Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-27
Hoover Committee
Makes Correction
In Stock of Cotton


WASH NGTON. March 25.-The
supply of cotton of the United States
for the cotton year which closed
July 81, 1928 was declared TO have
been 13,1S0,G42' bales instead Of 49,
6l0.218 bales, the special committee
appointed by Secretary Hoover to
investigate the census bureaus sta
tistics reported today
Controversy over the SO ,504 bales
used by the census bureau to bal
ance distribution determined Secre-
tarV Hoover to have Il committee or
leading statisticians examine the
question: The committee reported
that it was able to make material
corrections in the figures announced
last August by the census bureau
but that Il difference of 333,S6S bales,
about three-fifths of the original diff
ference between the supply and dis
tributiOn, remained unexplained.
The committee agreed that the So
called ''city crops" made up of cot
ton taken from original bales as
samples by buyers, picked from
bales damaged by weather and fire,
and from press sWeeDin2s, should be
estimated at 125, 900 bales, and be
added to the supply, as We'll as about
$1,000 bales of Mexican cotton
which entered the country without
appearing as imports. IT was found
SO, 70S bales exported had been reim-
ported and should be deducted from
the distribution, as we'll as $4,000
bales of linters which had been
bleached and exported as lint cotton.
Its investigation disclosed that GER
tain storageS showed Implications of
mill and warehouse stocks to a de.
gree, which if applied to other stOr-
ages, would amount to not less than
%, 900 bales, and the committee de-
clared that should be deducted from
the distribution. Re-eXports of 90
III bales of foreign cotton had not
been deducted from the supply, as
the committee said should have been
done.
The commit . recommended:
An additional report to show cot
ton ginned prior to August 1 be
made, IS provided in a bill now pend
ing in congress:
Another ginning report for April
/ in sections where the entire crop
has not been "inned by March /. to
ascertain the total amount Of the
crop;
Development of plans to enumer-
ate the cotton haled from samples
and pckeries, the socalled city
crops"
Enumeration of the cotton now
brought in from Mexico but not APP
pearing in the imports statistics.
Collection of statistics of cotton
consumption and cotton held in Stor-
age in such a manner as to diminish
the danger of OVer-statement or un-
der statement of the supply.
Coordination under a committee
or other harmonizing agency of the
cotton statistics now issued by the
two bureaus in the department of
commerce and by one in the depart
ment of agriculture.
1T has been the custom of the
bureau of the census at the close
of each cotton year" said the conf
mittee, ito present in a single state
ment, the figures of supply and Of
distribution. In view of the differ
ent methods employed in Obtainir 8
the two sets of figures it is not ut
all surprising that there should he
marked discrepancies between them.
Each year d difference has appear
ed and on a few occasions it has
been significant. In these disc~ep.
ancics we have found no evidence OF
any Willful misstatement of figures
by any of the informants or by the
employees of the bureau. 1t has been
the custom of the bureau of the cen
sus in making it's annual statement
to attempt unfortunately, as we
think, to balance the figures for sup
ply and those for distribution by
adding the requisite number of bales
to the supply. The committee has
found no instructions to this effect
III any act of congress and doubts
the wisdom of continuing the prac,
tice. 1t is in this way that the dis.
puted figure. $40, 4O5 bales, in the
report of August IS, 1928, had it's
ORIGIN"