The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-07
BIG LUMBER DEAL IN WALKER COUNTY Said to Represent $100,000
 Investment MILLS IN COAL FIELDS Unique Position Held By the Indian Head Mills at cordova-Is Liter
 ally Home Institution In
 Every Sense. .s
By FRANK V. EVANS.

Jasper. March 6.-(Special. )-An impor- tant coal land deal involving about $lUo'- 0OO is on taps in this, Walker county so report has it. The valuable property lies in tho neighborhood of Townley, apout eight miles west of Jasper on Che tr1sco- Local men. Birmingham men and some others are said to be the organizers and promoters of this plan for developing one of the finest coal properties in the s'aee.
 The matter of cotton factories In the coal fields of Alabama is a subject which ougbt to prove highly interesting to your readers.
 The Indian Head Cotton mills at cor dova. on the Warrior river, and In the very middle of the Warrior coal fields, are running full time now, and General Manager Maxwell informs the writer that they are consuming 40 bales of cotton per day, six days of the week, and are shipping their product as rapidly as they can manufacture.
 The unique position occupied by these mills has been explained many times In print and in these columns; but as they constitute a leading feature of the !n- dustrial side of Walker county, it is not out of place to restate that they are the onN cotton mills in all the country which are furnished coal from their own mines beneath the very soil which they are located, and that they buy and consume cotton produced in hearing of their whls- ties. and that they employ, native white men. women and children as their labor.
 Therefore it may be truthfully written down that ''Indian Head Mills" Is home institution.
 Thirty thousand spindes here are now busily transforming the white staple into strong, useful, ornamental and marSet- able fabrics consisting of homespuns, hannels. ladies suitings, and almost any thing that can be made from cotton Much of this product is shipped to far away China and Japan, as well as the do- mestic markets of the east.
 MT. Scott Maxwell, the efficient man. ager of the mills, who, by the way, oc- cupies the high position of president of the Alabama Cotton Manufacturers as- sociation, talks interestingly on the sub ject of cotton mills. He says that while the south enjoys many advantages over
  tories, the one great disadvantage here is the scarcity of labor. The only labor of value in this section. he says, is the native white; and of these there are not enough. The negro has proven failure as cotton mill operative, and cannot be trained to the work. MT. Maxwell thinks that southern mills would double the number of spindles if it were not for the scarcity of labor for said he: f'The fixed charges on a S0000 spindle mill are no greater than on a 60,OO0 spindle mill.'
 Speaking of this matter of scarcity of labor it is gratifying to observe the deep interest manifested by the mill manage ment here in the matter of public schools MT. Maxwell recognizes the value of schools to the general community, as an inducement to permanent citizenship and an incentive to home life. Hence the company has contributed literally toward Cordovas graded school, has extended the size of the building and will make further improvements from time to time
 It will be recalled that at the last ses- sion of the legislature of Alabama law was passed affecting school attendance by mill children, which seems to have had for it's object skeleton test of com pulsory education. This law simply re- quires that no cotton mill shall employ children of school age, who do not pro- duce certificates that they have attended school eight weeks, six of which must have been continuous, during the school term of the then current year
 MT. Maxwell expresses the opinion that if parents would take advantage of this law 1t would probably accomplish much good, but that unfortunately there are a number of children In Cordova of poor parents who do not go to school and who are disqualified to enter mill service under this law.
 However. large number do attend the splendid school at Cordova