The news & observer., 1897-02-25
THE WEIGHERS BILL
A Bill That Should be Put to
Sleep on the Table.
THERE IS NO VIRTUE IN 1T
WAKE COUNTY COTTON WEIGH.
ERS BILL NOW PENDING.
NEITHER BUYERS Noa SELLERS
want It, and il is Only Calculated TO
Stir Up Feeling That May Re
suit in injury to Both.


For more than a quarter Of a century
the cotton buyers of Raleigh and the
cotton planters who sell their
cotton in Raleigh have dwelt
together in perfect pcace and
harmony, and together they have sue
| ceeded in building up here a cotton mar
ket acknowledged to be one of the best
finland markets in the South and this
has been done without a clash between
cotton buyers and cotton sellers. Raleigh
is the legitimate market place for a large
number of the cotton planters Of Wake
johnson, Nash, Franklin, Granville.
Chatham, and Harnett counties, and for
years the buyers of Raleigh and the plan
ters of these counties have been aiding
eachoUher in building up in Raleigh mar
ket that would conduse to the profit and
benefit of each. 1t has been for years
and years, the custom-the law written
and unwritten that the four Raleigh cot
ton weighers should be selected-two by
the cotton exchange and two by the
Board of County Commissioners. This
has been law and custom for quar-
ter of a century and if there has ever
been a complaint either from buyer or sell
er it has never come to the surface.
@NNtAAA(A tAAC Nuttbn GACLElu&E HOT The
Board of commissioners ever had O dream
of antagonizing eachother. The county
commissioners have named men for
weighers who were competent and de-
serving, men who were cotton planters
and cotton sellers. The cotton exchange
has named men who were competent and
deserving and in whom the sellers had
the utmost confidence, the exchange has
v1n.f qIe tod Al
but outsiders and to-day one Of their ap-
p0antees is prominent cotton planter,
living in the country and a gentleman
against whom no complaint has ever been
made. The Raleigh cotton exchange.
lis nOn-poltical organization Of men
who have done more to build up a first
class cotton market in this section than
all other forces combined There has
never been since it's organizat:on-an we
say this advisedly-the slightest effort to
control prices or IN the slightest way de-
press the value Of the farmers cotton.
to the contrary, this little organiza ton
Of cotton buyers have by uniting their
strength and influence put the Raleigh
COTTON market in direct communication
with cotton spinners and cotton factors
all over the world. Direct shipments are
+Att'tt ~ atAt AAiG AttltlAlE uidQhGlSs at nome
and abroad and to-day spot cotton is
worth and Will sell for more in Raleigh
than lit viii on the New York market.
The position that Raleigh occupies in
this particular, has stimulated the
local tributary markets and the result
is that every cotton planter in this entire
section is benefited. All this said for the
purpose of calling attention to a measley
l,s4 II
which is calculated to break up the
friendly relations that have 50 long ex-
isted between the cotton sellers and cot
ton buyers Of Raleigh.
This bin has but one object, and that
IS to take away from the Cotton EX-
change the right to elect two OF the four
cotton weighers and nobody has ever
asked for this unless it was somebody
who either desired to be a wegher him
self or had a political friend or pet who
desired the place.
The position of cotton weigher in a
market like Raleigh is an important ana
responsible one 1t is business position,
pure and simple, and to drag it down into
petty, partisan politics, is inexcusable,
especially when there is no reason or
excuse for doing it, but the effort is be-
ing made. The bill passed the House
committee and passed the House without
notice to any who might desire to OPP
pose it, and is now pending in the SEN
ate 1T ought, by all that is fair and just
and right, and by all that is for the
best interest of Raleigh, as a cotton mar
ket, to be defeated. 1t has not a clause
in it that is calculated to commend it to
a fair-minded legislator
1t reduces the bonds Of the weighers
from $4,000 to $500 No weigher that
has ever been elected or that win prob
ably be elected by the Board Of Com
missioners or the Cotton Exchange, that
we have heard OF, has asked even for
this
1t reduces the price for weighing from
10 cents per bale to cents per bale. IL
any man in Wake or in any country ad-
iacent to Raleigh has ever complained at
the price paid for weighing his cotton that
we have ever heard of. -Four good men
are employed to weigh cotton in Raleigh.
They weigh about 25.000 bales year.
1ney have to employ from four to six
hands to aid in the weighing, especially
during the busy season, and all these
our men and those whom they employ get
The sum of $1,000 in round figures per
lnnum. This sum when divided up does
lot amount to excessive pay. The pro-
1osed reduction would effect the pay of
zach weigher from $75 to 800 per an
lum, while it would not we dare say,
fleet q single man who sells cotton i'm
talIegh to the extent of $500 per annum.
The bill is one Of the little innocent
lills for which there is abundant room
IN the table, but the book of statutes
/. 4 L
) the earnest wish OF nine-tenths Of
hose who are interested, either as buy
RS or sellers, that it should be defeated.