Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-07-15


The annual meeting of the Cotton Supply
Association was held on Tuesday, in the Man
chester town hall, The attendance was MI
merous and influential. Mr.. j. Cheetham
the president referred to the present state of
circumstances affecting the supply of cotton
to this country. On review of all those
parts OF the world whence cotton might be ex-
pected to come, il was found that apart from
the southern portion of the United States,
there were only two regions possessing the
very first requisite, which was labor to employ;
and those two were the West of Africa and
the East Indies. Every other country pos
sessing soil and climate fit Tor the growth of
cotton of quality equal and in many cases
superior 10 that which America produced, was
yet placed out OF the question at present by
the want of labor. And in the West of Afr-
ca, though there was labor, the people were
savage, the country was tesolated by the war
fare of hostile tribes, and the climate also was
fatal to Europeans. Thus we were at present
restricted TO that great continent of India,
which was now actually growing more cotton
than any other portion Of the globe II was
calculated that the annual produce of cotton
in India was not less than six million bales.
We also possessed the advantage of having
that country under our own government.
There, also, we had abundance of free labor
there was no question OF slavery 10 grapple
with. And yet there were formidable obsta-
ces as compared with the position Of the
Americans.
The movers in this association believed,
nevertheless, that there was a prospect not
only OF increasing the Indian supply to this
country, but also of eevating the quality TO
level with that grown in America. The guam
tity received from India in the last six years
hall of.v iiplt wa IA 0tir al xao
consumed only $4,000 bales per annum on
the average, the annual excess of 100000 be-
ing taken away TO various countries on the
continent. India was capable of giving us a
much larger quantity than 600, 900 bales, which
was the amount last year Probably we could
reckon on 100000 bales year rom Bonn
bay, This association had lately been enabled
TO hand over the development of the cultiva.
ton OF superior quality of cotton i'll India to
the efforts of a joint stock company, whose
chairman was his friend Mr.. John Plat, of
Oldham. (Applause.) AS soon as the season
permitted, the company proposed to send out
TO India, as its commissioner, MIR. u. II. Hay
wood, who had hitherto been the secretary
of this association and Sir Charles Wood had
placed at that gentlemans disposal the services
OF DIR. Forbes, who would accompany him.
(Applause.)
| MIR. Cheetham referred again TO the danger
OF relying exclusively on America, and point
| ed to the fact that while the annual supply
from the whole world in the last ten years had
averaged only 1884, 900 bales, The annual con-
sumption of Great Britain, Europe, and Amer
lea had been 100000. The present price Of
cotton arose not so much from the actual cri-
Sis in America as from the practical knowl-
edge that million bales had been lost to us
by the failure Of the harvest (Hear hear
Mr.. ii. Ashworth moved the adoption of the
annual report of the association, which was
agreed to aud the meeting was addressed
also by Dr. Beke, traveller in Abyss:nia,
as to the capabilities OF that country; by Mr..
II. Jordan, the government commissioner
from Queensland; b. the Rev. Mr., Arthur,
who claimed PIE emnencc for India rs The