The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-21

the States in which case our market will remain much higher than Liverpool all through the spring and summer.
 I find the general impression to be b or 16 cents is fancy price for cotton. Taking cents as a basis of cost ot production, cotton at 16 cents would bare ly be on a parity with the advance In wheat from former low prices, and about 20 cents in comparison, with the advance in corn and many other products; yet shortage in food supplies of any one character would not begin to be as az gravated as shortage in cotton, for the world can easily shift it's diet, when necessary; but for the entire civilized world there Is nothing to substitute for cotton, and shortage Tn this article will, necessarily. be more seriously felt by what is termed the civilized world than any other product known of as the entire world depends upon the cotton crop of the south. Are We to be such fools as not to realize the situation?
 Consumer Is Gainer.
 The main point that strikes the writer Is a heavy advance can occur in cot ton, and outside of the extreme pauper trade of the Orient, the advance is not felt whatever by the consumer. The cost of manufacturing flour from wheat,
 
 amount being fed to stock without be- ing manufactured at all, Is such that an advance of a couple of ceuts per bush el on corn or wheat would be felt by the consumer as much as an advance of 5 cents per pound on cotton. The cost of manufacture alone is a heavy expense to the consumer from Inc cost of the raw product; these goods are largely sold to wholesalers, who in turn sell har fo fla oflI xVh made garments; the ready-made garment man in turn sells them to jobbers of such articles who in turn sell them To the retailer, who usually secures about a 25 per cent profit Now, y hat would be the result to the consumer of say an advance of cents In cotton? l am told pound of cotton makes over seven yards of calico, and this is one of the cheapest grade articles generally used, so l cent per yard advance, or 10 cents for woman's dress would be equal to cents in cotton. The ordinary working mans clothes that would retail for SIP to $15 would weigh about four pounds; two pounds of wool and two pounds of cotton or an advance of fl cents on a $12 to $15 suit of cotfes. If one stops to consider the weight of socks, shirts and various wearing apparel, cot ton could advance from 10 ' cents, in my opinion, and on 75 rer cent of the manufactured goods sold by retailers the price would be absolutely unchanged. l realize In some lines there would be quite d difference in heavy goods, such as four sacks; at the same time what can be substituted for them? cotton flour bag that carried 200 pounds of flour would be cheaper for the miller on a basis of 20-ce cotton than would tt present high prices of cooperage.
 
 If cotton had a reasonable substitute the situation would be different, but to- day it stands the only article without substitute
 Already I hear talk of what big money is going to be made if the market ad- vances further in selling the early fall and winter months short. Now, this is the main point I think should be circu- lated by the southern press at large and the farmer cautioned about feeding his pearls to swine. There is no possible chance for the south to ever become a prosperous or powerful section of this country with low price for cotton prosperity and money are what create development and the south will never have it unless cotton sells tt good prices With the small crop this year the world will easily require 15.OO0'000 bales next year. and should not the Farmers union At the present tune coHiintllcc to cuucdlc the farmers not to plant next season too heavy an increase, but about the size crop they did last year? If the specula- tors insist on selling the market short, anticipating decline when the rush of cotton reaches market. cannot the farm CTS be educated to simply stand pat" and not sell a pound below the average prices that will rule between this com ing May and August? If this could only be done there would be such enormous demand developed for September and De- tober shipment that surh parties who sell this market short would be com pelled to pay so heavily for their ex- perience they would be afraid to cons tinue to attempt such tactics from year to year in the future: and with two prosperous years the farmers should be able to accumulate sufficient money to market their crop during the early gin- ming season in such small proportions at the beginning of the year they would be ssre to average about as good p4sces Tor