The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-10-06
COTTON EXPERIMENT
CONsULS SEND REPORTS TO WASH
INGTON.
Oceanica Ia The Latest To Try To
Grow The staple-LabOr Said
To BE Greatest Prob


Washington. Oct. Especial )--Eu-
ropean nations which have colonies or
protectorates in the warmer chimes of
the earth continue to make energetic
efforts to produce cotton In consider
able If not paying quantities.
1t would be interesting to know ex-
actly just how much effort has been
made and the amount of money ex-
pended Every few months for the
past twenty years a consular report
will be received here telling OF ex-
periments that are being made by the
English. the French the Germans and
the Belgtans in this direction. The
agitation has been greater within the
past decade perhaps than any at any
other period, and this is undoubtedly
due to the high price that has pre-
vailed for cotton in comparison with
the price a little further back.
Those who are familiar with the
cotton question say that the Europe
ans are trying to develop cultivation
of the staple in their colonies for two
reasons. One is that there is urgent
necessity that the worlds supply
should be increased in view Of the fact
that the earth's population is rapidly
Increasing. Another is that the
French. English. Germans and Bel
CLANS are known to be smartig under
the great advantage the people of the
United States have in being able to
produce the bulk of the cotton needed
for the comfort and convenience OF
mankind.
In ordinary times the price of cot
ton enables our country to MAINTAIN
the balance of trade, but with the
prices that have been prevailing in
recent years the thing becomes much
easier for us. and the Europeans are
the ones who have to put up the cash
to get the staple outside of what is
not consumed by the manufacturers in
the United States. And another thing
that is worrying for the business men
on the other side of the Atlantic ocean
is that the cotton factories OF the
United States are multiplying so rap
idly that 1t Is evident these growing
concerns will shorten the export sup
ply of cotton, and our manufacturers
are creeping up amazingly on the Eu-
ropeans in competing for trade in pdr-
tons Of the worlds that have hereto
fore been controlled almost entirely
by either the English or continental
Europe
The latest consular report on efforts
to cultivate cotton in colonies is from
Oceanica-from some of the islands
away down in the South Pacific ocean
Consul Dresher at Papeete sends
this information. Papeete is on the
sland of Tahiti. which is the prin-
cipal one in the group known as the
Society Islands and which have been
under French Jurisdiction since about
1892. In the whole group there is a
population probably of not over 10000,
and the area is approximately 500
square miles, but the soil Is fertile
and very productive. although the In
telligence received indicates that q
French company experimenting with
cotton down there has not met with
bowling success. Uncle Sam paws Mr..
Dreher $4,000 a year for perspiring
away his life down in that hot section
of the globe, and he Is a native of and
was appointed to the consular service
from South Carolina, so he ought to
know something about the neecy
staple
The consul states that a company
first tried to raise cotton down in the
Society Islands Just after our civil
war. but It failed in the attempt The
main trouble was to get labor. The
company has to import then about l.
900 Chinese to do the work AS the
natives are ordinarily lazy and en-
gage chiefly in easy work such as
gathering the products OF the tropics
that do not require cultivation they
cannot he depended upon to tackle the
job like the Southern negroes in the
United States. More Chinese will be
needed in Tahiti.
The active and experienced white
men who have gone down to Ia
hiti to start this newest enterprise are
reported to have had great success in
cotton cultivation in Algeria, Egypt
and the Soudan.
Alfred J. Stofer