Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-24
Sandy Cotton.
liverpool DaiLV Post. 7th.

The following communication ex-
plains itself. The suggestions contained
therein are well worth the consideration
of those concerned, as there cannot be
the least doubt that very large part of
the evil complained Of is preventable:
To the President Of tie liverpool Cotton
Brokers association
SIR have had so many complaints,
from all classes of buyers, of the amount
of sand delivered to them, and charged
for as cotton, that l think it high time
the matter should be Investigated by the
association, and remedy provided to
prevent a repetition of what, to spinner,
appears little better than fraud. In the
present state of trade it is difficult to
spin cotton at 64d. per pound into 32s
twist to profit, whereas it is an i'm
possibility to spin sand at the same price
into anything but dead loss. Only last
month my firm sold 100 bales of Texas
cotton at 6 II 16d per pound, the loss
on which alone have every reason to
believe the spinner correctly stated TO
amount to 10 per cent, or nearly e200
The spinner naturally asks if he has no
remedy, and l was compelled to inform
him that, having seen and approved of
the buying and the redrawn samples,
both of which showed some sand, he had
no claim according to the present rules
and customs of the trade which in my
opinion require to be altered TO meet
such cases.
The Spectator, moreover, who buys
futures has an equally good ground of
complaint, that he buys "midding"
American cotton to be equal to a stand
ard kept by the association, which is
open to inspection, and is known to be
free from sand, and he has rendered to
him cotton mixed with from to 10 per
cent. of sand, for which he gets no ade
quate allowance. Take a case where
the cotton, rendered on contract basis,
"middling" with the low middling
clause is just low middling, and the diff
ference between middling and low mid.
ding is quoted at 16d. per pound. For
the grade alone maintain that the buyer
is entitled to 16d. per pound allowance,
and, if the cotton contains 10 per cent.
Of sand, | maintain that he is en-
titled to an allowance of 3 16d.
per pound for grade and 10 per
cent. additional for sand. If, however,
you refer to the most experienced arbi-
traitors in American cotton, they will tell
you that they cannot, according to the
custom of the trade, allow more than the
circular quotation difference between
middling and low middling, or they
would be obliged to return the cotton to
the seller with low penalty. | main
tain that if the cotton is low middling in
grade it would be an injustice to return
it with penalty to the seller because it
contains sand, but to ask the buyer to
accept sandy cotton at the allowance
quoted in the circular for cotton free
from sand is equally unjust, and this I
believe to be the custom of the trade at
present. | should suggest as a remedy
that where the seller declines to give
any guarantee as to the amount of sand
in his cotton he should affix a label
on his samples to the follow
ing effect: mo reflections nor returns
for. sand after passing the scale;" and
in buying this cotton the spinner will
know the risk he runs. All other cotton
should be sold with guarantee that the
loss by sand shall not exceed per cent,
and any bale which, when tested, shows
a loss from sand exceeding per cent
shall be returnable to the seller at the
value of the day. plus expenses to the
mill and back. This, l consider, would
meet the case of cotton bought on the
spot, and in the arbitrations on cotton
bought to arrive should suggest that
new rule be passed that mo cotton
which is up to the guarantee in grade
sold shall be rejected or returned, with
or without penalty, for sand; but the
allowance for sand, if any, shall be ad.
dition to any allowance for grade"
We are told that the wet season in
America produced the damp in cotton
last year. and the drought is the cause of
the sand this season. To the credit of
the ryot in India, who has more heavy
rains and more drought than the Ameri-
can to contend with, he has contributed
nothing to the Pluckington Bank now
in course Of construction by some enter
prising American cotton planters in Old
ham.
/ shall be glad if you will favor me
with your views on this important ques
tiOn IN such form that it may be print
ed and published, in order that the trade
may see thai our association exists not
only to protect rights. but to redress
wrongs. l am, yours faithfully,
THOMAS THORBURN.