The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-09-10
LAURENS MARKET
is ALL RIGHT.
The Farmers May Expect Good Prices
As Usual.

calling q meeting to consider the mat
ter of cotton buying in this market.
THE ADVERTISER hopes that 1t will be
fully attended and that the subject will
be duly and calmly considered.
Meanwhile, we believe that already
some harmful and Incorporate discus
sion has been INDUCED by newspapers.
The facts seems seem to be about as
follows: SO far but one buyer has APP
peared in the market. He buys for the
local cotton mill and two or three other
mills in ~Spartanburg county. 1t is
argued therefore that lack OF competi-
tion threatens the farmers with the
danger of not receiving the value of
their product. This Is all of one side
of the question.
Meanwhile the sweeping statement Is
made by the Laurens County News for
example, ''that the mills in this section
of the State have formed a pool for the
purpose of getting cotton at q low
price," This is a damaging charge. 1t
is an unjustifab,e, indefensible and in
excusable charge unless the maker can
present evidence of its truth, and none
is offered. The County News should
prove 1t or Withdraw 1t. The history
OF the local mill is all against its truth.
Since the Laurens Mill was built the
Laurens farmers, 60 long as Thai mill
has needed cotton, each year have re-
ceived a better price than ever before.
short the Laurens Mills has paid the
New York price of cotton as o rule,-
and sometimes more. Nothing COM
PEELED 1t to do this. There has probably
badly no time when the Laurens Mills
could not buy cotton in Georgia or
other parts of this State and lay it
down here at as low a rate as it buys
from the Laurens farmers. But the
Laurens mill has preferred to give the
Laurens farmer the advantage that he
has in locality and let him save the
freight. We believe no Intelligent Lau-
rens farmer will deny this. The policy
Of other Southern mills has been the
same. Is it fair to charge then, in the
face Of the fact that they have con-
stantly paid more than others, that
they are now pooling to reduce the
price?
We are informed and reliably in
formed that the Laurens mill is in no
pool whatever.
There are just two classes of cotton
buyers. One buys for Southern mills.
The other, who buys "for export" buys
the cotton that finds its way at last to
the mills Of New England, old England
and all other parts of the world. The
last class buys fifty bales perhaps to one
that the first buys. The export buyers
have for the most part left the south
ern mill districts simply and solely be-
cause the mills can and do over-bid
them. AS long as the local mills are
In the market, the export buyer Is
practically out of 1t. The local buyer
can always bid about the amount of
freight over him. Therefore it is
foolish hereafter to expect competi-
tion in this market between mill buy.
ers and exporters unless the former
quit the market-which is not likely
The exporters competition does not
compete. Meanwhile the howl is act
ually raised against cotton mills be-.
cause they pay so much more than the
latter can pay that the latter withdraw
from the market. The only way that
the mills can restore the competition
with the exporter Is to scale down
their bids to the figure that export
h,uer oan of,,l Hf oor,oo . - .oo5
less to say that the southern mills have
no alliance with the exporters for that
would near that all the cotton spin
ners and cotton buyers on earth had
formed a ''trust."
Why are other mills not buying
here? Here is a reason. To send cot
ton to G~reenville, Spartanburg or Emo
rec costs from ten to nineteen cents a
hundred pounds. AS long as it wants
cotton, the local mill has an advantage
over these nearby mills. 1t can and
does overbid them. 1t has no drayage
to pay, the cotton is brought to its
doors and dumped there. In short, mo-
body is In position to compete with the
Laurens mill as a cotton buyer on equal
terms.
There may be other buyers here be-
fore the season Is over. The local mill
does not want more than half the cot
ton brought here. The instant that the
price here goes below the general
market, exporters or other mill buyers
will come. Anybody can keep up with
the price of cotton. There is no rea-
son why any man should be cheated.
WI are glad the meeting called will
be held. We hope it will bring other
buyers here. 1t will make some Of our
people feel better. Naturally a man
may think he is getting more for his
cotton when several people seem to want
1t. But the fact remains that there
will be no real competition against the
local mill SO long as it wants COTTON; and
the farmer OF curse reaps the benefit.
1t is not fair to Laurens and to the
business men OF Laurens that q news
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