Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-08-26
co.t of !. Pound of COTTON.

The Record receives two or three
times a week, with great regularity
a. batch of publicity stuff from j.
.Skottowe" Wanamaker, the president
of the American Cotton Association,
located at Columbia The chief char
acteristic of this stuff Is the amount
of exaggerated statements 1t con-
tains. The one in the Monday con-
signment contained the statement
that 1t cost a fraction over 81 cents
a pound to raise lint cotton. That
was so manifestly untrue that 1t got
into our waste basket rather than
into The Record. If it>really did cost
81 cents a pound to raise cotton, ev-
ry farmer in the south would nave
been bankrupt long ago. Certainly no
one will believe such rot as that. A
cotton planter has recently told us
that he could make good" money with
,otton at Is cents. How could he do
s,lat # it cost 81 cents a pound to
raise it?
We suppose the purpose Of this as
sociation is to help the cotton piant-
ers. Sending out exaggerated state
ments is not going to help much--in-
.cea, il will very likely have reac-
tionary effect by discrediting the or
ganization which fathers such exag-
Eerations.
we do not know the extent Of the
.office force" of that organization at
Columbia. 1t is certain, however, that
the Hon. "Skottowe" Is a voluminous
writer, and evidently earns his salary.
lie hardly works for nothing. Yet ne
is asking the newspapers Of South
Carolina to spread his publicity mat
ter free of all charge. We wonder
who gets the money that the associa-
ha N
paw into the treasury Of that organi-
:.ation? We believe the planters are
being asked to pay % cents bale
for every bale they raise as fee for
being members. With South Caro-
lina's crop this year over million
bales, this would give the treasury OF
that said organization between two
and three hundred thousand dollars
a pretty hefty sum.
Do YOU think the newspapers get
any of this? Not so that you could
notice it. Not word has been SAID
about paying the newspapers for their
valuable help. Without newspaper
publicity the association would quick
ly die Indeed. it never would have
been born without 1t.
1t looks to us as II 1t was about
time for the Hon. "Skottowe" to real
ize this fact. The waste-basket Is
always very handy by the editors
desk.
Who will get the money?-Rock Hill
Record.
Just what it costs to produce
pound of lint cotton ready for the
spinner we do not know. In some
cases it is more and in some cases it
is less; but averaging for the south
we are inclined to think that Mr..
Wanamaker Is not far wrong when
he fixes the figures at 81 cents
pound.
With the entry of the United States
into the war, when prices were much
lower than they are now, committee
of farmers and manufacturers agreed
that 30 cents a pound was about the
right figure: and If this committee
was anywhere near correct then Il
cents more is not too much on the
present basis of values.
That the Records planter friend
could make good money with cotton at
lis cents" is quite possible; but we are
inclined to think his circumstances
would have to be especially favorable.
He would have to work lands belong
ing to his wife, use borrowed mules
that would be fed by their owner, have
his children do the labor, disperse
with commercial fertilizers, beat the
ginner. secure exemption from taxes OF
all kinds, and have the good luck to
escape hailstorms, damage from in
sects, and other disasters. Under
these conditions, the farmer quoted
might make what he calls a profit at
"1S cents" pound. No doubt he
would figure the whole IS cents as
good money; but we are inclined to
think that somebody else would get
pretty badly hurt in the operation.
just as the south has always been
catching it badly in connection with
cotton production.
AS to what cotton picking is going
to cost this year we do not know
though farmers are anticipating that
they will have to pay anywhere from
81 to 81 If 1t shall be 81 that will
amount to cents a pound off that Is
cents Of good money and If it is only
81 that will amount to 8 cents off.