The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-02-01
BY EMMETT ATKINS, Jr.
United Press staff Correspondent


Raleigh, N. c., Feb. - CUP -
Quietly but with determination, a
group of agricultural, industrial
and education leaders under the
guiding hand of DR.. Clarence Poe,
editor and farm leader, are busy
working out extensive plans and
details of the recently launched
1O-year campaign designed to pull
the South out of its slough OF eco
nomic and agricultural backward
ness.
The movement, entitled a cam
paign "for balanced prosperity in
the South 1940-50," was officially
launched by proclamations OF IL
southern governors Jan. l, 1910.
Since that time series of con-
ferences in Raleigh called by DR..
Poe and Frank Graham, president
of the University of North Caro-
lima, threshed out details OF the
program and it was presente d in
fuller form to the Governors Con-
ference at its meeting at Nash
vile, Tenn, Jan. %.
Ur. roe CHAIRMAN
DR.. Poe, editor of The Progress
sive Farmer and for years an out
standing champion of farmers and
agricultural workers, is the gen.
eral chairman and moving spirit
Of the campaign. Recently he vol
unfairly eliminated himself from
the race for the governorship of
North Carolina to devote his eff
forts entirely to the southwide
campaign. Working with him are
the governors of the southeastern
states, all of whom have signed
and endorsed the campaign, and
a general chairman for each state.
Eachc of the chairmen is an out
standing well-known public figure.
DR.. Poe, no is probably as close
ly in touch with southern agricul-
tural conditions as any man in the
South, describes the need for this
campaign as absolutely vital If
we are to keep the South from re-
turning to the horse and buggy
era"
More than anything else, the 10
year campaign is aimed at ameli-
Grating the South's present over
emphasis on money crops" such
as tobacco and cotton, and its
neglect of livestock, dairying, poul-
try and food and feed crops.
1.-THE present crisis in money
crops" the campaign prospectus
states, eff neglected and ignored
may bring us to disaster. The same
crisis if used as a goal and incen-
tive to better methods may lead
us to greater prosperity than the
South has ever known before"
Livestock Slump Shown
To make it perfectly clear that
a "crisis" does exist, DR.. Poe and
his co workers have collected a
vast amount Of data relative to
the South's agricultural and in
dustrial status. For example:
In 1880 there were fewer sheep,
cattle and hogs in the South At
lantic states than there were SO
years ago, although the population
today is approximately 2 IA times
greater than it was then.
The south, with 80 per cent of
the nations population, has only
Is per cent of its industrial work.
erS.
The cotton states" annually de-
rive less than 20 per cent as much
income from poultry and livestock
than from crops. The richest agri-
cultural states receive 100 per cent
as much.
Armed with charts and tables of
figures, DR.. Poe and his chairmen
hope to be able to make the people
clearly see the unbalance that ex-
lists between money crops and food,
feed and fertility crops, between
crops and livestock, between farms
and factories. The ten major OBJ
jectives of the campaign will be to
try to effect more even balance
between these, and to balance:
1. Production progress with mar
keting and transportation oppor-
tunities without trade barriers.
2. Land, water and mineral re-
sources with population needs.
3. Work with thrift and local in
vestment.
4. Owner prosperity with worker
prosperity.
5. Increasing income with in
creasing home ownership.
6. Wealth with beauty and cul-
ture.
z. Economic gains with gains in
moral values and human welfare.
Attention attracted by the cam
paign so far has been negligible,
but DR.. Poe hopes it will gain
momentum with tbe vearc