Evening journal., 1902-07-26
COTTON PRODUCT
NOT so GREAT
Because Of FIuctuatiOn in
Price Of Raw Material
SO9,S2O SQUARE YARDS WOVEN
In States Three Cotton Mills $751;
S5S Invested andss332 Persons
Employed
SO9,S2O SQUARE YARDS WOVEN

Civilized man finds three things alb
lsolutely essential to his life and COM
lfort-food, shelter and clothing
The labor necessary TO procure the
indispensable articles which represent
these wants dimnishes as one ap-
proaches the equator; and conversely
ut increases as one passes from tor
rid to temperate climate and thence on
ward toward the poles OF the earth.
lTillage of the soil. the construction OF
dwellings, and the conversion of Yege-
table or animal fibers into clothing, are
arts which establish themselves natur-
ally wherever man fixes his abode.
The provision of shelter always re-
mains a local art which establishes it,
self naturally wherever man hxes
his abode.
But It is with the manufacture Of
cotton for clothing that this story
deals. and more particularly with that
lportion produced by Delaware in
dustries in 1900 and previous census
years. The statistics are taken from
census bulletin No. 215.
In a table setting out the cost and
1.-THE quantity OF domestic cotton used
\ in 1900. in Delaware, our three estab-
/ lishments are shown to have made into
cloth 1871 ,5G3 pounds OF the product,
OF the value of s106,35S. This is far
below the quantity consumed In 1890;
the figures for which year were A.
465, ,S25 pounds. The falling on in the
product is attributed TO the closing OF
the old Riddle Mills and tine Arling-
ton Mills. The number of yarns spun
during the census year was 24,96S $50
yards or LOCI ,474 pounds weight. In
1890. 3.s2S. .23S pounds we're spun. There
were 34,5 552 spindles In operation, and
1896 in 1890.
There were 372 wage earners to
whom s13S.S44 was paid the number
of spindles TO each wage Garner was
s2.SS. and the labor cost per spindle.
l4Oz.
or the three Delaware mills, two
were devoted TO spinning and weaving.
In the spinning and weaving mills
there were 7SS looms, and in the one
spinning mill. 1900 spindles.
In the three establishments f4S4.-
lS5S was invested; eleven officials and
clerks employed at salaries aggregat-
ing 15,449; 1872 employees, earning $685.
.S44. The average number of wage
learners was. los men, 16 years and
over; 222 women, 16 years and over,
and forty-twO children under 16 years.
Tho miscellaneous expenses were &c.
44S; total cost OF materials used. $751;
1913: all other materials ISL .561, and
the value Of the product, 1872, ,0S9.
The land occupied by the establish
lment was valued at s27 900; the build
lings at SOS, S,260; machinery, tools and
implements, $205, ,7S9; cash on hand,
and all other assets. S153. 500. In UhS
manufacture of the product the mills
used 2124 gallons OF oil; 55,691 pounds
lof starch; dyestuff and chemicals cost
ing $4,000; fuel costing s1S,S76; mills
supplies costing s13 433, and spent ST.
+ 3S5 as freight The main product was
plain cloths for printing or converting
the quantity of that not finer than
2S warp woven having been I ,317.
957 square yards OF the value of S59. .3SS
and l.633,970 square yards finer thar
ltwenty-eight, OF the value of S6S,597
), The goods were principally ginghams
D Waste aggregating 209, ,42S pounds was
i sold for s4,050. The piece goods az.
n gregated S09,9 ,931 square yards. There
g were 3S1 $50 yards of cloth dyed NJ
e figures concerning bleaching or mer.
? cerlzing are given in the bulletin, al
> Though such work is done in the mills
1.-THE combined horse power OF the millI
was 1.46O. OF which / $50 was steam
power. and 2f6 water power.
Upon the whole, the history OF Tho
last ten years was not one OF prevailing
/ prosperity, a condition due to two in
I fluences-an extremely wide fluctua
Ition in the price of cotton. and th'
: great increase of competition caused b!
7 the growth of the industry in thu
Southern States.