Abstract

Breaking America's Cotton Monopoly

In the five years before the war the United States produced, on an average, 63.5 per cent of the cotton grown in the entire world. The U.S. produced more than 13 million bales; the nearest competitor, India, only 3.75 million. Moreover, British dependence upon American cotton disturbed British imperialists. An intensive effort has been made to develop cotton-growing in the British Empire. According to the Commerce Yearbook of the United States Department of Commerce, American cotton production in 1923-24 was estimated at only 55.5 per cent of the world production. China had risen to third place with a production of 1,400,000 bales. Sudan production was still insignificant; Uganda, which averaged only 20,000 bales in the pre-war period, had risen to 94,000.