The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, May 07, 1914, Page 7, Image 7
AMERICAN PEOF
LOSII
Mishandling of Cotton
Means a Loss of Si
Dollars^
It has been estimated by students
of the cotton industry as it exists today
that the American people are losing
$75 .000.000 per annum from the
mishandling of their cotton crop.
Our present system of procedure is
both slipshod and wasteful. There
tho vital nrnhlpnis con-!
IVi C, VJiiV VI vuv I r
fronting the people to-day is the efficient
and economical handling and
marketing of the products of the soil.
It presents a problem of vast magnitude,
both from an agricultural and
economic viewpoint, and it is a probv
lem in which every wearer of cotton
goods is interested.
It so happens that cotton, the purest
known natural form of cellulose,
will bear more abuse than any other
crop material and yet retain a large
proportion of its original value. Corn,
because of its perishable nature, de *
7 mands far better treatment, and receives
it. If our billion-and-a-halfdollar
corn crop were treated one
half as badly as our cotton crop it
would no doubt shrink in value half
a billion dollars annually. There are
corn cribs on the farms and elevai
tors and warehouses at the railroad
stations and primary and secondary
markets for the protection of the
f* crop in general. Still. 10 bushels of
corn, worth ordinarily at ma-ket,
prices from $5 to $6, requires as
much space as a bale of cotton, for
storage, which is valued at from $"0
to $60.
Cotton planters persist in producing
too many varieties in each community,
and are careless in picking
and in handling unginned and ginned
cotton on the plantation. Nevertheless,
in a broad sense the individual
farmer is unable, because of the complexity
of the present system, to cope
with the great problems that exist.
Most of the abuses with which spinners,
especially foreign spinners,
charge the American planter arise
after he has parted with his cotton
and when he no longer has any voice
in itc trpfltment. These facts must be
"* "" **"
clearlv recognized as necessary and
;
permanent reforms can be brought
about only by community action
among the planters and by co-opera-!
" tion between growers, ginners, com- i
press men, common carriers, bankers, |
buyers, spinners and merchants.
An occasional period of low prices
is not as serious a danger to the
American cotton industry as continual
high prices that serve to stimulate
a rapid development of cotton
in
foreign lands. A well established
, foreign market means an ultimate reduction
or restriction of our own
prices. This in turn, injures every
one concerned, from the planter to
the producer. The United States possesses
no natural monoply of production,
for cotton may be grown in
many other parts of the world. Active
efforts to develop the culture of
, cotton are to-day being made in numerous
foreign countries, particularly
Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Algeria,
Sudan, Togoland, Nigaria, In
dia Turkestan and Cliina. Tne oniy
adequate protection against foreign
competition would be to improve our
own industry by growing better cotton
and by growing it more cheaply
than other countries are able to do.
notwithstanding the lower wages of
4 the foreign plantation laborers.
Some manufacturers are frank
enough to say that they do not desire
long or strong cotton, thus encouraging
the planters to plant inferior
varieties. If the goods wear out
faster new garments must be purchased
more frequently and this
brings larger profits in turn to the
manufacturers of this weak stock of
- - * - J - *
fabrics. Such entire aisregaru ol me
interests of the ultimate consumer
may serve to gain a temporary profit.
but it cannot be expected to establish
the cotton industry on a basis
of permanent prosperity. The
American public is at last beginning
to appreciate the vast difference in
values of strong and weak cotton products.
Manufacturers of long staple
cotton goods have undertaken an ac\
tive campaign of education regarding
the superiority of their fabrics. Some
of the more advanced States have
laws forbidding the adulteration and
misbranding of textile goods. The
need for pure-clothes laws is one of
the same vitalness as that for the
pure food law, for the rapid wearing
out of weak cotton not only results
in enormous financial loss to our
public, but represents a general danger
to our national health. Broken
cotton fibers form a large portion of
the household dust that Is to-day recognized
as a serious factor in the
steady development of tuberculosis.
Notwithstanding the unique commercial
importance of the cotton industry
the farming public has less
knowledge of cotton than most
i
I E ARE
NG GREAT SUMS
in the Southern States
sventy-Five Million
Annually
branches of agriculture. Unlike oth^r*
nrinpinol ^rnnc r*r\ttr\i\ ic n At rQ iC?
I V-? I ?uviyui V4 Vf kj, WCVVU U\/W * V*?s/
ed for storage purposes, but is a
purely industrial or commercial proj
duct. A food crop remains a part of
the life of the agricultural commun|
ity where it is produced, only the
surplus passing into the general chant
nels of commerce. In former days,
when the weaving of cloth and the
manufacture of garments were do|
mestic arts, both producers and con|
sumers were more familiar with cot!
ton and more able to apprehend the
I better or poorer quality of the fiber.
But to-day cotton is no longer a part
| of the domestic life; it is raised on
j the farm to be shipped to a city a
, thousand miles away to be manufac:
tured into goods.
Improvements in textile machinery
and the factory system of labor have
led in the last 50 years to an enori
mous expansion in production and
use of cotton, yet there has been no
corresponding improvement in qualitv
or intrinsic value of the fiber, nor
I
; in the methods of growing and mar!
keting the crop. The industrial superiority
of cotton is usually supposed
to lie merely in its cheapness, but
cotton of good quality can compete
with any other fiber in strength, fine1
ness and durability. Though the consumption
of . cotton has vastly outgrown
that of any other textile ma
tenai, tne true possiomues ui me
fiber are still very Inadequately appreciated
by the general public. A
lack that education alone can remedy.
The popular conception of a generation
ago that fine fabrics were
stronger and more durable than
course fabrics was based on mechan|
ical limitations which modern inventors
have thoroughly overcome. With
strong long staple cotton can to-day
be made from much shorter and
I weaker fiber. The decline in the
I wearing qualities of cotton fabrics is
often ascribed in cities to the use of
destructive chemicals in public laundries,
yet the same deterioration is
| recognized in rural districts, where
household washing is still practiced.
Fully $25,000,000 worth of cotton
cloth is thrown away by the conj
sumer each year, which represents a
loss from which no value has been
appreciated. This loss has been made
a fact because the textile manufacturers
are producing a. poor quality
of material in cotton cloth.
Millions of dollars are oeing lost
annually in cotton by the farmers
who endeavor to hold their crop until
the markets raise sufficiently to warrant
a sale of the product. The majority
of the planters who are following
this pastime have insufficient
means for the storage of their crop,
i It means leaving the bales out in the
| weather, sometimes on platforms or
boards, bpt often also flat on the
ground without any protection whati
soever: The saving of this cotton
i each year would make such a mate!
rial difference in the cost per yard
! of cotton cloth to the consumer that
all buyers would immediately notice
the saving.
Under the present system, the ginbox,
plantation, flat, or uncompressed
bale, as it is variously termed, has a
density of about 12 to 15 pounds to
i the cubic foot. Its usual dimensions
I are 54x27x43 inches. An average of
! 25 flat bales are loaded in cars of
ordinary size and shipped to the near|
est compress, usually as a re-com(
press or railroad compress. As the
! usual commercial lot consists of 100
i flat bales, four ordinary cars are required
for the haul. The compress
! collects its fee for service, amounting
j to ten cents per 100 pounds, or about
i 50 cents per bale, direct from the
i railroad company, the latter having
: included this amount in the freight
j bill. This the producer pays, as well
j as insurance, freight and other
charges, all of which are deducted
I before the price has been fixed.
! Upon arrival at the compress plat\
form, which often has insufficient
1 roof protection for more than one|
quarter of the total shipments on
| hand, the 100 bales are unloaded,
j weighed, put on range, which means
i lined up side by side with faces out.
and sampled. They are now classed.
! compressed, and patched while in the
I
1 press, and then are readv for reloaai
j ing for shipment to port or domestic
mill. Compression reduces thickness
one-half or more, bringing them to a
density of 22 pounds to the cubic
I foot. Two cars will not accommo|
date the 100-lot shipment.
Compresses ordinarily employ the
j cheapest type of labor, and are uni
der pressure to show a large output
j of bales during the season they are
j in operation. In the Southeast their
j earnings must be ample, as the averj
age number of bales handled is rela
The Fat Man.
I tell you.
When a feller/s fat
His friends all have
A notion that
They've got a call to criticize.
They say. "You chump
You are too plump.
Get out, get out and
Exercise."
They tell him that he eats
To.* much;
That soon he'll touch
The danger line.
And they opine
His health is punk
They shoot the bunk
From morn till night.
All right.
Beats all how wise
These skinny guys
Kin sometimes be.
Tain't hard to see
It's jealousy
That makes em talk that way.
For us fat folks.
We hear 'em every day.
We may be fatter, but,
By gosh.
We're cheerfuller
Than they.
Something altogether new in horticulture
has been successfully tried
in New Orleans, where a tree was
cut off at the roots and planted in
the middle of the city for a Christmas
tree last winter. Recently it
wAs proposed to make it permanent.
The roots were grafted to the stump,
and an electrical curent kept running
up the tree through the roots to start
the sap. The tree joined and grew,
and is perfectly healthy at the present
time.
tively large. As an example, Georgia,
with a crop averaging 2,000.000
bales annually has but 35 compresses.
while Oklahoma, production but
750.UUU, lias oo compresses.
Although the bad condition of
many bales delivered to the compresses
furnishes some extenuation,
the quality of the work is in many
instances unnecessarily poor, due to
overcrowding and carelessness in
handling. Pressure by carriers, legislation,
and, systematic compress inspection
would vastly improve the
present undesirable conditions, which
cause the ultimate consumer to pay
a far higher price for his cotton
goods than is necessary considering
the vast amount produced in this
land to-day.
The character of the American cotton
bale, both as to condition and
covering, has been a source of universal
complaint and criticism for many
years. The blame has quite naturally
been laid at the door of the planter.
He in reality has been merely
the victim of an out of date, incorrect,
and oppressive method of arriving
at the net weight of cotton in a
bale. The buyer, whether for domestic
or foreign trade, does not pay cot
ton prices for the bagging and the
ties placed on bales at the ginnery,
although a vast majority of the cotton
planters suppose they do. Allowance
for "tare" always is figured
in some manner or form in the price
offered to planters for their cotton.
In other words, a 500-pound bale is
considered as containing 470 pounds
of cotton. If the "middling" price
in Liverpool is 12 cents, the bale is
worth not $60 but $56.40. As the
buyer purchasers on a gross-weight
basis he must protect himself against
the tare rule Whence his offer to the
planter, profit and other items of expense
having already been reckoned
in, is $56.40 divided by 500 pounds,
or 11.28 per pound.
The effect of the whole tare situation
is, indeed, vicious. Its net result
is to introduce complications and
confusion in all cotton transactions
whether it will go to New England
or to some of the numerous Southern
cotton mills. In other words, he does
not know whether he should put on
22, 24, or 30 pounds of tare. As a
matter of fact he practically puts on
the same amount of bagging and ties,
weighing usually from 19 to 22
pounds. If he attempts to "tare up"
his bales he is met by the notice
from the great cotton-buving concerns
that operate in his section or
from mill owners if in the Southern
mill sections, that they will not purchase
cotton that carries more than
the usual amount of bagging and
ties, which is six yards of bagging
and ties.
In the interest of good, straightforward
business and for the protection
of planter, cotton merchant,
spinner and consumer the present
diversity in assessing tare and in
making tare calculations should be at
once terminated. The economic
waste involved in the purchase of
millions of pounds of extra canvas,
on which freight and handling
charges must be paid, should be stopped
at once.
The present system of cotton growing
and distribution is both wasteful
and costly. It loses money for the
grower and for the ultimate consumer.
and the needed reform of
these methods will aid in solving the
problem of the high cost of living for
the great army of cotton consumers.
DIVORCEES BARRED.
Bigamy to Wed in This State Says
Attorney General.
Columbia, April 29.?"In my
opinion divorced people are not legally
capacitated to marry in South
Carolina, and if a license were to be
issued the marriage would be
bigamous and void," said Attorney
General Peeples in a letter to Judge
of Probate W. W. Johnson, of Union
county. Mr. Johnson had written
the attorney general that these questions
sometimes came up for decision
by him through people applying
for marriage license. He wanted
to know if people who had been
- ? -i i:A J
divorced in otner states, ana appntfu ?
for marriage licenses in South Car- j
olina, could be granted them. ?
The Union official also asked
whether or not, if a couple were I
divorced in some other State and jj
one party was giv^n the right to re- 8
marry and the other not, the latter 8
could get a license to marry in | .
South Carolina. To all of these ques- I
tions the attorney general answers I
The letter of the attorney general I
to Judge of Probate Johnson, of I
Union, says: I
Attorney General's Letter. I
"I am in receipt of yours of the |
17th instant, in which you ask for an I
opinion as to whether a marriage I
license should be granted to one who I
has been married and divorced in I
another State, and two other ques- I
tions as to the production of the cer- y
tified copy of the decree of divorce, H
which will be answered by the opin- B
ion on the first question asked. b
"South Carolina does not allow di,
vorces to be granted in this State
under the constitution, and it has
been clearly decided in the case of
McCreery vs Davis. 4 4 S. C., 195,
that this State will not recognize di- i
vorces granted in other States. Be'fore
you can issue a marriage license
the parties have to make an affidavit
setting out, among other things, that
they are legally capacitated to marry.
In my opinion divorced people
are not legally capacitated to marry
in South Carolina, and if such a
license were to be issued the mar- [
I ... i ?j u ?? |
riage wouia De oigamous anu vuiu.
Special Hosiery Offer |
Guaranteed Wear-Ever Hosiery For |c
Men and Women.
Ladies* Special Offer =
For Limited Time Only? a
Six pair of our finest value ladies' m
guaranteed hose in black or tan
colors with written guarantee, for
$1.00 and 5 stamps for postage.
) SPECIAL OFFER FOR MEN.
For a limited time only, six pairs
of our finest 35c value Guaranteed
Hose with written guarantee and a
pair of our well known Men's Paradise
Garters for- one dollar, and 5
stamps for postage.
You know these hose, they stood
the test when all others failed. They
give real foot comfort. They have no
' seams to rip. They never become
loose and baggy as the shape is knit
in, not pressed in. They are Guaranteed
for fineness, for style, for
superiority of material and work'
manship, absolutely stainless and to
wear six months without holes, or a
new pair free.
Don't delay, send in your order before
offer expires. Give correct size.
WEAR-EVER HOSIERY COMPANY,
Dayton, Oliio. ^
PREMIER =j
"Non=Pnnctnre" Auto Tires CI
Guaranteed 7,50# Miles Service ?'
These tires bear the greatest
known mileage guarantee, yet are
sold at a price even less than tires
of ordinary guarantee. This guarantee
covers punctures, blow-outs and
' general wear. Guarantee covers 7,
500 miles service against everything
except abuse. These tires are intend,
ed for most severe service.
Orders have been received for
these tires for use in the United I
States government service.^
. As a SPECIAJL 1.NTKU1JUUTUKI
offer, we wiLl allow the following
prices for the nexxt ten days.
TIRES?TUBES.
Tire Tube
28x3 $ 9.20 $2.00
30x3 10.25 2.30
30x3 % 13.50 2.SO
32x3 % 14.05 3.00
34x3% 15.25 3.20
31x4 17.00 3.25
n n~ ? i a A A <5 OA
SiX-i U.uu o.ov
33x4 19.50 3.40
i 34x4 20.40 3.60
35x4 21.00 3.80
36x4 22.00 3.90
35x4 V* 26.00 5.00
[ 36x4 V> 27.00 5.10
37x4 y2 27.50 5.15
37x5 32.60 5.40
All other sizes. Non-Skids 20 per
cent extra. 5 per cent discount if
payment in full accompanies order
, and if two are so ordered, shipping
charges will be paid by us. C. O. D.
on- 15 per cent of amount of order.
1 Our output is limited, so we suggest
; early ordering. We sell direct only.
. giving purchaser the advantage of all
. middlemen's profits.
STROXGTREAD RUBBER CO.,
Dayton, Ohio.
t RILEY & COPELAND I
* Successors to W. P. Riley. +
| Fire, Life II
Accident It
} INSURANCE I
( Office in J. D. Copeland's Store
i? ?of W
PEOPLES
WE ARE 1
*
SO UI
PROM PI
PKUSPtKl
TRY US _
BAMBERG, SOUTH
International H
Farm Wag
He IH C line T TNTIL you see tl
"machSS11 ; Columbus wag
Sis. ?t?'a p?sted ?n the ktest in
R*ke?, suckers wagons. Weber and
Hsjiw? A-grade, built to the big
CORN MACHINES detail, are also
&?? &L. Tie Only Fifth Wheel Far
SMm Mm . The International fifth
TILLAGE is worth a trip to town to i
the pulling up or pitching
Mduot K*rn>w? one ^ the best imprcvemU
GENERAL LINE wagon. It means no mo:
Si T*^dojrn^a' ** pins?no more bent and b:
Ln Spread?n hi? for the wagon, and &e
Separators See the International fifl
hm Columbus wagons,
ffri? If jon will write to us, w
Gnk Drflb and information aboat thi
on farm wagons aad will
BoierTwiM Bee the wagons.
IstwQUliTMl HnWMto1 Coop
(hceporatoi)
PHMWHBBHI
J. B. BRI<
Bicycles, Guns and Automobiles Repairec
mmmm
n m m i \g am mat * a ? m 30 \ ears cf
R ANY FEVER in curing i
|NEW TI
TO AUGUSTA AND
Commencing May 3rd, the Atlantic (
rate through sleeping car service betwei
lanta, via Florence. Sumter and Augusta
Georgia Railroad.
Following are the schedules:
Lv. Wilmington,
Lv. Florence
Lv. Sumter
Lv. Orangeburg
Lv. Bamberg So. Rv
Ar. Denmark So. Ry.,
Lv. Denmark
Lv. Barnwell
Ar. Augusta
Ar. Atlanta
Passengers may remain in tne sieepin
7.00 A. Al., if they so desire. Returnin
lanta at 8.00 P. Al., central time, and ai
Al. and Bamberg 9.17 A. M.f Eastern tim
Connections are made in the Union
the "Dixie Flyer," (leaving there at 8.00
train for Chicago, carrying sleeping, dinir
also through sleeping cars tc St. Louis; a
lantic Limited," (leaving at 7.12 A. Al..)
nati, carrying sleeping and dining cars;
cars to Louisville and Indianapolis.
Connections are also made at Atlanta
West Point Railroad for Montgomery, A1
the Southwest; with the Southern Railwa:
phis and the West and with other diver
South Georgia, etc.
For reservations, tickets and schedules
tion by this new and attractive route, bj
apply to J. B. Liles, Ticket Agent of tl
Denmark, S. C..
THE STANDARD RAILROAD Ol
Come to die Herald B<
i need of Stationery, Pen
%
BANK |
$ APE I
ND
V
3US fs
. .. ."cfcfg
CAROLINA
m
'
???????????
ons J M
he 1914 Weber and
ons, you cannot be
aprovements on fa?m
i Columbus wagons,
;heat standards in every
m Wagons on die Market
see. Because xt presents I
\ of the freotiooister, it is I '
nts ever put on the farm I
re bent and broken king |
roken cirdftirffiis?ionget I
seier woak the hodes. I
ih wheel on Weber aad B
e will send eon eetalogace I
i aod other hapro^dbnts |
tell you whose yon aoay |j
u>7 of America ^bJ|
Tie Cure I
i take the ounce of pre- I
>n. That means bring I
hicvcle here to be looked |
as soon as you even sus- I . ^11
anything is wrong. We I
small repairs as well as I
ones. It is in your inter- I
iat we advise you to not I
e little break grow big.
CKLE .
1. Bamberg, S. C. S
M JOHNSON'S
m* TONIC
tAINl
> ATI AWTA H
' n 1 Limi in 111
"oast Line will inaugu- |||
en Wilmington and At- III
, in connection with the |||
6.00 A. M. JIJ
g cars at Atlanta until |||
ig. the train leaves At- |f| '
rrives Denmark 4.50 A. it
Depot at Atlanta with II
A. M.,) which is a solid I!
Lg and observation cars; II % --vja
md with the "South At- ||
a solid train to Cincin- 11 .oj
also through sleeping ||
i with the Atlanta and ||
Mobile, New Orleans and II
j for Birmingham, Mem- II
ging lines for points in I w
to any Western destina- II
j old and reliable lines, II
he Atlantic Coast Line, II '||
P THE SOUTH. II ,|1
i o. __rrr
>ok oiore wnen
icils, Books, etc. m