The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-12-27
CL Lt)SER BaLIN(4
or OUR COTTON SUGGESTED BE
.lt Would Bring Abouss 9 Great sav-
ing in Car and ship Space
shipping.
THEsPINNERs.

AS Che question Of forcing the rail
roads Of the country to do something
to relieve tho situation In regard to
the Shortsgo of cars ID SOON to be one
OF the important matters bOfore the
Interstate commerce commission, a
Eolution Of the problam may be at
hand In the suggestion made few
'e-dsys ago by H. w. McAli5ter, chair
raan Of tho Lancashire cotton inVes.
tigation committee. BE came to this
country early in November to make
snrthsr inquiry inso the methods Of
bSiIng and transporting cotton. Ho
! says chat this Is one Of the nnost sert
9'oas matters That copfrents the bust
ness men of tha country today and
Sthah it is not oon6nad to any one
sSgsse OF section, but that oil are alike
lahacted. In the South 1t Ia cotton
that is unable to move, in tho West
Fit Is cattle. and in other sections diff
erent comrnod dittes, but that the Same
shortage Is ielt everywhere. To the
j railroad companies he Gays 1t ig equal.
ly aE serlousS matter bY reason Of the
enormous capital that would have to
be expended to supply the deficiency
sstn cars.
Mr.. McAlister further says that
tho only cure for the present. condition
OF afairs is the Initiation Of 8 sclemo
to effect sn improvement in the baling
Of cotton. The form Of the bale OF
cotton made at present" lie says, lis
80 Irregular and its density 30 light
that it ocoupiesStoo much space. a
standard freight GER will under pres
ent ccaditions carry twenty. five bales
from The gin to the point of discharge
st tins compress. and after compress
zion the sams Car will carry fifty bales
TO tflG shipping port. advocate bhe
establishment of presses at the gin
They are capable c. baling cotton 10 q
density Of thirty five pounds per cubic
foot and Of making the balls into such
q form OF stan1ard Dimensions Is will
enable freight car to carry 100 bales
Of cotton instead Of the number above
Ltated.
The saving to the railway compa.
nies In capital expenditure, upon
freight cars, In depreciation (reneWal
OF plart), in cost of repair in shorter
trsins, in the reduction Of cost in the
matter OF delays IL having to unship
cotton at compress points, aud 10 re-.
ship the same, In the reduction In the
number Of short haul trsinsh and In
an increase of ''long hsuls," In the
number Of locomotives used to move
standard lergths Of trsins-SD bhess
can only be calculated by men verssd
In railway management.
ut Is admitted generally tnst there
! is no crop In the country OF such value
which lis treated so badly in the mat
fer of exposure to weather as the COT
ton crop, and stseDtion was dEaTn 20
this st the nesting OF the cotton
spinners and planters that took place
in Washington last May. The mem,
bars Of the Southern Cotton Associa
tion and others expressed their inten-
tlon to take measures to remedy the
evil by building warehouses. Il the
question of saving spsoa 10 considared
in the light OF the comparative spacs
occupied in . freight car above indi'
Gated, the saving Of cost In warehouse
accommodation must bs patient to all
concerned.
''Ths same conditions apply to own
era OF steamships. A vessel whose
present capacity Is, say. 5000 bales OF
cotton, would clrry 10000 These
savings in the aggregate you'd amount
to MILLIONS Of dollars annually, and
every one connected With thu trade,
from the producar t0 the lastc tconsun-
er. would benefit by the change"