The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-01-21
BRANTLEY IS At
WORK IN BEHALF
OF THE FARMERS
MAKING AN EFFORT TO BRING
ABOUT STANDARDIZATION
OF COTTON BALES.
He Asks for $1,000 Copies of Special
Consular Report on Cotton Tare Be
Printed and Distributed over the
Country.

Congressman Brantley of the Elev-
enth district, has done the farmers of
the South a splendid service in his
effort to bring about standardization
of cotton bales in the markets of the
world, so that the farmers of the
South will not lose the amount US
ually knocked off for tare, or for bag
ging and ties. 1t is claimed that while
the bagging and ties on a bale of cot
ton weigh about twenty-one pounds,
that about thirty pounds is knocked
off for them in the markets. This
means a loss Of more than $1.0o a
bale to the Southern farmer.
Congressman Brantley has recently
asked that $4,000 copies of SPECIAL
consular reports on cotton tare be
printed for distribution through the
various channels where it will do the
most good, the object being to put a
stop to the great "gouge" against the
cotton farmer in the various markets.
The matter was discussed at consid'
cradle length during a recent session
of congress and Congressman Brant-
1ey's resolution was adopted. In ex-
planning his position in regard to the
cotton tare, Congressman Brantley
said in his speech:
''Mr. Speaker, it is estimated in
round numbers that of the total cot
ton production of the world, so per
cent is American cotton and 40 per
cent is produced in other countries.
1t is a fact, as to this 40 per cent
produced in the other countries of the
world, that wherever it is sold it is
sold on acctual tare-that is, there
is deducted from the bale when it is
sold the actual weight of the wrap
ping around the BALE But as to Am
erican cotton there is an arbitrary
deduction of 6 per cent. The aver
age American bale of cotton weighing
500 pounds has deducted from it 80
pounds, whereas the actual wrapping
on that bale amounts to only 20 or
81 pounds.
"Now that is a discrimination that
has been going on for years. During
last August the secretary of state di-
rected the consular officers of this
government n the various countries
of the world buying American cotton
to ascertain and report the facts about
this, and if discrimination. existed
against American cotton to give the
reasons for this These documents now
sought to be printed contain those re-
ports, and they come from practically
every country in the world where the
American cotton is sold. They dis
close the fact first, that this discrim.
ination exists, and then they give the
reason for it; and the reasons in the
main are in the inferior wrapping that
we use on our cotton, the irregular
manner of baling our cotton, the hag-
ged condition of American cotton
when it goes abroad. Besides that,
these reports contain practically the
assurance from the business men of
the world buying our cotton that If
we will standardize bale of cotton
in this country and get some unifor-
nifty about it, this discrimination will
be removed.
One of these reports in particular
makes a calculation as to what our
method of baling cotton, or our wants
of method-the irregular method pur-
sued in its resultant effects-costs this
country, or costs the cotton producer,
on the 100000 bales alone that goes
to Europe; and ne puts it above $12,-
100000.
"These reports establish the fact
tnat the loss is really much greater
than that on the total crop. They
point out where the difficulty first
starts in our method of marketing cot
ton. The farmer, when he sells bale
of cotton, sells it at gross weight,
and he has an idea that the more
bagging and the more ties he puss on
a bale the more profitable it is 70
him. For instance, If he puts on two
yards of 2-pound bagging and ties
weighing a pound an6 half each, he
has a weight of 21 pounds that costs
him perhaps dollar to purchase and
II he sells mis- cotton at 10 cents
pound, he has sold that weight for
1910. Now, when the exporter buys
the cotton at gross weight he knows
he must sell it at net weight, because
be has to do so.
Mr.. Bartlett: Mr.. Speaker, will the
gentIems.n yield for just second?