The Washington herald., 1918-05-09
DANIELSITALKS
COTTON MEN
Address Reviewed by Hol,
and-mportance Of IN
dssery Emphasized.

In his address to the two thou
sand citizens of the South, who are
engaged. in cotton manufacturing.
and who were gathered in conven-
tion in New York q few days ago,
the Secretary of the Navy. Josephus
Daniels, said that cotton growing
and cotton goods production to be
prosperous mast touch the whole
world. That is a statement which
some of the expert authorities have
made in substance although not in
these precise words several times
since the European war began.
James A. Farrell. president of the
United States Steel Corpora ton. al
lRded to this economic principle in
his recent communication to Sec
retary McAdoo. in which he en-
bodied some OF the results of the
visit to- the South American coun-
tries of a committee of Americans
which was organised and acted un-
der the authority Of the secre-
tary.
Peru Has Cotton Industry.
For instance, it was observed
some several years ago by Professor
DIR. John Basset Moore. formerly
First Assistant Secretary OF State
in two administrations, that the
cotton growing industry is likely
to become a very large agricultural
undertaking in Peru. The cotton
grown there. however, is OF peculiar
fibre especially valuable in the
manufacture OF certain kinds of
cotton material. 1t cannot come in
to competition with the cotton
and characteristics of Southern cot
ton are entirely different from those
of the Peruvian. Hints have come
that it may be possible to culti-
yate to commercial advantage cot
ton similar in the quality of its
fibre to that which is cultivated in
Peru
Joseph P. Grace. who is now at
the head of the International House
OG William r. Grace and Company.
said recently that cotton manufac-
turing is being developed so rapid
ly in Peru as to justify the hope
that in time it will become one of
the great industries of that repub-
lie. Therein is illustrated one of
the meanings contained in Secre-
tary Daniels statement that cotton
growing and cotton production to
be prosperous must touch the whole
world.
what James StIIlman Said.
Some ten or twelve years ago.
while still active as the leading
executive force in the National City
Bank. the late James StiIlman. when
referring to the balance. of trade
which would be established in that
year between the United States and
other nations. said that without our
cotton exports the trade would be
substantially equal. or. in other
words. the money value of our ex-
ports, exclusive of cotton. and the
money value of our imports would
be about equal. Therefore. Mr..
StilIman said. for the visible trade
balance in favor of the United
States of that year ii would be nee
esSary to rely upon our cotton eX-
ports. Those should be of the mon
ey value OF about $500. .OOO. 900, and
that would be likely. in his opinion,
to be found a figure which would
represent the favorable trade bal
ance in our world trade.
This prediction was justified Sec
retary Daniels might have had il in
his mind, for he knew of it at the
time Mr.. Stillman spoke, when he
said the other day that the balance
of trade in favor of the United States
has been in recent years chiefly due
to our shipment of cotton abroad.
Furthermore, the Secretary said that
there must be after the war much
closer economic relation between the
people who grow cotton, the people
who manufacture it and the peo-
pie who wear it. Cotton thus becomes
map maker and it gives to US Wis
ions Of international unity which
were not revealed to US in days Of
peace.
That also is a statement OF a newly
realized economic principle which
American manufacturers and Ameri-
can industrial leaders have recently
referred to. This principle was much
discussed at the recent meeting of
American exporters at Cincinnati.
New Uses of Cotton.
The people as yet little understand
the wonderful variety of the uses to
which cotton is now put both in its
manufactured and its raw state. One
great American industry has estab-
lished at Columbus. Ga, at a cost OF
100000 a mill whose machinery is
so devised that It is capable of pro-
ducing fifty-three different kinds of
cotton weave. As a result OF this
n1oet modern development of cotton
spsnnsag the government has recently
placed orders for many million yards
OF cotton goods, it having been found
that the peculiar weayes together with
rtain chernical combinations have
made it possible to substitute cotton
for linen in the manufacture of wings
for air craft and also to substitute a
cotton weave IA which chemistry has
served important purpose, for the
rubber gas-Nasks apd the rubber