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McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, S. C., THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1937 STRIKES DON’T BOTHER THE SOUTH Not As Much As the North and East, at Any Rate—Dixie Begins to Enjoy Results of Campaign to Attract Industries. By WILLIAM C. UTLEY S PECTACULAR strikes of re cent months in the North and East, with their accompanying publicity, have. largely ob scured from the public con sciousness the industrial awak ening that is taking place in the South. Yet southern industrial leaders feel that labor troubles outside Dixie will soon be re flected in increased southern migrations as industry spreads out to avoid the difficulties root ed in over-concentration. Fortunately for the South, which in the last 18 months has pressed a determined campaign to attract new manufacturing plants, its compara tively quiet labor conditions have stood out in serene contrast to the hectic scenes which have filled the northern stage. Department of Labor reports show that the number of woricers involved in strikes steadily increased in both the North and South during the last six months of 1936, the latest period for which official records are avail able. But the totals are heavily against the North, which suffered 894 strikes, involving 372,495 work ers, as compared with 105 strikes, involving 29,134 workers in Dixie. The North had its greatest num ber of strikes in August and Sep tember, with 187 in each month, but 163 strikes in October involved the most workers—95,172. The South had 24 strikes in August, keeping 4,- 563 from employment, but 11,596 were kept out by 16 strikes in Oc tober. South Is Non-Union. During the six-month period 40 to 60 per cent of all new strikes oc curred in four states—New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and California— with Illinois and Michigan account ing for a sizeable portion of the re mainder. During the same six months only two important strikes took place in the South—one in the Chevrolet and Fisher bodies plants at Atlanta, and one in the plant of the Celanese Corporation of Amer ica 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 non-union. With indus try less concentrated than in eastern or middle western regions, it is less susceptible v to strike epidemics. Some industrialists deem it prob able 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 I ’ ■X-• ■■ H ■ >$ ■ m mM .v:;v.>'xx;vX«x Contented workers, these! They are enjoying themselves in a recrea tion hall built by a large paper manufacturer with plants in several southern cities. more difficult to carry out and might end in a workers’ revolt. Southern states are now making it easier than ever before for indus* tries to migrate to points within their borders. The first year of Dixie’s industrial promotion drive— 1936—brought $322,000,000 in new plants and equipment, the greatest one-year development in history. Leading the pack were paper com panies with investments totaling $60,000,000 in new plants; petro leum refining, with $50,000,000 in new distributing plants and pipe lines, and iron and steel manufac turers with a $53,000,000 expansion program. During the first quar ter of 1937 the pace was main tained, with $92,964,000 in industrial and engineering construction con tracts awarded. Prominent among the reasons for this sudden metamorphosis of a civ ilization that seemed destined to re main permanently agricultural, has been the extension of hydro-electric power to the most remote regions, resulting in an abundance of cheap energy in places which had been without it owing to lack of coal for generating or lack of distribu tion lines from hydro-electric plants. In addition, the South pro vided a ready market, lower con struction and maintenance costs, and plentiful raw materials. Of it, Arthur D. Little, the noted indus trial engineer, said,, “Nowhere is there likely to be a greater exten sion of industrial activity.” Now the South has “gone out after > '..i: p I m pppiiM A mm p ■.m : >7 mm mm mm Mm Mm*-:* h. Mi "•‘y % * >. : : W : Louisiana is offering manufacturers a new field of industry with re cent chemical discoveries of the possibilities of converting sugar cane tops into industrial alcohol. Inset: Gov. Richard W. Leche signing con tract to give a container manufacturer ten years tax exemption on ad dition to plant, to cost $400,000. by the experience of their eastern and middle western neighbors in handling them. Wages and employment in the South have increased more rapidly than in other sections, while hours have not increased as much, and this undoubtedly has some bearing ©n the absence of strikes. The wage differential between the South and other sections was approximately 33.5 per cent in 1933; by December, 1936, it had narrowed down to 21.9 per cent. Since the southern work er, according to economists, can maintain the same standard of liv ing as his northern counterpart at 20 per cent less cost, the South may now claim virtual parity as far as real wages are concerned. , Dixie Woos Industry. It is not hard to see why industry is attracted by the opportunity the South affords for decentralization. For instance, Detroit and Akron could be paralyzed in their produc tion of automobiles and rubber if a single plant gets into difficulties with a vertical unionyTt wnjld then be within the pow*<r of union ers to call out workers in all plan in a “sympathy^’ strike. Sympathy strikes, while still possible under de centralized industry, would be much the business.” States have conduct ed active publicity and “selling” campaigns, making generous offers. These included exemption from tax ation 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 under developed 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 in dustry than Louisiana, where salt, sulphur and gas occur in close prox imity.” It advertised and “sold” its 4,700 miles of inland waterways, its 14,000-mile highway system, its 10 trunk-line railroads, its large per centage of native American white population. It aggressively promot ed its mineral and timber wealths and its great basic crops of rice, cotton and sugar, supplemented by sweet potatoes, strawberries, soy- ins and truck vegetables. Its port __ "ew Orleans was touted as the seconSla^ 681 ki the United States, with unriV$!® d facilities. Political interference with indus- tiy in the red® 1 P ast > coupled with i heavy industrial taxes, had prevent ed much industrial growth in the last decade. But when the new gov ernor, Richard W. Leche, was elect ed he outlined a plan to revive the state industrially. The plan, which was adopted, re pealed 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; appro priated $100,000 for promotion, and proposed a constitutional amend ment giving the governor permis sion to grant tax exemptions for ten years to new plants and additions to existing plants. Effects were not long in coming to notice. Building permits soared; so did department store sales, elec tric power consumption, manufac turing sales, post office receipts, wholesale grocery sales and other indices. Problems of state finance and legislative problems kept Gov ernor Leche from starting his in dustrial program with the full gusto he would have liked, but his own personal efforts brought into the state 15 new industries ranging in value from $100,000 to $3,000,000, employing 3,000 in their construc tion and giving permanent employ ment to nearly 8,000. 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 each other to attract new factories, although insisting that they must be engaged in light manufacturing, such as garn/Tents, small housewares, etc.—no plant which emits objectionable fumes need apply. Agricultural Mississippi, eager to replace the lumber mills that have left “ghost towns” along the rail roads, has adopted a plan to “bal ance agriculture with industry,” which was sponsored by Gov. Hugh White. In addition to tax exemption for five years, it offers free facto ries and free factory sites which, if the manufacturer maintains a speci fied 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 land’s countries may grant perma nent tax exemption on manufactur ing machinery. Arkansas, with a population 70 per cent rural, has thrown its working cap in the in dustrial ring with a large fund to advertise the state’s natural re sources and manufacturing advan tages. North Carolina has just ap propriated $250,000 to herald its at traction as a field for industrial ex pansion. Texas is now considering an appropriation of $1,000,000 a year for the next five years to advertise the state’s resources. Southern Markets Grow. To date efforts have been concen trated upon attracting industries which could process the raw mate rials of the various regions. Louisi ana, with its thousands of acres of rolling pine land, now leads the South in the securing of paper and pulp factories—largely a new south ern activity. The textile industry has moved almost en masse to the Carolinas; the South now produces 52 per cent of the nation’s textiles, while New England, for more than a century the seat of this industry, now produces only 38 per cent. As industrial payrolls provide a constant stream of wealth for south ern workers, the markets below the Mason and Dixon line are constant ly gaining in importance. Advised opinion of many indus trialists and economists is that the North and East, as well as the South, will benefit from the greater prosperity of Dixie, with each sec tion of the country supplying the products it can best produce. © Western Newspaper Union. ★★★★★★★★★*★★★★★**★★ I STAR I j DUST j ★ jMLovie • Radio * ★ ★ ★★★By VIRGINIA VALE★★★ F ANS had to wait two lonfe years for the Marx Brothers’ new picture, “A Day at the Races,” but it was well worth waiting for. It is almost too funny, the laughs coming in such quick succession that you are still shouting over one comic s»cene when the next hits you. This picture tops their previous masterpieces of hilarity by several lengths. Groucho is, as usual, the wise guy but when he goes to the race track he is a gullible custom er for Chico’s sales talk on tips on the races. Chico performs one of those piano solos that makes enough tough little boys want to become piano virtuosos so they can copy his tricks. And Harpo is even greater than usual. He talks—in pantomime only —at great length, and it is a toss- up whether his pantomime or Chi co’s efforts to translate it into words is funnier. —*— Planned for fall is a household hints program starring Zasu Pitts, if she can ever stop making pictures long enough to ap pear on an air pro- g r a m regularly. Putting this pro gram together is a job for a magician, for while Zasu is al ways a comedienne to her public, at home she is just the w o r 1 d’s greatest housekeeper and cook. Nobody could write funny lines about Zasu’s cook ing if they had ever sampled it, and her new kitchen which she de signed herself is a model of inge nuity, beauty, and efficiency. As you may have read, Zasu has be$n working on a cook book for the last year or two. Lily Pons* last broadcast of the season before leaving for Hollywood to make “The Girl in the Cage** for RKO was a big night for her. She was elected the best-dressed star of the radio studios, an honor for merly divided between Helen Jep- son and Gladys Swarthout. Most singers take such honors in their stride, but not the volcanic and ap preciative Lily. —-fc— Motion picture producers have just about given up hope of interest ing their public in Shakespeare, but broadcasting companies have decid ed the bard’s stirring lines are just what the public wants. John Barry more’s NBC program has proved a tremendous success since the first Monday night a few weeks ago when he presented a foreshortened version of “Hamlet.” For its com peting hour, Columbia has signed up an impressive array of talent. —+— Everybody would like to have an employer like Walter Wanger. He thinks that every workman ought to have three months a year in which to get away from his job. His hired help are supposed to relax and seek new impressions but Joan Bennett, Sylvia Sidney, and Henry Fonda are all going on the stage daring their vacations, Madeleine Carroll is going yachting off the coast of Great Britain, Charles Boyer and Pat Patterson are going to France to make a picture. Any time Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper want to stop acting and open a traveling art ex hibit, they have plenty of lucrative offers. Both are can did camera fans, and when they have a few minutes lei sure between scenes they stroll around whatever studio they are working in and snap pictures of players off guard. They have some fine snaps of stars snooz ing in chairs, of directors watching scenes with obvious disgust, of ro mantic co-stars glaring at each other between scenes. But they won’t sell them! —K— ODDS AND ENDS—Shirley Temple is learning to yodel for her next picture, "Heidi* . . . Dick Powell and Franchot Tone are just tivo of the many players who long to make fPesterns . . . Carole Lombard has tampered with the color of her hair to the extent of making it a deep, golden blond. The new color shows up better in Technicolor . . . John Gam bling, who for twelve years has roused the radio audience at six forty-five and bullied them into doing morning- exer cises, sits in an easy chair while he bel lows at his audience and never takes any exercise . . . Connie Boswell has her first big screen role in Columbia’s “It’s All Yours.” J. C. Nugent, stage veteran, is also in it, which leads to a lot of friendly arguments, since the picture is being di rected by his son, Elliot, who learned his stagecraft acting in his father’s com panies . . . Deanna Durbin’s director has rigged up an old-fashioned auto horn to call her from the schoolroom to the mo tion-picture set when lights and cameras are all ready to go. C Western Newspaper Union. Gary Cooper Zasu Pitts Fashion Is in Mood for All-White By CHERIE NICHOLAS A FTER all when it comes to look- ing your sweetest and prettiest is there anything in the way of a lovely party frock more flattering to endearing feminine charms than all-white? Really now, is there? Evidently fashion feels the same way about it for with all the excit ing, the glamorous, the esthetic, the hectic, the eye-appealing delectable tones and tints on the color card this season, comes all-white on the scene and the contest is on, written all over the style program and in big headlines—white versus color! The chic and the charm and the immaculate nicety with which the all white costume dresses you up during the daytime hours is exceed ed only by the magic and the irresistible loveliness of the dine- and-dance and the formal party frocks that designers are creating of frothy white silk sheers this sum mer such as mousseline de soies, silk organdies, finest dainty silk nets and soft “drapy” filmy chif fons that sway and flutter and dance to the strains of rapturous music. Then there are the stiff silks that are such favorites and which re quire such queenly styling to do them justice. Their vogue in all white is outstanding with particular emphasis on gleaming white satin which this summer is more than ever holding sway in ballroom and at formal night functions. A most fascinating white silk satin gown is shown centered in the illustration. Its stately princess lines are de lightfully in keeping with the exqui siteness of the fabric itself. The Jenny Lind shoulder line adds in describable charm and the square* inclined neckline and the majestia sweep of the skirt so expertly styled so as to slenderize at the same time that it achieves a full hemline, are all details that glorify. The sophis ticated simplicity of this gown and the elegance of the all-silk satin is its big appeal. , An interesting feature about pres ent party dresses is that their sil houettes go to such extremes. Some are sheathlike to the knees with flaring hemlines and slenderized fit ted waistlines, while others are that bouffant it requires yards and yards of material to make -them. For the airy-fairy types that are so en trancing and so beloved this sea son by the younger set, vaporous filmy chiffons and billowy tulles and nets are the logical answer. ( Beautifully draped in classic lines is the dress pictured to the left. It required yards and yards of white silk chiffon for its fashioning. The girdled straps of narrow ribbon re flect Greek influence. To the right a most exquisite silk chiffon evening ensemble is shown. The girlish simplicity of this dainty gown and cape commends this cos tume to the young debutante. This lovely creation naively informs you that not all the honors are going to all-white for in this instance the chiffon is in the new exquisite desert dawn tint, which is a delicate pink shade that is too lovely for words. The gown has a halter neck which is most becoming to the wearer. 1 The cape is grace itself. By the way, you really should have a cape of chiffon or of net or of some type of silk sheer to wear with lingerie dresses, for the transparent cape is one of fashion’s pet vanities this summer. ® Western Newspaper Union. RIBBONS TAKE ON ADDED IMPORTANCE By CHERIE NICHOLAS Ribbons have not been so impor tant for a long time as they now are. They are used for sashes, for girdles, shoulder straps that are part of the design of the dress, for bandings and for entire jackets and toques. Many of the better styled frocks and tailored suits have their edges finished with grosgrain ribbon bind ings. The new idea of these bind ings is carried out both in mono tone and in contrasting effects. Beige finished with black or brown ribbon bindings is a favorite theme, also black bound with white gros grain. Perky velvet ribbon bows trim print frocks while many dress fronts are fastened with narrow tied rib bons. Ribbon trims on hats are widely advocated and there is con siderable use of broad belting rib bon to artfully band high crowns. Use of All Kinds of Lace Revived for Summer Wear The use of all kinds of lace has been revived for summer wear. Helene Yrande uses pure white lace for a fitted deshabille which has enormously full, puffed sleeves to the elbow. The low cut front decol- lette is filled with doubled bands of chiffon in pale yellow and pale green. These two colors are repeated in the chiffon sash which is twisted about the bodice Grecian fashion, and tied in back with the floating chiffon streamers hanging in back and forming a suggestion of a train. Use Pink Chiffon Roses to Trim Evening Jacket Pale pink roses of shaded chiffon are applied cleverly as trimming on an evening jacket of sheer, white chiffon in the new Schiaparelli col lection. The same type roses are used as a back shoulder yoke on a blue satin evening cape. Pale yellow and green chiffon is used effectively to make sprays of mimosa applied on a white organdie evening gown. NET OVER PRINT Bt CHERIE NICHOLAS Broad brimmed hats which fash ion has decreed for summer wear combine well with this type of af ternoon dress which is of black cable net worn over an underslip of gay print on dark background. It is made with puff sleeves and sailor collar. Catalin costume jew elry including a bow clip-brooch and bangle bracelets in the new “pepper and salt” design by Schia parelli add chic to this costume. The hat is of black baku with a large white poppy