The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-10-01
INCREASING DEMAND.
COTTON PREDICTED
by W.P. c. HARDING
MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE
BOARD ADDRESSES COTTON
MANUFACTURERS.
COTTON WILL REPLACE finer
FABRICS DURING HARD TIMES
Substitutes Jute and BurIap-If Prices
AbnormalIy High Next Year, As Re-
suit Of curtaiIing Production, Manu-.
facturers Will BE Handicapped at
Time When Trade Expansion MIDST
Needed. ga 4
(By Associated Press.)

LenoX, MASS, Oct. 1.-Before thu
National Association of Cotton Manu-
facturers here last night w. P G
Harding, member of the Federal Re
serve Board and student of present
economic conditions in the South, pre-
dicted that within the next few months
there will be steadily increasing de
mand for cotton goods by consumers
and consequent demand for raw cot
ton by the mills and for export Mr.
Harding said: ,e
Il shall not undertake in the pres.
ence of the foremost experts to haz
ard any guesses as to the probable con.
sumption of cotton within the next
few months, but will be bold enough
to predict that as. the season progres.
ses there will be steadily increasing
demand for cotton goods by the con,
sumers with a corresponding demand
for raw cotton by the mills, with a
marked increase in the demand for ex.
port. ..a-...s
"Of course" he continued, "as long
as present conditions continue the de-
mand from Germany, Austria Hungary,
Belgium and France, will be greatly
curtailed, but there should be a good
demand from Great Britain, Spain,
Italy and from Russia, which can OBJ
tain its supplies independently of rout-
lngs through the Baltic sea.
Trade Will Absorb Production
Cotton goods are the cheapest of
all textiles and should replace during
hard times finer and more expensive
laprics. Cotton can be used In c6H.
siderable Quantities as a substitute for
1ute aid other materials in the manu.
facture of burlaps and sacks, mills
In England are reported as running
double time on khaki for army mi
forms, and there is no reason to doubt
that the trade will ultimately absorb
the worlds production.
'S W ONCTpTOOuCtIOn.
by the sale of this crop the South
mas been enabled not only to discharge
Its obligations promptly every fall. hut
las added half billion dollars each
year to the national trade balance |
Cotton production is stimulated bv |
high prices, and conservatively it is
when prices fall below the
cost of production. This has been Der
true in those years when
prices were low throughout the sea-
ION and continued low during planting
ime in the early spring. Never have
ne evils of over-production been so
Universally appreciated in the South
IS now, nor ever before has there
een such- grim determination to hold
otton and to radically curtail acreage
'ublic sentiment in many Southern
tates has been so aroused that there
now general clamor for legislation
y the states to regulate the produc-
on OF cotton. and some farmers have
one so far as to demand that the
lanting of any cotton whatever in
915 be prohibited.
Many of those who might be finan.
lally able to put their lands in cotton
ouid be attracted by the high prices
'r grain and would plant food crops
hile others less independent might
willing to continue in cotton but
ould find themselves unable to secure
le necessary advances.
DiversificatIon Would Help South.
mo well informed man on southern
'nditions will deny that further di-
ersification in Southern farming is
ssirable, and that more attention
lould be paid to cattle raising and to a
le production of foodstuffs. But it t,
ould be most unfortunate, If by any a
lance, the production Of cotton next |,
sar should be SO small as to make Il
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