Show T tl T ail in WASHINGTON By y Wolter Walter Shead She d C rr i Washington Bantu Bur HIS 1616 Eye Eft St. St N. N W. W Future of Cotton tt is going to happen to toV tot WHAT t V King Cotton mainstay of more farmers than any other crop And more farmers are affected by what happens to cotton than by what hap happens pens to any other crop Up to one one- third of ot all farm tarm residents in the country live on cotton farms and they're the lowest Income group In agriculture Not only these cotton farmers but every farmer r every resident of the thousands of home towns from the East to the West coast and from top to bottom of the country Is interest interested ed cd In cotton for cotton In peace peace- peacetime pea peacetime ct time accounts for tor four fifths four of our total textile yardage According to recent statistics sta re rev released leased by b Secretary Clinton I An An- Anderson Anderson derson of 01 the department nt of agri rl agriculture agriculture culture the gross average farm larm In Income In- In Income Income come of cotton farmers In the 10 years cars ending In 1042 1942 was only S 5 a year as aJ against more than 2000 In other parts of or the nation nn Why then with cotton an all Im crop and selling at price prices well above parity should income of ot these cotton farmers a third of all farmers be so much lower than the average of ot other farmers The an an- answer answer Is found In the agricultural practices of ot the South for tor the past hundred years and includes 1 a one-crop one system of farming 2 lack lck of at conservation practices which has driven the center of the cotton king king- kingdom kingdom kingdom dom from the southeastern states i iacross across the Mississippi to the South South- Southwest Southwest Southwest I west and 3 cotton surpluses surl luses which have In the past demoralized the market Tough Competition While the department of ot agriculture agriculture ture is not pessimistic over the fu fu- future future fu- fu future ture of ot cotton in the thc immediate postwar post post- postwar war years ears it is obvious they point out that great care will be necessary necessary necessary sary for cotton to hold its own in an Increasingly competitive field I In the first place cotton production lion tion In this country has hu decreased ed I whereas foreign production has lias In Increased In- In creased In 1920 for Instance ne we i produced 13 million of the 21 mil mu- million i ilion lion balks bal s of cotton produced In the world n 1940 the last year for world statistics s we wo produced only 12 out y 29 million bales hales and our product n in 1943 19 dropped to 11 mil mil- ies es In spite ot of this drop In prods prodo production ton Ion other competitive eom- eom have soared In common usage r replacing placing ro cotton Kayon Mayon ny ny- nylon lon Ion spun spur spun glass class and other newer de de- developments developments developments of textiles arc nrc boring Into the cotton cation market U. U S. S S rayon production 10 years ago amounted In to only 10 million pounds whereas last la t year rayon had grown grom to million pounds or the equivalent of bales of cotton Taper Paper products en en- entering entering the market formerly held by cotton cotlon towels tows tissues napkins window shades plastic pIa stir and twine in 1929 was equivalent on em a pound- pound pound for-pound basis of a million bales of raw cotton The TIle Commodity Credit corpora corpora- corporation corporation corporation tion In the department of agriculture agriculture agriculture ture Is the godfather of the cotton crop and the haven oj of cotton crop farmers It is the Commodity Credit corporation which supports the mar mar- market market market ket price for cotton by buying up surpluses and providing substitutes for tor cotton exports Through August 18 1945 the had purchased on Its Cotton Purchase Program sup support port price program bales r pf of cotton of the 1944 crop at an aver aver- average average age ge price of about 2231 cents a pound involving approximately In addition It had pro pro- provided provided provided vided a cent 4 per hundred pound subsidy for Its export program in in- involving involving bales of the 1944 crop Favorable Outlook Secretary Anderson in a cent are recent address before the New York Cot Cot- Cotton Cotton ton Exchange pointed out however some favorable factors In behalf behall of ot the postwar future of ot cotton He pointed out that during the war thousands thou thou- thousands thousands sands of cotton farmers had started soil conservation conse practices and di- di diversified di diversified versified farming there are con con- constantly constantly constantly being discovered disco new uses for tor cotton cottoni the department has just announced discovery of a new cot cot- cotton cotton ton fabric which will not mildew w nor rot which will be used extensively in yards threads packaging and bag bag- bagging bagging bagging ging demand for cotton In other countries will be at a new peak al although al- al although although though world carryover is at an all all- time high In the U. U S. S despite a cancellation of BO no per cent of ot war orders for tor cotton products slack will be taken up by the tremendous backlog of civilian demands American cotton will face not only large stocks docks on hand it will face as well the need ne-ed for lor better farm practices if it it is to hold its place paco In the world market Secretary An An- Anderson Anderson derson warned He said however that he Is depending on operation co-operation and American know how and an Increased export market to t bring cotton marching home from fr m war In this connection it will be inter inter- interesting interesting esting for cotton farmers to note that the Commodity Credit corpora corporation tion has been placed under the new Production and Marketing adminis adminis- administration administration administration In the new U U. S S. D. D D A A A. set un |