Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-17

During the past two weeks Roger
w. Babson has been travelling
through the South continuing his
study of business conditions. He is
now in Florida and today releases
a statement on conditions. I am
very bullish on the South for the
long pull says Mr.. Babson. ala
bama may become the greatest in
dustrial state in America, and Flor
ida may become the greatest agri-
cultural state. The South has all
the basic natural resources-climate
phosphates, fuel, water power and
shipping facilities. All the South
needs is more vision and more of
that indescribable something which
makes things go. Moreover, the
South is fast getting that vision.
Every southern city and every south
ern state is evidence of this fact. The
South is waking up and the North
and West must look out or they will
some day be out-classed both in
dustrially and agriculturally.
''It was only a few years ago that
cotton mills were built in the South.
Today some of the finest mills in the
world are in Georgia, the Carolinas
and Texas. Moreover, the workers
of sturdy Americans of whom we all
may we'll be proud. But the indust-
rial South is not dependent upon
cotton mills. Iron and steel plants,
great chemical plants, mills and fac
tories of all kinds are now found
in this session. New factories, slim
ulated partly by the increase in rail-
road freight rates, are springing up
every day in Alabama, Texas, Louis
lana, Georgia, the Carolinas and
Mississippi. Considering its stra-
tegic location for Latin American ex-
port trade and it's South is bound to
grow industrially.
"As 1 explained when discussing
a certain section OF the West, the
wheat grower is up against the diff
ficulty that as a nation becomes
more prosperous it consumes less
wheat per capita. The reverse, how
ever, is true of cotton, sugar, fruits.
nuts and most of the other products
which are raised IN the South. AS
people become more prosperous they
consume more cotton, eat more SUI
gar, fruit, nuts and the like. Hence,
the South is sure to prosper agrlcu1-
turally as it has sunshine, rain and
phosphate as we'll as seaports, rail-
roads, fuel and every natural ad-
vantage.
Figuring the cotton crop as a
whole, it will bring the growers SO
per oent or 60 per cent more than
last year. This means not only
gain in actual purchasing power, but
a marked change in sentiment. The
cotton states will have the means to
buy and will be in a mood to buy.
From present indications, the locali-
ties to watch are Georgia and South
Carolina. In these states weevii
damage may be rather serious. The
following list is based upon an es-
innate of the leading crops and the
probab BILE seasons prices as compar-
ed with last year:
1922 1921 Gain
Alamaba-
s17s,15s,oOo s124s2s,ooo SO pct.
Arizona
17,545,ooo 15,s3s.ooo IA pct.
Arka ansas-
151,524,ooo 1S1,14s,Ooo Is pct.
California
127,287ooo 11z,ss4,ooo 1S pct.
Florida
2o,eos,ooo 16,e7s,ooo "a pct.
1S5,o24,ooo 14o,75o,ooo So pct.
Louisiana
121,235.oOo 72,soo,oOo ss pct.
Mississippi
164.s72.ooe 122,5s4,ooo "a pct.
22s,s1s,oOo 17o,s4s.ooo "a pct.
North Carolina
287,4o9,oo0 22s.eo6,ooo S pct.
21S,866,ooo 1s5,Sss.ooO ST pct.
South Carolina
14s,755.OoO 11s,1o2,Ooo rs pct.
Tennessee
16S,s4O,OOo 12s,764,oOo 2s pct.
Texas
5O1,s11,ooo s2s.2ss,ooo "a pct.
"There is no question" continued
Mr.. Babson, that the weevil is
serious problem and that its ravages
have steadily Increased both In area
affected and amount of damage. The
alarm is not without some founda-
ton and 1t may be a good thing to
get people walked up. The potato
bug has been controlled in Maine
and the cotton weevil can be con-
trolled in the South. AS long as cot
ton is treated like a weed, as long
as this crop is left largely in the
hands Of shiftless tenants, the weevll
will win. What the South needs is
greater efficiency. In other words,