The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-08-18
FORUM OF THE
PEOPLE
e>>~ . . . . 80 .
Hattiesburg, Aug, 16, 1915.

Editor, The News:
Dear Sir:-Much has been said
about farming, more farming" hoy,
go back to the farm etc. We have
spoken of the great advantages of
South Mississippi for settlers and i'm
migrants to locate their farms here.
We speak of these things, lots of us
without giving a thought to the most
important part of it. Some of us
seem to think all that it necessary is
to buy a plot of land and commence
reaping the rich harvests without any
trouble at all.
While | am not a farmer, | have
given such matters considerable study
and have learned enough about it to
be able to dis-allusion any one who
thinks as above, if they will only read
what | have to say here
The farmer from the East, Middle
West or foreign countries comes to
South Mississippi and other Southern
states also, expecting to find farming
implements as available as they are
in the North, but is sadly disappoint-
cd when he gets here. He finds that
he not only has to pay larger prices
for these implements, but that he al
so has to pay freight charges, and
after expanding practically all of his
savings for these very necessary in
struments he finds that he has very
little money to spend for fertilizer
and other farming requisites. There
are reserve banks and other institu-
tons that he can borrow money from
by mortgaging his farm, but profits
are so small during the first two or
three years on new land that he some
times gives up in disgust leaving his
farm to the money lender and going
back where he came from.
l. These conditions would not prevail
if our rich men would invest their
money in manufacturing interests
rather than putting it in banks to be
| loaned out on interest We should
have factories for the manufacture OF
binders, threshers and other farming
| implements of all kinds. We have
ample hardwood here in the swamps
| that surround the country. There
should be furniture factories, axe
handle factories, broom, box, packing
picking, canning and any number Of
other kind of factories here in Hat
tiesburg. There is undoubtedly SUI
ficient idle capital here to have al
these industries and have them thrive
and at the same time give prospective
settlers an incentive to come here.
We have ample railroad facilitie!
in Hattiesburg One of the most cen
trally located cities in the state i!
our own. We have a river which
should be navigable to the coast ant
thus improve the freight rates. W.
should even utilize the two fine river
running through town for factory pow
er. Bouie River could be damme'
about a mile above the city and fur
nish sufficient electric power to rul
every factory in the city.
There is something else Hatties
burg needs to attract people. w
have absolutely no places Of amuse
ment. Only a big field called par
which has a good crop of weeds an
sage grass and a swamp in the mic
die of it. This park could be turne
into a beautiful park with very littl
exertiOn on the part Of the city. TIL
: swamp could be damned up and tn
creek running through it would yer
soon make a beautiful lake whie
could be used for both boating an
swimming and at the same time max
the park attractive. People wOul
come to Hattiesburg on Sundays il
9 stead of going to the coast and Ha
S tiesburg would be getting the none
. the coast is now getting.
| think, about the best thing we ca
6 all do is to quit hollering "Har
4 Times" and start boosting fC
e Something Better
q Hoping that we wake up soon an
Y don't let towns like Laurel get ahea
q of us, am, Yours truly
s A Civic improvement Booster.