The Washington herald., 1907-09-30

ers Of EurCpe know anything about the
growing Of The plant which they make
into yarn and cloth. The international
Conference of Cotton Growers, Spinners,
and Manufacturers, to be heId in Atlanta
on October I. 5, and 9, viii mark new
era in the cotton business Of the world.
This conference is held in the United
States. and the European delegates come
on the Invitation of the American manu-
facturers' associations ard American
farmers unions. The guests are repre-
sentatiyes Of the foreign cotton manu-
facturers and the cotton factory opera
tives' labor unions. The congress will in
clude, therefore, representatives Of the
organizations Of the men who till tho
ground and grow the cotton, Of those in
whose factories it is spun and woven, and
OF those whose labor changes the fibre
from its natural conditions to the fin
ished article OF commerce.
The foreign delegation will number
more than a hundred. sixty Of whom are
from England. twenty from Germany.
and the others from Austria. France,
Belgium, Italy. Spain. and Portugal Few
Of these delegates have ever before Wis
tied the United States. and they will be
given an opportunity TO take a good look
at that country where cotton Is king. a
special train has been provided for their
comfort, and they viii be taken from
New York to Washington, where they
will be the guests Of the New England
Cotton Manufacturers Association.
Then the long Southern trip will begin
The journey viii be begun over the
Southern Railway. and the first stop Of
Importance viii be at Charlotte. N. C..
the center OF the cotton manufacturing
industry Of the South. The party will
stay IN Atlanta for four or five days, at
tending the sessions Of the conference.
and being entertained socially. The next
stop viii be for a day in the iron and
coal district of Birmingham, Ala. where
a great public reception will be given the
foreigners.
Then viii come what viii be one OF the
most unique and interesting features of
the journey. The train viii be stopped on
a sidetrack in the middle Of great cot
ton field in the Yaz00 delta OF Mississippi.
The richest cotton country on earth. The
month will be October. cotton picking sea-
son, and the Europeans will see the ne
groes picking cotton and hear them in
t0ning the old plantation chants. They
viii see the cotton brought in 10 the gin.
and there see the seed taken from the
fibre. The train viii then take them 70
Greenvile, where they viii see the great
congresses which reduce the ginned cot
ton 70 the bale which the Europeans
know so we'll
Ia Npvr Orleans fIav- will 10 ofxar IN
opportunity 10 see the excitement OF the
great Cotton Exchange. as we'll as 70
inspect the methods employed in handling
the export cotton. In Galveston, Tex,
further examination OF export facilities
may be made and q banquet viii be given
the guests of the country. Little Rock,
Ark, VIII also entertain the visitors The
last stop in the cotton country will be
made in Memphis, where there viii be
public entertainment, and the party Will
leave for St. Louis, Chicago, Toronto,
Niagara Falls. and back 10 New York
The trip Will be more than 4,600 miles
long, and it viii require about nineteen
days to complete the circuit.
An international committee Of cotton
manufacturers was organized at a meet
ing held In Zurich in 1904 The United
ing nor in the subsequent congresses held
at Manchester, Bremen. and Vienna. The
Vienna congress was held this year, and
it was to this meeting that the invita-
tons from the American organizations
were presented. The previous European
congresses had sent small committees to
the United States 10 study conditions,
and members Of these committees We're
heartily in favor Of the Atlanta meeting.
In the three years since the movement
for international organization began, the
executive committee has been received
and entertained by King Edward. the
German Emperor, President LOubet of
France, and that section which came 10 /
America was welcomed 10 the White
House by President Roosevelt The
Italian delegates to the Atlanta meeting /
came at the direction and request Of the |
King Of Italy
The manufS :tured cotton product Of the /
world each year is worth a billion and
three-quarters Of dollars. Practically the |
whole Of that great industry viii be rep /
resented at Atlanta. Il will not be a 1
mere jCllihcatlon, for there is serious /
work 70 do, and d serious purpose in the !
coming together. The United States /
mighty nation which has done so much to /
revOlutionize the commerce and civiliza- /
ton Of the world, is not wholly without /
faults. The American traveller abroad /
finds one universal complaint against
American goods they are not well packed. /
The consular service reports show that /
American trade Is injured to the extent Of |
many millions a year because the Amari- |
can merchant packs goods to be shipped
around the world in the same insecure
fashion that he boxes shipment con-
signed to a way station twenty miles
away.
Cotton IS not an exception to this com
plant, and the Europeans hope TO per-
suade the Americans TO adopt a better
method of baling, and a uniform method.
The round bales are much better. and
these will be advocated by the English
men. The more tightly compressed bales
save freight charges, because they are
less bulky, minimize damage from water,
and are less likely TO be attacked by fire.
The American cotton growers will be I'm
plored 10 inauguTate a reform In cotton
baling.
Ginning, too, viii come in for a share
OF the discussion. The cotton gin, as IN
vented by Whitney and improved by
Holmes. has been in use for more than
a century without any radical improve
ments in the principal of the operation
OF ginning. In Egypt and India another
variety Of gin is used which, il is
claimed, does not injure the fibre as does
the saw gin. The English delegates hope
that the American planters will consent
10 the adoption Of the Egyptian ginning