The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-08-02
results Of che invest cations are given


results Of the invest cations are given
in this report. ~
The people gene. Sly are native
Americana, but there is among them
an over increasingly. ,artion Of stran-
gesa from other count The South
needs operatives = hem bad
~. Until they >aditious,
however, it will be ret the
proper kind Of ! difficult
still to retain and again
they have tried experiment Of
using negro labor in the cotton mills
aud other plants. but it is claimed
that in every instance the experiment
has failed. Experience has proved
that the negro is inclined to work
here today and there tomorrow, and
the value Of 9 factory operative lies
primarily in his steadiness. There.
fore, they have been forced to draw
ope -atives from the farns, but now
that these farmers are returning to
agriculture in considerable numbers,
the scarcity is growing every day.
South Carolina has o department of
agriculture, commerce and immigra-
tion. and though only one year old /,
it has accomplished considerable
amount of work in bringing emigrants
from foreign countries. The Com.
missioner Of Agriculture says:
II was forced to collect some men
in New York and bring them to South
Carolina to partially meet the demand
for help until the slow and careful
process Of inducing Immigration direct
from Europe to South Carolina GOULD
be developed. The low scale of wages
paid in South Caroline uae apparently
sn insurmountable barrier, which
realized it would take time to remove.
The cry was, on the one hand, for
only the highest type Of immigrant;
and on the other to secure him at the
scale Of wages paid the negro. This
was condition that presented proo-
lem, which, I am happy to say, is
now practically solved as q result Of
patient work. Our scale of wages in
all branches still operates somewhat
against US, however,
This statement is followed by sta
tistical information compiled from the
census of the United States to show
how little immigration has affected
the South; to show the relative wages
paid in the South and in the North
to show the relative COST Of living, the
northern operative not being 80 much
OF a vegetarian as the Southern opera.
tive; the kind of houses used by the
operatives; the church and school ad.
vantages; and finally statistics as to
the mills themselves. These figures
are very interesting in themselves and
are made more so by the comments Of
Mr.. Pidgin.
In the table showing the amount
paid for freight, Mr. Pidgin cites the
faot that the mills Of Massachusetts
paid in 1900 $646, ,592 for freight and
the South Carolina mills paid s2Ol,-
.691. In the same year, the year Of
taking census, the Massachusetts, milIs
paid 81, ,645, 800 on 800, ,711,0oO worth
Of property, and the South Carolina
mills paid but s206, ,355 on property
valued at 27,259,915. The rate of
taxation in Massachusetts, was more
than twice that in South Carolina,
being SILL per 1000 in Massa.
chusetts against $7.57 in South Caro-
lima.
After citing these interesting tables,
Mr.. Pidgin comes to the following con-
olusion: Is,
Massachusetts with the South as a
competitor in cotton manufacturing
has many things that count strongly
against her. The natural advantages
are with the South. The South pro-
drces cotton, eeel ::-=ea aud lumber,
while Massachusetts has none Of these
natural products. AS population in.
creases. the advantages Of the South,
despite certain drawbscks which have
been named, will exert continually in.
creasing force, and her cheap raw ma
terials, cheap labor, new and improved
machinery, aid nearby markets will
offer powerful opposition TO the ex-
tenBiYe capital, highly developed skill, !,
and capable management Of Massa.
ehusetts mills. For successful com.
petition, therefore, either Massachu-
setts must retrograde and increase its
hours Of labor, reduce It's wages and
employ its children TO mest the South
In q battle on its IN Ground. or the