Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-09-03
SEED OIL MARKET WILL BG
 UNCERTAIN ONE
Influx of Oriental Oils Into Arkansas Has Added
 to the Problem.

VO O4AO ' OOlVxlxs
 (By John H. Page, Commissioner of
 Agriculture).
 Special to The Graphic.
 Little Rock, Aug. 29.-The tremend- ous influx of Oriental vegetable oils during the past year has. added ma- terially to the problems of the Food Administration in it's control and stabilization of cotton seed products for the coming season, and may re- suit in great loss to the cotton grow CTS unless the situation is handled with a great deal of caution.
 The indications are that there will be an average yield of cotton seed, and there is an unprecedented surplus of cotton seed oil from last season. The export demand is weak and un- certain. These things, added to the tremendous imports of Oriental vege- table oils, constitute formidable ar ray of causes why the Food Adminis- tration may not be able to determine a fair price for cotton seed oil and its manufactured products, as it did by voluntary agreement last year.
 Affect Cotton Farmers.
 Unless the situation can be remedied and that quickly, the squeeze is bound to reach back to the cotton farmers. In fact, it is already being felt in South Texas and Georgia where cotton picking is well under way and cotton seed are. beginning to move.
 The thing that is playing havoc and so seriously disturbing the equilibrium of the cotton seed oil industry, is the importation of such large quantities of Oriental vegetable oils which come in direct competition with cotton seed oil
 For the eleven months ending May 30, 1918, the importation of cocoa nut oil amounted to PAS, S,474,097 pounds and was valued at $29, ,457 ,3QS This is more than four times as much in both amount and value as was inn ported in any previous year.
 For the same eleven months, there soy bean oil, valued at 28,048,301. For the same period Of time, in 1917, there was imported 145, 5,297,77S pounds valued at $1O,120,490. The importa- tion of soy bean oil in 1918 was twice as great as that of 1917 and four times as great as that of 1916.
 IL IS CldlIISu IIldC LllC Idplu lllCI ease in the importation of these oils into this country is due to the fact that they cannot be sent to Germany and Austria, which countries consumed a greater part of them prior to the war It is also claimed that great quantities of these oils are stored in China, Ja- pan, and the Phillipine Islands, await ing shipping facilities.
 Ask Aid of War Board.
 It has been suggested that the War Trade Board take the matter in hand and declare an embargo against the further importation of Oriental vege-. table oils until it is needed in this country. This would give the cotton seed division of the Food Administra- tion breathing spell and enable it to make deal with the cotton seed oil buyers at a. reasonable figure. As it is, no one can even hazard a guess as to what cotton seed oil will be worth because no one seems to know how much of the Oriental vegetable oils will be permitted to come into this country. But one thing is sure, and that is. unless the War Trade Board discontinues furnishing shipping room for the importation of these oils, the country will be flooded with them and the producers of cotton seed will have to enter into competition with the Orientals in the production of oils.
 Much Complaint Heard.
 There has been great deal of com- plaint in the part of oil mill men and manufacturers of press cloth, to the effect that while the War Board seems to have no trouble in finding ship room for the importation of vegetable oils, they have been unable to find room for the importation of Chinese quense and camel's hair. out of which press cloth is manufactured, and with out which no oil mill can operate.
 In addition to the importation of these immense quantities of vegetable oils, world of copra, or dried COCOA nut, has come into this country dur ing the last year. This cOpra is crushed by the oil mills in this coun- try and converted into oil in very much the same way as cotton seed. Sometime ago the War Trade Board placed an embargo on the further inn portation of copra, but this embargo was recently raised, and now the flood gates are wide open to copra and all kinds of Oriental vegetable oils.
 For the year ending May 30, the inn portation of these oils, including that manufactured from imported copra, amounted to approximately S00,0O0,0OO pounds, or about two-thirds of the amount of cotton seed oil manufac- tured in this country.
 The cotton seed division of the Food Administration is exerting itself in effort to find solution to the prob lem. It has no authority to place an embargo on the importation of these vegetable oils. This power lies with the War Trade Board, and unless the War Trade Board acts on the matter. the importation of vegetable oils and copra will continue, and the prospects for fair prices for cotton seed oil may steadily grow worse.
 Can't Price Cotton Seed.
 Contrary to the opinion of many, the Food Administration has no au- thority whatever to fix the price of cotton seed It has authority to license dealers, gins and mills~ and