Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-07-23
AMERICAN COTTON ASSOCIATION
Hot After "World Cotton Con-
ference" to be Held in October.

Columbia, July lG.--ln connection
with the call for the meeting Of the
board Of directors of the American
Cotton Association to meet ut At
lanta July % and 2i. says Il state
ment by the American Cotton AS
SOciation, ii would appear that the
American Cotton Association is
preparing to declare war to the knife
on the world cotton conference to be
held in New Orleans in October. In
a statement issued from the Office Of
the American Cotton Association in
this city to-day it is stated that the
association is anxious to know how
the interests Of the Southern cotton
producer are to be served by the con-
ference.
''Thcrc are several obvious rea-
sons for this desire for information
on our part concerning this particu-
lar c0nfcrcncc,' says the statement
These reasons are stated explicitly
in an important resolution passed
by the executive committee OF the
American Cotton Association at it's
recent meeting at New Orleans.
''rhis world cotton conference is
being given vast publicity. which
must be highly expensive. since it
is apparently being handled by we'll
organized publicity bureaus Yet
the objects Of the conference have
never been clearly stated so as to
satisfy the curiosity Of the cotton
producers.
'Onc fact that must be considered
in connection with other facts is
that the world cotton conference is
being called by certain prominent
officials Of the New England Manu-
facturers' Association. The signifi-
cance Of this origin OF the call for
the conference becomes evident when
one bears in mind that one Of these
prominent officials OF the manufac-
turcrs' association published widely
In the press in April statement en-
dorsing the estimate OF Il Northern
concern that tho cost OF production
OF the 1917 cotton crop was 0nly
lips cents per pound. and declaring
that the assertion that the cost OF
the present crop would be anything
approaching 80 cents a pound was
ridiculous. He also declared in the
statement that the farmers were ex-
aggerating the cost OF production OF
cotton that they might escape pay
ment OF portion OF their share OF
the income tax. Detailed replies
were issued to this statement demon
strating the injustice OF the state
ment. yet no rctraction was ever
published by this official OF the New
England Manufacturers Association.
"but.' the statement continues.
there is still further reason WHY
the American Cotton Association
asks to be shown the relation Of the
proposed world cotton conference TO
the interests Of the producer Of cot
ton. This reason is the well es,ab
llShcd fact that the price Of cotton
mas always been fought by bear ma
hipuiatorS and New England and
EnEllSh manufacturers. no mn,,nr
VOW low che price might already be
Even when the price was - cents
efforts were made by these interests
10 d"pr"$S ii Still further.
'Naturally. therefore. the Sou,n-
crn cotton grower must Scru,inizo
very carefully every proposal nh,
forth by the officials OF the New Eng
land Manufacturers ASsoci,,inn
Ihrrc is no visible reason for SIM.
posing that the officials who. in
April, accused the cotton interests
OF the South of falSiiying in regard
- the cost Of production of cotton
in order to escape a portion OF their
income tax and to reap an enormous
profit by falsch0od has now changed
his attitude towards the interests he
thus attacked. The milling interests
which have rcapcd enormous profits
because Of war conditions. are not
the source from which the Southern
cotton growers are to expect Il fair
price and fair share Of the profits
in cotton"