The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-05
USE COTTON GOODS IN VAST AMOUNTS IN SPITE OF WAR President Duncan Makes a Speech in Boston Which Attracts Attention SLOCUM FORESEES
 REVIVAL AHEAD Other Leaders Cannot Help Thinking But That a Boom of Unpre-
 cedented Magnitude Is
 in Sight
Hy HOLLAND

New York, May 4-(Special )-Albert Greene Duncan of Boston, president of the National Association of Cotton Manu- facturers. spoke at the annual meeting of the association at Boston last week. Some who heard him have returned to New York and these speak of that address as though 1t is as well worth reading as it was worth hearing. MT Duncan is prob ably without superior in New England in his knowledge of the cotton manufac- turing industry in all its departments His executive relation to some large cotton making corporations upon the financial side have qualified him to speak from that point of view. He is also familiar with the technical and operating, well the distributing or marketing, department of the business. Moreover, he is qualified by an excellent gift for speaking tersely and with clearness to expound the cotton manufacturing situation. His address was short, did not occupy more than 10 or 15 minutes in delivery but those who heard it and who have since returned to New York speak of 1t as unsurpassed by any of the other addresses delivered in years past to this association.
 The southern states. as well as New England and in fact, the entire country, are deeply interested in the growth of the cotton manufacturing business It has not been as yet thoroughly or perfectly developed For instance, the council which is made mp of representatives of the national association whose offices are at Boston, and of the American Cotton Man T fao at Charlotte, N C., is at present greatly occupied with efforts whereby more rapid as well as more economical handling of the cotton mill products can be obtained There seems to be no way as favorable for promoting this purpose as by the bringing of mills and representatives of them who sell the products into confer ence out of which will come agreements. or course, agreements of this kind, if they be formal cannot be entered into without danger of violating the federal statutes.
 Still, there may be informal or tacit un- derstanding which will be as effective in economically handling the products of the cotton industry as they have already been made effective in the steel industry, the sugar industry and in some other of the great industries of the country Last year the output of the cotton mills of the United States was of the money value of sl,'ooOO0o0. In speaking of this, T 1. Hickman, president of the great cotton manufacturing company of Augusta Ga snd formerly president of the American cotton Manufacturers association, who speaks, therefore, by authority, said that
 notwithstanding the great lack of China trade. the goods have disappeared some where. The industry at present is rep resented by approximately &. 900 00o GOO of capital and 900,000 persons receive wages for what they do in these mills.
 Fresdent Duncan in his address stated f4tt American industry and initiative are ses imply equipped so as to take advan- iake of the marvellous change in the T9r s conditions which have been due to fhf R ar in great part. The cotton manu-
 As ing industry should occupy itself ie to secure both legislative and social sf ,nomieal aid in the expansion of A4sf ,an trade Furthermore, and signif- ftisttl frustrating the new trend of Z til iet in the United States Mr. Duncan sasq lat the time has come when bus-
 lust stand in perfect and well or es1t4 cooperation This does not mean that there are to be combinations of a kind which would be a violation of the statute or a brutal competition. Unfair | methods in business have been exposed and are now condemned by the American people so emphatically that they cannot longer be in large way practiced. But the Cotton Manufacturers association and otfsr trade organizations can now speak authoritatively, and persua siNely, to the representatives of the state legislatures and to Congress so that legislative bodies will hereafter aim to conserve rather than destroy the business interests of the United States.
 This was sentiment which was great 1y applauded by those who heard it and informal conversation between members of the association at the Boston meet ing made it clear that there are no sec tional lines in the United States so far