The farmer and mechanic., 1910-09-27
To The Editor.

eiiiS MOI H4HS on our cotton m 4nufac-
turing rises to high craftsmanship and
reaches the domain of those public
policies that determine the pros
perlty and greatness of nations En-
gland by her public policy begun after
that country had been almost destroy
ed by the Black Death about A. D
1890, reached wonderful prosperity
from her wooden industries and in our
own time she has, by her cotton and
iron industries, maintained her
position as the first industrial
nation of the world. The South
possesses vast possibilities both
IN cotton and iron manufacture
ing, and We have made rapid strides
in North Carolina in cotton Cotton
indeed is the golden apple in our or
chard. And cotton manufacturing is
helpful to agriculture; indeed the
three sisters, agriculture, manufacture
ers and commerce, are interlaced and
Joined together like the Siamese twins.
In the Farmers Union News of Sep
tember II, in an account Of the ses-
sion Of the National Farmers Educa-
tiOnal and Cooperative Union, is
found the following paragraph GO.
{. Moore of Mecklenburg, talked parti-
cularly to the cotton farmers, exhibit
ing bale Of cloth made from a bale
Of cotton which netted the producer
S72, and the manufacturer $500.
The word melted was doubtless mad
vertently used The bale netted the
farmer good money, but the cloth, ii
made this year, probably netted the
manufacturer but little The cost of
production, the farm and in the
factory, must be considered.
Agriculture profits by the increase
Of those occupations that multiply
consumers Of farm products, and ev
cry new cotton mill helps agriculture
Just that much. and especially does 1t
help the cotton farmer. 1t is there
fore to the interest of the farmers that
our cotton manufacturing should be
eXpa nded to the utmost.
Just now the mills are stopped
The business is at a standstlll. We
already have too many mills for our
home market and we have no foreign
| markets for our cotton goods If the
business of manufacturing IS to be
enlarged, We must find markets
| abroad. Now, are we willing that
! there shall be no further expansion? :?
or do we desire to have more of our
cotton manufactured here at home,
| in our midst?
If the latter, then new markets
must be found But where? Certain
! ly not in Europe, nor in Canada. We
must seek them in South America; IN
! Asia and Australia.
The manufa cturers think that If we
mad regular steamship lines plying to
| trade centers in those countries we
might sell our cotton goods there; and
we could then continue to increase
| our factories If that is a desirable
thing to do, why should it not be
done? And, then, how is it to be
! done?
Unfortunately the subject Of open
! ing up avenues Of foreign trade has
| been messed up with another subject:
That of increasing our merchant ma
r1,f To a q
! from that subject. and ought to stand
/ on its own merits.
At one time. when all of our insti-
! tutions and all of our interests were
! in mere infancy, Congress sought to
! build up our merchant marine by Of
fering a subsidy in the way of
abating the tariff duty on carsoes
/ brought into our ports in American
! ships That may have answered some
! purpose, but it was abandoned IN
! 1928. nearly a hundred years ago. The
statistics show that in 1909 we had
669921 ocean tonnage; in 1910, so4,-
269 tonnage; in 1920, tonnage had
fallen to 619,048; and in 1880 to only
576475 tons That subsidy was
abandoned in 1928.
After that, about 1910, we began to
/ build the best wooden ships in the
world and the cheapest. Our Am Il
can clipper ships were the marvel OF
the seas. We built many to supply
the demand Of other nations. With
! them our ocean tonnage IN
creased very largely. But about 1850
iron vessels we're introduced, and soon
iron steamships took the place of the
wooden clippers, for they could be
| built cheaper abroad than our wooden
ships and were superior IN every way
/ for ocean voyages.
This new style of vessel displaced
| orr American tonnage, and our boast
/ ed American merchant marine passed
away. We cannot compete with Tor
| eign nations in iron steamships; Tor
such a vessel built abroad at cost
! of 100000 would cost here $45O.000-
60 If We propose to aid the expan-
sion of our cotton manufactures, we
ought not to mix up that measure OF
public policy with a general PROJECT
to build up ? merchant marine LET
| these two different matters stand