The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-08-31
SIX PER CENT TARE
FARMERS sHOULD INSIST ON 1T
as THEIR RIGHTS.
United States senator E. ID. Smith
Gives Some Good Advice to Cotton

The Times aid Democrat has often
told the farmers they were sleeping
on their rights if they failed to get
six per cent tale on their cotton, and
we are glad to see that Senator E. D.
Smith has take UP the matter. In an
interview with the Progressive Far
mer, Senator Smith said:
"a commercial bale Of cotton Is
reckoned at tive hundred pounds,
Including bafging and ties. The
price Of cotton is always fixed In ref
erence to this tare. A bale weigh
ing 500 pounds. is allowed by the ex-
changes to carry 80 pounds Of bag
ging and ties. That is 80 pounds
are deducted or discounted in the
worlds price for cotton So that, if
less than thirty pounds is placed on
the bale the spinner gains. If more,
he loses. # more than thirty
pounds is put On 500 weight bale,
the farmer gains. If less, the farmer
loses.
''In a word, 6 per cent is deducted
from the individual bale, II only one
Is bought, or from the aggregate
weight of the lot if number of bales
are brought. Therefore If the farmer
puts less than per cent of bagging
and ties in thu gross weight of. the
bale he loses whatever difference
there may be- To illustrate: Sup
pose his bale weighs 500 pounds, and
ne only puts 20 peounds of bagging
and ties on that bale. He not only
loses the % POUNDS of bagging and
ties, but eight pounds Of his cotton
besides.
''In order that the farmers may
understand this whole proposition,
the whole thing can be summed up in
one word: That no matter what the
price for your cotton may be, the
buyers in fixing the price in the
great centers Of trade have fixed 1t
upon the basi, that six per cent of
the entire weight Of all the cotton
Ehey buy is desiucted for tare
'"In my OWL State the law is as
follows:
/" Section !. It shall be unlawful
for any person, firm or corporation,
engaged in tie business Of buying
cotton In this State, as principal or
agent, to ded act any sum for bag
ging and ties rom the weight Of any
bale of cotton when the weight Of the
bagging and lies does not exceed s
per cent of gross weight Of such
bale Of cotton In the event that the
weight of the bagging and the ties
exceeds six Der cent of the gross
weight of said bale of cotton, only the
excess over the said six per cent may
be deducted
Section ,. For each and every
violation of this act the offender
shall be guilt of a misdemeanor and
shall be fined in the sum of not less
than $500 nor more than $4,000, or
imprisoned not less tn anetnse. alto
imprisoned n ot less than ten days
nor sure thar thirty days: Provided,
this act shall not apply to what is
known in the trade as round bales,
and bales of cotton which weigh less
than 800 pounds
81 think ths has finally settled the
question IN ny state Of the conten-
tion of cerai,. buyers in reference
to how much bagging and ties shall
go on the BALI And I would heartily
recommend tie passage of such law
In every Gotten growing State.
"In view o. the fact that the pur-
chasers of practically all other COM
modities pay for all the process
through which those commodities
pass in becoming perfected for the
market, it Dies seem that the far
mer should Lot be required to lose
any more than the mere covering
that protects the cotton.
"When TIE farmer goes to buy a
shirt made out of cotton that he
grew, he pays for the price of the cot
on that hat into that shirt, the
freight that moved it from his plat
form to the mill where it was con-
verted into he shirt He pays the
commission or the salary of the pur-
chaser of tn, raw cotton. He pays
for the machinery, for the operative
and all the commissions in handling
it the wages and salaries of all those
through whose hands is passes; for
the paper and boxes in which it is
packed; the freight back to the re-
tail store; clnrk hire, insurance, COM
mission and profit incidental to its
handling until it come into his hands
In word h. repats, he pays ali the
cost incidenl to the manufacture of
that shirt from the time the cotton
leaves the field until ne buys it in the
form Of the finished article All ex-
penses are added to it. And yet
when he sells his cotton all expenses
are deducted from it. And the costs
of handling his cotton, insurance,
freight, and per cent for tare are
deducted. THIS rule is so established
that the cortract for the export cot
ton are called C. I. F. & g. contracts.
I'm those States where hey have
no law on the subject I do not think
that the buyer have any right to in
sist that less than per cent shall be
put on the bale in the form of bag