The Raymer enterprise., 1911-01-05
JORDAN ON COTTON SYSTEM
President Of Southern Cotton Assecl&
tion Says Farmers Lose "A to IS
on Every Bale.

| on Every Bale.
Harvie Jordan. who as president oil
the Southern Cotton association caused
to be uncovered the leaks in the
government bureau. where cotton
crop reports were coz piled and In the
end saved the. farmers of the south
millions that had been lost In specu
lation, now proposes to save annually
to tho United States $60.Oo00 900 and
to Texas 316,0oo.ooO by a reform Of
the method Of handling and market
ing the cotton crop. In an interview
in the Houston Post he expressed him.
self as follows:
The farmers of Texas are losing be.
tween - and IS bale on the crop
every year. 1t Is an actual TACT that
the cost Of insurance, for instance
is based upon loss Of close to 100
pounds Of every bale Of 500 pounds
between this country and Europe.
This damage is carried and allowance
Is made to the shipper. The marine
insurance rate covers that amount OF
loss regularly. It Is fixed with the
idea In view and Is charged against
the farmer In the end. No one but
the southern planter bears the bur.
den.
Mr.. Jordan Is in revolt against the
entire system. He declares that in
sampling, transportation. the manner
OF COMPRISING, in storage and In tear
the waste annually represents the
huge sum Of $60,0o0,000.
Estimate that waste, handle the cot.
ton crop as 1t should be handled and
all Of the many millions now lost will
be saved to the cotton producing
states as a simple addition to their
wealth. accommodating every year.
1t is simple business proposition
In which the business men of the
south ought to be interested II they
save that much money to the south
1t Is to the beneflt Of everyone who
lives In the south.
Gin COMPRISING so as to make pos.
sible the loading Of railroad cars to
capacity and securing reasonable rail
road rates, scientific sampling and
proper application Of methods in stor.
age must be supplied.
AS 1t Is now the rate on plantation
bales Of cotton is several times what
1t is on carload Of meat. The bales
are 80 large that not more than
rs can be placed In car and tina,
Is the reason. After compression by
new machinery at gin compress
rs bales can be loaded In a car
and that is but one element OF posi-
BILE saving.
! Just there we are forced to combat
the compress owner. In many in
stances railroads own stock In com
presses and the ramificatons of the
present system are wide. The meth
dds have been in use for years. 1t is
antiquated. It serves as means by
which the farmer is robbed.
Why, in sampling alone. 100000
bales are lost to the farmer, picked
up by the shipper and turned into pro.
fit that could only exist in waste. That
Is what we fight.
In illustrating the manner Of waste
in the handling OF cotton, Mr.. Jordan
cited the method adopted by the Geor.
gia fruit growers to realize upon their
crops.
Georgia is the greatest fruit pro.
ducing state in the country, he ex.
planned. but when we first commenced
to market our peaches and watermel
ons We shipped them to commission
merchants. Sometimes we managed
to get the freight charges out OF what
We sent north, but that was ALL In.
variably came the letter to the effect
that the shipment had been received
In bad condition.
We decided to reform the method
Of marketing and organized fruit
exchange with capital Of 100000.
We market our own fruit. Now the
commission men come to us and we
sell our fruit on the trees or In the
field and get good money for 1t.
That is exactly the situation as It
regards cotton. The farmer ships and
loses 20 per cent. of his crop because
1t is delivered In bad condition. That
much is lost to the south every sea.
son, Just as we used to lose the value
Of our fruit In Georgia.