The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-09
shepper.on On the Cotton DUTY


Writing in Textile America of the date
June %, Col. Alfred B. Shepperson asserts
that he has official and other reliable in
formation that not bale OF foreign cot
ton similar to our upland cotton has
! been imported, and that no foreign cotton
except Egyptian cotton has been used in
our cotton mills for more than thirty years.
! Omitting very few bales Of Chinese, East
Indian and African cotton, no other kinds
Of foreign cotton except Egyptian and Pc
ruvian have been imported for consump-
ton in this country. He shows that the
Peruvian cotton does not enter the discus
sion for the reason that not bale of it
has ever found its way into a cotton mill
because 1t resembles wool, and its sole use
IS for mixing with WOO. in the manufacture
of underwear. hosiery and cloths which
are sold to retail buyers as all wool. It's
price, therefore, he says, is influenced only
by the price of wool and the supply OF
trough Peruvian" cotton.
Col Shepperson says sea island and
Egyptian cotton do Aot come into COM
petition. The American spinners use
about 40 per cent of the sea island crop.
During the ten years ending with 1893 they
used an average of 1900 bales annually,
while in 1S94-95 they used S4,765 and in
1885, 40, O92 bales and during nine months
of the present season ending June / they
have consumed 1850 bales The produc-
ton Of sea island cotton has increased
from 2549O ba.es in 1SS3-s4 to 93,O45 in 1885,
SO, and about 10000 bales this season.
From these figures he draws the conclu-
sion that there has been an over-supply
and the laws of supply and demand have
operated to depress the price.
The Egyptian cotton has a staple, in
length between that of our upland cotton
and sea island cotton, and is especially
adapted, he states, for sewing thread, fine
underwear and hosiery such as Ba.brig-
gan, for which it is better suited than up
land cotton, while it is greatly inferior to
the better grades of sea island cotton. The
two growths differ so greatly in their
character and value, he says. that there
is really no competition between them.
Col Shepperson notes the fact that the
action of the Senate in imposing a 20 per
cent. duty on raw cotton did not have the
effect of advancing the price of SEA island
cotton even a fraction of a cent showing
the manufacturers made no extra pur-
chases as there was no apprehension on
their part that the price would be raised.
He does not consider that the cotton
brought here from other countries has
the slightest effect upon the sale or the
price OF American cotton in home markets.
About 80 per cent. of the upland cotton is
used in this country while 70 per cent. of
it goes 20 Europe, where the price is reg
ulated by the varying conditions of present
and prospective European demand, and it
is out of the question to. contend that the
imposition of a duty on Egyptian cotton
would make our cotton any more valuable
to European spinners. The only effect OF
the duty, therefore, he argues, will be to
keep out portion of the Egyptian cotton
that has heretofore been coming here, but
a very small portion as for most Of the
purposes for which It is used there is no
other cotton that can take its place.
While, therefore. it VIII not benefit the
planters it viii prove an injury to the
manufacturers, who win have to pay
more for their raw material and who will
consequently tax the people more for their
product. This injury in the end, there
fore practically falls upon the people
whom the cotton duty is supposed to ben
eft. Col Shepperson considers also that
the duty will prove an injury to the cot
ton growers for the reason that it will m
doubtedly cause a planting next year of
larger crop of sea island and other fancy
staple cottons when the present production
of these cottons is already so great that
prices are below remunerative point