The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-11
THE HUM OF INDUSTRY
LET WILMINGTON GET IN THE
PUSH
Progress Of Development In North
CaroIina-what Manufacturing Has
Done for Gastonia and CASTOR
County-The Gods Help Those who
Help Themselves

Help Themselves
The Manufacturer Record, Of Bal
timore, thai most excellent and ably
conducted trades publication, which mas
accomplished such an enormous work
in developing the Industrial
Of the south, n is enlisted In the
cause with apparently greater zeal ana
ability tina ever before, Is as interest
ing to read as a novel. It's columns
from week to week contain the most
valuable editorial productions and its
pages team with astounding accounts
of the development Of enterprises all
over the. south.
THE MARCH OF DEVELOPMENT.
It is gratifying to note hat North
Carolina figures conspicuously in the
Record, and we only wish that Will
mington might appear more frequently
in the termination of the industries
being set on foot.
Here are some of the North Carolina
enterprises recorded in This Record of
April 7th: Colonel Julian S. Carr and
the Dukes and others Of Durham, are
planning the development Of a 10, 900
horsepower canal at Lockville, n. c.,
and the building of a 81, 900, 600 cotton
mill; the Ozark cotton mills Will be
quilt at Gastonia, with 5000 spindles;
the Proximity Manufacturing Compa-
ny, Of Greensboro, will d 5000 spin
dies; the Cannon manufacturing Com
pany, of Concord, will d 1000 spin
dies; III Revolution cotton mills, of
Greensboro, capital $500, 900, will build
a. mill Of IL, 900 spindles; B. T. Mebane,
Greensboro, will build a mill of $4,000
spindles; the Sterling cotton mills, of
Franklington, will add $500 spindles;
the Emo cotton Mills, Hillsboro, will
d 5000 spindles; the Louise mills of
Charlotte, will add $500 %spindles; the
Highland Park Manufacturing Company
of Charlotte, will build a 1000 spindle
mill at Rock Hill, S. c., with a pro-
portionate number of looms; the Eden
ton cotton mills will award contracts
for a mill building; a IS, 900, 900 company
has been organized with a view to the
possible development of water power on
the Yadkin river; the Cleveland cotton
mills has decided to build a ten mile
railroad connection with Shelby, etc.
Thus the story runs.
GET IN THE PICTURE.
While all this hum of industry is
going on, what is Wilmington going to
do to get in the "push?" Our people
should no longer wait for outside capt.
tai to come here to start new enter
prises, but they should get their own
capital organized and strike out for
themselves. Then we have nc doubt
outside capital will be attracted to the
numerous advantages which u city
offers for manufacturing purposes.
The Messenger has time and again
reminded our citizens that they should
depend on themselves and we see signs
that they are going to do it. 1.-THE gods
help those who help themselves"
% A FINE EXAMPLE.
Here is something inspiring from The
Manufacturers Record of h 7th in
slant:
"Gastonia, N. c., is a conspicuous
representative Of the new south in the
best sense of that term. 1t is an illus
tration of what any town or
ty in the Piedmont belt having good
railway facilities can accomplish in the
way of growth and prosperity through
their own unaided efforts. Many towns
in the south sit still and vainly try to
invite outside capital and effort to
come and build up their town and in
dustries. Gastonia did not concern it.
self to invite foreign capital and ener-
by, but went to work to help itself.
The results have been strikingly sat
isfactory.
LII lO"h was IlCO lpOld lSu LII ~
1t was then a rude railway hamlet,
with a scant population. 1t now has
about 1000 inhabitants. y = It's bank
ing facilities are first class, two strong
conservative and well managed banks,
with ample capital, and deposits aggre-
eating $500, 600. =
But the great feature which has al
ways distinguished Gastonia and giver
her an almost ~unequaled record has
been the phenomenal success Of he1
cotton mill enterprises. Nc cotton man
ufacturing centre in the south has sur
passed it in this respect, and very few
have equalled it. During the long and
terrible depression and disaster of 1S9'
in cotton milling industries her mills
never suspended for a day, paid full
dividends of 8 and 10 per cent. and con.
tinued to run night and day as usual
One of the mills, the Trenton, five year:
old, has paid it's stockholders 100 pc
cent. o n the dollar in dividends. Anoth'
er, the Gastonia Manufacturing Com
pany, ten years old, has paid 10 pc
cent. of cash dividends and $50 pei
cent. of stock dividends.
There has never been any such thins
as a boom, n of the $670, 900 invested
in various branches Of manufacturing
not more than $25, 900 is foreign capital
The farmers in the surrounding coun
try own much stock in the mills. If al
amount equal to one-fourth of the tota
capital invested represents the rate o
wages paid, then Gastonia's manufac
lures pay her operatives annual,
1857, 900.
But Gastonia enjoys the distinction
of being the commercial metropolis O
the county which contains more cot
ton mills a any other in the south
There are in CASTOR county twenty
two cotton mills; ground is being brok
en- for the twenty-third, and othe
mills are doubling their plants. Their
is no farmer in the county who is no
within seven miles of a railway, an
no one who is not near enough to
cotton mill to enable him to operat
a truck farm or give him an excellen
market for every load of wood, ever
egg, or pound of butter, or chicken, @
goat, or sheep, or pig. The prosperou
n independent condition of Caste
county farmers is largely owing to til
fact that they are all near some cot
ton mill, which gives them a marke
at fair prices for everything which the