The Neshoba Democrat., 1921-06-02

UOli uuu DetH TdlSttl tllH sOiu itb b
profit for twenty years before the
war ut ten to twelve cents n pound.
Your statement that this can only
be done by the Use of the labor of
women and children is one that |
am not willing to admit. 1t IL not
| the labor of women aud children that
Ia necessary to produce cotton Mt ten
or twelve cents pound What Is
needed is nothing but n little intelli-
gence and some industry on the part
of the adult males who engage in
cotton growing.
record these facts because of their
economic value and because they are
absolutely true; and further, be-
cause | know what thu cotton grow
ers OF the South do not yet know,
and that is that the high price OF
cotton, due to imitation during the
war, has so stimulated cotton grow
| ing in China that whereas before the
war China did not raise over 1,500,-
900 bales year, she raised last year
over 100000 bales of cotton and this
year will raise over 100000 bales,
mostly from American seed, at a cost
OF less than five cents pound. 1t is
useless to complain that the South
can only grow cotton at ten or
! twelve cents by using the labor of
women and children. The Chinese
have now learned the profit in cot
ton growing as they have also learn
ed the profit in sugar growing, and
with cheap Chinese labor you can
depend upon it that the Chinese are
going to raise cotton and sugar and
sell 1t on our market until either Chi
nese wages come up to the point
that production costs there plus
transportation charges approximate
| ly equal the production costs here,
when figured on a much reduced
wage. basis. That little article of
mine on the subject of manufacture
| ing electric bulbs and lamps In Chi
ma, which was published in your
| April 14th issue, showing what cheap
labor can do in industry, ought to
open yonr eyes as to what this cheap.
Chinese labor Is going to do In the
near future in the raising of cotton
when China Is this year raising al
most half as much cotton as we are
in the United States, and as it will
do In the matter of sugar and many
other things. Read the annual re-
port of the American Sugar Refining
Company and see the amazement
with which Babst reports that when
the price of sugar was high hundreds
OF thousands of tons of sugar came
out OF the heart OF China, where the
sugar statisticians did not know
that a pound OF sugar was raised or
stored.
GUY M. WALKER.
The Manufacturers Record is glad
to know that China is thus rapidly
increasing it's cotton production. 1t
would take not merely five million
bales, but several times that amount,
to adequately clothe the people OF
China and the countries tributary
to China. The greater the progress
OF China I'm the production of food
and clothes by it's own people and
for it's own people, the greater will
be the progress OF China's civillza-
ton; but while rejoicing in this evil
dence OF China's growth we are not
willing to see the wages of American
laborers, or the profits OF American
farmers broken down by the free i'm
portation OF the things produced by
the low wages OF the Orient.
The facts stated by Mr.. Walker as
to the increasing production OF cot
ton In China and the making OF cleo
trio light bulbs and lamps in that
country, only serve to show the
greater Importance OF an adequate
protective tariff to save the people OF
this country from being forced to
live on the scale OF Oriental laborers
and farmers whose wages or earn
ings have never given them chance
for more than bare existence.
Moreover, we arequite prepared to
take emphatic issue with Mr.. Walk.
er's position that cotton was raised
and sold ait a profit for twenty years
before the war at from lOc to l2c a
pound. The large proportion OF the
people, small land owners and ten
ant farmers, who raised this cotton
lived in huts unfit for human habita-
tion, and in condition OF poverty
which should never be permitted in
this country-Editor Manufacturers
Record.