Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-09
HOW To HANDLE COTTON.
Hon. John MCLaufln Makes Stirring
Speech at Sumter.
The WAREHOUSE SYSTEM and FINANCE

1.-THE WAREHOUSE SYSTEM and FINANCE
Now, that the State Has Provided ths
i, Means, it 10 Up to tho Cotton Pro-
j, dueers to Take Advantage Of It
i The Commissioner Tolls Of Man,
Different Profits that are Taken ou'
] Of Cotton Between the Ginner ane
tho Spinner, and Undertakes to Show
How These May be Saved to th'
i Producer.
i Hon. John l.. McLaurin spoke to ar
i audience Of farmers Of Sumter and
adjoining counties in the court house
at Sumter last Friday, on the subject
Of cotton, cotton marketing and the
| financing Of cotton. The audience
gave close attention throughout his
speech, which required an hour and q
half in it's delivery, and was tremend-
ously interested in all he had to say
Following is the address in full:
Fellow Citizens: I appreciate the
invitation extended to me by the farm
ers Of Sumter, Lee and Clarendon
counties, to be with them today.
Il
the state warehouse system, and
endeayor to explain it's operations
in such a way as to show you that,
while 1t Is not what 1t should be, 1t
Is still a great improvement over any
thing that the farmers have yet had.
It Is a practical step "a the right di-
rection, and its success 80 far should
encourage US to go forward and per-
feet the system. It has been fought
from its inception, and in the recent
session Of the general assembly, bit
ter personal attacks were made upon
me in order to destroy the state ware
house. It is not my purpose to either
defend myself or to indulge In criti-
cism Of others Let them think and
say what they please, so long as /
me what others think. I only accept
ed the position because I believed at
the time that it was necessary for me
to do 80 in order to make the ex-
pertinent q success.
The extra session Of the general as
sembly Of 1914, appropriated the sum
Of $4,000, and it was the latter part
Of November before we could begin
work. Up to the present time we
have taken over thirty-two warehous-
es, and given the farmers Of this state
a practical demonstration Of how
much cheaper cotton can be stored.
You can build a warehouse on your
own farm, which will store 600 bales
Of cotton at g. cost Of about $400. In
Guiding insurance, and all expenses
connected with the same, the storage
Of your cotton will be about s 1-3 cents
per bale per month. Is 1t any wonder
that those interested in standard ware
houses, with banking connections,
which have been charging from rs to
35 cents per bale, object to the state
warehouse? I have not engaged in a
war on these institutions, but, In
obedience to- my official duty, I have
merely gone ahead to assist the farm
ers Of this state in reducing the rates
for storing cotton.
Now, let me explain to you, before
go any further, just how to take ad-
vantage of the state warehouse sys-
tenn. 1 think that each warehouse
should have a capacity Of not less than
600 bales, though, owing to the emer-
gency, I have taken over warehouses
smaller than this. AL that you need
Is q wooden frame, and you can go
in the woods and cut posts, and II
necessary, put them in the ground,
but it would be better to put them
on sills raised off the ground; then
build house, say, 50x100 feet, which
would give you q 19-foot rafter. 1t
must be 100 feet from any exposure
to fire. There must be two doors on
each side and q door In each end, In
order to comply with the insurance
You can put poles down on the ground
and pile your cotton on that, 80 as to
keep 1t dry, and 1t would be well
enough to cut small trench around
the entire house, throwing the dirt in
ward. Then you can make application
to me, and will take this house over
at q nominal rental, one dollar per
year, and appoint whomever you
choose as manager, weigher and grad
er. and you will give q bond to guar
antee the custody Of that cotton and
its delivery on demand, and also your
own weights and grades. You can
get an expert to grade your cotton at
80 much per bale. It doesn't matter
who does it, 80 that you give me a
bond to protect the state Of South
Carolina from loss on the grades The
state furnishes the receipts, tags and
all necessary blanks at no expense to
you. You will then pay three cents
per bale per month to the state, and
you will also pay the insurance.
When we began business, the insur-
ance rate on that class warehouse was
about $3.40 per hundred. I can get
you a rate now Of $1.75, and l have
completed arrangements, which will
be put into operation as soon as we
can draft a form Of a policy, which
will reduce this insurance rate about
80 cents q hundred. Now, If you will
make the calculation, you will see
that you can keep your cotton at
home at a cost Of about eight cents
per bale per month for all expenses,
that you will save hauling and handl-
ing It, and will also get a warehouse
receipt in which the state Of South
Carolina guarantees the weight and
grade Of your cotton, and which in
Boston and New York, Is more ac-
ceptable as a collateral than receipt
from any private or corporate-owned
| warehouse-a paper which, as 1t be-
comes better and better known, will
establish its character In the money
farmers Of this state to get the cheap
est rate of interest obtainable. The
same system has been put into opera
tion In the state Of Texas, and 1t
came from the agitation which We be-
gan three years ago in South Carolina
for q state warehouse system.
Now, If there Is anybody who does
not understand what I have just ex-
planned, l should be very glad, before
l leave this subject, to answer any
questions, so as to make it perfectly
plain.
My suggestion now Is that each COM
munity in Sumter, Lee and Clarendon
counties build warehouses, by a num-
Der joining in together, to take care
Of their surplus cotton. Ten men who
make fifty bales Of cotton apiece, can
go in and buy the iron, and with their
own labor, put up the warehouse.
| 1 desire to say, further, that In the
purchase Of the corrugated iron need
ed for these warehouses, that / can
get it in carload lots, according to
the last quotations which I received,
at $2.62, laid down in Sumter. They
will charge you retail about 1915 per
square for the 77-pound stuff. You
could probably, by taking a carload,
buy it as cheaply through some of
your large hardware merchants here.
But II you cannot, and the Farmers
Union Of Sumter will select q man to
get up a list Of parties who desire to
construct warehouses, I will make the
purchase Of the iron for you, which
can be paid for when the car Is de-
livered.
| But, my friends, in order to get the
financial relief which the farmers OF
the south need, 1t Is absolutely neces-