Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-07-26
MERCHANTS AFTER
 COTTON BUYERS
TION WORK TO RID CITY UF tL- LEGED "COTTON SCALpERS'
SAY II IS AN EVIL
Members Of Association Tell of the Methods Used By Street Buyers
 Injurious To Business.


 The evil of cotton .'scalpers" on the cotton business was the inter- esting topic of discussion at the ses-z sion of the Retail Merchants Assoc lation held last night in their rooms ill the Citizens Bank building. No steps were taken and no definite conclusion as to what action will be taken could be drawn from the meet ing. Committees appointed at the meeting before that of last night to report on the feasibility of establish ing public cotton sale and main- taining public cotton chaser and to remedy the evils of cotton scalp CTS did not report, but representa- tives of each one appeared before the meeting and requested more time in which to investigate. It is reported that both committees have been mak- ing considerable headway
 As discussed at the meeting last night the cotton "scalper' is one of the most injurious factors in the cotton business of Pine Bluff. As described at the meeting last night the cotton "scalper" is a buyer who is supposed to be in the employ of big cotton firm, but who in realty is man out to make what he can by buying on commission for the big firms Several members of the association who profess to fully un- derstand the evil of the "scalpers" told of their methods. They say that these men are put out to buy cotton at all established price and the un- derstanding is that the big firm will take it off their hands at the estab- lished price for that date. When the "scalper' goes on the street it is to his interest to buy the cotton at as much less price per pound than the established price,. The difference be- tween the price he pays for the cot ton lower than the established price is therefore his profit.
 This is not the most objectionable part that the ''scalper" plays, accord ing to the members of the Retail Merchants Association. These "scal- pers'' have banded themselves into sort of union according to some Of the members. They have a gen. i tlemen's method of settling who shall buy bale of cotton as the farmer brings it in. These members state that according to their information the first "scalper" who sees the bale of cotton is given first bid. They say that if the established price for middling is fourteen cents. the "scalper'' who gets first on the bale may buy it for anything from fourteen cents down, or the lowest that the farmer will sell for.
 The Merchants Association is con- fident that this is ruinous to the bus mess. They charged. in discussing ! the "scalpers" that this union skin ned' the farmer and poured money into the cotton buyers pocket as when one "scalper" bids on bale no brother ''scalpers" would bid over him; consequently if the farmer did not take the first price offered, he did not get another bid.
 The merchants reason that in this way if the price paid on the street cotton here is lo %ar than it is at Al- theimer or aAa cfeer nearby town the farmers win &)cn get wise and when they have mother bale to Sell they will go to :he other place and shun Pine Bluf The Merchants lay the blame of t'':s at the door of the "'scalpers' aHd some are warm in their denunciations of the "scalpers. ,
 It is understood that one of the largest cotton dealers in the city has announced himself in favor of ridd- ing the city of these 'scalpers." He is a member of large firm. How other big cotton factors stand on the question of eliminating the evils of the "scalpers' could not be brought out at the meeting Some of the mer- chants were positive in their asser- tions that the discussed union exists among "scalpers'' and is the means of turning many farmers away to other cities to dispose of their cotton.
 Members of the association favor ing the freq scales and a free classer believe that they will induce more farmers to bring cotton here and will