The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-09-06
ARE IN BAD FIX
South Carolina Cotton Mills Face a
Very Serieus Problem
SHADOW OF TIE WEEVlL

Certain Kinds of Cotton Used by
Some of the Mills in this State Can
Not be Had Because of the Quar-
antine Against the Section Where
it is Raised.
The State says the cotton manu-
factures Of South Carolina are fac
ing serious situation as the result
of the announcement that the boil
weevil cotton quarantine will be
strictly enforced after Sept. 10. It's
said that the stock. of raw cotton Of
many of the textile plants in the
State is verd low, and that majoritl
of the mills will depend on shipments
that were to come from the boil wee
vii territory.
1t is the intention of the State en-
tomologist to enforce strictly to the
letter the act against the shipment OF
cotton into this State from the boil
weevil territory after September. In
the event the law is enforced, it is
said that many Of the mills may have
to close operation
AS already announced, Ellison A.
Smyth, the president Of the Cotton
Manufactures association of South
Carolina has requested a conference
with the State entomoiogist and the
commissioner Of agriculture to dis
cuss the situation.
The following letter asking for in
formation on the situation has been
received at Sne State depar -4ent Of
agriculture from well known cot
ton firm of Greenville.
eve have taken notice of the state
ment in the papers recently issued by
Mr Conrad, State entomologist, in
regard to shipping cotton from the
boil weeviI injected districts into
South Carolina and note that the
State will quarantine against such
points actively beginning September
10
eve have addressed MT. Conrad
asking that he advise US what terri
tory the State considers weevil in
fected. We have also asked that he
advise US where we could procure a
map showing the infected territory.
We are very desirous Of working in
harmony with the State authorities
in this matter and as we bring
great deal of cotton from Alabama
and Mississippi into the State, we do
not wish to conflict in any manner.
t'Mr. Conardi is at present out of
the State, and we are unable to learn
when he will return. Ifyou can give.
US the information requested.of him,
we will greatly appreciate it."
The situation in which the textile
industry in South Carolina finds it
self as a result of the cotton quar-
antine has arisen a little earlier than
was expected, according to the State
| commissioner OF agriculture Mr.: Wat
son said that just exactly this situa-
tion has been expected for some years
by the department. and at Asheville
in June, at at several places since,
notably at Darlington on Friday last,
he called particular attention of man
ufactures and growers to the necess-
ity and sound business sense Of rais-
ing upland staple such as the SColum-
bia, Keenan,, Hartsvi1le, Coker and
Weber, for consumption in our
home mills in place of Mississippi cot
ton which is now being brought in to
the extent Of upward Of 100000 bal
es out of the total Of about 765, 200
bales now ANNUALLY consumed in the
South Carolina mills.
The attention of Lewis W. Parker
and of the Textile Manufactures as
sociation, he said, has been directed
to this particular and uneconomic
condition of affairs for the past two
years, and this and the knowledge
that the spreading of the boil weevil
over the Mississippi delta would un-
der the law close the s.urce of sup
ply, has been the reason for the Wig
orous campaign that has been pushed
particularly for this year, with a view
tc getting the farmer to raise his cot
ton from selected seed furnished him
and to sell it directly, to the mills.
The. kno,>,edge that this cotton
would arise has been at the back OF q
vigorous effort along this line and
the commissioner adds, the knowl-
edge that the boil weevil is hasten
ing at the rate of Is miles a year
towards South Carolina, has caused
him to endeavor to shape the agri-
cultural development policy in this
State to the end that the people
would be in a state of unprepared:
ness to receive the first onslaught Of
the weevil on the s9S,000,000 cot
ton crop instead of being found in
stale Of unpreparedness, as were
many of the people in the Southeast
ern portion of the belt. For five years
the campaign has been waged for di-
versification, giving other money
crops and something to eat to take
the place of the money which is re-
ceived ohrtc
ceived for the cotton when cotton !.
alone is relied upon.