The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-18

155.9 pounds. compared with 161.4 in 1890 and 164.6 in 1900. There is a marked ten dency toward the production of finer yarns in these mills, the average con sumption per spindle at this time being reported as 124.5 pounds decrease of 401 pounds per spindle. The average an- nual consumption per spindle in northern mills in 1900 75.2 pounds and in 1905 is 67.1 pounds. decrease of S.1 pounds per spindle. While the south, shows a greater decrease in pounds per spindle, these conditions in both sections have brought about a material decrease in the average for the country, which is now s62 pounds per spindle, compared with 95.4 in 1900.
 Woodworking Industries.
 The year has witnessed the construc- tion of 9o7 plants devoted to various forms of woodworking. Of this number 40 were furniture factories. The remainder com- prlsed saw mills, blaming mills box fac tories, stave mills. heading mills. handle factories, etc. The tendency noted on the part of northern manufacturers in wood to move their plants to the south and acquire their own timber holdings in order to be assured a lasting supply or raw material, to which allusion has frer auently been made in this publication, is increasing in strength. very large per centage of the standing timber purchases made in the south during the year con template the eventual, if not immediate. location of industries for its consumption at points local to the supply. The loca- ton of such industries during the year, with additions made to existing plants, involved the investment of S,526,2l2 com pared with s4, 792, TOO in 1904. s5,S167OO in 1903 and g, ,346 450 in 1902. The increase of last year over the preceding year was about GA per cent, but in the opinion or close observers the movement of factories of this class to the south is only relative iy in it's infancy.
 The enormous purchases Of tlmper mas very generally been made by the owners of factories in the north who, realizing the ultimate necessity of transferring tneir operations to the south. are disposed 10 postpone that necessity as long as possible in the meantime making preparations Tor the inevitable. As readers of the South- ern Field have been informed in previous issues the mill men of the south and oth- CTS interested in the preservation of the south's timber supply are taking active steps in cooperation with the united States forest service to encourage conserv- ative methods of numbering. to the end that the supply may be perpetuated in- definately.
 The Tanning Industry.
 Six new tanning establishments, making in all some seventy establishments de- voted to tanning, the manufacture Of tan- ming tools and the production of tannio acid, are now located on the lines of the Southern railway, while several others including one which will probably be the largest of its kind in the country-are preparing for construction.
 The south. with it's great supply Of chestnut, oak and hemlock parks Is Of course destined to win great prestige in this particular industry. The actual amount of capital invested in this in- dustry on Southern railway lines proper during the past four years was g, R90OO, while considerable investment was also subsidiary lines.
 Iron and Coal.
 The record for the past year shows an investment of capital in coal mines. iron mines. furnaces and other primarily re- lated interests of S5.672,462. In four years these instruments have aggregated ST. 021560; and while the investments for the last year did not approach in magnitude these for 1904, when more than eleven mil lion dollars was thus invested, the growth has been normal and satisfactory. In l912 the investment was s3. 3.42s.50O in 1903, s6,- 4709g0, while the figures as given for l9o4- S11, ,449, ,69S-were influenced by two of these extraordinary large investments. Aside from these four great divisions of indus trial development-cotton and its by-pro- ducts, products of the forests and products of tho mines-there has been a great de- yelopmsnt of miscellaneous industries based upon an increasing production of farm staple other than cotton to which more extended allusion will be made in future issues of the Southern Field.