The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-19
Southern and New England
Manufacturers Meet Here
Tomorrow.
REPRESENT MANY MILLIONS
How Great Industry Has Grown
Within Past Dccadc-Strides
by the South.

REPRESENTING invested wealth
running far into the millions,
THE American Cotton Manufac-
,turers' Association. which
meets here tomorrow. Is the
most important organization OF It's kind
in the world. Composed equally OF
members from New England and the
South, 1t will deal with problems
which vitality affect the spinning trade
and at time when conditions demand
careful thought by men with brains.
Here in Virginia. where practically
no cotton Is grown, the average citizen
knows little of the great industry. But
strange as II may seem, Virginia takes
nth rank In the list OF Southern States
N, the amount OF cotton consumed an
nually. In acreage and yield OF the
raw product the Old Dominion is
scarcely recognized in government re-
ports.
with the carolinas claiming to stand
next to Massachusetts, In spindle capa-
CITY. one must be certain OF his facts
before he ranks them Records avail
able at the moment-pubiishedSu under
date OF 19oe-show that South Caro-
lima blazed the way. although last year
North Carolina consumed 733.6os bales
against s6s.s97 for the Palmetto state,
which would clearly put her in the.
lead. Georgia comes third and Ala
bama fourth.
south Does Not Spin All.
And ye. with Its millions OF spindles
the South spins but small part Of
its crop-about two and one-half mil
lion bales last year. The commercial
crop In the United States for 1906
1907 was more than five times as much
in point OF bales. Much OF the supply
goes to New England, the pioneer In
manufacturing. yet the number of
bales exported last season was S,4S7,-
1888. II we go back into ancient his
tory for moment the research brings
forth startling facts. for 1t is found
that In 1884 American exports we're
only fourteen bales. eight OF which
were seized in Liverpool on the ground
that so much cotton could not have
been produced in the United States.
Seven years later $500 bales were
exported, the average price value being
2e cents per pound. Beverly. Mass,
had the first cotton mill, established In
1857. Then Ell Whitney revolutionizedl
the business in 1893 by his cotton gin.
How the South has grown rich from
1ts staple crop IS found In the state
1nent that the selling value last year
was s71s.352.2s5
How South Has Developed.
Years ago the shrewd business brains
of the South realized that the logical
place for the mill was in the producing |
region. 1t was only in the last decade,
however, that much progress was made. |
Figures are stupid. but they alone can
tell the story. In 1897, for instance.
the Northern States had 100000 spin |
dies. the South had 3,25o,ooo. In 1907
the Northern States had 100000. or
an increase OF Is As per cent. In ten
years, while the South had piled up
its number to s.s50.00o. which was an
4rcrease OF 197 per cent. Ask one OF
these we'll groomed manufacturers how
many spindles there are in the world,
and he will tell you that the number
is about 100000 Then ask him
what spindle represents in actual
cash.
One Of the great railway systems OF
the South CLASHES It's tonnage. The |
average planter. guessing offhand.
will say that cotton and cotton pro-
ducts represen. the largest percentage.
hut 1t is eight or nine times less than
the products of the mines, which are
loaded into freight cars. In the same
way. the ignorant mind Jumps at the
conclusion that the South has all the
spindles except those which hum in
New England.
Labor Problem Not the Best.
The manufacturer to-day does not