The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-09-30

Tar@ On Cotton.
By w. F. Massey in Practical Farmer

ire burden to be borne bv the farmers
'heh would have been but the actual
"elght put on at the gin. and a doduc.
lioh made from the spnners' price for
"niS u pounds, as against 80 pounds
"hlch they are now being forced to ac
cept.
ANOTHER OBJECT IN VIEW.
But the originators of this shreyd
business scheme had another object in
view. Ihey wanted to cut the farmer
Gown TO - pounds and build uD the
weight TO 80 pounds before the cotton
reached the spinner netting for them
selves quite neat little profit by 50
doing.
On all export cotton for Europe. when
the cotton is first routed to the com
press. orders are issued to patch" and
lhe compress people carrying out those
instructions proceed to patch on eight
pounds of cheap second hand bagging s.,
mat when the bale leaves the COMPRESS
On us fnal journey to the spinner, the
1ull 80 pounds of tarc is on it.
Ihls IS the whole thing in q nutshell
and 1T cannot be truthfully denied
make the assertion and defy it's con-
tradlction, that on every 500 pound bale
or cotton on which there is only SIX
yards OF bagging and six ties weighing
Y pounds that the farmer has to give
eight pounds of his lint to the buyer to
make up. the deduction of the 80 pounds
of tare assessed against him from the
| foreign spinnars' price. Then if this be
! true, on every 1000 900 bales Of such
cotton the producers are being robbed
of 5000 OOo pounds of lint or $4,000 bales
OF cotton. AS we ship about 5000 OOO
bales OF cotton to Europe some idea can
hn e
sustaining.
These are facts and they cannot be
ccntroverted If six yards of bagging
and six bands are sufficient. then let the
tare be reduced to a uniform basis of %
pounds per bale. If any man then ex-
ceeds it let him pay the penalty. But
/ charge that the present system of { e.
Quoting 30 pounds for tare on each SOC
pounds bale from the spinners' price al
+ lowing the farmers TO put only % pounds
on. and then patching on eight pounds
at the compress to make up the deficit
so as to send the cotton abroad with
its full tare is nothing more nor less
than cheating and swindling.
| have secured this information from
men prominently engaged in the export
business, and I dealing with the
situation as it exists. The farmers who
are the sufferers should band themselves
together and put a stop to this outrage.
They should insist upon the immediate
adoption of uniform tare on square cot
ton which will apply fairly and equitably
to all sections alike, and see that their
demands are carried into actual practice
Eether that they should place nine
yards of bagging and six bands on their
! cotton and force the buyers to give them
the full tare of per cent. TO which they
are entitled and for which they made
/ TO pay.
| appreciate the fact that there have
been instances in which the maximum
4 tare allowed has been abused, and that
some farmers have put on a great deal
more ba gging and ties than was legiti-
mately allow ed. l condemn this system
as much as I do the other. / contend
4 that the tare should be reduced to a uni
/ form basis of % pounds to the bale, anC
that all jute bagging should be of uni
form weight of two pounds to the yard
| That the European spinner should only
I allow for 22 pounds tare, putting the
question of tare on a parity with al
mnnufact acturers. This question will be
fully discussed at the cotton growers
session at the coming Farmers Nationa
: Congress at Macon and it is to be SIN
cerely hoped that prompt and decisive
4 action will be taken to abate the evil.