154 COTTON 



per pound between the best and the worst, and although 

 the fibre and staple of Uganda is very much superior to 

 Lagos cotton, a good deal of it has to be sold at a lower 

 price. 



As regards the stained cotton, it is still a moot point as 

 to what is the actual cause. It may be the result of climatic 

 conditions, or it may be caused by careless picking, or by 

 bad handling after it is picked. It is probable that all three 

 causes contribute to the unsatisfactory result. I am glad to 

 say that in 1912 and 1913 the cotton was decidedly better 

 in quality, and as there happened to be a scarcity of this 

 particular type of cotton it met with a ready sale. It is too 

 soon yet to decide as to the quality of the present crop, but 

 I should like to utter a word of warning as to the danger of 

 introducing more new types of cotton. Uganda cotton of 

 the old type at its best is very much liked by spinners and 

 commands a ready sale and if the defects could be 

 eliminated it has a great future before it, as America seems 

 less and less able to produce this particular type of cotton 

 running from it^th to i-ft-th inches in length. It is by no 

 means an easy matter to get spinners to change their quality 

 and to try new growths, and frequently this can only be 

 done by accepting a lower price. Now that we have 

 created a regular demand for Uganda cotton it would be 

 dangerous to change the type, for it would completely upset 

 the market, and all the work of creating a demand would 

 have to be done over again. In any case I should strongly 

 urge that one should proceed very slowly and tentatively in 

 the matter. If the existing defects could be eliminated, one 

 could not wish for better cotton than what I may term the 

 1912 to 1913 type of Uganda cotton. 



One subject which has given a good deal of trouble is 

 that of Cotton Rules, regulating distribution of seed, culti- 

 vation and marketing of cotton, etc Time after time the 

 Association have drawn the attention of the Colonial Office 

 to the necessity for regulations, not only in Uganda but also 

 in other Colonies, for the control of the industry. Unfortu- 

 nately the Cotton Rules first proposed for Uganda were 

 quite impracticable, and would have been an unnecessary 

 interference with legitimate commercial enterprise with no 

 corresponding advantages. It was actually suggested that 

 cotton should be classified into at least a dozen different 

 grades, although there was not a single individual in the 

 country capable of grading cotton into even four or five 

 grades It was also proposed that all shippers should be 

 compelled to use the same marks or brands, which would 



