The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1919-10-14
TO MAKEC0Hs0N
AGRlAf BLESSING
Rather Than a urse Theme
of President Wanna
makers Discourse
DEMAND FOR COTTON

New Orleans, Oct. 14.-Declara-l
ton by John A. Todd, professor of
economics and Oxford lecturer, that
further restrictions of Gotten ARE |
ags. in ;he Unre,. States w.uId be
";ioihing sho1: nf a calamit|, aid |
a demand that cotto nconsumers pay |
enough to make cotton as profitable |
as other crops" by j. Skottowe
president of the American Cotton |
Association. featured the second gen
eral sess+o:, here last today of dele-{
gates to the world cotton co-ter-
ence.
Mr.. Todd's declaration was made
in the course of an addres sin which
he presented figures showing future
needs of the world for cotton, past
crops and the present prospects.
THE worlds requirements" said
Mr.. Todd 'are practically unlimited.
Europe and Asia are bare of cotton
goods. The position today is the
same as before the war, only worse.
The world wants more cotton than it
is getting and must have it. The
more financially embarrassed the peo
pie of the world are the more cot
ton they will use. In America, an
| increased acreage is improbable, the
| boil weevil and scarcity of labor are
! serious handicaps. The only solu-
ton here is an increased yield per
acre. The average cotton yield in
the South, to say the least is dis
| creditable. More cotton is wasted
! annually in America than it.. has
, been possible to raise in Africa out
side of Egypt.
Further restriction of cotton
+, acreage in America would be moth
ing short of calamity. There now
| is and always will be a demand for
all the cotton that can be raised any
(, where. There is no need to restrict
the supply, but rather it should be
/ increased.
"Of course, the first necessity is to
assure the planter a reasonably re.
munerative price. Despite the grea
increase in the cost of cotton today
: it is still one of the cheapest pro.
ducts, it has not increased in pro
portion to other commodities"
Mr.. Wannamaker prefaced his ad
dress with the declaration that cot
ton has been a curse to the South
ern states. eff it had not been fo1
the raising of cotton in the SoutI
this section would have been thickl,
settled with whites and there woult
not be the great percentage of il
literates in the rural communities
l Cotton brought slavery, resulting il
the War Between the States, follow
> ed by the terrible days of recon
struction, bankruptcy and poverty
Cotton has enriched every Ian
Z where it has been used commercial
ly, it has blessed mankind every
| where the sun shines but in the Sout
y it has been curse Cotton is VIII
there are white women and littl
children working in the fields.
There won't be an increased acr,
age of cotton until a price is pal
for the product which will justify
:. being raised by well-paid man labo
i 1t must be a price which will brin
our Southern negroes back to til
. cotton lelds. The price must enab
the 'one horse farmer to make mol
than a bare living. The men return
ing from the war, white and blacI
do not have any intention of goir
. to the cotton fields again; they kno
better.
j. But if this conference adjourn
er without taking steps to increase tt
en- yield per acre it is lodging the i
IL sue. There will not be any i
ry creased acreage but there must
it. an increased yield and the pri
Id must take care of the gambler
ed chance the grower has to take.''
A situation which threatened
en- result in an embarrassing clim
It's developed shortly after Mr.. Wann
in maker concluded his address. Jo
at A. Simpson, Weatherford, Oklahon
Continued on page Six)