The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-07
THE NORTHWEST
LOOKS TO SOUTH
Tide of Farm immigration
May Turn This Way
COTTON is STILL KING
Holds Up the Credit of the United
States-J. c. Maben Talks on
Iron Situation While in
New York
COTTON is STILL KING
BY ROBERT LEE CARTER

By ROBERT LEE CARTER
New York, August 6.-(Special.)- was
long time coming, but at last the dis
satisfied element in the middle northwest
are beginning to awake to the fact that
in the southeastern states there are OPP
portunities for farmers superior to any
which may be found in Canada, and where
they will have all the advantages of quick
transportation, good schools and churches
and all the other opportunities of as high
a civilization as can be found anywhere
in the United States. The states from
Virginia south have hundreds of thou
sands of acres of fine land which will
raise almost anything under the sun.
and which can be bought for less than
the wild lands OF western Canada costs.
AS soon as the people who are look
Ing for homes find out the truth about
this section of the country 1t will be
impossible to keep them away.
Cotton is still king, though statistics
derived from strictly official sources
running back as far as 1890 1t is dis
closed that the United States would to-
day be debtor instead of creditor
nation but for her exports of raw cot
ton. Upon our cotton we have actually
depended to maintain our credit in the
world of commerce.
From 1890 up to June 80, 1909, the
aggregate value of all exports from the
United States was $47.999,224.405; dur
ing all this period of 119 years the to-
tai trade balance of the United States
has been $6,436, 1I4,5s6; the total value
of raw cotton exported meanwhile was
$13, 1913, 1853. 0S6-no account being made
of the exports of manufactured cotton
or of cotton seed products. In other
words, If we had no raw cotton to ex-
port, we would now as a nation appear
on the balance sheets of the world s
commerce as a debtor of the extent of
more than $1,000, 100000
In presenting this brief compilation
the Southern Commercial congress says
that Its purpose is to lift cotton-its
enemies, its cultural methods and all
subjects related to the great staple
out of and above consideration as solely
southern interests and to give 1t It's
natural and rightful place as great
national interest.
]. C. Maben, president OF the Sloss-
Sheffield Steel & Iron Co., reports that
he is unable to see any material change
In the iron trade. The production, ac-
cording to the latest figures, he de-
clares is largely in excess of the con-
sumption. In an interview he said:
Not only is there a large amount OF
iron in the yards of the manufacturers,
but the consumers, according to the lat
est statistics, also have on hand a con-
siderable amount of iron for which
they have had no use as yet. The cur
tailment in production must go consid-
erably further before normal conditions
are brought about again." He regards
the curtailment thus far estimated at
about IL per cent as a mere bagatelle.
Mr.. Maben says, however, that this
company is going on with the ,manufac-
ture of iron. At the present time the
Sloss company has four of its southern
furnaces in blast and Is planning to
blow in another within short time.
1t has always been the policy of the
company to accumulate iron during the
dull periods and thus to be in a posi-
ton to take advantage of the market
when 1t becomes more active. Mr.. Ma
ben has not heard of any general mo-
tive looking towards movement in the
radical curtailment in production, but
he believes that the output Will be nee
essarily reduced before long unless tile
market greatly and surprisingly i'm
proves soon.