St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-04-20
.GINNERS ORGANIZE
AND PROPOSE TO
PROTEST RULING.
cotton Men Of Number Of Parishes
Meet Here and Launch
An Association
NiLL SEEK EARLY
CHANGE or ORDERS
Not Creating Monopoly and Only
Desire Fair Treatment
and Just Profit
for Labor

In conformity with call issued
some time ago, ginners from many Of
the parishes met in OpeIousas last
Thursday week, this city being ree-s
ognized as the cotton center of this
section of the state.
The purpose of the meeting was
mainly to organize an association OF
the gin men in order to secure closer
cooperation in the protest against
what they claim is unfair treatment
by the government in the fixing of
prices On cotton seed. Prominent
men back of the new organization
maintain that il they are forced to
comply with the governments orders
they will be compelled to shut down
r operate at loss.
In conversation with one OF the
members Of the new organization,
we learned that the initial steps III
a perfect working of the ginning in-s
terests of this section of the state
have already been taken and commit
tees appointed to urge all ginners to
join and work in harmony with the
association. At a preliminary meet
ing Thursday DR. w. d. Haas Of Alex
andria was elected president and
Jesse P. Barnett of Opelousas secre
tary.
1t has long been the custom Of gin
ners. where the farmer sells his cot
ton seed to the ginner on the ginning
of the bale, to approximate OF, rather
calculate, the weight Of the seed by
the actual weight Of the finished
bale. That Is, bale weighing MVg
hundred pounds was supposed under s
the old rule to have furnished one
thousand pounds net Of seed and
farmer was then paid for one-half
ton of seed at market prices.
Since the farmers have already
abandoned the planting of old yarfe-
ties of cotton, owing to the preva-
lence of the boll weeyil, 1t has been
learned that the average five hun
dred pound bale did not yield one
thousand pounds of seed IN other
words, the modern varieties of cot
ton more than ''third" themselves in
turnout of lint but the farmer has
always been paid for the fill two
thirds Of seed when that amount was
not actually blown into the ginner's
eed room
This in itself has entailed d con-
siderable loss but the ginners did not
complain so long as they were free
to sell the seed obtained at any price
they could get and run gamblers
risk as to making a profit How
ever, with the fixing Of profits by
the government, whereby the ginnel
is held dwon to a profit of two dol
lars per actual ton, it is quickly seen
that the profit will be small IL II
does not altogether disappear after
loss in weight is ascertained due to
the new varieties of cotton not yield
ing as much per bale Us did the old
The ginners wish hearty coop
GRAFTON with the farmers along this
line and wish to enphatica1Iy state
that they do not desire monopoly Of
entertain any preconceived wish TO
skin either the farmers or the gen
raj public They only wish to make
a living prcf.s and to that end have
il der to present
solid front and endeayor to show the
authorities the failacy of
the fixing of such a low margin 81 /
gross profit on which they will have
to operate il the order stands.