Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-20
Alistellansous &mdins,
COTTON WILL SELL HIGH.
Mr.. James D. Hammett Discusses the
Situation Interestingly.

| Reports from the marketing points
| of the cotton producing area or the
south indicate even at this early date,
says the Charlotte Observer, that the
new crop is going to be rapidly moved.
Farmers are still allured by the high
Srices being offered at the start and
while they are firm in their belief that
even higher prices yet Will be attain
able. there is subtle attraction which
| draws them to the market under the
| present offers. The crop of the past
season not only moved rapidly, as
ra pidly as it was picked, indeed, but
1t moved solidly and long before the
close of the commercial year, 1t was
discovered that practically nothing OF
the old crop remained for the market.
That cotton will continue to be
high, Notwithstanding the effect 1t may
have upon the market for finished
| goods, is generally admitted. The day
of low cotton has passed into history
&rd farmers as well as the trade as
whole are confident that high prices
| must be met fairly and all other ac-
counts figured on such a basis. The
makers of cotton goods have been
hard hit on account Of the fact that
the prices they were offered in the past
| for their goods was in no wise COM
mensurate with the price they were
forced to pay for the raw material,
| forcing them to operate their plants at
| a loss.
| Onr of the most sensible comments
that has been seen on this particular
position appears in the late issue of
Tie Textile Manufacturers Journal
| from the pen of Mr.. Jas. d. Hammett,
| a prominent mill man of Spartanburg,
and it will doubtless be read with in
terest by farmers and mill men alike.
1t follows:
! Making cotton cloths for the last
| two years has been very unSatiSiac-
tory from the manufacturers stand
point in that buyers of dry goods have
not been willing to follow the advance
in raw cotton. claiming that this ad-
vance was unreasonable. Whether
such advance is unreasonable or not
| the manufacturers have had to pay
the price: consequently the mills have
made no money and many of them
have suffered Il decided loss
| THE point made that cotton has ad-
vanced to an unjustitiablc height is, IN
| our judgment, an unreasonable POSI-
| ton to take, in that the product OF the
| farmers / ,,,ry other section OF the
country has advanced to a price that
allows the farmers a reasonable proht
| for their crops, and we see no reason
why the southern farmer should not
| be allowed the same reasonable proht
| for his crop.
| Harsh words are often used towards
| the southern farmer because he asks 10
cents pound for his cotton, but the
people in other parts of the country
and of foreign countries forget that Il
short time ago the southern farmer
was paid for his crop less than it cost
him to produce it, and we who are in
touch with the southern farmer know
| positively that the suffering on the
farms during the period of low prices
! was intense. Though we are manu-
| facturerS of cotton we feel Sympa-
thy for the man who suffered in times
past and we now feel it is nothing but
| his due to obtain high prices FOR MS
commodity as an offset for the low
| prices obtained only few years ago.
| I'VE feel that the buyers of dry
goods at the moment are making Il
very serious mistake in staying out of
| the market, because the south made
poor crop last year, and the lndlca-
| tions at present are that large crop
will not be made this year. and unless
| it is the price is bound to be hlgh, ana
possibly much higher than we have
experienced during the past twelve
months.
"As American citizens it should be
the wish of every one of us to see
high priced cotton the year round. be-
, cause with high priced cotton we get
more money from abroad and the bal
ance of trade is in our favor. which
certainy must be in the interest OF all.
| If all the American cotton was con-
sumcd in America there might be some
excuse for American citizens in some
portions of the country To wish Tor
| low priced cotton but as the larger
part of the American crop is sold to
foreigners IL is i'm the interest or
| America as a whole to have cotton at
| high price.
| II do not wish to be understood as
| favoring extreme high prices. but |
feel that buyers of dry goods should
Iaccustom themselves to price OF from
| l. cents to II cents a pound for cot
| ton and if goods can be sold on that
basis the mills in America Will be just
as prosperous as they would he on a
lower basis and the farmers in Amerl-
| ca who raise cotton would ID" on
profitable basis. and be able to BUY
many more goods than would be the
case if the prices were lower
| THE drastic curtailment that has