The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-24
He Gets Some New Ideas and
Loans Them Out.
HOW COTTON is HANDLED
South Carolina Manufactures a Tenth
Part of the Worlds Supply-The
Operatives Are Trained from,
the Natives.
written for The Times Dispatch,

Columbia Will cure considerable ignor-
ance in certain cases. My own view of
the Palmetto State had become grievously
be-clouded. / knew 1t as prim, self
satisfied non-progressive state; but
night spent there. including little drive
and conversation with my honored friend,
the Hon. William H. Lyles, put things
before me in quite different light. Tho
town has now. population Of thirty
thousand, and is said to have more equip
ments for manufacturing cotton fabrics
than the long-famous town of Lynn In
Massachusetts. 1t boasts also Of an
exceedingly handsome capitol and many
sights and scenes OF marked historic In
terest One Of It's new and mammoth
objects of interest Is cotton factory,
said to be the largest in the world. The
extent of its floor Is sufficient to cover
an area OF ten acres. Indeed, the cot
ton factory is South Cardinals new in
stitutlon. 1t has In no great while be-
come an Industry involving millions upon
millions Of dollars In outlay and employ
Ing forty thousand operatives. These
operatives are white, the color-line being
inflexibly fixed. and they are chiefly
from tho mountainous regions of the
States OF North and South Carolina.
RAW MATERIAL.
They are taken almost exclusively from
tho rugged. farming regions, and. OF
course, come at first without training.
They arc said to be almost unbearaby
restless at first and in many cases their
passion for migration Is uncomfortable:
but as they work under a contract and
cannot leave without a two-weeks' no.
tice, the corners make 1t easy to supply
the place OF goers. It is admitted that
the labor used IN South Carolina factories
lacks tho higher training and efficiency
of the New England operatives. and this
explains why the South Carolina fac
tories cannot produce as fine cotton fab
rics as are turned out OF the New Eng
land factories.
B But the cotton stuffs so useful every
where. can be manufactured more cheap
Bly. and the material slightly less costly
than the same article can be manufac-
ttured in New England.
In few minutes conversation with
President Smyth of Pelzer, picked up
quite number Of facts which will make
Interesting reading for practical business
people.
The productive power Of a factory Is
measured by the number of spndles, and
President smyth estimates. in round
numbers, that there are twenty millions
used in the making Of cotton cloth in this
country. OF these spindles, nearly four
teen millions are operated in New Eng
land, leaving six millions for the fac
tories OF the South. One-third OF this
number, which. OF course. IS two million
spindlcs arc found in the factories OF
South Carolina.
A GOOD SHOWING.
This shows that one-third of the cot
ton manufactured In the South Is made
In the South Carolina factories. and one
tenth of the entire amount manufactured
In the United States is found In the plucky
little Palmetto State. This speaks ad-
- Cow irn md
one suggested-though the suggestion is
an anacromisn-that If New England
struck South Carolina quite roughly In
the past South Carolina is now touching
New England on perhaps the most sensl-
tive nerve that she has to contend WITH.
But we need not think Of any rivalry be-
tween New England and the South IN
the matter of manufactures. 1t Is more
than likely that they will not contest Tor
the production of exactly the Same arti-
cle but that in the difference In their
grades, they may be largely removed be-
yond the pale of rivalry.
The assembling OF hundreds and thous-,
nnds of our rural populations Into new
communities and suiting them into me-
chanical employments brings some new
social problems of prodlgous gravity. AS
a rule these operatives cannot be blended
with the populations already existing
but are largely set apart to themselves
and constitute IL ueW IAaoo W ScSASsSs
Indeed, they prefer to be exclusive, and
even when thrown into the cie.es they
seem to choose to become a society TO
themselves. 1t la, of course, to the In
tercst of the proprietors to Isolate these
people from such influences as Will cor
rupt their morals and undermine their
Industrial habits.
In the great manufacturing communl-
~ at Pelzer much attention Is given to
The welfare and comfort of the operatives
and their families. The house-keepers
are furnished with flower and vegetable
seeds, and are encouraged to cultivate
and beautify their premises, ana lt Is
said that many of the house-keepers snow
conmendable industry and pride IN their
flowers and ornaments for their homes,
rrhe proprietors also at their own OK
pense have established schools for tho
education of the children OF their en-
ployes. And In many instances these
things are most highly appreciated. What
Is not a little surprising rewards are of,
<fered to children who attend these scnools
and other kindly acts are resorted to IN
order to stimulate In them the education
al spirit.
This paper is written, not by an expert,
hut by stranger with crude ana 'mPeE-
feet ideas, and nothing can be claimed for
these statements beyond the utmost IL
delity in seeking to record the things as
they were reported and making only such
differences as seemed logical ana la1r'
NO OPPRESSION.
heard nothing In any direction that
led me to believe that there was any DIS
position to grind or Cypress the people
who accept TINS huIlp1e pUaso " H'o7
chanical life
Between the laborer and tina PROPRIETOR
there seems to be a spirit OF mutual re-
spect and courtesy,
FOR my own part. the most unsatlsfao-
tory feature in the home-llfs OF these hes
neople are the houses In which they i've,
rp course, II ought to be understood that
there must necessarily, he the utmost
economy in providing these Csc houses 9ns ,ors At
which / saw, that privacy. that feature
So Indispensable to domestic sal, safety and
peace, is not duly regarded, The houses
are one-story high. with four rooms on
a floor the partition running through the
middle of the building, from the front to
tile rear with two rooms on either side;
4 family can rent a half or the whole of
one of these buildings. These partitions