Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-06-20
MILL men MEET.
Cotton Growers and Manufactur-
ers In Session.
MANY ATTEND.

Executive Committee Holds Four
Hours Meeting. Several Matters
of Importance to the Craft Receive
Attention. What Cotton Mills
Want. One Woman President At
tend.
special from Asheville to the
State of Thursday says the South
Carolina Cotton Manufacturers AS
sociation is now in session at the
Battery Park Hotel. 1t is a fine and
representative body of men. They
have built up the cotton mill indus
try until today there are fully seven
ty-five millions of dollars in one way
and another invested in the industry.
There are three and a half million
spindles in South Carolina. and of
that number less than 100000 spin
dies are outside the Association un-
der Capt. Ellison A. Smyth. There
are 12S active cotton mills in the
State, and of that number 104 are
in the Association. The cotton mill
men are always busy. While they
have come here with their wives to
enjoy themselves. they are talking
shop, and working on the cotton sell
lers, railroads and others to tighten
the loose bolts.
The cotton mills now are contend
ing for three things with the cotton
dealers. First, on grades where
there is disagreement they want .lo-
cal or home arbitration. are not will
ing to accept New York arbitration.
| Second, they want the bill of lading
issued by the railroad to gve car
| number and initials. This is de-
sired to protect the buyers. At pres
ent the railroads issue bills of lading
on cotton before ii is loaded and
while it is in thecompress or on the
platform. Much cotton, ii con
tended, is from four to six weeks or
longer on the road, and cotton has
been out much longer. This is re-
garded as dangerous and the Cotton
Mill Association has decided that 1t
will not pay drafts for cotton unless
the car number and initials - given
in the bill of ladng. Third, the cot
ton mill men object TO paying a
three-pound weight allowance on
compressed cotton. They wish to
pay for what they get. The eXecu-
tive committee heard full discu-
sion of the cotton questions.
The cotton dealers were repre-
sented by Mr.. Howell, of Augusta,
for Inman, Ackers & Inman; Mr..
jennings, of Spartanburg, for Geo.
II. McFadden & Brothers; w. ID.
Nesbitt. of Birmingham, for Knight.
Yancy q Co. The claims of thecot-
ton mills were presented by the fol-
lowing committee from South Car
lima cotton nils.
August w! Smyth, Spartanburg,
Leroy Springs, Lancaster; J. M.
Geer, Easley.
Committee from North Carolina
manufacturers: j. W. Cannon, chair
man, Eugene Holt, w. C.Ruffin, B.
S. Robertson, r.. A. Smyth, X. NJ.
Miller, Jr, president of the Manu-
facturers' Association of North Car
olina, who are eX-ofiicio members of
the committee.
DR.. Jeff Davis, of Tocoa, president
of the Georgia Association. Joined in
the discussion Messrs G.. G.. Cowan
and Williams, of the Memphis Cot
ton Exchange. were present.
The South Carolina Association
adopted rules with regard to the re-
fusal of cotton mills to accept cotton
purchased by them.
In the roll of the members there
appeared the name of Mrs. NJ. p
Gridley, who is the only woman
: president of cotton mill in the
State. Mrs. Gridley is the success
full executive head of the Batesvillt
Yarn Mill, which position she inner
tied from her father, Capt George
Lunz, of Charleston.