New-York tribune., 1921-05-08

| | average low and average high prices .
| price differences have been irregula
been profitable undertaking fer some
years and has saved its cost to the
community time and time again in re-
duced railroad and other charges.
| They cannot but marvel at the up-to-
date freight handling equipment OF the
port, where al sorts of merchandise
IS loaded directly from ship to rail-
road cars, inland canal bsrEes, road
vehicles or when required into the
most modern type OF storehouses.
AS to the proceedings of the world
conference there has scarcely been a
newspaper published in the cotton
growing belt of the United States or
in the cotton manufacturing centers of
the werld that has not carried refer
ences TO the propagapda for the. cur
tailment of the cotton acreage IN Amer-
ica, India and Egypt. Consequently
it will at first blush seem strange that
the two opening questions UP for dis
cussion will be an address by an Amer
lean on "How Can Cotton Production
Best Be Increased the second being
by an Englishman on Cotton Growing
Within the British Empire"
Averaging the most reliable esti-
mates shows that the cotton planta-
tions OF the world cover q continental
area of some 2o0,000,000 acres, when
the land on each farm used for other
crops and lying fSl1ow is counted.
The immediate though transient need
of curtailment seems clear, although
the growers themselves cloud the is
sue, being moved chiefly By anxiety
arising from the calamitous situation
in which they find themselves, caused
by defaSion and under consumption of
their product. They tell us in one
breath that the great stocks on hand
consist in the main of unspinable
/ qualities, and, in the next, that their
| They must get their tale straight be-
fore they reach the conference. Other
wise it will be at least limited that, If
their first contention Is we'll founded
they are collectively TO blame, since
there can be no valid excuse for the
existence. of millions Of bales Of un-
| spinabla fiber.
4 On the other hand, they Will be in.
formed that before long the world
/ will demand every pound OF cotton the
4 plantation can give it. The existing
cotton supply viii be one OF the first
! surpluses to disappear as soon as In
/ ooSS@S HSSA@AS w - ~ Yea ~~--'
On Increasing Yield
Not an address is on the program
dealing specifically with the vitality
! important topic of increasing the yield
per acre, and thus decreasing the cost
! Of production. Yet this is measure
| of relief that has been staring the
farmer in the face since he beginning
Of cotton culture in this country. The
( story will be told of how India, Egypt
and Africa, under the encouragement
Of British spinners, and with the tinan-
| cial assistance of The trade, wkere
! purses with the government stimuli
| taneously to improve yield and quality,
| to extend transportation facilities and
the area Of cultivation within the EN-
pire. And that, in addition, .volun-
tary levy Of sixpence bale on all cot
| ton imported for use is being collected
from the spinners to be used in pro-
noting these objects.
Looking backward for fifty years, the
table herewith presents the progress OF
American raw cotton from several un-
usual angles. During that period the
crop has increased from an annual ten
/ decade 1871 to 1880 TO 12,777,000 bales
in the decade, 1911 to 1920, or 1875 per
cent. The increase in terms Of bales of
500 pounds each, and in per cent, Of the
two other important growths of cotton,
from the first to the last decade Of the
half century under review, shows that
the average yearly output of Egyptian
cotton increased from 482,7S0 standard
bales TO 1,218,000, or 152 per cent, while
the average seasonal crop Of Indian
eotton - increased from 1.57s,ooo to
3,440,000 bales, or 11s per cent.
While they are on the other side OF
the Atlantic our representatives may
learn from their foreign associates
many facts they have perhaps treated
too lightly. 1t will be demonstrated TO
them that the pre-wsr increase In the
demand for fiber of from 100000 to
100000 bales year has been changed
to a considerable reduction from the
takings of seven years ago, brought
about by the impoverishment of mil
lions of idle hands, political chaos, eco
nomic disruption and worldwide
shortage of working capital. Those
who take the arranged excursions
through the Continental countries will
see these conditions, and talking with
the business men will send them home
convinced that Europe's reconstruction
problems are their own and that the
establishment of its industry Is the
, sine qua non of prosperous America
The question Of financing American
cotton for Europe" is to be discussed
, 1t is big and complicated one, which
should be brought nearer solution
than it could ever reach from the in.
, terminable and loose talk of politicians
i and others who have almost drowned
|, the issue in words, War Finance Cor,
poration recrudescenee and other panic
! stricken makeshiftS
Exporters Side
The cotton exporters side will b,
: presented by an American and the i'm
: porter's by an English banker. Tn,
, cotton denagogue will find all the higl
sounding petulant noises he has bee,
) making at the banking communit,
: silenced when the conclusions of tn,
; conference on this subject are avail
: able in printed form.
: After two days have been giyen /,
the cotton grower and his problems
' the spinner and weaver will have 1hei
/, day. Then matter that is Of no littl
: Importance to sll three is to come up
characteristics of Cotton Required b,
, the Spinner and the Present Defect
in the Raw Material" This is on
which, strangely enough, the cotto,
grower knows next TO nothing about
5 but which the spinner must conside