The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-08-20
Local Warehousi1lg
of Go otten Essential
TO Economic Handling
Address Delivered June 1
1921 at the American Cot
fon Conference, New
York City, by Hon. j. c..
Rivers, Warehouse
Commissioner S. c.,

Conference: ....,;,
In attempting to address .uy re-
marks to an audience composed as
it is at present Of those who,ase in
terestedyitally in theswelfaretorstf1e
country generally, and especiaHy7at
this time are directly interested in
the subject of one of the nations s
greatest productions, that IS. cot
ton, am not unmindful Of the fact
that i am addressing an audience
composed Of students or those who
have made study Of the needs
which pertain to this great subject.
First, ] wish to say to you, that we
can not consider the subject, which
wish to approach. without our
minds running back, to the farm or
plantation upon which the produc-
ton about which Z wish to speak to
yen, come from. Therefore, we
find the beginning of this produc-
ton as one of the nations sources
of elementary wealth, which IS pro-
daced by the Southern farmer. by
: hard and toilsone labor, and by
the expenditure OF his means and
energy. So that the resultant pro-
duction becoms part OF his second
nature. There, we see it picked
and harvested from his fields. after
time. Of endlss toll and labor. then
ginned and baled and placed in
marketable shape and condition.
Several months have lapsed,, since
the seeds were placed in the ground
and the4tiny weaklings Of plants be-
gan to spring up from the SOIL, to
the time when the product from it
comes into his hands ready to gosto
market. This length Of tirne has
been one to him Of toll and thought,
because should he relax his vigil
ance, the crop is failure, and the
amount OF his reward in the cotton
he produces, depends upon the
amount Of intelligence and fs're-
thought he has extended in its care
and cultivation; not only that, but
The amount Of the value of his
prod aucIs depends TO a great ex-
tent upon how energetic in getting
from fffe fields his crops. when It
is ready for harvesting; and how
much Intelligence he displays in the
proper. handling Of same after Il is
harvested. =
That leads to nay subject; when
the cotton which he So .energetical-
ly and. intelligently; has. prepared
for market. by net allowing it to
remain: .fnss the. field; after $. it. has
opened its fleecy locks to natures
snnsfss1e a1ldsrains TO, the time when
it would sbes injured thereby. and.
is ready for market, and togo into
the enaanels of commerce.. he, fic.s
that already his neighbofs and :nhar
neighboIs, engaged Ain = like calling
are ready with theirs, and that
along With HIN, they are placing
IL months and sometimes more.
consum mptson Of nateria: on the
markasttos be taken care a,ofi by
somebody within a period of two
or three naonths.' Consequently,
his creditors are calling him for
his accounts, his family needs at
tention, which require money which
he expects to obtain from his years
work TO sell is to sacrifice and If
he carries his production Or crop
home. he has NO place to put it,
away from the exposure of the. ele-
ments. or deterioration. and no place
to store In. where he can convert it
into collateral to meet his immedi-
ate needs. This is where warehous-
Ing comes In and I wish to say that
theory and the opinion OF those who
are not familiar with the. actual
conditions that prevail are very
much at variance with the. actual
facts. .z..oa
It seems that oil the talk OF, ware
housing cotton enanates from the
dealers Viewpoint Tha iss; all the
cotton grown is assembled at a few
concentration points. Immediately
after 1t is taken from the fields.
Such is not the case, nor can ittbe,
because of the great -volumezof the
crop, and the extremely sherthper-
iod OF picking and ginning Mehich
renders that an impossibility IN so
short a space of time. It can not be
SO assembled and concentrated in SO
large;an amount. in time to prevent
damage by loss and EXPOSURE to
climatic conditions. therefore. we
have the charge of Is millions Of
dollars to the crop as a result OF
weather. waste by country damage.
and'which. to my mind. is very wen
founded In order to prevent this