The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-02-08
FARr1ERS AND FACTORIES.

FAR1ERS AND FACTORIES.
At the meeting of the Chamber OF
Commerce Tuesday night Mr.. Samuel
Watkins spoke Of the allied interests
Of the farmer and the factory -espec-
tally the cotton planter and the cot
ton mill-and insisted that they need
to be brought into closer relationship.
He wanted to see the farmers Of Vance
take stock in the new cotton mill,
not 50 much to help the enterprise
along. for there will not be the slight
est difficulty in getting the desired
amount Of capital, but because 1t
would be paving investment and 1t
is desirable to have the people OF the
country Interested in the town to the
extent Of its being built up and al
fording ready home market for their
products, &c, The man in the coun-
try should be as much concerned in
who lives in it. Their interests are to a
very great extent mutual. And for
this reason Mr.. Watkins thought it
but right and proper that the farmers
should be given an opportunity to
take stock in the cotton mill. And
in thi. connection it was stated that
one farmer who lives IS miles from
| Henderson had subscribed for s., 900
worth Of stock .And there are
| othcrs.'
The GOLD LEAF fully endorses
| what Mr.. Watkins said and wishes to
further emphasize his remarks. Now
that the business men Of our town
are giving substantial proof Of their
confidence in HcndersOn's future, it
| should be our aim to interest the
country people in the establishing OF
| factories. There is money in the
| hands Of our farming community and
il they were properly approached, it
is among the possibilities that a third
cotton factory at Henderson would be
the result. 1t is only necessary to
call attention to Castor county, n. C.,
where 50 many cotton factories are in
successful operation, where cotton
factory stock is largely owned by the
cotton planters in that county. Gas
ton county has more railroad mile
age in it than any other county in
the State, yet it has no large towns
But it has several towns or villages
in which one or more cotton factories
are in operation, and in some places
| three or four For instance: High
Shoals. McAdensville, GastOnia. Mt.
Holly. Belmont, Tuckaseegee, Dallas,
| North Fork, Mountain Island and
Stanley Greek are cotton factory cen
tres, and prosperity and low taxes go
hand in hand there.
| Not content with furnishing the
| staple to be converted into the fabric
for foreign markets. the demands of
the operatives for vegetables, fruits,
fowls and meats are furnished from
the neighboring farms, hence the
farmer has additional sources of
revenue. which being fostered results
in savings which are being invested
in factory stock. This is the kind of
alliance among farmers that gives
the best results.
If all the factories in Castor county
had been built in one locality, what
an industrial city would have been
evolved. 1t has been demonstrated
that it is best to have factories close
together. They can be more economi-
cally otlicered and managed and
would attract capital TO aid in con-
Quoting the increased business OF
that locality, (which in turn would
develop other industries. The coun-
try would have a common centre for
large and small trading, values
would increase and the farms nearby
would enhance in value.
a reference to the Treasurer's books
| at Raleigh will show that CASTOR
lands are valued much higher than
any lands lying on the line of the
Raleigh Il CASTOR Railroad. For
natural fertility and proximity to
markets Vance county has greatly
the advantage. But the CASTOR
county farmers do not RELY solely on
one staple for their support. Crops
of all kinds are produced by them for
their home markets.
Henderson has made a stride in the
right direction. Let the good work
60 on. Its location and natural adj
vantageS are the best while its back
country is capable of supplying every
demand made upon its fertile lands.
fine water and superior timber. Be
ing junction point (when the Rich
mond. Petersburg X Carolina Rail
road is completely practically of foul
roads one of which goes direct to tn,
coal fields of Virginia, we are sur.
prised that Henderson's geographical
and economic position as a manu-
featuring centre has not been realized
before.