Imperial Valley press., 1921-01-26
A \ &c | CITY
PL. 4 n v ILL
NOT CATCH
GROWERS
Cotton Producers of Impe-
rial Valley Reject Scheme
of Los Angeles Bankers
and Warehouse Men to
Hog Market for that City.

The Los Angeles Chamber of Com
merce, and its allied interest, the Los
Angeles Harbor Commission, with the
aid and assistance of the Los Angeles
Clearing House, has been trying to
annex the cotton business of the I'M
perial Valley and set before the
growers of the valley a plan which
they with acclaim said would rebound
to the everlasting benefit of the man
who owns the cotton.
In short the Los Angeles banks
would advance money for the hand
ling of the crop and would finance the
coming crop, provided the cotton on
hand was stored in the big, empty
warehouses of the Los Angeles Harbor
Commission at San Pedro, and was
handled out of there by water freight
on Los Angeles controlled bottoms.
Certainly there were enticing in
1ucements back Of the plan. A promise
that the cotton would gain in weight
by taking on the humidity from the
sea atmosphere, which gain in weight
by taking on the humidity from the
sea atmosphere, which gain would
pay the greater part of the freight,
warehouse charges, drayage, etc,
and low storage rates and other ad-
vantages were held out to the grower
The plan however. does not meet
with the approval of the Imperial
growers. The praiseworthy efforts of
the Angel City's busines men to get
the cotton growers to pull their chest
nuts out of the fire didn't set well
with the grower after he had swallow
ed and digested the tempting dish.
The Imperial Valley Bankers AS
sociaton are opposed to the plan as
we'll, and they are prepared to come
to the aid of the growers just as
much so as the Los Angeles bankers
and as in beginning of the cotton in
dustry here offer and give all needed
financial assistance.
There has been and is little demand
for cotton, but whatever demand there
is comes here first and Ell Centro and
valley buyers are first in the market
for it. The market is here and it,
rests with the growers to keep 1t
here.
The big outstanding argument that
is advanced in favor of keeping the
cotton here is that once it gets to Los
Angeles it is out of the hands of the
grower and endless trouble and an
noyance will result. In the case OF the
Chinese growers across the border,
but few of them can come into the
United States and the others are IN
a serious position and will certainly
rot shiO their cotton to Los Angeles
where they are entirely out of touch
with it,
The local buyers are a unit IN OPP
position to the change although as
most of them come from large cities
it would be supposed that they would
naturally prefer living in Los Angeles
to CaleXico, Ell Centre or Holtvllle,
but for sound business reasons they
are a unit against any plan to change.
They want to be on the ground; right
where the cotton is grown and where
they can do business first hand with
the men who have the cotton for sale.
The opposition of the buyers to the
Los Angeles scheme is founded on
business reasons.
Ninety percent Of the cototn pro-
duced in California is grown in I'M
perial Valley.
The Chamber of Commerce urges
the growers to keep their cotton at
home and to turn deaf ear on all
the fallacies, like a better market,
increased weight due to moisture,
lower insurance and storage charges,
and SO on down the line, mad to keep
their cotton where they can keep their
hands OH it and know just what IS
being done.
President Hevener of the Associat-
ed Chambers of Commerce added his
strong endorsement to the plea for
keeping cotton at home and for disre-
gard OF the many arguments ad-
vanced in the effort to build up Los