The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-09-08
STATE FEELS BOIL NEEVIL.
The Cotton Spinners First to Surfer.
Quarantine Holds Their Sup
plies.
Considerable disqul ,tude IS being

CONS1O3raDle QlSQtl 'IiOS - u'4nS
manifested among cotJNn nlanufacjur-
c~s and cotton Aya?;e"s y So"jh E}"-
o1ina over the recently .ssued order
Of State Entomclogist \. =. Conrac!,
stating that beginning with the !OtA
Of September, the State law irohibit-
ing the importation into this SITE OF
cotton from territory infested with the
BOIL veevil will be ~;gi6}r enfcrL'd
This law was enacted during tie ?nc
is!atNe session Of 1904, ard amended
at the session Of 1908. Since the is
suance of the order by Mr.. Conrad:
Commissioner 7. J. Watson has re-
ceived several letters from manufac.
turers and cotton brokers inquiring
about the law, and asking information
as to the boil veevil territory. Thurs
day afternoon a letter was received
from Capt. E. A. Smyth, Of Greenvil'e,
president of the South Carolina Cot
ton Manufacturers association, and
Friday morning another letter was re-
ceived from Messrs. Cooper & Griffin,
a prominent cotton brokerage concern,
having Offices in Greenville and other
points in the State.
Industry Hampered.
From the tone Of these letters, it is
>'..- .Nc- joo!c:s and spinners
think the enforcement of the quaran-
tine law this year will hamper the cot
ton mill industry in this State to a
considerable extent. The law. how
ever, is in protection of the cotton
crop of the State, which is a greater
industry than even that Of cotton man
ufacturing, and there seems to be
nothing for the cotton manufacturers
to do except to get along the best way
they can under the provisions of the
law. The territory infested by the boil
weevil is constantly growing larger,
and thus the territory still left open
for the manufacturers in this State
to draw upon continues to grow small
Ter each year.
Although Commissioner Watson is
deeply interested from his position, in
the industrial and agricultural devel-
opment of the State, he is Informing
the writers of the letters that he has
no authority whatever in the matter.
He calls attention to a circular re-
Gently issued by Mr.. Conradi, in which
it is explained that clean compressed
cotton can be imported from infested
territory without danger during July
and August, and for that reason the
law was not rigidly enforced during
those months, but with the coming OF
the Information season of the insect,
she law must be rigidly obeyed to pro-
Sect. South Carolina farmers.
Cotton From Other States.
According to Capt. smyth's letter,
the enforcement of the law will seri-
ously handicap the cotton manufac-
turing industry in this State, since the
South Carolina mills purchase during
the year from 100000 to 100000 bales
from other States. He has desired g
conference with Mr.. Watson on the
matter, but the commissioner does not
hold out much hope for any change to
come from such a conference.
WeeviI's Territory.
The mills in this State use to a
large extent the long staple uplands
cotton. which is mostly imported from
other States. At the end of the year
1910, the boil Weevil infested territory
covered large part of the South Ieav-
ing free only the Carolinas, Georgia,
Florida, Tennessee, a large part CT
Alabama and about tWo-ffths of Mis-
sissippi. t is stated that if the weevil
makes this year an advance proper
tionate to that Of 1910, it Will cover
over half Of Alabama, and will further
limit the territory from which the
cotton mills can draw raw material.
There is a possibility that the cotton
mills in this State may be obliged to
close for time, Or else bring in cot
ton Of the kind desired from some
other country, such as Egypt.
The annual product of cotton manu-
factured goods in this State is given
as about s72,0O0.OO0 in value. Heavy
vurtailment resulting from enforce
ment of this quarantine law would oc-
casion, it is claimed, much loss to the
cotton manufacturing industry.
However, the law is made in protec-