The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-02-25
More Letters on the
Tobacco Situation

>oiPtiiieo louil ouI CnaC tney would
run short on certain grades. l say
IN this way the price would be ad-
Vanced simply because the law of SUP
ply and demand govern prices of all
necessary commodities. You will par
don, little depression here, Mr..
Sprott. | want to prove my state
ment; | want you to tell me why cot
ton sold for twenty-four, five, and six
cents, in September, five and six cents
IN September last year and later went
to thirty, thirty-tive and finally forty
cents; and Mr.. Sprott, l would like for
you to state for the benefit of farmers
why you paid us $50 for cotton seed
at that time and now that the seed is
almost gone you have raised the price
to $50, or $40 per ton more?
am only an agent as you put, it,
or tobacco WarehOusman acting for
the farmers and protecting their inter
est to the best of my ability when
they place tobacco with me for sale.
1t is not the function of the tobacco
warehouseman to buy tobacco, but his
work is to stand between the farmer
and the buyer, as l have already
stated, and get all the price he posi-
bly, can and it certainly behooves him
10 do this from every standpoint. His
commission is based upon what he
realizes for his client. Now, Mr..
Sprott, you doubtless are member
Of the Cotton Seed Crushers Associa-
ton and when you hold your confer
ences please remember we poor farm
ers here in Clarendon County and try
and be as liberal as you can And
now, my dear Mr.. Sprott, once again
please look well after our interest
when your fertilizer association con-
vencs at some water or mountain re-
sort. When you discuss prices, re-
member the boys of your boyhood
days that are still toling hard on the
farm to make ends meet and also re-
member your good friend, r. d. Goth
ran, that has cast his lot among your
native people. Please leave the prices
so we can at least get the crumbs.
Now, Mr.. Sprott, | will not write
much moro this time. | want to set
you straight about the stocks of to-
bacco that were Dou1,lt by tubacce
warchuscmcn during the wet spell,
as you put it. Why these stocks are
brought every year, Mr.. Sprott. This
scrappy stuff that you mention as be-
ing handled with Il pitchfork, | will
also tell you that this is the way the
same grade is handled in Virginia and
North Carolina. | wish also to state
that this particular kind of stuff did
not bring any more with me in Vir-
glnia this past season than did the
same grade here. 1t is true that the
farmers tie up more of their sorry
tobacco there than they do here. Mr..
Sprott, you said we bought this for
an average of say cents and sold it
for huge profits. | do not know but
very few warehousemcn that realized
any good money. for their stocks.
Most of them sold early and at price
around 6 cents. I could have sold for
this at one time and would have been
much better off if had We buy this
tobacco at our own price largely and
especially the wet grades, and we then
take chance on drying it or losing
1t. We do not ship this tobacco to
North Carolina or Virginia for a re
sale. We wait and get some export
company to come to our places of
business and buy it. SO this explains
the huge profit feature and does away
with the North Carolina or Virginia
resale business.
All the tobacco that was BOUGHT on
oar market this past season was
bought on order, so far as I have
!"arned, but few hundred bought bv
."essrs. Gull and jackson early in the
season. and this tobacco was shipped
10 thelr plant in Eastern North Caro-
INA TO be rcdricd and may have been
or export, so far rs | know I no
zee mat you state that you would not
'"uch TOR the correctness Of the state
chtS made IN your article of the II
nr. Hprott; | am glad you do not
or look upon You as being one Of
or very best citizens. and know
n'I you would not vouch for Informal
''"n that Won had any doubts about.
Sundays News and Courier.
r. d. Cothran,