The age-herald., 1898-09-03
TESTERS REPORT
 ON COTTON CROP
An Increase of 2,242,030 Bales
 Over Last Years Yield.
THE PRICE WILL BE LOWER
The Commercial Value of the Crop is Placed at $2s.e2 per Bale Against $36.26 Last Year-Great
 Increase in Spindles.

New Orleans, La, September 2.-Secre-
 tary Testers New Orleans cotton exchange
 annunal report was issued in full today
 He puts the cotton crop of 1S97-9S at Il ,199,-
 994 bales, an increase of 2,242, ,03O bales over 1S96-9T, and says that of this increase ST 000
 was in Texas, including Indian Territory 943,0 900 in the group of other gulf states, con- sisting of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
 Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri and 612,- 900 in the group of Atlantic states, con-
 sisting of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and North and South Carolina, Kentucky and
 Virginia
 MT. Hester puts the average commercial
 value of the crop at $2S.62 per bale, against
 $S6.26 last year, $41.09 the year before, and $30.00 in 1s94-95 and the total value of the
 crop at $320 ,553, 900 against S321 1925 900 last
 year, s294 ,095,O ,OOO year before last and $297.-
 oSS,OOo in 1s94-95, showing that the south ob-
 tained for this years crop which was near ly two and a half millions of bales greater
 than last year, $1, ,372,OOO.
 He puts the total spindes in the south at 4,052 PA, an increase over last year of 205,253. These include 251 900 new, not com pieted, most of which may be brought into play this fall and early next spring. The net gain in the number of southern mills last year has been nine, making the total new 49l and the consumption has been divided as follows: Alabama 101 ,162 bales, an in- crease of 16,5S4; Arkansas, 1894 bales, an | increase of 1,06S; Georgia, 25S,612 an in crease of 31 300; Kentucky, 6156 bales, an
 increase of 1,7S5; Louisiana 16049 bales, decrease of 329; Missouri, 3,735, an increase of 5S3; Mississippi 20,00S bales, an increase of 2,44s; North Carolina, 332 ,SO1 bales, increase of 23,S2S; South Carolina, 378,154 bales, an increase of 50,511; Tennessee, &C.,
 651 bales, an increase of 6,067; Texas, 14,69i,
 an increase of 1,994; Virginia fl $40 bales, an
 increase of 2,741. Total southern consump-
 tion, ,231 ,S41, an increase of 1S9,1I0.
 In relation to the new crop in August of
 this year only 29,000 bales were received
 at the ports, against S4O00 last year and
 166,0OO year before last. In reference to the manufacturing industry of the country and Its comparative progress north and south Mr. Hester says the same causes have operated to depress the industry in the north and east which operated last year and notwithstanding the lower stock of which the mills bought largely there has been little if any margin of profits in fact, 1t is claimed many of the mills were run at loss. The south, on the contrary, has done well. It has added more spindles and it's increase in the number of bales con- sumption has been greater than in any one year for long time. Nearly every mill in the south has shared in the increased consumption of cotton to a greater or less extent and in reply to the question as to whether they had been affected by the un- favorable trade conditions, the most uni- versal response has been mo-"
 The takings north and south during the past year are the heaviest on record amounting in round figures to 344,OOo bales In the north the lower price of cotton in- duced spinners to buy freely and with an approximate consumption for the year of 1.S25000 bales, they hold stock now of 4l2,00O, which is greater than at the close of any previous season.
 MT. Hester gives comparative state-
 ment of cotton spinned in the United States by states compared with the cen sus of figures for 1890, showing the total number of cotton spindles in the country In round figures to be 19,2S4 900, against 14,- 55O,000 In the census year. The increase in
 the north and east, pricipally in the New England states during the eight years has
 been 2,290000 spindles, while the increase in the southern states amounts to 244t0oo,
 making the total increase for the United States 4734,000.
 These figures, he goes on to to say, are significant indications of the progress of the cotton spinning industry of the United | States during the past eight years. They | are perhaps the best measure of the | changes that have taken place, and they | lead up to the question which has recently | been so often put as to whether with a bet | ter outlet for manufactured products than
 at present the spindle capacity of the coun- | try has not been over-reached. He calls
 attention to the fact that the increase of | spindles for the entire country since the
 census year has been really 33 per cent Dur | ing the same time the consumption of cot 1 ton has increased nearly 37 per cent. fair | estimate, he says, of increase of population 1 of the United States since 1890, based on l the United States treasury departments | calculation, is about 18.36 per cent Even addition to this for the greater purchasing power per capita due to increased wealth | and general prosperity of the country, the | question is whether there is room sufficient | for absorption of the cotton goods now | manufactured. At all events, concludes MT. Hester, facts show that the industry in the north is passing through a crisis which would seem can scarcely be weathered with | out radical changes from past and present methods
 | Of this years American cotton crop MT. | Hester says that 2,M2,000 bales were taken | by American mills north and ,232 900 bales by American mills south; 1190OO bales by | Canadian mills; 37,000 by Mexican mills; | 227,0OO by Chinese and Japanese mills and | 6,737 900 bales by the mills of Europe, mak- ing the total takings by the spinners on | both sides of the Atlantic of American raa AAn 1-l@