The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1888-12-01
Cost Of Cotton Bagglng.

The News, a day or two since, sug-
gested that when the National Alliance
meets in Meridian in December it
might be pertinent for that body to
endorse the use of cotton bagging ex
eluslvely in preference to any other
kind; Q) because it would create de
mand for 100000 bales of the lower
grades of cotton, and (2) to enhance
the value ofthe entire crop.
The question that necessarily fol-
lowed suggestion of this kind is that
of cost. In brief. at what price could
the cotton bagging be placed on the
market, and can it be sold in eompeti-
tion with jute baggingg
Ths present price of the Lane bag
ging, for which ~ 1-2 cents is asked
in New Orleans, is seemingly excessive.
This bagging weighs IL ounces to the
yard, which is equivalent to nearly
l6 S-4 cents a pound for the cotton
that is in it, or about twice what ordi-
nary cotton costs in New Orleans.
Being new venture in the line of
manufacturing of course extra risks
had to be taken as to finding market
for it, aside from the fact that the mills
are not specially prepared to do the
work.
Whether or not the bagging can be
profitably manufactured for less
money, Of course, without the exact
figures of the cost of production, only
an approximate estimate can be made
of the cost of bagging where this
article is made exclusively.
The nearest result that can be arrived
at is to be secured through statistics
from the census of 1880.
Alabama, perhaps of all the States,
produced fewer yards of cotton cloth
to the pound of cotton consumed than
any other Southern State. The figures
show that the sixteen cotton mills OF
Alabama consumed 7,272,000 pounds
of raw cotton producing 6,154,000
pounds of raw manufactured goods
which represented 9,95S,0O0 yards OF
cloth.
The cotton that year cost the mills
of Alabama $729,OOO or 10 cents a
pound. The other material used add
cd $4,000 or per cent to the cost of
the raw cotton, making the total cost
of materials $7ss,0OO. The wages paid
was s24O,OOO, equaling 80 per cent OF
the materials used.
Tho average price of three low
grades of cotton taken from actual
quotations is 2 3-4 cents less than 10
cent cotton, or z Ia cents per pound.
Substituting 7 IA cents for 10 cents
and applying 1t to the consumption OF
the cotton mills of Alabama; the
7,272,O0O pounds of cotton would cost
$527,0 900. Add to this per cent for
other materials brings the total up to
$4,000. TO this add 80 per cent for
labor and the cost oflabor and the cost
of labor and material reaches the sum
of 741, ,OOO
But it will be seen that the 7,272, 900
of raw cotton consumed by the mills
of Alabama produced only 6,154,000 OF
manufactured goods, or loss of 1s
per cent in the process Of manufacture.
Applying the same rule to the manu-
facturc of cotton bagging, made from
cotton at IA cents, the 6,154,000
pounds Of cotton bagging would cost
$741 900, or IL cents a pound. This,
with the bagging weighing IL ounces
to the yard, would be equivalent to 9
cents per yard as the cost price for
manufacture.
This is where every class of labor
and the machinery is employed in the
manufacture of bagging. Where other
materials are produced, and of finer
! quality, it Is probable that the coarser
stuff, such as bagging, could be pro-
duced at considerable less cost. Also
the coarser the materials are made, the
loss is less in the manufacture. To
illustrate this, the Alabama mills
working on such goods sheetings and
shirtings produced goods weighing Il
per cent less than the weight of thC
raw cotton. while the two mills o.
Florida consuming 10000 pounds o
cotton produced $4,000 pounds o
heavy yarns, loss of 10 per cent il
weight.
In the case of cotton bagging where
the yarn is very coarse the loss perhap
would not be even 10 per cent Blu
placing the loss at 10 per cent tn
7272,O00 pounds of raw cotton con
sumed in the manufacture of baggin,
would produce 6,545,000 pounds o
bagging, which costing S741 900 woul'
/ be 11.3 cents per pound or 8 1-2 cent
per yard for IL ounce bagging.-
! Meridian News.
A Story About Sheridan,