The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-31

 the staple is approximately Il cents a pound
 In criticising the government for is- suing statistics and estimates on cotton production without giving the farmer the benefit of statistics relating to cotton consumption. MT. Ousey said; ''The mockery of it is that when he planted the crop he is now selling the world guessed that he would make about 12,500,000 bales and indicated a readiness to pay him $65 a bale or $Sl2, ,500, 900, but now when an alert federal government announces that his crop Is 13. 3.S000o0 bales, the world offers him only $45 bale. or $621 100000 or s191,00o,000 less for 1,3O0,00c, bales more.
 "Only a world wide panic could excuse such an economic absurdity." If no other escape from this injustice is available MT. Ousley said he would favor as a matter of desperate self-de- fense in the cotton states an interstate compact apportioning cotton production with uniform legislation, penalizing the excess under a system of state constabu- lary to prescribe each mans acreage.
 If we must match power with power" he said, then we may well consider the employment of the power of the govern ment to force a monopoly price for monopoly product"
 AdvlSe HOldlnS
 What is the obvious remedy for inn mediate relef?" he continued.
 "Manfestly it is to hold for better prices-for demonstration that the world needs the present crop and will pay fair price for it or until the surplus can be absorbed into a reduced crop next year.
 If we could stop selling for 30 days we could bring the spinners to terms; # we could retain even one-fourth of the crop until spring and could exhibit it a reduction of one-fourth in next years acreage, we could sell the re- inainder of the crop at 20 cents a pound. Such methods are entirely warrantable in view of the loss to cotton producers at the present low prices.
 "A system of warehouses for storage and for financing a holding movement is necessary and our legislative bodies should make haste to use every device of law and to employ every constitu- tional power of the state to encourage | gradual marketing" In order to secure more gradual mar <eting Mr Ousley directed attention to the fact that easier borrowing facilities must be offered the small planter who | is unable to hold his cotton. More lib. | eral lending terms can be secured from | the banks in only one of two ways:
 
 farmers not to sell except upon an | agreed schedule of advancing prices % By a demonstrat tion that demand warrants a higher price,"
 In making up his proposal for the es- tablishment of joint bureau of sta tastics by the southern states and to have the federal government make public sta Ustics showing the consumption of cot ton. MT. Ousley said:
 ''IJO0er the prasent aVsten1 of oroY, TO port from the crop market the farmer is selling in the dark, while the spinner is buying in the light. The spin ner knows precisely what the farmer has; the farmer knows nothing of what the spinner needs. Supply Is proclaimed to all the world but the demand is hid den in the secret recesses of trade"
 He said he preferred to have the gov ernment make reliable estimates of cot ton production than for selfish interests to make delusive estimates. put I con tend that the government should do as much for the farmers benefit as it does for the spinners benefit and should col lect cotton trade information as dligent- ly and completely as it contains cotton crop information"
 At the conclusion of Mir. Ousley's ad- dress a permanent organization was eff fected by the election of Governor Col quit as chairman and M. B. Trezevant of New Orleans as secretary.
 Governor O'Neal Speaks
 Governor O'Neal of Alabama was the next speaker. He said he could under stand on what system of economies the southern planters received less money for a crop larger by 100000 bales then some preceding crop. He said demand should be made upon Congress to supply the pub lie with reliable information as to the needs of the mills throughout the world.
 Governor O'Neal said that even con- ceding that present cotton crop will total 13SOO,OO0. no statistics had been published to show that the farmer has produced mere cotton than the world demands
 w. P. G. Harding, president of the First National bank of Birmingham, was next introduced His bank takes care of 15 per cent of the Alabama cotton crop.
 The great need in the cotton world to- day, he said, is the need of a proper dis tribution of the cotton crop. It requires almost F months to grow this crop, he said, yet 1t is marketed-the bulk of it. in 90 days. This is different from the marketing conditions that apply to any other commodity or industry and must be remedied. He indorsed the Louisiana plan of state owned and state controlled cotton warehouses annd described it as