The farmer and mechanic., 1903-09-08

water that VAS in a cloud.buIs,, aud he
had to give il up.
We'll there are curious thing, happenin.
about us every day that We find Il hard
10 explain The other day we had
thunderstorm here, the first considerable
on OF the season: for to my surprise thun-
der aud lightning are not near 50 com
mon here dS III the low lands. The reycr-
bcration OF the thunder among the noun
talns was grand. But being engaged in
pursuit OF truth, l asked what made the
noise: Tor suddenly there was a trclnea-
dous clap OF thunder right out there
where there We're no clouds to come era 81
ing together But You have enough or
conundrumS- unless YOU will stand this
which Dickens gives IN Martin ChuzZle-
wit: Why Is a man IN jail like n man
out OF JAIL and then gractously youch-
safes the information that there Is 10
answer.
/ observe also that our good friend
Editor Bailey, has been seeking truth and
asking conundrums-s as why don t
the taxpayers list their solvent credits !:
But Raleigh taxation IS too serious a
matter to be treated III light vein 1t
is aWtully solemn. In fact. tremendous
Yet / viii hazard a remark. The New.
and Observer itself ~ays-but little money
is lent in Raleigh True as to individuals:
for the bank, charge but SIX per cent in
tcrcst and they lend somewhere about
four millions of dollars, perhaps: 80 there
is but little occasion for individuals to
lend on mortgage: especially since, deduct
mo "a no ha
than $3.50 on the hundrcd-while State
bonds yield more income than that. Still
Mr. Bailey admits great error: and be
sides, it should be remembered that un
der that law indebtedness is an offset to
| solvent credits listed for taxation If a
| person has but $4,000 on mortgage and
| himself owes $4 0OO he lists for taxation
| but one thousand dollars solvent credits.
/ | call attention to this in justice to our
citizens. Observing the public movement
| in regard to taxation l wish to give IN my
voice in full sympathy. Property should
! be properly assessed at its real value
and the tax rate should be lowered. II
/ has seemed to me that for some years
/ past but slight attention has been paid
4 to the opinions and Judgment Of thos,
who have to bear the burdens of taxation
/
the growth, welfare and prosperity of tn,
! community.
But l am getting serious: and when one
! is in danger of being serious, at this sea
son, he ought to turn off on cotton. Th,
cotton situation this September Is some
what different from any l have known
! For the past three years, the crop ha
q
| has been made on the stock remainin,
over from the previous season. The resul
is that on September 1st, there was
bare half million bales on the market t
last till the new crop comes in. But tn
new crop is three weeks late. The mill
| Will then have a protracted period o
short supply. Still by January, there vii
be six millions Of bales of new cotto
brought to market, while the mills wi
not have consumed three million bales
/ The stock on the market by the first Q
the year will be then about $500 900 bales
and the element in the problem for tn
bulls and bears to dispute about Will be
how much more is coming? If the mos
powerful interest think the crop Is to b
only IL 600 900 bales, the price will rul
high: but il on the contrary the consensu
OF opinion IS tor 12,OO0OOO crop tn
price will drop. The mills can consume, a
a reasonable price, about 1,50O 900 bale
but at very high price they will TAX
. only about II 100000 bales. AS it look
: like the crop promises to be large, lowe
J, prices may be expected, when that fac
shall be definitely ascertained. 1t seems t
me that the business men of the Sout
ought to sell the cotton Of their neighbol
hoods now, to be delivered later on a
the price now ruling, say ten cents. Tha
at least IS a safe transaction 1t is bette
than taking a chance of getting more
} with the risk of getting much less.
! certain sale at ten cents would be a goo
transaction for cotton growers.
S. A. ASHE.
? Waynesville, N. c., Sept. 4, 1903
-