The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-30
RECEIPTS ARE FALLING OFF.
RIG DROP IN ARRIVALS OF COTTON
HERE THIS MONTH.

one beneNes mere Is Any Diver
sion of the StapIe-Interior Mer-
chants Said to Be Holding Back
in the Hope of Getting Higher
Prices and the Crop in This Section
Also said to Be Lighter.
receipts of cotton at Savannah have
teen falling off this month to such an
extent as to attract attention. When the
month opened there were receipts to Sa,
yannah's credit of 65S SCI bales, against
6l427S ba.es last year, making an increase
OF 1929 bales. Since then, though there
has been a falling off in the receipts CON-
pared with last December, of As 967 bales
the receipts up to last night being Sl4.O6
bales, against S5O6S3 bales last year, de-
crease for the season 10 date of IS, 800 bales.
There appears to be somewhat of a diff
ference of opinion as to the exact cause
of this, and the probability of the decrease
being either wiped out or made larger be-
tween now and the close of the season.
some think that there has been decrease
in the crop in the Savannah territory and
tdat it is now becoming apparent in the
decrease in the receipts, while others as
cribe the recent falling off in the cotton
sent here to the tendency of the interior
merchants to hold back cotton, owing to
the sitter tone of the market with the
hope of getting higher figures. No one
ascribes It to any diversion of cotton that
should come to Savannah 10 other ports.
one factor in discussing the matter yes
terday said: 'The falling off in the pas,
two or three weeks has been in the f. O.
b. cotton, and it is likely to be made
up at any time. Since the rise in prices
and the better feeling that has prevailed
there has been some disposition on the
part of holders in the interior not to offer
their cotton, and as the exporters have
not bought it there has been less shipped
here f. o. b. and corresponding decrease
is apparent in the receipts. This is bound
TO be but temporary and large receipts
IN the near future may speedily make up
the difference either in whole or in part.
Spot cotton has been Offering more freely
IMAM for some time. The samples shown
on the factors tables, I am told have been
IN larger quantity the past few days than
for some time. l am satisfied thar the
falling off is in the f. O. b. business. and
is due to the transient causes mentioned,
Another factor who has recently been
through considerable section of cotton
country contiguous TO Savannah took a
different view of the situation. He did
not believe that the falling off. would he
made up To his mind it was to be at
tributed in a considerable degree TO a
smaller crop hereabouts, due to the storms
ana bad weather in the summer and early
fan. He had been observant while i'm the
country and had seen no especial accurnu-
Iation of cotton at the gins or in the
warehouses, nor had he noticed that there
was any large amount of cotton unpickel
comparing the fields with what he had
l1uhd them to be in the past years at
lais Tune As he viewed it, the falling
Off was likely to be greater as time moved
on and it could be attributed to NOTHING
nut natural causes which could not be
controlled While there might be some
ho-dIng back of cotton, owing to the feel
ing that still higher prices might come.
he dld not think that in the end Savan-
nan would have receipts equal to those
Of last year.
third factor was somewhat of the
sumo opinion. He looked for the differ
euce between receipts this season and last
10 grow greater before the close of the
season, although there might be a temDor-
airy change In conditions at times. While
II mad been true earlier in the season that
many planters felt so discouraged that
lhey talked of leaving their cotton in the
HeIds unpicked he was satisfied that the
recent better prices had helped to change
lheir minds and that the fields in the erd
would be as well stripped as ordinarily
copies of a circular letter from the
Philadelphia Commercial Museum, deal
ing with the packing and shipping of cot
ION, have been received in Savannah. The
letters says:
Packers and shippers of cotton in the
United States would probably find it to
their advantage to be more particular in
6alns their cotton for shipment abroad
frequent complaints of the condition in
Wmch the cotton arrives, from importing
Hins IN Europe and Japan, are received
ul the Philadelphia Commercial Museum
a large cotton and yarn house in Osaka,
Japan in letter of recent date to the
museum, says:
The present method of packing cotton
rom the United States is too bulky and
very inconvenient to deal with. Though.
81 course, there is a difference in quality,
me packing of Bombay cotton Is less in
nuih ana more convenient to handle. This
year the round packed bales from the
hlled States have been imported, but
uey are not as convenient as those that
come from Bombay. Is there no other
way of packing?
cotton from the United States IS al
most always short weight. that is TO say,
"hen we weigh it in Japan the weight is
IeSS than we have been charged for OF
course there is some difference in climate
ana variations in dampness. The Bombay
pdies are almost always heavier by from
three to ten pounds than the weight given
by the shipper Our way of dealing with
I,oinpay cotton is to make a trial weight
Vi ten or fifteen bales of each lot and COM
pare the result with the original weight.
IL THIS IS satisfactory the entire lot is de-
HFered without weighing each bale, but
cotton from the United States being al
most invariably short in weight every
pale has TO be weighed. That very much
hlnders the facility of transacting bust
ness Is there no way TO improve this?
We also want to cali attention to the
arr and sand in cotton from the United
states. Sand is frequently plentiful in
!our cotton. Perhaps il has been blown
INTO the cotton when in the field, but
however he 10 Ia M