The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-05-22
TO HELP FARMERS
WHO SELL COTTON
Senate Agrees to E. ID. Smiths
Amendment-Measure Provides
100000 to Make Cotton
Standards Accessible to
Growers.

hCCeSSIDIe 10
Growers.
Washington, May 1S.-The senate
today agreed to the amendment of
fered by Senator Smith of South Car
olina appropriating 100000 to en-
able the farmers of the South to Sc
cure standardized cotton samples
Discussing the Importance of this
matter, Senator Smith said:
Several years ago bill was
passed by congress to standardize the
grades of cotton. These grades were
standardized, according to law. When
came to the senate, | found that
these standard grades were lying
very serenely in the agricultural de-
parthent. The New Orleans market
had adopted these grades, but had
added other grades both above and
below. New York had paid no at
tention to them. They were of no
practical benefit to the grower, in
that nobody knew what they were,
except the agricultural department
and the few exchanges to which
sample of them had been sent. had
an appropriation made to test the
relative spinning values of these diff
ferent grades, and the result of this
test l have sent broadcast all over
the South. l introduced an amend
ment to the present agricultural bill,
providing an appropriation of $780,
OOO to place a set of those govern
ment standardized samples, with a
set OF the yarns made from these
samples, on every local market
throughout the South.
VI did this because the farmers who
sell their cotton are at the mercy of
the buyer as to what grade his cotton
is, and at the mercy of the buyer as
to the value of each grade as COM
pared with the other grades. With a
set of these standardized samples of
cotton, each farmer who goes to a
market can compare his own cotton
with the samples furnished by the
government, and determine; what
grade he has. He then can refer to
the yarns made from the grade that
his cotton happens to be, and deter
mine its relative value to the other
grades. In other words, this appro-
priation, giving him set of the
standardized samples, and a set of
the yarns made from these samples,
will furnish him with the same knowl-
edge that every mill man and eyery
buyer has, and therefore put him on
an equal footing with them. With
this knowledge he should demand the
full value of every grade of his cot
ton. @
$50 far as the cotton farmer is
concerned, the legislation is now al
most complete. The grades have been
standardized by the government:
through my own amendment to the
agricultural bill, yarns have been
spun from each grade, determining
their relative values; and now, the
appropriation of 100000 has been
made to enable the agricultural de-
partment to furnish a set of these
samples and yarns to every shipping
point. So that, if the farmer edAsas
not get the full value of every grade
OF his cotton, he is alone to blame,
Tor the knowledge is furnished him.
promised the farmers of the
State when l came to the senate that
!! would attempt to relieve the bur-
dens of this cotton problem. To re-
capltulate the work l have done,
ofered and had passed an amend
ment appropriating sufficient money
10 spin every grade and prove there
was not much difference between the
lowest and the highest-that is, from
good ordinary to middling fair.
passed bill in the senate, without
dissenting vote, maying it unlawful
for any cotton exchange to offer for
sale any cotton on contract that did
not conform to government standard
ization and the real commercial diff
ference between the grades. / have
just had passed this appropriation
OF 100000 to give to the farmers
OF the South a set of these SAMPLES
as standardized by the government,
and the yarns made from these sam,
pies, showing the strength of the
yarns made from each grade, the
amount of waste and the bleaching
quality.
"As far as I am able to see. these
put the grower of cotton in posses
sion of all of the knowledge essential
for him to intelligently demand the
full value of what he produces. 1t was
very f1attering to me and very graft
fylne that the vote in the senate an
propriating this 100000 was more
than three to one in favor of it. The
pity of it is that the knowledge that
we now have could not have been
given us years ago"
The senate agreed to the amend
ment in committee of the whole bv
vote of 80 to 10. The amendment
may be fought in the open senate.
When the agricultural bill gets on the
floor.
Helps Kidney and Bladder Trouble