New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-02
nth and the preceding year:

The great feature of the crop was now al
ready manifest-an unusual excess in the
supply of the lower grades which forced
them down disprOpOrtionately compared
with the better qualities. This applies to
their classification, but was equally ap-
parent in the extraordinary amount of
dusty, sandy, dirty and mixed packing.
Later in the year it was the common opln
ion that these bad qualities were more
marked than in any previous year on re-
cord. AS tie fact became apparent abroad
there was general hue and cry against
dusties which were entirely neglected and
could not be moved, no matter how cheap
they really were when compared with clean
cottons, especially OF the medium and better
qualities The evil was not confined to New
Orleans. 1t prevailed to as great an
extent at Mobile, Memphis and other
markets, and was characteristic of
the entire crop. The alleged cause was
the dry and dusty spell of weather durin z
the picking season and carelessness in
picking and handling. 1t seemed as if the
laborers. who worked or shares. I'M
agined that more or less of dust or sand
would increase the weight without dimin-
ishing the price. This Vas great mistake.
| II was impossible to sell such cottons in
| this market or IN Liverpool, unless at a re-
| duction in price equal to double the amount
| of gain in weight. OF course this was not
| understood in the country at the time u
| the early deliveries. but factors soon adj
vised country merchants of the facts, and
| the planters or their laborers found that fer
every dollar they gained IN weight, by dust
| or sand, they lost two dollars in price.
| But it had now become too late to remove
| the evil. and there can be no doubt that
| had the crop been carefully picked, cleant q
as nearly as possible from dry weather
| dust, and honestly packed, 1t would have
netted very much more than its actual pro-
ceeds. At one time. when the stock
on sale in this market was estimated
| at l25 900 bales, a careful calculation
| demonstrated that there was loss of i212
| percent in price, or - per bale, against an
| apparent gain by the weight of the sand,
| etc, Of not over 81 per bale. This shows j
net loss of - per bale, and. if We allow il
for Our entire receipts, it presents the ap
palliug sum of over s. 5000 SO far we
| have only considered the effect of careless
and negligent picking and packing, but the
| trade has suffered, moreover, from inten
| tioral false packing-tilling the interior OF
the bales with worthless stuff and plating
it to certain thickness with low middllna
and the better qualities. In former times
this fraudulent or false packing was so rare
| that 1t was never suspected, and no means
were adopted to detect it. But since the
war it has been otherwise, and the numer
Gus reclamations for mixed and false packec
cotton have compelled the trade to !adop
more stringent measures, making 1t ex
tremeIy difficult to pass a bale OF suci
fraudulent cotton without detection at tn,
press. The evil has been OF such magnl
tude that it has excited general attention
| abroad, where more rigid scrutiny is con
seouently made. Thus detection at som
point On the line, while the buyer has We
the means of protecting himselfby reclams
ton. is almost certain. These facts can nc
be pressed too emphatically on all engage
IN preparing the staple for market, inclut
ing not only the laborer and the planter
but the country merchant as well, who
I brought in direct contact with the PR
ducers, whether they be laborers or planter
CIRCULAR.
NEW ORLEANS CoTros EXCHANGE,
New Orleans, August, 1873.
At the close Of the season, we deem it q
, | preprlare to cali the attention of the trad
, and!all others interested in the culture az
| marketing of our great staple, to the EVIL