THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
The news in this publi
cation is released for the
press on receipt.
NEWS LETTER
Published Weekly by the
Vniversity of North Caro
lina for the University Ex
tension Division.
.4PRIL 8, 1925
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
VOL. XI, NO. 21
i6;>ardi B. C. Branssn, S. H. Hobbs, Jr.. L. R. Wilson, B, W. Kaljrtii, D. L). Carroll, J. B, BallUt, H. W. Odun..
Enters aa Bacond-elaas matter Nevomber 14. 1914, at thePoatofficBat Chapel Hill, N. C., ander tha actof AuRost 1!4, 1912
OUR WATER RESOURCES
3. WATEK PUWES SURVEYS
In the last two issues of the News
Letter articles have appeared telling •
of the vital importance of
, any number of streams in the state.
I See the isolated small water powers
which have been developed at great
dequate ! no thought of their
records of''3iream''floT'to“ community !
and industrial development in the state,
and indicating the methods used in
North Carolina for the collection of
these records. As pointed out in those
articles, one of the most important
uses of stream flow data is to enable
water power projects to be planned
same stream. A ten-foot dam at one
point creates a small industrial com
munity which would be entirely de
stroyed by a fifty-foot dam at an ex
cellent site a few miles further dov?n
stream. Manifestly the fifty-foot
dam cannot be built, except atprohibi-
cou'
OUR BASIC INDUSTRY
•au \ tive cost m,most cases. But, could a
with economy and operated with ei* i .: ’ 7
■ r .• A« 1 P® built at the lower site to pond
hciency. But other information be-! . , , ^ • o '
. j, . a i water back to the upper site? Cer-
sides knowledge of stream now is im- .
,. I tamly. And could the same total
conservation of j a ^ ^ - - • i. ^ ,
amount of fall in the river be devel-
portant for the proper
the great water power resources of the
state. Water power surveys of streams
form,, the only basis upon which the
state as a whole or individual industrial
enterprises may get the most out of the
potential wealth which is inherent in
many of our streams.
Surveys of Undeveloped Rivers
There are still a number of rivers in
North Carolina which are relatively
undeveloped from a water power
standpoint, and which have great po
tentialities for producing water power.
Whether or not these streams are
developed according to some compre-
oped? Certainly. Then why worry?
Because a single high dam at the lower
site would impound a great deal more
water than the two dams built sepa
rately, and much of that impounded
water can be drawn on during dry
periods to produce power. At every
low dam in the state there is more
power lost over the dam during high-
water periods than is utilized in mak
ing power during the entire year.' That
water, or some of it, can be conserved
by being stored behind high dams and
used when needed in times of low
flow. Moreover, the single high
Agriculture is a basic American
industry into whose interests all
other interests inextricably are
woven.
Everyone knows that without a
healthy condition in agriculture, all
other lines of business feel the de
pressing reaction, and it is therefore
as much the concern of industry at
large as of agriculture itself that
agriculture be protected from eco
nomic illness.
The business community which
seeks merely to exploit the agricul
tural producers in its trade area has
no w^orthy place in the ranks of
modern organized business. Those
dollars which come from agricul
tural wealth are new dollars. It is
a distinct ooligation of every Cham
ber of Commerce and like business
group in agricultural areas to en
hance the purchasing power of
those dollars. —Richard F. Grant,
in The Country Gentleman.
ported universities and colleges per
white person 42 cents; North Carolina
56 cents; the average for the United
States being 70 cents. Virginia’s per
centage of illiteracy of all classes over
ten years of age was 11.2; that of
North Carolina 13.1'; that of the whole
nation 6. Public school expenditures
per capita in Virginia were $8.94; for
North Carolina $8.33; the average for
other states $15.10. The percentage
of population from five to eighteen
here who are regular at the little
white church in the grove. Judging by
their buildings and their dairies and
their crops they are certainly more
prosperous than the men who spend
Sunday loafing, fishing, and visiting.
“How do I explain it? Well, I sort
of figure it out that church attendance
has something of the same effect upon a
man’s life that a shower has upon the
fields. It starts to growing those
years old attending school, for Virginia {business virtues, industry, thrift, hon-
is 68; for North Carolina 70.6; for esty, and eagerness to help, which
all other states 74.7; the average sal-! make for success.’’
ary of teachers in Virginia is $818; in j After all, is not Dave about right?
North Carolina $720; m other states He might have gone further and have
* ’ ■ ' 1 spoken of church attendance also as a
The comparisons in no sense contrib- i kind of liberal education where one
ute to a jealousy between the states, | hears the great hymns of the ages,
for one excels in some things, one in: where the Book of Books is read and
sitive at the extravagant praise of
North Carolina’s progress in roads and
schools. It is always well to face the
facts calmly and in this instance it is
fortunate that the figures were gath
ered from an unprejudiced source, the
information being taken from the Uni-
hensive plan which results from a com-, will usually cost considerably less than ; versity of Tennessee’s Digest of South-
plete study of the entire river, and ; two or more low'dams. ' ern States.
often of its relation to other power. Further need for unit thought in de-! Virginia leads in total and per capita
producing rivers, may make a differ-; veloping streams is seen in places ; ,„ealth, resources, many items of agri-
ence of tens of thousands of horse- where a dam has been built, say, ten eulture, mining, total annual produc-
powermtne ultunate total power pro- feet high. A mill community, with , Hon of electricity, in telephones, ex-
ducmg capacity of the stream. It is expensive industrial buildings, collects p„rts. wholesaling, home ownership
essentially a function of the state to ' about the power source, usually along automobiles, personal incomes, public
investigate its streams to determine the banks of the stream. A fifty-foot
dam could be built at the site cheaper
than at any nearby point to de
velop the same fall. But the fifty-
foot dam, if constructed now, would
flood out valuable property. That for
ty extra feet of fall in the river will
probably never be developed, and thus '. , , •
its power-producing ability will be i Inhering, water-power develop-
lost to the state. Numerous other | ment, corporation income, highway
stances of the need for forethought in 1 P'*"* and equip-
developing a stream could be cited did I appropriations to state-sup-
space permit. It is the duty of theiPP'*®'* universities, and
state, and, as Ihe need for power con-'total, wealth during the
sumption presses more hardly on pow
er production, it will be necessary for
the state to see, to it that the power
resources of its streams are developed
efficiently.
the most efficient method for their
development, and then to try to see
that some such method is followed by
private or municipal interests building
power projects. The State Depart
ment of Conservation and Development
1 formerly the Geological Survey) has
since the creation of its Water Re
sources Division in cooperation with the
Engineering School at the University
in 1920, been making river surveys as
fundfe were available. The scope of
such surveys is usually dependent upon
the amount of money which may be
contributed by cooperating agencies
such as counties, municipalities, or
group interests.
Scope of Power Surveys
The water power surveys in general
hiake the following studies, comprising
an entire stream within its power pro
ducing, portions. Firkt accurate levels
are run along the course of the river
and checked on some standard bench
mark of the United States Geological
Survey. Often, as in Stokes county
and along Deep river, these are the
first accurate levels ever carried into
the region, and they are permanently
debt, health and sanitation expendi-
Lures, in reading public, in literacy,
in number and value of all colleges
and universities, in number of students
and in the average expenditure per pu
pil in the public schools.
North Carolina leads in manufactur-
others. They serve to point out to each
state those things in, which it has
dropped behind, and should prove most
stimulating to both in their effort to
catch up with the procession of states
of the American Union. —Danville
News.
CHILDREN IN JAILS
One hundred and thirty-eight chil
dren under sixteen years of age are in
jail in North Carolina, according to re
ports published by the State Board of
Charities and Public Welfare. These
reports are based upon data received
from 646 jails. Of the children under
16, 49 were white boys, 18 white girls,
60 negro boys and 11 negro girls.
There were also 1,765 persons between
16 and 21 years of age
white boys, 612 negro boys, 186 white
girls, and 185 negro girls.
explained, and where the thought that
Daniel Webster said was the greatest
thought that ever filled his mind—the
thought of man’s accountability t6
God—is emphasized.
Furthermore, Dave might have
pointed out that the man who heeds the
call of the church bell gets the Robin
son Crusoe instincts out of Jiis system.
He becomes a friend of man, and in a
large sense a citizen of the world. His
own purposes enlarge as he shares in
the purpose of the church to make
over the nations of the. globe accord
ing to the principles of tne Master
Teacher.
THE CALL OF THE CHURCH
“Yes, sir,” said Dave, “I believe
that church attendance pays. Why
just think of the farmers around
At church one is rerajinded; of the
things which are really worth while;
the cobwebs are brushed away from'
i chamber of conscience; faded ideals
are brightened once more as the brown
fields of autumn grow green when
spring returns; and religion becomes a
real experience of fellowship “with a
heavenly Father who is supremely
blade real in the Man of Galilee, in
whose service there is comple’test
freedom and fullest joy, “-Country
Gentleman.
Example of Lost Power
last census decade.
In Virginia 46.1 percent of the popu
lation lives on farms; in North Caro
lina 58.7 percent; in the nation at
large 29.9 percent. The percentage of
farmers owning their own farms in
Virginia is 73.2; in North Carolina 66.1;
in the United States 60.9.
On one of the most important power i There is room in both states for fur-
streams of the state, plans had been ther manufacturing development. Vir-
made for the construction of a dam ginia has 2,570, North Carolina 2,602
180 feet high. It would have created plants, while the average for all the
large power itself, and by storing states' is ,4,038. Virginia has 100,117
flood waters would have increased the people employed in factories; North
power producing capacity of other de-, Carolina 147,753.' Virginia made up
velopments. below by from 10,000 to $454,261,467 of manufactured products;
20,000 horsepower. Certain interests North Carolina $665,117,738,
marked and left for standard elevations In mining Virginia far excels, pro-
for use of engineers and surveyors
the future. Following the levels,
a fifty-foot dam there which develops ducing $38,651,000 to" $7,268,000
; possibly 1,000 horsepower. This dam North Carolina. In lumbering Ndrth
xuLui c. X 'Jiiyjyii iLig vljc ^ — - —o -.
profile is made of the entire stream, i ‘‘■e Carolina excels, cutting 936,248,000
so that the fall on every portion is ac
curately known. At the same time a
plan of the river is made, locating all
existing power developments and not
high dam below. Will the high dam,
with its resulting benefits, ever be
built now? Not unless the small “dog
in the manger” can be bought out or
• , , J J ^ I condemned, and the excessive cost of
ing points where good dam sites exist. 1 , . ’
f-Wta tF VM-voeiKiri TTTtll
Cross sections are made of all good
dam sites, and by contour maps the
amount of water determined which can
be stored behind each dam. If there
are not enough gaging stations on the
river, new ones are established to de
termine the stream flow. The field da
ta are taken to the office, and studies
made to determine the best points at
which to locate dams to (11 develop the
greatest total fall, (2) involve the
least number of dartis or least cost for
dams, (3) create the greatest storage
to be let out during periods of low
flow. As a result a cornplete report is
prepared and published, presenting an
outline for the development of the
river as a unit for power production.
Each development, as made, ought to
fit into this scheme in order to get the
most out of the river. The basic idea
•is to outline for every river in the
state, now undeveloped, some plan for
complete utilization along similar
methods to those so efficiently consum
mated by the Southern Power Company
on the Catawba.
The State ’s Duty
Why should the state do this, and
^hat happens if it does not? Look on
this, even if possible, will raise the
price of power, at the large develop
ment, if built, and will unquestionably
delay its building.
River surveys, of varying scope, have
been carried out by the Department of
Conservation on the power streams in
Surry, Wilkes, Oherokee, and Clay
counties. Many of the sites reported
upon are now under development,
and the published data have served
not only to indicate the best methods
for developing the streams, but
to make public, the existence of the
power in an authoritative manner
and brinif it to the attention of
capital which'is developing it.—Thorn
dike Saville.
COMPARING TWO STATES
Interesting comparisons between
Virginia and North Carolina are con
tained in the University of Virginia
News Letter. The two states run
close together in most clasifications.
The interesting feature is the compar
ison with the average for the United
States, and the growth during the
last ten years.
Some Virginians have become sen-
feet'to Virginia’s 617,493,000 feet.
Virginia has 44 department stores of
over $60,000 capital; North Carolina
45; Virginia has 616 banks to 617 in
North Carolina, but the aggregate re
sources of Virginia banks are $606,219,-
000 to $442,810,000 in North Carolina.
Virginia has 450,229 separate homes
to 495,269 in North Carolina, but Vir
ginians own 51.1 percent of their
homes, while North Carolinians own
but 47.4 percent. The number of mo
tor cars per 1,000 of population is for
Virginia 91; for North Carolina 90.
The assessed valuation of all prop
erty in Virginia is $1,826,263,000; in
North Carolina $2,521,116,000, property
in Virginia being assessed on an aver
age of 40.7 percent of its true value,
and in North Carolina at 75.7 percent
of its true value. The total debt of
states, counties, and cities in Virginia
is $119,116,000; inNorth Carolina $182,-
711,000, while the average debt, state,
city, and county for the 48 states of
the Union is $642,767,187. The per
capita debt in Virginia is $60.33; in
North Carolina $69.03, in the United
States $283.77.
Both states are far behind the aver
age in the number of newspaper read
ers. In Virginia there is one paper
to each 8.1 persons; in North Carolina
one to each 13.6; in the nation at large
one to each 3,6 people.
Virginia appropriated for state-sup-
FACTS ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA, 1880 AND 1923
Forty-Three Years of Progress
The following table of facts about North Carolina, showing her deveionment
from 1880 to 1923, is taken from the South’s Development, an excellent volume
of nearly 7(j0 pages, issued recently by the Manufacturers Record
Total area, 52,426 square miles; land, 48,740 square miles; water, 3,686 square
miles. ’ ^
1880
Population 1,399,760
Property, true value $461,000,000
Manufactures; ,
Capital $18,046,639
Products,-value... $20,096,037
Mines and quarries:
Capital ;
Products, value
Cotton manufacturing:
Capital $2,866,000
Products, value $2,654,000
Spindles, number active 92 385
Looms, number active i 799
Cotton consumed, pounds n 833 000
Cottonseed oil mills:
Capital
Products, value
Furniture manufacturing:
Products, value
Lumber cut, feet 241,822,000
Mineral products, value $575 979
Coal mined, tons 359
All land in farms, acres
Improved land, acres 6,481,191
Number of farms
Value of all farm property
Value of farm land '
Farm products, value $51,730,000
Farm crops, value
Cotton crop:
Bales, number 390,000
Tobacco crop, pounds 27,000,000
Grain crop:
Corn, bushels 36,954,000
Wheat, bushels 4,871 000
Oats, bushels 5,516,000
Livestock:
Cattle, number 997 999
Sheep, number 462,000
Swine, number \ 454 999
Horses, number j 134^999
Mules, number (. §2 000
National banks:
Resources $8,420,060
Capital $2,601,000
Deposits $2,S83,366
Other banks, deposits 595 532
Railroad mileage. 1 433
Highway expenditures
Public schools, expenditures $376,000
Assessed value property $156,100,200
* Census 1920. t 1922. ; 1921.
1923
2,686,326
t$4,643,110,000
*$669,144,000
i$666,118,000
*$2,260,434
*$2,744,683
*$268,323,000
*8318,368,000
6,463,547
76,974
646,921,000
•$14,686,456
•$46,996,107
*$29,725,000
■f936,248,000
t$7,268,000
*20,021,736
‘8,198,409
*269,763
*$1,260,166,996
' *$867,816,016
$613,400,000
$436,800,000
1,020,000
386,400,000
68,568,000
6,038,000
6,082,000
631,000
82, 000
1,169,000
163,000
260,000
$192,329,000
$13,667,000
$126,170,000
$219,972,000
TO, 382
$36,148,000
+$22,079,000
+$2,576,338,000