The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-10-12
LETTER ON COTTON BAGGlaa
MIssIssIppi Mar Makes Interesting
Argument In Favor OF Agreement
for Benefit Of Farmers.

Now that the season for ginning ~
coming, it Is time for ali parties who
are interested in baling cottons 0
come to a perfect understanding abouE
cotton bagg1ng for the coming season-
| have had a good many years e1-
perience, but always at the mercy OF
the jute bagging manufacturers, AZ
well as the mercantile companies. n
were the distributors for the jute Lac
tories, and l can truthfully say q
when there was a big crop to gin ina
jute .bagging always went up as hign
as II and 12k cents, writes d N
Hearn Of Madison, Miss, In Union
Advocate. We had to pay their prfcaf
even when the ginning competition
was so sharp that the price OF tut6
took all the profit, and with this cone
dition of things existing. 1t looks 10
me as If every ginner would be anx-
ious to unite on cotton basganE.
whether they are friendly to ths
union or not. .
Every farmer, whether union OF
nonunion, should demand that all bag
ging should be made of cotton. That
would consume eight million pounds
of cotton for a twelve million haia
crop, and there are six or seven Tao
tories that have promised to add I'M
pounds to the weight Of every bale OF
cotton that we sell them with cotton
bagging on it. That would compen-
safe for the difference In weight, M
If all or nearly all cotton was wrapped
lin cotton, the 30-pounds tare would be
taken OF.
Away back In the Alliance times tina
jute bagging went SO high 1t was q
most prohibited and thousands OF
bales were wrapped in old gunny
sacks, oct sacks and osenburg, and 1t
was at this time that Odenheimer
came to the farmers rescue and made
a good cotton bagging which run tina
price Of jute bagging as low as four,
and five cents. Just think OF the farm
ers having to wrap four-cent cotton IN
fourteen-cent bagging. Now, Mr.. Oden-
beimer is offering to furnish cotton
bagging again, and I for n beifey0
that cotton should be used for cotton
as well as for corn and oat sacks. By
doing this we would only be making
use Of u bad cotton. If we do any
thing to increase the price Of cotton
and cotton goods, the cotton growers
are the ones who are benefited. The
wage Garner is benefited, and that q
a price lifting effect; in other words.
increases the capacity to consume al
we increase prices.
To get bacx to the subject OF cotton
bagging, l hope that the farmers
ginners, in fact, everyone who really
wants to do something to better tina
condition Of cotton prices, and tha
country generally, will take up this
bagging question and decide It ~
stand by the decision we Make
though the heavens fall. / had a per
feet understanding last year and goe
the bagging for my own customers
and arranged with Mr.. Peet OF Jack
son to supply those Of my community
that ginned their cotton at Madison
station. I do not think there was
more than six or seven bales wrapped
with cotton in this vicinity. Thera
should be an arrangement made that
would be binding legally, that carrtaa
or fixes q penalty so that everyone
who signs it would have to stand To
the rack, fodder. see that some say
that the cotton bagging will not hold
Neither will jute bagging, the way eot
ton is handled. AS an evidence, 1rss
go to the compress where cotton IA
handled and see the condition OF tina
bales wrapped in jute 'bagging IN
you will be convinced.