The Washington times., 1923-09-29
|NARKE TING HAS
SAVEDGOT TON
GROWER
Head Of Association Tells How
industry Has Prospered Tn
der Scientific Controls
By w. s. COUSINS.
Copyright, 1898. by Cosmopolitan
News Service.

BY. w. s. COUSINS.
Copyright. 1923 by Cosmopolitan
News Service
ATLANTIC CITY, N J., Sept. 30.
Through application Of scientific
business methods to marketing the
American Cotton crop, the Southern
cotton belt has been saved millions
of dollars, the standards Of living
of the cotton planter have been
elevated and the Southern States
have more prosperity to the acre
than any other section of the United
States, with the exception OF Ken
lucky and California.
Millions Of dollars which formerly
flowed into the Golfers of the specu-
i,lator and the niddleman In New
York, Boston, and even London and
Paris are now saved for the pro-
Queer of the great Southern staple,
and the benefits of this saving are
reflected in a large measure OF
prosperity for every department Of
American business.
This is q terse presentation of the
eyolution that has been wrought in
one of America s leading industries,
as told today: by Carl Williams,
president Of the American Cotton
EGrowers' Association. who Is here
Ito show how to shorten the lines
between the American banker. the
custodian Of the great credit re-
sources of the country. and the
grower Of cotton.
Europe as Market.
The problems of the cotton belt. :
said Mr.. Williams. have been
Igreatly intensified by the European
turmoil, not only in cutting off its
best market, but In introducing a
sweeping change in the system of
buying. Prior to the war European
| manufacturers of cotton ordered an
enormous uantity< Of row cotton,
paid for 1t on delivery. and stored
it until needed. As a result, SIS per
cent Of our exportable cotton went
abroad In the first four months Of
this producing season.
| Because OF the critical situation
/ in Britain the manufacturer there
| Is buying only for immediate neces-
stiles, and the export rate has been
| cut to 45 per cent of the exportable
surplus. AS a result. much larger
| portion of our cotton must be held
and financed by American growers
/ finding a quick market has OPP
Grated to the disadvantage OF the
cotton producer"
williams declared a long step
forward was taken when the cot
ton grower realized that the same
principles could be applied to his
market that were successful in
other departments of American
| enterprise.
Often / have seen the cotton
planter coming to market with his
crop" said Mr.. Williams, tired and
| discouraged and with a weeks
out at the heels, knowing his family
was in want, and yainly seeking a
fair price for his product.
Forced to Sell.
Then when he faced the banker
who held his overdue note, and the
merchant who furnished his sup
plies on credit, he was commanded
to sell, and sell quickly. He had
to sell at the best price obtainaDle,
and return home still in debt. and
still forlorn."
Modern marketing, according to
Mr.. Williams, involving the selling
of cotton at the. point of consump-
ton, where there is just enough TO
meet requirements, instead of at the
point of production, where there is
generally an oversupply, relieved the
situation. The cooperative cotton
ASSOCIATION accepts the responsibility
for the, handling grading, classify
ingsand marketing Of the product on
fair margin of cost, the, total net
return going pro rata to the farmer,
who is bound by an iron-clad rule to
deliver to his association every bale.
of cotton he produces.
YIaS IL
troll prices" said Williams, I'VE are
ton grover reasonably stabilized
price" - 500
Cotton Speculation.
Williams declared that while
| active speculation was undoubtedly
responsible in some measure for the
rapid advance in cotton prices in
recent weeks, the Spectator in cot
ton is never powerful enough to
control prices.
"whiie we are powerless to pre-
vent a vigorous upward movement
in speculative prices" he said, 1--WE
are in such dominant position that
we can check the bears, forcing
! prices down to an unreasonable
level. / honestly believe that the
bears would have forced the price
| of cotton down to Is cents pound
| last year had we not nipped their
| efforts in the bud. AS marketers,
we have no place in speculation,
but we recognize that the cotton ex-
changes furnish the best price de-
| terminator we have"
The damages of the boil weevil
| have been tremendous handicap
! for the cotton planters. Coming
over from old Mexico twenty years
ago, the pest has been travelling
north at the rate Of $50 miles a
year, carried, not by its own wings,
| but by the hurricanes.
THE boil weevil," said Mr.. Will
| liams, "is a sucker. He sucks the
Juice from the leaf and the boil of
the cotton, and lays his egg in the
latter, which soon dries up and fails
| to the ground. Unless destroyed,
that egg will produce millions of
new pests. No means of Nradica-
| ton have yet been found, but we
are learning to control the weevil
/ by burning and poisoning. The pro-
| posal to eliminate one whole cot
| ton season is not practicable and I
doubt whether such method of
eradication will he attempted"
UEA~IIE tn nEI q DECTnDE