The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-02-04
MILLS DOT CAROLINA.
Extent Of Cotton Mill Building 10 the Pal
metto State. M
THE WORK BEING DONE BY LOCAL CAPITAL
success Due to Local Capitalists Put.
ting In Money. Then Foreign
Capital wouid hack II Up.

been some speculation recently as 10 the
cause OF the rapid strides made by South
Carolina in the manufacture OF cotton.
While there were some mills established
in Spartanburg and Greenville counties in
the 10s and early sos the real mill build
ing that mas. given the Palmetto state the
lead over her southern sisters has been in
the last ten years, snd chiefly in the last
hve years, North Carolina was far In
the van in both the number OF mills and
quantity OF product before the manufacture
| in this State became an industry OF inn
portance. So, also, was Georgia. Now, in
capital invested. number OF looms and
spindles and consumption Of cotton. South
Carolina has the decided advantage. North
Carolina is building more mills, but more
looms and spindles are being put into
those constructed in this State and il is
calculated that in another twelve months,
when the mills now under construction and
projected are in operation. the Palmetto
State will take place alongside the Bay
state, the second in cotton manufacturers
OF the Union.
| Those interested in the subject may not
have knowledge Of the extent OF the mill
building now in progress here so not TO
be burdensome With figures, ! will only
give a few of them: Last year, for charters
Tor new mills and extensions TO old ones,
S5,s00,000 capital came into sight, while
commissions for other mills with capital
aggregating $2,200,0O0 were granted. Sew
erai OF these have been chartered already
this month. while in twenty EIGHT days OF
the new year commissions for mills with
capital aggregating Sl,500,00O have been
issued, Abe building Of these "commls~
stoned" mills. or most OF them, VIII be
begun Inside OF ninety days. In Columbia
the capital invested was 100000. Last
year South Carolina mills spun 1000
bales OF South Carolina cotton. This year
they will probably use $4,000 bales
The argument has been advanced, and
reasonably. by some in other States, that
South Carolina is due her pre-emlnence In
cotton manufacture to special laws grant
ing those engaged in this industry special
privileges, such as immunity from taxation
70. certain number OF years. Whllo
! this may have some effect indirectly, 1t
certainly has not been the chief cause, AS
will be shown later, the great majority
of the big mills have been constructed
without the enjoyment of those special
privileges While do not pretend to here
fully explain the cause OF the remarkable
expansion OF the cotton manufacturing in
dustry in this state, 1t is an argument In
favor of granting special privileges TO say
that perhaps. in the outset, mills were
4 built because OF immunity from taxation
that otherwise would not have been located
here. and that their marRed success was
an encouragement 10 local capitalists TO
risk their money in Something besides
merchandise and cotton plantations. Sue
cess begets success. and wherever there
are found in any community men willing
! TO subscribe half the capital OF mill there
~ in p.sfI
outside capitalists to cheerfully make up
the remainder. So the early encourage
ment given cotton factories may have heen
as it were. the little power necessary 10
start tho SNOWFALL down the hill; It has
long since been moving and Increasing
4 with It's own momentum alone,
There was an act passed by the general
assembly In 1873 10 aid and encourage
manufacturers" 1t was commonly known
as TIE ten-year law, and exempted all
manufacturers established under its pro-
( visions from taxation In 1852. as IL con-
fImipg and extending this law for ten
years more. the legislature passed the fol-
lowing act:
4 Amy person who, since January /, 1872.
has invested, or may invest, capital ih
4 the manufacture Of cotton WOODEN and
paper fabrics, iron from iron ores end
agricultural implements within this State
shall for the period Of ten years from his
I
treasury of the State sum equal 10 the
/ aggregate amount OF State. and from the
county treasurer the aggregate amount Of
! county taxes, and from the treasurers OF
all municipal corporations a sum equal to
the aggregate amount OF municipal taxes,
which shall be levied and collected upon
the property or capital employed or IN
vested directly In such manufactures or
enterprises; not including herein the tax
levied upon the land on which the fac
tories may be erected. The sum OF money
so TO be repaid 10 be fixed and determined
by the comptroller general In accordance
with the tax returns. the State taS TO BIO
paid by the State treasurer on his warrant
and the county tax b. the county traas-
urer. under the order of the comptroller
general. All owners OF vessels OF LOO tons
measurement or upward. built and owner
within this State shall be entitled 10 the
benefits Of this subdivision upon the same
conditions and for a similar period"
After this law had been on the statute
books for three years, there being grave
doubt az 10 its constiutiunslity and as
At did not appear 10 be having any hene-
fetal effect. il was repealed. without az
lectlng the rights OF those concerned
chartered under its provisions. For
several years thereafter all charters were
granted BY the legislature and It was
sometimes provided in the charter that
State taxes should be returned or not COLI
lected fer period, generally, Of tive
years. But uBder the two acts al mar
ufaeturlng concerns were relieved Of all
t3xstion--state county and schooi-du--
ing a period Of thirteen yeaTs. from 1873
to 1885. and An examination OF the books
IN the comptroller generals office shows
that during all that period only twenty
four concerns took advantage OF these
acts. and all OF those were not cotton
mills Last year forty-one cott1n mills
were chartered, commissioned or given
permission TO increase their capacity
Hero is the list Of the factories taking
advantage % the noa-taxstion acts:
Ia 1sTs-Red Bank factory. Piedmont
Manufacturing company, Langley Man
rfacturlng company and Sullivan Manu-
featuring company.
In ls7i-Sampson. Hall Co
In ls75-Tayiur lrcn works. Carolina
Manufacturing company y. r ConYer 9
company, Saith & Walk Ree5y River
Manufacturing company.
In 1s7G--camperdoWn Cotton mills Plef-
mont Manufacturing company.
In 1sSi-Rock Hill Coffin factory. Psizer
Manufactures company.
In 1ss2-SumteT Cotton mills. White q
Finger Cherokee Falls Manufacturing
company, Orange mills. Putnam mills
In isSi-Stsnaard Manufacturing onu
eany. Hnsuenc; Mills.