OSTROLENK, BERNHARD. Economic Geog raphy. Pp. xvi, 804. Chicago: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1941. $4.00

• DOI: 10.1177/000271624222100166
• Published date: 01 May 1942
• Date: 01 May 1942
• Subject Matter: Articles

225

observations.

For

example,

in

one

chapter

he

lists

the

outstanding

characteristics

of

Hollywood

as

youthful,

optimistic,

exhibi-

tionistic,

unconventional,

insecure,

bravado,

narrow,

self-centered,

cosmopolitan,

vola-

tile,

temperamental,

industrious,

and

nou-

veau

riche.

The

author

cites

evidence

for

some

of

these

impressions,

but

no

effort

was

made

to

measure,

for

example,

the

ex-

tent

to

which

movie

makers

are

optimistic.

Judgment

concerning

the

contribution

of

the

study

to

social

science

must

be

reserved

until

the

other

volume

appears.

MARK

A.

MAY

Yale

University

HERRING,

HARRIET

L.

Southern

Industry

and

Regional

Development.

Pp.

xiv,

103.

Chapel

Hill:

University

of

North

Carolina

Press,

1940.

$1.00.

This

study

presents

a

compact

overview

picture

of

the

industrial

composition

of

the

Southeast

(Virginia,

North

Carolina,

South

Carolina,

Georgia,

Florida,

Kentucky,

Ten-

nessee,

Alabama,

Mississippi,

Arkansas,

and

Louisiana)

as

revealed

by

the

Census

of

Manufactures

for

1937.

It

suggests

lines

of

growth

and

change

in

industry

to

bring

about

&dquo;optimum

production.&dquo;

Optimum

production

is

defined

as

that

which

in

the

long

run

leads

to

the

greatest

well-being

for

the

region

and

for

the

Nation.

One

hundred and

sixteen

separate

in-

dustries

are

briefly

discussed,

grouped

in

three

categories.

Group

I

consists

of

44

industries

of

which

the

Southeast

has

from

20

per

cent

to

100

per

cent

of the

Nation’s

wage

earners

engaged

in

these

industries.

They

are

characterized

as

&dquo;manufacturing

for

the

Nation.&dquo;

The

following

list

illus-

trates

the

type

.in

this

group:

industries

which

manufacture

cigarettes,

turpentine

and

rosin,

cotton

woven

goods,

hosiery,

fer-

tilizer,

wooden

boxes,

and

distilled

liquor.

The

author

considers

this

group

of

indus-

tries

peculiarly

suited

to

the

Southeast

&dquo;because

of

climate,

of

natural

and

agri-

cultural

resources,

and

of

skills,&dquo;

but

un-

fortunately

they

are

&dquo;by

and

large

low

wage,

low

value-creating

industries.&dquo;

The

proportion

in

the

Southeast

of

several

of

these

industries

would

be

much

less

had

this

region

not

offered

the

attraction

of

cheap

labor.

Group

II

includes

39

industries.

Indus-

tries

that

manufacture

men’s

shirts,

caskets

and

co~ns,

iron

and

steel,

bread

and

other

bakery

products,

and

clay

products

ex-

emplify

this

group.

The

Southeast

has

from

4

to

19

per

cent

of

the

Nation’s

wage

earners

engaged

in

these

industries.

The

author

suggests

that

these

industries

should

manufacture

primarily

for

the

region,

though

some

&dquo;might

expand

sufficiently

to

manufacture

for

the

Nation.&dquo;

Presumably

the

competitive

advantage

the

Southeast

has

in

these

industries

is

not

so

great

as

in

those

of

Group

I.

The

third

category

comprises

33

indus-

tries.

This

group

includes

those

in

which

the

Southeast

is

unimportant,

such

as

flour

and

other

grain

milling,

dairy

products,

and

pottery.

The

author

suggests

that

these

industries

should

be

encouraged,

at

least

to

the

point

of

supplying

the

needs

of

the

Southeast,

&dquo;in

order

to

add

variety

and

balance

to

its

manufacturing

and

help

to

balance

its

agricultural

economy

as

well.&dquo;

The

summary

chapter,

entitled

&dquo;Opti-

mum

Production

and

Opportunity,&dquo;

sug-

gests

that

diversification

of

manufactures

be

fostered.

It

urges

that

the

Southeast

be

made

more

attractive

for

the

high

wage,

high

value-creating

industries.

The

first

essential,

it

suggests,

is

improvement

of

managerial

and

processing

skills.

Public

education

should

assist

in

furthering

these

skills.

The

present

shift

to

a

total

war

economy

should

be

utilized

to

hasten

di-

versification.

The

Southeast

should

expand

its

chemical,

iron

and

steel,

shipbuilding,

and

pulp

and

paper

industries,

and

begin

to

manufacture

more

widely

for

itself.

These

and

other

suggestions

constitute

the

blueprint.

The

author

does

not

test

the

validity

of

these

suggestions

through

a

criti-

cal

analysis

of

the

factors

of

industrial loca-

tion,

industry

by

industry,

and

area

by

area.

Such

an

analysis

is

necessary

if

a

sound

pro-

cedure

for

&dquo;regional

development&dquo;

is

to

be

established.

HERMAN

F.

OTTE

Columbia

University

OSTROLENK,

BERNHARD.

Economic

Geog-

raphy.

Pp.

xvi,

804.

Chicago:

Richard

D.

Irwin,

Inc.,

1941.

$4.00.

This

book

demonstrates

the

dangers

con-

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