The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-02-20
FIXING COTTON PRICES.
Cotton AMI It's Relation To the Na-
uon's Welfare Make Absurd Some
suggestions of Cotton Spectators
and Buyers.
Manufacturers Record.

"y he United states department OF
agriculture. was 14.175,S72 bales. as
compared with 11,449,930 bales il
1916 and 10.94s.OO bales ir. 1917.
The average crop of the last two years
is' therefore. 100000 bales short of
the average for tho preceding fiv,.
years Last years yield was $780,
900 bales short of the average for the
fve years from 1911 TO 1915.
These figures indicate an acute
crisis In cotton production. Notwith
standing the war, the consumption OF
cotton must go on at an acceleraring
rate. To some extent it is tempor-
arily halted in some countries. but
those countries are draining to the
last ounce their supply of cotton
goods In this country and in Great
Britain and France and Italy, while
the consumption Of cotton may be de-
creased Tor domestic purposes, an
enormous amount OF cotton is being
used for explosives. The world is
therefore, becoming as bare of cot
ton and cotton goods as it is Of food
stuns. The production of the last two
years has been short of the worlds
needs, and whenever peace comes the
demand for cotton goods to fill up the
existing stocks of the world and to
reclothe the people whose supply is
now exhausted will make a demand
Tor cotton as phenomenally great as
VIII be the demand for foodstuffs.
In producing cotton, looking toward
the future after the end Of the war,
the South would. therefore. be not
only helping itself, but helping the
world situation. In the meantime.
however. IL seems to be almost impos-
sible for the South under existing
conditions to produce enough cotton
to meet the actual needs of the hour. |
increasing cost of raising cotton by
reason of higher price for fertilizers.
higher cost for labor. higher cost OF |
agricultural implements and OF ev-
erything which enters into cotton
production has completely changed |
all basis of calculation as TO the cost
OF growing cotton. Unlike wheat,
which Is harvested by machinery. cot
ton must be harvested by hand labor.
and the cost of cotton production
therefore increases more rapidly than
the cost OF wheat production.
While everything that can be done
to increase food production m ust ba
done. we should not lose sight OF the
fact that cotton is essential to civiliza-
ton. IL is absolutely necessary for
clothing, for tenting and a thousand
and one things for which there is no
substitute available. Another small
crop would be a disaster, and yet il
Will be very difficult for the South to
plant, cultivate and pick larger
crop than the average OF the last two
years. IL is possible that it can be
done. but II will stretch the resources
OF labor to accomplish IL. 1t is al.
war that the government should CO.
operate for a larger cotton crop as
IL is to cooperate for increased wheat
production.
some OF the suggestions put out by
New York spectators and cotton buy
ers to the effect that low maximum
price should be put on cotton would |
it put into effect, be a national dis
aster. The South could stand such
n situation much better than the rest
OF the country, for the South can
thrive on the production Of other
crops, while the rest OF the country !
cannot exist except i'm terrific suffer
Ing without an adequate cotton crop. |
The figures which have been named
by some OF the New York sc -cal!ed
experts as n maximum price for cot
ton are absolutely absurd. They |
might have been justified as maxi |
mum price on cotton before the wal, |
Tor cotton never has sold at anything |
Ike it's intrinsic value. nor have cot
ton growers and cotton laborers ever
secured. at least in the last 81 to 40
years. one-half as much for cotton as
better economic system for this sec
uon would have amply justified and
demanded. Cotton growers and cot
Ton laborers having monopoly, of the
most important single crop i'm the
world. have been held down to IL bare
existence. often selling their cotton at
less than the actual cost OF produc-
tion. even counting, as the small farm.
ers and tenants have had to 10. the
lnhnr of fhnir ,,.i,.no ,..I ..Lil.I....