The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-04-01

taking In organizing home jndustry cluhs
You little think tho step they are now taxi
ing VIII eventually bring to tho oil CITY
Oh lexas more manufactures and wealth
IMAM any city in our fair Southland The
eyes OF the people of Texas and the shrewd
capitalist and manufacturer of the East are
now locking to tho development OF your oil
Held that will make Corsicana the man.
ufacturing center OF the South, with its
practically free fuel to manufacturer
who would use $50 horse power by boring
his own well can furnish himself fuel and
sell enough oil out of the well to rAy for
the Well In eight months after that time
he can have free fuel and sell $3.50 worth
Of oil per month
Texas. with the longest seecoast of any
State in the Union has had millions OF
| dollars spent by the general government
to secure deep water at her ports. frorA
which the people In the interior have de-
rived very little benefit. In fact the railroad
| freight rates to any point in Central Texas
or North Texas is about double what 1t is
to Kansas City, Mo-, on the staple pro-
ducts.
| Mr.. George Anderson. secretary Of the
Galveston Maritime association, delivered
the following address:
| Gentlemen. | will not attempt to tell
you anything new as to the present ccndi-
| tion of the Texas bale for you must as
buyers and shippers, be to greater or less
| extent aware of It's defects; but | wish to
call your attention as forcibly as possible
| to these defects and their causes, TO the
end that some effective plan can be ar
rived at whereby they may be overcome.
| The improvement in the shipping condi-
tion of the Texas bale OF cotton. through
better methods in preparing the bale by
those who produce the cotton and those
who bale IT, viz: the ginners. the better
care Of the bale after 1t passes out of the
bands of the producer aud ginner aud Into
the possession Of those who buy and ship
! it. is q subject well worthy of the best
thought and effort of every man that is on
gagged in the handling Of cottop-the great
! err of all the money crops OF our state
| The unhusiness like methods that now
obtain in handling the crop are far reach
| ing in effect and are working incalculaole
( harm TO our chief agricultural product.
| The conditions we now have to face are the
elimination of years Of carelcssncss and a
want OF knowledge or appreciation of the
changed conditions that have been sradu-
| ally growing up from year TO year and to-
day are fixed facts In the marketing Of
cotton. We must change our methods of
handling the bale, so as to meet the de-
mands that the new conditions require of
us. To do this 1t will be necessary 20 en-
list the intelligent and united action Of all
who arc engaged In the cotton bu5ineSs,
from the farmer through all the different
hands that the bale passes on its way to
| final market.
This is the time for action. The ooudi-
| tions arc such that they will not allow Of
| further DELAY; and I hope that your leliber-
/ stions et this meeting will open the way
for the bringing together of all the diff
! forent interests throughout the State; and
| that all who arc at interest in harvesting
and marketing the cotton crop will work
together as che man for the general bet
' la tVi
require a systematic and continued effort
! and that the necessary changes can not lie
brought about at once. The movement in
| some directions must he at first largely
! educational. hut surely the game is worth
tho powder"
l viii sreak briefly Of the condition of
the bale when It reaches the wharves at
the port Of Galveston While there has
been great improvement as to its General
| condition since the season of 1S9i-iS95. in
many instances it is yet very bad. ! will
quote first from President Adoues address
made az the annual meeting of the Calves
ton Maritime association on February 10
last:
COMPLAINTS OF FORMER YEARS.
A few years ago the BUYERS OF cotton In
Liverpool and European markets, owing to
the disgraceful condition in which Texas
cotton in general. and that shipped through
the port of Galveston in particular, arrived
at its destination, determined to institute
system cf discrimination in order to pro-
tect themselves which, if carried out
threatened to seriously inJure all Interested
IN the welfare and prosperity of our great
state, and it was principally in order to
safeguard the interests and reputation of
our state as the largest cotton producer in
me world, ana OF our port as its gateway
mat your association was formed Upon
investigation it was found that the com
plants OF the buyers abroad were well
founded. and that through carelessness
ana indifference upon the part of those who
formed and handled 1t, the Texas bale had
come TO be regarded as the worst package
OF cotton IN the market. There were ey-
ceptions, OF course, and some shippers at
their own expense. had all their bales put
In good order before being sent forward.
put they were in a hopeless minority. and
the reputation of our bale was bad In
mediately upon its formation. and without
waiting the assistance of other ports. your
association sought to remedy the evils
complained of, and invited the Cooperation
OF all connected with the handling and
shipment OF cotton: for the interests of all
wefe in danger, farmers. ginners, COM
presses, shippers. railroads, bagging man
ufacthrers wharf and warehouse owner,
steamship agents and insurance companies
ana IL IL gratifying TO be able to acl,uowl-
edEe ire hearty support received from all
sides.
me bale reaches the port today in ir-
regular slaes. ranging from 1fty-six TO
seventy and sometimes eighty inches in
length and trop twenty eight to forty
inches in width, some of them almost
round, somo Tipped at edges and heads
that is, siantins, not square-caused by
rolling and slippins while being com
pressed; with soft heads so that the bag
ging can not be tightly sewn. and they
come open in handling; bagging unevenly
put on SO that che edge OF the bale is en-
tirely uncovered and tho lint is exposed to
dust and dirt After rains In the interior
I have seen hundreds, yes, thousands of
bales that had been wet and 20 compressed
many bales with mud. straw, sticks. leaves
and all kinds of trash compressed into
heads and edges; the bagging beached ny
tho weather and oft-ttmes so ratteu and
originally Of so poor a quality that 1t would
not hold the marks and in COMPRISING It
had gone all to pieces. so that You saw
more cotton than bagging. There are many
Iccmplaints reaching us this season from