Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-12
4 Northeastern Authority on
The Textile Industry's Trend

THOUGH comparisons, as Bogberry re-
marked, are "odorous" and, as a rule,
are better for the thoughtful to dis
cover than for the favored to point out, we
feel warranted in directing attention to GER
tain statements by great newspaper of the
Northeast touching the comparative advan-
tages of the cotton textile industry in New
England and in the South
The New York Evening World declares edi-
torially that whereas New England early in
the nineteenth century had three outstanding
superiorities in cotton spinning and weaving,
to-day these all have vanished, Of first i'm
portance was that regions climate. 1.-THE
natural humidity of the New England) cot
ton towns allowed a maximum number of
working days when conditions were favor
able Science has overcome this by supplying
mechanical methods for regulating tempera-
ture and humidity in cotton factories" The
second marked advantage of the Northeastern
mills was water power. But, New England
mills have outgrown the natural power, and
freight rates on coal for steam power put
them at disadvantage, compared with South
ern plants closer to the coal fields or with ade-
quate water powers" Observing that in the
matter of freight on raw cotton, Southern
mills obviously have the better of it, the
World passes on to what it deems the third
important factor. 1.-THE Yankee founders of
the industry it says, 'have died. Many of
the mills were incorporated and lost the
shrewd personal direction of the early stages.
Many heirs preferred to spend their incomes
rather than bother with actual control of the
mills. Other owners. of the younger gener-
market speculation than to production in the
mills
While we would not pretend to speak with
authority on the New England conditions
which the World so interestingly analyses, WE
can bear witness that the South, in climate
and in water power, has potent allies in the
march for cotton textile leadership, and that
she is mastering to the industry a great deal
of ability, both executive and chronological
Under climatic conditions such as prevail in
Georgia and neighbor States, heating costs for
factory buildings are comparatively low, fue
supplies not interrupted by snow-bound
railways, hydro-electric power is not hamper
ed by frozen streams, and both the conditions
and the costs of living are easier for employees
The South's water power resources are as yet
scarce in the May-morn of their development;
engineering authority estimates that they are
ample to support vigorous textile expansion
for many decades to come. 1t should be add
ed that labor conditions in this region are
particularly desirable in that the vast ma
jority of the workers are natiYe-born and thus
free from those vexations and discords which
unknown tongues and alien ideas SO oft be
get.
1t seems commonly agreed by qualified and
disinterested observers that the South il
Americas destined center of the cotton tex
tile industry. Certainly for the last three
decades the trend of enterprise and invest
ment has been decidedly in this direction
while for the last few years it has, been EN-
phatically so. 1t is to secure for this com
monwealth a rightful share of these ant