SOUTH CAROLINA. 



703 



The number of miles of railroad built during 

 the \ejir is 177.82, and the number of mile- in 

 operation 2,585.80. 



The following roads are given as in the hands 

 of rrceiuT-: the Asheville and Spartanburg, At- 

 lanta and Charlotte Air Line, Columbia, Knox- 

 villc and Western, Three C's, Charleston, Sumtcr 

 and Northern, Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta, 

 Clicraw and Chester, Chester and Lenoir, Colum- 

 bia and (itvcnville, Laurens Railroad, Port Royal 

 and Augusta, Port Royal and Western Carolina, 

 S'nith Carolina Railway, and the Spartauburg, 

 1'nion and Columbia. These roads represent 

 more than half of the total railroad mileage of 

 the State, 1,487* miles. 



The new j:ailroad Jaw will be found under 

 " Legislative Session." 



Manufactures. A census bulletin issued in Oc- 

 tober makes the following exhibit of the growth 

 of Charleston manufactures in ten years : 



1890. 1880. 



Number establishments 



reported 566 194 



Number industries re- 

 ported 67 37 



Capital invested $4,730,070 $1,718,800 



Number of hands em- 

 ployed 5,283 2,146 



Amount paid in wages.. $2,203,970 $639,030 



Cost of material used. . $4,800,421 $1,468,375 



Value of products $8,892,860 $4,732,590 



Percentages of increase for Charleston are given 

 as follows: 



Number of establishments reported 121.65 



Capit al invested 310. 15 



Number of hands employed 125.35 



Wages paid 226.24 



Cost of materials used 223.80 



Value of products at works 210.75 



Industries dealt with in this bulletin are : For 

 Charleston, men's clothing, 5 establishments; coop- 

 erage, 6 establishments; cotton compressing, 4 es- 

 tablishments; fertilizers, 3 establishments ; flouring 

 and urist mills, 7 establishments ; foundry and 

 machine shops, 4 establishments ; lumber manufac- 

 tories, 10 establishments; printing and publishing, 

 9 establishments; rice cleaning and polishing, 4 es- 

 tablishments; shipbuilding, 7 establishments. 



The Phosphate Industry. The report of the 

 board of phosphate commissioners says of the 

 condition of that industry : 



The present condition of the phosphate trade is 

 ver\ unsettled and the market glutted. There have 

 been previous periods of depression, but from other 

 causes than those which have produced the present 

 low prices. Within the last few years very exten- 

 sive dep' K-its of phosphate rock, both on land and in 

 rivers, have been discovered in Florida, and a large 

 amount of capital has been invested in developing 

 those mines. The rock is of a higher grade than 

 ours, and, it is said, can be mined much more cheaply, 

 but it has cut a small figure in the markets of 

 the world until within the last twelve months. The 

 Florida miners labor under the disadvantage of hav- 

 ing poor shipping facilities, and they are handicapped 

 also by higher freights, but their production of 

 rock has been very large, and this has been thrown 

 upon the market now for almost any price it would 

 bring, and while we have every reason to believe 

 that the Florida miners are selling below the costof 

 pn iduction, nevertheless their rock is displacing ours 

 and forcing the price down until the margin of prof- 

 its has grown very small, and with some of the com- 

 panies may have disappeared altogether. 



The depression In the cotton market, which ha 

 d very largely the use of fertilizer*, has also 

 entered into the conditions which brought about 

 these low prices. 



Rivers and Harbor*. Congress has made the 

 following appropriations for improvements in the 

 State : Charleston harbor, $225.000, and contracts 

 may be entered into for the entire completion of 

 the project of improvement ; Georgetown harbor, 

 $12,000 ; harbor at VVinyahBay, $100,000 ; Kdi-io 

 River, $7,385 ; Great Pee-Dee River, $10,000 : 

 Santeo River, $80.000, to be used in snagging and 

 in making a new cut between Estherville and 

 Minim Creek; Waccamaw River, $10.000 ; Wap- 

 poo Cut, $10,000 ; Wateree River, for mainte- 

 nance, $2,500 ; Congaree River, $5,000 ; Mingo 

 Creek, $3,000; Little Pee-Dee River, $5,000 ; 

 Clark River, $2,500 ; Beaufort River. $12,500. 



Port Royal naval station, completion of dry 

 dock, change of location of naval wharf, erection 

 of office building, necessary dredging, etc., 

 $150,000; officers' quarters. $5,000; telephone 

 line, $1,500 ; erection of a building for marine 

 barracks, $3.000. 



Commerce. The Bureau of Statistics gives 

 the figures below for the year ending June 80, 

 and the previous year: 



Charleston: Imports, 1892. $896,681; 1891, 

 $993,248. Exports, 1892, $16,718,386 ; 1691, 

 $21,9-10,886. 



Beaufort: Imports,1892,$25,000 ; 1891, $90,483. 

 Exports. 1892, $544,902 ; 1891, $962,007. 



The total collections of the internal revenue 

 department in the State were $71,812.85. 



Legislative Session. The legislature con- 

 vened on Nov. 23, and adjourned on Dec. 24. 

 The number of bills and joint resolutions passed 

 was 261. About 50 were continued till the next 

 session. Among the measures introduced was 

 a prohibition bill. An amendment or substitute 

 was placed in its stead and passed. This is to 

 regulate the sale of liquor by placing it in the 

 hands of the government. It provides that the 

 " Governor shaft within 30 days from the approval 

 of the Act appoint a commissioner, believed by 

 him to be an abstainer from intoxicants, who 

 shall, under such rules and regulations as may be 

 made by the State Board of Control, purchase all 

 intoxicating liquors for lawful sale in this State, 

 giving preference to manufacturers and brewers 

 in this State and furnish the same to such per- 

 sons as may be designated as dispensers thereof, 

 to be sold as hereafter prescribed in this Act." 

 The commissioner is to hold office for two years, 

 to reside and have his place of business at Colum- 

 bia, to receive a salary of $1,800, and to be al- 

 lowed a bookkeeper at a salary of $1,200, and 

 such other assistants as the board of control may 

 deem necessary. 



He shall not sell to the county dispensers any in- 

 toxicating or fermented liquors except such as have 

 been tested by the chemist of the South Carolina 

 College and declared to be pure and unadulterated. 

 Said chemist and such assistants as may be appointed 

 to aid him, to be allowed such compensation, if any. 

 as the board of control may determine. He shall not 

 receive from said county dispensers for such liquors 

 sold to them more than 50 per cent, above the net 

 coot thereof, and all amounts so received by him 

 from said sales shall be by him paid over to the 

 Treasurer of the State monthly, under such rules as 

 may be made by the State board of control to insure 



