Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-11-28
COTTON GROWERS CONVENTION.
Hon. Hoke Smiths Address on Price, Supply
and Demand.

in Macon last May, held it's first con-
vention here to-day. President Jor-
dan stated that the prime object
of the Convention was to form an
Interstate bureau for the collection
and distribution of statistical infor-
nation relating to the cotton bust
ness of the South and to offset the
over-estimating of parties whom he
believed to be irresponsible.
The Hon. Hoke Smith, of Atlanta,
was tho principal speaker of the day.
His address partook largely of the
historical and statistical, and was
we'll received. Mr.. Smith said in
part:
awhile cotton to-day brings 10
cents pound, it has only been three
years since the crop was selling at
S cents per pound. What are the
elements which have caused this
variation in price? Recognizing the
laws of demand and supply, we must
sec that the depreciation in the price
of cotton has been due to a produc-
tion of the staple in excess of the
demand for manufactured goods.
A knowledge of the supply of cotton
and of the demand for cotton goods
for consumption will enable the
producer to tell at the time of the
year when cotton is picked the price
at which lint cotton should sell.
Another cause which has facilitated
the depreciation of price at the time
the cotton lett the hands Of the
planters has been the unbusiness like
plan of selling it.
"More than 70 per cent Of the cot
ton which is manufactured in the
great cotton mills of the world is
raised in our section. The mills run
during twelve months. They need
the cotton as much in July as they
do in December. The plan of sell
ing has disregarded the time of con
sumption. Instead of handling the
crop 80 that it would be sold from
month to month during the year,
as the mills required it for use, it has
been the practice of the planters in
the South to rush their cotton on the
market during period limited al
most to three months, forcing its
purchase by spectators, rather than
holding the crop until the consumer
or mill owner came after it..
81 am thankful to say that east of
the Mississippi River, during the
present year, the planters have been
informed rs to the extent of the
crop and as to the worlds demand
for their cotton. Realizing that it
was worth ten cents pound or
more, they have declined to sell it
for less. They have received 10
cents for what they have sold
"By the cooperation of the mcr-
chants and the bankers they have
been enabled so soon as the buyers
succeeded in depressing the price to
take their cotton off the market, and
as result they see the price of cot
ton going back to-day to the figures
at which it sold during the month Of
Scptemb Der, and | have no doubt the
balance Of the cotton crop thus cared
for by our farmers will bring them
over ten cents pound This price,
however, could hardly have been
realized had the farmers raised
100000 bales more of cotton.
"There are three questions Of vital
Importance which affect the price of
next years cotton crop. They are
How much will the mills of the world
consume in 1902? How much lint
cotton will the balance of the world
produce for other than domestic
consumption in 1901? How much
will we produce in the South in
| 1902"
Continuing, Mr.. Smith said:
"Fifty years have shown an in
creased demand for cotton goods,
causing an increased demand for lint
cotton of about 700 per cent. While
the next decade may not show pro-
portionatc increase in the demand,
| have no doubt that by the end of
25 years the manufacturers of the
world will consume over 3O,C00,00O
bales of cotton annually.
"Whilc the Southern planter
should aim at receiving for his lint
cotton it's full market value, care
must be taken that the South shall
maintain her supremacy as the cot
ton producing section of the world.
England, Russia and Germany have
devoted and are dcvoting great at
tcntion as nations to cotton culture.
The United States, through the ag-
ricultural department at Washing
ton, should give cotton culture a
full proportion of attention and
should furnish reliable information
of the progress which is being made
abroad in this great American staple
Accurate information should also
be prepared by the agricultural de-
partmcnts of the States which are en-
gagged in producing lint cotton to
the end that the planters may obtain
before planting their crops the pro-
bable worlds demand, and the pro-
bablc worlds supply, and later on
in the season, when the time for be-
ginning to sell cotton arrives, the
planters should be reliably acquainted
from these and other sources with
the probable product of our own
cotton raising section"
In closing Mr.. Smith urged the
divcrsiication of crops.
The Hon. S. l.. Pattison, of North
Carolina, addressed the Convention
on the organization of the farmers
in his State, and said that Georgia
and the Carolinas will soon have to
buy cotton from other States to sup
ply their rapidly Increasing cotton