Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-14
Marketing of 100000
Pounds of Golden Leaf AM
bition of Town for This
SeaSon-Good Start Made
BY BRYANT COLLIER
taft Correspondent Of The journal


HAHIRA. Ga, Aug. ll.--Hahira
plucky little lIahira numberin
scarcely more than thousand souls,
might well he described as the to-
bacco boom town of Georgia. lit calls
itself the cold Leaf Town" and it
is 50 shot through with the tobacco
spirit that its only newspaper has
named itself The Gold Leaf" and
its only hotel has taken the same
name.
IIahira folk talk tobacco. think to-
baCco. smoke tobacco and, literally,
live tobacco. Their enthusiasm for
the yellow leaf is strongly reminis-
cent of the tabled boom towns of the
west in the golden days of 40.
But Hahira $ lot is far more for
tunate than was that of the western
GOlG towns, most of which flOuriShed
for d Gay and then passed into the
great desert wastes of forgotten
hopes, because is prosperity is based
not on q tickle yellow streak of pre-
ciOus metal, bat on Il certain variety
Of sandy top soil and yellow clay
subsoil that covers the whole bosom
Of the earth on these broad Georgia
coastal plains. unlimited, ineXhaust-
ible in its potentia.ities of wealth.
Last year., when the Georgia to
bacco belt was still but babe in
arms, Hahira ranked third amonG
the states tobacco markets. its one
warehouse SELLING 10000 pounds o.
the approximately 100000 pounds
marketed in the state as a whole.
This year, with approximately s,
$50 acres-tripl4 the 1923 acreage
planted in tobacco in the Immediately
surrounding territory. Hahira boasts
another warehouse and confidently
expects to market 5000, 900 pounds
of the glistening yellow leaf before
the season ENDS.
Men Behind Boom
And this remarkable progress is
dIe solely to the enterprising efforts
Of q very small group of Hahira
business men, who undeterred and
undauntcd by any of the numerous
obstacles that at first presented
themselves, have pressed steadily
anQ courageously on during the last
two years with The objective Of MAX
ing this small southern Georgia city
one of the leading tobacco markets
of the south. And they have pro
crossed amazingly far.
Prominently among the leaders to
whom the folks hereabouts unhesi-
tatingly ascriba the larger part of
the credit for Hahira's rapid growth
as a tobacco center are e /. Ring,
industrial agent for the Southern
railroad in this section VI. Harrison,
editor of The Gold Leaf, said by
many to be amCng the most compe-
tent tobacco writer's of the state: j.
e. Webb. one OF the largest tobacco
planters of this section and the Off.
Gals of Hahira' : two splendid banks.
the Bank of HllAira and the Citizens
Bank of Hahica.
MI Rims. who halls ORIGINALLY
from the old Stokes. county tobacco
district Of North Carolina has taken
d leading role in encouraging tobac-
co culture and in giving the com
paratively inexperienced tobacco
growers of this section valuable in.
structions regarding the raising and
handling of their crops. in addition
to cultivatins two magnificent to-
bacco farms of his own near here.
AS for Mr.. Harrison. his news
paper has been one of the most CON
slant and consistent hackers of the
tobacco industry in this section for
several years. The front page of
last weeks edition of the Gold Leaf,
published just after Hahira's two
splendid warehouses had opened
with 100000 pounds on the floor,
was devoted entirely to news stories
telling of the marvellous growth OF
the industry in this section and of
Hahira's part in the development
Mr.. Webb has Il prominent place
among the very few farmers of this
section who have raised tobacco for
q number of years and when the
tobacco boom began he took lead
inS rartin encouraging other farm
ers to Plant the yellow leaf
Opposes Tobacco Tax
He was among the strongest op-I
ponentS of the special tax levied
by the legislature last year on cigars