The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 24, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 26, 1908 Page: 21 of 48
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Colonel R. T. MUoer. oommieetoner of
agriculture recently traveled ever the
Bute with a Ttew of eecurlng information
on the oottoa end woolen mill mduatry In
Tail the nirpoee of which la the leni-
ence of e bulletin by the Btete depart-
ment of agriculture on thla most Inter-
selliig subject. In thla bulletin Colonel
miser will treat upon every phaee ef
thla Industry end the a real need ef mere
mill In Texs the greatest cotton pro-
ducing State la the Union.
The following la from the matter which
be haa prepared and will doubtleea prove
of Immense value and Interest since lit-
tle or nothing haa been written about
theee mills In Texaa.
Colonel M liner gives hla conclusions as
follows:
By an examination of the map of Texas
It will be seen that the counties In which
these mills are situated constitute a
chain of the rich black waxy belt ex-
tending from Bell county north to the
Red river. In 1906 theee seven mill coun-
ties p.-oduced 6M.390 bale of cotton.
Hence It will be observed that no other
territory ot equal else In the worM fa so
rich In the productions of this staple. It
can readily be seen that this condition
creates a competition for labor rarely to
be found. Tbe hands can walk out of tje
mill Into the growing cotton fields In a
few minutes. Therefore. If wages and
other conditions In the mill are lees Invit-
ing tban in the field the transition Is
essy. If the tenant on the farm la dis-
satisfied with his surroundings the mill
will gladly give him employment This
competition can never be entirely eradi-
cated. The cotton farmer and the cotton
spinner can never form any combination
by which the two can control the prices
of labor. When the plant needs hoeing
and plowing delay means disaster ana
rulp to the cotton miser and when the
field is white unto the harvest and fall
and winter storms threaten the destruc-
tion of his only money crop he will pay
the highest price for cotton pickers. This
Is a most desirable condition for the mill
as well as the operatives because while
It furnishes more than one avenue to the
latter for employment. It exempts the
former from charges of oppression from
which is might not escape If this condi-
tion did not exist.
The relation existing between the em-
ployer and the employe Impressed me as
being generous and cordial. No employe
hesitates to present hla grievances real
or ImnirtDRrv to the manaser. The nnlrlt
of tyranny which often asserts Itself over
Mred hands was nowhere In evidence.
The corporation seemed entirely obscured
by Individualism. Will thla condition
continue to exist T 1-et us hope that it
will. Why should not kindness Juetlce
and humanity strengthen Instead of
weaken aa the years go and come? In
hip abic book "From the Cotton Field to
the Cotton Mill." Prof. Holland Thomp-
son predicts that the employer and em-
ploye will grow farther and farther apart.
He believes that Individualism and Inde-
pendence on both sld-s will finally be
sunk In organization. He Is viewing the
situation as It exists in North Carolina.
IBut In Texas where competition for labor
will eer be great where the soil Invites
the Industriously Inclined offering the
most substantial reward to those who till
It. the very conditions themselves Inspire
and foster a policy that will ever main-
tain a wise and healthy relation between
the farm and the factory. In a country
so varied In Its resour'-es and possibili-
ties where the cotton Is lifted out of the
field Into the mill so to speak. Individual-
ism and Independence on the part of the
employer as well as the employe can not
be destroyed.
The condition of those who work In the
factories has long been a question of pub-
lic discussion and many erroneous Ideas
have lieen Instilled In the public mind by
sensational literature. The laborers at the
mills in Texas come from a people known
as tenant farmers and from the mills of
the Southern Stales east of the Missis-
sippi river.
The mill villages are well supplied with
water principally from artesian wells; the
cojtsge.s are superior In every way to tha
average tenant farm houses In the samo
territory and sanitary regulations are not
Inferior to those of the average country
towns Educational facilities are more
ilnslrahle than are generally found In the
rural districts and exposure to the
weather Is entirely avoided In the mills.
The mill buildings are comfortably ar-
ranged the work light but steady and.
barring the dust and lint there Is no
danger of any part of the work Jeopar-
dizing one s health. Indeed the hard lot
of the average farmer Is changed for the
better by going to the mills Of course
the wnge earner often becomes dissatis-
fied and seeks other fields hoping to bet-
ter his condition Those only In any pur'
eult who are willing to toll economize and
wait can succeed while the prodigal goes
on to greater failure and poverty.
Cotton mills In the South have been
phenomenally successful as a rule the
average net profits as given hy Mr. D.
A. Tompkins of charlotte N. 0. for a
period of twenty years up to 1900 have
been 16 per cent and In many Instances
dividends from 40 to (Xt per cent have been
realized In Texas the Industry Is passing
through the formatlvo stage. Those now
In charge of the mills are intensely opti-
mistic. Labor and fuel are as cheap as
elsewhere and climatic conditions are not
excelled In the world. The raw material
Is transferred from the fields to the mills
without cost to the latter. There are
many places In Texas where the lignite
and raw cotton can be found In close
proximity to each other. It so hsppens
that In those very sections labor that Is
available for the mills Is more abundant.
Exempt from all expense of freight for
fuel and the raw material there Is no
business requiring the same amount of
capital which insures greater profits. It
Is a mistake that a mill should be in a
large city In order to secure operatives.
The urnan population will not take to the
mills. The riands 'are all obtained from
the farms and the mills of the older
Southern States. The manager of the
Pallas mill said that none of his help i
came from tbe cltv Oecnntonnltv h.nri I
wilVdrop In from the city work a day or
two and then quit. The townspeople In
the South who perform manual labor are
either skilled mechanics or clerks and
messengers employed about the stores
and banks.
Those contemplating the building of cot
ton mills could not spend the Initial period
more profitably than In visiting a number
of these mills. At them they can secure
Information that can not be obtained In
any other way There they will he able
to familiarize themselves with the con-
struction of the building the kind of ma-
chinery In operation and where to pur-
chase It. and many other details that can
not be set out In a written communica-
tion. The prediction la ventured here that
Texas will make rapid strides In the next
decade In the cotton mill Industry. After
Henry Orady In hlf speoch at the Dallas
fair In 18SX. had portrayed the agricul-
tural reaources of Texas aa no other man
could he said:
"But agriculture alone no matter how
rich or varied Its resources can not es-
tablish or maintain a people's prosperity
There Is a lesson In this that Texas may
learn with profit. No commonwealth ever
earns to greatness by producing raw
material. Lsa can this be possible In the
future than In the past. The Comsto. K
lode Is the richest spot on earth. And yet
the miners gasping for breath 1500 feet
below the earth s surface get bare exlst-
3 ice out of the splendors they dig from
le earth. It goes to carry the commerce
ana upnoia me lnaumry or distant lands
of which the men who produce It get re.t
dim report. Hardly more la the South !
profited when stripping the harvest .if !
per ootton fields or striking her teemlrtg J
hills or leveling her superb forests she
Sends her raw material to augment the
wealth and power of distant oommnnltlei.
"Aa one-crop farming can not support
the country neither can a rssonree of
commercial exchange support a cltv
Texaa wants Immigrants she needs theni i
ior ii tvwry-iiunin omng in rexas were
filacer at equal distant points through
he Btate no Texan could hear the souni
Of a human voice In your broad areas
"Bo how can you beat attract Immigra
tion? By furnishing work for the artisan
ana mecnanio. ii you meet tbe demand
of your population for cheaper and essen-
tial manufactured articles one-half mil-
lion workers would be needed for this
and with their families would double the
population of your Btate. In these me-
chanics and their dependents farmers
would find a aure market for not only
their staple crops but for tha track that
xner now aeapiee to reuee or eel
Uoa to at least Am waga a U
e..
but
1TOM MILLS IH COTTON ffDEMs
. s ; -J A.r f.v- . ? -ft r. - .j ' .
jsk K
tv ill w4 Mi
't . lie
R. T.
The most prosperous section of this world
is that known as the Middle States of thla
republic. With agriculture and manufac-
tures und with their shops and factories
set amid rich and ample acres the result
Is such deep and diffuse prosperity as no
other section can show. Suppose those
States had a monopoly of cotton and coal
so disposed as to command the world's
markets and the treasury of the world's
timber. I suppose the mind la staggered
In contemplating the majesty of the
wealth ana power they would attain.
What have they that the South lacks?
To her these things were added and to
these things climate ampler acree and
rich soil. It Is a curious fact that three-
fourths of tho population and manufac-
turing wealth of this country is conflnad
In a naiTow atrip between Iowa and
Massachusetts composing less than one-
sixth of our territory and that thla
atrip Is distant from the source of raw
materials on which Its growth Is based
with hard climate and in large part of
sterile soil "
"The cotton mills will finally come to
tbe cotton fields." was the prophecy of
our fathers. But this prophecy was more
or less discouraged by the more skep-
tical who argued that cllmetlcal condi-
tions were against us. Kxperlence how-
ever has demonstrated the utter nntena-
bleness of that Idea. If there ever exist-
ed a cause for such belief It has been
entirely removed by the Improvement of
machinery which adjusts temperature
and moisture to the condition required.
"But where can the South secure labor
for factories'' was asked with a defiance
that yet nils the uninformed with trepida-
tion. All these problems have been solved.
The growth of the cotton mill Industry
In tho South since 1R90 has been marvel-
ous. The figures startle us as they tell
th estory In 1890 the South manufactured
638.X95 bales of cotton. At that time New
England manufactured 1.602.177 bales. Is
1906 the South manufactured 2.373.67.'
bales while New England manufacturi-d
that year 20M900 or 313777 bales less
than the South manufactured. Hence
the Southern mills show an Increase In
the manufacture of cotton In sixteen years
of 340 47 per cent. New England In tho
same period Increased her production only
S7.1J per cent. During the same period
the South Increased the numbor of her
spindles 472 Si: per cent though the sjplrvj
dies in New F.ngland Increased only ii.77
per cent. Thus the progress of thla In-
dustry has sdvsnced In tho South far
beyond the expe-tatlons of the most hope-
ful. Henry Crady the most optimistic of
611 Southern prophets could not stretotl
1V vision to see what haa been accom-
plished In so short a time. North Caro-
lina manufactures more cotton than she
produces South Carolina and Georgia
each manufactures jearlv as much aft
North Carolina. Alabama Texas ahd
Mississippi are making prodigious strides
along the same lines Texas being fifth
In the list of cotton 8tates In the num-
ber of bales manufactured In 1607.
That til.- people might know mure about
the details of this growing Industry in
Texas. I recentlv made a visit to the cot-
ton mills situated at Belton. West Hllls-
boro Itasca. Waxahachle Dallas Sher-
man Denlson and Ilonham respectively
for the purpose of collecting this Informa-
tion. The first mill visited In this Itiner-
ary was the It.-lton cotton mill. lo .ited
at the town of Helton Bell county.
Btlton Mill.
J. Z MILLER. MANAGER
This mill was established In and
commenced to operate October I'.ml It
was originally capitalized at tioo.ooo.
January. 1903. tho stork was Increased to
Jl.ri0.000 For several years It lost money.
1 K
to the Inelperlen.-e of the man
ager and to the runner la t mat auer
the mill was completed tlire was no
surplus money with which to operate It.
In 1905 tho capacity of t lif nil'l was prac-
tically duubled. Tho mill started with
100 looms and S100 splndi.-s. making four-
yard sheeting that Is. four v nls to the
pound. The maolilneiv was bought one-
fourth cash the bulan. e. three six nnd
nine months' time The building was
erected at a cost of tlO.oco July I
the mill commence! to operate under tho
second reorganization and at the lose of
1907 It had made since lis se-ond re-
organization the handsome sum of
391.43. having abend. .n.-d the manufacture
of cloth under the ee.-ond reorgai. izai loll
and manufacturing ya.n altogether. The
mill has 11- operatives on the nay roil
the pay roll amount lug to alut
$30000 annually The mill consume from
2U00 to 22UO bales of cotton an-
nually the grade being middling and
above This cotton Is bought on the
streets of Helton. About 70 per c nt of
the operatives are citizens of li'il county;
half of them were tenant fanners tiefore
coming to the mill the oti.ers coming
from the poor families In the town. Those
that come from th.i farms are semi-annual
hands coming to the mill twtca
a year and returning to the farms twice
a year. They come the llrst time after
cotton Is chopped otlt. reluming In the
fall to pick the cotton nnd then return-
ing to II. e mill the second time after the
cotton has been picked
The manager. Mr .1. ..Miller Is a na-
tive of Bell county engaged In the
banking business and had no cxnrrienca
-tn tile cotton mill Industry until he as-
sumed the management of this mill In
reply to a question as to the availability
of labor he declared with emphasis
that the labor question is all solved
there being no trouble whatever to se-
cure all the help needed.
The fuel used by the Belton mill Is
lignite shipped from Hockdale. Milam
county. "It Is ch"aier than coal and
equally as good." was the emphatic
declaration of the manager The stock
or this enterprise Is now owned about
equally between artlea In the Kast and
the clthtena of Belton. The manager of
thla mill asserted with manifest earnest-
ness that Texas' needed a cotton mill
la every town In tbe State receiving aa
many aa 16.000 bales of cotton annually.
He illustrated the profits of the cotton
mill industry by the following simple
proposition: Tbe farmer sells a bale of
ootton to the factory for which he re-
oerrse sv oasni uie mill hand treats It
tor mi m will par the tnsuranoe and
tilm IIWMertll airrr seal -Vim LUa calU A
HOUSTON DAILY FOST. SUN&AY MORNING. APRIL 26. 1908.
-rijTLAJi"ir
MILNER.
seeMeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeweeewa
gets a profit of 110; aggregating 1100 for
the bale which Is left in the community
of the mill thus doubling Its value at
home which finds Its way Into the dif-
ferent avenues of trade and commerce
thus enriching and prospering our State.
This mill owns the cottages erected for
the use of the operatives. They are
twenty-five in number supplied with an
abundance of water a hydrant at each
cottage and other conveniences peculiar
to the average Texas towns are enjoyed
by the Inhabitants. The school facili-
ties are as good as those afforded by
any of the towns of Texaa.
The Brazos Valley Cotton MilL
J. H CHAMBLIS3. MANAGER.
Thla mill Is altuated at West In Mc-
Lennan county about midway between
Waco and lllllsboro. The present oora-
pany was organized In 1904 though the
mill bad been run about eighteen months
at that time. The first company secured
a manager from North Carolina under
whose management It did not succeed.
The mill Is capitalized at tiOO.000; stock
Issued on the whole amount of capital-
ization Is 193000. The mill contains 210
looms and 6240 spindles. It has ninety
40-Inch looms seventy M Inch sheeting
looms and fifty Sbinch drill looms. It
manufactures light sheeting known as
four-yard sheeting that Is four yards to
the pound which Is used largely lor
rrutklng bags also drilling which aoea to
tho converting trade. The product la
used for shoe lining It uses Texas llg-
t0' te mined at Alba a small town on the
..llseourl Kansas and Texas railway
near the line between Wood and Haines
couutles. The mill employs 120 bands
divided as follows: Sixty men twenty
women twenty-two boys and nineteen
?lrls. It obtains hands from the nearby
arms. East Texas and from the South-
ern Stales east of the Mississippi
twenty-nine having been reecntly brought
from that section. The manager stated
that ho formerly operated his mill at
night but abadoned It from the stand-
point of humanity. "Any enterprise." he
said "which endangers the health of Its
operatives Is doomed to self-destruction."
It Is appropriate to say In thll connection
that none of the mills of Texas Is oper-
ated et night. The Dallas mill tried It
tout found It very unsatisfactory
The manager of the West mill said that
during the gathering season a man and
his family would make more money pick-
ing cotton than they could working dn
the mills because the law will not per-
mit a man to work Ills children In the
mills under 14 years ot age while on the
farm be can work them at. all ages and
at all hours In the day He said It fre-
quently happens thut during the cotton
picking season a man will take his family
from the mill where Ms children are not
exposed to tho hot sun or the morning
dews and go to the fields where he will
compel thcrn without reference tn their
ages to pick cotton owing to the fact
that the law of tTie mill and the law of
the cotton patch don't apply with eiual
force and Hc t All the stock of this
mill Is owned by the people of McLen-
nan county. The company oii twenty-
two cottages. A four-roomed house rente
for $1 per wek The bouses are boxed
and wealherhoflrded AH the operatives
the manager said could read and write.
Some of them however are poorly edu-
cated A few i iv bank accounts but
the most of them when they get money
ahead want to go Into some other busi-
ness. This mill Is very prosperous; consumes
Ut) bales per year the same being raised
In sight of the factory The goods are
sold to a conimlsfclon house lu Hf Louts.
"The possibilities of the cotton milling
Industry In i'ejtss are very great." was
the earnest and assuring statement of
the manager The superintendent of this
mill learn.-d the business principally In
Texas lie said the company bad In-
creased the wni;es of Its operatives 26 per
cent and reduced the hours V per cent
voluntarily within the last two years.
Last yein when the textile strike oc-
rured In this Stat.. the manager dis-
charged nil Ms hands end then filled their
placeH with an equal number of Amer-
icana and llr hemlans. thus producing con-
fusion In tongues In order to prevent a
strike In the future repeating the rem-
edy which was used on one o. '-aslon when
the families of the sons of Noah inaugu-
rated a strike against the plans of Je-
hovah by trying to build a tower whose
top should rracn unto heaven.
HilltboTO Cotton Mills.
(AI.BF.RT 'T CLIFTON MANAGER
AND KITFKI NTKN IlF.NT i
This mill was establlsl e.l In lor capi-
talized at S90.GGO. shares amounting to
171. WW have haen Issued; the other la out-
standing. The mill lias eighty looms and
2600 spindles It manufactures seven-
ounce eight-ounce end ten-ounce duck
and consumes about 1O00 bales of cotton
per er. The manager Is a native Texan
but attended the Philadelphia Textllo
school from which be graduated and
worked for a while In the construction of
cotton mill machinery at (lastonla. N C.
)ie said lahor ondllions hers are go'xl.
lie has an average of sixty-five hands;
unout as many men as there are women
and clilldien. Speaking of edu. allonal fa-
cilities lie said that one advantage a man
has at a mill over the farm tenant Is that
lie can gat employment for the whole
family every day In the year at the mill
and at the same time educate Ms chil-
dren provided he will work half ..r them
at a time sending tbe other half to
school. The company owns Its ...ttages
and rents them at from f W to VI 60 per
month. Water la furnished hy the com-
pany. The ollll rampui .-overs about
thirty acres of land convenient to the
mill. The manager said that the cotton
manufacturing business Is flattering from
every viewpoint. This mill also uaee
lignite whlcn la mined In Houston coun-
ty near Crockett and from Hoyt. Wood
county. A majority nf the operatlvee
come from farms a good many from
Eastern Texas. Mr. Clifton Informed me
that one man and his wife who had
worked at this mill for six years bad
saved during that time nearly 13000. which
tbey had deposited In a bank idght by
id
gh by
lamllsV
aha aids ef this oouyle la another
' B Th
for thli
1 -i bov
ilt.iral
. t'.au
Bedford
rt
We
at
m r
It' I at-
I at that
'-.! g'.stes
t wne.1 t.V
11111 c nin-
s '-ordltton.
Ituc Manuffcctur : i: Company.
B. A. HALL M in ViKH
TbUmtll la altuate . ; iu(l hmi
ocunty some ten or t"- miles on th
Fort "Worth branch of ih Missouri. Kan-
sas and Texaa railway r.rth of Htlls-
boro. The site Is a ver deposing on
and oouM be made vnv attractivt hy
growing trees and otherwUe beautifying
the mill village. Hla mill was established
In law and commenced t operate In lwi
It is capitalised at ilW and all tin
stock Is owned by home people It has
KM looms M0 spindles and consumes an-
nually 2000 bales of rott. n It manufact-
ures drills sheeting and .tuck The prod-
uct la sold to New York . 'Tnuilssloii men.
The mill employs an vn of lit hands
has furty-elght oottagen owned by His
mill which rent for an a v. rag e of 14 per
month. The mill works mote grown peo-
ple than children at leant .6 per cent oe-
tig men and women There is maintained
a school on the grounds under the super
vision of the city nf Itasca Tbe house
wsb built by the oompau. and Is used
also aa a chapel by the different denomi-
nations for the accommodation of tho
mill hands. Most of tl hands In this
mill came from the Southern cotton
States east of the Mississippi. The man-
ager stated that parties talsed on ths
farm are hard (o hold at the mill and
those raised In the mills do not take to
the farm. Buslneea he said wss good
last year. Tbe only difficulty with refer-
ence to labor he stated. Is that other en-
terprises pay more than the cotton mill
can afford to pay. He contended that we
must have more surplus labor In Tsxss
before the cotton Industry will be profit-
able here. He said he much preferred
Southern to foreign labor He affirms
that labor Is ib per cent higher In Texas
than It la In North Carolina. It Is well
enough to state here however that ns
Is alone among the mill men whom I
visited In his pessimistic views wtth ref-
erence to labor He told ma that all the
operatives can read and write and he
believes the facilities for educating chil-
dren at the cotton mills In Texas are su-
perior to those enjoyed hy the tenant farm
class and that a famllv willing to won
and economize can accumulate money by
working In the mill. He said that a man
with three children 14 to IS years of ago
who will work steadllv can aoon earn
from 90 to 1100 per month In the agre-
gate. Burh a family though there might
be three children In s.ii"ol could live yn
150 per month. Ha olte.l an Inatanca of a
man one daughter and two aona who
make 129.76 per week paving tl 40 rent for
cottage per week. The manager declared
be would rather see high notion and good
demand for the manufactured product
than to see low price for cotton and aluw
sale for the manufactured product. It
should be stated In this connection n
Justice tn the managers of the Texaa
mills that they uniformly asserted that
high prloea for ootton mean high prices
for cotton cloth and therefore they desire
to see the raw product maintain a atlff
stable price
Mr. Hall said that tho poaalbllltlea of
the cotton manufacturing Interests are
rapidly Increasing In Texas. He would
recommend that a practical and experi-
enced man be aeoured to operate the new
cotton mill wherever It mar be built.
Under an expertencel and skilful manager
It is easy to teach the natives how to
run a ootton mill. In the course of a
month a green hand can learn to run
four looms ten Is aa many aa any person
la ever allowed to operate. An average
child he aald could earn a living In six
months. Other managers .however fix
the time of earning a living at a much
eejsHer period.
Waxahaohio Cotton Milli.
B. A. DUBOflE. 8BCRBTART AND
MANAGKR.
THOaV HOWARTH HUrBRINTlOTDIlNT
Like nearly all the Texaa mills thla
one was built In UK). It la located at
Waxahachle the county aeat at Ellis
oounty the banner cotton county of the
world. It having produced In 10 164. UU
bales. It commenced to run In March
1J01. It la oapltallssd at 1100000. owned
altogether by the oltlxens of Ellis county.
The buildings cost altogether about $40000.
It contains 204 looms 9000 spindles and
consumes about 4000 bales of ootton an-
nually. It manufactures single filling
duck and toweling; duck two yards to the
pound toweling flvs yards to the pound.
The capacity of the mill waa doubled In
1907. The total cost of the plant was
1240000.
It haa 171. operatives about half and
half male and female. There are about
four grown persons to one child working
In the mill. The clilldien are employ !
in spinning as the work Is light. It n
not usual to employ children In weaving
but occasionally a boy Is used at th-
loom Tbe minimum price paid to grown
hands la $1.2d per day; II. e largest wages
paid any one. not an overseer Is J:: per
day The learners got about 4'c per day.
The least that a splritier Is paid Is 4c per
day and only ono In this mill at the tl.ne
I was there was le.-elving wages Hi.'
low The best sp inner gets $1 20 per dav
The lowest wages paid any boy on t! .
roll st tho time I was there was r
Hoys receive from fro to ft per day. a
cording to their aptness Knglneers fti 'I
foremen rm elve from U 26 to 14 per da .
There sre six foremen In this mill I .
eluding the engineer.
A boy or girl barns to spin or doff In
two or three months It Is the rule f
the girls to spin end the boys to do"
ft Is essential to a Letter understand! .r
or the character of work performed In .
cotton mill that ex planatlon be made m
to what a il'.f fer Is and to acquaint ' .
reader wit Ii aome of the detail work "f
tie various men women and children rn
ployed in the same
In spinning the IMead Is wound nt .i
bobbin afl. r the It. .1 i o n have been fl1 - '
the hoys doff tt.em Into a truck v. '
they sr. rapldl". h.iii.-d Into anothei
partmeiit The n.;lditv with which II
bov" remove the full bobbins or ss.-. i
and replae them with empty ones
strjklnglv Interesting and never falls
attract Die attention of the new visit.. .
the cotton roil These doffers ...
work nho'it h.-.lf their time After renc.
Ing the eool thev pass the Interim
boyish games; but when the ma. hlni
has wrapri.-d the tl.reals around H
sols. filling them again they most i.e
present to take them away.
The first thing that attracted my -
tentlon when I entered the Waxaha. -I I .
mill was ten of these little doffers j.iy
log marbles In the hall while the mi'ln.
ery was drawing out the threads and
winding thetii around the spools will h
they would be called upon In a few
utes to remove The spinners however
no ml keep their pin"- so also most He
weavers The pro. ess of a bale of
ton Is as follow- Tne cotton starts st
the pl lor. the fust Is the breaker pi k-
then t'e finish.' picker: after which I'
goes int.. tin- .:irds' then the dr-.v
frsuies. there he'ngjtwo known as "rst
and second; next Is the slubber M
the sjieeder followed by the spin..!.
frame spooler warper slasher win
prepares It for the oom the loom I.elriK
last In the process from the raw eott. i
to the cloth After the cloth COmea from
the loom It goes through a brusher
which cleans It The rloth oomea fro.n
the loom In a roll and Is then folded Into
ysrd plaits
It requires a year so Mr. Howarth In
formed me. td become a good weaver
One can learn how to operate the dra
frames In a year or two. It reoulcv
three or four months to learn to opera's
skillfully the elubber. and twelve months
to successfully run the siatedera. He snld
that on can learn In a few days to op-
erate these machines but that It re-
quires time to become an expert. He Il-
lustrated the work In a cotton mill by
saying that one ran learn to pick ootton
Id lbs fields to a day. but that It takes
time he beoeme an expert In few days
who earn more and h
manager speaking of I
business said he had :
to the textile school c
and Mechanical college
ko send him to Phllade
or any other school i
have advantages" he
schools superior to the -tended
which was r
time to be the beet In "
The entire stock Of this
the people of Hlllabor
ty. Tbe mill la In a pr -
i00 poua
' rj-.ruJr.r rvrrrrriM - - - - - - - - - - -
and In a comparatively short tin:.- !. ::i
be picking from IM to fcw pounds p. t
day. while others will never .1 ; to
achieve success as a cotton pi k.r So
It Is In a cotton roUL and so It L. in uvery
department of life.
This mill bas foTtjr-two cciing. . and
twenty-eight acres of land. TI... .itages
rent from 13 14 and 16 per u .r : . ih
houses renting for the hlghent pr n o
always occupied for tbey ate 1..-; i ami
more cumfortablo than the oihui .4 Tt-ie
Is an abundance of artesian nmur fin
to the operatives. Sanitation
after by the mill. Tnera la a h:l on t;ie
tiilll '-ampin erected by the mill uioiif
usslsted by private donatiom u.ii r..r
edui allonal and religious purpose-. I;mi
is a echool where all the cl.ii.li '. . dn
attend tree fhe entire expense f in.i
n.-hool being home by the compan-. us it
Is. not oonne. ted with the fie" d ..
rvstem In the city. The manage .-s.iej
li. e thut the possibilities Of the . : u In-
dustrt in Texas are unlimited I - only
.ie-.tloii he sal.l. was lack of Ian- hut
... unlit. -.1 that tbe railroads are nipiairi-
li.K "f the same tiling. He sail The
higher tne ootton tbe more prusp. ui ta
our business "
Tio re lue 104 stockholders In tl is mill
wlilcii evinces a very wholesomo state
of affair AU.ut SO per cent of the l.'-or
comes rroni ti e tenant farming olm rue
superintendent la an Englishman. I' i'.ig
entered the cotton mllla of Lanoasiets ..re
when be wmm h yeara old. For u... y
if nra be was In the cotton mill I -!
tiess in emu la honoe hla experiences m
a manufacturer nf rotten goods bas ei-
tended through many years In the m st
prosperous muuiifMotuMng dlstrlots In ti i
w. rl.l which ought to give weight to Ms
opinions. Therefore I was glad to hear
him sav that climatic conditions are more
favorable here than at tbe North. He Is
an enthusiastic advocate of education be-
lieving strongly In compulsory attendance
hut -does n..t think there should be any
restrict Ions en child labor abeve the age
of 12. At that age ha thinks unaer prop-
er conditions such as we would have
under compulsory education the average
. Ii 1 id would he In possession of a good
common s hool edu. h(..ii
He docs not believe that the work In a
cotton mill Is detrimental to health. lit
Ri. gland prior to Is 70 children commence
to work In the cotton mills at 1 years of
ago. Vpon entering tbe mill the child
was examined hy a physician and. If any
defeota existed whVli would endanger
the life of the child In the mill he waa
not admitted All children admitted as
laborers iti the nill wosei compelled to gj
to school the same length of time that
they n.uked at the mill until they reached
the age of 13 years one set would go to
school for a month fn the forenoon re-
turning to work In the afternoon and
then alternate. About 1H70 the age wai
changed from I years to 10 that a child
could go to work In the mill with the
ka.'ie provision that he had to go to
s. stool half the time. At tbe age of II
If li e child failed to stand a certain ex-
amination another year In school Is re-
quired after that there la no restrlotlon.
About pet cent nf the older operiUlvsa
In this mill can not read anil write. All
the children however oun read and write.
In Kngland all children are compelled to
entsr school at f years of age and by the
time they hove spent three yeats In school
they have a. ijulied a good buglnnlng to-
ward a common school education.
Dallas Cotton Mill
(j. t. HowAitn. rnrosiLBNT Aim
MAN AG Kit.)
The Dallas cotton mill waa the first ex-
pensive enterprise of the kind undertaken!
In Texas. It was Incorporated In 1x91 and
capitalized at 10.000. At thla time It
represents an Inveatment of 1400000. It
contains 800 looms 11.000 spindles and em-
ploys 126 hands when working a full
crew. It consumes 7000 bales of cotton
per annum. It manufactures duok sheet-
ing end drilling which It sella In various
parte of the world. Within the last few
weeks prior te the time of my visit It
had shipped goods to Mexico Massachu-
setts. Seattle Chicago I-oe Aug ties and
at other times to South Africa and China
There are a few more boya than glrla In
this mill; about 66 per cent of the grown
persona are man. Thla mill aa wall as
the mills at Itasca Wexahaiihle Sher-
man Iienlson and Boiiham use ooal for
fuel Instead of lignite procured from
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
This Is the third company sines the or-
fanlr.ailun of this mill the manager In-
ormlng me that very few mills In Texas
ever paid the original stockholders any-
thing thereby necessitating the usual
foreclosures reorganization and the like.
How over the mill Is prospering now. Last
year It added 126000 worth of new ma
ehlnery With reference to labor tha man-
ager ssld: i'racilcally not a hand have
1 ever gotten from Da Ilea and the farms
of this Slate. We import all our hands
from the Southern Mates east of the
Mississippi river a great many of them
coming from Mississippi and Georgia')
T he company owns about thirty cottagsa
the. rente ranging from 10 to $10 per
month owing to the number of rootna.
Water na at all tbe other mills. Is plenti-
ful and free to the operatives. Coal for
the cottages Is furnished hy the company
at cost Most cf the bouses have sewer-
age con neol ions. One of Uie largeal ward
schools tn the city Is within fuur blocks
of the mill. The manager expressed him
aelf as being in favor nf compulsory edu-
cation "The small children" he aald "not of
mill age In the mill village spend their
time In Idleness and cause trouble to their
parents as well as to tbe mill and the
entire community.'' The average man In)
the mill I was informed by lbs manager
makes from SI IX to 12 per day. He II-
lust ruled the earnings of an average fam
lly In the mill as follows: A man nomas
to the mill with hla wife and four chil-
dren the man sanilng II. CO per day; ths
daughter. If she Is grown will earn tl
per dav. one son from 14 (o IS ysara of
age. will make 75 cents per day; the other
' Mid a daughter near tha age of ths
son. will make M cants per day. Ths
t. tal e ynlngB of the father and three
ihli.li.in will ho I' 90 pr flay or 107 V)
per n ontn. The mother remains In the
Lous- where rhe attends to the domes-
tic a (Talis of the family At the same
loo. the family Is comfortably housed
pr.... . t..d fii.n. the t sun and the cohi
win..- "l ..lupine thla fumlly's wages
h'.nn a p. I s.irtoundlngs generally
...iitinued the manager "with Uie tenant
faro e. iii.il the dlffcrenc. will be In favor
of tl.- M: lly 111 the mill "
The msi uger predicts that Texas will he
tie ..ltn mill Slat' of tl.i Union It
l.elrg a 'p.estlon largely of population "I
would is'her pay tt to 12 cnts a pound for
c. ii..n I'.k.i to got It for cents because
li mean- nore profit to in country and
Letter times generally." remarked the
manager With refaren.e to cllmatlo eon
.ii'lona he s.il.l: "Tbe Inventive genius of
ii in I i." overcome the defects In the at-
ii ..si n. e If any ever existed." It ts his
opinion .1- i we are as well supplied with
labor as .. ..f the other Southern 8tata
Shf;rrnnn I
.ufacturifigr Company.
(i:i.Irfo- lilli.T'M HfKrttNTriur.
I'NT ANIl MANAOKH I
The Hh - man mill was organized In 1900
and re ..iganlzed In 190 It is capitalized
at V' .'.. It contains m looma 10.000
si 1fi.- and imiiiufacture ag fnng
d k. v ev iillf f anven to ten ounces.
It UK's h'.-.'it Utfi balea nf cotton annual-Ti.l-
'"III enii loya 2T0 bands. 200 of
- I. on am K.'"n hisiy f.ve per cent of
" .' t-rovn him 0s being men ths numbor
r ix.vs mi l gbis about equally divided.
: '.' ii. 'II owns iw-nty three cottages
i.i ieit at frooi If to 17 per month.
' : in ahi.n. !;.!. i ut artesian water
I . ' viliaga. li e majority of ths hands
i fi'-n tie Foulhein Hlales east of ihe
I ipi I il.'r tha r. st fiom Ihe tenant
I us of IM S'ale This class of
Is i "1 p' i mam nt. all the mills hay-
Si i' 1 "i clou tl.e samo experience as the
Pt' l a in; si rung temptation
i . :. y.nr lo women and ihlldren
. 1 . l. i. imt frtriiiora Tin; managir
' i ii." U.ut there Is no trouble now
. i.e '! :.. Is a very large mill the bulld-
: li i.isst.iiy nt rue i urn. Ail ths other
... . wM'N I vlsMed rtle two stories high
i' ii li'i.is'1. lull) which la four
.. In i.'-lcM. All the mills buy cotton
ii - r ii" i -'di'l none of them ttelris able
tn
to purchase a supply for the
This mill has a warehouse
pa. It of about 3000 hales Th
fiom New Hampshire having
.' I.. I neliioas lu that Hlats. lie
i.- a oir-rs a splendid field for the
if. i' lure of cotton that atmospherlo
il i s are as favorable here as in New
.r.! and that lat.or conditions here
s -itirfs'tory as tbey are In the
lis".
I . . lie said higher wai-e are paid for
In New Kngland than we are
h ... In Texas the difference being
.ii.H required to manufacture the
tl: . r .' i'.rlcs The mill has built a school
l ouse on Its lands the operatlvee getting
txeif two tat eJ LUs tree
sooeei fund
- - - - "ee
Sffl
CAUSED BY HUI10RS Dl THE BLOOD
Tbe skin h provided with countless pores and gbmds through
which in evaporation is goinj on cofrttnualry day and night. This is
nature's method of regulating the temperature of oar bcedks and pre-
aenring the natural appearance of the skin. These pores and glands
are connected with tiny vdns and arteries through which they receive
from the blood the necessary nourishment and strength to preserve
their healthy condition and enable them to perform this duty.
So long as the blood is pure and hch the skin will be free from
eruption or disease but when the circulation becomes infected with
acids and humors its nourishing and healthful properties are lost and
its acrid humor-laden condition causes irritation and inflammation of
the delicate tissues and fibres of the pores and glands and the VTect is
shown in Eczema Acne Tetter Salt Rheurn or somelother distressint
atsngunng skin disease.
These humors get mto the
blood through a deranged or inactive
condition of the system. Those
members whose duty It is to collect
and expel the refuse matter of the
body fail to properly do their work
and thus surplus or waste matter is
left hi the system to sour and fer-
ment and be absorbed into the
blood. There are also certain
other humors which get Into the
blood from without. The juice or
milk from poisonous plants such
as poison oak poison ivy nettle
rash etc enters through the open
pores of the skin and takes root in
the blood. This causes a breaking
out which remains for a time and
then disappears but returns at
certain seasons of each year.
The cause of all skin troubles can be traced to some kind of humor
in the blood. Smooth healthy skins are only possible where the circu-
lation is pure; and therefore the cure of any akin affection caa only
come through a thorough cleansing of this vital fluid. Salves washes
lotions etc.. are valuable only for their ability to keep the akin clean
allay fhe itchlnV and tend to reduce Inflammation; they cannot correct
the trouble because they do not reach the blood.
S. S. S. cures skin diseases of every character and kind because ft
purifies the blood. It goes down into the circulation and removes the
humors that are causing the trouble builds up the weak acrid blood'
LG EME
every symptom passes away the skin Is again nourished with rich
healthful blood and comfort is given to disease-tortured akina.
Special book on Skin Diseases and any medical advice free.
8. S. S. la for sale at all drug stores.
TBS SWIFT SPECIFIC CO.. ATLaVHTai. OA.
wtiloh tha company mpplementa suffi-
ciently to run the school nine months In
the year. Tha manager atrongly favors
oompulaorr eduoatlon.
Tills mill waa built orglnally by Sher-
man oapltal but owing to the fact that
those who built It had no eiperience with
the buslneea the enterprise did not auo-
ceed. I waa Informed that a struggle en-
sued aoon after the mill was built between
the amall aharaholders and Uie large ones.
In which the large ones triumphed ana
then failed themselves for lack of eipe-
rience and good management. Under tha
process of reorganisation all the a too It
pasaed Into New Kngland hands and the
mill la new on a splendid paying baala. t
asked the manager why he name to Texas
to engage In the ootton mill busineea. He
replied: "I came to Teaas becauae I had
an opportunity to better mysslf. 1 cama
here last June and I am not at all dla-
oouraged aa wo are nutting In more
looms." He aald the children here learn
ths business as rapidly aa they do in
New England. When asked hla opinion
relating to high priced ootton. he stated
that be had rather pay 10 and 12 cents per
pound than have a panla and get It at I
osnts.
Defllnon Ootton Kill Company.
T. L. CUARK. BUPKRINTENOHTNT.
The present company waa Incorporated
In 1906. the mill having originally Incor-
porated as the enlaon ktanufaoturlng
oomuany In WW. It Is oapltailsed at fUO.-
000 It contalna KO looma. 1214 aplndlea
and oenauinee toot bales of ootton annual-
ly. The building la a vary large one
fear stories hlsrb and coat HM.tOO. All tbo
stock of tbla mill la owd by parties In
and around denlson. It mauufacturea
1 to U ounce duck 20 Inches wide and
iroportleiiate lengths and weights up to
71 Indies wide. It also manufactures 14
and 11 two play akslns. Whan all tha
ma. iiliiry is In operation the mill em-
ploys 'MM hands. sbout'O per osnt of whom
ate grown persons about eg u ally divided
among tho iisn and women. Most of the
labor la pick"! up locally. Those outside
of this locality wsrs obtained from tiie
Honlliurti fttut.ia nasi of the Mississippi
river Ixical smployss come altogether
rniii ths n nl lug class. The mill owns
fllty-two rottuaes. four and etv rooms
1 1. six-room houses are what are termed
dotihlH t'-tiAinaiite being two atorUa high
...I. I im.j lainlllos In a oottas;e. This plan
liowsvsr Is very unsatisfactory and the
inaiiaarer assured me that he regretted
that any of the buildings were so con-
st rui ted. The four n.oin cottages rent
for In par month and the six-room cet-
tagiis rent for U )! month. This mill
Is situated outside of tha city limits but
there la a district school on tha grounds
affording educational fncillius soual to
the bent dlstri' ta In ths Hlale.
The euperliiteridsi.t of this mill has been
in the business v?t since he was 10 yeara
old. having Isarned ths trade in Ala-
bama. Mr- avs thut It is Ms experience
and observation that the ouport unities of
tlicen who work In cotton mills are far
L'litsr thun farm rentm J said ha
liu.l raflif-r riot mjloy children under li
vtrs of bin. but that out of svmpathy
rather ttian anything el.n he employs a
aioet many under that aaje Its too. Is
an advocate of couinulsory education ds-
ilarlna" Ii. list conned ion that a greet
many cl.'.idten around the rnllls won t go
to school. IdiTie blriit no work for them
to do until they have arrived at 14 yeara
of sue
"Uiiforturiataly for thsse children" he
ssld. "their r.srcnts won't compsl them
I. ao to school "
Ti." eipeneo of keepinir ths mill village
clsan and otherwise healthy is borne or
the comimn. In fact all ths mil la whlcn
I vlslte.l bear the sipcns incurred by
niiltarv reputations.
This mill le vtnlie.i by a physician every
rnonilnK li the ynar Ms la paid for his
services By collecting 10 cents per week
from each employs oollituted by the offi-
cers of the mill arid paid over to the
ph rslilun if any smoloye la feeling In
need of me!lclrin. he furnishes the over-
seer with Mi name which is written on
a slats kept for that purpose so whan
the i.hy. lm vIsHm the mill In the morn-
ing he is able by consulting the elate to
ascertain the ininiee of ail the handa
nnedlna medicine These persons are ex-
amined and slven the medicine needed
for their several omplalnla. In this way
a great deal of sickness Is avoided. In tho
event that any operative la not abto to
be on duty the doctor goae to hid house.
CASTORIA rlafiiibafl4ChnaTaa.
Tbijdod You HaieAJiaj$ Bought
21
.VflYyyyWyiMVYVV
J MSMSES
1
ftCZZaaA rOKTT TXAJLtk
Xwwaseo toll yea tae g n i
good Z reeel ied rroaa the im sat
. . S. I aaa aew 7a rears eld
eod a. ad emfrered wtta .ana
for forty rears aatd eoald find
nothing to asm sae uatU I arUd
. S. m. Z suffered aatoajsslr
with tbe Itealag and ktaralan
aatulea weald form frsjam
whisk tae re flawed a stfeky
flaid) earns ta would gems on ths
akin and when aorstoaed an
ta skin was left an raver as a
wleeeoe beef. 1 suffered aarony
the long years I waa affltotod
bat when I need fl. S. a. I ftrmnd
a perfaot ears. There has
never been any retara of tn
troobU. 0. H. srVaVVn.
soakholam. Hah.
and ccTOpietely cure
Eczema Acne Tetter
Salt Rheum Poison
Oak Poison Ivy and
all eruptions and dis-
eases of the skin.
Whea S. S. S. haa
driven the humor from
the blood and cooled
and cleansed the acid-
heated circulation.
and there renders bun medical asalstanca.
Ths manager told mo that be triad lis
nJte. but found ooal mora economical.
"The possibilities of ootton manufacture;
In tltl Stat are good" aald tho manufao-
turar "but I want to emphasise ths fact -In
that aonnootlon that foreign capital
la very timid and will nut oome hare until
home capital first demonstrate that tho
mllla oan bo run at a profit" Thla mill
la vary prosperous ths mar
thoroughly optimistic aa to
tho future j
Hs agreed with ths other managers that
If any atmospherlo
they could be easily
rlo trouble existed at all
illy overoome by artificial
methods This mill has five
who receive M per day. Tbe manager
aald that It ordinarily takes n green band
from one to two weeks to ear wages but
In order to encourage them to work wa
mass It a rule to pay too pgr day from
the start. Ho aald that there is nothing
unhealthy In tho mill work health eondl-
lions being better at tha mill than In
town "peaking of ths friendly relatione
existing between the employer and tho .
employee hs said that any employs; In
his mill fee la at perfect liberty to oome
to him at any tlms for tho purposs of
presenting any grUrvanes.
Bonham Cotton Mill
J. O. SAUNDERS TRBASTfRBlB ANO
QENSiHAL MAN AO El R.
Thla mill was organised tn loot and bs
gan operations In Mar 1WL Tha capital
stock waa originally 1110000 but waa In-
creased la ISO to (300000. It Is a leoal
corporation owned e-xcluatvely by hone
people Number of spindles originally
MOOi number of loam artglnally Ml
Number of spindles at present HvOOD)
number of looms at present M. afanttTaa
turea light sheetings weight three and
one-half yards to alx yarda width thirty-
six Inches lo forty Inches Consumes aa-1
nualiy two balsa of cotton average grade
middling and above. All bought tn Boo-
hs m. Product la aoid to local lobbing
trade of Texas and southwest Baatera
converter trade and at times to ths
Orient. The average number of employes
la )tt; fifty children sixty women and
eighty men. Tbe children a wages are
from M cents to It per day; ths woman's
from W cents to 11 per day and the men's
wage from 11 to (2 per day. The foremen
and section hands are paid from 11.60 to
It per (lay.
The superintendent of this mill la from
Laurel Miss. having grown up in a
(km t hern ootton mill as he was only U
rears of ago erhen he oommenoed to
learn ths business. Hla present salary la
12100 per year. Originally the employes
were drawn from other mill center In
the southern Btates but at present a
large percentage are native help haying
learned at this mill. The mill village con-
tains forty tenement bouses thro to four
rooma each sealed canvassed and pa-
pered; each house having a lot W by 141
feet rental IL.M per room per month;
the village la supplied with an atrandaao
of city water which Is free to tho opera-
tive a There la a free school conducted
nine months in the year within three
blocks of tbe mill and a kindergarten
within the mill village In It own house
designed and built or tha company for
the purpose. The mill also haa ereoted a
free natatorlum for the exclusive use of
Ita employes and whloh Is kept open
every oar in the season. "If Texaa peo-
ple with their present resources and
wealth would us one-half the energy
and concentration In building up tbla In-
dustrial enterprise aa the men In Cali-
fornia and Oeorgla used in their pioneer
efforts tho result would astonish the
world were ths earnest and confident
words of tho manager. The management
of thla mill enoouragee the employea ta
own homee. and ten or twelve have
bought comfortable dweJItnge and have
them paid for or In process of being paid
for. Thla mill la In a moat prosperous
oondltlon.
Beally Mad.
(From tho Tonkers Statesman.)
"I never saw her equal as Ophelia" said
ttie. man n the foyer.
"Ia that aol" replied the
aarer
Why ui that mad aoene it wan dt
salt to Imagine she was not really
"Til let you Into a secret. Hoe
waa mad. I refused bar hew salary joat
W BMJSBJ WIV wu
Bear tha
Signs tur
Of
pleased raaav
reaSy i
' 4
4 '
- f
..Vfe I.
i
rfc'
rAf.
. . J.'-.
"!. . .1 ..
rfi ' 1
J CM
ik i . .
fat fr .
I t 1 -
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The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 24, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 26, 1908, newspaper, April 26, 1908; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth605566/m1/21/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .