Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Hill picks 1,400 bales of cotton each week Bill Hill Clinton’s Cotton Buyer and Classer Bill Hill uses a variety of electronic equipment to assist him in selecting ap proximately 1,400 bales of cotton for use each week in the six weaving plants. “You’ve got to pay close attention to the affects that adverse weather has on the cotton crops and the cotton prices,” explained Hill. “Severe droughts, ex cessive rains, hail storms, and major natural disasters can play a major role in cotton quality and price fluctua tions.” Hill watches the commodity markets and monitors swings in the prices. “Timing is important. The prices we pay for the cotton affects the margin of profit in our fabric prices,” explained Hill. “Improved equipment in our plants has had their affects on the cotton department,” commented Hill. “The PMS fiber handling systems such as we have in Clinton No. 2 enables us to choose our supply from a greater number of bales and the larger mixes lessens the effects of a less than desirable bale.” “We’ve been able to decrease the use of California cotton which is going into fabrics produced on the air jet looms,” explained Hill. “We ‘sweeten’ our 100% cotton mixes with California cotton,” he noted. “Computerization has helped us select better cotton for our 100% cotton uses.” Hill is pleased that the Company pur chased a HVI System. High Volume In strument testing allows lab personnel working as a team to check for seven individual cotton properties in about half a minute. Properties checked by the system in clude micronaire, fiber length, length uniformity, fiber strength, fiber elonga tion, trash grade, and color. Markets for fibers used in our plants are always affected by weather, especially such natural disasters as Hurricane Hugo. Cotton fibers used in the weaving plants come from such Southeastern cotton producing regions of South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. A larger portion of cotton is referred to as rain grown cotton. It comes from the Memphis territory which includes Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana. The San Joaquin Valley of California produces irrigated cotton of excep tional quality. Warehousing large supplies of cotton requires a great deal of capital, therefore we try to keep inventories at a manageable level and rely heavily on just in time deliveries, explained Hill. Bill Hill uses computers to help make cotton buying decisions. -Employee Recognition- Recent retirements Cleo Dunaway Roberta Prince Cleo Dunaway and Roberta Prince have ended long and successful employ ment careers with Clinton Mills. Cleo joined the company August 7,1944 and has been a familiar personality in the No. 2 spinning department for many years. Over the years, Cleo participated in retirement activities for many of her fellow employees and as an appropriate gesture for her retirement, a buffet dinner was served and her family was invited as guests of the group. Roberta, who came to work at Lydia on June 10,1944, has also retired. A loom filling supplier, she vividly recalls “working at Lydia” is the only job I’ve ever had. Roberta is proud of the fact that she, her sisters Nettie and Myrtle Lanford have all retired from Lydia. Her retirement plans include lots of visiting and needle work. “When I’m in side, I enjoy making things with my hands,” she explained. Roberta enjoys go ing to antique car shows and boat exhibitions with her brother, who is also retired. Much of her time is also spent with her new dog, a Boston terrier. And with spring approaching, she is looking forward to having a large home garden. Service anniversaries 5 Years 20 Years Max E. Walding Geneva Willie Bluford Maintenance Janice Dady Geneva Marilyn V. Leake No. 2 Peggy J. Floyd Geneva Anita T. Bell Office Richard F. Kirby Supply Stanley Foggie No. 2 30 Years Gwendolyn L. Kinard No. 2 Ada Jane Anderson No. 2 George Cato Lydia Alice C. Boyd No. 2 Carl Edward Turner Lydia Lisa A. Davis No. 2 Bonnie C. Eustace No. 2 35 Years 10 Years J. Truman Owens Personnel Barbara J. Vance Bailey Claude A. Crocker Corporate Officer Curtis L. Watson Lydia Sue T. Gann Lab John H. Gary Warehouse Phillip Owens Warehouse Willie M. Rowland No. 2 John C. Foshee No. 2 Bobby Quarles completed twenty five years continuous service to the Lydia Plant on February 6,1990. Shown presenting Bobby with his service award are Plant Manager Joe \elson, left, and Cloth Room Superintendent Steve Wright, right. Both members of management expressed their appreciation to Bobby for his many years service to the company. page 6 - Cloth Maker