The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-26

l the planters of the soutn The auNlee 10 sell fheir cotton for the highest price which they can get for it.
 3.oooo00 Bales Less. To all appearances the crop for the year 1905 will be three and one-half mil lion bales less than the crop of l904. Not a single disinterested estimate places the reduction at less than 3,o0oo 900 bales. The takings by spnners this year exceed the taklnRs last year notwithstanding the enormous difference in price, by more than a quarter of a million bales. As- snnafne the reduction of fine crop to be only 3000 COO bales. the spinners of the world are face 10 face with the fact that for the remainder of the year they. will have at least three and one-quarter, if not three and one-half. million bales jess to go on than they had a year ago, with this difference of course. there was about a million bales more brought forward into the year 1905 than in the year 1904 Al lowing for that difference. there is still an absolute shortage of over 100000 bales as compared with the co-ss't..--7= ot last year. Against this shortage, on the other hand. we have 100000 new spindles erected during the year and an inereas- ing market throughout the world, more general diffusion of prosperity and therefore of purchasing power, than ever EnDWn DeIOlet anu pteiNf Ill tiiA fh hA'-.if' Under conditions far loss favorable the price of cotton went to cents per pound two years ago, and to my mind 1t will go to l5 cents this year
 Rl1t, MT. Chairman. it is asserted that this price is too high for cotton and that the spinners can not make profit on if at that figure. The answer to this is very simple difference of to , cents in a pound of cotton can not be found in
 ,1,i ,ix,f., oil aats ri iFln n- of personal apparel All that the manu- faet0rer has to do is to eorrespondingly raise the price of his goods and this he undoubtedly will do. It will never he felt by the consumer wnen it reaches him.
 The price of wool is 30 cents a pound. and upon any fair comparison of actual values there is no such difference intrin- sically as the market has shown between these two products.
 believe we have reached the point at which inc world demands and is will ing to pay and can afford to pay high CT price for cotton than it has in the past.
 Of course by planting for an excessive crop during the coming year and for- getting the lesson so recently learned II is within the power of the producer Of cotton "to kill the goose that lays the golden egg" and reduce the price of their own product by their own action to a starvation point again. But l don't be- lieve. MT. Chairman that they will do it. The propaganda has already been started which. I believe. will be successful In holding the acreage down to the same point that 1t was last year.
 Would Be Calamity.
 The likelihood Is. through better farm
 !, he of A better crop yield. for 1t could scarce k, he worse the cotton actually raised, without any increase of acreage, will be a million more bales next year than this one I should not regard this as calain- itv. ITpon the contrary l believe the world now needs and Is willing to pay for twelve and one-half million bales or cotton annually It will not be many wears before 1t will need and will be willing to pay a fair price for l5,Ooo, ooO bales of cotton.
 The people of the south will be able to produce all the cotton needed Tor the worlds consumption, not through the mistaken medium of an increase of acre age. but through the far wiser ana more economical plan of better agricultural methods, which will produce sredeei yield of lint per acre.
 Tn this direction lies the future hope of nrosperity in the south, as well as the keeping of the supply of cotton approxi- mately equal to the demand. But for my mart I want the demand to always keep n little in excess of the supply.
 Just as the farmers of the west nave doubled the yield of corn per acre py better and more scientific methods, so do I believe the farmers of the south will increase the yield of their cotton per acre. and thereby decrease it's cost by the study and application of more improved methods of culture and by wiser sss- tenn of seed selection. and at the same time demand and receive iair fe"aio for their labor. tApplauseD
 Mr Bowie amends to his remarks two ,ottors raoeived from the acting chief of the bureau of statistics, which explain themselves: