The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-02-18
SEN. SMITHS BILL ON
SURPLUS COTTON
IS PASSED
Measure Provides for Investigation
of Amount of Cotton and Wheat
Stocks Now on Hand in
This Country.

Washington, Feb. 1.-THE senate
today adopted the resolution Of Sen-
ator Smith, Democrat, South Carolina
providing for an investigation by The
senate agriculture committee of the
m.lnts, of cotton and wheat no. on
!.ard in this country, left over from
recent crops. Senator Smith contend
ed, in Offering the resolution, that
eonflie"ing and uncertain marke: re-
ports had oeer made. =
Regarding his recent statements
that he Understood Secretary Hesler,
Of the New Orleans, Cotton Exchan.'t
was employed by English cotton mills
Senator Saith today told the s"na:a
that he had been misinformed. Sena-
tor Smith said he now was informed
that Mr.. Hester's only employment
was with the New Orleans Exchange.
The resolution permits the Senate
agriculture committee or sub-com-
mittee thereof to sit at any time,
even during the recess of Congress,
to make the investigation. Senator
Smith said the committee would or
ganize after the jam of the present
leg; slative session was over and get
down to work. All statistical commit
tees which gather cotton information
in Washington would be called to ex-
plain the sources and methods they
use, he said, and available informa-
tion from all parts of the country
would be obtained. The senator init
mated that if found necessary the
committee might visit New York and
New Orleans in the course of its in
vestigations. Asserting he considered
this matter of greater Importance to
all the people than any question that
confronts the commercial public to-
day." Senator Smith, in statement
declared there "is so much confusion
in the minds of the public as to the
real facts in reference to cotton sta
tistics that l introduced this resolu-
tion in order that the real facts may
be obtained and given to the public
by an official body of Congress ap-
pointed for that definite purpose.
Under the terms of the resolution
the agriculture committee of the SEN
ate is given ample time and power
to do this thing. The facts as ascer-
tanned will be given to the public in
a satisfactory manner as it will be
possible for the committee to give
them"
There is without doubt" the Sem
ator continued, "a vast amount of
linters and other grades of cotton
unfit for ordinary commercial pur-
poses that have been taken into ac-
count as stocks Of cotton on hand.
The committee will endeavor to as
certain the amount of this cotton and
all the facts in relation thereto. If
in the Investigations of the commit
tee it is found necessary to recon-
mend amendments to-. the present Of
fetal methods of obtaining statistics
or that new legislation is needed the
committee will do So"
Senator Smith asserted he had re-
ceived information from the bureau
of markets that they had reduced
their estimate of the carry over, of
the worlds cotton by 1,S09,2O0 bales
due to the reduction by that amount
of the estimate of the director gener-
al of commercial intelligence of the
India crop, making the bureaus esti-
mate of the "carry-over," now g.
075,008 bales.
Columbia, Feb. 17.-A bill intro
duced in the South Carolina senate
today provides for the infiction. of
the death penalty upon any person
convicted of blowing a safe for the