The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-03-16
NO DEMAND FOR COTTON
BY BELGIAN MILLS
Editor Manning Times:

Editor Manning Times:
am enclosing letter from Mr..
Maybanks representative in Belgium
which he has kindly consented to allow
me to publish. AS it states the condi-
ton of trade and the future outlook
for cotton in clear and strong light
and do hope every farmer and mcr-
chant will read and can fully digest
the advice he gives the American far
mcr, relating to the cotton crop we
are now planting.
The farmer that has the credit or
money and labor-that goes ahead and
plants Il full crop of cotton is a slack
er-and should be ostraciscd at the
banks when he calls for credit.
If we make half crop this year
we will get full price for this cotton
we are holding and a good price for
what we make this year.
f. c. Thomas,
President Clarendon Branch Amcri-
can Cotton Association.
Client, Belgium, Feb. II. 1921
Mcssrs. John +. Maybanks & Co.,
Charleston, S. G.
Dear Sirs:
My object in writing present letter
! is to make you further acquainted
with conditions prevailing on this
side:
The situation has remained uns
| changed since writing you last, and
! there can be no thought whatever of
| any business in Belgium Spnners
continue to resell their cotton amongst
themselves at anything they can
| get for it for the sake of making
money, and to delay the financial cris-
| is. They are supplied for at least
! five to six months ahead on account
| of the enormous short time they had
| to work on, in order not to increase
their already very big stocks of
yarns.
/ have told you before that, during
| the whole of this season, Texas and
| OrlcanS-TcXas cotton has been much
| cheaper than other growths, so that
practically no cotton other than Tex
as and Orleans Texas has been bought
| here.
AS see the situation here, Belgian
spinncrs must have lost approximate
ly 100 million francs this season. De-
lay after delay Of shipment is being
asked for, and our competitors who
have come out all the time with eX-
| trcmcly low prices, and who got so
| W say llcSI VI lIlc DuSiiicSS ucic, are
! now in terrible fix. Drafts, for cot
ton already shipped and invoiccd, have
| to be renewed. Under these circum-
stances we can only be glad we have
not done any business, can even say
| that / have not been too eager to sell
cotton for any of my fms.
The situation Of our spinncrs is
really SO deplorablc, that it IS almost
necessity for the American firms to
help them. must say that so far
| Belgian spinncrs have all behaved cx-
| tremcly well, as ii mas come to my
knowledge that a good many French
| spinners have simply cancelled their
contracts leaving the American ship
pers to get out of the situation as
well as they could OF course, law
suits might be made, but it is really
| questionable whether much will be OBJ
| tanned by them.
1t is only to be hoped that the
| American planter will see the danger
Of the situation, and will reduce his
| acreage to a minimum. 1t is the only
salvation for the spinner as well as
for the planter,
Unless the market improves very
much within the next few months, |
am afraid that many failures will
have to be recorded
| / am, dear Sirs,
| Very truly yours,
! Paul pflinOnr