The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-01-09
Farmers Who Haven't Seen
Money for Years Are Be.
ginning to Purchase
GLAD TO CUT PRODUCTION
Gulf States Most Nearly Pros.
porous Of Any Section in
United States
This b the seventh Of eleven q.
ticles On ~America Under the Dlue
Eagle"
" WILLIS THORNTON

All across the broad belt that street.
ches from the plains Of west Texas to
the eastern seaboard, the miracle Of
something closely resembling prosper
ity has been wrought by the govern
lnent cotton program.
Hundreds Of thousands Of farmers
who haven't known the look Of money
for years suddenly find themselves
paying debts, buying new clothes. True
Uncle Sam paid for the ice cream and
cake, and the party isn't over. But It's
a long time since this section has had
q party at all.
Here, as in the case Of wheat. the
government operation Is practically .
guarantee Of prices, like that the Hoo.
YER administration tried with its dis
astrous Farm Board.
But this difference is important: To
eat the government Ice cream and
cake this time, the farmer has to cut
his production
Ma Nature Steps In
The hope Is, of course, that by the
time cotton land is cut to $4,000 900
acres (lO,000,O00 we're Topped off this
year, cotton prices will rise enough,
due to scarcity, so the price need no
longer be held up at the taxpayers ex-
pense.
Now the Joker In all this Is, that
despite the blowing under Of 10000. 900
acres In 1888, the cotton farmer raised
practically as much cotton as he did
in 1882.
That was Old Ma Nature again.
The average yield per acre this year
Was 1904 pounds as compared to q
l0-year average of 1874.
Yet from Texas TO Georgia, they
tell you this: IF the ploughing up
had not been done, there would
have been such terrific yield this
year, and such q crushing surplus,
that cotton would have fallen be-
low cents a pound, and the south
would have been absolutely and
utterly ruined!"
AS it is, the south Is the most nearly
prosperous of any section Of the col,n-
try. You meet the evidences every
where.
Prosperity Is Found
A salesman covering rural towns in
northern Alabama told me stores had
Leen buying which had almost empty
shelves. At Auburn, Ala. % per cent
CT the crop production loans already
have been paid back.
A l5.year.old boy In Birmingham,
just in from the fields. tells you. Il
,,o0yor caAs@ ca MANI, nan, 0xyoyso Tie o,4Fl
shirts in ell my life!"
And all this money comes back al
most Immediately to the cities. At Ma
con, Ga. J. g. Penney, chairman Of
the board Of the ]. G. Penney stores
will tell you that increasing business
rapidly Is absorbing the added expen-
ses made necessary by MIRA.
Southern Stores Lead
His southern stores lead all his
others in sales-that gives . hint Of
what Is happening to the cotton
money" Retail sales here led the
country in better than is per cent
rise over the holidays. Bank clear.
ances here have been increasing qgead-
lily since March.
Further. foreign business. shows
signs Of improving. says William A.
Dunlap, commercial agent Of the De-
partment of Commerce here. The
most recent reports Of the New York
Cotton Exchange show that during the
first four months Of the present cot
ton season (August TO November)'
world consumption Of American cot.
ton was the largest for any cores
ponding period since 1879.
But It = not only the cotton
program that has helped. The
textile code, first = 50 - effect.
ANA thus the most worthy o.
etedy, ssnce u has had longer
trial. has done things Az s1eng
ne 0eae O malsowns which stretch
from mere north shrooen tho
Caroltn1s, saturday night Pros.
parry ms tesosneG
The roads leading into every
county seet sre crowded with
autos - tho mi!l workess parade
70 town on Saturday nights %
spend their money.
Few Lack Jobs
NRA re-employment has absorbed
practically all the regular mtll-work.
ers III the company" towns, and man,
semi-farm workers are working part
time IN the mills, part on their farms
The textile employment facts an
we'll known: In March $4,000 work
ers; ID September. 465,0lS. But what
u not 80 we'll known IL that this Y
10000 above the average employment
IN 1870, and actually 10000 over tn
pelmy days Of 1879.
No wonder the mtll.workers 80 u
town on saturday nights.
the COTTON textile INDUSTRY. Whose
cooe went INTO erect July ". MAXIM