The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-06-22
THE COTTON SITUATION,
DIX. WADE STACKHOUSE ISSUES
CALL TO INTERESTED PER-
SONS.
Iimc and Date Same as That Set for
Cotton Marketing Association Meet
ing.

Sei VII ail persons interested in
cotton and cotton seed this fall to
meet i'm Columbia, S. c., in the
House Of Representative on Monday
~ p. m., June 24th. That is the
time and date set for the Cotton Mar
Neting Association. This meeting has
been called by the State warehouse
commissioners.
1t is timely to consider the market
ing, warehousing and financing of the
present growing cotton crop. We have
about the same cotton acreage as last
year, the highest condition at this
date in the history Of cotton produc-
ton. and at present the prospects for
u good crop are abundant all the way
from West Texas to Virginia. SO far
as | know there are no bad spots in
the cotton belt-such as flood, drought
or insects-which might cause a short
crop. With a short labor supply the
cotton farmer has worked heroically
to bring tho crop to it's present high
standard He has fertilized better than
for years and is now frantically beg
ging for government nitrate of soda
TO improve the present good prospects.
If the acreage yield should be as
good as 19f1 or 1914 we will have n
bumper crop. 1t is true that the world
needs all we can mako if it could b.
evenly distributed. We are told that
the food administration has suggested
to the oil mills that it is necessary 20
cut one hundred and seventy-Gve
pounds of linters from every ton OF
seed. If an oil mill can not do this
IL would seem wise to overhaul thcir
machinery. This would seem to re-
quire far greater supply Of linters
for explosives. At meeting in Char
lotte, N. c.. in May, DR.. Denny told
us that the United States was long on
fats. that hog lard was very abundant
and vegetable oils an over supply
Some of us inferred that when the
price of seed products are fixed, which
| understand will be i'm Augusta, that
the price OF cotton seed will be ma
eiially lower than last year
We are told every few days that an
important meeting has been held
between large cotton man
ufacturers and government agents re-
garding the fixing of price of cotton |
goods. Last week u tentative agree
ment was reached by the war indus |
tries board and the war service COM
mittee of American cotton manufac-
turers, that on all sales of cotton
goods after June Sth the price is sub
Jcct TO revision by the price fixing
committee OF the war industries board.
The manufacturers agreed among
themselves to take so cents pcr
pound for raw cotton as q basis for
calculation on which To price the!r
manufactured goods on June 10Th
there is to be another meeting in
Will be subject to revision. In other
words ii is proposed that cotton goods
shall be sold at prices representing a
good margin of profit subject to
changes i'm the price of raw cotton and
the labor cost.
We should insist that farmers who
produced cotton and seed in 1917
worth one and one-half billion dollars
be represented in all the meetings
where prices are considered. Govern
ment regulation has supplantcd sup
ply and demand. Should the govern
ment fix II price on standard goods we
should insist that arrangements be
made to finance spot cotton so that
the American spinner having little
competition, can not force the price
OF cotton down to or below cost of
production. We need an organization
i'm each cotton state so that our COM
mon interests can be forcibly ex-
pressed to the authorities ut Wash
ington. South Carolina should send
able representatives to New Orleans ON
July 1st to present our views i'm a
cotton meeting at which every cotton
State is supposed to have delegates.
We should insist that the regional
banks shall not call cotton loans at a
time like this when such action is an
unintcntional first aid to the bears Of
Wall street. And finally we should
insist that trading on cotton cX-
changes should be made legitimate by
requiring delivery OF particular grades
on contract ut various leading South
orn markets.
If the government wishes to do the
South a real service i'm order TO sta
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