The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-12-12
COTTON YIELD
nine MILLION
Cotton Association
Estimate Indicates Crop Is
Far Too Small
GINNING WELL ADVANCED
Big Acreage Was Abandoned
Because of Shortage of Labor
and Condition Remains

Columbia Dec. III. Skottowe
Wannamaker, president of the Ameri-
can Cotton Association, today issued
a statement in which he says the in
dicated yield from the present crop
will be 9.667.oo0 bales. When this is
added the cotton brought over in the
seed from last year, cotton from sam
pies understood bales and city
10000, exclusive of nnters. The fol-
lowing is the crop estimate. supple
mented by a discussion of the labor
situation and the cost of production.
THE cotton crop has lWen cornered
+! by natural forces. The crop is far too
small for the worlds requirements.
Our Investigations, both at home and
abroad, show that it will require an
American crop of 100000 bales from
the present crop to anything like meet
the absolutely pressing demand for
raw cotton. The manufacturer could
pay for higher prices for raw material
without increasing the price of the
| manufacture product and Still make
la handsome profit The southern cot
| tor producer. has the cotton consum-
/ ing world absolutely at his feet for
the first time in the history of the
trade. There is such colossal world
wide demand for goods and such an
inadequate eupply of raw cotton. and
the market is enormously oversold in
both long and short staple cotton,
that it will be absolutely and en-
tirely impossible to fill those commit
| ms ard Of fha r-ic of
for the raw material. A similar con-
dition has never existed in the cot
ton industry. The enormous profits
being made by spinners and manu-
facturerS. the tremendous number of
orders clamoring for execution, both
la. home and overseas will add to the
lacuteness of the situation. Far higher
prices under these conditions are an
| inevitable certainty. The supply of
good grade cotton Is unthinkab1y
| short and is bound to force an enor-
nous premium for good grade cot
ton and to raise the price far higher
for off grade.
Investigations into the remotest
rural districts of the cotton belt brings
to light the fact that ginning of the
tyrowlng crop is more nearly COM
pleted than at the same time at any
period in the industry. There was an
tenormous amount of good cotton
drought over from 1918, which will be
ladded to the indicated yield of the
present crop. The indicated yield
from The growing crop we find to be
iS.e67,0o0. To this must be added
joofrcn bro light over in the seed from
isis, cotton from samples understood
lbales and city crop bales, exclusive
Let linters.
Labor :oc..S. is more acute than
ii, was in "a, ling -. 1919. aot It
l.. as necessa. V In ebaEdon an enor n ouS
amount of aGr2rge to- this reason, 90
that there is no epos sibility un1eI
present conditions, to cultivate an
acreage for the coming year. even as
large as the acreage planted for this
year. On account of adverse seasons
there will be an enormous scarcity
of planting seed throughout the
western belt.
while the present crop has been
the most costly ever produced, 1920
win show a far higher cost A sys-
tematic campaign is now on through
cut the length and breadth of the
cotton belt which is meeting with
ready response for the producer to buy
October cotton in New York at pres
ent prices. which are far below the cost
ot production. and planting his land
in food and feed crops. which can be
produced with less labor This in
itself will make enormous reduc-
tion in yield for 1920 and increase the
demand. As a result of the campaign
conducted in every section of the cot
ten belt there is absolutely no such
| thing as invisible cotton existing to-
day The previous demands have
added this source to draw from. Un-
der these conditions with a demand
II far in excess of the supply. with a
| natural corner in the cotton crop. the
, price of the manufactured product.
f far higher prices should prevail for
, raw cotton and such higher Prices are
absolutely certain under these condi-
: tions-
. The producer. being thoroughly
, organized through the American
iCotton Association. absolutely con
!. trolls the raw cotton. 1t will be nec-
!. iessary TO pay him fair profit, based
upon supply and demand. the cost OF
: production and the price being paid
for the manufactured product