The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-25

greatest single facility OF modern
business men in the making OF
money is information, and the mod
ern American business man has de-
veloped this facility more than any
other in the world While the av-
erage citizen is reading his morn
ing newspaper, he is inclined to
think that he is informing himself
about as fully concerning current
affairs as is necessary to keep him
abreast of event. An examination
of the efforts which organized bus
mess makes to supplement these
ordinary sources of information
would prove a revelation.
Every schoolboy has heard of the
great Rothschild family. The foun-
dalton of its fortune was Informs
tion-in particular one special bit
of information. Napoleon was over
running Europe. Nations tremblea
before his army and the British
people were uneasy. A natural re-
suit was that British government
bonds dropped to low figures in the
money markets Of the world. Then
came the epochal battle of Water
loo. Rothschild was at Brussels,
near the battlefield. He arranged
to obtain the earliest possible news
of the battle. The moment he learn
ed of Napoleon's defeat he set of
post-haste for London.
In times of great national stress
rumors of bad news fly more quick
ly than reports of good news. Be-
fore his arrival untrue rumors had
again had proved victorious and
that England was crushed. The
bonds sank still lower Rothschild
bought them for a song. He had
the facts. A day later, when the
true report came officially, all Eng
land rejoiced and especially Roths-
child. for his information had made
him a rich man.
That instance is romantic and
spectacular, but there are others
approaching it in American bust
ness today. Recently a represen-
tative Of one of the largest cotton
brokerage houses in the world was
in Washington discussing with a
government official methods of OBJ
tanning certain information on
weather conditions which he de-
sired. He outlined what his ex-
listing facilities were before pro-
ceeding on a plan for the addition
al information he wanted. After
hearing the story, the official said ::
Knows When it Thunders.
We are told that not sparrow
falls without Providence knowing
about it, and it seems it never
thunders anywhere in the United
States without your company
knowing about it."
ut never thunders anywhere in
the world where cotton grows with.
out my company knowing about it
within a few hours" was the cot
ton mans reply, and it was liter
ally true.
This and other great cotton bro
kerage concerns receive weather
reports three times a day from
every part of the world where cot
ton is grown. Every shower, every
change in temperature, every hour
of sunlight is flashed to its central
Office by cable, telegraph, telephone
or radio. On the basis of this in
formation this company knows TO
the narrowest ascertainable degree
what the prospects are for cotton
production in various parts of the
world.
The company knows today how
much cotton will be produced in a
given county in Mississippi or on
a given plantation in the Sudan,
next fall. AS conditions change the
forecasts are revised and are al
ways kept literally up to the hour.
Its information is more accurate
than the estimate of planters who
are growing the cotton. The value
of this information consists in the
fact that the company knows, to a
few bales, what the production
prospects are and therefore what
the price is likely to be. A day
too much of sunlight in certain
sections affects the price. If the
company does not know about the
sun or about the shower which
succeeds it as quickly as its COM
petitors, it might get caught in the
market and lose money.
Another interesting instance is
this: Take a company manufactur-