The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-30
COTTON TANGLE
STILL EXISTS
AND END NOT YET IN SIGHT
TRADE INCLINED TO LAY BLAME
ON congresses.

Tangle Is Charged With RESPONSE
biIity for Lessened Demand and
Lower Prfces-COmpIaints of All
Kinds Numerous, Regarding
Shortages. Wrong Deliveries and
Inability to Find Cotton Known
to Have Reached POrt-J. NJ. Bar
nard, Jr., Says Congresses Are Not
TO Blame.
There was no Improvement in the
cotton congestion yesterday, and
nobody seems willing to haz-
gard even a guess as to when the
tangle will be Strengthened out,
and things again assume a normal con-
dition.
Everybody interested in the cotton
trade is agreed, however, that the con-
dition of things is the worst that has
ever been known in the business at
this port, and that something must
be done and done quickly to remedy
matters, or all interests will suffer as
a consequence.
The Transportation Committee of the
Cotton Exchange was not ready with
its report yesterday, and SO no meet
ing of the directors was held, although
it is more than probable that the
meeting will be held some time to-
day. The present tangle is attributed
to various sources. and a large number
of the trade yesterday seemed to think
that the cotton congresses at this port
were chiefly to blame
Can't Get Compressed Cotton
One exporter called attention to the
fact that one ship, lying at the very
doors of the Union Shipping Company
press, was loading uncompressed cot
ton because compressed cotton was not
to be had, and made the further state
ment that none of the ships that have
sailed this month have taken their full
capacity because unable to get as much
compressed cotton as they should have
had.
AS showing the disadvantages under
which some members of the trade are
now laboring the statement was made
that one compress has refused trans
fers for cotton under ten days. In
other words it will not promise deliV-
cry until Oct. 8. There are numerous
stories of buyers unable to secure cot
ton that has been shipped them, and
is known to have arrived but which
the railroads are unable to account for,
or at least to get hold of for delivery.
Paid Storage, But Got Left.
One exporter, it is reported, actually
paid storage for cotton for twenty
days only to find after the order to
transfer it to the ships side had been
given, that the cotton had not arrived.
Numerous shortages are reported and,
in some cases deliveries have been
made to the wrong persons. To this
unfortunate condition of affairs is at
tributed in a measure a lessened de-
mand and a lower price for spots. Il
am satisfied said one exporter, that
cotton would be bringing a quarter of
a cent more than it is if the seller
could guarantee immediate delivery at
the ships side"
Mr.. j. M. Barnard, Jr., speaking on
behalf of the congresses, said last
night that the trouble is the first of
this kind that has occurred in fifteen
years and that it simply cannot be
helped by the congresses. Because
of the unprecedented movement of the
staple to the ports the presses have
simply been taxed beyond their capac-
ity, he said. The lower press, he said,
is working to it's full capacity from
morning to u o'clock at night and is
turning out $500 bales a day. The
rush of the last few days to get cot
ton into port for September shipment
is in a great measure responsible for
the trouble.
That the rush of business is not con-
fined solely to the local presses is
shown, Mr. Barnard says, by the
fact that kilograms are coming here
from all over the West from people
inquiring where they can get press
men