The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-08-20

CldQLS Will U0 COHPOhC0
cotton bagging in order to enable
them to make collections from the
cotton producers. In many places
the wealthy farmers will furnish funds
to enable those without commercial
credit to get their bagging. Let me
tell you the situation in one sentence;
The farmers have stopped passing
resolutions to use cotton bagging IF
they can get it, and now simply pass
resolutions expressing their deteranl-
nation to use cotton bagging and none
other" (
THE TARE QUESTION.
"The tare question: said DIR. Nc
Cune, "requires only a little time for
it's solution. The demand of the
Alliance is that the tare be actual,
and that the custom of basing the tare
arbitrary at the weight Of the heaviest
iute be abolished. The establishment
of an actual tare itself will be a bene-
fit to the farmer of about eight pounds
per bale on the average; that is to say
that the variation in the weight if
jute bagging of from seven and a
half to sixteen pounds per bale is a
hardship that will be corrected by the
change. It could not be remedied OF
the use of jute was continued, because
the buyer justly claims a tare equal to
the heaviest jute, and the cotton is,
as a rule, wrapped in the lightest
jute."
"Why is this ?"
"This custom has grown up by al
lowing ginners to gin and wrap for a
given price per bale, which makes it
to the interest of the ginner, regard
less of weight, to use the cheapest and
lightest wrapping, and thus it comes
that the foreign buyer only considers
himself safe when there r such
great differences in the weight of the
wrapping by taking a tare equal to
the heaviest weight. There is an
actual loss from this cause from the
tare, when jute is used, of about
eight pounds per bale. Now, to say
nothing of the other advantage of cot.
ton, if it's introduction secures the
custom
OF TAKING ACTUAL TARE
it would save this loss of eight pounds
per bale which now attaches to jute.
This is a loss that must attend any
covering that is subject to great varia-
tions in weight. [ am in possession
of a letter from the Bremen Cotton
Exchange, sent to the New Orleans
Cotton Exchange, in which they rec
ognize and commit themselves to a
just allowance for tare by advocating
the doctrine that actual tare should be
taken when a lighter and uniform
covering is used. There is no use de.
batting the question whether Liverpool
will at once yield to the demand for
an actual tare, as it is only a question
of time when she must do it, because
it is right and just. Her only excuse
for taking a tare of sixteen pounds is
that jute frequently weighs that, but
when it becomes a known and estab-
lished fact Of commerce that practical
ly all cotton is wrapped in cotton bag
ging, which always weighs five and
a quarter pounds per bale; no country
would contend for an arbitrary tare
of sixteen pounds.
WHY ENGLAND IS INTERESTED.
what then does the action of the
Liverpool Exchange mean ?"
"The action of the Liverpool Elk
change in trying to stop the introduc.
ton of cotton as a wrapping is prob
ably brought about by the English
brokers and factors in compliance
with the wishes of their clients, the
English spinners, vino no doubt are
alarmed at the prospect of the con-
sumption of cotton by the cotton mills
of the South being at once augmented
from about 800, 900 to over 400, 900
bales, as the spinning capacity for
bagging will call for that increase.
This extra consumption of cotton by
the Southern mills being of the lowest
grades of cotton, is practically all
taken from grades tina have hereto
fore been shipped to England. 1t is
not at all strange that they should
object, and make their complaint in
the British market, but it by no means
follows that the Liverpool Exchange
will be willing to engage in a conflict
with the American planter, without
being able to show any element of
justice backing their cause. While
in New. Orleans l was shown samples
of cotton bagging from Liverpool,
taken from bales of Egyptian cotton.
1t was handmade, and was very sim
liar to the cotton fbagging used in this
country, only not so uniform. This
shows that the English markets are
already accustomed to handling cotton
as cotton bagging, and that the change
demanded by the Alliance is not so
much of an innovation. There is no
doubt that it is the determination of
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