By Miles H. Wolff
The cotton mill business for the past year has experienced one of the worst slumps in its history. It is a well known fact that then the cotton mills in Piedmont North Carolina have hard times, the rest of the business in that section suffers also. There has been recently a feeling that times are changing and that the former prosperity is to return. Therefore, interviews have been secured with officials of the various mills in an effort to see if any change has come about in the business and if so, what the tendencies might be.
After an investigation of the facts, it would seem that there is an improvement in the mill business. The mills of the city are, with one exception, running every day in the week and some are even doing night work. The one exception is the Renfrew which is only doing four days work. The other mills all report from 65 per cent employment all the way to 100 per cent.
The one mill which has not curtailed at all from the depression is the Roberta. This company is now running its plant at full capacity, just as they have been doing practically all the time. The only indication which has been given of hard times at the Roberta is when it was closed for a two weeks period during the early stages of the depression. Since then, the Roberta has been run continuously.
It was on Monday that the Buffalo, a subsidiary of the Locke Mill, began running at a capacity rate. The Locke, however, is only able to report a 65 per cent, day force. Whereas about 450 are usually employed, the numbers are now not over 350.
The Cannon Mill, the largest plant in the city, is running practically full time. Were it not for some repair work, which is being done, there would be a capacity force at work. The Cannon is also running the card rooms at night. Under the best of conditions, this company never runs the lant at more than one-third capacity at night. There has been a slight improvement during the past two months, officials report.
The Cabarrus Mill reports the best business in two years. A full force is employed during the day, and a one-third force at night. In fact, this is as good as it has ever done since it is a policy of the officials never to run the whole mill at night. It was only during the pressure of war times that the entire mill ran at night.
The Franklin is doing full day work with an employment of approximately 225 hands. The Norcott is also doing full time day and night work. The Brown shows but a very little improvement over the past two years’ conditions.
In the case of the Gibson and the Hobarton mills, there is indicated a very slight improvement over past conditions. There is never any night work in these two mills. The day force is about 90 per cent, normal. Out of 636 looms, about 100 are standing idle at the present time. Officials expressed an opinion that there were indications of a better feeling on the market.
The White-Parks is one of the smaller industrial firms, employing only around 65 persons. This mill is running both day and night with a capacity employment. It was stated by persons in charge that there was plenty of business but that it was hard to get profitable business.
The Hoover Hosiery and the Concord Knitting Mills both are doing a better business with nearly a full time employment. The Hartsell Mills are in a slightly improved condition and announce conditions tight but say that there is more business recently on a close basis.
The Kerr Bleachery has been doing a better business during the past six months but is not running quite at capacity employment at present.
The mill conditions of the city then are in a better condition than they have been recently, and there seems to be an opinion current among certain people that there will be a very decided improvement by the first of January.
From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, Oct. 18, 1924
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1924-10-18/ed-1/seq-1/#words=OCTOBER+18%2C+1924
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