Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Cotton Mill Earnings-Who Gets Them? HE tremendous importance of the cotton manufacturing industry to South Carolina is unquestioned. Here is an industry which furnishes direct support to a fifth of the state's white population, and in direct support to many more of her citizens; an industry whose finished products are worth three times the cotton crop and almost twice as much as all the crops her farmers grow. Such an industry must exercise a profound influence on the economic and social life of any commonwealth in wlhich it exists. What then of the thousands of men and women whose investments make that industry possible? Are they receiving the profits which the importance of their industry would seem to warrant? T'ne plain truth is that cotton manufacture is not the profitable enterprise that some believe it to be. Earnings are dependent to a large extent on conditions beyond the control of the management or stockholders, and are not in keeping with the risk involved. Violent fluctuations in cotton prices, unstable markets for cloth, frequent style changes, and economic depressions all operate to make profits uncertain and management diffi cult Net returns on actual invested capital in South Carolina mills during the past two years have averaged little more than 5 per cent. In some recent years there were no profits, and if the abnormal war period were dis regarded, the average for the history of the industry in this state would probably not exceed 4 per cent. Earnings in almost every other leading industry have far exceeded those of textiles. Even railroads, long regarded as Che invalids of American business, have fared better than the textile industry. While the securities of most other industries have enjoyed a steady, and in many cases remarkable in crease in value during the past five years, those of textiles have with rare exceptions, either remained station ary or suffered a decline. ? Despite their low earnings, the cotton manufacturers of South Carolina have persistently endeavored to better the living conditions of those who helped to make their industry possible. Data collected by impartial fact-finding bodies indicate that the weekly pay check of the average operative in South Carolina is today more than twice as large as in the pre-war period. \ Moreover, the houses, the schools, the churches, tine recreational facilities and the provisions for insur ing health have all been greatly improved ; improved at. a cost of millions of dollars to stockholders. ? r"3S In many instances, cotton mills have operated at actual losses for the purpose of furnishing employ ment to their operatives. Truly, it may be said that by far the larger portion of cotton mill earnings has gone to operatives, and not to stockholders. cotton Manufacturers' Association V South Carolina AROUNI) THE WORM) WITH E. II. JENKINS The I'csts Of Foreign Travel. There are many joys in foreign travel but it also has the disagree able side. One of the pests of for eign travel is the peddlers which be set you on every side the moment you step off the ship until you set sail for homo. They are evi,r pres ent. Possibly in no country are they more pesterous than in Egypt. Of courso they are everywhere, in Itn!y very bud, Syria, France, China and Japan and India. These ped dlers have souvenirs, beads, .cameos, trinkets, post cards, views, books, shawls, scarfs, cftrpets, guide books, pencils, fountain pens, and what not. These street merchants aro as thick as "Mies around a honoy barrel. They just put their goods in your hands, on your shoulders, in your car, just forco them on you at unimaginable high prices and thouasnds of Ameri cans are swindled out of their money by the grafters. Things are more reasonable in stores and tho mer chants are not so insistent that you buy as tho street peddlers. However, one has to bo careful* for the mer chants will stick you if they see they have a good chance. ? I soon learned how to buy from all these fellows. I would appear Interested in their goods until tho.v told me the price. Then I would ?f V X ' ' ' throw up my hands and look very distressed and say over and over, too much, too much. Then the fun be- j gan. They would start to drop :heir prices, but I was not interested. They would insist and I would become in terested ns they thought, then walk off and they would follow mo still coming down on their prices. Finally they would ask me how much I would give. Just for fun I would offer fif teen cents for an article worth one dollar or two dollars. This would make them disgusted. Here was my chanco and I would offer th?m a sum and usually they would take it. In India a peddler wanted to sc 11 me a precious stone for $15.00, but I jewed him down to fifty cents and he took me up and then I laughed at him. However, ihe most careful buyer? will get stuck sometimes. In NapleF I bought a cameo bracelet for $5.00 and afterwards learned that one of the passengers bought one just like it for $2.50. I thought I was getting a bargain when 1 jewed the street peddler down from $10.00- to $5.00, but I was a sutfker and got caught The longer you juggle with the street merchant nnd better bargain you will 'get. Time Is money over there when it comes to trading. One meets all kinds of guides who ' want to show you the sights and then they will stick yon for all they can. One day in Naples a so-called guide wanted to take me ojit to sec some small volcanoes. He $fld how ' wonderful they were, and that it would only take a short while to go out and see them. When I questioned i him as to the price, ho said that it would not be much, but when I pinned him down I found ho wanted $2.50 for an hour's trip. He looked very disappointed when I told him "nuthin' doin'."' Out at tho pyramids a young Arab wanted to carry me around tho pyra- ; mid and show me some old temples. So I wont with ihm around to the other sido to see tho temples. When we got there, found only a pile of ruins. Then he began trying to get me to pay him. I jollied him along till we got 'town near tho hotel and 1 told him if no didn't beat it I would call a policeman. 1 Some of the peddlers havo more! ncrvo than anybody in the world. In Algiers one of tho peddlers put some cards in the car whore I was , sitting and wMn I offored them back j to him he would not take them. I [offered them to him the second time I and ho would not tako them, so I ; just threw them on tho ground at his feet. He gathered them up quickly, but I thought I was going to havo to fight him in spite of the court. If I had a fight with him it would have cost me $25.00 in police court. The J tourist* always get the worst of the bargain in foreign courts. In addition to the peddlers and so-call(d guides there are fortune tollers. It is some distance from hard-surfaced road out to the pyra mids so we had to ride on camels. The camel boy was a fortune teller so he set at me to tell my fortune. At first he charged me fifty cents but I kidded him along and offered him fifteen cents. Then we came to a compromise and I agreed to give ?him a quarter (five plasters.) Ho looked at my hand and told me several things of small importance. At this I began to ask him some questions and learned he was seventeen years of age and had a sweetheart twelve years of age and was going to marry her as soon as ho could get enough money. I asked him if he loved her and ho agreed that he did. So I asked him if he over kissed her and ho I shook his head in the negative. I I told him he was a liar, for I found the Arabs to be the biggest liars in the world. They can lio to you and never bat an eye. Another pest of foreign travel is the persistence of tho porters and waiters and bell boys for tips. They hang around you and want a tip every time they do a thing for you. However, In Kurope one does not havo to tip at tho tables as the hotels j charge ten per cent on your bill and ? this goes to tho waiters, bell boys and porters. If they can got a tip | out of you they will do so oven j though they get their part of the ' ton por cent at the hotel. The peddlers, so-called guides and fortune tellers are not a circumstance in comparison to the beggars. They are the greatest pests anrl nuisance of all. Will write of them in a later article. (Continued next week) YELLOW PENCIL with the' Death of Mrs. Henrietta Cauthen. Mrs. Henrietta Cauthen, widow <>f W. M. Cauthen, age sev'nty years, died at her home in the Three ("e community last Friday morning 10:20, and was buried at Hanging Rock cemetery Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock, following funeral serving conducted by her pastor, K< v. T. M. Stevenson. Mrs. Cauthen had been in ill health for about a year and had bsvn e>i. fined to her bed about fi\< nvml'w preceding her death. She was a la ly of quiet and unassuming manner and was highly respected by all who knew her. She is survived by the follov* ing relatives: One daughter, Mm, Jesse P. Watson, and two sons, Alvin and Edgar Cauthen, all of Kershaw; and two step-children, Mrs. Rosa Kl lis, of Kershaw; and Sani Cauthci, of Columbia. Also two brothers, T. C. and Jas. W. Stover, of Kershaw, and one half brother, Prof. Kdwnrd B. Stover, of Orange, Texas. The Kershaw Era. PERSONALLY CONDUCTED TOURS To California during July, lf)20. Kor deKcriptlvo booklet write C. II. (iatlis, ACiPA., Seabon.'d, Norfolk, Va., or C. 'W. Small, D. P. A., Seaboard, Colum him. S. C.