Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1947-07-11
farmers Urged To Cast Vote
|nLeaf Referendum Saturday

| Farm leaders throughout the
tobacco growing Carolinas joined
in this week with record break
ing appeal for farmers to vote as
they never voted before on July
II when the all-important refer
endum which decides the fate of
the leaf export trade comes up
for decision. Farmers Saturday
will cast a vote to decide whether
or not they will invest one dime
per acre of tobacco that they have
planted, to maintain and develop
an export market that meant more
than $182,000,000 to them last
year.
The Saturday tobacco referen-
dunn will be held in both North
and South Carolina and provides
for the voting of every flue-cured
grower-whether landowner, ten
ant or sharecropper-and if the
voting is favorable, ten cents per
acre will be taken from the farm
ers' check at the warehouse win
dow, and this will be turned over
to Tobacco Associates, Inc, for
the purpose of developing new
markets.
40 Percent Exported
Farmers in the Carolinas now
depend upon foreign markets for
40 cents out of every dollar they
earn from tobacco crops. This
foreign market is dangerously
near to collapse at the present
time and the referendum is the
green light for thorough research
by experts to find more markets
for the American leaf and to fur
Their develop the present foreign
markets.
The passing of the referendum
will cost the average farmer in
North and South Carolina just 45
cents a year, yet when all he nick
els and dimes are put together
it is believed that enough funds
will have been raised to properly
finance the program. ~
The referendum, in plain lang
uage, is a vote to decide whether
farmers are interested in protect
ing the $500 an acre they receiv-
ed from exported tobacco in 1916.
Authorities on tobacco through
out the CarolinaS expressed the
opinion this week that there is
little doubt that the referendum
will be met with favorable voting
Saturday, but the important thing
is to get large representative
vote to turn out. If the vote is
not substantial, then the entire to-
bacco program may be weakened.
This program, as you we'll know,
has meant a lot to the business
life of the tobacco belts in the
two states as we'll as to the farm
err"
j. H. Vaught, president of To-
bacco Associates, has said the
election goes much further than
merely authorizing a tax contr-
button that will not be more than
As cents per grower. We are
voting on whether or not we are
going to work for a continued
fair price for tobacco, and if we
have to produce tobacco at a price
that won't permit a decent living
for the growers, then we had
better not produce it.
Carl T. Hicks, president of the
Tobacco Sterilization Corpora
ton, reminded farmers that 1T is
not so long back to 1892 when
tobacco sold at an average price
|if only IL dollars a hundred. In
ternational trade was virtually at
a standstill then and prompted
the low price. Let's not let 1t
happen again.
If the turnout at the polls is
good. the effect will be felt in
Washington and in the capitals
of foreign countries, officials say.
If the vote is weak, then tobacco
may again be headed for 1882
prices.
The Loris Farm Bureau has
been doing everything in its pow
err for the past few weeks to en-,
courage farmers to come out ana
vote Saturday. and it is believed
that a large turnout will be evil
denced here.