The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-09-02
COTTON FOR POWDER.
Census Department Gives Out Infor
nation on Subject.

The European war has created an
Unsuitable demand for ammunition.
New establishments are being erect
ed for the manufacture Of explosives,
and the possibility of increased
profits is inducing firms engaged in
other industries to enter the field.
This state of affairs, of course, has
an important effect on the price of
cotton, which is largely used as
material in the manufacture of eX-
plosives.
Director Rogers, of the bureau of
the census, says a Washington dis
patch, is carrying on an extensive cor
respondence in his endeavOr to OBJ
tain statistics of all establishments
using cotton as material. Consum
ers of cotton naturally desire to
know the total quantity used in all
lines of industry, and they can aid
in the compilation of accurate sta
tistics by furnishing the census bu
reau, at Washington, with the names
and addresses of establishments
which have begun the use of cotton
as raw material since the COM
mencement of the European war. Mr..
Rogers says that great many letters
are being received requesting infor-
nation as to the quantity of cotton
and linters used in the manufacture
of explosives. Some express the fear
that the bureau is not aware of the
extent to which these materials are
now being used for this purpose. The
director desires to state that the
census bureau is aware of the great
ly increased demand for cotton and
linters, and has been endeavoring
to collect complete statistics concern
ing the total quantity used by all
consumers of cotton, in compliance
with the law which requires monthly
reports on this subject.
Explosives Take Much Cotton.
Unfortunately it is impossible to
supply statistics as to the amount of
cotton used in the manufacture of
explosives alone. The act of con-
gress authorizing the collection of
cotton statistics directs the census
bureau f*to collect and publish sta
tistics concerning the quantity of
raw cotton consumed in manufacture
ing establishments of every charac-
ter 3" While some manufacture
ers of explosives purchase the raw
cotton and subject it to the neces-
sary processes of publication in their
own establishments, many of them
buy it from other establishments
which purify and treat the fiber so
as to render it suitable for use in the
manufacture of explosives. Many of
the establishments prepare cotton
not only for manufacturers of ex-
plosives, but also for manufacturers
of wholly different products, and it
is not feasible for the census bureau
to obtain separate statistics of the
amount of purified cotton turned out
by such establishments for use in the
manufacture of explosives.
There has been great increase in
recent years in the production of
linters and hull fiber. Linters are
obtained at the oil mills by reginning
the cottonseed, the object being to
remove the short fibers so that the
fine particles of the kernel will not
be carried off with the hulls, making
possible a greater yield of oil and
meal. The total quantity of linters
obtained from the crop of 1899 was
114,544 bales of 500 pounds each,
but fifteen years later the output of
this by-product of the cottonseed oil
industry had increased by more than
900 per cent, the number of bales
turned out from the crop of 1914 be-
ing $4,000.
Obtaining Hull Fiber.
Hull fiber is obtained by treat
ment of the hulls which breaks up
their structure and makes available
the short fibers which have not been
removed in the delinting process.
Several establishments have been en-
gagged in the production Of hull fiber
for number of years, and addition
al ones are taking up this line of
manufacture.
The publication of statistics of cot