The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-14 00:00:00

COTTON

The annual meeting of the association was held
on Friday in the Manchester Town-hall, and was
very numerously attended. Mr. J. Cheatham, the
president, took the chair, and there were present
Lord A. Churchill, M.P., the Hon. A. Egerton,
M.P., Mr. T. G. Baring, M.P., Prince Hyder Jung
Bahadoor, of the Carnatic, Mr. Bazley, M.P., and
many gentlemen of great local influence. A letter
had been received from Lord Stanley, M.P., re-
gretting that his Parliamentary engagements pre-
vented him from being present.
The CHAIRMAN remarked that nothing had oc-
curred since the establishment of this association,
three years ago, to warrant any diminution of effort
in behalf of its object or to throw a doubt on the
wisdom of its formation. (Hear, hear.) As by the
abolition of the corn laws we availed ourselves of
every possible source for the supply of grain from
abroad, instead of relying altogether on our own
production, so it was now sought to open every
possible source for the supply of cotton, instead of
being almost exclusively dependent on the United
States. The experience of past fluctuations in the
supply was a sufficient warning against relying too
much on the recent great increase of the American
crop. (Hear.) The interest that had been created
in every part of the world by the proceedings of
the association, and the wide•spread desire for their
success on grounds of humanity, were a strong ar-
gument for perseverance in their exertions. Their
correspondence was continually increasing, and
they had communications from nearly every
part of the globe, but the council of the asso-
ciation had become desirous of concentrating at-
tention more especially on the capabilities of
Western Africa and the East Indies. Although
something had been done in Africa, great diffi-
culties were encountered there, and some of their
agents and friends had been removed by the un-
healthiness of the climate. They had made fresh
connexions there, and he hoped for beneficial re-
sults, as there was no doubt that a sufficient supply
of cotton could be obtained thence, and that the
population were willing to labour. But in India
we had those first elements of success which were
wanting in many countries. There was cheap and
abundant labour, cotton was grown there already
to a very considerable extent, and its export in the
last 12 months was not less than 600,000 bales to
Europe and 200,000 to China. The exports of the
succeeding 12 months would probably be 1,000,000
bales. But our hopes of sufficient supply from that
country depended on the abandonment of those an-
tiquated and absurd principles which formerly had
actuated the Government of India, and we must
aim at the advancement of its population rather
than additions to its territory. (Cheers.) One of
the measures that had been especially urged on the
Government was the opening of the Godavery,
which might perhaps be effected at an expense of
less than half a million, so that from the heart of
the country where cotton was grown not less than
1,000,000 bales per annum might be sent down that
river, at a cost not greater than the American
planter incurred on the Mississippi. The associa-
tion were very desirous of seeing the establishment
of European agents in direct communication with
the ryots, and had already done their best to dis-
tribute improved machinery and information among
the native cultivators. At present the supply was
greatly impeded and injured by the intervention of
the middle-men. lle had no doubt, from the result
of the experiments which had been made, that In-
dia was capable of growing cotton of the improved
quality required, as well as in sufficient quantity,
or his hopes of relief from that country would ba
few indeed. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. E. AMIWORTH moved the adoption of the
annual report. It appeared that the last year's ex-
penditure had been £7,200, of which rather more
than £4,000 was for distribution of seeds and ma-
chinery in various parts of the world. Of the
remainder the largest item was the cost of publish-
ing the fortnightly journal of the association.
Mr. BAZLEY, M.P., seconded the motion. He
believed that the establishment of the association
had been a benefit even in the United States,
where the growth of cotton had been stimulated.
(Hear, hear.) It was most encouraging to reflect
that in the three years of its existence there had
been an increase of cotton supply from new sources
equal in amount to that obtained from the United
States in the first seven years of cotton cultivation
in that country. He must do the Americans the
justice of saying that where cotton could be grown
in the Southern States by free labour the cultiva-
tion was rapidly extending, and that the cotton
produced was of very suprior quality. (Hear.)
In America neither the cotton itself nor the popu-
lation who produced it in such great quantity were
indigenous. Why, then, should we despair of suc-
cess in the cultivation of cotton in our own colonial
possessions ? In India we possessed tracts of coun-
try beyond our calculation adapted for its growth ;
yet a piece of land the size of Yorkshire with suit-
able soil and climate would be large enough to
supply us with more than was needed for the manu-
factures of Great Britain, and he saw no reason
why British enterprise and capital should not be as
well employed in this direction as it was in foreign
railways, and so many other investments abroad.
(Cheers.)
The resolution was unanimously agreed to.
Lord ALFRED CHURCHILL, M.P., moved the
second resolution :
"That, as the opening up of new sources for the supply
of cotton has become a question of great national interest,
it is incumbent upon all classes of the community to sup-
port the movement now in progress for promoting the
growth of cotton in Africa, Australia, South America, the
West Indies, and other countries ; that, as the development
of the resources of India is of vast importance to this coun-
try, it is the bounden duty of her Majesty's Government
to give every encouragement to the unfettered action of
private enterprise and public companies, whether for the
cultivation of cotton, the opening of river navigation, the
construction of canals, or other public works calculated to
facilitate European intercourse with the natives, or increase
the productive powers of our eastern empire. And this
meeting especially urges upon the spinners and manufac-
turers, as well as upon all other interests directly or indi-
rectly concerned in the cotton trade, to assist in the work
of creating that healthy competition among many mar-
kets which alone can obviate the evils arising from our pre-
sent position of dependence upon one main source of sup-
ply."

Ile expressed the gratification it had given him to
receive an invitation to be present on this occasion.
In reading the annual report of the association, he
had been exceedingly struck by the range of its
operations. There were about 30 different parts of
the world with which they had correspondence, arid
there was hardly a single climate or latitude capable
of yielding cotton that had not received attention.
(Hear, hear.) There were two or three of these on
which he might have a few words to say. As to
Turkey, for example, he had received from a friend
of his, the secretary of the Ottoman Railway, the
annual report of that undertaking, in which its
chairman remarked that it was inconceivable hour
the want of communication should have so long de-
layed our access to an unlimited supply of fine cot-
ton, within 20 days' steaming of Manchester, that
might be obtained from the district which' this
railway would open out. That line was from.
Smyrna to Aden, a distance of 30 to 40 miles, and
would probably be opened a few months hence..
(Hear, hear.) Some gentlemen had great hopes of a.
supply from Australia. During the Crimean war
he (Lord A. Churchill) made a tour through our
colonies in Australia, and could add his testimony-
to its value as a cotton-producing country. The
growth of cotton had not at that time acquired so
much public attention as it now attracted, but that
country was admirably adapted for every species.
of tropical production, as well as for cereals, for
which a temperate climate was more suitable. We
might expect from Australia in a short time a large:
and abundant supply of cotton, if we only gave suf-
ficient inducement, and exerted sufficient pressure
on the Government to lead them to encourage it,,
by the introduction of labour in that colony. The.
question of labour, in that and all other colonies,,
was of vital interest. In 1858 the consumption of
cotton manufactures in Australia was £726,000
worth, which gave nearly 15s. per head of the im-
migrant population. In this country the proportion
was about 18s. or 19s. per head. This showed very
clearly that it was our interest to promote coloni-
sation, and repay them in the manufactured article
for the raw material they produced. His lordship
also spoke favourably of the proposed annexation
of the Feejee Islands, and the expected supply of
cotton from them, believing this to be a fair excep-
tion to the generally acceptable rule that our colo-
nial empire was already sufficiently extended.
(Applause.)
Mr. T. G. BARING, M.P. (Under Secretary of
State for India), tseconded the resolution. He said
the question of cot ton supply was one to which the
Indian Govern mont were paying very careful and
constant attenti on . It was ready to give every pro-
per support that c ould be given to the objects of
this association. (Applause.) It might be of some
interest that he si iould state his belief that, accord-
ing to the best cal culation that had been made, no
less than 24,000,1)00 acres were now under cotton
cultivation in I r Ldia, and that the production was
now something like 2,400,000,0001 b. of cotton.
The mass of it, of course, was consumed in the
rough native manufactures, and the ex-
port amounted only to about one-tenth. The
native cultivator s had shown themselves tolerably
wide awake to t heir own interests, and it would be
found that there had been an increase or decrease of
export in propc mtion to the rise or fall of price in
this country. l 3e quite agreed in the recommenda-
tion of Europe an agents settling in India in order
to direct this p.
toductive povar in relief of our ne-
cessities. Res
,petting a point to which rather too
much importa
ace appeared to have been given, the
facilities affor
land i 1114 :1 bell that that country
ded to Europeans for the purchase of