davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Full Tale OF
Vandalism Not Yet Told

Leaving this cotton growers
menace and returning to after war
problems, one must keep in mind
that the full tale of Teutonic vandal-
ism has not yet been told. Enough,
though, is known to battle concep-
tlon. Industrial destruction to the
worth of billions of dollars has been
deliberately done with -blooded
wantonness in the regions occupied
by the Germans in France, Poland
and Belgium alone, not counting
their Balkan depredations.
Even as late as August 22 last
year Ludendorff issued an order for
the earring away of Jacquard loom
weaving cards. These cards if not
returned will enable the Germans to
at once produce the wonderfully in
trlcate, valuable and beautiful de-
signs of the fabrics heretofore woven
in French and Belgium factories.
France and Belgium would be left
paralyzed for many a year in a
branch Of the textile industry in
which they have spent tens of years
of toll and skill to perfect. Thev
would also find Germany competing
with them in these special fabrics
in the worlds markets.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Monopoly Planned
In Germany

1t appears to be the intention of
the present German government ta
have all German manufacturing ac-
tivitles function under monopolistic
control during the transition or re-
construction period. Her peacs
army for the reconstruction year tc
come is already modified. Her spe-
cialists have been at work since lass
September, when 287 of them werS
officially set to the task Of studyinS
every phase Of international indus
try and commerce. Let them labor
as they will, Germany ought not tc
be permitted to keep the stolen
machinery at work in German fac
tories. They would be operated on
information these advance agents Of
a new propaganda turn in. The
Teuton must be put back of the
scratch in the peace e-time handicap
for world trade.
AS far as cotton is concerned, we
in America hold the master hand. al
belt Southern Senator'S and Con-
gressmen would seemingly throw
our ace of trumps into the discard
Those of them from the cotton-grow-
ing states have cabled President VIII
son urging him not only to take ac-
ton toward lifting the embargo on
cotton to neutral countries situated
next door to Germany, but TO make
the date when American cotton can
be shipped to Germanys fellow
machinery thief, Austria-Hungary,
as early one as possible.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Theft Of Goods Has
" eakened France

AS the details of restitution and
factory regeneration are being de-
clded, German duplicity will surely
crop out. Forced to make good
their stealing, they will most likely
otter to reverse their own piratical
process and return the equipment
they carried off, little good as such
machinery would be to it's former
owners after being knocked down"
and set up twice. Failing this, they
Will probably offer to replace the
fllched equipment with German made
machinery, the idea being that when
once the factories of those thew
have put through a super course of
frightfulness are thus filled with
machinery made in Germany that
very fact would compel France.
Belgium and Poland to come to
them in future years for all the
repairs and renewals required. This
course of continued buying from
the ravisher would be almost COM
pulsory if the disorganization and
costly Inconvenience always accom-
panylng a mixed machinery equip
ment are to be avoided.
If what the devastated plants
need cannot be obtained from tha;r
own wrecked foundries and ma
chine shops, it should be supplied
by those Of their Allies, who, after
all, can produce many times az
much OF the reconstruction necessi-
ties as all the shops of Germany
combined. Their products, too. in
design and workmanship are in the
main much superior to the German
output.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Where the Boil
WeeuiI Rauishes

No survey of the cotton growing
industry, especially from the Amer
lean viewpoint, would be conpre-
henslve unless it embodied at least
a brief summary of the ravages of
the pest known as the Mexican boil
weevil.
The devastations of the insect
have cost the Southern planter
countless millions of dollars since
its presence was first recognized and
tabulated by the authorities.
The pest is generally said to have
first appeared in the United States
near Brownsville, Tex, on the Rio
Grande River in 1892, but Dana
mentions it as pest (which cannot
be very injurious" in his book, Cot
ton-From Seed to Loom," published
in 1878.
AT all events, by the year 1901 it
had spread north from Brownsville
five hundred miles, until during 1909
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Taking another Trade
From The Teutons

There is another branch of the
trade which the war has cut off from
the Teuton for good. Before the
war England sent annually to Ger
many vast quantities of such fab
TICS as fine sateens, percales, organ
dies, etc, in the gray to be dyed,
printed or otherwise finished. Eng
land has now developed these proc
esses so that her present output is
sald to be superior in quality to anv
that had heretofore come out of the
German finishing establishments.
Nor should it be overlooked that
Italy and France have made equal
progress in doing their own finish
ing of cotton goods.
1t IS, OF course, known that the
Central Empires have been starved
TOR cotton for long while, and even
though spurred on by dire neces-
slty they have exercised all their
ingenuity to substitute other mate
rlals, their cotton manufacturing
industry faces a dismal future. One
example of their predicament will
suffice. Under the raw materials
section of the War Department in
Berlin there were last year no less
than $4,000 persons employed in
collecting cultivated nettles in all
larts OF the country. The crop thew
gathered was used in something
over one hundred nettle fibre textile
factories, where the decorticatcd
flbre was spun and woven into cloth.
SO much for substitution.
On the other hand, unsettled in
ternal conditions in Germany NAV
cause us to delude ourselves into q
belief that industrial rejuvenation
VIII be neglected. The probabilities
he all the other way. The brains
OF the many gigantic "Kartels" are
constantly working even more vip-
orously than ever before and with
greater guile.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
SPindles Increase
~ Per Cent i'm Decade

The number Of cotton spinning
spindles in the world increased
nearly 20 per cent during the last
decade. 1t is also a fact which
ought to be kept before the inter
national industrial community that
IN the period of economic recon
struction cotton will be the raw ma
terlal of leading Importance. TAX
ing the last full year before the
war, the industry throughout the
world operated 148,89O,000 spin-
dies which used 22,666,OOO bales Of
all kinds of cotton.
OF this total the Allies had 49,
470,0o0 spindles, or 1915 per cent.
These used 16,976,O00 actual bales
or 1915 per cent Of the worlds pro-
duction Of cotton.
The Central Empires operated
5,243,000 spindles, or 1913 Der
cent. These consumed 2,914,00O
bales Of cotton, equal to 12 per
cent, while Russia had 9.224.oO0
spindles, beng 6.2 per cent, and
they consumed 1,750,000 bales, or
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
The Mounting Demand
For Cotton Products

Before leaving this brief survey OF
world production it is interesting to
note that over considerable num-
Der OF years the worlds consumption
OF cotton increased at the rate of an
proximately 100000 bales per an
mum. This requires an annual cx-
tension of the worlds cotton grow
ing acreage, calculated on the basis
OF the average production an acre in
America, of at least 500 900 acres
ana the labor of some 10000 addi-
tlonal cotton pickers during the sea-
son. And unless this army of work
ers can be recruited every year the
cotton manufacturing industry will
one day face serious SHORTAGE Of
raw material, unless a practical me-
chanlcal cotton picker is perfected
10 understand this part of the
cotton question it is necessary to
point out to the non-tecbn;c.l
reader that throughout the cotton
manufacturing industry the "spin-
de is taken as the unit of meas
urement.
Broadly speaking, the less ouan-
tity of cotton used per spindle in
a given time the finer the quality
and more valuable the product is
per pound.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06

From the foregoing figures it is
clear that even before the war, ex-
cept for few hundred bales grown
in Bulgaria, Germany obtained only
13,S47 bales of cotton from territory
she could by any stretch of the
imagination be said to control-viz.
1926 bales from her own West
African possessions and S,219 bales
from Turkey. The total annual crop
of Turkey and Bulgaria combined
does not exceed $4,000 bales. This
shows that the future of the German
cotton canufacturing industry is at
the mercy of her conquerors.
Then, too, German export trade
III cotton manufactures before the
war was a considerable and growing
one. For example, in 1912, lust
prior to the enactment of the pres
ent American tariff law, Germany
exported cotton manufactures val
ued at $130,510,00O. This repre-
sented 6,649, 1000 kilos O4,627,Ooo
pounds) of cotton cloth, ETC., besides
the relatively small amount of cot
ton yarn and ready made cotton
clothing were sold abroad.
1t is also significant that during
the three previous years German
exports of this kind of merchandise
had increased in value by $32,ooO,-
coo, while during similar period
the United States exports of the
same sort increased by only s19,-
100000.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Cotton as
COntrub0rld

1T will be useful here to go back
to those early days of the war when
cotton was first declared contraband,
but before the Entente Allies took to
ratloning the supply of cotton to the
neutral countries contiguous to Ger
many. At that time these ncutrals
were found to be importing quaint
ties far in excess of th( utmost
capacity of their spinning mills to
use. Consider Holland, which ordi
narily uses about $1,000 bales of
every kind of cotton a year. During
the twelve months season, 1914-15,
she imported American cotton to the
tune of 521,O 900 bales, or 1900 per
cent more than usual Next take
Norway, whose prc-war annual re-
qulrements were only II, 900 bales of
every growth of cotton, but her
l9l4-l5 imports of American
reached $4,000 bales, equal to 336
per cent more than her average. Next
to Holland, however, Sweden was the
great feeder Of cOntraband raw cot
ton to Germany. Her yearly needs
approximated only $4,000 bales of
every kind, but she found it profit
able to take from the United States
during 191415 no less than POT 0O0
bales, or a $50 per cent increase. In
addition to these she imported 81
ooo bales of Egyptian cotton, which
were equal in weight to nearly d.
500 standard 5OO-pound American
bales.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
The Var Career
OF the Great Staple

Before coming to the eXamina-
ton of future probabilities in the
world raw cotton situation, it may
be said in passing that the consump-
ton Of cotton in the manufacture
OF explosives was one of the sur
prises of the war. Every shot fired
by fifteen-inch gun used up "a
whole seasons crop from two and
a half acres of an average South
ern cotton plantation. 1t was also
estimated in 1915, before Great
Britain had anywhere near gotten
into her stride as a producer of
explosives, that the British armies
were shooting away cotton at the
rate of more than 100000 bales
a year. About that time the Ger
mans started taking from their
prisoners detention camps such ar
ticles as cotton sheets, pillow cases
and bed coverings generally for
use in explosive production.
When it was discovered that the
Teuton was doing this sort of thing
a French official request was issued,
asking that cotton and cotton cloth
be not used to protect articles
packed in parcels sent to French
prisoners in Germany, but that pa
per only be used for the purpose.
About the same time the state
ment was made that single one of
the twenty or so du Pont powder
plants was using cotton at the rate
of 1900 bales day.
Add to this one great war use the
vast quantities required in the other
things that 90 to complete the equip
nent Of a modern fighting force
array and navy--such as denims,
duck, hospital supplies, sandbags,
bedding, tents, tires, etc, and one be-
gins TO get faint idea of what cot
ton means in war.
An example ~ this is found in
The fact that G rmany and her al
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
World Cotton
Production

The sources Of supply are always
important. They must be taken into
account when the future is being
considered. This is we'll shown by
the fact that when the Teutons
threw the bomb of war in Europe
the world was just about completing
the harvesting of a crop Of some 29,-
$4,000 actual" bales of cotton.
1t is likewise important to note that
of this number of bales the United
States and her allies produced no
less than 25,912,000 bales, or S8h
per cent Of the total. Russia, then
ono of the Allies, during that season
grew 1,247,0 900 bales, or AZ per cent
of the worlds crop, while the re-
naming IA per cent was grown in
neutral countries, except for neg
llglble 100000 bales or so grown in
Turkish territory and the then Ger
man colonies.
Pre-War raw cotton production in
Allied countries and available for
European and American factory use
was obtained from:
United States, 14,61O,O00 bales.
British India, 5,9S7,OOO bales.
Egypt, 100000 bales.
Something less than 100000 bales
came from other parts of Africa and
scattered British colonies. The cot
ton grown in Indian and China.
which does not reach the worlds
commercial markets, is picked, spun
and woven in the homes of the na-
tlves on hand spinning wheels and
hand operated looms of the crudest
construction. Reliable figures never
have been available, but widely vary
ing estimates of the cotton consumed
by this Oriental house industry
would, if averaged, approximate
some 4, 4,350,000 bales of light weight.
Including these in the total brings
the world production of actual bales
to 33,65O,OO0.
There will no doubt be a notable
increase in the quantity Of cotton
grown, particularly in the United
States, when the necessity for food
production is less paramount and the
labor shortage due to war has been
overcome.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
american Trade Ready
FOR Strenuous Times


The American cotton trade is a,
least being forehanded in it's prep
artlon for the strenuous times to
come. Plans for a world cotton
conference have already been taken
up with a view to arriving at def
mite conclusions as to the future
conduct of the business in every
part of the world.
t Is proposed by the National
Association of Cotton Manufact-
urers to form a committee on ar
rangements, which will in turn ap-
ooint a body to visit Great Britain
and other European countries. The
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Plans to Get
Back Into Market

And cotton is not by any means
being overlooked. 1t is not to he
doubted that in some roundabout
way The German Cotton Import
Company is being groomed for ag-
eresslve work as soon as the op
FORTUNE time arrives. This organi-
zatlon was incorporated in 1915 with
a capital of $1,O00,OOO. 1t had as
financial hackers the four LARGEST
banking combinations in GERMANY
The company likewise had the active
support of the Bremen Cotton Ex-
change and the cooperation of the
German and Austro HUNGARIAN
Master Cotton Spinners' Federations
Since the overthrow of the Kaiser
the German authorities have not
been asleep to their industrial fut-
ure.
News of such activities is not the
sort of reading the man in the street
looks for in his newspaper. Hence
little space is given to it by the dailv
press, although it is likely to affect
his future wellbeing much more se-
rlously than the greater part of the
things he reads about. AS, for in
stance, the word that reached Wash
lngton about the end of last year in
report entitled "views on Demobili-
zation Of German War Industry"
This report was dated September ID.
1918. 1t is the result of investiga-
tions of German official industrial
and financial leaders. 1t may there
fore be accepted as correctly setting
forth one of the plans the Hun has
made for the resumption of peace
time production and foreign trade
aggression.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Proposed Uitinsatunt
To the Germans

On the other hand, America and
the nations associated with her can
now say to Germany: Replace OF.
pay in full for all the textile
machinery you purloined from the
countries you invaded. Rebuild and
put in proper working order all the
buildings and equipment you have
wantonly destroyed. Until you have
done this, or until you have given
satisfactory guarantees that it will
be done eXpeditiously, not a bale of
cotton shall reach your own facto-
ries." The Allies can do this. 1t
would be a most powerful weapon to
compel complete and rapid restora-
tion.
Then, again, the monopoly of key
industries which Germany labored
so hard to build up and enjoyed for
so long has been taken away from
her. And, although an economic
boycott may not be as powerful
weapon in the industrial warfare to
come, as the supremacy in econom-
lcal quantity and quality production
the Allies have attained under the
spur of the exigencies of war, it
should occupy an important place in
the peace conference.
At the same time speeded-up out
put must be sustained if our own
industrial independence and COM
petitive efficiency are to be main
tained. Diplomatic decisions will
not insure industrial supremacy.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Cotton a Necessity
In Ciuiiized Life

With the single exception of
foodstuffs, no other product of the
soil is SO necessary to civilized hu-
man existence. Its use in the
everyday life of mankind may be
measured by the fact that year
or two before the war, taking into
account the commodities handled in
international trade, exports and i'm
ports from all countries, cotton
ranked first with value of $1,127,-
100000, wheat coming second, with
a value of $774,O00,OO0.
In the South, the erstwhile land
of lone CROP" king Cotton" is
the family name for the fibre.
How it came by this regal name
is not generally known. 1t was ip
1853, on the floor of the United
States Senate, that "king Cotton"
was first applied to the tleecy sta
pie, but in those far off days the
South Carolina Senator who coined
the phrase little thought that cot
ton and its by-product, cottonseed,
and the oil pressed out of it, would
produce nearly 100000 for
thesAmerican planter in one season.
That was in round numbers the
value reached during the year end
ing July 81, 1918.
The natural characteristics of
tibre are unique among textiles
iihres. To illustrate this it is in
teresting to note that cotton has a
marked and valuable physical feat
ure, in that it will keep indefinitely,
without appreciable deterioration
in quality.
a bale grown in 1850 was sold
in New York in 1897, and on be-
ing put into use was found to pos
sess just as good working qualities
as newly grown cotton.
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Fatherland Will Starve From
Lack of Cotton Unless Allies
Lift Embargo or Let Her
Dominate Russia and Turkey

1t was estimated to have destroyed
cotton to the value of $15,000,000.
The infested area spread to such an
extent that in the following season
100000 bales were destroyed, repre-
senting value of S22,O0O,OO0.
What the ultimate outcome will be
no man can predict. The infested
area in 1917 covered more than
4SS,OO0 square miles. This repre-
sents nearly 55 per cent of the cot
ton belt. Great efforts are being
made to curtail its ravages and to
check its spread.
The Department of Agriculture
has been and is still making ex-
tensive Investigations to discover, if
possible, the best means for its de-
struction, or at least some method
of minimizing the damage caused.
SO far, however, no plan has been
discovered which promises its GER
tain destruction.
News of the latest efforts to be
made to eradicate the menace to the
trade comes from Washington. 1t is
to the effect that the Department of
Agriculture will shortly begin a
series of experiments in which a
powerful gas will be utilized. This
gas is said to have been used by
the American army in the war and
to be byproduct of Southern pine.
Will the boil weevil in the end
force the transfer of the throne of
king Cotton" from the United
States to some other country? Who
can DrOpheSV?
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Germany Before War
Great Exporter of Cotton

Takings Of all growths of cotton
by the 67,22s,ooO spindles working
in the mills of the British Empire in
1914 totalled 5,972,0Oo actual bales.
In the eight other Allied countries
in which cotton is manufactured
under the factory system $4,000 900
splndles consumed 1866, 900 bales.
During 1913 Germany, according
to her last available "Statistical
Year Book" imported over 1000, 900
paies OF cotton, measured by her
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Room, for



Nevertheless, huge as America S
cotton growing industry is to-day,
there is room for it to expand and
keep pace with increasing human
needs for centuries to come, pro
vided always that ample labor will
be obtainable for the picking season,
or, as already pointed out, that me-
chanlcal ingenuity will one day in
vent a practical and cheap cotton
picking machine.
In connection with the labor sup
ply for cotton growing it is impor-
tant to remember that the American
cotton growing belt absorbed prac-
tlcally none of the immigrants which
IN pre-war times reached this coun-
try. The section Of the United
States known as the "Cotton Belt"
is of Continental dimensions. 1t
covers some 100000 square miles.
Less than one-fifth Of the land is in
cultivation and only one-third of
that area is growing cotton.
The area of the cotton growing
territory is almost equal to the COM
bined territories of Austria-H Hun
gary, France, Prussia, Great Brit
ain and Ireland, Italy, Portugal,
Holland and Belgium, while the
acreage actually planted in cotton
covers only ground equal to that cov-
cred by England and Wales.
Separating the lint cotton of COM
merce from the seed, to which it ad-
heres most tenaciously, is an in
dustry in itself, and one of no mean
Importance. This operation is
known as ginning" In 1914 there
were 27,361 ginning establishments
IN this country. Of these, 25,468
were in active operation and 2,793
were idle. The average number of
bales ginned per active establish
ment in that year was CAT. This was
the highest number for the ten years.
19O5-'14, the average for the period
OF sixteen years 1902-'17, being only
44| bales per cotton season.
AS to the comparative productive
ness of three leading cotton grow
ing countries, the yield in the
United States averages somewhat
less than 200 pounds of lint cotton
to the acre. Egypt's average yield
is not far from 45O pounds, while
India, which shows wider fluctua-
tons, because of weather uncertain
ties, varies from Is to 100 pounds
to the acre.
In a study Of this kind it is essen
tlal to know how the worlds cotton
manufacturing industry is divided.
When war broke out in 1914. snin-
ming spindles were distributed in the
countries of the Allies as under:
New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
'feuton Manufacturers Must Be
Ordered to Return All Stolen
Machinery to France and Bel
gium, Trade Expert Declares

lies had to give up the use of pneu-
matte tires early in the game. They
were as short of cotton as they we're
of rubber. Another aspect Of prob
able future conditions is that the
future of cotton, especially as a
weapon in peace bargaining, cannot
be reasonably considered from the
viewpoint Of its behavior since 1914
We must examine the situation as it
was during the season ending in that
year before any even near accurate
conclusions as to future probabilities
can be drawn.