The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-04-07
BRITISH COTTON
EXPERT IN STATE
Prof. j. A. Todd, British Cotton Au-
thority, Arrived at st. Matthews Yes

tHOTlIy, arrived ut 81, uQttncWS les
terday.
Columbia, March 29.-Prof. j. A..
Todd, the British cotton authority and
former secretary Of the Empire Cotton
Growing commission of England, ar
rived at st. Matthew yesterday for a
conference with j. Skottowe Wanna
maker, president Of the American Cot
ton association. He will stay at ST.
Matthews unil Monday or Tuesday and
may visit Columbia.
Professor Todd says that he has re-
signed from the cotton growing as
sociation Of England and that he is
now devoting his entire time to his
business as q consulting economist.
II am keen on cotton" said Pro
fessor Todd, "and want to know all
about the American situation. l have
always been interested in the problems
Of the Southern cotton growers and
am in sympathy with their present eff
forts. The greatest benefit would
come to the cotton industry in Amer
ica through a reform of the present
system Of marketing. The growers
have always been at disadvantage
in this respect, and have for years
been urging the necessity Of a change.
| certainly hope that the movement
this time, through the American Cot
ton association, will be successful"
Professor Todd admitted that the
| British cotton interests were frankly
worried over the tendency toward "A
erica. Our manufacturers" he said,
can do nothing for the present but
wait anXiously for information as to
| the possible size of the next cotton
crop. They have been hoping for and
expecting figures which would point
to production OF at least $4,000 900
bales. have warned them that this
figure was maximum, and from re-
cent information | fear that it may be
much smaller. This lesscned produc-
ton. and the great increase in tho
consumption Of cotton by the American
industries worries us. 1t makes us
wonder where our supply Is coming
from. l believe that the amount Of
cotton which will be used right in this
country is considerably larger than
you anticipate"
| When asked about the activities Of
the Japanese in purchasing large lots
Of cotton machinery in this country,
expected. 81 nc Japanese" he said,
ARE the Scotchmen Of the East They
are on the lookout for every promis-
ing opportunity. They bought our In
dian cotton at high prices when no one
else showed interest in it. They will
undoubtedly become an important fac
tor in the future cotton industry"
The Empire Cotton Growing com
mittee, according to Professor Todd,
Is now we'll organized, after the in
terr,pption OF the war, and it will use
all the means in it's power to bring
about a large cotton production
throughout the British Empire.
"The committee" he explained, will
receive substantial contributions from
the government and the trade The
plan to levy six pence per bale on all
cotton imported into Great Britain
will almost certainly go through
which will furnish $500,000 year to
further the work. This amount, OF
course, is not sufficient to do anything
in the way Of running the plantations
OF actually growing cotton, but it will
be used entirely to pay the expen g
Of administration, education and re-
search. Our only hope toward pro-
duction must come from educational
work among the native agricultural
populations. We must teach them
how to grow cotton, furnish them with
proper seed and prove to them that il
will bc worth while financially. This
will take a great many years and
th re lis no chance OF immediate re-
Lief Even though we increase pro
duction in the regions where cotton
is already grown. the manufactures
could absorb more than the largest in
crease we can possibly expect"
| DriONyu