The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-19

have spasms when New York specula-
tors shoot the price OF cotton far above
what 1t Is actually worth. The price
OF his goods Is based upon the price OF
his raw material.
When he sells ahead he buys the
necessary amount of cotton protecting
himself by the process OF hedging
or buying futures. so that he can save
his mill from possible bankruptcy. The
problem to-day is the labor supply.
The negro as an operative Is failure
One or two experiments proved that
The natives are the best. Foreign
help in unsatisfactory in the main.
The South claims that the mills have
exhausted the farms, yet all OF the
States have not found, or Will not
find. that the immigrants will accept
work On the farms and make up the
shortage while the factories are per,
mitted TO prosper What has crippled
the manufacturing industry most In
recent years Is the politician. SPIN.
ners have not objected to fair and
legitimate child labor laws. though
they naturally resent agitation which
would Interfere with present condi-
tons. They want the matter ad-
justed without sudden jerks.
Operatives Are Uncertain.
Depending solely. therefore. upon
the native labor, the manufacturers
have found II an uncertain quantity.
one mill In South Carolina hit upon
scheme which 1t was believed was
IDEAL. 1t built model mill village
with trees and lawns, with y NJ.
Il. a. and baseball diamonds reading
rooms, gymnasiums. and the ike. Ihs
sanitary conditions were perfect. me
homes were superior TO all others III
the neighborhood, and 1t was sup
posed that. there would never be an!
labor shortage But the shifting, shift
less element was not satisfied. The
model mill with all OF Its advantages.
had to scufAe with the rest to keep its
machinery running with full force OF
operatives
1t requires brains to manage rail-
road. just as 1t requires brains to con-
duct cotton mill. These manufac-
turers are practical. They run always
on a schedule. One little evidence OF
that is found in the program of their
convention. Mayor Mccarthy and Cow
ernor Swanson will find that they are.
limited in their time for delivering
words OF welcome. If they get wound
up in long wartime harangue, some
body may give them gentle tap on
llne SNOUIQeT. hlnulcS aSOuul, W iAS s11St
in a factory or a convention hall.
Farmer and Spinner Together.
Lately in the South-there is no pro-
duction of cotton In New England,
the attitude of the farmer toward the
manufacturer has become more liberal.
more broad-minded. The spinner and
the planter realize that they are but
two halves of the same apple. and
~ to Z ao too
with the interest of the other.
The warehouse plan has been highly
beneficial to the farmer. He can store
his crop. FIe does not have to un-l
load it at the opening OF the season
and thereby break the market; he can
protect it from the elements. hold it
until he thinks the price is satisfac-.
tory, and borrow money in the mea y
time on his warehouse receipt. Most
of them have found that It was not
good idea to put too much faith In
the ranting of the farming agitator.
The spirit of cordially which has
grownsupH between the man who plants
and the man who spins has operated
to the advantage Of both. Twelve-
cent cotton did not cause the suspen-
sion of mill; Industrial stagnation,
and the failure to properly dispose IF
the finished product abroad, was fay
more injurious financially,
In the same way there is no rivalry
between the Eastern, or New England.
and the Southern manufacturer The.
fact that 1t does not exist to-day Is
proved by this association, To borrow
the srlleSof distinguished educator,
there Is no moro rivalry between them
than there is between two lighthouses
on the shore, because one gives out
greater light than the other. They are
banded together for mutual profit, not
to kean down cotton values: not to
force UP the value OF goods; but to
EXCHANGE ideas and experiences and to
make the most there is fairly. honestly
and leg'timately What they want is
a market
More Than Ono Thousand Members.
The American Cotton Manufacturers
Association has a total membership Of
Al,o62-524 from the North and 5275
from the South. To give an idea what
one member represents, the record Of
the Pelzer Manufacturing Company, In
South Carolina, might be cited as an
icyaplp(e, 1t has 10000 snindles ems