The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-24
POINTS OUT PERIL
 OF OVERLAPPING
 TO COTTON GROWER
(Continued From Page oneo

and set out to grow cotton in the Sudan, the British were generous. but skeptical and very indifferent as to whtther or not l was able to demonstrate that cotton could be made a commercial success so far south on the Nile Then mark you, the British had commend of almost unlimited gold and were able to ma nipulate the markets of the world and buy when, and as best shifted their needs. They were rich con- tented and willing to plod along, giV ing little serious thought to the source of their raw material. But now they haven't all the gold in the world and necessity has put new blood in their veins. Instead of whimpering over their misfortunes as some people do, they have gone out with dogged Anglo-Saxon de- termination to develop and utilize the cheap labor and rich cotton lands found in so many parts or their em- pire.
 AS soon as the Blue Nile dam is completed, the Sudan crops will quickly jump to an annual production of a million bales of high grade. The experiments in Mesopotamia, which has the richest cotton lands in the W oTtuf are BiFiH6 iHCItuiDit results An annual production of 1,500, 900 bales of high grade is very req sonable estimate for that country. Cotton growing in Uganda and Nj geria is no longer experimental. They can produce in these countries just as much medium grade as their factories can use, and keep well within the twelve cent limit. India's normal production is 4500,0e0 bales g. n ~ ao and the balance has gone heretofore to China, Japan, Germany and Aus tria. The quality is not suitable for the Lancashire mills. In northern India, and particularly in the Sund district, the British Cotton Growers association expect to develop by irfi- gation, large area that will give them good supply of high grade l am not familiar with the results of the associations experiments in Nyassaland, Rhodesia and the union are promising.
 England n Competitor
 Our people will soon realize that as competitor England is not the rich, self-satisfed, asy-going nation of 10 years ago, but an aggressive young giant which came out of the war stripped to the waist, ready to wage such an economic battle as the world has never seen. She began this campaign for cotton on her own soil by appropriating f1,000.000 to be used exclusively for the employment of experts in cotton culture. You may safely count on her growing her own needs and some to spare at cost production well within the limit of 12 cents a pound, the goal she has r.af fa. same with her own commodities. I coubt if we shall ever again see cot ton grown in this country profitably at 12 cents So what can we do to prepare for the inevitable day when we shall have lost our principal mar ket? We certainly cannot rely upon legislation to help us Legislation will not bring back the virgin fields and cheap labor of generation ago. nor can it create new markets If Ford gets Muscle Shoals, as 1 hope he may, he will duobtless do some good by offering better facilities for manufacturing cotton, but as to help ing much with cheaper nitrates, I coubt. It looks to me as though the only real remedy lies in cutting down production, bringing it down ulti- mately to the needs of our own mills and substituting other farm products for the abandoned acreage. The south isn't by any means narrow gauge, single-track road; in fact tkere is no country under the sun that is capable of doing so many things proftably as the states south of the Mason and Dixon line. It is necessary, however. to set our peo- pie thinking along new lines before they arc up against a stone wall.
 You may think me an alarmist. If so, is it not up to you, one of the leaders of public opinion. to get busy and either disprove or confirm my statements?
 "No doubt Secretary Wallace is ia miliar with what is going on in the worlds cotton field; at any rate. am sure Secretary Hoover knows what the British are doing. So if .-ou doubt, go after these gentlemen for facts. Regardfully.
 CT .IrIGIJ HINT"