The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-13
DESERVED HONORS TO NORTH
CAROIINIANS.


The honor shown to North Caro-
lima at the American Cotton Manu-
facturer's Association in session at
Knoxville. Tenn, is tribute to the
State and the men who represented II
in that gathering of captains OF INDUS
try. 1t is one more evidence that IN
cotton manufacturing where North
Carolina, sits is the head of the table.
Mr.. Reinhardt, of Lincolnton, the re-
firing president, was presented win
a handsome silver service of two
hundred and sixty-five pieces-and ne
is not a free silver man either He
made a sensible speech at the open
ing of the meeting, pointing out that
the fear of a cotton famine" in
which some manufacturers have
lived in dread need no longer trouble
them and he predicted that 1--WE shall
most likely have normal prices for
our raw MATERIAL and that the
farmers will get normal prices" with
out damaging fluctuations even
though we should produce crop or
cotton which would be somewhat IN
excess of our yearly requirements.
Speaking of the troubles which wide
fluctuations bring about, Mr.. Rein
hardt said:
"a difference in quoted prices for
cotton averaging $50 a bale within
less than one year is palpably equally
injurious to both grower and user.
think / shall voice the opinion OF
every person connected with the man
ufacturing side of our great indus
try when / say that the manufactures
and spinner desire stable prices much
more earnestly than they crave
abnormally low prices. AT 16 cents
pound for the cotton our mills use
there will always be a shrlnkage OF
demand for cotton goods. on the
other hand, it is a great mistake to
think extremely low prices always
mean prosperity for the manufactur-
er. What we need, gentlemen, more
than any other one thing is that price
variation shall be confined to such
limits as to enable us to conduct our
affairs on business principles rather
than as in the past, to have condi-
tions so uncertain that our daily
transactions partake more of the ma
ture of gambling than legitimate
business"
AS to the foreign market, which is
most important because the local de-
mand is not great enough to take al
the cotton goods manufactured Mr..
Reinhardt feels quite comfortable, he
said:
"Our foreign trade. which is large
ly for our coarser character of cot
ton goods. has been during the past
several years interfered with to
great extent by the Boxer troubles"
in China, and later by Russia's
dominating policy in Manchuria. But
with the beginning of the Japan
Russia war and the opening of the
ports in Mnchuria an export trade
has developed during the past six or
eight months sufficient to take care of
the production of all our export mills
and it is. / believe, safe to feel that
with the. settling of thisswaINwe shall
have I a con tinn9tfenf ofNtl1is demand
especially fr0rns Man h4lfias4 and that
this demandswiiIagrow Nearly into in
cFeased million s8Sof dollars; but in
order to preserve this trade indefinite
.lysour government shouiM inaugurate
al college Sfor the education of our
consuls and commercial agents, who.
instead of being selected because of
their political services, should be az
pointed on account of their business
qualifications and commercial abil-
ity."
Mr.. Reinhardt is right in saying
that our consuls should be men of
business qualifications and CONNER
cial ability" who would address them
selves to intelligently securing wider
markets for the products of our mills
and would teach our mill men to
adapt their styles to suit the demands
of the various countries that could be
induced to give American mills the
bulk of their orders. Mr.. Reinhard
thinks 1.-The mills using American cot
ton have brighter outlook than they
have had for the past several years
8 and for this state of affairs we
owe a debt of lasting gratitude to the
cotton planter, who has recently eX-
hibted his ability to husband his
surplus product and market it to meet
the requirements of the cotton man
ufacturing world. and should he per-
sistently pursue such a course from
to secure a fair price for his product,
but will materially assist in placing
the cotton manufacturing business
upon sounder basis
1t is a great compliment to North
Carolina that the Association selected
another progressive North Carolinian
to the presidency, Mr.. r. M. Miller,
Jr., of Charlotte. who lives within a
few miles of the home of the retiring
president North Carolina leads.