The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-09-21
PROGRESSIVE FARMER" SAYS
PRICE JUSTIFIED BY DEMAND
AND CROP OUTLOOK.

Mr.. Clarence Poe, editor of the
Progressive Farmer, writes, the fol-
lowing interesting article for the eur
rent issue of his paper, which is a
strong argument for the farmers,
merchants and bankers to stand to-
gether for better prices for cotton:
l beg space in your columns, Mr.
Editor, to present a subject of the
utmost Importance to all our South
ern country. There is no doubt in
most thoughtful minds but that the
Souths cotton crop is going to be
worth $3.50, 100000 to the men who
own it next spring, but it is worth
only $500,000,000 to the producers at
present prices-and it is to save to
Southern growers and to our South
ern country this extra quarter bill
lion dollars that the united energies
of press and people should now be
directed. The fundamental facts seem
to me to be clear:
/. Cotton, even though the new
crop of 1915 has started coming on
the market, is still selling on the ba-
sis of prices fixed by last years IT,
900, 000-bale crop.
2. These prices must soon be ad-
iusted, however, to fit the conditions
of a 100000 bale crop, or proba-
bly, only 100000 or 100000
bale crop, and this adjusted price
ought at the very least to reach IL
cents a pound for middling.
AS briefly now as clear argument
will permit I wish to point out and
emphasize the truth of these state
ments
Assuming even a 100000 bale
yield of Southern cotton this year
(and it will probably be less) this
years world production will be
100000 bales short of the world Is
conservatively estimated consump-
ton during the coming II months.
That is to say, the world will con-
sumo every pound of this years crop
and 100000 bales of the present
surplus.
Secretary Hester of the New Or
leans Cotton Exchange estimates last
years Southern production mot the
commercial crop at 1904, 900
bales. The United States government
estimate (16,134,93O plus 791. asa
linters) is 1926. 349-practically
100000 bales. This was over g..
100000 bales in excess of the 1918
crop.
Now what happened with this
bumper 7,O0O,OO0-bale crop in
spite of all the demoralized condi-
tions of trade and finance-the crop
of which it was said last fall we
should not export 100000 bales?
The facts are that the world used
so much of it that the total worlds
visible supply of all cotton in mid
summer this year was only 5,435,-
1853 bales against 3.522,276 bales a
year before. In other words, with a
1900, 00O-bale southern crop to han
die the world S visible supply increas-
ed only 100000 bales. What is
going to happen this year, then, with
the South offering 100000 or g.
00O,000 bales less-and the produc-
ton of other countries also decreas-
ed? And that query brings me to
another point:
Mr.. W. P. G. Harding of the Fed
erat Reserve Board early in the sum-
mer secured reports from consular
officials all over the world indicating
a total cut in the worlds cotton crop
this year of 100000 bales, Egypt
and India reporting radical reduC-
ton in acreage" Since that time the
prospects have further declined.
But even if we accept this early
over-estimate of the crop we see that
if last years crop, being 5000, 900
bales bigger than this years, yet in
creased the surplus only 1000, 900
bales. then this years crop i'll leave