The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-03
Cotton Consumption of the United
States and Canada. e

Cotton CONSUMPTION of the United
states and Canada. gar
Cotton Exchange Building, New
York, Feb. "a, 1902 Editor of the
| Journal of Commerce and Commercial
Bulletin: Dear Sir-My attention has
been called to an article in your issue
Of the 2lst inst, the object of which
seems to have been to show that the
| factories of the United States and Can
ada will probably consume during this
season 4,52S.5OO bales of American cot
ton. This quantity would exceed my
estimates of United States consump-
ton and Canadian takings of last sea-
son by $4,000 bales and those of the
New Orleans Cotton Exchange by 750,-
! 600 and of the New York Financial
Chronicle by 577 900 bales.
The takings of the United States and
Canadian mills since Sept. l do not
warrant the idea of an increase in con-
sumption to anything like the extent
claimed, though the better condition of
trade may increase United States con-
sumption, perhaps, to the extent of $780,
900 bales. 1t is proper to add that
many whose opinions are entitled to
weight do not expect so great an in
crease. | would make no comment
upon the article but for the fact that
it attempts to show an error of 325. 900
bales in the estimates of United States
consumption given in my little book
Cotton Facts
To show this alleged discrepancy it
gives the cotton consumption of the
United States cotton mills for the CEN
sus year lending June 80, 1900, ac-
ccrding to the preliminary report of
the census office, as 3,66O,613 running
bales. To this your writer adds 10O,-
600 bales for shipments to Canada, He
then gives my figures for the following
year, ending Aug. 81. 1901, as 3,435. 900
for United States consumption, and
insinuateS that this indicates an error
on my part of $4,000 bales utterly igs
roring the fact that my figures were
for an entirely different year and were
for statistical bales" of 500 pounds
net and did not include 100000 bales
shipped to Canada. The 3,435 200 bales
were Included in a table in Cotton
Facts giving in Statistical bales of
500 pounds net the annual consumption
of cotton in the United States for a
series of years. OF course, Canadian
consumption of cotton was not included
and never is in any statistics respect
ing United States mills.
Your writer should have used for
comparison my figures for the season
of 1S99-1900 in the same table, but even
this would not have been a proper
comparison, as the figures represented
Statistical bales" of 500 pounds net.
while the census figures were stated by
your writer to be for running bales
averaging 1863 pounds.
To have made a fair and proper
comparison of my estimate of United
States consumption of cotton with The
census of 1900 your writer should have
taken my estimate of the consumption
in running bales" in the review of the
year ending Aug. 81, 1900, in Cotton
Facts for December. 1900. These fig
ures were as follows:
Running
bales.
Cotton taken from the crop of
1S99-19O0 by United States fac
tories ...................>... 1854, 900
Consumed, in addition, from
previous mill stocks ......... 230, 900
Total consumption .......3,S74.0 900
Other estimates of consumption we're
as follows:
Running
bales.
New Orleans Cotton Exchange,
in its report for the same sea-
son QS99-190O) called the TAX
ings by United States fac
tories ........................ ,665, 900
Consumed also from previous
mill stocks .................... $4,000
-
Total consumption ........... q, S97, 900
The New York Financial Chron-
icle, in its review of the same
season of 1S99-1900, called the
taking by United States fac
tories ..........................s,7s 3, 900
Consumption from previous mill
stocks ....................... 100000
-
Total consumption ...,....,... 4, 033, 900 |
According to your writer's ar
ticle, the United States Census
Office calls the entire con-
sumption by cotton, knitting
and wooden mills, etc, of
United States in year ending
June 80, 1900 .........,....-... .3, $3.50. 14S |
1t will be seen that my estimate of |
United States consumption Of cotton |
for the year coinciding with the CEN
sus year. instead of being 325, 900 bales |
less than the census figures was really |
II 900 bales more. and considerably |
to the census figures than the |
estimates of the New Orleans Cotton |
Exchange or the New York Financial |
Chronicle.
Your writer gravely estimates that |
Canadian mills will consume i45 900 /
Of American cotton this season, Our !