The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-09-27
CRUSHERS HIT
BYEXPORT
Bad Handling of Cotton Seed Prod
uctS Causes Heavy Losses.
PROTESTS REGISTERED
Special Convention in New Orleans VIII
Attempt to Remedy Matters-Ben
ton Makes His Report.

WI A~NAASS AAAS ~EN@Ns
Facts from both sides In the coM-
troversy as to why southern cotton
seed products exporters lose thou
sands of dollars monthly, from negli-
gent handling of their goods in steam
ships were presented at Mondays ex-
traordinary session of the Interstate
Cotton Seed Crushers' Association in
New Orleans.
Action was taken to combat for
eign tariffs, which are claimed To
have cut down southern business in
these products by 100000 annual
ly The convention nominated Albert
G. Perkins of Memphis, Tenn, for
United States expert abroad on the
subject of cotton seed products. This
nomination is to be an appointment
which will be made by Secretary
Strauss of the department of COM
merce and labor. Professor ] IL
Council of Dallas, Texas, was the
only other candidate for nomination
Mr.. Perkins succeeds J, L. Benton OF
Monticello, Ga, resigned.
Mr.. Benton reported to the convex
ton his observations upon the causes
of the losses of southern shippers
Mr.. Benton told of the, enormous
waste in cotton seed products. due
to careless handling by steamship
lines, and of the loss to American
shippers thereby, estimated as high
as 100000 in a Single year AS am
example Of how this waste occurred
he said:
eve find in New Orleans today
waiting for export 5000 tons of meal
from five different firms This meal
includes five different brands. OE
the total amount 1000 tons of it is
choice meal The remaining 1000
tons is dark, badly ground and with
an excess of lint and hulls. All
this meal is loaded into a vessel at.
New Orleans without regard to the
classification shown on the marks i'm
dicating the brands. AS a result &c
is pretty well scattered over the ship
Since this cargo does not fill the.
boats capacity, few thousand bar
rels of cotton seed oil are rolled in ON
top of the meal. A few of the barrels
break, few of the sacks are torn
and both cargoes, oil and meal. are
more or less damaged.
upon unloading, the meals sacks
are hoisted by single rope from the
hold of the vessel and are dragged
along the floor until they reach the
warehouse, by which time several
more bags are broken. Having been
loaded without regard to brands, the
meal is unloaded in. the same man
ner. So many bags, moreover. haV@
been ruined that it is useless to ate
tempt to collect the cargo according
to it's classification. Instead. the
meal is piled Unfortunately i'm
heaps Of a ton each Of mixed meal
for weighing and sampling. The loose
meal from the broken bags is ap9Or-
toned to those piles which may be-
short in weight At this stage. car
go which left the United States con-
sisting Of 1000 tons Of choice meal
and 1000 tons Of off meal. is now
reduced to all one grade, and that the
worst. There is just enough lint and
bulls in it to cause reclamation
"The importer therefore does not
get the grade he has bought If we
could guarantee him the grade we
could get more for southern cotton
seed cake than is paid for any other
cake in the world"
Mr.. Benton said it will De diff
cult task to extend southern cotton
seed products. trade abroad until the
delivery is improved.