The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-18
COTTON GROWERS, MANUFAC.
IURERs AND OPERATIVES.

the SaddeSt things IN lite Is that most
men who mount to high places do so
over the bighted hopes and ambitions OF
their fellows.
The farmers of the south are rejoicing
that the increased price of cotton COM
pensates for the small crop. Cotton man.
ufacturers, who have not been able to in
crease the price of the product of their
mills, see loss to them in having to pay
higher price for cotton than they had
expected to pay. In England operatives
in cotton mills have been forced to work
on reduced time because mill owners could
not get cotton at all in the summer. il
New England the mill owners are reduc-
ing the wages of mill operatives. In
North Carolina, comparatively few of the
mills have enough cotton on hand to run
them thirty days. This seems to be true
of mills generally on this side of the At
lantic. In their last cotton letter, j.
H. Parker & Co. say:
Exporters, who have been urgent buy
ers for month past, now find themselves
competing for cotton with southern mills,
which seem, at last, to have despaired of
the break in prices, looked for SO long
but in vain. News from the spinning
districts of the CasSlinas and Georgia
tell of Ii and 11A cents paid for Gotten
on the spot, while dealers at the ports
have sold some good lots to be for
warded back into the interior. The rea-
son for this anomalous state of affairs
is that while the mill people were lulling
themselves into the belief that the cot
ton that was made in their territory
would be there for them when they got
ready to take it, the urgent needs OF ex-
porters sent buyers right into their
midst, who carried away cotton from
under the shadow of the mills and sent
it away to Europe. Look at the exports
to date-they are as great as last year,
and yet the amount of this crop brought
into sight is 900 less than last year.
II does not require any effort to see the
meaning of these figures. They say plain
", that there are 100000 bales less out
of this crop left on this side of the spin
ners' warehouses. Unless receipts in
crease sufficiently to overcome the pres
ent shortage as compared with last year,
the problem of getting sufficient cotton
for their needs will be serious one for
American spinners That they realize the
difficulties ahead of them is shown by
the cut Of 10 per cent in wages announ
ced at Fall River few days ago, and
even the operatives understand the stu
alton, for all accounts agree that no re-
sistance will be offered to the reduction.
Ten days ago Mr.. Ellison, of Liverpool
announced that the world would require
0,S77 900 bales OF American cotton to
satisfy consumption. Now We are told
by cable that he will reduce his estimate
by 100000 to 500, 900 bales, on the ground
that the advance of a cent a pound since
will curtail consumption to that extent.
And in the face of such an announcement,
prices advanced 20 points further today
On December 3rd, the Agricultural De
.parment will publish it's estimate of cot
ton yield, and, as the popular belief is
that the crop named will verify the very
short estimate prevailing, the market
will continue nervous and apprehensive,
with an advancing tendency
The people of the Southland partic-
ularly of North and South Carolina where
most of the cotton mills are situate
have a deep interest in the welfare of
and employees in cotton mills. The farmer
who gets eleven cents and more for his
cotton is we'll satisfied, but if that IN
creased price caused the mill owners 20
lose money and to jeopardze the wages
Of employees, then the State as a whole
is not as prosperous as higher price cot
ton should make it. The only way for
the cotton mill manufacturer and oper-
alive to share in the better price is to Sc
cure an advance in the price of cotton
goods to a figure that will warrant paying
higher prices for cotton and leave a
good margin of profit on the manufac-
tured product. 1t is far better
for all parties concerned for the
manufacturers to put up the price of
their product than for cotton to sell
at a song. Good prices for cotton helps
the farmers and good prices for the goods
helps both cotton mill owner and en-
ploye. The fluctuations in cotton during
the past year-going from little over
seven cents to about fourteen cents-has
made it impossible for farmers or manu-
facturers to make safe calculations.
Seven cent cotton spells disaster for
farmers. Unless they can nearly double
the price of their goods, twelve cent cot
ton spells disaster to manufacturers
There is need of preserving a parity be,
tween the price of raw cotton and cotton
goods. The goods should be sold upon a
sliding scale-so much when raw cotton
brings seven cents, with proportionate ~
crease at every advance in the price of
the raw material. OF course it will be
difficult to put into effect and carry
out such sliding scale, but the manu-
facturers of cotton goods must receive
better prices for what they make now
that raw cotton is higher or capital will
be denied its lust return and labor will
suffer.