Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-27
MACON CONFERENCE
PLANS FOR GIGANTIC
FOOD PRODUCTION
More Than One Thousand
Representative Lead erS
From Every Section of State
Attend Meeting Tuesday
BY Linton K. Starr
Journal Stan Correspondent.

| captains or food industry-pr2ctlcaLy
thousand strong-gathered in the Ma
con auditorium this morning in great
conference that mapped out the mobi-
lization. on stupendous scale, of the ag-
| ricultural and Industrial forces of the
state.
At the close of the morning session
resolutions were adopted thanking the
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph
company for it's cooperation in notify
ing delegates of the conference.
The conference went on record, in re-
Spouse to resolution by w. e. White
head, as urging land owners to rent to
tenants for a portion Of various crops
grown instead of for all cotton and land
owners were urged to be as liberal as
| possible in their rents and to inagurate
the change Immediately.
The conference also voted, in the in
| terest of uniform and concerted action
in stimulating food production, to CO.
| operate with the recently appointed state
council in the production and conserva-
| ton of food and to conduct the present
campaign through this council.
John Hill Hall, of Macon, introduced
a resolution which was promptly pass
ed to request the governor to appoint a
commission of five to go Immediately
| to Washington and urge the federal gov
eminent to aid in securing fertilizers
needed for crop productions in Georgia
At an afternoon session which opened
| at 2:30 O'Clock. various county dele
gates, in brief and enthusiastic speeches,
pledged cooperation in the food crop
! campaign.
| The campaign will@ be conducted
| through the recently appointed state
food council of fourteen members.
headed by J. J. Brown, commissioners
| of agriculture and the state defense
council ofs twenty. headed by Governor
| Nat Z. Harris
Such speakers as Governor Harris,
Mr.. Brown, DR.. Andrew NJ. Soule, head
of the state college of agriculture. and
others, drove home the keynote or the
CONFERENCE.-THE Georgia must plant
more than enough food to sustain her
self and make the cotton crop sur
plus, still however, keeping the cotton
crop as the backbone of the section.
| Definite promise was made of a mar
| ket for all foodstuffs raised. Efforts
| will be made to draw now forces into
| fields wherever needed and every CO.
operation given. Farmers were urged
to SOW with the idea that help will be
forthcoming and that no produce will
! go to waste.
AS another step in the enlistment of
| every possible force pleas were made
| tenn Of credit, to get away from the all
! cotton basis.
| The meeting, which opened at .
| o'clock was presided over by Cover
nor Harris Commissioner Brown, in
| a forceful address, stated the purpose
| of the conference as one that sought
the cooperation of every Georgian in
| the move for cultivation and conserva-
| ton of food and feed resources. Gov
ernor Harris told what the people of
| Georgia should do and DR.. Soule. in an
| address that covered vast detail, told
\ why the steps taken are necessary.
| Following the three principal ad-
dresses fifteen-minute talks were made
by a number of other Georgia leaders
in agriculture and allied endeavors.
The invocation was offered by Dr..
w. L. Pickard. president of Mercer uni
versity. Among the ffteen-minute
speakers were Miss Lois Dowdle. head
| of the canning club department of the
state college 'of agriculture, on Food
| Crop Conditions in Georgia-COnsump-
| ton and What We Raise" j. Phil
! zion and What We Raise" Charles
| b. Lewis, president of the Geor-
| gia Bankers association, on Relation
| of Banks and Bankers, Mercantile and
| Supply Houses to Credit Conditions and
Needs of Today" DR.. Peter F. Balm
/ sen, state Veterinarian On SOHSCiN
| zion of Live stock"
! J. Phil Campbell, of the College of Agri-
! culture. who was to have spoken on
/ farm extension work, was unable to
! be present because of having been called
to Washington. H. G. Hastings, presi-
dent of the Georgia chamber of COM
merce, who was to have spoken on the
Relation of the Georgia Chamber of
/ Commerce to Rural and Agricultural
/ Development" also was absent, but sent
a letter which was read to the confer
| ence.
Stability will be given to the market
! through the encouragement of enough
/ canneries to care of all produce grown.
Filed 1917.
Charles B. Lewis, Of the Fourth Ma
. tional bank of Macon, told of the plan
| of his bank to buy in advance sufficient
cans and other necessities to care for
all products grown in Bib county, to
furnish these at cost to the girls of
! the Bib County Canning club, the cost
to be paid whenever the canning clubs
are able to bear the expense.
His bank also has offered to supply
farmers with hign-gradc hogs at actual
| cost to be paid for in twelve months at
| Ger cent interest.
One part OF the plan which was
strongly emphasized in the call for the
meeting stated that II is not for the
purpose solely of inducing the people
to put seed in the ground now. but to
! bring about the immediate planting of
/ food crops throughout the state on an
| increased scale; the continuous pant
! ing throughout the year, from time to
| time, of such additional food crops as
circums stances and the season will per-
NIT; to organize not only the farmers
| and landowners, but the bankers, sup
| ply men and wholesale merchants
! throughout the state to lend their best
efforts to securing the desired results
/ for the period of the duration of the
! war"
! Commissioner Brown stirred the con-
| ference to an enthusiastic outburst when
he barred alleged plans of certain inter
ests to fix maximum price for cotton
and when he put himself sQuarely on
| record as opposing any other regulation
| of the price of the staple than the law
| of supply and demand.
| The reported impending effort to fix q
maximum price for cotton was revealed
| to Mr.. Brown in Il telegram forwarded
| to him by J. NJ. Mills, president of the
| Georgia Farmers union, with headquar-
tiers at Jenlinsburg, Ga, and which
| bore the signature OF r. D. Rowen, of
New Orleans
| Reliable information" said Mr.. Row
ems MESSAGE. has disclosed the fact