Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-25
SALE OF COTTON GOODS.
The Charleston Exposition Should
Promote Exports to Foreign COun-

tries.
The best justification which Charles
ton has given for her exposition is the
promise of an effort to increase the
sales Of f.American-made cotton goods to
the West Indies and South America.
It Is we'll that the south should take
the lead in this movement. Many Of
the southern mills depend upon the ex-
port trade quite as fully as do several
Of our mills in New England. Very
much better than the cutting Of wages
is an enlarged outlet for the products
Of our looms. The Charleston exposi-
ton people have procured from Wash
ington these astonishing figures as to
the small share Of American mills in
the cotton fabric consumption Of South
America.
Chill imports annually cot
ton goods costing. "a, ,213, 800 90
Imports from the United
States ....................... 21O,O3S 90
Percentage Of the busi-
ness done by the United
States, per cent.
Brazil imports cotton goods
(totaD ....................1 ..12,O21, ,4s9 90
From Great Britain. 5000, 900 90
From Germany (nearly).. 100000 90
From France. 1000, 900 90
From United States..... 587, ,2O2 90
Our proportion about Al per
cent.
argentina imports. H. ,2S6, ,413 90
From United States........ 172,98S so
Our proportion, about 1 per cent.
Altogether the West Indies and South
America buy about $50, 1000, 900 of cotton
fabrics every year, and Of this great
amount we sell only about per cent.
or one-f1ftieth; but we produce most Of
the cotton fibre from which the goods
are made in Great Britain, France or
Germany. We have hundreds Of mills,
improved machinery and skillful labor.
Our wretchedly small share Of the cot
ton goods market in South America is
one of the most discouraging aspects Of
American trade.
In far-away China. American cotton
goods are much better known and much
more largely sold than In the West In
dian Islands and the Latin-American
republics. OF China's imports Of about
$4S, ,OOO, 900 Of cotton fabrics, like those
made in the United States, Great Brit
ain supplies nearly s21 600, 900 worth, ia
pan $12,O0O,0 900, and the United States
somewhere less than s1O,OOO.OOO. Our
share of the cotton trade Of China is
about 20 per cent. as compared with 2
per cent. in Latin-America.
If we can sell to China one-flfth Of
the s4S.0OO.0O Of cotton goods which she
consumes. why can we not sell one-fifth
or more Of the $4,000, 900 worth bought
every year by our Latin neighbors of
this continent? This is a question
which American cotton manufacturers,
north and south. ought very seriously
to be asking. Their present petty ex-
ports to South America are discredit
to the trade. If the Charleston exposi-
ton does nothing more than to bring
American manufacturers into closer
touch with Latin-American purchas-
ers, thus opening the way to an in
creased sale of our cheap and excellent
cotton fabrics, Charleston will have
rendered a great service to the South
ern states and a great service to the
country. One thing is certain, and that
Is that the present over-production of
cotton goods in America cannot go on.
The time has come when the need of
a new outlet for our ever-piling surplus
Is imperative.-Boston Journal.