The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-01-12
r0TTON IS CALLED
V THE WHITE Peril"
LADEN SAYS SOUTH C.s1s4s an
n1E THE STRAIN BUT A Il
THE WHILE LONGER.
REDUCING CROP IS ONLY HOPE
ou. People Have Inherited the Hab-
if, and Have No Idea of the Cost.
rroes That Market For Food
Crop Be Provided.

IT, and have No ANOS0 Va wv
rroes That Market For Food
Crop Be Provided.
SAVANNAH, Ga.-That the South,
and Georgia especially, is facing the
roost serious problem since the war
between the states because of the cot
ION situation was the statement of c..
Haden. of Atlanta, president OF
the Georgia Chamber of Commerce,
IN an address before the board of
trade yesterday.
He referred to the staple as The
White PERIL" and predicted that un-
less the crop is reduced in 1915
"there will be a crash as loud as two
walters with heavily laden trays run
ming together
He said the production of more
food crops is the only solution, and
that farmers will not raise them be-
cause of lack of adequate markets.
He urged business men to provide
market, saying they must take the
initiative as farmers will not do so.
He said in part:
South Is Overburdened.
"The South is literally staggering
under the 1914 cotton crop. 1t is
taking the combined strength of the
farmer. merchant and banker to car
~ it over. It is now selling about
two cents below the estimate of the
federal government of the cost OF
production.
'If as much as two-thirds Of the
1914 crop is grown in 1915 the pres
ent price will not be raised and the
load on the South will be unbearable.
Georgia last year had 100000 acres
in cotton. If the crop is reduced
barely one-third there will be 2,OOO,-
600 acres less than last year that
must go into food crops or remain
idle. If idle the laborers will flock
TO town for work, and there will be
no such work.
"There is widespread fear 1--WE
know it from personal touch) that
there are many farmers who can't
find cash markets for corn, oats, hay
and hogs, in towns where they do
their wagon trading. Not only will
the country towns have to provide
these markets, but they must let the
farmer know 1t.
Recently we announced through
the press in response to many com
plants of no markets, that if any
farmer who could not sell corn, hay
oats and hogs would write us we
would endeavor to find a market for
him. Every mail brought streams of
letters. We were surprised to find
not only how inadequate the markets
are, but also how Indifferent are bus
mess men of the average Georgia
town are on the subject.
Buying FOOdstuff Elsewhere.
at is actually true that we are
sending out of Georgia every year to
the Northwest for foodstuffs, chiefly
corn, meat, -four and hay about
$4,000, 900, and yet no provision
for local market for those produced
in Georgia.
Few farmers grow enough of any
nnn fo,5 oroy, m m Ir1.o carload and
city wholesale dealers can handle on
ly in carloads. 1t is the town man S
problem. II is necessary to take care
of his country cousin this year in
order to save himself.
In 1879 one pound of cotton
bought two pounds of meat; l mean
average meat. In 1899 one pound
of cotton would pay for one pound of
meat In 1915 it takes three pounds
of cotton to buy one pound of meat.
In the last analysis all trade is bar
ter, money being the tape line that
measures values. Therefore, in the
swapping game Georgia is paying five
times as much for meat we eat than
1t paid forty years ago. In 1860
Georgia's population was about one
third of now. But it then had 1885,
600 more hogs than now.
After taking a careful estimate
from the best information both in
the Northwest and in Georgia it re-
mains beyond serious doubt that hogs
up to medium size can be grown in
South Georgia for one-third of the
cost in Indiana"
No Idea of Costs.
Mr.. Haden declared that cotton
had never paid for the food Georgia
eats. He said its production is not