The Durant news., 1945-08-23
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
~ HAZEL sRANNoN

A~"As AAA~ASs PoA oAiNuIdIiy III the
south, are threatened by the mount
ing pressure Of organized groups to
bring farm prices down. At the
same time pressure is being brought
to bear upon Congress to keep wages
up to wartime levels and more with
less working hours.
II these pressure groups are sue
cessful in their fight to bring farm
prices down our farmers will be
ruined now just as they were in
l926-29 following the collapse of
farm prices in 1921 as an aftermath
of World War I.
The farmer cannot sell his pro-
ducts in an unprotected market
while buying everything he wears
and uses in q protected market. The
only answer figured out by experts
is series Of parity formulas to be
supported by the government guar
anteeing the farmer a fair price for
his product as related to the income
cf other groups. The parity formula
would tie the income Of the farmer
to the income Of other groups. As
that income mounted or decreased
the farmer would get correspond
ing price for his products. This Is
Just and fair.
The farmer now Is getting 90 and
one-half per cent Of parity price for
cotton. II he were getting full
parity price, a price comparable with
wages paid labor, he would be get
ting about forty cents a pound for
his cotton rather than ~ and %
cents.
Whether the farmer will be guaran
teed parity will be determined by
the Congress Of the United States.
It il the only power that can
guarantee 1t. The Congress being a
political body will naturally be in
Fuenced by the pressure brought
to bear upon it.
It should be true that the south
ern farmer will at last get break
in legislation and receive full parity.
The President, Vice-President,
Speaker Of the House, leader OF the
Senate, chairman of the powerful
appropriations committee are all
southerners. Many key positions in
government are held by southerners
today.
This is quite contrast to the
Roosevelt cabinet. When Jesse Jones
left the late Presidents cabinet there
wasn't a single southerner in 1t.
Whether the new Washington ad-
ministration will be any more con-
siderate of agriculture remains to
be seen. But certainly the time is
ripe for the south to get fair deal.
Much too long we have labored un-
der the handicaps of unfair freight
and tariff structures, policies aided
by our government directly and in
directly to retard the industrial
progress of the south, to keep US
virtually colonial area to be ex-
plotted by Yankee capital and in
genuity.
The eastern section of the U. >.
has been able to do this through the
influence of money and power,
political power. The east has used
its money and its votes to elect men
to power in Congress who will pro-
tect their interests >. as is smart
and practical.
The south, long a victim OF the
one-party system in politics has not
been able to cope with the situation
upon which the prosperity and de-
velopment of the south depends.
Even with southern men in such
powerful positions in our national
government it is very doubtful we
get even a fair deal unless we make
a hard, intelligently organized fight
for parity prices or anything else
necessary to our full development.
ingalls, Shipbuilding Corp. at Pas
cagoula has secured an order for
fourteen $4,000 ton cargo ships for
the Brizilian government, total
contract of $37 million dollars. This
brings the total amount OF ships
contracted for. 1946 delivery by the
ingalls, concern to over 500 million
dollars and insures jobs for 5000
workers at the Pascagoula yards.
The securing Of this contract by a
southern firm is good news and Is
another indication of the great in
dustrial future of the south.
Tchula, Thornton and Cruger cot
ton farmers are urged to 60 to the
polls on Saturday, August 25th, to
vote on the question of setting a