The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-10-18

HOW TO IMPROVE THE COTTON
TRADE

All those plans made big the mil
men and cotton growers fer bringing
the two closer together and better
ing the conditions of both look nigh
ty we'll on paper. But are they prac'
ticable? Can the owners of the mills
in Europe buy from the farmers with
out the employment of the middle
man or an agent? Under the present
conditions we do not see how it is
possible. Were the warehouse sys-
tenn brought into general use the
plan might possibly be carried out
by the employment of agents at the
warehouses who would represent
both the sellers and the buyers. But
there are many difficulties iii the way
of this Mil men from distance are
not going to buy cotton from ire
Sponsible and unknown persons with
out some guarantee that it will come
up to grade. The cotton they secure
now is through large cotton firms
who are responsible for their con-
tracts. There is another difficulty.
The cotton that is shipped to Europe
by our exporters is not sold by the
latter directly to the mill men, but
to Warehousemen who store it and
sell to the mills just as they need it.
The mills do not buy immense ship
loads at time, and they seldom pay
cash ThoU nftan m q kn hac
long time, paying for the cotton
when the manufactured product has
been sold. If the plan to have these
mills buy direct from the farmers is
adopted the mill men will have to
change their way of purchasing, for
the farmers will want their money
cash on delivery of the cotton, as is
now the case when they sell to the
exporters buyers. They cannot sell
on two to four months time.
There are some other things which
would be of much greater benefit to
the cotton farmers than the doing
away of the middle men-present
evils which the farmers could them
selves remedy if they would take the
pains to do so. Chief among these
is more care in gathering and pack
ing the cotton and properly housing
it after packed. They should stop
using secondhand bagging. This
practice has much to do with the bad
condition in which a great deal of
cotton reaches the mills. Some Of
this bagging is used over and over
again until it has become SO rotten
that it is no protection to the cotton.
Every year hundreds of tons of this
bagging is shipped to this country
by persons who buy it from the
mills, and the farmers use it over
buy it cheap and sell it after putting
it on the bales for four or five times
as much as they give for it they think
they are making money on it, but
often it is the cause of loss. The mill
men also are to blame in this matter.
They complain of the use of this bag
ging by the farmers; yet, instead Of
destroying it, they sell it at very
low price to persons they know are
purchasing it for the purpose Of send
ing it here to be used over again. If
the mill men would destroy it there
would be no occasion for complaints
against the farmers for using it. The
mill men who complain of its use
but give the farmers the opportunity
to use it, and the farmers who avail
themselves of the opportunity are
equally responsible for the damage
done to cotton through covering with
rotten bagging. Both parties should
agree to put stop to the prac-
tice.
The cotton producers and mill men
should also take effective measures
to improve conditions on the cotton
exchanges of New York, New Orleans
and Liverpool in the matter Of the
quality OF cotton allowed to be ten
dered on contracts. There is where
more injury is done to the trade
than in any other way. AS long as
cotton that is unmerchanable and not
fit for use by the mills can be tender
ed on contracts the business of both
the producers and mill men will suf-
fer.