St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-08
The jute bagging used affords most

| anu CbDSIuSkdtIS tit ilShS VI
damage from fire, the fuzzy nature of
the material making it specially liable
to ignite from the slightest spark.
The producer pays high price for
this bagging and gets absolutely moth
ing for it, as it is practically of no com
mercal value when stripped from the
bales by the spinner.
1t has been frequently stated-it has
been maintained even in Congress-
that the producer gets the same price
for the jute bagging that he gets for his
cotton. In a certain sense this is true,
but will any sensible man dispute that
the price of the cotton is reduced 10
proportion to the quantity Of .iute bag
ging that has to be paid for! Is it ne
cessary to point ont that European
spinners-much less American spinncrs
are not so simple as to wish to pay us
full cotton value for jute tagging that
is to them of no use
English buyers, in calculating the
prices they can pay for cotton in onr
markets, deduct lbs. per cwt. of lI2
lbs. for bagging and ties, and loss of
weight in transit, so that for every bale
of 800 lbs. that 4 farmer sells, he re-
ceives, at most, the actual value of 1864
lbs. of cotton, while he has to pay for
the transportation and handling of the
full 500 lbs.
There can be no question that the
only return the cotton producers of this
country get for the jute ba"giug they
purchase is the inadequate protection
of their cotton. Of money return they
get absolutely none at nH-and the same
may be said of the iron ties.
1t takes to cover bale of cotton of
500 lbs. say yards of hagging, weigh
ing Il lbs. per yard, 124 lbs. To this
add the weight of 6 iron ties, say 10
lbs, and we have 22f lbs. as the weight
of the covering and fastening of the
average bale Of cotton as it goes
country. The tare and loss of weight |
calculated by English buyers on each |
500 ID. bale is as we have seen 81 lbs, !
so that We have to stand loss of Q lbs. |
of actual cotton per bale, equal to one |
and AS per cent, or about 90, 900 bales !
of cotton actually lost to us on annual |
exports of 5,00O,00O bales.
This is surely sufficient commentary !
on the protection afforded by jnte bag
ging without proceeding to consider
the waste during transportation and
handling in the interior, the increased
risks of fire, and the consequently in.
creased rates of fire insurance, and the
liability to damage on account of the
open texture of the baggine.
1t may be argued that this loss of
weight is caused to a great extent by
the roncil usage the bales meet with on
board ship, To this we would reply,
that roughly and imperfectly covered
package, like cotton bale to day, will
he always roughly handled, while a
neatly and carefully covered package,
even Of less value, will meet with care
ful treatment wherever it goes.
But it will be advisable to consider
the amount Of money this jute bagging
costs the cotton producer in the course
of year, and the hands into which the
money passes.
At the present date. jnte tagging is
selling in New Orleans at l24 cents per
yard, and it is safe to predict that this
will be at least the average cost to the
cotton producer this year. 1t Z ysr32
to the bale, the covering will cost IS
cents per bale. making $500, 900 on Il
crop OF six and quarter million bales.
The use of this covering will cause a
loss, as We have shown. of 10000 bales
of cotton, say at S45 per bale S4OOOOOO
while the actual cost of carrying to Eu-
rope the covering of the 100000 bales
lhat will probably be shipped there can
be reckoued at abont 100000 U24 lbs.
per bale, say 81 25O,OO0 lbs, at 5I8 cent
per pound $500 0G), so that the jute
bagging nsed this year will cost the
cotton producers of the country about
S9, 200, 900, will afford them no proper
protection for their cotton, and will
have no market value when stripped
from the bales at the cotton mills.
And who benefits by this enormous
expenditure?
The bulk of the jnte is grown and re-
dnced to fibre with British capital, in
British India, is sold to this country by
British merchants, is brought here in
British vessels. it pays duty to theSU.
S. Custom Honse, is manufactured into
tagging in the New England and Mid
die States, and is doled out at ransom
prices to the unfortunate cotton pro.
ducers, paving further tribute on its
way to their hands, to railroads, steam
boats, commission merchants and
others.
Cotton raising wonld indeed be In
crative industry, if it could afford to
pay to aliens and outsiders such year
ly tribute as this, in addition to sus-
tanning the many other expenses and
to which it is subject. but
it is too we'll known that tho cotton
producer can hardly make both ends
meet to-day, by practiciug the utmost
and the most rigorous md
vidual economy, and it is absolutely
necessary that some concerted action
shonld be taken to suppress this gen.
eral extravaganza, and to reduce, or at
least to obtain some return for, the
present enormous expenditure for COW
ering our cotton bales.
This committee does not presume to
say what the remedy should be;
it will be practicable to use an
article of cotton ducking that can be
in our midst, of such
texture as will afford adequate protec-
ton against damage from wet, dirt and
fire, and positive prevention of a ruin
Gus loss of cotton in transit, of snch
weight as will reduce the present cost
of Transporting our cotton to market,
and of such a quality that it will be
at fair price, when stripped
from the bales at the mills, to serve
again as wrapping, or to be converted