Yazoo City herald., 1914-10-16

doy5 bhc many uses W NihNn sCNn \
could be put were unknown. Seed
were more or less worthless for the !
reason that varied industries for by
products, such as lard, oils, cakes,
hulls, etc, had not found markets, or
Il any, only to limited extent COM
pared to what is the case at present.
OF course the small mills utilized only
the byvproducts, such as meal, hulls,
linters and oil, the bigger, or trust"
mills going extensively into the man
ufacture of Nard, soap, oil, fertilizers
and other products, working up enor-
nous export and internal trade on
these products.
The oil mills might be divided into
two classes, "trust" mNls and social
ed independents" The txust mills, it
ia contended, consist of Proctor and
Gamble, of Cincinnati, with its sub
salaries the Buckeye mills; the South
ern Cotton Oil company, of New York,
owners of the Refuge mills, in Missis-
sippi the American Cotton Oil COM
pany, of New York, controlling mills
in Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia,
Alabama, Tennessee and all other
southern states, the mills being de-
signated by the name of the state In
which they are located and the pack
ers. These three concerns, it is alleg-
ed, originally dealt in soap and crude
oil. Having secured a monopoly Of
these fields, it is said they began to
turn their attention to acquiring crude
mills for crushing cotton seed in or
der to control the output OF cotton
seed and by-products. 1t is said that
for the past fifteen years these trust
mills have steadily built and acquired
crude mills throughout the southern
cotton growing states to such an ex-
tent as to be in position to and do
actually control values and fix mar
ket prices of cotton seed oil and by
products of the seed. For the past tif-
teen years, it is claimed, the attitude
of the big trust mills towards the
small mills has been to raise the price
of cotton seed in the territory of the
small mills to such an extent that the
little independent industries lost mon
ey, finally going into bankruptcy or
selling out to the trust.
Facing this situation the little mills
had two courses open, either to meet
the high prices and go out of bust
ness eventually, or accede to the terms
of the trust and give the big mills
I, cotton seed tonnage as a concession
for them to keep out of the territory
and at less than cost. In this way, il
is said, the big mills were able to gel
cheap seed and cheap oil, by which
> they were able, in controlling the oil
market and by-products, to make enor-
nous profits at the expense of the
small mills and the farmers.
I Sue for Terms.
Q This condition continued for some
time, the smaller mills finally being
r unable to financially cope or compete
: with the three big trusts. They begaz
Y to sue for terms whereby they nigh
r be allowed to exist. The big mills, hav'
ing acquired controlling interests anC
I being in power, could pursue TIVE
!. courses, raise prices of seed and pal
}. the little mills out of business alto
gether, in this way becoming masters
of the situation, or by middle policy
reducing the price Of seed in conjune
tion with the little mills, secure cheaI
crude oil at their own price, thereby
. making smaller mills purchase sees
, for them, and in this way virtually
, owning and controlling the little mills
, without actually being proprietors
The latter seems to have been the gen
! eral policy adopted by the three con
trolling interests. In this way they
kept the small mills down to small
}, profits, if any, and without any finan'
. eial backing of sufficient size to dis
!. turb their policy. This accounts, il
Is claimed, for the fact that the small
, mills made but little, if any money
> on their investment. AS to what went
with the profits and the money out
; Of which the farmer is alleged to have
been practically robbed in selling his
seed has been the question that has
disturbed the small mill nen. The
answer TO this, it is declared, is that
, this meney profit has gone into the
, Golfers Of those gigantic concerns thai
, absolutely fix the price Of oil and seed
Organization Perfected.
: In order for the big mills to carry
J out this policy it was necessary fol
7 them to perfect an organization where
: by q little mill did not dare to pay