The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-06-29
! oHAyqE IN THE MANNER OF HAND
ZINC ooTF0N


The following, which we take from the
ST. Louis Times, only proves that much
irregularity, if not fraud, exists u the
handling Of cotton from the time It leaves
the boil until it enters the loom. That
there should ever be a fraudulently
packed or water packed bale Of cotton is
a shame upon the entire cotton planting
states.
Though it seems that such frauds DO
and have for long time occurred. We
remember many years ago Of hearing OF
the farmer who shipped grindstone in
a bale Of cotton, and when he received it
again in hogshead Of sugar, he simply
philosophical upon the matter by quaint
" remarki1g to his wife, /" Well, old wO-
man, it looks very familiar"
We hope the cotton exchange will, for
all time to come, be as successful in trac"
ing back to the perpetratOr any criminal
effort to impose upon the commercial
world such a fraud. ...,
The Times says: "Tt is proposed that
in order to protect the interest Of all
concerned and to avoid the wastage OF
cotton now prevalent in this and other
markets. that cotton, on arrival at ware
houses, be submitted to rigid inspec-
ton after the bagging and ties are re-
moved and two samples shall be drawn
from the bale and marked and numbered
to correspond. Compression will imme-
diately follow inspection and one sample
will be given to the cotton factor and the
other carefully sealed and deposited with
the secretary of the cotton exchange.
The cotton thus inspected, sampled and
compressed on arrival will be stored
away ready for shipment promptly to
any part of the world, while under the
present system of inspection and COM
pressing after sale is made, there is
sometimes a delay of seven to ten days
before shipments go forward. For the
loss in weight by drying out after COM
preston the. trade are expected to agree
upon a certain percentage per month,
which will be established as the rule, and
cotton will be sold by the weights on the
certificates given after compression, less
the percentage above mentioned. This
change in the plan of warehousing cotton
offers many advantages, among which
may be mentioned that assurances will
be Iessened, and eastern and English
spinners can order cotton from this point
and receive it from seven to ten days
earlier than from other markets, and the
factor is enabled to render prompt &C
count of sales without waiting the slow
and tedious process now in vogue to as
certain how many bales Of lot will be
rejected.
Interior, shippers will be promptly in
formed of the exact condition Of their
shipments, and if any bales prove to be-
fraudulently packed by the planter, can
be Immediately advised of it. Water
packed cotton if promptly examined and
picked over, on arrival, can be saved from
serious damage, while if it remains in
the warehouse under the present plan,
perhaps for months before it is examined,
the damage extends throughout the bale.
The compress companies will be re-
quired to employ competent inspectors,
and said companies will be responsible
for their conduct and will guarantee that
the samples drawn will correctly repre-
sent the various bales inspected. Spin
ners in the various markets viii appreci-
ate the advantage of such disinterested
inspectors, who cannot possibly know
whose cotton they may examine, and
can have no motive to be other than i'm
partial, and losses in weight that now
occur in.compressing and in examination
will be saved to spinners.
3 The cotton exchange win take this
whole subject under consideration at an
early day, and will no doubt mature the
plan for adoption by the commencement
of the new cotton year.