The Robesonian., 1918-06-06

at 1eiEp pLi.o, W tC-ist1CA VIC Ioltoi! ~
uation, confessedly alarming SO iar
as profitable production goes, it vii!
cost from 1855 to 29.55 cents
pound to produce cotton this year. #
that is the case, southern farmers
have taken ore rlore des~ crate cnance
to make money OF cotton instead OF
having devoted ciost of t.!eIr acreag2
and labor TO tee production of food ,
acreage in cotton to get by for the
nations needs.
The formers ought to have pret-
tv correct it,aa as TO w.as it is going
70 cost them TO make cotton crop.
However, lad they known beforehand, |
| it strikes Us that they would have
| been tco cautious to kave put IL sucn
| a big acreage this year. In the gov
! ernment's first cotton report for the
| wear, due today, we will get a better
| line or acreage ard crcp conditions
1p to this time However, the cotton
growers in the southwest have taken
| alarm over tlae disposition of the
cotton market here Of late to decline
at ruinous clip, because of the in
| creased acreage reported, the favor
| able season for the growing crop, the
unfayorable war news from Europe
and the statistical situation that has
ena abled the bears to beat down the
price.
With reference to the cotton situa
tion and the contention that it Will
cost nearly q cents and even approx
imately 80 cents, to make cotton this
year, the Charleston News and Cour-
ier suggests that the south Atlantic
growers cooperate with those of th-
southwest in taking care of the sit
uation. Our valued Charleston con-
temporary goes on to say:
"These figures are based, it was
stated, upon cost records which haze
been carefully kept. The meeting at
Memphis decided that these cost rec
ords ought to be made public so tha :
in considering the problem of cotton
prices ali who are interested will have
the information before them.
"Up to this time the agitation that
the government should fix a price on
cotton has come from the north. The
Memphis conference indicates the pos
sibility that in the near future the
movement will be pressed from the
south. Cotton, as was pointed out, is
made largely on credit, and with the
cost of labor and everything else soar
ing, as it is, the financing of the crop
, promises to become increasingly diff
ficult.
''It would probably be good judg-
, ment or the part Of cotton growers in
the south Atlantic States to get t.
gether as did the Mississippi valley
;, planters and take steps to gather
trustworthy data as to the present
!. cost of making cotton. Conditions II
this section are different from wha'
:. they are in the west. The farmers
should prepare now for eventualites
"The best preparation, however
each farmer can make for himself. II
I is that which the News and Courier
: has urged consistently in its warn
, ings to farmers as to cotton belnG
4 tne of the most uncertain crops they
D could plant at the present time lhe
) farmer who has arranged to feed hira'
self and his stock does not have te
e worry over the possibility that cottor
production"
!, We confess that we have never Ak
] en- kindly to price fixing for either
: wheat or cotton, or other farm prod
|, ucts, or even the tinkering with man
ufacturers in the course Of production
= for the very reason that the uncer
!, tainties created upset the calculations
and plans of both agricultural ant
= industrial producers. They neve
It know exactly what their product;ol
7 difficulties are going to be, especial!
S at such a time as this, SO it is better
;; if there is to be price fixing at all
that it be done after production ha
e been accomplished and the actual cos
can be ascertained with some sort 0
= fairness and equity to all concerned.
81 Meanwhile, farmers ought to loo
II we'll to their grain and other food 4 i
/ feed crops, for they are more import
S ant than profits on the cotton crof
Il Let us hope for the best as to cott :,
y but make no more mistakes about tn
r seriousness of something to eat our
/ selves and the even greater necessit
= cf producing something that we ca
20 get across to our armies in Eurone :
IS spite of enemy submarines. At leas
n we can reasonably count on gettin
ie considerable quantities of our fooc
Ia stuffs sent to the bottom of the cceal
81 but it has been surprisingly difficu
t. to even get our people to comprehen
the vital need Of growing food crops
CKTMNJNE TUE AIEy TING DOT