El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-09-15

: year in round numbers, was just
about 100000 bales, Of which some
B thing like 5000, 900 bales were ex-
] ported OF the balance the cotton
I growing states used 1000. 600 bales.
I while New England and the other
T states consumed the remainder. The
south has now almost 500 cotton
mills, with 100000 spiudles. The
capital invested is a quarter Of a
billion dollars.
One Fifth OF All spindIes.
The size Of a cotton mill is meas
ured by the number of spindIes. The
I spindle is the slender rod on which
the thread is twisted and wound BY
machinery There are hundreds and
thousands OF them in great modern
mill In all the world there are
now. In round numbers. 5000. 600
such splndles. and they spin about all
me cotton thread used by mankind
OF these spindles the United States
mas easily more than one fifth OF
the whole That means that OF every
i've yards Of cotton worn bv men.
women and children anywhere on
this Big round earth, one yard is
made IN the United States. We have
altogether over 80, 200 600 spindles.
OF the remainder more than half
or the cotton mills are TO be found
In Great Britain. which is BIZ far
and largest the biggest cotton manu-
GOO spindles. 1t makes more than
twice as much cloth as We do. and
Il gets the most Of its raw cotton
from us. The profit is hundreds Of
millions of dollars.
There are 43,0O0.OO0 spfud1es. or
one third more than We have. work
ing on the continent. and the most
OF these are in Germany. In the
East indies there are less than 7,000.-
0Oe, and there are scattering fac
Ihere are also a few in Brazil. where
a nigh tariff is necessary to protect
the industry,
As Compared With European Mills.
nave visited cotton mills I'm most
OF these countries Japan has now
almost 100000 spindles and its bust
ness IS growing enormously on ac-
count OF the war. It expects to COB
pie the big market of China. and Il
has Hooded the German province Of
Shantung with japanese goods.
During my last trip through Asia
1 went through the mills Of one Jana
nese company which had more than
100000 spindles at work The ma
chlnery was Of the latest invention. [
the most Of il imported from the
United States. One Of the mills had
100000 worth Of raw cotton on
hand large part Of the employees
were children and they worked ten
II to 80 cents OF our money. or a lit 7
tie more than one to three cents for I
each working hour. AT that time
there were about 500, 900 women and .
girls at work in the cotton factories !
Of Japan and there were %. 900 chill /
dren employed each Of whom was I'M 7
der Is years Of age. The goods made 4
we're equal 10 any manufactured I'm
the United States.
Babies Work in Shanghai Mills.
I visited a cotton mill in Shanghai,
where I found Chinese children work
ing at four cents per DAY. Some Of /
the little tots were no higher than
my waist and many did NOT reach 70
my shoulder. The smallest children
were pulling baskets. filled with bob
bins, here and there about the room.
The largest were attending the spin
ming mules and they were working so
hard that they scarcely looked up as
entered. The pay Of the older hands
ranged from four cents TO 90 cents
-hln2 has no laws against child labor /
and the manager told me that he often
had father, mother and children. an I.
u one family, working for him.
Some of the women had their babies
with them in the factories that they 1
night not lose work. I saw a three /