The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-21
PENALTY ON BALES
CAUSES BIG Loss TO
ALABAMA ARMERS
Estimated More Than Mil
lion Dollars Lost by
Recent Ruling of
Buyers

Montgomery, September ,20.-(Special)
More than 100000 has been lost to the
Farmers of Alabama owing to the penalty
of 81 a bale which cotton BUYERS and
shippers are placing on every bale of cot
ton that has expanded to 30 by 60 inches,
according to information given out Sat
urday by the state department of agri-
culture and industries.
During the past few weeks the depart
ment has received complaints from every
section of Alabama with the exception Of
Montgomery and Mobile counties, and
Captain Kolb estimates that the toll of
81 bale which farmers are being COM
PEELED to pay may run to nearly mil
lions dollars IL continued
Captain Kolb believes that the PEN
atty which buyers are placing upon cot
ton is due to a misinterpreation on their
part of the ruling of the steamship COM
panies. These rules specify that bales
must be from gin box of the standard
4 size of 27 by 54 inches. and that bales so
ginned may expand to- so by 60 inches
without being penalized.
Captain Kolb does not believe that ship
pers intend to do an injustice. but are
adding tho penalty because they fear
they will be forced to pay when the cot
4 ton is placed on wharves for export.
/ Statements from steamship companies
show 1t is not their intention to force
farmers to meet requirements to the let
ter. They will refuse to accept without
penalty cotton that has not been pressed
in box 27 by "a inches, but IL cotton has
been pressed in a box of the required
size they will accept 1t even though the
expansion has been great.
Captain Kolb has issued short state
ment In explaining the rules of the steam-
ship companies His interview Is as fol-
lows:
'It seems that there is a great diver
sity of opinion concerning the rules of
the Savannah Maritime association as to
the baling of cotton.
I'VE learn with regret that the farm
ers of Alabama are being penalzed 81
Z bale on rearly all cotton marketed. This
we think is caused by misunderstand-
ing of the rules as on page six of q
pamphlet issued by this association OF
date August 15 1918, reads as follows:
:" Under the resolutions adopted at New
Orleans bales must be from a gin box
OF standard size of 27 by "a inches and
must contain density of not less than
221z pounds per cubic foot for each bale;
any bale of the standard size that does
mot contain this density must be con-
demned.
Z" To allow for the natural expansion
] o. bale from a gin box of q By 81
Sinches 1t has been agreed to accept a bale
not 10 exceed 80 inches In thickness or
width and 60 inches in length, as coming
from a standard gin box of q by 54 inches,
provided, however. that the bale contains
a density CT not less than 221a pounds per
cubic foot fr each bale
The rule might have been put In .an-
Eiiage nccs Q easily understood by The av
erage man. but we take it that in this
instance, density refers to the weight Of
the bale per square. foot after compress
sion. This ts5ng true, one will see the
plecessity CT having bales of a uniform
weight, as nearly 500 pounds as one can
get them. THIS being done, no one sn5uld
be called upon to pay any penalty AZ all.
provided bales are pressed in q regula-
ton box q by 81 inches, which bales are
allowed under the rules to expand to 80
by 60 inches.
II regret this rule was not made more