The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-08-11
THE COTTON TIE QUESTION.
The Wire Ties are Working Salts
factorily--A Novel View of the
Fight Against the Trust.

The Columbia Register SAYS that
Col. d. p. Duncan, manager of the State
Alliance Exchange, has received some
samples of the wire ties, whose use he
advocates in order to defeat the trust
which has advanced the price of the
old style ties about 100 per cent since
the last cotton season.
Col. Duncan Immediately purchased
bale OF new crop cotton from ID. Craw-
ford ~ Sons, cotton factors. Its weight
was CAB pounds. The sample wire ties
were substituted for the Hat iron ties
with which the bale was bound, six of
them being put around it. At first it
was intended to have two wire ties run
lengthwisc around the bale, in addition
to the other six, as of late there has
been some complaint that the heads OF
bales frequently burst open, but cotton
factors advised against any innovation
in the style of binding the bales for
the present, claiming it would be bet
ter to make the test Of wirc ties with
sbales bound exactly as those on which
fiat iron ties are used.
The wire ties were easily handled.
1t is said they were put around the
bale as quickly or more so than the
Hat iron ties can be. This is an i'm
portant point. Cotton factors here
were very mach pleased with the wire
ties and said they saw no reason why
bales bound with them should not be
considered as good delivery as bales
bound with the flat iron ties
The oale was shipped to j. B. E.
Sloan ~ Sons, cotton factors, of Char
lesion, to be put on exhibition at the
Cotton Exchange.
Colonel Duncan does not Know exact
ly what the wire ties will cost. He
knows the price of the wire in rolls,
but cut, looped and put in bundles it
will cost little more. Black wire in
rolls of 130 pounds costs from 81 75 to
81 per hundred pounds. No. 10 wiro
will be used for cotton tics. Six ties of
this will weigh four pounds and will
cost over 3 cents per pound, or II cents
to the bale. The hoop ties weigh 2
pounds each and, at present prices,
cost about 5 cents each, or 80 cents for
the six used on a bale Of cotton.
"A gentleman who takes an interest
In the fight against the Tie Trust SAYS
it Is purely fight for a sentiment.
The wire ties for bale of cotton costs
II cents, while the fiat iron or hoop
ties cost 30 cents. AT first it appears
that the advantage is wholly in favor
of the wire ties. But" said he, "it
| should not be forgotten that the ties on
| bale sells as cotton. Unless the
| weight of the bagging and ties on a
bale of cotton exceeds twenty We
pounds, 1T is paid for just the same as
cotton. Now here is q plain mathe.
matical demonstration-the wire ties
on a bale weigh four pounds, and at I
cents pound for cotton, the farmer
| will get 28 cents for them; on the other
hand, the fiat iron ties on bale weigh
nine pounds, and at cents q pound
Tor cotton, the farmer will get SO cents
for them. Now, the wire ties cost II
cents bale and sell for % cents, while
the hoop ties cost 30 cents bale and
sell for 63 cents. On the wire ties the
farmer makes profit Of 16 cents u bale
while on the hoop ties he makes a
profit of 33 cents. 1t looks to a man uI
a tree as IL, even at the advanced price
twill pay the farmers to continue the
use OF the hoop ties. But they dom
look at 1T that way. | remember th a.
when the farmers made their figh'
against the Jute Trust, just such ar
argument as l have made now was
ms de then in favor of the use of iute
bagging, even at the advanced price
But the farmers said that was not tn,
point, that the Jute Trust had arbitrari
ly advanced the price of jute bagginl
and they were willing to lose money il
order to make the Jute Trust treduce tn,
price OF bagging to level commen
surate with the cost of producing it
i Judge that the farmers will take tn
same view OF the fight against the Cot
ton Tie Trust and will fight it until
takes off Its unjust and arbitrary advanc
OF 100 per cent in the price OF hoop ties
LII the farmers succeed, the ties on
, bale of cotton will only cost about /
, cents and sell for 63 cents. The prof
is worth fighting for"
"A new use has been discovere