The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-12-19
PRELIMINARY MEETING YESTER-
DAY GAVE FAVORABLE CON-
sIDERAioN TO NATTER.
ESTABLISHMENT is IMPERATIVE
Hattiesburg is the Center of the Cane
Growing Section of the State and
Can be Made a Great Syrup Market.
Come Out Tonight.

Every member of the Commercial
Club and all citizens and business men
interested in the establishment of a
syrup refinery are requested to meet
at the club rooms tonight.
The preliminary meeting held yes
terday found hearty endorsement of
the enterprise, to such extent, in fact,
that it was decided to submit the mat
ter to full meeting of the club and
OF the citizens and if possible secure
the enthusiastic cooperation of all.
The meeting yesterday was ad-
dressed by Mr.. Carter, president of
the Farmers Union Warehouse
Co., who set forth in a very interesting
manner the proposition that his COM
pany are anxious to have the citizens
of this community endorse. Mr.. Jack
son introduced the speaker, calling at
tention to the fact that it was near
the holidays, and everybody was very
busy, and that it was hard for the
members to get away from their du-
ties at this time, but urging upon
those present that this proposition was
one of vital Importance to this Sec
ton, and that the club should take
action in the matter at once.
Mr.. Carter in addressing the meet
ing said that he took it that the agri-
cultural interests of the surrounding
country supported the city, or contrib
uted more than any other branch of
industry. Tho lumbe' interests, of
course, we're the prime factors in the
beginning, and remained a great as
set still, but when a pine tree was cut
down and converted into lumber it
has finished it's mission it is through,
but when all the timber is gone the
soil remains and under intelligent
cultivation continues to produce
wealth from year to year, and in
creases in value rather than dimin-
ishes in its productiveness. With the
advent of the boil weevil in this Sec
ton the farmers have lost heavily, but
cotton will remain in the future the
one great crop of Mississippi How
ever, until existing troubles are allev-
lated market for the things that the
farmer can produce profitably must
be established. This city is the very
center of the cane growing section of
Mississippi, and the quality of syrup
that it produces is far superior to that
of louisiana, Alabama or Georgia, and
all that is needed to successfully mar
ket the products is centrally located
canning plant that will grade the
product as it should be, so that people
buying one can will be certain to get
the same quality of syrup when they
buy again. AS it is now, people living
outside of the state know little of the
grade of syrup that this country pro-
duces and a great deal of it that is
made and sent to the New Orleans re-
fineries naturally is sold as Louisiana
syrup.
1t was pointed out that Hattiesburg
alone receives two carloads of canned
syrup each week for local use and dis
tribution, when its quality will not
compare with the local product if it
was intelligently refined. The local
growers at present cannot get a mar
ket for the syrup as they have no way
to can and dispose of it. Mr.. Carter
stated that his company had reached
the stage of progress in it's affaif-
\ where canning factory is an imper-
3ative necessity, and if the business
men would subscribe $25,000 to the
proposition that his company would
put up like amount, and commence
the building of the plant at once.
1t is understood that when the
amount is subscribed that it does not
mean that the people will own $4,000
in the canning factory, but will own
that amount in the Farmers Union
Warehouse Company stock and the
dividends will accrue not from the
canning factory alone, but from all
sources of revenue that the company
enjoys. This institution was estab-