The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-06-04
COTTON TRADING LAW.
McLaHrin Frames New Measure for
South CarOlina-The Bill in
Full.
Special to The Herald and News.

Special to The Herald and news.
Columbia, June 3.-The Georgia and
Alabama legislatures meet in July,
and by request Senator McLaurin mas
prepared State warehouse bills for in
PRODUCTION. Senator J. 0. Adams, of
Georgia, will lead the fight, and Sen
ator McLaurin has agreed to go be-
fore the committee to whom the bill
is refrred. Accompanying these bills
is one to regulate the grading of cot
ton, which was drafted to introduce in
the South Carolina legislature last
winter.
Congressman William H. Murray, of
Oklahoma, has also requested copies
of these bills, and they will be pre-
sented to the legislature of that State
when it next assemblies. There can
be no doubt tiat there is systematic
and determined effort on foot all
over the South to conserve the waste
from the farm to the mill.
Senator McLaurin said that Eve
have a law of weights and measures,
which is applied to every product ex-
cept cotton. A man is severely pun
ished who shortens the yardstick or
lessons the bushel or pound. Why
not cotton? The United States has es-
tablished grodes for cotton, but to be ef-
fective in law there must be State leg
islation formally adopting the stand
ard and fixing penalty for the viola
ton thereof. We nave legal weighers;
why not legal graders?"
The bill to regulate tBe grade of cot
ton is as follows:
An Act to Regulate the Grading Of
Cotton.
Be it enacted by the general assem-
bly, of tee State of South Carolina:
Section 1. That from and after the
passage of this act, baled cotton Of
fered for sale in South Carolina shall
be graded and classified according to
the standard grades fixed by the Unit
ed States agricultural department.
Sec. 2. That any person grading
baled cotton offered for sale shall OBJ
tain a license from the State ware
house commissioner, who shall issue
a commission to such person to grade
cotton in the State of Soutd Carolina
only after an examination, which shall
satisfy him of the competency of the
applicant to properly classify and
grade cotton according to the United
States standard grades.
Sec. 8. Any person grading baled
cotton offered for sale, without Ii
cense as herein set forth, shall be gull
ty of a misdemeanor and subject to a
fine of not more than $100 or impris-
onment for not more than 30 days for
each bale of cotton graded by him
without a license as herein set forth.
Sec. 4. Whenever satisfactory proof
is made to the State warehouse COM
missioner that any person to wnom
a license has been granted under this
act does not grade cotton properly ac-
cording to the United States stand
ard grades, it shall be the duty of the
State warehouse commissioner to re-
woke the license of such person.
Sec. 5. Any person who shall will
fully misgrade a bale of cotton offered
for sale in South Carolina shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor, each bale
constituting a separate and distinct
offense, punishable by fine Of not
more than $1O0 or Imprisonment for
not more than 80 days. A variation of
25 points from the United States
standard grade shall constitute prima
facie evidence of wilful intent on the
part of the person grading the cot
ton offered for sale.
Sec. 6. A fee of $500 for each Ii
cense issued by the State warehouse
commissioner shall be collected for
same.
Sec. 7. That all acts and parts of
acts inconsistent with this act be, and
the same are hereby, repealed.