Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-28

friends and her most enthusiastic prophets
had scarcely dreamed of fifteen years ago.
Within that period the cash value of her
cotton crop has doubled, the amount of
pig-iron produced at her furnaces has in
creased enormously, and the products or
her coal mines has increased more than
three-foid. Cotton factories have sprung
up within her borders to the extent that
more of her cotton crop is now manufac-
tured on her own soil than in all the mills
of New England. The total value of her
annual manufactures now aggregates near
ly eighteen hundred millions in value. The
total value of her agricultural products is
now over seventeen hundred millions per
annum. Her railroads are no longer weak,
disjointed lines, but have been amalgamat-
ed into several large, strong, continuous
systems, so located and SO equipped as to
serve advantageously to the demands of her
growing industry and commerce. This great
difference in the condition of her main
arteries of transportation has been greatly
ness activity and industry of the country,
but toward that great prosperity and In
crease of wealth and industry which the
south Is now enjoying these great agencies
have contributed In most substantial
way. In fact but for the great improve
ment in their condition, both physical and
financial, the present rapid growth of the
south in industry and wealth would have
been impossible THE most pressing prob
lem with every railway manager in the
south today Is that of providing additional
facilities for the safe, prompt and salts
factory movement of the constantly grow
ing traffic.
Railways and the People.
But when the story of the south's prog
ress and prosperity is considered and the
place of commercial supremacy she has at
tanned Is contemplated, justice, think, re-
quires the admission that, on the whole,
the work OF the railroads has been well
and efficiently done. 1t is SAID that rail-
roads have the power to make or mar the
fortunes and destnies of localities and
sections. The cardinal point to be appre-
ciated and remembered is that railroad
will destroy itself unless it fosters traffic;
unless it adopts such policy towards its
patrons as will encourage and increase
permanently the movement of, business.
On the other hand. the people will be the
first and the greatest sufferers, If, by
hostile action, they limit the capacity of
the railroads to serve them.
Many and great problems confront us
as people at the dawn of this new CEN
fury. Not the least of them is the rela-
tionsh.p which should exist between the
railroads and the people. 1t should be
approached in a spirit of justice, forbear-
ance and moderation, and with the pur-
pose Of establishing complete under
standing and more cordial sympathy be-
tween the people and the managers of
these public service utilities"
Concentration Of Interests.
Another phenomenon is the concentra-
ton of interests. The small manufactur-
ers all over the south are pooling their
issues, just like the large ones in the
north. They have discovered the economy
in consolidation. They have learned that
they can do a large business at a much
less cost in proportion than a small bust
a nr,rh hor,n DIV 4
shown, the number of employees, the
amount of capital invested and the output
is increasing nearly a hundred per cent
a year every five years, the actual num-
Der of establishments remains stationary
because of consolidation. Take South Caro-
lima for example. In 1900 there were 1869
factories of all kinds, with a capital stock
of $62. 750O27. In 1868 there were only
thirty more corporations, while the capital
was increased to $113, 422, 404. similar
condition prevails in all the other South
Atlantic states. All forms of ownership
have decreased except the corporations
/ throughout the South Atlantic states since
800 the percentage of individual owner
ship in every industry has decreased ex-
cept lumber and turpentine. Corporate
ownership has increased in every other
line of business.
Cotton Exports Increasing.
The exports of cotton goods from the
'o"'i arc iSieashS very idpiuiy. Ibis Is
another curious phenomenon. Although the
factories of the south produce exclusively
the cheap, coarse grades of cloth that are
required by the negroes and poor whites
they are almost entirely shipped to for
eign countries. Very few of them are
sold at home. The local tradesmen within
a few miles of the factory buy their stocks
from jobbers in Atlanta, Charleston, Will
mingtOn and other commercial centerS
while the mills ship their entire output
to China, Arabia and Brazil. Seventy-five
per cent of the entire output of the south
is exported, and only % per cent is con-
stunned in the United States. Sixty per
cent of the entire output goes to China.
Some of the mills do not sell a yard of
cloth in this country. Every piece they
produce is packed for export and sold in
foreign markets by New York commission
men.