Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-01-27
State Capitol News
BY A. I. HARRIS

From the cry of "Boost Minnesota"
which for years has been the theme
song of Minnesota civic and business
organizations, the cry now seems to
be: ''Move your factory out OF Min
nesota. That is the way we can
beat the Farmer-Laborites."
News of an industry moving to
another state, either because of dis
criminatory freight rates or any other
causes, is now front page stuff for
all the dailies, and is magnified out
of all proportion to its true worth.
The facts of the case mean little.
For example, two firms were re-
Gently played up in the front pages
of the Twin Cities dailies as leaving
the state "to escape Farmer-Labor
taxes and intolerable labor condl-
TONS" A check-up, however, dis
closed that in both cases the firms
were driven to locate elsewhere be-
cause high freight rates in Mime
sofa made it impossible for them to
compete on equal terms with manu-
facturers in other states. This was
uI1QueSllOldDly
son that the Farmer-Labor admin
istration could, by no stretch of the
imagination, be blamed for those
freight rates.
Over the radio, we hear skitS about
Minnesota, each with the industry
leaving the state" theme cleverly in
terwoven. One would be almost in
&c n
effort on foot to create an industry
exodus. Mighty big price they are
willing to pay to defeat the present
liberal administration!
But the game isn't working so well
They just can't get the exodus started
which in itself is a tribute to the state
j. N. Jackson, president, st. Paul
Association, writing in the st. Paul
Pioneer Press, says, During the past
year, general business conditions in
St. Paul were showing healthy i'm
provement until the present nation
wide depression made itself felt In
the early weeks of the fall" That
seems like a discordant note.
But Mac Martin, Twin Cities adj
vertising counsellor, in large adj
vertisement the other day in the daily
press, gives some interesting figures
on the number of factories which
during 1887, have moved into the
Twin Cities and the number which
during the same period, moved out
The factories which moved in num-
Der 80; those which moved out tota
the grand sum of one-a net gair
of % factories.
But we expect the radio skits tt
continue and the chorus of Industry
is moving out" to become louder ano
louder. Funny game, this politics!
If any one should know how SER
ious the relief problem has become
these past three months, it is the
county commissioner or the county
welfare board member. Evidently
with this thought in mind, Governor
Benson last month wrote all county
welfare boards and county boards
i'm search of accurate and definite in
formation as to the seriousness Of
the present situation. The answers
to date are indeed dark.
At this writing about a third Of
the counties have made reply. The
Governor asked three questions: Are
relief needs above normal; will pres
ent funds be sufficient; and are needy
persons being denied relief because
of funds. To every question the
county officials answered almos
unanimously. Yes, relief require
ments have scared far above normal
No, present funds are by no means
sufficient. No, as yet no one has
been allowed to starve-but we do mo-
know how long we can hold on.
One county admitted that milk anc
clothing for school children of needy
unemployed and farmers must be de-
MED until more funds are made avail
able Another said that all medical
care and dental attention has beer
cut off, On the other hand, there
are three or four counties report
ing who find their problems COM
paratively light, and funds sufficient
to care for increased relief rolls. Or
one point, all counties have so fal
been unanimous: The stoppage Of
WPA projects has worked a great
strain upon relief loads. And now
coming like the last line in some fan
tastic tragedy, the u. S. Department
of Labor reports unemployment ha.
risen so high within the past three
months that no less than one worker
in every ten is now without job
Minnesota farm conference board
officials, returning from Washington
where they had gone to check or
the progress of farm legislation now
before Congress, have reported thai
no one in the Capitol seems satisfied
with the two bills over which House
and Senate have been wrangling fol
the past several weeks. 1t appeared
further that even if the differences
between the two houses are patched
up, nothing of much value will be
forthcoming. Nearly every one, say:
John Nelson, chairman of the board