Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-13
COTTON men MEET.
TroublouS Times Discussed
At Boston Convention.
President Hobbs Tells Of Hopes
and OisappOInImenls.
Delegates Welcomed by Gov. Foss
--RepIy by R. J. Miller, Jr.

/
pany," said President Franklin W
| Hobbs in his annual address before the
| opening session of the annual meet
ing Of the National Association of Cot
| ton Manufacturers in this city today,
| in referring to the fact that the Ian
| cashire Cotton Mills had been having
| hard Shedding as we'll as those in the
United States. The convention, which
| is being held in Huntington Hail. Mas
| SachuScttS Institute of Technology
Will also be in session tomorrow. The
delegates. many of whom attended
the technology congress on Monday
and Yesterday, were welcomed by Gov
| ernor Foss; r. NJ. Miller, Jr., of Char
lotte, y. e.. replying
The association medal for 1910 was
| awarded to Charles T. Main of Boston,
| in recognition of his contributions to
| textile publications.
In his annual address President
Hobbs said:
Last September | remarked that the
cotton manufacturing industry has
been in troublous times since We met
| in April last and | regret to be COM
PEELED to state that the troublous times
have been continued. The cotton crop
has been a disappointment in size and
in Character it is one of the poorest
and most wasty known. Curtailment
has continued and the contest between
the buyer, who is attempting to force
down prices, and the manufacturer,
who is trying to get at least cost for
ais product continues, and most un-
satisfactory condition has resulted.
i,,rr to
Added to perplexng business condition
has been the upset political condition
ard the uncertainty due to expected
decisions of the supreme court which
Will have far reaching effect. Uncer-
tainty of the, future is the most dread
ed condition in which business can get.
With these two factors removed, we
shall know where We stand and be pre-
pared to go forward.
MISERY likes company and it may
interest YOU to know that for the year
ending Nov. 80. 1910. 73 concerns in
| Lancashire. With Il total paid up capt.
tai stock of 12so0Oo0 and an added
loan capital of $5.i00, ,o6o showed a loss
| OF Sl,3lo,00o after paying interest on
loans and allowing for depreciation.
~ iIdiaipei VI SI9lUulfS represented
was 5.915.195. These figures are the
worst for - years
1T is undoubtedly true that the con-
sumption of cotton is steadily increas-
ing each year and it seems equally
true that this increase in consumption
VIII continue. 1t is now estimated that
there are nC W on the earth 800, geo 011
people. Of whom 500 600 900 are COM
| pletelv clothed while 750,0000 900 are
| only partly clothed and 25o00o,0oo prac-
| tically do not possess any clothing at
all Il is further estimated that to
| c,othe the whole of humanity ould
require 42,ooo.0G0 bales Of cotton each
year instead of about 1000. .000 the les,
| years production Of the world Tho
number Of cotton spindlcs in the wori.l
| has increased from 100000 in l9o0 to
| l34. 500 coo ia 1910 or 2I.s per cent.
| "WIth Increases of machinery which
| have been made. 1t is evident that the
| consumption Of the mills of the ;rorld
| on fEll time would be not less than
| 20 0o". 600 bales.
"Thc query thus arises: Where viii
! the additional amount of cotton needed
| fer the world and its Increasing pprt,-
| lation come from,
| Il think | am not TOO optimistic to
| believe that the present acreage of the
| American production could be dnuhled
J if proper methods were used and il is
| along such lines that our friends in
| the South must work to secure the best
results for themselves and the spinner
I'VE haVv the natural conditions
| Scf, Otjtip l.npNIaIna
| ed in the world. and all we need Is to
| apply this knowledge to the god-eiven
| soil anG climate. and we can Well raise
| 500C0,o00 bales of cotton. l trust that
as "A nation we may realize the posi-
| bilities of tie situation. and not stand
/ still while other nations reap the ben
| eft OF our eXperieEce and take from
or grasp, the supremacy we have so
| long held is the greatest producer of
| cotton in the world
! Following President Hobbs address.
| Richard MacLaurin of the Institute of
| Technology and Theodore II. Price Of
| New York. spoke to the delegates who
/ were nucI interested in demonstra-
ticn of cotton picking by machinery
given by the New York man.
| The Afternoon session was occupied
by Walter S Williams. James \. Low
| eli and JOHN Sturgis Goldman. all Of
| Boston. who discussed technical and
| economic problems.
| Officers viii be elected late tomor-
| row afternoon.
| The r7agnitcent banquet hall at the
| Hotel somerset, Boston, was trans
formed Wednesday night into a minia-
ture cotton plantation in which a cot
ton picking machine chugged down the
hall and successfully plucked the cot
| ton balls from a row of plants. The
| demonstration was conducted by Theo-
| dore H. Price. who was the host OF
! over 3on men prominent in the cotton
| industr.-.
DR.. Booker 7. Washington. the Ne
gro adutator. Frank l., Peabody of
Boston. Dr.. John Graham Brooks OF
Cambidge. NJ. H. Thomas Of Dallas.
Texas, James r. MacColl OF Boston
and f. A. Calvin Of Houston. Texas
were among the speakers. All Of then,
discussed the machine and it's proaa-
> ,,o cffpct tIDOn the cotton ,,d,,.t,,. i;