The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-21

only one of the candidates for governor was outspoken in favor of the necessary
 measures of relief, since then every can didate has come out In favor of them,
 though there is not a unanimty of be- lief in the constitutional convention as a necessity to accomplish the desired end. Of late the belief has grown among the members of the executive committee that the time has come to hold a biz conventions where the voice of the peo- pie may be expressed in a manner to compel the adhesion of those who are now seeking the favor of the people and who will constitute the administration of the state government during the next two years. The call for this convention is
 now under consideration. If it shall be
 held it will command the attention of the most influential men in the state.
 The convention of the county super visors has been called to meet at Jackson by Hon. J. w. Treen of Purvis, who is
 the chairman of the executive commit
 tee created by that body at it's former
 convention. The former convention of the supervisors was devoted to the con- sideration of the necessity for a consti- tutional convention and the coming gath erinG is expected to take further action along the same line. From each of the counties will be given reports showing how the present methods of taxation,
 
 resentaton in the legislature bear to the disadvantage of south Mississippi. It will he shown that the north Mississippi coun- ties have just three times the amount of representation which the south Mis- sissppi counties have, whether the com parison he made on the basis of popula- | tion. assessed wealth or capacity of the | people to furnish Legislative material It | will be shown that the state pays to the north Mississippi counties so literally | from the school funds that while south | Mississippi pays the bulk of the funds 1 into the state treasury, the north Mis- | sissippi schools have a great advantage The north Mississippi schools run more | months in the year, pay higher salaries I to the teachers and lay aside large sur | puses In the banks from year to year, while in south Mississippi the school terms are short, the salaries are rid- culousy low and instead of the school
 districts accommodating a surplus they are compelled to impose local taxation to help out the payments from the state. It is said that negro primary teacher will get higher salary in north Missis- sippi county than white teacher of high grade will get in south Mississippi. IL will be shown that South Mississippi is taxed higher than is north Mississippi, because of the differing standards of assessment valuation In north Mississippi, in the Delta, where arc the richest agri- cultural lands in the world, that cannot be bought for less than s75 per acre, the | assessment Is made on a basis of about | Sl0 per acre. In south Mississippi where the land yields but one crop that crop | of yellow pine lumber, the lands are assessed from SEQ to SEQ per acre, and there is clamor for still higher assess ment in this section.
 But the most important convention that | is in sight is one that was brought on 1 the carpet this week at a session in Hat tiesburg of the lumber manufacturers of south Mississippi. when the Mississippi | Pine association was formed About a l hundred of the leading lumber men were represented. The lumber industry is the most important of any Tn Mississippi, with the exception only of agriculture. It involves an investment of many hun dreds of millions of dollars and it em- ploys more men than all the other indus tries in the state combined, excepting agriculture. It is a remarkable fact that although the market price for pine lum- Der is ruling as high today ever be- 1 fore known in the history of the business, the millmen are not making as much profit as in the days when the market was not more than one third of its pres ent standard and when mill machinery was not nearly far improved. The req son for this condition is found in the fact that labor is so scarce, so eXpen- sive and so worthless.
 At the Inducements convention this week this condition was given voice. and | the greatest disgust was expressed for | those politicians who. in their quest for office. are arguing that the gates of Ms 1 ssippi should be shut against desirable immigration of any kind. It was declared | that Mississippi needs all the immigrants with muscle that can be gotten. that the day Of usefulness for the negro in the south Is gone, and that the people of the state are recalcitrant to their own interests when they keep away people