San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-08-21
@-sAN AEIoHto-
T!!HEaT1Tal.!l=:GHT
An Impartial Report
of Texas Textile
Possibilities

4 L
= the caption Texas Turns to Spinning" in the
August issue of the New York publication Cotton and
Its Products.
"Study of subject of textile mill development y
Writes the author Stuart McGregor will bring out two
major facts First that cotton goods be made more
economically in Texas than in many of the older
facturing Districts secondly, that there enough
spndle in the United States at present to meet normal
needs"
These two facts are contradictory in far they
Econcen the future of cotton mill development in Texas
observes and hence the main issue resolves itself into
this: ..-
care Texas advantages sufficient to justify gen.
I eral relocation of large part of the industry"
L Mr.. McGregor's analysis of conditions in Texas
offers but one conclusion.
/. Certainly the argument is the side of Texas
with reference to raw materials" he observes. 'Pos
sby the advantage is overestmated in the calculations
of most Texans yet is advantage that is growing
in Importance from year to year Texas assumes
more and dominant position cotton producer
+ Granting the future position of Texas pro-
Queer of cotton the remainder is automatic 1t is well
founded principle that factory other factors ustyng
should be at the source of raw materials Texas mill
superintendent is authority for the statement that
Texas mill obtain its cotton for one and one-haf
cents less than eastern mills buy their product
There is an ample supply of intelligent and cheap
labor he observes.
+ 'It must be said, however" he continues, "that
there is not disposition the part of the Texas cotton
mill advocate to press heavily the subject of cheap
labor If he thought that development of the cotton
manufacturing industry would give rise to great class
of underpaid Disconnected case-conscous operatives
he would be thumbs down on the whole proposition
without hesitation The argument held out by Texas to
he manufacturer is that living costs and always will
be cheaper in Texas than in the northeast justfying
higher standard of living among operatives for equal
or even lower wage scale.
; "offcias of the Bolton Yarn Mills have estimated,
in letter to the Texas Power and Light Company that
living costs per operative in Texas 81 per week less
than in the Caroinas and $3.50 less than in New Eng
land These figures especially the latter, startling
and yet close scrutiny corroborates them"
He points out the fact that rents lower because
construction is cheaper; fuel costs for domestic pur
poses only fraction Of those in the north lighter
and hence cheaper clothing may be throughout
the year. food cheaper because of the long growing
season and the fruit vegetable, meat and dairy pro-
duetion.
Getting around to the subject of power brings US
TO factor not always appreciated by the Texas mill
enthusiast himself Not infrequently one hears Lone
Star native prating of Texas vast water power
sources There excellent water power oca-
ions the spring fed streams of middle south Texas
and one or two mills operated by hydro-eectric
power but generally surveyed Texas water power pos
sibilities are nil. NOR is THIS ANY DISADVANTAGE
Texas has great petroleum and natural gas resources
which make the manufacture of electricity as eco
nomca as in the Eastern states where hydro-electric
power is used largely Texas has another fuel which Is
even more valuable from standpoint of industrial pos
sibiy. 1t is Ignite of which there is estimated
80 billion tons under the surface of Texas"
With reference to the market for cotton manufac-
turers in Texas Mr. McGregor remarks that the field
here broad in other sections of the United
States that the Texas population is considerable that
ito the north is the thicky populated of the middle
west and to the south the cotton consuming countries of
Latin America. He observes that Texas mill
Handicapped by lack of finishing and dyeng plants and
that they remote from present centers Of garment
manufacture But these factors will not be slow in adj
ustng themselves to needs of Texas manufacturers he
adds if the fundamental considerations of COST
labor and power really lend encouragement to the de-
Ivelopment Of the cotton goods manufacture in the
Southwest"
| He attributes the hitherto slow expansion of the
textile industry in Texas to the lack of understanding of
marketing and operating problems among Texas bust
ness men-true only in the past
Experience alone he concludes, will decide wheth