Goldsboro weekly argus., 1908-10-22
WHERE COTTON IS KING.
New York Commercial Furnishes Val
liable Information Coupled With
CammentS Of President
fiRley.

G0MMehlS tl PfeSIaeht
Finley.
Cotton, it's production and its con-
sumption by Southern mills, will al
ways be source of interest to the
people south of the Potomac, and tho
New York Commercial furnishes val
aable Information coupled with COM
ments of President Finley. of the
Southern Railway, which says:
1.-The preliminary report of tho Gen.
sus Bureau on cotton consumption in
the United States for the year ending
August 81, 1908, recently issued, show
cd that during the period covered the
mills Of the South consumed 1885, ,61s
bales, against 2.41O,993 bales in 1906
OF. or falling off Of only 154,3s bales
| (6.4 per cent?, whore as in the same
interval Northern esta blishments sx-
hibited decline of 255, ,118 bales (s.e
per cent?. This Census Bureau re-
port, SO far as it applies to Southern
consumption, is an approximate agree
ment with the result disclosed in our
annual cotton crop report issued Sep
! tember 4, and shows, as President
Finley, ofthe Southern Railway in ef-
feet says, that the cotton mill indus
try OF the South suffered less during
the period Of general business dspres-
sion than the mills in other sections
of the country, and this notwithstand-
ing the falling of in the trade tol
China, upon which many Southern
mills place large dependence. With
good reason, Mr.. Finley looks upon
the report as furnishing additional
evidence of the superior advantages
of the South as the location tor cot.
ton mills.
1.-THE strides the South has taken in
cetton manufacture in recent years ano
the comparatively moderate decline in
the volume of consumption last season
gratifi cation. From an average week,
ly consumption of less than 8 900 bales
per week 80 years ago-in 1877-7S-
there was steady and quite rapid ad
vance, until in the early ptrt of 18O7-Os
it reached nearly $1,000 bales, and ave
ragged for the season Notwithstanding
the general decline in all business il
the more recent months) almost 43 ,0O'
bales. In the meantime Northern con
sumption, which in 1877-78 averaged
2s, 500 bales, rose to an average slight
ly in excess Of so, 900 bales in 1906 OF
and, according 10 our figures. wa
slightly more than Al 900 bales in 1907
O8, Or: dealing in totals rather thai
averages, the South consumed 148, 90
bales in 18777S, advancing to 443.57
bales 10 years later, 1,227 ,939 bales il
1897-98, and 1894 1896 bales in 1907 Os
the aggregate in 1Ss6-97 having bssl
2, ,4S7 ,O88 bales. The excellent shown,
under adverse circumstances mad
last season led us to rem ark in our an
nual report that Southern cotton mill
have done relatively better than thos
at the North, the decrease in the vol
ums of consumption having been com
paratively moderate. 1t thus happen
that, for the first time since cotto1
manufacturing became an established
, Industry ct the South, the mills Of tha
!, section used mere raw material thai
3 was consumed by Northern establish
? ments.' The advance thus far made
: furthermore, can bo taken as indica
tive of the progress yet to be mad
r when warranted by industrial condi
l tions. And 1t is not without the rang
of possibilities that the not very dis
D tant future will find the South, wit
it's nalural advantage of contiguity t
/ sources of supply outranking in cotto
5 manufacturing prominence most of tn
worlds csnters of activity in the in