The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-10-14
WANT BETTER PRICES
MILL MEN EXPLAIN WHY TIE
sPINNERs MUST CURTAIL
The Output Of Their Mills In Order
to Raise the Price of the Finished
Product.

to Raise the Price Of the Finished
Product.
The Charlotte Observer says one
of that city's best known cotton
manufacturers who was present al
the meeting of the board of COVER
nors of the American Cotton Manu-
facturers' Association last Friday
which decided to inaugur1ate q gen
eral curtailment movement among
the mills, was asked as to whether
or not the manufacturers had any
desire at all to lower the price Of
cotton. Said he:
"a number of people have asked
me If the object of the manufactur'
ers in recommending a curtailmen'
was for the purpose Of lowering the
price Of cotton and some doubtless
really believe that this was the end
in view. In reply to this am glad
to-. state that throughout the dis
cussion regarding curtailment every
speaker favored higher prices for
goods.
Cotton manufacturers are In the
business of course for the purpose ol
making at least a living and they
cannot do so at present as they have
been making more goods than the
trade consumed ands this surplus
whether large or small, has been
sufficient to prevent the prices OF
goods from advancing In accord with
the advance of cotton. Manufactur,
ers are afraid to increase this sur.
plus by piling up goods made OF
13 cent cotton unless they can have
assurance that the farmers viii
maintain this price and buy goods or
this basis.
Cotton was bought on this basis
few years ago and a few months
later the farmers were selling al
$50 and 9 cents, causing the loss
of millions of dollars to the mills
and some of them were forced into
bankruptcy. Consequently the mills
feel that it Is prudence to reduce
the output to the actual consumption
so that new. business can be. done on
basis of the cotton whether it is
I13 cents or more.
There are three principal outlets
for American cotton whose interests
are not Identical. For example the
manufacturers of Europe want the
lowest prices they can get for the
interest of the very poor people in
in the countries which they govern
regardless of the interests of the
cotton grower. In the Northern and
Eastern sections of our country,
where they have cotton mills. they
naturally want the cotton as low, as
possible, but they are willing and
really want the cotton planter to
make a fair profit on his cotton for
the general good Of the communl-
ty.
I'm the South the cotton planter
Is the manufacturers near neighbor
and often interested with him both
on the farm and in the cotton fac
tory, in which case both parties fully
understand the situation. The man.
ufacturers in the South are almost
TO man in favor of high prices for
cotton when they can pay the price
and make q margin even If it Is a
small one. They all recognize that
the high prices of cotton build up
this immediate section, and make q
prosperous country.
IF cotton planters are confident
that this Is a very short croptand VIII
market it judiciously and In addi-
ton thereto will buy cotton goods
freely and thus help to consumate
the surplus stock on hand, they can
easily count upon obtaining good
prices for cotton and the manufac-
turers will be only too glad to run
full time and aid the planters in
every way possible only desiring to
be assured that they will not there
by jeopardize the interests OF the
mills.
This manufacturer talks good,
hard, horse sense. The reasons nc
gives for curtailment of output OF
the mills are sensible and business
like. He points out to the farmers
why they should control the market
and sell their cotton only when they
can get a fair price for 1t. Other
wise, as he points out, the mill peo-
pie might be swamped by attempting
to sell manufactured products made
out of thirteen cents cotton on q
ten cents basis. That would ruin
many of the mills, which would be
calamity to this section. The
Southern mill people are In entlre
sympathy with the farmers, and want
high priced cotton, but they want to
be assured that the prices will stay
high.