Show STRIKES DONT BOTHER THE Sour SOUTH I 1 lola not As much As the north and east at any rate dix dixie ie li begins to enjoy results of campaign to attract industry Indu industries cs by WILLIAM C UTLEY spectacular strikes of recent S spectacular months in the north and east with their accompanying publicity have largely obscured d from the public consciousness ness the industrial awakening that is taking place in the south yet southern industrial leaders feel that labor troubles outside dixie will soon be reflected in increased southern migrations as industry spreads out to avoid the difficulties rooted in over concentration fortunately for the south which in the last 18 13 months has pressed a determined campaign to attract new manufacturing plants its comparatively quiet labor conditions have stood out in serene contrast department of labor reports show that the number of workers involved in strikes steadily iner i increased eased in both the north and south during the last six months of 1936 the latest period for which official records are available but the totals are heavily against the north which suffered strikes involving workers as compared with strikes involving workers in dixie the north had its greatest number of strikes in august and september with in each month but strikes in october involved the most workers the south had 24 strikes in august keeping from employment but were kept out by 16 strikes in october south Is nonunion non union during the six month period berios 40 t to 0 60 per cent of all new strikes occurred in four states new york penns pennsylvania vania ohio and california with illinois and michigan accounting for a sizeable portion of the remainder ma inder during the same six six months only two important strikes took place in the south one in the chevrolet ii and fisher bodies plants at atlanta ind and one in the plant of the celanese corporation of america at cumberland md both were settled amicably scarcity of strikes of either sit down or walkout variety in the south is easily explained the south is relatively nonunion non union with industry less concentrated than in eastern or middle western regions it is less susceptible to strike epidemics some industrialists deem it probable that public opinion will have outlawed the sit down before the south can be effectively unionized if sit downs should appear state and local governments should profit prof it 4 4 4 3 W N mil r 1 AAM Z 2 R ME ta 7 A abbu 11 11 pst louisiana T is offering enlar manufacturers a new field of cent ant elb chemical cher discoveries of the industry with re possibilities of tops into industrial alcohol converting sugar cane tract to give a container inset gov richard W leche dignin conn to plant to cost manufacturer ten tea years Is tax exemption on addition by the experience of their eastern and middle western neighbors in handling them wages and employment in the south have increased more rapidly y than in other sections section s while hours have not increased as much and this undoubtedly has some bearing on the absence of strikes the wage differential between the south and other sections was approximately per cent in 1933 by december 1936 it had narrowed down to per cent since the southern worker according to economists can maintain the same standard of living as his northern counterpart at 20 per cent less cost the south now claim virtual parity parity as far may as real wages are concerned I 1 it is not hard to see why industry patr 0 a aw y 0 km z T ak X P plis ax Z 0 v contented workers these they are enjoying themselves in a recreation hall built by a large paper manufacturer with plants in several southern cities is attracted by the opportunity the south affords for decentralization dixie woos industry southern states are now making it ii easier than ever before for industries to migrate to points within their borders the f first year of didies industrial promotion drive 1936 brought in new plants and equipment the greatest one year development in history leading the pack were paper companies with investments totaling in new plants petroleum refining with in new distributing plants and pipelines and iron and steel manufacturers with a expansion program during the first quarter of 1937 the pace was maintained with in industrial and engineering construction contracts awarded now the south has gone out after the business states have conducted act active ive publicity and selling campaigns making generous offers these included exemption from taxation for new industries and outright subsidies in the form of free factory sites free buildings and state trained labor leche revives louisiana louisiana was one of those which took the lead capitalizing on underdeveloped natural resources and on new man made ones it stressed the fact that nowhere in the world is there a greater opportunity for the development of a chemical industry than louisiana where salt sulphur and gas occur in close proximity it advertised and 91 sold its miles of inland waterways its mile highway system its 10 trunk line railroads its large percentage of native american white population it aggressively promoted its mineral and timber and its great basic crops of rice cotton and sugar supplemented by sweet potatoes strawberries soybeans and truck vegetables its port of new orleans was touted as the second largest in the united states with unrivaled facilities political interference with industry in the recent past coupled with heavy industrial taxes had prevented much industrial growth izi in the last decade but when the new governor richard W leche was elected he outlined a plan to revive the S tate state industrially the plan which was adopted repealed the objectionable license tax on manufacturing establishments effected a more equitable tax on oil refining encouraged establishment of a livestock industry by removing the tax on cattle sheep and hogs created a board of commerce and industry to court industry appropriated for promotion and proposed a constitutional amendment giving the governor permission to grant tax exemptions for ten years to new plants and additions to existing plants mississippi follows lead florida is wooing industry with a tax exemption law and is granting municipalities permission to erect buildings for manufacturers cities are vying with ea each c h other to attract new factories although insisting that they must be engaged in light manufacturing such as garments small etc no plant which emits objectionable fumes need apply agricultural mississippi eager to replace the lumber mills that have left ghost towns along the railroads has adopted a plan to balance agriculture with industry which was sponsored by gov hugh white in addition to tax exemption for five years it offers free factories ries and free factory sites which if the manufacturer maintains a specified payroll for a stated period of years become his property in most cases the factories are built by the municipalities in which they are situated the cities issuing bonds to cover the cost other states are proceeding along the same lines alabama offers ten years of freedom from taxes mary lands countries may grant permanent ta tax x exemption on manufacturing machinery arkansas with a population 70 per cent rural has thrown its working cap in the industrial du ring with a large fund to advertise t the he states natural resources and manufacturing advantages north nort h carolina has just appropriated to herald its attraction as a field for industrial expansion I 1 pan sion texas is now considering an appropriation of abear a year for the next five years to advertise the states resources southern Alark markets ets grow to date efforts have been concentrated upon attracting industries which could process the raw materials of the various regions louisiana with its thousands of acres of rolling pine land now leads the south in in the securing of paper and i I 1 pulp factories largely a new southern activity the textile industry has moved almost en masse to the carolinas Car the south now produces pr 0 duce g 52 per cent of the nations textiles while new england for more than a century the seat of this industry now produces only 38 33 per cent As industrial payrolls provide a constant stream of wealth for southern er n workers the markets below the mason and dixon line are constantly ly gaining in importance I 1 advised opinion of many industrialists tria lists and economists is that the north and east as well as the south will benefit from the greater prosperity of dixie with each section of the country supplying the products it can best produce 0 western newspaper union |