Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard., 1852-05-15
THE SUPPLY OF COTTON.

LONDON April 8. The importance of increasing
the number of the sources and the extent OF the area
from whence the raw material Cotton can be derived
for the use of the British Is becoming
every dav more apparent, and is every day en-
phaticaIIy insisted upon. Mr. Bailey, the chairman
of the Chamber of Commerce at Manchester, has
been lately lecturing upon the subject before Prince
Albert and the Society of Arts. MIR. Bailey strong
y urged the necessity of encouraging, by all possible
MEANS the growth of cotton in the British colonies
this necessity was rendered every day urgent by
g the limite supply from the United States and the
Increased competition In the manufacture of cotton
The question is widely and ably discussed in the
principal English journals, and think the general
tone of these discussions leads directly the infer
encs that 1t must be many years before the cotton
mills OF Lancashire can depend upon receiving any
material proportion of the material from any other
source than the United States. If this be so, and
you cannot increase your cotton-growing lands, nor
by improved cultivation increase the produce Of the
present coton-producing area, 1t is evident that the
price of the raw material must rise from the COM
bined effects of limited and stationary supply and
increased demand.
The following some of the striking facts con-
nected with the cotton question
In 1900 the raw cotton imported into Great Britain
amounted to 56,OO0,O00 pounds.
In 1915 to lOOOOO,OOO
In 1885 to 4OOOOO.OOO
In 1851 to 7OOOOO,O00
or about 1000 tons day. For no less than Sc
venteenwentieths of this Great Britain is
indebted to the United States and the remainder be-
ing received from 1n0ld, Brazil, and Egypt. About
one seventh part Of the whole amount of i'm
ported into Great Britain is exported again in the
state; therefore six hundred millions of pounds
manutactured-or at least were manufactured during
last year-in the British factories, where they give
employment to a million and half of people. The
cotton thus used disposed of in something like the
following proportions One-tenth wasted in the pro-
cess of manufacture, in refuse, &c. Of the remain
ing $50, 900 pounds onefourth is worked up for
home consumption the other three-fourths manufac-
tured in goods for exportation The value of the
cotton manufactures of last year is estimated at 45,
0,000, of which about two-thirds believed to
have been paid in wages. About 100000 tons of
shipping are yearly employed by the various opera
tions incident to the cotton trade Every variation of
farthing in the pound upon the price OF the ma
teria affects the annual consumption of Great Britain
at least $500, 900 sterling So perfect is the cotton
machinery of Eng land, Mr.. Bailey says far exceed
that of any other country although France takes the
lead Of Great Britain in beauty of design in printed
cotton fabrics that cotton has been produced so won
derfuy fine in texture to be imPerceptibe to the
naked eye unless placed upon dark surface. The
length of hank of cotton is $40 yards; it would re-
quire more than 1000 hanks of this gossamer cotton
to weigh pound. twenty-five pounds of this de-
licate fibre would encrce the globe at the equator.
1t is curious fact in the statistics of cotton that
about $50, 900 barrels of -four costing about three
fourths of million sterling, consumed annually
in the process of starchIng the hbres whilst being
spun. Charles Dickens, in late number of his
'' Household Words" after enumerating the striking
facts of the cotton trade, says:
Let any great social or physical convusion visit
the United States and England would feel the shock
from Lands End to John O'Groate's. The lives of
nearly two millions of our countrymen dependent
upon the cotton crops of America their destiny may
be said, without any sort of hypebole. to hang upon
thread Should any dire calamity befa the land
of cotton, thousand Of our merchant ships would
idly in dock thousand mills must stop their
busy looms; two thousand thousand mouths would
sarve for lack of food feed tn ."-LOndOn Cor
rcspondence Of the National InteIigencer.