The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-03
THE INDUSTRIAL QUESTION.
HON. ID. A. TOMPKINs' ADDRESS AT
THE THEATER TO-NIGHT.

the Industrial Art-Mr. Tompkins
Plants for Himself and Others
Than Any ether Man in This Sec
ton of the SOuth-First Equip
ped Himself for His Work by
Thorough Training.
The address Of Hon. d. A. Tompkins of
Charlotte, N. c., at the Theater tonight
upon the subject OF Industrial develop
ment in the South is one which every
| business man in Savannah and every cit
izen interested in the upbuilding of the
city should hear. MIR. Tompkins has had
wide experience in industrial affairs. He
is fitted both by education and by long
and successful experience to discuss these
| questions, and there are few men in the
South probably who are better informed
on this subject.
Some of the members of the Industrial
Committee are under the impression that
Mr. Tompkins is simply a successful cot
ton mill promoter. Nothing could be fur
Their from the truth. The building of cot
ton mills is simply one of the lines of in
dustry in which he is interested. He is
ready to build an electric light plant or
an oil mill just as readily as he is
cotton mill and is equally well posted on
these and other subjects.
Mr.. Tompkns arrived yesterday after
noon, coming direct to Savannah from
Boston, where he attended the fifth an
nual meeting of the American Manufac-
turers Association, the largest associa-
ton of its kind in the United States. He
was met by Col. j. H Estill and Mr.. D.
B. Lester of the committee appointed to
receive him, and taken to the residence
of Col Estill on Whitaker street. Finding
that Mr. Tompkins was not tagged out
by his long journey, he was taken on a
carriage drive around the city and out to
! Thunderbolt
He was seen last night by a Morning
| News reporter at Col. Estilrs residence
and talked freely of his work. but begged
| not to be given too much prominence.
Mr.. Tompkins Is not Northerner, as
| some have supposed but native of South
! Carolina, and his home now, and foS
| good many years past, has been at Char
| lotte, N. c. He evidently begun life with
| the intention of devoting himself to in
! dustrial work. His first Industrial train
ing was received in the engineering de-
partment of the South Carolina Univers-
| ity, under Gen. E. p. Alexander. After
| leaving there, he spent some time at the
| Rensselaer, Polytechnic Institute at Troy
! ". Y. Completing his course there he
went to the Bethlehem Iron Works at
| Bethlehem, Pa, and in 1884 came South
as the representative of the Westinghouse
people. Later. as chief engineer of the
| Southern Cotton Oil Company, he built a
| number of mills in the South, including
the one at Savannah, which, Mr.. Tomp-
kins states, has the largest refinery of any
of the company's mills in the South.
Previous TO this time he had established
! a general engineering otip
| business al Charlotte, which business stih
| continues, the firm name being the D. A.
Tompkins Company. This company is en-
| gagged in the construction of Industrial
! plants generally, and has built a large
| number of plants of all kinds throughout
| the South.
Being engaged in this business at Char
| lotte, the center of the cotton manufac-
| turing industry in North Carolina, Mr.
| Tompkins naturally became interested in
cotton manufacturing. He is president
of the Anterior Mill at Charlotte which
| has 10000 spindles, and is now building
! mill at High Shoals in the same state,
/ also with 10000 spindles, and is at the
same time developing water power there
| capable of operating $4,000 to 5000 spin
dies. 1t will be seen that Mr.. Tompkins
| is no amateur in the industrial business.
| At present his company is engaged in
| building a mill at Thomson, Ca When
! ly to furnish the plant complete, includ-
| ing all equipping and all the work, even
20 the cottages Of the operatives.
Naturally Mr.. Tompkins preferred not
| to give away what he intends saying to
his audience tonight, but his incidental
| remarks showed that he is prepared to
| treat the subject in a manner which il
| will make 1t worth the while of those who
I go TO hear him. He preferred to discuss
| the recent meeting of the Manufacturers
| Association at Boston.
THE association is a large and infiuen-
! tial body, said he. There were about
! 1900 manufacturers present and many i'm
pcrtant questions were discussed. The trend
of the discussion was chiefly toward the
! development of new markets for our man
! ufactured products, mainly in foreign
countries. On this line the building of
the Nicaragua canal was strongly APP
| proved Of The necessity for revision
of our consular service, so as TO remove
it from politics and to make 1t of more
value to commerce, was discussed The
| manufacturers also expressed themselves
as very much pleased with the UNDER
standing recently affected by our state
| department with other leading nations of
! the world, establishing the "open door,
policy in China, and urged that negotia-
! ton of permanent treaties to this effect"
AS an evidence of what is being done
in the way of extending American trade,
! Mr.. Tompkins said that the ssociat ton
| had established a warehouse in Caracas,
Venezuela. for the exhibition of their
manufactured products by its members,
and it is now opening one at Shanghai,
China, for the same purpose
The ASSOCIATION is composed of an in
fluen tial body of men, and one which will
have considerable weight in influencing
legislation" said Mr.. Tompkins For
this reason It is desirable that the South
| should be largely represented in the asso-
citation. There were probably $50 to POO
members at the meeting. The only dis
cussion of the industrial development OF
| the South was in connection with the
measures for extending trade, 1t being
held that the industries Of the South would
be more largely benefited by this extern
sion of trade. particularly with China and
the East generally, than any other Sec
ton"
As Mr.. Tompkins came direct from Bos-
ton to Savannah, he remarked that the
| change was decided transition, being
like jump from winter into summer.
The frost king has not yet abandoned New
! England