The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-14
WILL COME SOUTH
NEW ENGLAND CAPITALIST TO Es-
TABLIsH MILLS IN COTTON STATES.
NOW OPERATING AT LOSS.
WITH PRESENT PRICE OF COTTON
CAN'T COMPETE HERE.

Owners to Realize Advantages
offered in This SectiOn-TOur of
Southern States Ascertnins Fact
That There Is Very Little Cotton
Now in Hands of Farmers-BOstOn
Man Who Has Cone Over Grounds
Looks for 10 Cent Cotton in Two
Weeks.
According to the statements Of two
Of the most prominent cotton dealers
! in Boston, who are just completing a
tour of the South to investigate the
condition of the cotton crop, the price
of the staple will not go to a lower fig
ure than it is at present and it is
possible that it will be beyond the Is
cent mark in a few weeks.
| The two gentlemen in question are
Mr.. ]. Myles Standish of Boston and
| Mr.. Charles S. Washburn of New Bed
| ford, Mass, who are spending a few
days at the De Soto. These gentlemen
are the largest cotton dealers in the
| New England States, supplying the
big cotton mills of that section with all
the cotton which they use to manu-
facture the highest grade of cotton
fabrics that are turned out in this
country.
They have just completed a tour of
| the South to determine if there is any
great amount of cotton still in the
hands of the farmers. The result of
their investigation, Mr.. Standish de-
clares, satisfies them that only very
small percentage of the crop is held
by the farmers and that there is no
prospect of the price going to a lower
figure tain it is at the present.
The New England operators have
been contemplating closing their mills
on account of the high prices which
they were compelled to pay for the
| raw material, which they claim takes
away every cent of their profit. it was
| at the solicitat ton of these manufac-
turers that Messrs. Standish and
| Washburn determined to make a per-
sonal investigation and determine eX-
actly how the crop stood, and report
to the manufacturers if there was any
| prospect of the price dropping to
lower figure when the supply held by
| the farmers is placed on the market.
| The investigation has satisfied them
| that the supply now in the hands of
the farmers is not sufficient to effect
the price of the staple, even if the
whole were turned loose in one day.
| Mills Will Operate at n Loss.
Mr.. Standish says that the cotton
| mills of New England would probably
continue operation but that it will be
at great loss to the owners. The
question of closing down the mills,
! hrn
| discussed but the mill owners fear
that if this is done the labor employed
| in the mills will come south, or scat
| ter to other parts of the country, and
that when the mills are ready to agaiu
| resume operation they will be without
trained opera tives. The cost of train
ing new hands, he said, would really
| be a greater loss to the mill owners
than to continue operation now.
The question of increasing the price
of the product of the New England
mills is also out of the question as
| many of the mills in the South are
| now turing out the same class of goods,
| and as the price paid the employees in
the mills of the South is not so much
| as the New England mills are forced
| to pay, the Southern mill owner would
be able to under-sell the New England
| manufacturer on the same class of
goods.
The reason for the high price of labor
in the New England mills is the fact
that the employees of all the mills in
that section are affiliated with the
International Textile Union and demand
more money for their work than is
paid their brother worker in the South.
| The fact that it costs the mill opera
tives in that section much more to
live than it does those employed in
| the cotton mills of the Southern States
makes it necessary that they be al
lowed a higher wage for the labor
| performed.
Mills May Come South.
1t is said that what the New Eng
land mill owners are now going through
with will have the tendency to cause
many of them to invest their money in
establishing cotton mills in the South
| ern States, where they can secure
cheaper labor and save the enormous
freight charges that are now paid to
the railroad companies, and the steam
boat lines for transporting the raw ma
| teriaI.
The prediction is made that the pres
| ent year will see the beginning of
many new cotton mills in the state of
! Georgia by Northern capital AS they
are now situated, it is almost impossi-
| BILE for the New England mills to en-
ter into competition with the Southern
mills in the manufacture of the cheap
| er grade of cotton fabrics, which are
shipped to Russia, China, Japan and
| the Philippines Islands, and it is
said that they hope that by establish
ing mills in the South they will be
able to get their share of this trade.
and in this way make up for the small
profits realized on the goods manufac-
tured in their Northern mills for the
| domestic trade.
1t was not until few years ago that
the Southern mills began the manu-
| facture of the higher grade of cotton
! fabrics and the New England mills
were then in a position to control the
prices on this class of goods. When
there was an increase in the price of
! the raw material the mill owners would
accordingly issue a circular announcing
corresponding increase in the price
of the manufactured product, but since
| the Southern manufacturers have
| turned their attention to the impor-
tance of the home market, and begun
supplying the jobbing trade with the
! best grade of fabrics, the New Eng
| landers are no longer in a position to
dictate the price of this grade of
! goods.
To Cure Grip in Two Days.
Laxative Bromo Quinine removes the