The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-07-18
ROUND BALE AND SQUARE,
Round Bale Presses ON the Mare
ket-The Question of Monopoly


The following letter to Mr.. c.. c.
Hanson, Of Savannah, Ga, from an ex-
perienced ginner in Alabama, will be
read with interest in connection with
the present controversy over the round
and quare bale methods of packing
cotton:
Opelika, Ala, June 80, 1899.
Mr.. C. C. Hanson, Savannah, Ca
Dear Sir: My press box measures rs
by 81 inches. However, I will change
it this summer to the "a by 81 standard
as l am in favor of a uniform bale of
cotton in size, and practically a uni
form bale of cotton in weight, say $50
to $50 pounds.
In connection with your inquiry, an
swered above, I beg leave to say that
l am opposed to the round bale meth
DDS Of handling cotton on account of
their apparent mOnopolistic features.
The round bale people tell us that
there are three round bale presses in
the market, therefore there is no pos
sibility of a monopoly Of the cotton or
ginning business. {
Now, what are these three round bale
| presses? What are their relations
and what is the connection between
them? ,
j have heard no one deny except the
| American Cotton Company and it's en-
ployes, that that company is endeavor-
ing to place their machines on the mar
| ket upon monopolistic lines, thereby
| driving the small ginners out Of the
business, etc.
The American Cotton Company,
| which is working largely in the west
! ern cotton states, comes out openly and
makes a maket for the products of
their presses.
The Lowery Round Bale Company
I, are making a market for the products
of their presses in South Carolina,
Georgia and Alabama, through Messrs.
Inman e Co., cotton buyers and export
ers of Augusta, Ga, which firm, it ap-
! pears they would have you believe, is
a different firm from Messrs. Inman
& Co., who are handling their presses
throughout these states although the
two firms, as I understand it, are COM
posed of the identical members, the
only difference being that the accounts,
etc., are kept separate.
When we tell the first two above
mentioned round bale people that we
do not care for their presses on a roy
atty basis they then wish to know if
we are prepared to buy, and if so, re-
fer us to the Ginners' Compress Com
pany, of Chicago, ILL.,, which company
sell their machine outright. Upon in
quiry of the Ginners' Compress Com
| pany, of Chicago, ILL.,, we find the price
of their presses beyond the reach of
an average 1900 to 1000 bale ginner,
and they, in writing to some ginners,
send them the American Cotton Com
pany's round bale literature, in expla-
nation of the merits of the Ginners'
Compress Company's methods of bal
ing cotton.
Most ginners will doubtless tell you
that all of the round bale people are
doing all they possibly can to make the
"a by 81 standard square bale move
ment a failure. This I construe as an
admission on their part and the "a by
81 packed bale Of cotton will meet all
the requirements of the commercial
world, and if universally adopted that
it will greatly retard any further pro-
gress on the part Of the round bale
promoters; otherwise they certainly
would not be spending any time or
money to prevent ginners from chang
ing their press boxes to the standard
dimensions.
We ask the travelling representa-
tives of the first two above mentioned
round bale presses, who are going
through the cotton states, and posing
as the farmers friend, why they do not
sell their machines, as most other in
ventors or manufacturers do, at a price
that will allow them a reasonable in
terest upon the actual investment,
which / estimate to be about $3.50 DER
machine, and they will smiling answer
you, in effect, why should We SELL our
machines? No, we have a good thing.
which is fully protected by the United
States government patent Office stamp.
and We propose to keep it, and operate
it on a basis that will net us from 81 800
TO $1,000 per machine per year. Does
not this now look like a monopoly?
AS yet l am unable to see any COM
petition between these round bale
presses. On the other hand there an
pears to be a strong combination be-
tween the three round bale companies
to knock out the old methods of baling
cotton so that the matter will be left
wholly in their hands. Yours truly.