Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-10-19
Tho Cotton Situation.

.&. s5}G 'i'i"' oho We Polng W 10 IL you mlll
men take all the cottonp' asked Re-
porter for The News and Courier of
Capt. William A. Courtonay, of tho
83NeWry Cotton Mills, yesterday. Capt.
IOcdrtcaay is not only ono of tho most
prominent of tho South Carolina manu-
sfaoturors, but he is we'll known horo as
$bnsiness man Of keon foresight, and ono
who Weighs well his words.
= y 'Thore Is no question in my mind" ho
said, "but that within very fow years
the cotton mills of South Carolina will
consume overy bale of cotton produced
In the State. And what must Charleston
dor She must turn her eyes Westward
and take hand in the enormous export
trade from that section of tho country.
charleston must mako a strong bid for
the grain shipments that are now going
around by some less direct route. Tho
>Sport business Of this city must look
Tor something besides cotton to sustain
it,
On tho exchanges yesterday tho feel
ing was decidedly blue. So far rs the
brokers and exporters were concerned
there was almost nothing in sight. "Wo
are Offering soven cents all ovor the intc-
r1or, but what does that avail us whom the
mills in somo sections arc paying 74p"
SAID representative of largo exporting
hrm. Just think of it, wo arc ready to
pay the prico quoted in the Now York
future market for January and Dcccm-
Der deliveries. Tho report of tho crop
estimate from tho United States agrcul-
tural bureau received to-day gives the
conditions at G2.4 as compared with GS.5
last month. This date last year the csti-
mate was 75.4, for 1897 it was 70, and in
1896 it was COT. But as an indication of
how little this report is credited the mar
ket scarcely moved n point. January was
ON the New York future market at
I06@7.07, and after tho report of the
bureau had been published it was TOO.
Decomber opened 7W7.01, and fingered
very'ncar tho seven mark. Tho Liver
pool market was unchanged"
There are eight big steamers loading or
ready to load at this port, four by the
Charleston Transport Line and four by
the Johnston Blue Cross Limo. So far
charleston has had no demurragc to pay
and tho steamship mon hope to escape
such a contingency. With receipts like
yesterdays, however, it would seem
that the evil might only be postponed.
The railroads brought in 1,7S7 bales,
against ,4S0 bales this date last year.
The receipts to date arc GS,095 and to
this date last year SCOTT. The differ
ence in crop conditions make this dis
parity evon moro notable.
1.-The Southern Railway IS not helping
this port in the matter of cotton re-
coipts," said a cotton man yesterday.
mot that mean to imply any wrong
dealing or anything that tho Southern
can avoid. 1t is just this way, you SEQ,
the Southern owns roads all over the
State and is obliged to make it's through
rates according to the rules of tho rail
road commission. In consequence OF
this tho mills buy cotton right at Char
leston's gateway and can arold to pay
the straight haul, whereas, when the
South Carolina and Georgia was an in
dependent limo, they couldn't stand the
two locals. just as an example | might
mention that the Pacolet Mills, near
Spartanburg, took a hundred bales away
from our firms buyer at Williston few
days ago. This cotton had to come this
way and made pretty long trip, but the
mill men will have it.''
A report was current to the effect that
Savannah was paying demurragc on scvc-
raj vessels, and this looked as though
~othcr places wore not doing great deal
of business. The receipts at Savannah,
however, were several thousand above
Charleston, and the steamship men here
wero not disposed to brag very much
Several vessels arc expected in within
tho next few days, and this will make the
cotton fleet look very largo with receipts
of 1000 bales and less per day.-News
and Courier, October II.
II wish to express my thanks to the