Pocahontas star herald., 1923-02-23
Cotton factories In Arkansas
By w. L. Pope

The answer 10 the question "What
one thing can we do to best promote
the interests of our state" Is build
cotton mills In Arkansas aud build
them now. One needs but TO visit
the cotton factory districts of North
aud South Carolina, Georgia and
Alabama 10 be thoroughly convinc
ed that the building of cotton mills
IN the state will do more than any
other one thing to increase our ma
teriai wealth and brIUg our state to
that high commercial and education
al standard 30 devoutly wished by
all progressive ArAaDsans. In an
interview last month Senator Cara
way, who had ust come to the state
from the Gastonia and other south
ern cotton mills districts, told Of
the impressions made upon HIM by
the great wealth and commeroial
growth OF the country within these
districts, The conc fusion was fore
ed upon Senator CarawaY that our
state should awake at once to the
wonderful opportunities within her
grasp to manufacture her own cot
ton into cloth and sell the finished
product instead of shipping our cot
ton to eastern mills and buying back
from the ncrth and east the manu-
factured product, paying the freight
both ways and enrlchIng the many
men through whose hands 1t has
gone to the impoverishment of our
selves.
The advantages and opportunities
offered for building cotton factories
in the state are now obvious and We
wonder why such movement was
not begun fifteen years ago when
the Industry of spinning cotton FIRST
began TO move south ward Cotton
Is our great crop From it We have
this fall seen our bank deposits dou-
BILE IN many sections Of the state.
And yet at this date it can be seen
that in ten counties IN northeastern
Arkansas on the cotton gro En this
year the cotton buyers andCmanufac
turers have msdea net profit Of more
than five million dollars This
money is gone and il will return on
ly through FIRST mortgages on our
cotton farms purchased by thrifty
New EuglandeIs Owuirg stock IN
the fac,orles that turn our raw cot
tonIuto finished cloth Producers
Of high grade Int and Pedigrced
seed are leaving the districts farther
south and are locating here. We
should have a ready market for the
finished product What we oursel.
yes should not consume wolld find
a ready market in the st Louis,
Kansas CITY, Omaha, Denver ana
other northern and western cotton
goods markets to which we are near
er than any other cotton district
Cotton factories rCqllCe a high class
labor, boys and glrls, men and wo-
men, OF intelligence, capable of be-
coming skilled workmen. We shall
ind them here, juet as North Caro-
lima found workmen for her factor
les in her own boys and glrls reared
in the more enlightened districts
The ums isripe for the beginning
OF a great campaign that will result
in the building OF many factories.
There IL net a county in the cotton
belt Of The state but could take its
surplus cash on hand nov and huld
on. or two $2oO, 900 cotton mills,
Hydro eleclrio power will Ue avail
able by the time the mills can be
erected and the machinery installed
We are prone TO. hold giant strides
like this IN awe aud think aud say
that eastern capital will build our
factories when Lev are needed.
But eas,ern capital IA somewbat un-