The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-10-30
SCARCITY OF LABOR.
Cotton Fields Afford Most Stricking
Illustration of Conditions-Pick-
ers are Needed.

Baltimore, Oct. 25-Correspondencc
in this week s issue of The Manufac-
turers' Record from Atlanta, Ga,
dwelling upon the extent Of material
development now under way in the
South, describes the widespread scar
city Of labor hamperin" that develops
mcnt. 1t says:
"Probably the most striking illus
tration Of the scarcity of laborers in
the South is seen in the cotton fields.
Durin" Il trip Of over hundred miles
through All important cotton region,
in Georgia and Alabama, very care
full count was made of the number of
cotton plckerS seen, and the total was
II, when, Judging blythe distance
Travelled and the condition Of the cot
Ton needing immediate picking, there
ought to have been more rcarly l40O.
"An"thcr illustration is given in
the fact that the proposed exposition
in Atlanta scheduled for 1910 has
been abandoned, not because of the
inability to secure the money, but be-
rauSc il WAS made clear to the organ-
lzrrS of il that it would be practically
impossible to secure laborcrs to erect
The buildings. Every contractor in
l." city is cr"w,rh To the utmost 10
take care "r regular work. every man
uiacluring enterprise is likewise short
"f lab"rrrS anl The country at large
is so busy that lahorcrs could not be
brought III from elsewhere.
'This scarity of labor is most pro-
n"unccd III the inability Of railroads
/" carry out much needed improve
mrnts. There is scarcely railroad
III the South that il not swamped with
business. OF course of the leading
systems it might almost be said that
they are practically broken down
from inability to handle with any de-
gree OF promptness either passenger
or freight traffic. Many thousands
of ears, many hundreds of locomotives
and many thousands of miles of doub-
lc track are needed if the railroads
OF the South are in any way whatever
t" measure up to the growing business
ahead Of them.
SO rapid has been the growth OF
the coal mining industry in the fields
OF southeastern Kentucky, southwest
ern Virginia and northeastern Tennes-
see that operators are now confronted
with the serious problem of scarcity
OF labor. Within the past year many
miles of railroad have been construct
ed III this mountainous region, num-
rrouS mdeveloped coal areas have
been opened and a great increase in
coal tonnage has been registered.
Probably 100 new operations have
been started within the past year in
the region centcring about the meet
ing point Of these States, and notwith-
Standin" the fact that several thou
sand foreign laborcrs have been
brought into the mining camps the
past summer, the supply of miners is
still inadequate.
Nl'eh Il lalr supply OF labor, the
railroads could increase their facili
ties to such an extent as to be able to
handle business, but to- do this not
simply millions, but tens of million,
possibly some hundreds of millions,
must be expended before the railroads
OF the central South can begin to
catch up with the development and
increase of travel and traffic through
out that section. Given the same fair
supply Of labor, it is entirely possible
for the South to increase the COLI
sumption of cotton in its own mills
100000 bales next year and steadily
expand this industry far more rapid
~ than it has done during the past.