Show Small Towns downs Stage Stake Real Comeback With Decentralization of Industries tries Released by Western Newspaper Union Young Tom Jones graduated ed from the state university last spring Hed He'd intended looking for a job in the city like fellows from his home hometown hometown hometown town have been doing ever since the World war But a startling thing happened and Tom came home instead That same startling thing is s happening all over America Small towns economists economists economists mists have for years been consigning to oblivion are staging a spectacular come come- back Actually this trend has been Underway underway underway Under Under- under under- way for a decade as the economists economists economists mists learned with a start when the 1940 census returns began rolling in The growth rate o of metropolitan cities cit cit- cit cit- ies which ies-which which reached a level of 27 percent percent per percent cent in the years between 1920 and 1930 1930 slowed slowed down to a meager 8 per cent during the 40 1930 decade Meanwhile the rate of ot increase for rural and small town areas jumped I from 4 per cent in the former decade decade decade dec dec- ade to 6 per cent in the last 10 years A small gain admittedly but an encouraging encouraging encouraging en en- picture for Main Street However it took something more concrete than census statistics to I convince young Tom Jones Hed He'd been reading the papers The papers said those millions of ot dollars in defense contracts were going going going go go- ing to be spread out over the country country country coun coun- try not concentrated in big cities Decentralization was the keynote not only because scattered factories make a tougher target for bombers but also because science and industry in industry industry in- in see a better future in non non- metropolitan areas Laboratory technicians have been pointing to farm and forest for tomorrows tomorrow's raw materials Moreover huge water waterpower waterpower waterpower power projects like Grand Coulee TVA and Boulder dam have beckoned beckoned beckoned beck beck- to the industrialist Tom Jones figured that Americas America's future lies away from the big cities Around the Nation Heres Here's a eye birds second 30 Cooks Cook's tour of America to show you just a part of what's happening Way down south where they used to concentrate on tobacco o cotton and sugar paper mills are going up to utilize southern pulpwood The chemical industry and the closely al allied allied allied al- al lied synthetic fiber industry is expanding expanding expanding ex ex- and TV TVA A has changed the Tennessee-Alabama Tennessee territory into one of the nations nation's foremost steel and aluminum processing areas The Southwest top boom area of the nation is pouring out oil and sulphur and is making soda ash acids solvents and plastics Shipyards Shipyards Ship Ship- Shipyards yards on the coast zinc in Missouri and oil in Texas and Oklahoma Oklahoma- these coupled with the best all- all year climate in the country for training an army are beckoning thousands of new pioneers California where industry has followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed a population increase is concentrating concentrating con con- on ships and airplanes Farther north in the Pacific northwest northwest northwest north north- west Bonneville and Grand Coulee are making possible the processing of bauxite and magnesium A linen industry replacing former imports is growing in Oregon and Washing Washing- ton Hundreds of small town factories in the Middle West darkened since 1929 are going at top speed again to augment the productive facilities of larger national defense plants This is especially true in Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan and Indiana The latter state boasts two well-defined well production areas one across the northern counties and another another an an- other down m south along the Ohio river The immediate effect of ot this resurgence resurgence resurgence re re- re- re to the small town has been somewhat chaotic for housing and trade and recreational facilities have not been available to take care of ot the unexpected influx But leading businessmen and economists are optimistic For example Col Charles P P. P Wood wrote in Nations Nation's Business recently that the widespread widespread widespread wide wide- spread diffusion of defense contracts will exert a 1 powerful decentralizing ing influence far beyond the immediate immedi immedi- ate effect of the defense program Decentralization Practical The factors that make decentralization decentralization decentralization practical are easy to list First better highways and trains air travel and radio have made our land more compact Second costs are lower in the small town away from the economically destructive destructive destructive tive burden of increasing ever-increasing metropolitan metropolitan metropolitan met met- taxes Third and probably probably proba proba- bly most important the small town gives employees a greater opportunity opportunity y ni to enjoy a healthy and prosperous prosperous prosperous pros pros- life Examples of the latter benefit are f I t I Main Street center of community life liCe In thousands of small towns throughout America is shown top photo as it looks In Ridgewood N N. N J. J Viewing latest census figures which show that cities are settling down into old age while rural communities are arc growing faster than ever n nw fair w w O 7 economists say that Main Street instead of Wall Street is the avenue of opportunity for today's young business men Lower photo shows one of the many factories going up in rural areas the areas the pound day smokeless-powder smokeless plant near Radford Va being built on farmland afforded by such firms as Hormel Packing company at Austin Minn Hamilton Manufacturing company at Two Rivers Wis and Schenley Distillers Distillers Distillers Dis Dis- tillers corporation which recently reported on a survey of personnel at its plants in Lawrenceburg Ind and Frankfort Ky Ay According to Lewis S. S chairman of ot the board of the Schenley company compa compa- ny an increasing number of employees employees employees em em- at these plants are building building building build build- ing new homes on small farms within with with- in easy driving distance of work This movement may well develop develop de de- develop de- de into the greatest revolution in American living conditions that weve we've experienced since the metropolitan metropolitan metropolitan metro metro- politan city began coming into its own Mr says Defense plants he predicts will be converted convert- convert e ed d to top peacetime peacetime peace peace- e a c e- e time production z ry r under the stimulus stimulus stimulus lus of a more more 1 productive era into which we will move l at atthe t rf t the thc close of the 4 war Henry Ford was one of the first of of the na nations nation's t tion's Hons Ie leading a ding ii industrialists to Lewis recognize the value of decentralizing decentralizing de de- de- de cen centralizing in industry d u s try Beyond the immediate benefits and advantages advantages advantages accruing to the employer and the employed from industrial decentralization decentralization decentralization de de- de- de centralization according to W. W J J. J Cameron of the Ford Motor company company company com com- pany there are the wider implications implications implications im im- of its communal and national national national na na- na- na social and economic sig sig- In more than one instance during the depression years the establishing establishing establishing es es- es- es of a little Ford industry in a Michigan town has been the economic salvation of that town At Atthe Atthe Atthe the same time this action has the effect of relieving however slightly the human congestion of our overcrowded overcrowded overcrowded over over- crowded industrial centers The trend away from the established established centers of industrial activity is not confined to the United States says Clark H. H Minor president of ot the International General Electric company who recently predicted a worldwide shift shUt in the national in industry industry in- in industry centers as a result of ot the present war and the economic realignments realignments realignments re re- re- re alignments that will follow That decentralization spells gloom for tor big hig cities is readily admitted I by metropolitan real estate officials whose property is already beginning to lay idle as factory after factory moves to greener pastures In Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago the Urban Land Institute reports reports reports re re- re- re ports that the square 45 45 square mile central area has lost population in inthe inthe inthe the last 20 years Meanwhile the volume of ot total Chicago shopping handled in the tho downtown Loop area shrank from 29 per cent In 1926 to only 17 per cent 10 years later The city It appears has reached its peak and Is now heading down down- ward Its It's beginning to look like Main Street not Wall Street will willbe willbe be tomorrows tomorrow's avenue of ot progress |