Newspaper Page Text
4
COTTON FARMERS
ARE VICTIMS OF
TARERULES
Corporation Commissioner Re
ports Injustice From False
Weight Practices.
Washington, sept. 3— a raise
standard of weights which inject un
certainty into practically every Ameri
can cotton sale in the Important mar
kets of Europe, resulting In serious
abuses, indefensible practices and even
fraud on the part of cotton merchants
in this country, has been created by the
rules of foreign cotton exported from
the United States, according to Luther
Conant, Jr., commissioner of corpora
tions, in a report to President Taft.
The reoort is based upon an exten
sive investigation of cotton tare —the
allowance for bagging and ties inclos
ing a bale of cotton in order tp ascer
tain the net weight—which was under
taken on complaint that American cot
ton producers were subjected to aerl
ous loss because of excessive deduc
tions for tare under the regulations of
leading European markets. The pro
ducer does not ordinarily suffer under
these rulea, according to the commit
eloner, because of the active competi
tion among merchants in the purchase
of cotton from the farmer for export.
The existence of competition and its
remedial effect, however, he points out,
cannot always be relied upon, and it
is impossible to escape the conclusion
that the produce may be Injured, and
sometimes is.
Complicates Price Figures.
The tare rules, the report declares,
complicate price regulations with an
unnecessary* element of chance, and In.
volve economic waste because of the
use of excessive bagging. If this
waste does not injure the producer, or
merchant or spinner, it must Impose
an unnecessary burden upon the con
sumer of cottonwoods, says the report.
Commissioner (.Tn ant declares that Im
mediate action should be taken to
remedy the evils, and offers sugges
tions for temporary and ultimate per
manent relief.
The American producer sells his cot
ton gross weight, and, as a rule, ac
cording to the report, believes that*he
makes a big profit on tare by receiv
ing the same price for bagging that
he obtains for cotton. This Is untrue,
the report says, as the evidence demon
strates that the buyer of cotton takes
the tara into consideration in fixing
the price he offers.
, Cotton for export, on the other hand.
Is sold net weight. It Is In this c<n
nection that complication and unwi
tslnty are Injected Into cotton sobs
The American exporter, b\ the tetm
of hi., invoiet eoiitrmt with the foi'iun
buver must compute the net weight
or his cotton t»y deducing fi per , ent
from the gross weight The aveiagi
bale of cotton, weighing 500 pounds
gross, contains about 478 pounds of
cotton and 22 pounds of tare as It
comes from the producer to the ex
porter. A deduction of f> per cent, un
der 1 lie foreign tare rules, from a gross
weight of 500 pounds, however, would
leave only 470 pounds net or 8 pounds
less than the actual weight of the net
cotton the bale, in addition to tout
discrepancy, the report points out, the
eituatlon Is further complicated by the
fact that when the cotton reaches its
destination, the foreign buyer, under
the contract with the American ex
porter, htrs the right to demand an
actual test for tare. In this test the
rul<« fix a maximum allowance for
tare of 500 pounds. This is a discrep
ancy of three ami one-half pounds as
compared with file 30-pound invoice
deduction, and the foreign buyer call?
upon the exporter to make good th it
(amount
Exporter Faces Problem.
Th- American exporter, under these
circumstances, according to the report,
faces a serious problem to avoid con
ducting business at a loss Some cot
ton merchants, Mr. Conant says, argue
that these facts are thoroughly under
stood by the trade, and are adjusted
In the price which the exporter asks
for his cotton. The commissioner does
not entirely agree with tills view, and
Bays that the practical result of the
rules has been that the exporter adds
unnecessary tare to his cotton.
‘■The exporter." he says, "naturally
adds tare up to the amount allowed by
the rules .roughly 26 1-2 pounds). He
does this by ‘patching’—that is, placing
strip-bagging on the bale. A small part
of such patching Is usually necessary
to cover sample holes. However since
the exporter, in making out his invoice,
must deduct six per cent, he frequently
goes further and adds tare up to nt
least six per cent of the total weight of
the bales; sometimes he adds even
more.
“Obvlouely. If the exporter makes a
complete adjustment in the price, and
also adjusts by adding tare, he makes
a profit of such added tare. If, how
ever, complete adjustment Is not made
1n the price, this addition of tare be
comes simply a means of protection
against loss, although in the trade it
is usually spoken of as a ‘profit on
patching.’
"Granting that the price of cotton
is In no way affected by the six per
cent rule. It Is nevertheless highly ob
jectionable. It results in changing the
gross weight of the bale and thus in
troduces an avoidable element of
chance, both as to the actual weight of
cotton to be paid for and as to price.”
Half Over-Tared.
As a result of this six per cent rule,
the commissioner estimates that at
jcjhpns of cotton are over-fared and that
proportion of the re-
malnder Is under-taxed. It is this use
of unnecessary tare, says the report,
i that injects uncertainty and possible
i fraud into the cotton business.
“This uncertainty," adds the report,
"strikes at the basic factor of every
transaction, namely, the amount of the
commodity actually sold. It in effect
establishes a false standard of weights
with the invariably unfortunate con
sequences of such a condition. It thus
gives an advantage to a skilled class
of specialists who best understand the
complicated details of the business
with a corresponding disadvantage to
the less expert. It is not sufficient to
say’ that the competition ‘among these
skilled classes often forces them to
turn over the benefit of this false
measure to the producer. It is not
seriously contended that this is always
so. and there Is thus ever present the
open door to fraud. There is always
the invitation to cotton merchants to
adopt improper practices, and there
is thus enticed Into the trade a class
i of men who bring discredit upon hon
est merchant®. This is not only the
retlcally so, but It Is actually so. Buy
ers of cotton, both in this country and
abroad, are constantly finding them
selves Involved in transactions where
shippers have taken advantage of
these opportunities to defraud.”
Standardization Remedy.
The ideal remedy for all these evils,
Mr. Conant concludes, Is the standard
ization of tare to be put on a bale of
cotton by making it a definite or read
ily ascertainable amount, so that the
net weight may be determined with
out controversy or test. The present
careless and irregular methods of cov
ering cotton, If the evils are allowed to
go uncorrected, he declares, seem like
ly to invite legislation.
Pending the adoption of a thorough
remedy, the commissioner believes
substantial benefits will accrue by
modifying the six per cent contract so
as to provide for a deduction of five per
cent or some other percentage more ac
curately representing the amount of
covering actually necessary to protect
the cotton. The requirements of the
contract, he says, should certainly be
Identical with the allowance established
by the rules under an actual test.
There would be a great saving, the
report says, if the cotton could be com
pressed at the gin. Under the present
practice, the staple Is pressed at the gin
and later compressed to greater densi
ty at numerous establishments scat
tered over the cotton belt. Compress
ing at the gin, he says, would encoun
ter opposition from the owners of com
presses because It would destroy their
business. Furthermore, he adds. It
would be Impractical at this time be
cause It would require a capital outlay
of at least $100,000,000 to equip gins
with compresses. Nevertheless, he be
lieves, this is an ultimate ideal condi
tion to which the cotton trade must
look forward. *
SAUER’S PUDE FLAVORING EX
TRACTS have no equal. Sold every
where 10c and 25c the bottle, at your
grocer’s.
BIRMINGHAM AND
RETURN S2,EOi
Tuesday. Septi .liber 17th. Speiial)
trains leave old depot 8 a. m. SEA - I
l’.< »ARD.
EXQUI3I I e v'.’r OOlNf r "..'QUE 1
AND DiCOF.ATIONG.
ATLAx\ * . ri.i. b '-rLr CO , I
Call Main 1130.
■ ■■ ■
WE WILL MAIL YOU $1
for ear! st i of old False Teeth Rent I
ua. Highest price paid for old Hold,
Silver, old Watches. Broken JeXvelry
and Precious Stones
Money Sent By Return Mall.
Phlla. Smelting and Refining Co.,
Established ”0 Ynars.
863 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa.
TO DENT I6TS
We will bu> tour Cold Filings, Gohl
Scrap and Platinum. Highest prices
paid.
Dr. Hint's has given bls entire I
life to the study of the human
eye and how to correct refracted
errors with lenses. With hfm i
it does not matter how compli
cated or how dim ll ' sight might
be, if the eyes respond to the
light he can uncover any and all
hidden defects, and correct same
with glasses In a manner that
gives pleasure, comfort and re
sults herebefore unknown. He
wishes all to know that his prices
are no higher than elsewhere,
and that there are no charges for
examining when glasses are
bought.
HINES OPTICAL COMPANY
191 Peachtree St.
felween Mon'pomcry and Alcazar Theaters I
Men and Women
I CURE YOU TO STAY CURED,
— 1 r - all chronn . nervous,
ptivate. blood and
' | -'" ln diseases. I use i
.—.a ll,e ve '> latest metli- I
EW w' am? “ ids. therefore getting :
\ desired results I give
i 'w ‘v* 606, the celebrated I
' "9; la rmnii preparation, '
J J for blood i olson, with- I
>\J* F " ut catting or deten-
vure - vou make no ;
.barge Everything I
confidi ntial C une t" me without de- t
lay. and let me demonstrate how
I gi\ - you results where other |
physicians have failed I cure Vari- I
cocele. Stricture. Piles, Nervous De- i
blllt? Kidney, Bladder and prostutlc j
troubles Acute discharges and in- .
flammation and all contracted dis- ;
ease- FREE consultation and exam- |
Ination Hours, Sa. ui. to 7p. in. I
Sundays. 9 to 1.
Dr. J. D. HUGHES. Specialist
Opposite Third National Bank.
11116 1 2 North Broad St,. Atlanta, Ga.
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN f AND NEWS.TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 3. 1912
KILLS COYOTE AT 50
FEET WITH HAMMER
FORT LUPTON, COLO, Sept 3.—John
Corcoran, while at work on the roof of a
CHEER UP!' IF HEftDdCHY. BILIOUS,
CONSTIPATED-CASCARETS TONIGHT
No odds how bad your liver, stomach or bowels; how much your head
aches, how miserable and uncomfortable you are from constipation, indiges
tion, biliousness and sluggish Intestines—you always get the desired results
with Cascarets.
They end the headache, biliousness, dizziness, nervousness, sick, sour,
gassy stomach. They cleanse your Li ver and Bowels of all the sour bile, foul
gases and constipated matter which Is producing the misery. A Cascaret
tonight will straighten you out by morn Ing—a 10-cent box from your druggist
will keep your head clear, stomach sweet, liver and bowels regular and make
you feel cheerful and bully for months.
T sT si
10 Cents. Never gripe or sicken.
“CASCARETS WORK WHILE YOU SLEEP.”
J. M. High Co.’s
CHARMING FALL SUITS
re those in tomorrow’s great
showing. Suits from America’s
foremost manufacturers,and every ■(..
style shown here will be noted as
ft'Olin somew hat out of the ordinary and
greatly different from most suits
seen and shown here abouts.
v w® > IB® A
MB; Max Schwartz Famous Suits Jiff
in an assortment of high grade man- WIM rs
ish cloths and in every correct cut
f and finish. Fife
Bwill S^s From Luntz Kashowitz, Hi®
S u ** s roni N eu S ass ai, d Lublang l|®tg
« and Beck.
Absolutely the best and most
varied assortment we have ever had
the pleasure of presenting to the peo
ple of Atlanta and vicinity, and we
want you to come in and let us show
you these pretty and fascinating gar-
ments.
In addition to these regular styles and
t kinds we are making a specialty of
Mourning and Extra Size Suits yM
A department which is sure to meet |
instant favor. The large woman who
is so hard to lit will find suit buying* a MJ 1i v
pleasure here, for every right material |t[|zwO
. i n best models and in largest sizes is
now readv for vour inspection. WmTi
fliSB Come Tomorrow If Convenient ffiil
an d permit us to give you a first view vjOi' IW
the season’s smartest garments, W
which represent a full range of prices
from $67.50, $59.75; $47.50, ffi
* $43.75, $39.75, $37.50, $35.00, W 0
xLM.HIGH C()Mm y Y.
houB« be was building east of town, saw
a coyote about 50 feet away running oft
with a hen In its Jaws. Although the an
imal was on the run, Corcoran threw a
hammer bo effectively that he killed the
animal and liberated the chicken, which
was still alive and uninjured.
? | The Security
Offered by our
Ll* Safe Deposit
JUL < Vault.
,fl fl We give to patrom the
l! | i advantages of new and
t - iL -iLJ vault9 rein _
forced and barricaded with Yale Deposit Locks. The
Yale system of locking is known around the world as
the most sturdy, the most impregnable.
Evctv box in onr vault Is protected by a special guard mechanism and a daullt set of
tumblers. Entrust your valuables to us,—they will be i<\ft from fire as well a. theft.
ATLANTA TRUST CO.,
Henry Hillyer, President. Capital, $500,000.00
*
DR. WDOILETS SANITARIOK
Mm OPIUM and WHISKY
aaaee ar. enrabta. PaUwrts also treated at thirtr bmnos. Ooa.
lEA mtltatlon CT>nadentl*L A book on the subject fime DK. B. M.
WOCULET a soa. Be. BA Victor Sanitaria*. Afeanta. Ba.
Two Extra
Specials
for
Wednes
day and
Thursday
Another carload
of very fine
Georgia
Yellow
Yams
AT
24c
PECK
Better buy at
this price, for it
will be hard to
secure such a
bargain again.
Another Ship
ment of
Green
Virginia
Cabbage
AT
Uc
POUND
Better Than
Ever
ROGERS’ |
36
PURE FOOD :
STORES I
