The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-07
COTTON SEED PRICES.
important Conference Held in Column
bia Tucsday-No Agreement Was
Reached.

bia Tucsday-No Agreement Was
Reached.
TO the Farmers 81 Sumter County
and the State:
Do not sell your cotton seed at
present prices. See.l will be at be-
,ween S67 and $75 in the next ten
days
YESTERDAY Capt. claffey and the
writer spent the day with, Mr.. Ell
lott, the food administrator; Mr..
Evans, Of Troy. representing the
,inners, and Messrs Lawton and
.Acree representing the crushers.
The writer went to the meeting be
lieving that $50 nay he obtained.
Capt. Claffey was instructed by Or
angeburg farmers to stand for SIS.
Should tie excess &C vegetable oils
said by Er. Dennv to have been re-
Gently dumped on tnis country prove
10 be myth like TIE surplus cotton
hat Senator Smith found 20 be not
there, $50 will easily be the price. /
trl not sure but the low cotton pros
oec.s will bring about this result. If
our request that the order not to
feed or Use for manure raw seed is
;escinded. it will bring about the same
result.
The crushers were very frank with
KS. and their statements covered the
subject from every angle. and we
nave every reason TO believe tnat
they were truthful But all their
figures and statements amply pro-
tected their end Of the industry. To-
ward the close OF the conference they
offered u at once rut out a price OF
$50 anl $63 dollars for seed, if Capt.
Claffey and would approve it. We
told them we could not approve so
small an advance, because. it would
prejudice our case, hut we would lap-
prove SCI and $50 temporarily-th
they declined.
We learned that representatives OF
the cotton States, Che official advis-
ory marketing board Of cotton States,
ou: State not represented on account
ii the primary ciection) met IN
Washington last Monday and agreed
upon SCI and $50 for seed and 4so4
COR meal. We learned that the fer
tilizing value OF. meal is s62-59Aper
ton. and that feeding interests pro
tested vigorously against such a price
that it would kill the cattle indus
try. etc.
When we presented the facts that
shcw l1ow farmers costs have ad-
vanced we were told that the food
administration have chart that
shows that cotton seed have adyarc-
cd more than any other farm pro-
duct, SOC per cent against anftaV-
ereSe of 200 per cent for other pro-
due,
We learned that when Gil naillers
ask for q higher price for linters the
war industries board tell them we
can substitute wood pulp at a lower
price-therefore the two war needs
BEING out CT the way by the inpor-
tat;on OF vegetable oils. and the
threat to use wood Iulp in place OF
linters for making explosives we feel
thal we should be free to use our seed
as we please We asked Mr.. Elliott
to out that up strongly to the food
.dn .inistration which he promised to
do today-he left for Washington at
C c'ciock Tuesday evening,
The refiners Of oil have been sum-
moned to Washington. and the crush
ers are expecting tc be called tins
Week. DO the farmers want repre-
sen:ation at these conferences? If
so the: must provide the means.
we:v few OF us can give the time
cro,a our farms and pay our own ex-
per 7es too.
called NJ. El!iott's attention TO
the injustice Of making us pay 7oc
per hundred for ginning and hasSing
snG ties. SO it VAS agreed that the
s.. 20 rate per bale applies to bales up
t. a25 pounds and 10c per hundred
for eli over 525 pounds. 81 per bale
additional for staple cotton. An or
(7ei. 20 this effect Will be issued in a
day or two.
think the public should know
1hat Mr.. Elliott made it plain two
weeks ago that girner may gin for
| less. provided it IS not made up by
scnne other feature O. his business.
Il was made plain that farmers
can club togc~ her. load and ship their
own seed, and secure the agents
pcnus fol. buying and loading. l
tl,;nk these facts should be placed
before our farmers. and have made
this article as sh:~t us possible to
cover the salient features OF the con-
ference. f. w. Dabbs.