The Tupelo journal., 1903-06-19
BEGINNING TO o o
Mississippi's Era of Prosperity Be-
coming Plainly Manifest.
MARVELLOUS RESOURCES OF WEALTH.
Yields Only to the Lone Star State In
Cotton Professionalism Lumber and
Manufacturing Interests Coming
Rapidly to the Front-WOn-
full Influx of Capital.
Yerger, in Commercial Appeal.

wealth are her soil and timber sup
ply. But she offers today advantages
as a manufacturing State that are
being eagerly seized by her w citi-
zens, who are rapidly awakening to
the fact that foreign investors are al
ready in the field and threatening to
pre-empt it.
Some idea of the extent and variety
OF the industries of the State may
be had by glancing at the census fig
ures of 1900, although the most mar
velous period of development in all
the history of the State is now in
progress, dating back to about the
beginning of 1900.
According to the industries figures
of the census of 1900, Mississippi
ranked among the sisterhood of States
as follows:
The State in Statistics.
Second in cotton ginning.
Fourth in cotton oil products.
Fourth in %turpentine INT rosin prod
ucts.
Thirteenth in lumber and timber
products.
Eighteenth in gross agricultural
products.
oCfSlltCAlA III SOOOh SOOOo put
out.
Twenty-eighth in planning mill prod
ucts.
products.
In population the State stands il
the twentieth place.
Prominence of Ginning.
Cotton ginning naturally occupies
first place, cotton being the principal
crop of the State. In cotton ginning
she is behind Texas only, whose area
is many times larger than Mississippi.
Cotton oil products and turpentine
and rosin come next, the State being
well to the front in cotton production
and pine lumber output. During the
three years since the census report
was made there has been the most eX-
t~raordinary increase in both the cot
ton oil and lumber business of the
State, and while no data has been
compiled to show the exact extent Of
the increase in these two great indus
tries, the report Of Secretary of State
Power, recently made public, throws
some light on the question.
According to Secretary Powers re-
port thirty-four cotton oil mills have
been chartered in the State since Janu-
airy l, 1901, with an aggregate author
lied capital of So, 255, 900. Nearly all of
these mills are known to have been
established and are in operation. In
1900. according to the census figures,
there were ~forty-one oil mills in op-
GRAFTON, with an aggregate capital in
vested of s3,711,930.
Lumber Manufacturing.
More marvellous still is the growth
of the lumber business since the CEN
sus figures were compiled. According
to Secretary Powers report, there
have been eighty-two lumber compa-
MES chartered to do business in the
State, with an aggregate capital u
thorized of $3.50 900. All but a few
of the most recently chartered mills
are now in operation, and the others
are preparing to organize. The ire
mendous showing is unparalleled, and
it is doubtful if there is any other
State in the Union that can make a
similar showing.
In 1890 the census figures gave the
State S44 establishments, with com
bined capital of $17,337,538
In cotton goods manufacturing the
census figures fail absolutely TO give
any adequate idea of what Mississippi
s now doing in the development of
this important industry. The number
of working establishments fell off
from nine in 1890 to six in 1900, but
the capital and the value of products
both show increase in 1900 owe 1890.
The amount of capital invested il cot
ton manufacturing in 1900 is given at
$2,209, 749, and the value of products
at S1,472, 1876.
Secretary of State Powers report
shows that since the census figures
were compiled nine cotton factories
have been chartered to do business,
with an aggregate capital of SITE, 900.
Several of these have organized and
are in operation.
Since the census figures were com
piled nearly all of the mills in the
State have increased their capital
stock and greatly enlarged the capaci-
ties of their several plants.
The greatest drawback to this in
dustry has heretofore been the diff
Guilty of obtaining skilled labor to sue
cessfully operate the mills and com
pete with New England concerns. This
difficulty has at last been Surmonlted
by the establishment at the S~tarkville
Agricultural and Mechanical College
of the magnifcently equipped textile
school for training operators in all
the branches Of textile manufactur-
ing.
These three leading industries will
serve to give some idea of the amazing
development of the State now in pro-
gress, and which shows no present
signs of abating.
Along with the rapid increase in
lumber business the number of plan
ing mills is steadily increasing. And
the State does a considerable bust
ness in the manufacture of brick and
thing, to which the soil is peculiarly
suited in nearly every section. There
are a great variety of lesser indus
tries s%pringing up about which there
are no statistics compiled, but for
want of the capital and the skilled
labor Mississippi is but just beginning
the development of her manufacturing
There are numerous small
factories for manufacturing furniture,
trunks, wagons, carriages and the like,
and the possibilities in these indus
tries may be said to be unlimited.
Soil and Timber Wealth.
The area of the State of Mississippi
is 47,750 square miles, or, in round
numbers, thirty millions Of acres.
There is an absurd impression
abroad that the surface of Mississippi
is fiat and that her soil is marshy,
and that malaria Is the chief product.
On the contrary, the greater portion
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