The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-01-06

Whist Well Managed Shoe Factory
May Mean for Sumter.

moy Mc80 Tor sumter.
The securing OF new industries for
any city Is difficult matter these
days when the keen competition be-
tween cities is considered. Every
city and town Is after new industries
and each offers special inducements
TO factory that Is contemplating re-
novaL The very best industries tina.
any city can have are those that have
been built up locally. Industries that
have been started with local ca yitai
and have started In a small way and
have grown with their markets. Thes.
Industries withstand financial distress
and are permanent fixtures. Better
that any city should have ten indus
tries employing Is hands each tho
qae employing $50 hands at the start
IL one OF the ten should fail l.lti
harm In done but the result Is dlisas-
trous should the large fail or move
sway. The same Is true Of a factory
which business judgment would re-
ject for the reason that local condi-
lions do not warrant Its establish
mont All these matters should be
carefully considered before any fac
tory IN invited to make its home In
your city.
The shoe factory proposition has
been before the Manufacturing Com
mittee of the Chamber of Commerce
for three months. Whether such a
factory would succeed In Sumter was
carefully considered. A committee
from the Chamber OF Commerce
visited the nearest large shoe factory
at Winston-salem. N. G. Two years
ESQ this factory was housed In one
small building and employed less
than nifty hands. and made but few
hundred pairs Of shoes per day. Now
h employees over two hundred hands
with twenty-six men on the road and
uses two buildings with three floors
In each building. This factory is
making over nfteen hundred pairs OF
shoes daily and has recently increased
~ capital by a stock issue OF $780,
600. The committee was reliably in
formed that this factory will net over
$4,000 this year. Practically all
hands have been trained from local
material under skilled foremen and
the labor Is almost entirely white. A
factory Of two hundred hands would
mean an increase I'm population OF
about one thousand people. Figure
what such an increase would mean
for the business of Sumter in the re-
tail line alone.
There is not a shoe factory outside
of Sumter In the entire State. The
raw material Is mostly leather which
n staple little subject to variation
In price and Is shipped In car load
lots while the finished article Is most
~ sold and shipped In small lots.
hence the advantage I'm freight rates
I'm all the surrounding trade terri
tory. Another advantage is the fact
tint compared with other industries
there have been comparatively few
failures I'm this business and hence
an investment In the stock II shoe
factory In considered good. Remem-
ber also that the labor IL of a class
that will certainly benefit the city
a. n whole which Is not always true
OF many factories. The men who
will manage this factory. " IL is es-
tabii.hed In Sumter. inspire conn
dence. After all. the success Of any
factory must depend upon the man
secment Every citizen Of Sumter
who may care 10 do 80 will have the
opportunity Of talking vita these
men on Saturday and they will be
glad 20 answer any que.tlons reia-
tive To the manufacture Of shoes.
An industry of this kind does not
knock az our doors every day In the
year. There are plenty OF other
eitics that will jump at the chance
90 secure such n factory and they will
do so II Sumter negiects the oppor-
tunity. Every factory added TO our
industries only makes II easier to
secure others These II not n bust
ness man In Sumter whose business
will not he helped by locating this
plant here. II is an easy matter 10
prove by n few minutes of fgur-
Ing. There are business men I'm sum
ter who own considerable property
who are not ON the list OF suhscrib-