St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-06-22
The Bagging Question Again.

The agitation started by the planters O.
the South in favor of cotton bagging con
tinues to grow in interest, and although
the whole movement originally grew out
of desire to fight the jute baggiDg com
bination which had artifcially inflated the
cost of the covering, hence was suggested
as a temporary expedient, it has now
taken a much wider scope and promises tc
result in permanent change in the GOV
ering of cotton bales and the establish
ment of new and profitable industry.
After determining to adopt cotton bag
| ging as the standard covering for cotton
bales the National Farmers Alliance and
the numerous State associations in agree
ment with it quickly realized the benefits
that such move held out to the whole
cotton trade, hence set promptly to work
to remove the OILY obstacle to complete
success that stood in the way, namely
| he difference in tare favorable to the
ate covering as the heavier article. The
discrimination against the light covering
in favor of the heavier article was recog
nized to be merely trade custom, which
could be in time removed by the consent
of those interested, hence the cotton ex-
changes of the country have been appealed
to to come to the aid of the planters.
The New Orleans Cotton Exchange
promptly expressed it's sympathy with the
planters in their efforts to make cotton
bagging the future covering of the cotton
crop and pledged its support in the prem
ises. With regard to changing the pres
ent custom in the matter of tare the eX-
change found itself powerless to act, as
isolated action by any one exchange could
| in no sense work out a solution of the
problem.
The New York Cotton Exchange has
recently taken pretty much the same &C
ton as our own in titution and has warmly
Endorsed the movement in favor of cotton
bagging. According to it's published reso-
lutions the New York Exchange holds
that it considers 'the universal use of cot
ton bagging for covering the bales would
be of great ben fit to the cotton interests
of the country first, in making market
for the lower grades, which at present are
almost unstable and bring very low
price; and, secondly, in starting new
manufacturing industry which would give
employment to thousands, thereby benefit
ing the comm unity at large"
With regard to the difference in tare be-
tween the old and the new covering the
New York Exchange finds the same diff
Guilty discovered by the local Exchange.
Its resolutions on this subject says:
That while fully approaching the bene
fit. , be derived from the introduction of
the qve, your committee do not see that
this Exchange can legally pass any bylaw
or rule putting premium on cotton-cover-
bales but they are of the opinion that
the improved demand for the lower grades
and the better prices paid by exporters on
account of actual tare being much less than
when covered with gunny bagging will
more than compensate the planters for the
apparent loss which they make on the cot
ton covered bales.
Thus the two leading exchanges in the
country are agreed that a change from
jute bagging to cotton is desirable, and
while expressing their inability to settle
the question of tare individually, they be-
lieve that joint action on the part of all
the commercial bodies governing the cot
ton trade both here and abroad could find
a sure and efficient remedy for the Difficult
ty. They therefore favor the calling of
joint conference at which all interests will
be represented.
That this action will be taken follows as
a matter of course. In fact, the fixed de-
termination of doing away with jute bag
ging is SO strong that it is not probable
that any difficulty, however complex, will
be permitted to stand in the way of full
succ ssh. 0. Picayune.