Evening star., 1938-08-13

and needs of the South" Attention
focused particularly on South, Mr..
Roosevelt said, in connection tDtth
pd0e-hour bill.
~ the Associated Press.
The National Emergency Council
blamed Instantaneous freight rates
and high tariffs today for much Of the
failure Of the South to, keep abreast
OF the rest Of the country economically.
"On the one hand" the council as
serted, 1.-The freight rates have ham,
pered its industry; on the other hand.
our high tariff has subsidized industry
in other sections Of the country at the
expense Of the South.
"Penalized for being rural. and
handicapped in its efforts to indus
trfailze, the economic life Of the South
has been squeezed to point where the
purchasing power of the Southern
people does not provide an adequate
market for its own industries nor an
attractive market for those Of the rest
of the country"
The statements were contained in
q so-page report which the council
compiled at the request Of President
Roosevelt, who declared recently that
Southern conditions constitute "the
Nations No. l economic problem" A
score of Southern business, educational
and labor leaders aided in preparation
Of the study.
No One Simple Answer
It was made available to Mr.. Roose-
velt before it was released for general
publication The Chief Executive re-
ferred to 1t in his speech at Barnes
vile. Ca. Thursday.
There is, he said. mo one simple
answer" to questions Of what can be
done to improve conditions in the
South. although 1T is true that many
obvious needs ought to be attained
quickly-such as the reduction of dis
criminatory freight rates, such as put
ting q floor under industrial wages,
such as continuing to raise the pur-
chasing power Of the farm popula-
ton"
In transmitting the report to the
President, Lowell Mellett. N. E. c. di-
rector, said that "one thing appears
to be made clear when the principal
difdculties faced by the South are
brought into perspective and when
what the South has to offer the Nation
is laid alongside what the South needs
for its own people; that is that the
economics problems Of the South are
not beyond the power Of men to solve :"
Cooperation Advised.
Another thing made clear, however,
Is that there is no simple solution he
added The solution must be part
political. with the Federal Govern
ment participating along with .+state.
county, city, town and township gov
eminent. But there must be participa-
ton also by industry, business and
schools and by citizens, South and
North"
Summarizing the South,s economic
conditions, the council said the
regions population problems we're the
most pressing Of any America must
face Declaring these problems were
national. it concluded:
THE South Is the Nations greatest
untapped market and the market in
which American business can expand
most easily. Northern producers and
distributors are losing profits and
Northern workers are losing work be-
cause the South cannot afford to buy
their goods
Find 100000 Homes Needed.
One Of the councils findings WAS
that at least 100000 families, one.
half Of all the families In the South.
needed new homes.
Agriculture. industry, banking, labor.
women and children all were described
oy the council as burdened by the
economic ills peculiar to the area
studied: Virginia. Kentucky, Ten
nessee, North Carolina. South Caro-
INA. Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sissipp1. Louisiana and Arkansas
Oklahoma and Texas.
The main points Of the e0-psee
statement were:
The South, with a wealth of eco
nomlc resources, is the poorest Sec
lion OF the country With % Der
cent OF the population of the coun-
try, 1t has only is per cent of TANGIBLE
assets, including factories, machines
and the tools with which people make
their living
In the search for jobs, Southerners
IN the prime Of life leave the South
In the greatest numbers, tending to
make 1t q land Of the very old and
the very young.
Average Income 1914,
Ine average income in the South
IN 1897 was 1914. compared to seo4
IN the rest Of the country,
The richest State in the South
ranks lower in per capita income than
the poorest State in other regions,
Tne assessed value Of taxable prop
erty in the South in 1885 averaged
only 1853 per person, while in the
Northeastern States it averaged 81 $40
The South, with one-sixth of the
Nations school revenues, educates
one-third Of the Nations children.
Endowments Of all the colleges and
>'S~SASASo "a Vic 0OuLn are less
than the combined endowments Of
Harvard and Yale.
-Four million Southern families rem.
fesenting one-half Of the total In that
region. should be rehoused. Houses
IN the rural South are the Oldest
have the lowest value and the great
est need Of repairs Of any farm houses
IN the United States.
More than half the Southern
farmers depend on the cotton crop
alone. and "the cotton market Is a
sheer gamble" The farming South
depends on cotton and tobacco for
two-thirds Of its cash income.
Southern farmers purchase four.
fdths Of all the food they eat.
Absentee Ownership Of Industry.
Lacking capital of its own, the
South has been forced to borrow from
outside hnanciers, and thus to re.