The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-26
Cotton Seed Conference.
EDITOR Daily Item.

of the conference in washington, 18th
2Gth 1t developed that hog lard has
been exhausted, the price having
gone back to % cents with packers
asking not to allocate them any more |
foreign orders. That since the call
ing of the conference % million
pounds of cotton oil products have
been allocated to reiners for export. |
That as a result one refiner has
bought 13 tanks Of oil in this State
since Saturday and expects to buy IA
more this week. And others are buy
ing. Mr.. FitzSimmons explained the
toll plan of the Southern Cotton Oil
Company. When asked why his corn
pany proposed it he replied because
they did not care to take any further
risk Of the maintenance OF StaEnilZa-
ton. But he was sure the farmers
need not fear the breakdown, because
of his confidence in Mr. Hoover anu
his assurances that Europe needs all
the fats we can produce. He stated
that his fourteen mills had less than
1000 tons of seed, a 1-2 days crush.
That he could store 10000 tons o1
seed alone in his Columbia mills
that he had the command of money
and the physical plants to handle
seed, but that his people would close
down rather than buy seed. Yet ms
company was willing to crush the
farmers seed without profit just 20 re-
lieve the farmers. He was advised to
impress upon his superiors that with
the showing made we expected ms
company back in the market until
the seed are all crushed. In justice
to his company it must not be over
; looked that they have bought more
seed in this State than last year, yet
there are on Mr.. FitzSimnons' care
ful inquiry still 10000 tons Of seed
in the hands of farmers and dealers
who have always been customers OF
his. This was really the most inter
esting development Of the meeting.
Other mills stated that they were
full up either with seed or oil or
! both, but would buy seed just as 1ast
as they could sell oil to make room
for more oil. 1t is very signlhcanl
fact that all the mills Of the State are
opposed to the plan suggested by the
Southern. Nor was it favored py
the State and national food admins
ira ation. nor by the farmers-al be-
lieving it would break down staoll-
;zation. The very arguments put up
by Mr.. FitzSimmons for It's accept
ance by the farmers were even more
strong, as was clearly brought out IN
the discussion, for the Southern 70
get back into the market, and finish
up the the crush of this years seed
7 believe it will do so. year ago
on the showing made by the South
ern, the food administration wou.1
simply have said: You will keep IN
the market, and run your mills until
the seed are all crushed OR your IL
cense will be revoked. Now the fooc
administration has not the authority
to say that, nor to enforce any such
order. And this is another unfor-
tunate result Of the attempt OF the
government to regulate prices.
1t was put up to Mr. FitzSimmons
yesterday very strongly by far142 Ell
representatives that the Southern
was a party to all the stabilizatioi
program, and that it could not in
good morals say You must accep;
the toll plan we submit or we Will
close down, and we do not care
whether you accept or not. Speaking
from the standpoint Of cruSher !
would rather close down. These
were Mr.. FitzSimmons exact words
From many expressions that l heard
of the uniform fair dealing OF the
Southern, / do not believe they Will
do any such thing. Mr.. FitzSimmons
stated that the outlook now is much
brighter than when they formulated
their toll plan.
In the first days discussions when
Mr.. Cash Of the American Cotton Oi:
Company, and Of the Union Seed and
Fertilizer Company was opposing a
resolution to require refners to buy
crude oil on ALLEGATION Of export or
ders, and to require mills to buy seed
when crude oil was sold, asked
him this qeStion: do you want the
oil to refine and do you want the seed
to crush? 2" He said Yes Then
replied You must get busy now and
buy the seed for they are being put
into the SOIL He stated I'VE are
buying seed. We have been buying
all along. And We will continue to
buy seed. but wee do not like any
thing that looks like coercion.
The representative Of the Empire
Seed and Fertilizer Company Of At
lanta did not catch his name,
said his mills got out Of the market
in December, got back in again. got
out, and in again and that was the
way mills always did, and he had nc
doubt the Southern worked the same
way and would be in the market
again.
Mr.. Butterworth, another refner,
stated that for some time he had not
sold any lard compound to Washing
ton bakers on account Of low price Of
| hog lard But that on the day before
he sold them 10000 pounds for i'm
mediate delivery.
The refners have more unsold Oil
than usual, and are carrying the
greater burden according to the sta
tistics Of the entire trade, but they
are the most optimistic people in the