The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-30
REBUKE TO
 THE GINNERS Census Director Issues
 Tart Letter. VALUE OF COTTON FIGURES System Established at De-
 mand of Growers. When They Find 1t Inimicnl to Their ,t Interests, a Great Howl Goes up,
 Says the Government

Washington, Dec. 29-Director of the Census North, in letter to Represen- sative Burleson of Texas, made public today, takes notice of the situation presented by the cotton statistics given out for publication yesterday and ex- presses his surprise and concern at the recent alleged movement in the South ern States apparently approved and augmented by the cotton growers themselves" to destroy the census re- ports by concerted refusal of the gin ners to make returns.
 Director North asserts that contin- uance of the cotton ginners' report Is impossible without the sympathetic and whole-hearted cooperation of the gin ners of the South.
 Immediately after the receipt of the letter, MT. Burleson. a member of the House Census Committee, and who was the author of the provision making ap- propriation for the gathering of cot ton statistics, gave out an interview in which he upholds the Director in the work now being done by his bureau The letter of Mir. North is as follows:
 Letter to Burieson.
 Washington. D. C., Dec. 29. 'Hon. Albert s. Burleson, House of
 Representatives, Washington. D. G..
 My Dear Sir--It seems proper to in vite your attention to certain anomal- ous conditions which confront the cen sus office in carrying out the provis- ions of Section g of the act to estab- fish a permanent census office. directing the periodical collection of the statis- tics of cotton production through the agency of the ginners. This provision was inserted in the law at your urgent request and that of other Southern rep resentatives. on the plea that 1t was necessary for the protection of the cot ton producers against the spectators and others interested in the manipula- tion of the price of the staple for their own profit It was urged that enor- nous losses resulted from the untrust- worthy estimates put forth every year by speculators and agents of the Liv- erpooI market, and that early and trustworthy official information regard ing the size of the crop would protect the growers, disarm the speculator and market manipulation and permit the law of supply and demand to regulate the price.
 Cost of Getting Figures.
 since the law was passed, Congress has appropriated and this office has disbursed more than $125,00O year in the collection and dissemination of this information. The system has been gradually perfected until it has become more nearly perfect than any similar plan for obtaining exact information as to the size of any agricultural crop \ during the process of harvesting.
 NO complaint has been made that the census reports are not accurate; in- deed for a year or two past, we have been able to trace the crop so closely that practically every bale has been accounted for.
 "The statistics increase in value every year; for 1t becomes possible, by com parison of the statistics of one year with those of the same date in preced- ing years, to judge the size of success sNe crops with an accuracy never oe- fore known or approximated.
 '@The ginning reports of the census office have crowded out the speculative and interested estimates referred to, and the single object which the South ern representatives had in view in urg- ing this legislation has been accom- plished.
 Boycott of Agents.
 "In view of these facts. l have been much concerned at the recent movement in the Southern States, which Is ap- parently approved and augmented by the cotton growers themselves. to des- trey the census reports, by the con certed refusal of the ginners to make the returns upon which they are based. Thus far the movement has not seri- ously affected our work, but if It con- tinues and spreads it will necessarily destroy it's value during the coming year.
 Tt appears to have been suddenly discovered that these reports, under taken solely at the demand of the cot ton grower, are highly detrimental to his interests. E. F. Webber, president of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, is quoted as declaring that the cotton in terests of the South have everything to lose and nothing to gain by their con- tinuance; they put the manufacturing interests in possession of information which works irreparable injury to the South My attention has also been called the so-called National Cotton Ginners Association the purpose stated to be to gather accurate and reliable information regarding the amount of cotton produced in advance of the gov ernment report
 Suppression of Returns.
 Tt also appears that this informa- tion Is to be sent in code; and the mem- hers of the association will be sworn not to divulge it. The information is still highly desirable, but possession of it is to be retained to those who grow and gin the cotton.
 "I can understand the disappointment of cotton growers at the present prices of cotton and their feeling that these prices are due to the unusual size of this years cotton crop. early and def nite knowledge concerning which has been given to the public by the census reports. But I confess myself unable to follow the reasoning which leads the growers. and through them the ginners, to imagine that 1t will be to their advantage, because of this excep- tional situation, to destroy the efflcien- cy of the official system through which they learned the present situation, early knowledge of which has un- doubtedly extended the change in the price of cotton over a much longer period and thus saved the growers and .An nnnnfrrr frnnn r,n,,nh inrnn,. lnrno.