82 



THE WORK OF THE BRITISH COTTON GROWING 

 ASSOCIATION. 



By J. ARTHUR HUTTON, 

 Chairman of the Association. 



[ABSTRACT.] 



The British Cotton Growing Association was formed in 1902 

 with the object of establishing and extending" the growth of 

 cotton in the British Empire, and to relieve as far as possible 

 the dangerous position of the Lancashire cotton industry, owing 

 to the fact that it was dependent on the United States for the 

 bulk of its supplies of the raw material. The Association was 

 originally constituted in June, 1902, as a voluntary body with 

 a guarantee fund of 50,000 which was subsequently increased 

 to 100,000. In August, 1904, it was reconstituted on a per- 

 manent ]3asis as a company with a Royal Charter, the capital 

 being 500,000. Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G., was the first 

 President and on his death Lord Derby took his place. 



It was stipulated that no dividends should be paid for seven 

 years, and the work is still conducted on a semi-philanthropic 

 basis. The Association is representative of capital and labour 

 and of all the various branches of the cotton trade and the 

 allied industries. The Association works in hearty co-operation 

 with the Government and the colonial authorities, and confer- 

 ences are held periodically at the Colonial Office under the 

 chairmanship of the Under-Secretary of State. The Associa- 

 tion is als<o in constant communication with the colonial 

 authorities on all the various questions connected with cotton 

 growing and is a'ble to offer valuable and disinterested advice. 

 The Association receives a grant of 10,000 per annum from 

 Imperial Funds to be spent upon experimental work. 



The work consisted originally of inquiries into the possibilities 

 of the various colonies, and a number of experts were sent out 

 to different parts of the Empire. Practical experiments were 

 also carried out in many colonies. The Association now con- 

 centrates its work on those parts of the Empire which offer the 

 best possibilities of large results in the immediate future, as 

 follows : 



1. India; 



2. The West Indies; 



3. West Africa; 



4. Uganda and Nyasaland ; 



5. The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. 



