The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-02-01

SOUTH CAROLINA
STATE NEWS ITEMS.
DS1CSCSoc1C
Child Labor BILL Defeated.

Observation-Disclosures
Child Labor BILL Defeated.
Almost every South Carolina sena
tor in the legislature had his say OF
the proposition to strike the enactine
words of bill prohibiting the EN-
ployment in factories of children un
der twelve years of age. The argu
ments in favor Of killing the bill were
that mothers were the best judges
that if young children were excluded
many families, where the mother ws'
o widow, would suffer and that where
there were no city graded schools con
venient to the mills, most mills pro
vided free schools ten months in the
year. Those in favor of the bill con
tended that the working Of infants in
mills was making the girls physical
and moral wrecks. Some of the man
ufacturers opposed the bill. but the
chief opposition seemed to be from the
the factory people,. It was killed by
the decisive vote of twenty-nine to
eight.
Want Charter Repealed.
A bill has been introduced in ths
legislature having for its object the
repeal of the charter of the South Car
olina and Georgia Railroad. The bill
will be pushed by Representative n.
G. Evans. Mr.. Evans claims the &C.
quiring of the South Carolina and
Georgia road was illegal as from Co:
lumbia to Augusta, and from Edgefeld
to Augusta they are competing lines,
and since the South Carolina and
Georgia has been leased or purchased
rates from the competing points have
advanced. The South Carolina and
Georgia has about 265 miles of main
track.
-
Dispeqaary Profits.
The total net profits of the state dis
pensary since it opened for business
July /, 1898, have been 81, 705, 704.
For the first time the state board has
compiled the figures for the pnblic.
It shows that during the nineteen
months of the Tillman- -Traxler admin
istration, when Tillman was chairman
and Traxler commissioner, the profits
were s125,32S.
During the fourteen months o'
Evsns.Mixon administration the ne
profits were s313,974. For thu
thirty-three months of administration
of the state board of control up to De
cember 81, 1893, the profits amounted
to ss53,2ls.
The past year, under the manageme'
Of the state board, the profits were
s4l4,2O5. It is calculated that the
stock on hand and paid for is wortt
S514,379.
Our Cotton Mill Boom.
There has been some speculation re-
Gently as to the cause OF the rapid
strides made by South Carolina in the
manufacture of cotton. While there
were some mills established in Spar
tanburg and Greenville counties IN
the seventies and early eighties, the
real mill building that has given the
Palmetto state the lead over her south
ern sisters has been in the last ter
years, and chiefly in the last five years
North Carolina was far in the van il
in both the number of mile
and quantity of produce before the
manufacture in this state became an
industry of importance So, also, wa
Georgia. Now, in capital invested.
number of looms and spindles and
consumption of cotton, south Carolins
has the decided advantage. NORTH
Carolina is building more mills, but
more looms and spindles are being pu'
into those constructed in this state,
and it is calculated that in another
twelve months, when the mills now
under construction and projected are
in operation, the Palmetto State viii
take place alongside the Bay State,
the second in cotton manufacturing Of
the union.
Those interested in the subject may
not have knowledge of the extent o.
the mill building now in progress
here, so not to be burdensome Will
figures I will only give few OF them
Last year, for charters for new mill!
and extensions to ole ones, s., 500, ,OOt
capital came into sight, while com
missions for other mills with capita
aggregating 50, 200, 900 were granted
Several of these have beeu chartered
already this month, while in twenty
eight days of the new year commits
sions ste-=sills with capitas aggregst
5aa 81, 500, ,0o lave been lss4e1s
building of these Commissioned
mills, or most of them, witt be begun
inside of ninety days. In Columbis
the capital invested was 5000, ,0oo'
Last year South Carolina mills spur
$4,000 bales Of South Carolina cot
ton. This year they will probably use
525, 900 bales.
The argument has been advanced,
and reasonably, by some in Other
states, that South Carolina is due he'
pre-eminence in cotton manufacture Il
special laws granting those engaged IL
this industry special privileges, suct
az immunity from taxation for a Ger
tain number of years. While this may
have some effect indirectly, it certainly
has not been the chief cause. AS viii
be shown later, the great majority o.
the big mills have been constructed
without the enjoyment of those specia
privileges.
A summary, then, shows that while
South Carolina really went beyond the
bounds of her constitution, as is now
generally held, to aid and encourage
factories, the direct results, if any,
were insignificant. Last year wher
no benefits were offered or asked more
oon;tat was invested than in the thlr'