The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-09-21
E;;|l||E E||||EII1|.''E ut To
CONTROL COTTON
President woodrow Wilson VIII Also
Fix Price II Future.

; WASHINGTON. Sept. 20.--Prcsidcnt
! Wilson will fix the price OF cotton p!ac-
: Ing The last Of IN" principal colnmodi-
/. tics necessary in til" prosecution OF the
war uui"r governmental regulation. DO
: spite strong pressure from the southern
/ states In addition to determining
. ,hr price. the go:rrnment Will take over
, control Of the distribution of this years
crap
! Tho decision If the President dcfi-
! niicly ANNOUNCED ~ l. conference TINS
Wcrh with sru1i"rS and representatives,
. FROM the cuIIui states. became known
/ today.
rams to carry nut the decision are
said Ia hc unirr way.
AGITATION fer The fixing OF price
: !nr cotton has been prevalent for num-
her ui months. owing to The rapidly
mounting cost Of cotton products and
. tho belief ia mauy quarters that the
: StHpi" should sC placed on the same
basis rs wheat and other essentials tho
! price Of wnirh has boon fixed. Tho
principal feature in the action OF the
President is understood to have been the
, Shoria%" Gt tho crop. estimated ut be-
tween I.h00 600 and 5.0nn.0nn bales.
! The prices Ia hr named hy the pr>si-
dent or III" means of controlling dis
: irihution has not yet been decided upon.
The President is understood 10 have en-
2hasiZrd at his recent conference that 4
fur price" would he fiXnd but did not
, indicat" in any way what this price
, would he.
+ Before thc.pricc fixing was first men
Toned cotton sold at IS cents Il pound.
Secretary Houston. ii IS said. has rec
, commended that - cents would be fair.
hnr Sron1I
fair price. ana d~rlar" lrcIusr Of the
! Increased cost Of production 4 figure
above so cents should he named.
In determining; Il plan for controlling
! cotton distribution il is understood the
) President is cndcavorinG To work out
: n method Of cooperation with the Brit e.
! iSh and French governments. AS the
! needs of these two governments and the
/ Emitted States represent more than 50
per cTtnt. OF The crop produced. il has
! been pointed out that a price could nc
readily fixed, which would control the
world market Commissions have been
appointed by the British and French
, governments which buy not only for
! their own governments. hut for tho pri-
! vatc SplnncrS at prices fixed by these
| commissions. 10th commissions. il Is
! known, arc now cooperating with the
President IN this matter.
Will" opposed tn any steps that
would result in tho iiNlnE OF cotton
,rricrs. southern senator's NJ the confer
cnrc urged tho President. If ho Was de-
termiacd to TAXI. this actinn. net to de-
lay 1t longer than possible. declaring
THAT in Wow Of tho present uncertainty
cotton markets arc @tnSnant and many
growers arc holding while awaiting
definite announcement by the govern
lncTt.
No government plan for price fixing
has aroused more opposition than that
srnGnrlinE cotton. Immediately after
Chairman Earuch of thc war industries
board announced q plan 10 name COM
mite. 70 Investigate the cotton situa-
tion with n view TO taking steps looking
80 the sterilization Of prices. senators
and representatives headed by Senator
Smith. OF South Carolina, hastily mr.
ranged conferences for the purpose of
protesting. When President Wilson later
stated that thc plan would hc carried
ont senator's and represent tivrs at once
arranged to make q direct protest To
him. This they did at conference
Tuesday.