The Monroe journal., 1916-11-28
WILL COTTON GO TO 25C.?
ONE NAN THINKS 1T
WILL GO EVEN HIGHER
Mr.. Castle Says Farmers Have sitna-
tion In Hand ard should Get p
cents for Remainder i'm His Hands.

II
Some little time ago a man from
Pearsalls News Bureau interviewed
Mr.. b. s. Castle as TO his views on
the value of cotton. AT that time
Mr.. Castle expressed the strong con-
yictiOn that cotton would sell at 20
ccAts before Thanksgiving Day and
might go very much higher later on.
possibly touching 25 cents before
spring. His 20 cents prediction has
already been borne out by an advance
OF all old crop months to beyond thai
level. Therefore Pearsalls again
sought Mr.. Castle at his home. and
asked II he cared TO again give his
views on the subject of the value OF
cotton. We print below Mr.. Castles
answer:
Il have not changed my c0Hsi lotion
/ rs 10 the value of e. II ap-
pears TO me TO b. .iaslg .o7neIing
Itself. To sum ~ u.,any farmer
Is today the ma If ths tuation
and finds the tcs ic indg of the
world looking T. I'm fr material
with which to m7FC GOOD here he
ing an Unsuitable demand f.- the lat
Ter at unheard q prices, If the
farmer has gocti G :anun acrse. and
| believe he Ia nc will hold the
balance of his il. rniting a mini
mut price tag on i. az - cents. He
will find the spinner n ~ cd TO pro-
test this figure for a h.!e. lime bu;
will soon see them anN.3r u absorb
ing every bale he holds I'D tnis and
probably much r.. her prices. In
fact. the demaao T. greater than the
supply this cotton year. The farm
or need have no .crdples about max
ing the most O. his opportunity as
he will not be working any hardship
On the mill mea "ho even row can
make big money. Oh the basis of %
cents fer raw cotton. Many farmers,
| feel certain. are lot fully posted as
10 the extent OF The present wave Of
imitation and hardly realize the true
value OF their cotton. However the
farmer of today is not like the farm
er of Is or 20 years ago when he
was at the mercy of the merchant
and hanker-now he does not have
TO sell except on his own initiative
as ne has sold the big end of his crop
at good prices, has money in the
bank and can stand out as long as
he pleases on what is left. We see
the world importing from America
more cotton this year despite the
great advance in prices. than il took
last year at the lower prices. This
is due TO an endless demand for goods
at prices showing enormous profits
to the spinner. furthermore, the
great armies of Europe are chewing
up all kinds of cotton goods on a
ration of four hundred per cent in
crease per man. as compared with
the demand in time of peace. Many
foreign as well as domestic spinners.
can now make profit on the basis
of 25 cents and higher for raw cot
ton. This being true. why should
the farmer sell at 20 cents what re-
mains in his hands? Egyptian cot
ton has advanced to 35 cents a pound
and the mill buyers for that grade of
cotton can pay 20 cents and make
good money. Very many people fail
to realize that cotton is both peace
and war article and the world can
not get on without II. Should peace
now be declared cotton would jump
or cents as all Europe is practi-
cally bare of cotton and would have
to lay in big supply in order to re-
open its textile industries for purely
commercial outlets. Should Ameri-
ca enter the great war. cotton would
advance 10 cents rapidly as our new
ly made army would have to be
equipped with uniforms, overeoats,
blankets. underclothes, tents. etc.
Sufficient wool for this purpose can
not be had). requiring enormous DO
mand for our raw cotton at q time
when II cannot be spared for that
purpose. | do not. for the life OF
me, understand why cotton should
not assert itself and seeks its normal
position in relation to other commo-
dities, for cotton Is one of the great
est world commodities of all raw ~'~
terials. We find the copper men
getting nearly three times the form
er price for their metal and we all
know about the sensational advance
in the price of paper throughout the
world Wool has advanced to un-
heard of levels; linen is almost unob-
tainable; silk is scarce article; in
digo Is sky high; wheat is virtually
at two dollars and corn at one dol
lar; beef, pork and mutton have al
most been eliminated from the diet
of the poor man; leather has scared
into the blue; steel and iron steadily
advance despite almost record prices.
Cotton is up scarcely so per cent,
the others being up 200 to 400 per
cent. The linen and wool mills are
running out of raw material and the
cotton mill men are growing uneasT
for fear the same will be their fate
as TO raw cotton. think prudent
and farsighted mill men will see the
importance of the situation sufficient
ly to protect themselves. Why should
not the farmer share in all this grea
prosperity as we'll as other producers
OF raw material such as metals.
grains and meats. No one can say
what next years crop will be nor
state the price IL will command. We
do know there will be a gap of near
ly eleven months between the pres
ent time and when the new crop cot
ton will be in sufficient supply to in
any degree relieve the present search
ty. There has been an exodus Of
negroes from the plantations to the
munitions plants. mines railroads,
| -, toh Lob &c of