Times-promoter., 1903-06-19
BEGINNING TO BOOM.
Mississippis Era Of Prosperity Be-
coming Plainly Manifest.
MARVELLOUS RESOURCES OF WEALTH
Yields Only to the Lone Star State In
u Cotton Production-Her Lumber and
Manufacturing Interests Coming
Rapidly to the Front-Won-
full Influx of Capital.
Henry Yerger, in Commercial Appeal.

| In the past Mississippi has been
essentially an agricultural State, and
| the greatest sources of her present
wealth are her soil and timber sup
ply. But she offers today advantages
as a manufacturing State that are
being eagerly seized by her own citi-
zens, who are rapidly awakening to
the fact that foreign investors are al
ready in the field and threatening to
| pre-empt 1t.
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 and rosin prod
ucts.
Thirteenth in lumber and timber
products.
Eighteenth in gross agricultural
products
Seventeenth in cotton goods put
out.
Twenty-eighth in planning mill prod
ucts.
Forty-second in -four and grist mill
products.
In population the State stands in
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-
traordinary 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-
ary /, 1901, with an aggregate author
lied capital of $2,255, 900. Nearly all Of
these mills are known to have been
10 hIichnI IN nnnrotf0n
1900, according to the census figures,
there were forty-one oil mills in op-
GRAFTON, with an aggregate capital in
vested of $3,711,93O.
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-
nies chartered to do business in the
State, with an aggregate capital au-
thorized of $3,370,000. All but few
of the most recently chartered mills
are now in operation, and the Others
are preparing to organize. The tre-
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 1887 ,538.
In cotton goods manufacturing the |
census figures fail absolutely to give |
any adequate idea of what Mississippi |
Is 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 over 1890. |
The amount of capital invested II cot
ton manufacturing in 1900 is given at
S2,2O9, TAO, and the value of products
at $1,472,S35.
Secretary of State Powers report
were compiled nine cotton factories i
have been chartered to do business,
with an aggregate capital of $4,000.
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 surmon1ted
by the establishment at the Starkville
Agricultural and Mechanical College
of the magnificently equipped textile
school for training operators in all
the branches Of textile manufactur-
ing.
These three ieading 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 n
ing mills is steadily increasing. And
the State does a considerable busi-