Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-14
COTTON SP|NNERS
VERY ANXIOUS To
BOOST PRODUCTION
Producers at World Confer
ence in New Orleans Want.
to Know if Manufacturers
viii Boost Price
3Y ROGERS WINTER
q ,I,1ruaPa staff Correspoudeut)

(The journals staff Corresponding
NEW ORLEANS, La, Oct. 1S.-
Will the cotton spinners of the world
assemble here in the worlds confer
ence for the highly important pur-
pose among others of securing an in
creased production of, cotton be will
ing to go on record with a specific
statement of the price they will pay
for next years crop of cotton?
This was one of the leading ques-
lions being asked and discussed
among the delegates, not only today
but throughout Sunday and indeed,
from the time they boarded their
trains en- route to New Orleans. 1t
was a question discussed with spe-
cial interest by members of the cot
ton producing group of the confer
ence, which was quite natural, In
view of the fact that their frs. In
quiry when approached on the SUBJ
| ject of increased production Is,
What will you pay?"
Although the cotton conference up
to Monday noon had not really got
ten under way, owing to the fact hat
Monday mornings program consist
ed of welcome addresses and the US
ual preliminaries. There was al
ready what appeared to be definite
| ly crystaIlized opinion among the
members of the spinning group that
they cannot name a definite figure
which they Will pay for next years
crop.
They do expect, however, to go on
! record with a statement embodylng
in substance the following points:
That the world is today facing the
greatest demand for cotton, in its
history; that the world is facing also
the greatest shortage of cotto" il It's
history, when supply is measured by
demand; that the textile industry is
anxious to supply the worlds need
for cotton, and hence desires the cot
| ton sproducer to exert himself to the
utmost limit of his productive ca
pacity; that the textile industry, fur
thermore, has no desire and no inten-
ton of securing or attempting to Sc
cure this cotton at price less than
cost of production plus reasonable
profit.
The spinners hope and believe the
! producers will accept statement to
this effect upon it's face, as on
straightforward busine Nst
ldealing with another, and will accord
ingly go forward with plans for in
creased production with the assur-
ance that their cotton will bring
good price.
Definite Figure Wanted
whether the producing group Of
the conference will insist upon tile
naming of a definite figure by the
| spinning group remains to be seen.
J. S. Wanamaker, president Of the
| American Cotton association. eX-
presses the opinion that an invita-
ton by the spinners for producers
to increase their cotton production
| will have little weight unless backed
up by definite figures.
This highly important and inter
esting question as to what ways
and means shall be devised for en-
couraging the farmers to produce
| more cotton will be threshed out by
the committee on worlds require
| ments and sterilization Of prices.
1t is significant to note that Mr.
Wannamaker is co-chaiTman of this
committee with John A. Todd, of
London, considered one of the high
est individual authorities in the
world on the subject of cotton. MI.
! Todd was in charge of the handling
of GrGeat Britain's entire supply Of
cotton during the war. He was on
the program for the opening ad
dress of the conference Monday
afternoon, his subject being THE
Worlds Future Requirements Of
Cotton" He and Mr.. Wannamaker
| have held a number of important
conferences of an informal nature
on the question of increasing cot
ton production.
Wannamaker's View
Mr.. Wannamaker, in the principal
address delivered at the meeting of
the growers group declared that re
! CARELESS of how short crop was
raised in the south the demand would
for years exceed the supply. New
fields in South America and the eX-
| ;reme southwestern United States.
! he said could not interfere with the
| demand.
Growers he said, should demand a
| price which would give them prot
it and which would cover the gam
blers' chance" every grower must
take. C01tCn acreage, he said, is not
curtailed fo1 purposes of profiteering
hut beca, sc the grower can make
better profit from crops planted in
| place Of cotton.
John A. Simpson, of Oklahoma was
elected PEI manent chairman of the
| group.
View of Sp1nners
Reducing as nearly as possible to
q definite formula the opinions o.
| the spinners concerning the world
cotton situation and the object o.
the conference assembled in New
Orleans, they may be summed up
as follows:
l. Next to food, humanity's sec
ond greatest need is raiment.
2. Ninety per cent of humanity'S
raiment must be made of cotton.
which goes not only into cotton
cloth but also is used as a sub
stitute for silk wool and linen
yarn.
3. In view of these facts, it is alb
soIutely necessary that the waste O.
cotto shall be eliminated, and that
the production of cotton shall be
! increas ed.
Therefore, the worlds cotton con
ference was called in New Orleans
for the purpose of bringing to
gether the producers of cotton, th9
| ginner of cotton, the crushers OF
| cOttonSeed, the cotton compress
men and warehouse men; the col
ton merchants and the cotton spin
ners, for the purpose of securin"
! If possible, a general alignment o.
interests and a general agreement
OF the basic outlines of a concerted
program to meet world situation
Thus it is that the question O.
paramount interest among all
groups is what sort of a program
will the conference propose for thu
Increasing of cotton production.
Must Eliminate Waste
Second only to this question IS The
closely related question of elimina;-
ing cotton waste. Every one agree
that millions of pounds of cotton are
wasted annually through careless
methods Of picking, ginning, sam