The age-herald., 1900-05-15
M. B. HAMILTON ON
 ROUNDLAP BALE The Compress Agent Bears TeS- timony to Its Merits. GREAT SAVING AT THE MILLS Extracts from His Own Letters Dis prove Assertions Made in His
 Alabama Compress Asso-
 citation Address
GREAT SAVING AT THE MILLS.

BalilnOTe, May Mi iie Record publishes the following:
 Mir. M. B. Hamilton, who recently return ed from a trip through the spinning dis tricts of New England and Europe In the interest. of the so-called standard square bale, delivered an address before the Ala. oama Compress association in Birmingham April IS, 1900, which, in view of the mass df frst-hand information to the contrary in MT. Hamiltons possession, contained some statements.
 In the course of his remarks MT. Hamil- ton said: "Now you are accused in certain quarters of interruptions methods in try ing to influence the farmer and ginner by bringing to their notice the monoponsuc features of the round bale companies. He then continued: "Will they sell their gins? (meaning presses). No. Is their bale open to purchase on the market except through their own company? No. In nearly every instance do they buy out the country gin ner, and they themselves operate the plant! Yes"
 Every one of these assertions, so far as they relate to the conduct of the American Cotton Co.'S business, MT. Hamilton should have known to be unfounded.
 Open to Competition
 The fact has been widely advertised in southern newspapers that this company presses are on the market for sale to any ginner who chooses to buy. Every bale put up by lessees on roundlap presses is open to the competition of every responsible cotton buyer in the south, and can be bought by any cotton buyer at the premium paid by the American Cotton Co., and handled through to the mills with good margin of profit. Neither is it true that "in nearly every instance the American Cotton Co. thn atrXr cin 1 n the plant" The vast majority of the 400 presses in the south are leased by gnners on a rental which is repaid in the premium at which roundlap bales are sold. In another part of his address Mir Ham ilton said "I make the assertion that in most instances round bales have sold in Europe a figures under current prices for square bales" This is no more in accord ance with the facts than Mir Hamilton's other assertion that the great majority of spinners who have tried round bales were not satisfied, "and say they will not use round bales"
 MT. iiamilton's Travels
 Some of the square-bale men who retail misinforma tion about the round bale may be pardoned on the ground that they get their data at second hand. MT. Hamilton can hardly plead that excuse. He was sent through New England and European cotton districts by the sQuare-bale compress inter- est, whose employe he is, for the especial purpose of learning what progress the round bale has made at the mills and to talk up the so-called standard square bale. Having made an investigatio extending over several months during the busiest part of the cotton season, it would be strange indeed if MT. Hamilton did not acquire some correct information on the subject of his quest And so he did, making regular reports to MT. c. c. Hanson, secretary of tha A lDhn nd ciation, and himself the manager of a num- Der of congresses in those states.
 Boston Favnrs Round .aies
 In a circular letter sent out December II, 1899, MT. Hanson quotes a letter from MT. Hamilton, written in Boston about Decem- Der 6, to this effect Boston is, without doubt, in favor of the round-bale system, and l am told by many large buyers of cot ton that the spinners are well pleased with the American roundlap package.
 So far, Boston has used 900 round lap bales, that is to say, this number of round bales have passed into the hands of spinners.
 Tn some instances a premium of one- quarter cent per pound has been paid here for round bales over square-bale prices have yet to meet a man who says the roundlap bale has proven unsatisfactory to spinners."
 In another circular letter, dated Decem- Der IA, 1899. MT. Hanson quotes letter from MT Hamilton written in Boston under date of December 2, as follows: My trip to the mill using the American Cotton Co., s roundlap bale was most interesting and in structive. The treasurer and superinten- dent at Taunton devoted three hours to me, and l beg leave to give below my experi- ence and impressions.
 Saw Roundlap Bales Unlap
 ''The warehouse was first visited. On one side were stored irregular-sze (square) bales, and l must admit the poorly covered, ragged, badly-compressed cotton was dis couraging sight. On the other side were round bales in the same condition as when turned out at the gin, standing one upon another, compactly stored, and a saving of 30 per cent. was claimed by the treasurer l should say not over 20 per cent. The superintendent stated that the labor of one man was saved in weighing round bales as compared to square. Loss in weight on the round bale is very slight.
 We then went to the picker-room. Three round bales were quickly stripped of their covering and a small iron rod was run through the center. They were then put on the apron, which has stands for four round bales. the ends of the rods fitting into an axle. The machinery was started, and to my surprise the bales turned and unlapped as perfectly as they lap at the gin, and
 
 breaker and mixer. The breaker was opened for me, and l saw steel fingers tearing the layers of the three bales into loose cotton and more perfectly mixing them than can be done with careless human fingers The objection, therefore, made by some spin ners as to mixing round bales is done away with by this ingenious device, and four bales can be mixed by machinery at the time they are being opened. There were no hard cores in the bales I saw worked The covering on the round bale weighed three pounds waste.
 square Bales Great Waste
 "A square bale was then opened The bagging weighed fourteen and one-half pounds, ties eight pounds-equal to twenty two and one-half pounds waste. I asked what they obtained for the bagging and ties, and was shown a contract for a year at one-half cent per pound for bagging and thirty cents per 100 pounds for ties. The cotton from the square bale is mixed by hand and then thrown on the apron. The unlapping of the round bale saves opening and picking"
 MT Swazey, treasurer of the Elizabeth Poole mill, told me he gave one-quarter, of cent per pound premium for the Ameri- can roundlap cotton"
 Is not this remarkable language, coming