The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-01
NEW HIGH TIDE OF INDUSTRY
TO SWEEP CAROLINA HILLS
War Hit Cotton Trade Hard Blow, But All Will Be Paid
Back With Interest-This State To See New Ideas Of
Energy in Textile Field.
BION II.

ont of the memory of the Erlanger
cotton mill and what it means / want
to go back over some of the ground
that | nave covered in a way and draw
some conclusions concerning the sig
nificance of such things as this mill,
and concerning the things it fore
casts.
The Erlangers discovered North
Carolina. They never came TO North
Carolina because somebody wanted
them to invest some money at a spot
that somebody happened to want
money invested at. That is not the
way of big business.
When the Erlangers had their
money counted out to put into a big
mill they looked the country over. and
what they were seeking was the most
profitable place to manufacture their
cotton goods. They weighed every
thing out, and when all comparisons
were made the verdict read North
Carolina.
Now all you North Carolina folks
got this into your heads. The Erlan-
gers passed the cotton mill location up
TO exports for an analysis of the sit
uation. The experts after trying out
every consideration said North Caro-
lima.
AS q location for a big new cot
TON Hill unDIdSeu c&pcIlS III plShlHS
the place said North Carolina.
1t is a case identical with that OF
the United States Steel Corporation
n few years ago when it wanted to
locate an enormous new plant. 1t set
it's men to inQuiring into all the adj
vantages and disadvantages Of every
place suggested, and they picked on
a spot on the south shore of Lake
Michigan, some miles east Of Chicago,
and there in Indiana they built the
town of Carey, which is the steel town
of the United States. Carey offered
more advantages than any other loca-
ton for making iron and steel.
The Erlangers have designated
North Carolina a. the place to make
cotton goods.
Swift Development Indicated.
The significance of this thing is not
in the location of the one big new
factory, nor in those that are likely to
follow. 1t is in the factors that make
Lexington the choice of this big in.
stitution, which points to a swift de.
velopment of this section of the State
Right here 1 make the prediction
that the stretch Of country from
Greensboro to Gastonia along tn
Southern railroad, will be one of tn
most highly organized and populou
manufacturing districts Of the United
States
Now let us look at the situation
about as the Erlangers probably did
For efficient work, day after day, tn
year through, it is probable that tn
climate Of the North Carolina Pied
mont country is the best to be foun
in the United States. 1t escapes bot
extremes Of temperature. You can
not find another section with a eli
mate to equal it. If % think 20
an, try it by going over the metere
illogical records of the weather bu
reau of the United States.
Getting at The Facts
Before we go too far into this inQu
sition you wan to fortify yourself b
a determined desire to get the trut
Of the matter. No man is fooled S
badly as the man who is hunting fl
q fact hunts only for the fact tn:
suits him. The man who hunts for tt
truth has something when he gets
So let US go after this thing with
microscopical eye u for absolu
fact, and accepting nothing else.
Climate with a longer growing Sc;
son makes feeding the people a sin
pier question. Hands can be fed f
less money in the Piedmont than
most Of the factory communities
the country, which is another fact
for efficiency at lowest cost Of pr
duction.
Flu. labor is only one thing, and n
the big one even at that. Bigger tn;
labor is power.
When Henry A. Rogers built t
Virginia railroad to haul coal fro
the mines Of Virginia and West vi
GINA to tidewater some wise m
said he was a fool. But the Virgins
railroad is going to be one Of t
great coal-hauling roads of the wor
one of these days, because the coal
OF the best quality ever found, a
in the greatest deposits.
When the United States Steel Coz
pany wanted to build one Of the b
gest coke making plants in the wol
to supply COX for it's works it look
over the entire coal horizon Of I
United States, and hen it bought VI
areas Of land at Pocohontas, Virgin
and invested millions of dollars.
The United States Steel Corpo
ton in buying Virginia and West v
ginia Goa land and did it after exp
cool man had INVESTIGATED %ho n