The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-15
England's Demands for
American Cotton.
Especial Correspondence Manufactu--
ers Record.)
Halif2x Enoland InIr II


of the south is concerned so muca
with Lancashire affairs that a few facts
and figures bearing on the present IL
teresting position can hardly CONE
amiss. There is at the moment peril
Of a great strike in the spinning mills.
due to the refusal Of a 5 per cent. adj
vance in wages, which has already peer
conceded TO weav3 rs. That trouble viii
develop and cast the whole English
cotton industry into confusion Is
scarcely thought credible. In the coua-
ellis of either side there is a strong
sense Of GOODNESS that is relied OIL ID
avert a deadlock Operatives are dis
posed to presume On their employ ers
disincilnation to lose satisfactory ous-
mess and to believe that the strike, il
it m~aterializes, will be short in du-a-
ton and victorious. But the refusal
of the concession sought was made in
ployers' part to temporize rather than
to refuse absolutely In that sign alone
it IS possible to see the bud of a COM
promise, and some working agreement
is indeed expected.
Whatever the result of the negotia-
tons now afOOt, there is the likelihoot
that more labor n the industry will be
wanted. Ready, half ready or in pro-
ject are building schemes which call
for 10000 work people in the spinning
mills alone, and the extension of weav
ing departments holds out an opportl-
nifty for 5000 Other workers. There are
As spinning mills, containing oveI A.
100000 spindles, coming into action.
Some 10000 spindles out of this total
are already revolving. Nobody pre-
tends that these reinforcements are TO
be viewed as net additions to the pro-
ductive plant industry. Their advent
prepares the death warrants of one
old and ill-equiDped mills that nave
been in chronic distress for years back.
Yet on the balance it may be supposed
that the new mills will create a fur
Their demand for raw cotton. Success,
if it come at all, will come partly en-
the Independent merits of the new en-
terprises and PAIL at the expense CT
1883 eUlCleUI COLlpOlltUIS.
1t is possible now to see how cotton
has gone into consumption during :he
first half of the year. Statistics OF I'M
ports are, of course, available weekly.
Semi annually official lists are publish
ed showing the movements of cotton
from the ports to the mills. For the
six months ende! Goth June, 1,821.21l
bales in all were thus moved. In The
same half of 1904 the total was 1,573,-
746 bales. The consumption thus far
has compared more equally with the
first half of 1903, when 1,712,32 bales
were removed from dock warehouse.
The figures relating to American cotton
alone explain these improvements
English mills have absorbed 5O2,f5S
bales more thar il the parallel of 1904
and 1888 bales more than in 1903
No decrease, Therefore, is predicated by
the past in the demand for American
staple, which mas formed 81 per cent.
of the consumption against 70 per cent.
a veal ago and o3 per cent. two years
ago. Great Britain has consumed only
half the Brazilian and less than a third
of the East Indian staple that she toCk
a veal ago. The increase Of 10000
bales of Egyptian is naturally upon
a non-competitive footing. The gross
imports for the half-year put a com
plexion still more favorable upon the
demand for American. They exhibit
an increase of 723,000 bales of the lat
ter ana decrease Ct $4,000 and 10000
bales of Brazilian and East Indian, re-
spectively. From these data persons in
the southern states may we'll conclude
xL-k ~ -o~nao1 nrioa fhnIr rrn6TIfa
is that which Lancashire will prefer
Imports of miscellaneous cotton are
creeping up. The "a, 900 bales of 1903
became 80, O0O bales in 1904 and 80
900 in 1905. Under this head are i'll
Guided Chinese, Peruvian and sundry
cottons useful chiefly in wooden manu-
facture, as we'll as the colonial sorts
whose production the British Cotton
Growing Association is anxious to
stimulate. Reports Of prospects and
possibilities of cotton culture in Brit
ish territories are plenty, but thus far
the receipts are immaterial. In u
weeks we have received 5000 bales, be-
ing 1856 from the British West Indies
and 1,676 from British west Africa. h
volume doubtless is destined to n
crease, but the present quantity con
trasts poorly with the visible growth
of demand for American-grown. Such
colonial staple as is, by reason of its
defects, unsuited to use in England
may perhaps be viewed more favorab.y
in India, where production still inc
reases. Figures for the year ended
March show that for a second time In
dia has put forth SIS, 00O, COS pounds Of
yarn and has beaten all records bS
producing 10000, 900 pounds t547
yards) of gray goods, besides improv-
ing on previous achievements in fancy
and miscellaneous cloths. Adding this
to midas import of $3.50, 000, 900 worth
of textiles, American manufacturers
may catch a glimpse of midas intr,n-
sic Importance as a market for cotton
and other goods.
So much for statistics. Other EN-
siderations are favorable to the con
sumption of cotton in this country. The
high prices of WOO which have beea
forced upon people here by American