Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-22
PULLS
COTTON, WOOL,
FROM BAD HOLE
Has Plenty of Money and Is
Willing to Spend
It.
U. S. NOT OVERSTOCKED
Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.
* @. b. EVANS.

Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.
By G. b. EVANS.
CHICAGO, Sept. 22.-Tin Lizzie has
not run sway with all the money of the
farmers; indeed she is demonstrating
that in the long run she can improve his
financial status. In contrast with the
lugubrious accounts of agricultural con-
ditions between the Aneghenies and ths
Rockies, one is getting fresh advices Of
a highly ging character.
Among those bringing such reports is
the western manager of a highly impor-~
tant interest in the textile trade, who has
just visited all important points in that
territory and who has information from
others making similar discoveries. The
ultimate purpOrt Of these advices Is that
the farmers have money and are willing
to spend it.
The actual facts are materially better
than they appeared in the forecast made
last spring
The retailers recently found themselves
pretty completely sold out, the Jobbers
perceived the situation and the produc-
ers Of both cotton and wooden goods aro
now prOfting. The advanced prices for
cotton fabrics gave buyers little
chill at first, but they have got
ton bravely over it and now the mills
in some instances are thirty to forty
davs behind in their deliveries in spite
of working over hours in the shipping
rooms To some extent &C ton fabrics
are withheld from the market IN the ex-
pectation of still higher figures. Yet II
is believed the trade in general has re-
signed itself to the certainty of much
smaller profits than have been won In
rast years. that is, profits far below
those Of the boom times Of the war.
Scarcity taking the place Of super
abundance accounts for the present de-
mand for goods. At least in cotton and
wooden fabrics the country is no longer
overstocked And in figuring on prices
some Of the best authorities are looking
over into 1922. p. S. Goodman, the CROP
statistician. having a considerable guam
tity Of data regarding the cotton crop,
does not express himself yet in definite
figures as to this years yield but evil
IDENTIFY a total of only 100000 bales
would not surprise him. The rather
liberal crop of last year plus the IN
questionably small crop Of this year and
the carry over certainly would not bar
den the market under ordinary condi-
tions, but Mr.. Goodman fears trouble on
a large scale next year from the weevn
That pest has been gaining ground and
evidences Of its work are seen as far
north as the northern boundary Of North
Carolina and elsewhere. II his raVages
cut much Of a figure in the crop Of next
year, the effect on many interests will
be serious.
OF course the rest of Us have to de-
pend on the crop expert and entomologist
and at such a long range his opinion
must be subject to qualifications later on.
but he suggests that the position and
prospects Of cotton may have an i'm
portant bearing on the wool market,
indeed that anybody starting now in the
business of making thin fabrics y OF
wool in place of cotton would stand 3
pretty good chance Of success One might
be glad in a way, for wool is a long
suffering commodity. In respect to many
grades the southern speciality has OUT
stripped it in market values.
IL IS largely the American farmer that
has pulled cotton goods out of the hole
they were in not many months ago, and
wool, hopeless as it has appeared for
three years past, may follow. In view of
the coalition in the farm country as por-
trayed earlier in the year the question
world suddenly finds itself rich enough
to buy the daughter some fine new
clothes. Considerable advances in price
over the lowest figures account for it in
part, and this class Of producers has
had much help from the export companies
and others that have granted credit to
European buyers, but also the Govern
ment has shown special favor to- the
farmer and promises even more. Nor
must we forget the frequently occurring
phenomenon Of rapid increase in accumu-
latiOns Of bnying power when once the
people have found they were going too
fast and have stopped buying for period
Of months. That principle holds as true
among the farmers as with any other
class. Tin Lizzie has not ruined the
farmer. however bad her disposition may
be.-Copyright, 1921, by Public Ledger
Company.