The state arts council must give South Jersey what it deserves.

One thing that makes a place worth living in and distinguishes one part of the country from another is the arts. A town expresses itself in part by the plays that its regional theaters put on, and the ways in which they perform them.

That is why denying South Jersey its fair share of state arts funding means stealing a little of its soul. And that is why the New Jersey State Council on the Arts must start giving South Jersey its full share of state arts funding, and the state must pony up more money for the arts statewide.

It also wouldn't kill members of the arts council to come down to South Jersey from time to time and visit the talented local arts groups.

Otherwise, if the council cannot find within itself even a minimal sense of fairness, we support a plan by Assembly Speaker Jack Collins, R-Salem, to remove 25 percent from the council's overall budget and dedicate it specifically to South Jersey organizations.

But South Jersey shouldn't have to play hardball for this. These funds rightfully belong here. The law mandates that this region receive 25 percent of the state arts council's funding. But South Jersey organizations got only 21.1 percent this year. Normally, people who break the law go to jail.

By the arts council's rationale, the missing 4 percent has gone to North Jersey arts groups to perform or exhibit their work in South Jersey. North Jersey groups get paid to "bring culture" to the South, while the Mainstage Center for the Arts and the Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn, for example, had their funding requests rejected.

What an insult.

The point of regional arts funding is to give people in this part of the state the resources with which to express themselves, to build the local culture, not to give North Jersey arts companies funding for a road trip.

Does this area simply lack the talent to justify funding? Not by any stretch of the imagination. There are arts groups all over South Jersey. The Haddonfield Players, a local community theater group, has a solid reputation among Philadelphia's theater community. And Philadelphia itself has a deep pool of full-time professional actors who would live and work here if they had the backing.

South Jersey has enormous potential. Too bad it's s s s underfunded.

But then, how would members of the arts council know that? They have a fairly consistent record of never seeing South Jersey shows for themselves. Perhaps the drive down here is too far - and on that, at least, we can sympathize. Folks down here don't much like driving up to Newark to see a show, either.

That's why South Jersey wants its money - all of it.

We also call for a few other things to level the playing field:

•Allow individual arts groups to apply for funds once a year instead of having to wait for three years after a rejection.

•Set up a system whereby small arts groups can pool their resources for administrative and health costs.

•Help South Jersey arts groups get corporate funding. Currently, corporate arts grants have leaned toward North Jersey as well, worsening the state's imbalance.

All that South Jersey is asking for is its fair share. This isn't unreasonable. The arts council would have to comprise a very creative set of individuals indeed in order to find anything controversial about that.