Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-04
PROGRAM FORMED
FOR COTTON BLOC.
O|VEVE Of SESSION
Sixty Members of Congress
United Behind Legislation
to Aid Fight on WeeWI and
Reduce Crop Costs
Atlanta Journal News Bureau,
40S Evans Building.
BY THEODORE TILLER

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. L.
Approximately sixty senators and
representatives from the southern
states met III caucus here Saturday,
formed what will be popularity known
as cotton Bloc and appointed sever
al committees to report on legisla.
ton and executive action required~to
aid the cotton farmer.
The cotton bloc conference took the
following action:
UNANIMOUSLY approved the Henry
Ford proposal for the lease of Mus.
Gle Shoals and agreed to insist upon
legislation to bring it about
Appointed a committee to see the
appropriations committee and urge
appropriations for establishment of
additional agricultural experiment
station in the southern states, such
stations to specialize in the fight on
the boil weeviI.
Named a committee to call on
President Coolidge and request that,
under the flexible clause of the tariff
law, he reduce by SO per cent the
present tariff on calcium arsenate,
which is used in eXterminating the
boil weevil Eventual elimination of
the entire tariff will be sought by the
cotton states senators and represent
ativcs. The present tariff on cal
cium arsenate is 25 per cent.
Crop Estimate Change
Adopted a resolution faVoring a
change in the method of making
cotton market and ginning reports.
Such reports in the past, it was con-
tended at the conference, have been
more or less unreliable and have had
bad effect upon the market. The
government will be urged to systema-
TIE its reporting machinery and fur
nlSh more detailed and accurate cot
ton census figures.
The committee named to work out
a program for better cotton reports
comprises Representative Rankin, OF
Mississippi, Chairman; Senator IIar.
rls, Georgia.; Representative Almon,
Alabama, and Representative, Win.
go, Arkansas.
The action taken at the Saturday
caucus was in line with recommen-
dations of special committee ap-
pointed at a preliminary meeting
Friday afternoon. The committee
on program and procedure com
prised Representative Black, of
Texas; Tillman and Driver, Arkan.
Sas; LoWrcy, Mississippi, and SEN
ator Harris, Georgia.
The conference also indorsed
cheaper import freight rates on fer
tlllzer brought from abroad, and
cheaper rates from ports to southern
farms. A committee was named to
study this question and report, this
committee consisting of Senator
Sheppard, Texas, and Representa-
tives Ninson, Georgia; Bankhead.
Alabama; Lazaro, Louisiana, and
Hastings, Oklahoma.
Ask Larger Appropriations
Representatives Buchanan, of
Texas, and Lowrey, of Mississippi,
and Senator Hef1in, of Alabama,
were named 10 so to the appropria-
tons committees of congress and in
slst upon the establishment Of addi-
tional agricultural experiment sta.
tons in the cotton belt.
The preliminary conference of thA
cotton bloc was attended by Repre-
sentatives of the department Of agri.
culture, the farm loan board, the
bureau of mines and the geological
survey, who "sat III" during dis
cnssion of the plans for combating
the boll weevil and putting through
congress legislation to help the cot.
ton producer.
Members attending the conference
do not themselves use the word bloc
and say they do not intend to use
any big stick" methods in congress.
Nevertheless, since congress already
has a farm bloc, a labor bloc, a
soldier bloc and reclamation bloc,
it is inevitable that when the cotton
states members combine their or
gainzation will become known as the
cotton bloc