San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-04
TEXAS SHOULD.
LEAD AMERICA
IN MILLS
Textile Industry Of Nation
Concentrates Resources
Amid Production.
By H. H. OCHS

0y
Gigantic Texas, an empire in ITSELF "
with enough fertility and natural re-
sources 70 feed, clotheand supply the
other nhysical needs of the millions OF
human beings that populate our glcri-
cus Union of States, under extensive
cultivation. industrial organization ana
the development of its vast natural re-
sources, promises to become the hO uio
of fifty millions of Americans' ms
vast domain SO richly blessed by l's
Creator, possesses more resources tnuh
the balance of our country as 1t exists
TODAY. is a sleeping giant, who does
not realize nor appreciate his enor-
am not sufficiently informed TO
visualize the possibilities in the fiei1
~ agriculture or mining, nor am 1
nrepared to speak authoritatively
about Industrial possibilities, pertain
ing TO manufacturing in any other
line except textiles and the most I'M
'portant of these is the manufacture
Of cotton. to which / shall confine my
self in this discourse.
WHY BUILD MILLS.
In the face of the fact, that Gigantic
Texas. an empire in itself. with enough
fertility to feed and clothe all the
hundred million people of the United
States. under intensive cultivation, and
possessing greater wealth, and great.
er and more comprehensive variety OIL
natural resources than all the other
states combined, as they exist today, II
should not be in order to ask the qucs-
ton, "Why build cotton mills in lex
as?, but instead the reasons are ie-
sion. "wby Texas should be operating
successfully hundreds of cotton mills,
and retain the revenue 1t so richly de-
serves"
Although 1t is apparent that Texas.
by virtue of its almost unlimltci 1e-
sources and products, foremost among
which is cotton, should lead in the
manufacture of cotton fabrics In the
same proportion, as it leads in prodtt-
ing the same, shall. with few terse
statements, set forth facts that will
answer the question convincingly.
Texas produces almost half OF the
cotton crop of the United States. Last
years crop was a little in excess OF
10000. 900 bales. of which Texas pro-
duced 1885, 900 bales, or about 40 per
cent, or almost one-half.
A 500-pound bale of cotton, when
sold at 30 cents a pound and shipped
out of Texas, returns a revenue to the
state Of $50. That is oil. While 500
pounds OF finished cotton goods, pur-
chased by Texans from Eastern loanu-
facturers at an average cost of 81 per
pound, amounts to $500, thus losing
to the state, on cotton goods made
outside of the state and purchased by
the people in the state. on each 50O
pounds, the sum Of $3.50.
WILL THEY PAY?
The consumption of cotton goods in
the United States averages 20 pounds
per person annually. On this basis the
four and a half million people in Tex
as consume each year 112,5OO,0OO
pounds of cotton. or 225, 200 bales. We
buy this cotton back at a cost of $500
per bale more than we received for it,
which means a loss of S7S,730, 900 10
the people of Texas each year, as this
huge sum goes out of the state 10 pur-
chase goods made from cotton grown
in the state. Is not this tremendous
sum to lose? 1t is equal to the value
of the Kansas wheat crop and would
build 20 cotton mills in Texas every
year.
These figures, I assure you. are
very conservative. Five hundred
pounds of raw cotton. converted into
cotton goods is worth nearer $1,000
than $500, as estimated above.
Can you imagine such a situation?
Must a house fall on us, to awaken
us out of our lethargy, 10 awaken us
sufficiently so that we may even
family realize our tremendous posi-
bilities?
Then we have not taken into con-
Alteration the fact, that it costs an-
proximately S15 to ship a bale oil oct
ton to the East and the same amount
to ship the converted product BACK 10
Texas to be consumed. Two hundred
and twenty-five thousand bales at Sl5
each, transportation charges, is an
other $3,375,000 to be. borne by the
ultimate consumer, sufficient to build
three more cotton mills every year.
THE HUMAN ELEMENT.
There is still another very import
ant feature, that we cannot consclen-
tiously overlook, and that is the hui
man element, that enters into these
promises. In this Land OF Plenty,
which verify Flows With Milk and
Honey" where for nine months out of
the year we raise everything we eat,
all Of which has to be shipped to the
Eastern consumer, who pays several
times as much for it as we do here,
where we produce it, besides for that
same part of the year, we have no
need for fuel, while the Eastern labor
er has to pay enormous prices for
fuel to maintain his house habitable-
In the face of these undeniable facts,
IRE we not justified in assuming that
We can show a reasonable saving In
The cost Of labor? We propose to save
from 25 to SO 1-3 per cent of the East
Nrn cost.
The trend Of industrial development
Is most naturally, toward the source
Of supply, of raw products and where
lower operating costs prevail and fuel
supplies are plentiful.
The vast and undeveloped natural
resources OF Texas can certainly sup
ply any demand made upon them by
Industry. for the supply seems to, be
unlimited and If we continue to spurn
these blessings bestowed upon this
great state by the Almighty Creator
we are unworthy and improbable
stewards and the talents that Provi-
dence has instructed to us and which
we have buried. instead of employing
them, will be taken from us and given
to a generation of more diligent and
worthy stewards.