The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-29
Cotton Producing Interests Attacked in Propaganda Published in the Chi
 cagO Tribune
WHEAT COMPARED WITH COTTON AS TO
 FIXING OF PRICES
Article, "Will Congress Con- tinue Cotton as Its War Pet?' Answered byNew
 Orleans Cotton Expert

For sometime there has been an ex- tensive propaganda promoted in the east, in which the cotton producing in- terests have been attacked from many different directions" saidsw. W. Nor
 rison, New Orleans cotton expert, who | is here for few days. Its object clearly is to depress the value of cot
 ton by creating false impressions as to what it costs to grow it and arousing a sentiment against it, both officially and with the public. It is subtle and ingenious. Recently it appeared in an article printed in the Chicago Tribune. This article was written by Henry M. Hyde under the caption, Will Congress Continue Cotton As It's War Pet?" "rhe article is based upon error, is unjust, mischievous, and it's infunece upon public sentiment, if extended, would vitally affect the efficiency of the nation in this crisis. It is clear, therefore, that the statement of the writer should not go unchallenged, or the spirit which pervades his communi- cation go uncondemned. A plain state- ment of facts, as revealed by reputa- ble records. will certainly nullify what this writer aims to accomplish, and Ineutralize the harmful effect of his ar ticle.
 MISLEADING AND UNJUST "In contrasting the price of wheat and the price of cotton in the fall of 1914. Mr. Hyde takes as a basis for his comparison wheat at $113 per bushel and cotton at cents per pound. Wheat at $l.13 per bushel, all the evidence indicates. reflected profit to the pro- ducer, while the record shows that there was loss of around sS5 per bale record referred to is Bulletin No. 492, issued by the government. showing the average cost of growing cotton in 1913 to have been 1905 cents per pound. There are records also which show that there was a rapid increase in the cost from 1913 until the present time. So,
 the prices which prevailed in the fall of 1914 were from ' to 7ia cents below the cost of production. This comparison Is so manifestly unfair, in the light of these records, that it is unnecessary to emphasize it by a further discussion III uCtall VI tniS PndSc Ol tIt SuDJeCl.
 Tn discussing the advance in the price of wheat and the advance in the price of cotton, the writer states that the advance in wheat was restrained by the government fixing the price at $220 per bushel, while the advance in cotton was left wholly unr4strained. This presentation of the matter is en- tirely misleading. Wheat at $2.20 per bushel gives reasonable profit to the m md hn t11ttc since it was the declared policy of the government to fix price that would stimulate production. Had the gov ernment fixed the price of cotton, val lowing reasonable profit to the pro- ducer, just as was done in fixing the price of wheat. the price named would have been from 2 cents to more than cents above the prices current at the time. For the records clearly show that there has not been a time since the war began that the cost of production was not that much. above the price which prevailed on any particular day.
 PRODUCTION COST INCREASED
 For instance. the advance in those products whose consumption make up the principal cost of growing cotton. from 1915, when the average cost was 13 .05c per pound, to the fall of 1917, was 187 per cent Or, in other words, the ad- vance in the price of these products in creased the cost of production during this time just 24.40c per pound. That is, at any time since the fall of 1917 to the present time, it would have cost to grow cotton, based on the governments esti- mate of the cost in 19l3 around g 45c per pound Hence, if the government had fixed the price during this period and had allowed the cotton grower profit srcE as was allowed the wheat grower, the price would have been fixed at ap- proximately 4Oc per pound.
 The price of labor advanced from around $20 per month in 1913 to around s75 per month, beginning with the fall Of 1917, and continuing up to the present time According to the best authorities.
 (Continued on Page Nine)