given
particular attention to the construction
of cotton factories, and has recently
formulated plans for the construction
of a combine plant to gin cotton, crush
the seed, and manufacture the cotton
into cloth. This will eliminate many
processes, such as baling the cotton,
handling the seed, etc. There will be
also other saving suchas baggins and
ties, freight and labor. Numerous
other instances could be cited, only
fearing that space in your valuable
paper is limited. Only the other day
the writer noticed an article in the
Charlotte Nems under the heading, "a
Mill that Paid for itself in Five Years.
This article had reference to the Tren-
ton mill, Gastonia, which has just
closed its fifth year of existence. The
dividends Of the previous four years
amount to seventy per cent. OF the cap
ital stock invested, and this year a
dividend of thirty per cent. was de-
clared, showing that the mill has actn-
ally paid for itself by its earnings in
five years. Besides this there is a sur
plus of S22, 900 on hand. This is re-
markable record for judicious invest
ments IN cotton mills in the Piedmont
Belt, which should be properly pre-
sented to all who have never hereto
fore considered an investment in a
cotton mill, more especially should
this matter be pressed upon our New
England brethren who are admitting
that the manufacture of cotton goods
belong to the South. During the first
three months of this year nearly ten
million dollars have been and are being
invested in the Cotton States in cotton
mills alone. South Carolina is build
ing some, but the largest enterprises
of New England capital are locating in
North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama,
and why: Because in the States named
the people are working day and night
to secure these enterprises, but in what
position are we here to accomplish
anything in the direction indicated?
We have an organization Tin name
only that at times has q meeting with
empty benches, without any pecunlary
aid for the dissemination OF such lite
nature as would be setting forth our
exceptional advantages we are IN
position to offer to manufacturers,
namely, cheaper power than any other
town in this entire section can offer,
and yet other communities are securing
these enterprises.
Strange indeed this may appear to
some, while to the close observer OF
events it looks very plain. We are
simply expecting something for moth
ing, and whatever can be had for moth
ing as RUE is worth nothing.