A Reconsideration of the Cotton Program

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to point out some of the more im? portant reasons why American cotton growers have been losing their relative shares of the foreign and domestic fiber markets to synthetics and foreign growths. An attempt is made here to examine and to integrate the necessary information, as well as the diverse studies which have been done on various phases of the cotton program, with an eye to developing a price policy acceptable to both cotton farmers and the general public. In line with this objective the analysis is divided into six parts: (1) some results of government cotton programs, (2) factors influencing the domestic demand for American cotton, (3) future com? petition from fqreign growths, (4) some observations on production costs, (5) desirable objectives of a government cotton policy, and (6) a suggested price policy for cotton. I. Some Results of Government Cotton Programs