Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-07
CHARLOTTE COTTON MARKET
Producers Charge That Buyers Are lr
Combine AGAINST Them.

Producers Charge That Buyers Are In
Combine Against Them.
| Charges that the price offered for
cotton on the Charlotte market is low
er than the quotations in other towns
nearby are being freely made by
prominent cotton growers. This is no
| new cry. 1t is heard every year about
| this time and whether there is any
SubStantiatiOn to it or not the farm
crS are disposed to believe and some
give expression to their sentiments
that some sort of a combine exists
among the local dealers in cotton
whereby the prices offered are held
down and the market is kept from be-
| ing operated on competitive basis.
| The merchants deny such charges of
course and back up their arguments
| by logic that is apparently sound.
1t sometimes does happen and is
perhaps happening this season, that
| the markets OF nearby towns are
stronger than in Charlotte. These
smaller markets are known as fluctu-
ating markets and some days fancy
prices may be offered and lower fig
ures quoted the next. The local mar
ket is steady and has always been for
some reason or other, whether there is
any advantage either to the buyer or
the seller in this method of business.
Il have quotations indirectly from
the markets in nearby towns" said a
large producer to an Observer man
yesterday, "and | find that the market
is higher by as much as % cents on
the hundred in some of these places.
The Charlotte market is now 1855
while the price being paid in some
other points is 1880, or Is cents high
er per hundred pounds than here.
Last week the local market was 1910
while 1925 was being paid on the
markets Of towns within so and 100
miles of Charlotte. l understand that
Monroe, Lancaster. MaXton, WadeS-
boro, Hendersonville, Gaffney Gasto-
mia, Rock Hill as well as some others
are paying higher prices for cotton
than is paid here. A few of the mar
cts in even smaller places than these
are governed entirely by the Charlotte
quotations. because the leading buy
ers on these markets are numbered
among the leading merchants of
Charlotte.
1T looks to me like a combine has
been formed by the local cotton buy
ers for the purpose of buying as
cheaply as possible. One can observe
for himself by taking time to go down
to the cotton streets that the man that
cuts the cotton gets it. There is no
raising of the bid he makes. The first
buyer that gets to the seller and offers
a price is the man that buys the cot
ton. The others stand off. The only
competition is in reaching the cotton
as il comes into the city. Another
thing:
There is no distinction made in the
grades of the cotton. One price OBJ
tains for all the varieties that are
I, -, . ,lyn
whether a farmer brings one bale or
a dozen bales. no distinction is made
i'm the size of his sellings Further
more. it's the same with the man that
brings a lot of averagely good cotton
and the fellow that brings a load of
select cotton-the same price is re-
ceived. The local market needs COM
petition and the farmers ought TO re-
ceive prices governed by the grade of
cotton sold and the amount sold. For
instance. the farmer that brings to the
market a lot of 100 bales should re-
ceive some consideration over the
farmer that brings single bale. And
the man that sells an allotment of Sc
lect cotton ought to get better price
than the fellow that sells Il load of av-
erage grade
In an effort to ascertain the true
nature of the local situation an OBJ
server man questioned Mr.. w. y. Wat
son. one of the largest cotton buyers
on the local market.
Il have heard less complaint this
year on this matter than ever before,
said Mr.. Watson. It's an old cry: we
hear it every season. but ] have failed
To come into contact with as many
such appeals this season as ordinarily.
| don't think the charges can be sub
Stantiated. | know that | am buying
cotton cheaper in some other towns
than | am able to buy ii here. | re-
ceive the quotations from markets in
nearby towns with some degree of
regularity. but | have failed Ia observe
any marked difference i'm the prices
offered in comparison with the local
market
some towns located on the Sea-
board and Atlantic Coast Line do pay
4 slightly higher price than is paid
here. This is due. perhaps. to the fact
that tn" exporting house of Sprunt Il
Co. of Wilmington. gets into these
markets and operates them on iluc-
tuatinG scale. Higher prices are offer
ed some days and lower prices other
days. My own opinion is that the far
mer gets the advantage in the differ
cnCc between varying market and
steady market as we have here.
III regard 10 lne cIdGSc lIldl lllelc
is no competition among the buyers,
there is some truth in the statement
that local buyers do not go out and
rid against each other with a view to
raising the price of bale. We know
what we can pay for cotton here and
secure Il fair and equitable profit on ii
and we are disposed to allow one price
To obtain.
"AS for the grading of cotton. there
has been but one grade all season. |
have never seen cotton offered on tn"
Charlotte market that is so uniformly
good The absence of frost and con-
tinucd dry weather has enabled the
farmers tn remove the cotton from the
fields to the gin bcfor" il became
stained and for som" reason or other
tn" gins seem to be doing better work
this wear than ever ThCS" conditions
have produced but one grade of cotton
and that is good. There is no way to
make Il distinction between the lots
now being sold here. 1t is all free
from stains and trash of all sorts and
commands tn" highest figure. Tn"
first frost will make Il change in the
grade and Il heavy rain coming ut this
time when the fields are whit" will
stain the cotton and make it inferior
To that now being sold hcrc.--Char-
luttr Observer. Thursday.
Kerosene For Hookworm. John D.
II a.. #