The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-04-12

We have seen recently, in a series OF AS
ISOLATED Press reports, an excellent study OF
the present status of industrialization in the
Southern states, written by Professor Rupert
b. Vance of the University of North Caro-
lima. Professor Vance is a well-nknown South
ern economist who also has the virtue OF
writing with the clarity of a good journalist,
which is rather unusual in the difficult field
of economics" The most significant passage
of his recent articles points out that the
South still has a long way to go to establish
ing a diversified high-wage, industrial back
ground. At the present stage, the South's
industrialization is largely in the competitive
textile field, and it is tending to become a
aone-crop'' industrial area, just as it is a
one-crop cotton area in agriculture. This
situation, says DIR. Vance, is Characters
tic of the first stages of the industrilization
Of any country or area, and is more or less
to be expected in the beginning; but he
points out that it represents a primitive stage
of industrialization, that it does not produce
a high-wage. high-income economy in this
phase, and that the region must move on to
the establishment of more diversified and
productive industries if it is ever to achieve
the prosperous, high-wage economy for
which industrialization is sought in the first
place.
In this respect, he says, the South has a
long way to go, and the purpose of his study
is to urge upon us that we do not lose sight
Of this goal and believe we have solved our
problem already.
He f,nfefe mi that npa roncap a cfnfa Iika
New York or Michigan is rich, and enjoys a
high per-capita income, is the fact it has
many diversified and specialized industries.
The level of skill of the population is thus
highly developed and rounded out by con-
facts with many types of manufacturing and
business, and this diversity gives these states
the same high productivity which diversified
agriculture gives to a farming area.
The general soundness of this point of
view Is borne out by the results that are
apparent to the eye in almost every area
of the South. In general. we are not get
ting rich; though we are doing a little bet
ter. In our own community we are in a
better position than average. The indus
trial picture here is growing more diver
sified and complex; the shipbuilding in
dustrY has brought many of the metal
trades and construction skills into pro-
ductivitY. and broadened the base of our
activity. The same is true. in greater vol
ume. of the more highly developed areas
like New Orleans. Birmingham. Atlanta.
But in the rest of the south textiles ac-
count for by far the greatest proportion of
naturalization
We would add to DR.. Yance's findings our
opinion that the Southern states continue to
miss a prime economic chance by permitting
outside interests to buy up our natural re-
sources for a song, and to ship them to other
states to be processed. The processing is
what adds the real value to raw material,
and the area which does the processing is
the area that gets the biggest cut of the prof
its. If you sell "a man a hard wood tree in
Mississippi you may MAKE a modest profit;
but if he takes the lumber to his factor, in
Michigan and turns it into fine furniture.