The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-05-01

(From Manufacturers Record)
1t is a pity that men processing
ordinary intelligence should under
take to discuss matters pertaining to
the South, or for that matter to any
section, of which they are as ignor-
ant as Germany is of honor and mo-
rality. The disposition OF some peo-
pie to talk learnedly about things of
which their ignorance is so dense
that it is almost impenetrable is il
Illustrated in a weekly circular of w.
J. Wollman & Co., members of the
New York Stock Exchange, who un-
dertake to tell the South what it
should do in regard to cotton from
the question of how to grow cotton to
!how to handle it. One statement.
which is typical of most of this amaa'
ing financial review, is the follow
ing:
"The amount that the South
wastes annually in the handling OF
the cotton crop is greater than the
total of dividends paid out on all the
railroads of the United States, and
these in 1916 amounted to s342,-
100000. Density of compression at
the gins would save hundreds of mill
lions every year that now go for re-
handling, extra haulage, needless
space taken up on railroads and
steamships, loss in transit, claims fol
damages and other items Yet the
South has set it's face stubbornly
against these modern improvements
and clung to ancient methods.
It will be news to the cotton gin
ners of the South and to the income
tax forces of the country that the
cost of cotton ginning runs far into
the hundreds of millions every year.
Indeed, this remarkable statement
says that hundreds of millions
could be saved annually by greater
density of compression. 1t is scarce
Ily conceivable that an office boy, able
to write his name, could have been
guilty of putting forth such asinine
statements.
Density of compression at the gins
is important. Better baling and bet
ter handling are of great Importance,
but the utmost amount that anyone
has yet claimed which could be saved
by this improved system is from $780,
600, 900 to s6O,O0O,000 year. That
is a very big item, but it is far and
away behind the s342,000,00O which
this ban kers' circular mentions.
Since, according to Wollman & Co.,
density of compression would annu-
ally "save hundreds of Millions" we
are wondering just how many hun
dreds of millions these bankers have
been figuring on as possible to be
saved-certainly far more than the
s342,OOO,000 which they have men
toned as below the saving that
could be effected each year.
Possibly these bankers, whose den
sity of ignorance about cotton is far
greater than the density of the most
Idensely compressed cotton bales, are
not aware of the fact that leaders, in
the South have for years sought to
bring about better compression of
!cotton. but that the railroads of this
section, owned and dominated almost
ientirely in New York and either own
ing or dominating many of the COM
presses in the South, have in many
cases aggressively sought to prevent
the betterment of cotton baling.
They have refused in times past to
give a better rate for properly COM
pressed cotton than for badly baled
cotton, though they could carry far
more of the better compressed bales
to a car than they could of the pres
ent badly baled cotton. Many years
ago, when the round bale was being
introduced, the entire cotton-hand-
ling system of the South could have
been changed if the railroads had not
aggressively fought against giving
any advantage whatever to the i'm
proved bale as compared with the old
bale. Steamship companies doing the
worlds trade were willing to give
better freight rates, but the railroads
in the South, owned and controlled in
New York, we're not as ready to help
better baling of cotton in the South
as were the steamship companies
which were owned in England. More
over, this banking house is probably
Ignorant of the fact that a large pro-
portion of the big cotton congresses
in the South were owned Of con-
trolled, directly or Indirectly, by New
York cotton firms who had such a
power in the cotton trade that they
Joined in the campaign against bet
ter baling. and through their fnan-