Imperial Valley press., 1916-11-29

Pearsalrs News Bureau interviewed B.
is. Castles as to his views on the
value of cotton. At that time Mr..
Castles expressed the strong convic-
ton that cotton would sell at 20 cents
before Thanksgiving and might go
very much higher later on, possibly
touching 25 cents before spring. His
20-cent prediction has already been
borne out by an advance of all old
crop months to be yond that level.
Therefore Pearsall's again sought Mr..
Castles at his home, and asked if he
cared to again give his views on the
subject of the value of cotton. We
print below Mr.. Castles answer:
81 have not changed my conviction
as to the value of raw cotton. 1t ap-
pears to me to be slowly cornering it
self. To sum up briefly, the farmer
is today the master of the situation
and finds the textile industry of the
world looking to him for material
with which to make goods, there be-
ing an Unsuitable demand for the lat
ter at unheard-of prices. If the farm
er has good common sense-and l be-
lieve he has-he will hold the balance
of his crop, putting minimum price
tag on it of 25 cents. He will find
the spinners disposed to protest this
figure for brief time, but will soon
see them anxiously absorbing every
bale he holds at this and probably
much higher prices. In fact, the de-
r1and is greater than the supply this
cotton year. The farmer need have
no scruplcs about making the most OF
his opportunity, as he will not be work
Ii irg any hardship on the mill men, who
even now can make big money on
the basis of 25 cents for raw cotton.
Many farmers, feel certain, are not
fully posted as to the extent OF the
present wave Of initiation and hardly
realize the true value of their cotton.
However, the farmer of today is not
like the farmer of fifteen or twenty
years ago, when he was at the mercy
of the merchant and banker. Now he
does not have to sell except on his
cwn initiative, as he 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, de-
sr ite the great advance in prices, than
it took last year at the lower prices.
This is due to an endless demand for
goods at prices showing enormous
pr ofits to the spinner. Furthermore,
the great armies of Europe are chew
ing up all kinds of cotton goods on a
ratio of 400 per cent increase per
r,an, as compared with the demand in
time of peace. Many foreign, as
we'll as domestic spinners, can now
make a profit on the basis of 25
cents and higher for raw cotton. This
being true, why should the farmer
sell at 20 cents what remains in his
rands? Egyptian cotton has advanced
IT, So cents a pound and the mill buy
ers for that grade of cotton can pay
20 cents and make good money. Very
many people fail to realize that cot
ton is both a peace and war article,
and the world cannot get on without
j.. Should peace now be declared,
cotton would jump 4 or cents, as
ali Europe is practically bare of cot
ton and would have to lay in a big
supply in order to reopen its textile
Industries for purely commercial out
let's. Should America enter the great
war. cotton would advance 10 cents
re- pidly, as our newly made army would
have to be equipped with uniforms,
overcoats, blankets, underclothes,
tents, etc. (sufficient wool for this
purpose cannot be had), requiring
enormous demand for our raw cotton
at a time when it cannot be spared
for that purpose. l DO not, Tor the
life of me, understand why cotton
should not assert itself and seek its
normal position in relation to other
commodities, for cotton is one of the
greatest world commodities of all raw
materials. We find the copper men
getting nearly three times the former
price for their metal and we all know
about the sensational advance in the
price of paper throughout the world.
Wool has advanced to unheard-of lev
els; linen is almost unobtainable; silk
lis a scarce article; indigo is sky high;
wheat is virtually at $500 and corn
at $1.OO; beef, pork and mutton have
almost 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 scarcely up so per cent, the
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