The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-18
MANUFACTURING PLANTS.
A Philadelphia of the South is
 Needed.

A Philadelphia of the South is
 Needed.
 Southern and Western Textile Excelsior
 The South has in the past offered golden opportunities along textile manufactur. ing lines for the man with thousands and will continue to do so but the man with few hundred dollars has had few op. portunities and little encouragement te engage in manufacturing.
 We believe that the day is not far dis. tapt when this will he changed and the small man" will be In evidence in every Southern city.
 The two greatest drawbacks have been lack of available power and inexperience in the class of goods that it would be desirable to make. The question of pow CT will probably be settled in the near future in a satisfactory manner.
 We understand that several of our Southern towns will be able to furnish electric power in less than twelve months.
 Work has already been started on the development of 26.0O0 horse power at Mill ledgeville. N. C.. on the Yadkin river; 10000 horse power of this will be carried to Charlotte and the other 16,000 horse power will be divided between the neigh boring towns Before springs opens it is also probable that Charlotte will have 4,OOO horse power from the Catawba river
 At Charlotte and in most of the other towns this power will be furnished at $15 per horse power per year, which is a very reasonable figure.
 The space for few looms can be got ten in almost any town, but it would he very much better if mill construction compartment house were built. where rooms the proper size and with the prop. CT amount of light could be rented for a few looms or knitting machines To use slang phraseology. It is ''up to" some progressive town that can furnish electric power to see that such a house is built and to encourage small enterprises Many of the large establishments in Philadel- phia started with a very few looms and gradually made their additions from their profits.
 A man who had saved hundred or so dollars would buy a few looms. may be only one, and operate it himself on some fancy goods Tor which he could find a ready sale. By careful management he soon had more looms and hired an as- sistant and presently more assistants un- til he was running a large size weave mill.
 Philadelphia is covered with weave mills built in just this way, and there is no reason why some of our Southern towns should not start their industrial success in like manner.
 Judging by the way in which this class Of mills has clustered around Philadel- phia it is reasonable to suppose that it will in a like manner cluster around some town in the South.
 VIII not the town that gets itself es- tablished as the centre of this class of work be better off industrialiy ten years
 
 few large spinning mills?
 The one will have numerous small but growing mills with progressive men at their heads. while the other will remain practically stationary in the manufactur- ing business Another point Is that the tendency to build the large mills in coun- try rather than in towns is growing. whereas these small establishments will De TOT the most part built in the towns
 The development of men is, however. really the greatest gain from this class of work.
 There is many superintendent, over seer or operative who has saved a few hundred dolalrs and would like to en- count.
 He might not make quite as much at nrst. but the feeling of independence and ownership would be well worth the diff ference. Then too. when his savings were going into the development of his own business he would be apt to save considerably more than when working for wages.
 It should be the ambition of every oversesr and superintendent to some day own mili. and while the opportunity for owning large mill comes to a very few, 1t Is certainly in the reach of ev- cry one of them to own a small one.
 There are today 75O mills in Philadel- phia and suburbs. Some of the weave mills nave l,00 looms and some of the knitting mills have $50 machines, but these large mills are the exception. There are by actual count 164 weave mills Tn Philadelphia (by Philadelphia is meant Philadelphia and suburbs) that have less than fifty looms, and the ma lority Of them have less than twenty. In the directory two men are put down as having one loom each, several have onIy two looms, and great many have five or six.
 One of the men who has only one loom drives his loom by hand and makes Iringes' tassels. cords and dress trim mlnRS. Another oIyas pets on his two looms. Still another has one loom and one knitting machine and manufactures rag carpets, knit jackets and hoisery.
 The number of mills with a few knit nng machines is considerable, and their knit fabric that can be named
 It Is interesting to note the products of the Io4 weave mills that have less than hfty looms. They are taken from a di- rectory. as follows. but it is not probable tnat It IS by any means a complete list 9I their products: Upholstery goods, plushes. curtains, Smyrna carpets, dam asks. gimps, doeskins. scarfs, Turkish towels table covers, bindings. art squares: st woven labels. cottage carpets, clgar ribbons, hammocks, dress trim mings, mitohelHne quilts, stair carpets, coat hangers. Turkey red dana sks gran lte carpets, cotton carpets, cotton bunt- Ing. cotton machine wipers. India lace
 
 ngs, novelties, coMduroy. velors, chenille, table covers, tapestries. Smyrna rugs, rag carpets. braids. tidies, covers, lap robes. webbing. cords, scrub cloths shoe strings, venetian carpets, school bags, centre covers, cloak trimmings, lenos. coat labels, hair cloths, linen piece goods, tailors trimmings, Brussels car pets: blankets shawls, fringes, and dress goods.
 Most of these goods can be made as easily In the South as in Philadelphia, and it is only a matter of time when they will be made here.
 The product of a few looms on any of these goods could be easily sold If there was not enough local demand they could be carried as side line by some regular drummer.
 This matter of small weave mills is one bearing directly on the textile devel- opment of the South, and should com mand considerable attention.
 We can manufacture yarn, sheetings and course goods. and can compete on the coarser knit fabrics, but our devel- opment in fancy weaving and fancy knitting cannot be said to have begtih If we have cheap electric power and space for small weave rooms in some of our progressive towns, we ought to be able to show considerable development in this line in the next five years.