New-York tribune., 1919-10-15
Good Warehousine
Needed to Prevent
Huge Cotton Loss
Present Methods of Han.
ding Crop Arouse Speak
ers Before Conference.
Held at New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. I4.~-Every
group of persons engaged in the cotton
industry, from the planter to. the
weaver, came in for blame to-day at
the World Cotton Conference here for
damage sustained by cotton in its
progress from the field to the loom.
The planter was blamed by some Of
the speakers, the railroads were held
culpable by others, and spinners. fac
tors and ginners were said by still
others to be responsible for the great
loss suffered by the industry each year
because Of damaged cotton
Governor Beckett of North Carolina
seemed 70 sum up not the individual
oplnlon-~for the various speakers diff
Tered widely-~but the general belief of
the conference when he declared that.
everybody is to blame for damaged
cotton. However, he denounced par
ticularty the. exposure Of baled cotton
20 the weather, saying that such was
deliberate economic crime
Members of the British delegation to
the conference entered into the discus
SION 20 assert that the American bales
were biunders in wrapping and COM
pressing and were the cause Of heavy
losses in shipping.
Co.onel William B. Thompson, presi-
deht OF the conference, was obliged to
leave after he had given an address.
ana Albert Greene Duncan, of Boston,
treasurer Of the Harmony Mills. pre-,
sided. Ex- x-Congressman A. r. Lever.
author OF the cotton futures act. was
one OF the speakers.
Loss Runs Into Millions
r. A. Calvin, one of the speakers,
stated that country damage ranged
trom $4,000 900 to $4,000 600 every
year, and that this year It would prob
ably be about 100000 900 which would
make the loss So on 2 bale, with crop,
or 100000 bales~-enough TO pay for
warehouses all over the South.
Other points brought out by the dis
cusslon we're that much Of the damage
occurs after cotton leaves the farmer.
there Is much among the merchants
ana also at The congresses and gins
1t Is frequently dumped or a lot and it
sometimes lies there for five or six
months. Each man should take nains
to prevent this damage. Farmers con-
tend that they must market their cot
ton gradually and consequently cannot
get it all off their hands immediately.
Many growers spoke on the subject
and asserted that the damage came
from the speculative local buyers
Farmers in Northern Texas said they
sold cotton the day it was ginned.
Need for Warehousing
Colonel Thompson said that ware
housing Of cotton is the crux OF the
whole situation. The crying need for
central warehouses was brought out
L. 7. Chapman, of Southern Ala
bama, a ginner for fifty years. in dis
cussing the loss IN weight, said that
cotton Is bound TO lose, and it should
be made misdemeanor 10 buy it wet.
he discussion ended with the EXPIRES
sion OF the hope that when the commit
tee on warehousing met system would
be evolved eliminating country damage.
Mr.. Lever proposed resolutions for
licensing bonded warehouses 70 be sen.
to the con3mIttee on warehousing with
the purpose OF providing physical pro-
lection for cotton, TO enable producers
to market their cotton gradually. in ac-
cordance with the needs Of spinnets
and to provide means for financing the
crop Through the issuance of uniform
receipts. having an intrisnic value OF
their own and not dependant fer their
value upon the moral hazards and f.
nancial assets of the holder He also
proposed a resolution that the World
Cotton Conference approve heartily
the campaign for the provision Of
adequate warehouse facilities. ROW
being carried on by the farmers unions,
the American Cotton Association, the
United States Department Of Agri-
culture. and various warehousing or
ganlZations