The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-11
HUMAN NATURE AND THE COTTON
SITUATION.

"There is lots of human nature in
folks and there's not so much difference
in men as we sometimes think. This OBJ
servation is suggested by the following
editorial paragraph in the Greensboro
Telegram:
"The cotton mill men who have cot
| ton don't want to curtail Curtailment
| is advocated by those who are short on
cotton. Which shows that cotton mill
men are like all other kinds of men,
The debate in the meeting of the cotton
mill owners at Charlotte disclosed the
fact that all recognized the necessity of
curtailment, but those who are short on
cotton wish to curtail at once in the
hope that the price Of goods will go up
OR cotton will go down. Those who have
plenty of cotton on hand. bought at and
around ten cents. are hostile to curtail-
ONment until they have manufactured the
cotton they are lucky enough to have on
hand.
There is a story that once upon a time
the farmers met and resolved to curtail
the cotton acreage twenty per cent Upon
returning home, each farmer reasoned
thus: "All my neighbors will reduce the
acreage twenty per cent, and that will
make cotton high next year. think 1
will increase my own acreage" AS all
year was a. record breaker. There is
mighty little difference in men. Cotton
farmers and cotton manufacturers are
chiefly controlled by what is best for
them individually. And so in the matter
of curtailment, the manufacturers are
controlled largely by whether they hap
ton on hand or must go into the market
and pay twelve cents for the cotton.
The Charlotte meeting has alarmed the
cotton farmers, who believe that the OBJ
ject of the meeting was to reduce the
price of cotton Naturally if mill men
could buy cotton at ten cents they would
do it, for they are primarily looking out
for number one as are the farmers.
But the mill men would have no justifca-
ton in trying to press down the price of
cotton, If such is the purpose of any Of
them. The only policy for the mill men
to pursue is to increase the price of their
products. If they cannot sell now, they
will have to curtail some and carry the
excess until the money market is easier.
Then they will be able to convert their
goods into cash. If too many mills are
making one kind of goods, they will have
to diversity their products as the farmers
are advised to diversity their crops when
either cotton or tobacco is below the
cost of production.
Mr.. S. B. Tanner. the head of the Hen
rietta cotton mills, one of the largest
horse sense about the situation in an
interview published in yesterdays Char
lotte News. He said:
II think it is time that something was
being said in regard to the cry which is
being made by some of the Northern pa
pers about the high price of cotton being
a burden on the poor man who is COM
PEELED to pay more for the cotton goods
which he uses.
"At the present time shirt made OF
four yards sheeting will cost just two and
ore-half cents more than it cost when
cotton was at eight or nine cents and
print calico dress of ten yards of cloth
costs about half cent more per yard
or ten cents on the entire dress, more
than it would cost with cotton at nine
cents. In other words the advance in the
raw cotton will be of great benefit to the
farmer and others while the man of
limited means will hardly feel the ad-
vance in the finished goods.
81 can say that the mills, the retailer
and the print cloth men can make all the
profits they are entitled to on a basis of
twelve and half cent cotton and still
the poor of the South will not feel the
difference In the price of goods. / have
been watching the discussion of this ques-
ton by those who are interested in the
poor man and what he has to pay for
what he wears and how the advance of
cotton will prove of great harm to him
on account of the increased cost of cot
ton goods, but the figures which l have
given are true and show beyond all shad-
ow of a doubt that the rise in cotton not
only does not hurt the poor man, but
benefits all classes in the South. Neither
can I understand how it was that when
bacon went Up to about twice the old
price and the West was greatly benefited
nothing was said of the poor man.
But, when cotton takes a jump of four
cents a great cry is raised that the poor
of the South will be the ones who will
have to suffer.
81 also do not think that there is so
great an overproduction of cotton goods
as some claim The trouble seems to me
to lay in the fact that the money market
is so tight that the jobbers are not able
to buy in large quantities and hence the
mills have on hand more goods than usual.
believe, though, that the situation will
be relieved and that the mills will be able
to move their goods out on the market.
An advance of a quarter to half cent
more in sheetings and print goods will
place the mills in a position to make
sufficient profit. and the whole country
will be benefited while the poor man will
scarcely know the difference in price of
L. IL