FUTILE BLUSTER

It is almost pitifully humorous to watch the frantic manoeuvers of the New England textile owners to stem the tide which is carrying the cotton manufacturing business elsewhere. In their mad fury they hurl insults at Wallace, pile imprecations on the Administration, indeed, almost blame Providence itself because New England has ceased to be able to complete with the rising industry of the South.

A sane view of the situation demonstrates that New England has lost the differential advantages which made it the textile center of the new world during the XIX century. Water power, favorable climatic conditions, a plentiful supply of labor, and aggressive management were the secrets of her continued dominance in the manufacturing field. But since the opening of the century, the South has begun to establish its own mills. Cheap labor, plentiful coal, and proximity to the sources of raw material give it insuperable advantages over the northern area. Under such conditions the frantic speeches of Gov. Curley and the curses heaped on the head of the innocuously innocent Wallace might cause an impartial visitor from Mars to wonder at the sanity of the northern leaders.

Then there is also the threat of Japan. Indeed, whenever any industry suffers inexplicable losses in the domestic market, astute politicians hasten to Washington, and, aided by Mr. Hearst, begin to invoke the deity of nationalism against the wicked and cunning Japanese. Yet despite their furor, figures for 1933 demonstrate that the only imports from Japan of any significance are raw silk, tung oil, and fancy crab meat.

It is futile for New England mill workers to blame their predicament on such inconsequential factors as the processing tax and Japanese competition. By inflexible economic laws, industry in the long run tends to locate in that section of the country where conditions are most favorable to its development. The future of New England will depend on the speed with which it recognizes this economic fact and begins to transfer its capital and labor into other fields of industrial activity.