The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-06
TESTERS REPORT SHOWS INCREASE
 IN PRODUCTION OF COTTON IN U. S.
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 bought or contracted for their supplies early, and as the rise In price for raw cotton to cents and above did not take place until nearly 75 per cent of the crop had been marketed, they were actu- ally in excellent shape. In the south from 100000 to 10000 bales more would have been consumed had conditions dur ing the latter half of the season been normal as to supply and price, and In fact of the talk of manipulation by spec ulation at no time in the history of the staple have values been governed so thoroughly and completely by supply and demand. The feeling from the start says Mr. Hester, was that even with a crop of eleven million or eleven million and a quarter, every bale would have been necessity to fill orders of consum- CTS and make up for the depleted stocks of cotton, the world over at the close of last season. Mill owners as well as others recognized this and to a large ex- tent profited thereby.
 Reason for Stoppages.
 The details of the visible supply, he says. show with startling clearness the reasons for most of the short time and partial stoppages within tlfe past few months. Of all the millions of bales that have come and gone since the commence ment of the season at the close of August there remained of American cotton vis- ible in the United States in round figures but 177090 bales, in Great Britain 17S000, and on the continent 153,000, total of 517,000, with a late crop coming, of which only 1900 bales were marketed in August against 97,00O last year.
 All of this years commercial crop, with 131, 900 additional from last years reserves, have gone to feed tha Gorld's spindles, or In other words has actually been worked up into yarns and fabrics.
 MT. Hester puts the consumption of American cotton by northern mills at D. 016,O0O bales against 2.05O,000 last year. This, together with the amount con- sumed in the south, makes the total con sumption of American mills 4,O1700O this year, against 39Ss.000 last year, an in- crease of 29O0O bales.
 Use of Foreign Cotton Decreases.
 The use of foreign cotton by American mills, Mir. Hester states, has decreased materially, the total, mostly of Egyptian. amounting to the equivalent in American weights of 144.232 this year, against 1s0, = SOP last year. Of this. northern mills con- sumed 130,34 and southern mills 13, S5s He states that while the consumption of for tlsn ColtoH III the sOutH IS Stll1 pfOpOr- tionately trifiing, the tendency is towards a material increase. The southern mills having used, as stated. in round figures 14000, against 2000 last year. There are now 760O0 spindles in operation in Ala bama. Georgia, North and South Caro- lima for foreign cotton and 19G0O more in course of erection.
 Referring to the increase of cotton man ufacture in the south, MT. Hester says the phenomenal growth of spindles continues not only have the spindles in the mills in operation been increased by 4SS,O0O but his returns show that there are actually in course of erection, 1.184,000 new spin dles, making the total old. new and not completed in the southern states as be- fore state S.24s.275.
 Influence of the South.
 In commenting on this he says it needs but a glance at these figures to show what the southern manufacturers are to the cotton market and the influence they exert. Thirteen years ago the north took 76.7 per cent and the south 233 per cent. Today the percentages are north 49.9S; south 50,42.
 Mir. Hester further says. referring specially to cotton consumption in the south that taken as whole the year has not been unsatisfactory and to the question, ITO what extent has your cot