The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-05-28
COTTON BAGGING FOR THE
SOUTH.
Address of the Committee.

IL
mittee at the meeting recently held a
Birmingham, Ala, to present the advan'
tages and necessity of using cotton bag
cling by cotton producers, and the same
| convention, composed Of delegates repre-
senting the organizations above men
| toned, adopted the following resolutions
and urged their endorsement by everyone
interested:
Resolved, That we, from all the lights
before US, recommend to this body the
permanent use of cotton baggtng as a
covering for cotton.
We further recommend the appoint
ment of a committee of three, their actual
expenses to be paid by the organizations
here represented, whose duty it shall be
to secure from purchasers and manufac-
turers of cotton covered in cotton bag
ging, an allowance of at least eight pounds
on each bale, to be settled for at market
price when sold.
And we still further recommend that
in the event of any cotton buyer refusing
to grant said premium on such cotton,
then we advise the members of the ALI
ance, Wheel and Union not to sell until
such concession is mail"
This may be though by many to be
not only a bold step, bnG n of doubtful
exl ediency. Your committee are aware
of The serions difficulty in presenting
theS4 determinations of the National ALI
ance to a people used altogether to a diff
ferent covering for cotton, and a very
different method in the securing of that
covering. Not only so, but We appre-
bend that an earnest effort will be made
by those whose interests lie in a different
direction, to persuade our people that this
"much ado" about cotton bagging, is
simply a sentiment ground d in opposition
to an ''imaginary bagging trust and as SEN
sible men they should "stick to business
for their cotton jute bagging." If no
bagging combine existed and jute bagging
could be bought at one-half the present
price, the same reasons would exist then
as now, for the exclusive and permanent
use of cotton bagging. 1t is a saying
that it is an i'll wind hat blow S no one
some good" and "that all is well that
ends we'll" So the bagging combine of
1888,may yet prove a g odsend" to cotton
producers. The abuse of power or priv
ilege always works its own cure. If those
controlling jute bagging and it's manufac-
ture had displayed the least wisdom or
tact in 1888, they could have gradually
increased the price of tae anne for a
series of years, and not NJ single effort,
perhaps, wouldha ave been made to supplya
subs titute, but such an un~called-for and
determined effort to force upon the cotton
producer, jute bagging, at an increase Of
from six to eight cents per yard in one
season, and that in the face of an organi-
zation that was increasing rapidly, with
the open and ayowed purpose of resisting
such ~monopolies, was simply suicidal on
ion, vastly to the benefit of thos- whom
they intended to Cypress. This is but ar
additional demons ration that over all
men and their actions there is One that is
just and doeth His will in the armies of
Heaven and among men. 1t is expected
of the committee, doubtless, that we pre-
sent the economic question involved in
this revolution as to bagging for cotton.
Seven yards of jute bagging weighing
II lbs. per yard will cost at factory 9 cts.
per yard, making SO cts. Seven yards of
cotton bagging weighing t~hree-fourths Of
a pound will cost 12b cts. per yard at fac
tory, making 81 cts, or 2444 cts. more for
the covering than jute. In addition to
this there is a loss OF difference of weight
between cotton covered in cotton and
jute per bale, of seven pounds, and this at
9 cts. per pound is GO cts. Now this
added to the difference in cost-24dd,
makes 81 cts. per bale apparent loss.
Under the determinations of the National
Alliance, aud justly so, the producer riH
get an allowance of eight nunds per bale
on cotton covered bags; this, at nine cts.
per pound, is y cts. This taken from
the loss of 81 cts. by the use Of cotton,
leaves only l53 cts. yet to be overcome.
Now no sane man will dare deny that if
1850 600 bales of the lowest grade cotton
just the cotton that all manufacturers
do not want, and is always accounted for
as comparatively worthless in the fixing
of the price for a given seasons
consumed in the manufacture of bag
ging, that the price will not be
increased on the remainder Of the
crop and for two reasons: First. he
demand for the better classes Of cot
ton is constantly incre asing and thatlmm b
Der of bales, l25,0OO, will l,sSrn tue
supply, for the reason that it takeS the
same labor and. expense to produce TIE
lower grades that it does tle tetter
grades; or, in other words, as the lower
grades increase in a given crop, the bet
ter grades decrease, The lowest estimate
possible for this diversion Of l25,000 bales
of cotton, is an increase Of cne-fourth of
a cent per pound, or $l.25 per bale. Take
the loss of 153 cents from this and we
have a gain of $l.091 in favor of cotton
bagging as compared with jute at present
prices. But still there is another source
OF gam IN favor OF cotton bagging. We
are assured by those who control the in
surance of cotton that they will not
charge more than one-half present ra.es
of insurance on cotton covered in cotton
bagging, such as is manufactured by the
Lane Mills Of New Orleans. This gives
cotton bagging y ents per bale increase,
which, added to Sl.09g, makes Sl.31j
total actual gain to the indlvjduai pro-
ducer.
But suppose we throw this all aside aid