The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-02
COTTON MILLS IN The SOUTH.
VIII Soon be Manufacturing Center Of
world-Invfting Field for Capital
tRichmond Tfmea)

tflchmond Tfmea1
The south has entered upsa O period
of cotton mill building which htAs 1ak
to continue uninterruptedly fer many
years to come. While the organization
of new mills may possibly. At least.
mot be so active as at present. Jet the
Industry is now on such a solid founda-
ltion. and Is commanding such wide at
Itention on the part OF outside a. wei
as local capital, that the future pre-
eminent position OF the southern states
Jas the cotton manufacturing centre.
not only of this country. but, doubtless.
OF the world. may be accepted a. an
assured fact. In view OF the progre.
already made and or the success which
has attended the development OF tie
textile interests OF the south. IL s0A0e
reasonably safe to calculate that The
building OF the new mills and the en-
llargement of established plants VII
add an average OF 1.50o.0o to 2.soo.o -
Espindles a year to the south for the
next few years. and after that q SIN
~tgreater increase. 4 very conservative
Authority has estimated that the AZ
lgregate addition OF spindles during D
next ten years will be at least ss.o 81.
which. added to the 5.174.3S1 spindAee
now In the south, will give a total Of
20. 774.361 spindies ten years henca
tKotlIABLE ofENlN1S-
So long as the south. which is abe
acknowledged natural situs for cotton
manufacturing, is compelled TO ffnd .
market outside OF its own borders for
a large proportion OF its cotton crop.
so long will there be profitable open
lings in the south for the establishment
iof cotton mills. In round figures. there
ARE about loo. 0o0. 900 spindles in the
world. The south furnishes about
ithree-fourths OF the worlds cotton sup
ply. or sufficient. say. expressed In
another way. to run 5000. 600 OF the
worlds spindles. and yet has. includ-
ling the mills now building. less than
6, 1000, 900 spindles. Even at the rate q
adding 2.000. 600 spindles a year. which
would mean 100 mills with an average
lof 10000 spindles. il would take more
than thirty years for he south to reach
the point where ii could consume fes
present cotton crop, and by that Time
the world Will be demanding OF the
south not simply 1000. 900 or L.. o0s. 0ee
bales Of cotton. but probably at least
I20.o GOO. 600 to so. 900, 900 bales. The field.
therefore, for expansion of the cotton
mill industry is practically unlimited,
so far as the south is concerned. with
due care in the organization OF mills
that abundance OF capital and the best
management shall be secured and good
Locations selected, the cotton mill bust
mess ought to offer one of the most
Inviting fields for investment which the
world can present.
GROWTH OF THE BUSINESS.
The Manufacturers Record, by d-
rect correspondence. has secured frsn
the cotton mills Of the south the nun
der of spindles and looms in each, fren
the mills already in operation. ana
those actually under construction. The
growth of this business since 1890 is in
dictated by the following figures: June
i, 1890, 254 mills. LIP. $50 spindles. 80. AL
Ilooms: December l, 1892. 3Ts miiis.
1852, 25S spindles, $3.50 looms: Deem
iber 1, 1897, 4S3 mills. 4.I05, 667 spindles.
l03, 29S looms; February /. 1900. 542 mills.
IS, ia. 361 spindles, 147, 72S looms.
The list includes all the cotton spin
lining and weaving mills. but not the
knitting mills. 1t may be well, how
lever, to add that in the latter depart
ment of textile manufacture there has
been a decided forward movement In
1899. According to the list as carefully
compiled by The Manufacturers RECORD
There are now seventy-three new mills
actually undeT construction. These
mills will be equipped with a total of
GAG. $40 ~spindles and Il. 1880 looms.