The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-01
COTTON ASSOCIATION
WILL RESULT IN
MUCH GOOD
Concensus of Opinion is II viii
Bring On Wondrous
Change
PRODUCERS DESERVE
MUCH HIGHER PRICES
Short Crop, Small Surplus are
Incentives to Farmers Hold
ing for Future Advance


growing out of war conditions the
demand for cotton is and viii con-
tinue to be the greatest in the history
of the world, the production in the
South this year will be the smallest
in decade, say officials of the
American Cotton Association, after
completing "a survey of world needs
and conditions in the United States.
1t is calculated by the association
experts that fifty-five million bales
or fifteen and one-half pounds for
every human being will be required
each year. Association officials, on
the other hand, point out that the
crop in the South this year will hardly
exceed nine million bales, whereas it
has averaged for several years thir-
teen million bales.
The answer is: "Hold your cot
ton," says Grundy Cooper of Alexan-
dria, vice chairman of the Louisiana
division of the American Cotton As
i sociation. ''The farmer is master of
/ the cotton situation and should hold
for the maximum price as the world
must buy and the spinners are realiz-
ing that they must pay the price. A
very recent survey disclosed that
Great Britain has only two weeks
supply of raw cotton on hand. Cotton
at forty cents pound is the cheapest
raw material being sold in the worlds
markets"
W. B. Thompson, prominent New
Orleans factor and president of the
Louisiana division of the American
Cotton Association, pointed out re-
Gently that never was the time more
ripe or conditions more urgent for an
efficient strong organization of the
planters and the other business in
terests Of this state. 1.-THE American
Cotton Association" said Mr.. Thomp-
son, lis so well founded upon sane
practical business principles that
after the big membership drive the
latter part of November, when / am
confident the people of this state viii
respond in large numbers, we will
have an organization in Louisiana CO.
operating with similar organizations
in every cotton producing state and
assuring such thorough protection to
the cotton interests as viii bring at
last to the planter a price that viii
mean the elimination of child and fe-
male labor on the plantations, the
payment of living wage to the
workers, better homes, better schools,
better roads and better churches and
every factor that will bring the South
into its own and work constantly to-
ward the economic social and moral
upIift of the entire state.
/ ''The American Cotton Association
will continue to push the building CT
warehouses. The South has been los
ing around $4,000, 900 annually on
rotten cotton. The association by Sc
curing the enaction of legislation
such as the recent amendment to the
national banking act, permitting nat
ional banks to lend twenty-five per
cent Of their capital and surplus in
stead of ten per cent as heretofore,
on cotton stored in warehouses and
insured, and by collecting and dis
seminating information as to the
state of trade, has already done tre-
mendous work in the upbuilding of
cotton status in the South. With
farmers, merchants, bankers. manu-
facturers and men of the other pro-
fessions and callings of this state
welded together in great organiza-
ton, with merely nominal dues and
untold results, there is no limit to
what the American Cotton ASCOT
7 alton can accomplish and already the
. spirit shown by our parish ehairmen
: in building up excellent organizations
for the big campaign Of education
and the drive for membership in No
: vember, indicates that Louisiana will
have one of the strongest and most
: effective organizations in the whole
cotton belt, all of which viii surely
3 rebound to the progress and pros
perity of the entire state"