Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-21
controversy by publishing the testimony
taken before the Special Commission.
ApuL rsRArIoN or corroN.

For some time past 1t has been favorite
assertion with Protectionists that the cor
tiIued supremacy of England in the cotton
trade is due solely to the practice of adul-
teratioa by her manufacturers. Il appears,
however, from the last State Department
publication OF Consular reports, that the
aduIteration of cotton has become natural
iz4d in this country, and that it is at pres
ens carried to such lengths as to make it
remarkable that the English spinneTs have
not all gone into bankruptcy long ago. Ac-
cording 10 Consul Shaw, of Manchester, the
American cotton is adulterated in bale,
and by various methods. Water and sand
or fine gravel are the principal things en-
ployed, and they are used with liberal
hand. 1t seems that some OF our honest
planters or agents are accustomed to ex-
pose the cotton before baling to steam jets,
and that in this way they manage to in
crease tie weight from fifteen to twenty
per cent. It is however with sand that the
most reckless swindling is done. Recent
tests showed that the amount of sand in
the bales ranged from l2l to 25 per cent.
and several firms stated that they consid-
cred their average loss from sand to be not
less than 10 per cent. Goldman"
the Consul is told, ''has TO purchase,
cat the price of cotton, thousands of
tons of white and red sand every
"year" and he is further informed that
some concerns have been carried on at a
loss in consequence of this grievous adul.
'' teration of the raw material" He states
that " in some instances the sand is evil
" IDENTIFY thrown into the cotton, during
the process of packing, by shovelfuls,
and one Of the largest consumers Of
American cotton in Lancashire mentions
"a case in which nearly 100 pounds of
"sand was found in one bale of cotton.
" In quite number of cases that have
been brought to my notice, sand in
"qu:ntities ranging from 90 to so pounds
has been found in the middle of bales of
cotton. And as if to make the swindle
as heavy as possible this sand has often
been wetted before being put in. Mr..
Shaw points ont that the natural conse.
queIces OF this knavery are already ap.
pearing in the depreciation of American
cotton. English spinners will no longer
give the highest market rates for raw ma.
terial which is SO liable to be adulterated,
and as they can obtain no compensation for
wet or sanded cotton from the merchants,
they are driven to protect themselves by
forcing down the price. OF course the
honest purchasers and planters suffer from
this, and it should therefore be their in
terest to provide against its continuance.
Such tricks can never pay more
than temporarily, and Mr.. Shaw states
that one result of the bad condition in
which American cotton is delivered is TO
stimulate planting in India and elsewhere.
The Indian cotton is now free from adulter-
otiOA I&Au WSli paOhOu, DSCAuSS Ia . dS0iuas
adulteration have been enacted in that
country. A proper system of inspection
would soon do away With these complaints,
and restore the character of American cot.
ten, but if adulteration is allowed to
flourish as at present it is not hard to per-
ceive that the price of that staple must fall
still lower, and that it will come into gen.
eral disrepute. 1t may be true that the
English spinners adulterate their cotton
cloth with clays and other subtances, but
if they do their sin will certainly find
them out, and they will eventually be
punished by losing the trade they have en-.
deavored to retain by such dishonest prac-
tees. AS for ourselves, we cannot excuse
one act of dishonesty by another, and we
must bear in mind the fact that commercial
supremacy can never be maintained unless
it rests upon actual superiority of products
aud methods of dealing