Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-01-08

mas, anu usually lHe lHbldlllHenls /
have been even smaller than those
recommended above.
Some people claim they are opposed |
to cotton mills on the ground that
they are detrimental to the health Of
the operatives. The facts prove that
this Is not true; but on the other hand
the work Is very much lighter than
farm work. and II does not require
exposure to any and all sorts Of
weather. Often the youngster on the
farm hos TO get up before daylight, and
Is required TO 90 out through the
dewy weeds long before the sun has
had time to come up and dry them
OF. At the mill they have more com.
Portable homes and better food. for
they make better wages and are able
10 buy better food and clothing. To
take a typical case, man, his wife.
two boys and two girls ranging from
IL TO 20 years Of age, are on an ay.
erage rented farm. After they have
paid their rent, and for feed for their
work stock. they are very fortunate
indeed II they have $500 with which
10 pay their grocery and clothing bills
Put this same family in the mill and
see what they can do. We will let
the mother stay at home and do the
homework, while the father and the
four children work IN the mill. Sup
posing the five OF them TO earn the
average wages paid in Texas mills
Sl2j per day-they will have a total
Of 1925 per day. or slG2jO per month.
or $3.50 per year This IS supposing
that they do not lose time, but even
II they lose 10 per cent Of their time
they still have Sl,7j5. To make a
more accurate comparison, We will
deduct the average house rent paid
by mill operatives 500 per year-and
they SIN have 1885, or more than
three times as much as they we're
making on the farm. II may seem
that the rent we allow is rather low /;
so it is, but in practically every in
stance the mill companies own their
own cottages and rent them for a
nominal sum.
The mill operative has superior ad-
yantages for getting an education. too.
when compared with the average
farm renter. They are close to good
free schools. and the younger chill
dren can and do 90 to school. for they
are not permitted to work until they
are fourteen years old. In a good
many cases they attend school long
after this age is passed. In some of
the towns there are schools provided
especially for the mill children.
Some people have the idea that the
Texas climate is not suitable for cot
ton manufacturing. 1t is true that
We have not quite as desirable a eli.
mate as they have in England, but
We have just as good as any Of the
other States in the Union, and much
better than some of the New England
States, where so many Of the cotton
mills are located Cotton spins best
in warm, humid atmosphere. but we
do not find this condition in any o!
our United States many months in
the year, and on this account the vast
majority of the mills in this country
use artificial means for conditioning
the atmosphere. They use these in
all the States, so Texas is certainly
no worse off in this respect than any
of her sister States.
We lay no claim to the power OF
foretelling the future, but every indi
cation now is that the textile mills
of the Unied States are just about to
enter upon the most prosperous era
of their entire existence. There are
millions and millions of spindles in
Europe whose hum has been hushed
BY the roar of the cannon. There are
many still running, but their product
cannot be exported to any very great
extent This is going to leave such
countries as China and South America
with very little cotton goods, unless
the mills of the United States can ar
range to supply them.
This export trade cannot be devel
oped In a day nor a month, because
It takes time to ascertin Just what
the requirements of these countries
are, for up to the present time Eng
land. Germany and France have had
monopoly of the South American
trade particularly Steps have already
been taken to find out just what is
the best course TO pursue in establish
ing this trade. 1t appears that one
of the essentials is the establishment
of United States banks in those coun
tries with whom we expect to do bust
ness. One of the New York banks
has already opened branch IL
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