The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-11
FARM OWNERSHIP
 URGED BY DR. HULL
0ne.Crop System Cannot Make Properity AgricuI-
 turaI, Leader States

'"rragically primitive" were the words used to characterize the Souths agricultural methods. in the opening address of Dr. D. c. Hull. president of the Southern Associa- tion of Agricultural workers. which convened at the Tutwiler hotel Thursday for . two-day session.
 Yet upon our agricultural pro- gram. as the main foundation. the entire economic structure of this section must forever rest" declared Dr. Hull, "our mercantile establish ments, our banks, our industries of all kinds. From this agricultural program also and from the business and industry which 1t supports must come the revenues by which our educational institutions are to of our religious life are to receive, ture.''
 There must be a diversification of industry as well as of agriculture, pr. Hull asserted for industrial activities provide employment. en. large markets, increase wealth and share the burdens of government. The South in the past has been too exclusively agricultural.
 Linked With Agriculture.
 "The future of our Southern states and of their people Is irrevocably linked with agriculture. The South has other major resources both act ual and prospective, but there iS a logical and necessary interdepen- dence between the development of these vast deposits and the develop ment of our soils. The two move- ments must proceed together.
 pr. Hull referred to the curse of dependence on a single crop.
 "The ruts of a one-crop system, from its beginnings unjustified by any principle of economies, are yet so deep and travel-worn as to leave thousands of our farmers dependent for food and feed upon the soils and people of other sections" he said.
 Tn the face of . general economic situation which has vastly increased the farmers cost of living; produc- tion yields have Jagged and produc- tion costs have mounted, while the burden of taxation upon our people, though self-imposed in the main, can not be borne permanently without larger income from the pursuits in which the people are engaged"
 Farm tenancy was declared to be on the increase in every one-crop section in the unitsa States
 Migratory Tenant.
 "The tenant is not a conserving, constructive, upbuilding person" said Dr. Hull. Tt Is not his land; he does not care. He has neither the patience, the time, the energy nor the means to preserve and improve the riches of the soil that feeds him. He gets what he can out of it and moves on to other fields. Thus, the tenant is a migrate. Having passed from ownership to tenancy his anchorage in place Is gone. He be- gins by moving from farm to farm He becomes illiterate and poor and ends by moving to mill or rS, Iac.ory r,s leaving the land deserted. Thus we have our thousands upon thousands of old fields, producing no revenue a dead drag for taxes upon those who hold the titles. -
 "It may, perhaps. throw some light on our problem If we can discover the causes of the situation as whole. And first among thess causes I would mention the fact that the spread between what the pro- ducer receives and what the con sumner pays is too great. The federal department of agriculture has re- cently made some very careful stud ies of this fact. The 1nvestlgators of the bureau tell us that the con sumer paid for the crops of 1922 the sum of s22.6Oo; 100000. Of t this ts. sta- aa- : fion received s7,5O0, 100000. Five hundred millions went to the rail roads for carnage. And $14,60o.o0o.- 600 went to people who live between the farmer and the consumer. For every dollar that the consumer patd the farmer received S3 1-3 cents, while people living between the Tar. mer and the consumer received 66 ga cents. Thus, the farmer is pauper- ized and discouraged. Small won- der that he becomes tenant or bankrupt and finally quits the farm
 "Another cause of this general sit uation is the fact that the workers in industry are direct benefieiaries fie mer is not. Through labor organiza- tions. the workers in industry nave forced the payment to themselves or a share of the profits which pro- lection makes possible"