The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-15
TIE BIG COTTON BALE.
It Is Too Large and Should Be Made Con-
siderably Smaller.

New Orleans Iimes-Democrat.
1t would seem that the cotton bale
has finally reached its maximum size,
and that it is likely, if anything, to
grow smaller. The average weight Of
the bales received this year is mate
rally less than those of the previous
one.
The September bales in 1892, for in
stance, weighed 523.1 pounds, but this
September they weighed only 1858,
decrease of 647 pounds. For the two
months of September and October the
average was 503.0S, as against 5l0.3S,
or 7.3 pounds less. 1t will be seen that
the bale continues to grow smaller as
the season progresses, the indications
being that for the whole year it will
fall below 500 pounds. The decrease is
marked everywhere in the South. In
Texas, famous for its big bales, their
average weight has fallen off 1914
pounds; in Louisiana 40. The de-
Crease is less marked on the Atlantic
coast, but even there the disposition is
shown to put fewer pounds of cotton
into bale than formerly.
This tendency is ali the more marked
because hitherto the disposition was
quite the other way-to increase the
size of the bale until it threatened to
reach $50 pounds, or even more.
Starting at about 420 pounds, it had
steadily increased until monster bales
were frequently met with of 800 to 900,
and in some few cases of 1,l00.
The example is simple. It costs to
move and handle cotton in many por-
tions of the South, and especially along
the Mississippi, so much per bale,
whether the bale weighs 800 or 1000
pounds. There was the same charge
for transportation by boat, and for
hauling and storage in the press.
When the Mississippi levee districts
were organized and began raising
money for levee building by means of
tax on cotton, it was placed at so
much per bale, and it sometimes ran
very high-$2 to 50 so per bale. The
planter, therefore, who put up his cot
ton in bales OF 1000 pounds or more
saved just half his tax. Altogether it
was possible to save 81 or 50 bale by
adopting the heavy standard, and that
was no small item in large crop.
This little trick. however, was soon
understood, and those who lost by it
took steps to protect themselves. The
railroad freight charge was by the
pound, so that there was no profit in
putting up big bales that had to be
transported by rail. The levee dis
tricts levied their produce tax on cot
ton by the pound instead Of the bale
as formerly, and the laborers in the
presses began demanding extra rates
for handling the heavier packages.
This cut out all the profit on the big
bales, and the planters, finding that
they secured little if any benefit from
them, have ceased trying to put too
many pounds in a bale. The result is
shown in the decreased weight this
year.
The change is matter for congratu-
tion. The big bale was a nuisance,
hated and detested by all. 1t was
clumsy and required more labor to
handle. The spinner also complained
that the cotton thus packed reached
him in more or less Objectionable
and uncovered condition. Complaints
have poured in from England Of the
manner in which cotton was packed
and baled in this country, and sug-
gesting that we adopt the methods in
vogue in Egypt or India, the cotton
from which countries reached Europe
in better coalition than ours. The sug-
gestion that we adopt standard bale
used in other countries of 300 or $50
pounds is not likely to be adopted here,
however, because most of our presses
and machinery are not adapted to
packing cotton as compactly as is
necessary in these small packages; but
the returns of the cotton exchange
would indicate that the big bale is
equally Objectionable, and that the
South had about concluded that the
weight best adapted to this country,
most easily and cheaply handled, is
about 500 pounds.