The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-12
COTTON ACRESLESS
]. A. Brown of Columbus
Expects 10 Cent Cotton.
He Approves the Advice Given Last
Season BY President HaTVie IOF-
dan OF the Cotton Association
TO Hold Cotton.

The Atlanta Constitution has the
following, which will be read with in
terest by all who have to do with the
present situation in the cotton market.
1t says, referring to a leading citizen
of Columbus county, this state:
"Hon. J. A. Brown, prominent
member of the executive committee OF
the Southern Cotton Growers Assocla-
ton, and for the past ten years a
member of the State Senate OF North
Carolina, passed through Atlanta yes
terday on his way to New Orleans.
"At the recent New Orleans meeting
at which the Southern Cotton Grow
ers' Association was organized, COM
mittee of one from each State was APP
pointed to consider the establishment
of ware house system to facllltate
the movement to hold cotton. MI.
Brown is the member from North
Carolina, and was en- route to New
Orleans to attend the meeting OF the
committee, which assembled today.
"'I was much interested, said Mr..
Brown. in the interview with Hon. M.
l.. Johnson, president of the Georgia
division of the Cotton Growers Asso-
citation, and especially in tha@ part OF
it referring to the criticism which mas
been directed against President Har~
vie Jordan for his advice last fall to
hold cotton when it was selling at
above % cents a pound. 1t seems to
me that President Johnson is exactly
right in what he has to say on the sub
ject.
"Mr Jordan was practically UNI
known to our people in North Caro-
lima last fall and his views were prob
ably not seen by 10 per cent. of the
cotton growers. Yet the percentage of
cotton held in North Carolina for
higher prices is probably as large, or
larger, than i'm any State in the cot
ton-growing belt. The truth is, many
of the farmers held becausee they
thought 1t was the thing to do, and
they did it regardless of the advice
Of President Jordan, or anybody else.
mo one thought the South would
be able to produce even 12,OOO,O0O
bale crop, and ] do not believe it could
raise more under normal conditions.
1t was generally believed that a H.
coo, 000-bale crop would be readily alb
sorbed at 10 cents and IL
cents a pound. Under this, President
Jordan was correct in advising the
farmers to hold their surplus. The
European spinner was as badly de-
ceived as the American grower or bus
mess man. To Substantiate this state
ment the European spinner bought
10 cents per pound. until the slump of
December 8, in the belief that the
price would rise. Twelve months ago,
the European spinners were holding
meetings Offering to put money to de-
velop cotton growing in new lands.
There was an almost universal opinion
in the cotton world that the South
would not be able to produce enough
cotton for the worlds needs. AS a
of hn Ci-I
ness interests of the South advised the
farmers to grow cotton in larger
quantities in the belief that he might
reasonably expect 10 cents to IL cents
per pound. The prices then prevailing
in themselves stimulated the planter
to an abnormally heavy production,
and, being aided by unprecedented
weather and climatic conditions COW
ering the whole South, from the Po-
tomac to the Rio Grande, the crop
grown was from 13, 900, 900 to 13,500,-
900 bales. / take it that every man
who is familiar with cotton growing
will concede that these conditions will
probably never exist again covering
the entire cotton belt We can not
reasonably expect yield of even 49,
900, 200 another year with the same
acreage as last.
81 have no doubt the acreage this
year VIII De IGuuC6u July 20 per CSIlI'.
and believe that the remainder of this
crop, if not marketed too rapidly,
will be sold at around 10 cents per
pound. There is an unprecedented
demand for cotton goods, $4,000, 600
being invested in new spindles in
England, alone.
81 have never understood why the
Southern cotton grower forces his
product on the market within sixty
days from the time it is harvested.
Any commercial manufacturer who
ran his plant for twelve months in
the year, and then forced his entire
product on the market within from
thirty to sixty days would naturally
expect a depreciation in values of so
per cent. The same thing is appli-
cable to the cotton and wheat and
corn crops of the world. Thus, from
a commercial standpoint. Mr.. Jordan's
advice was good, and l can not see
where any just criticism can be made
of him."