The news in this publi
cation is released for the
press on receipt.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
NEWS LETTER
Published Weekly by the
University of North Caro
lina for the University Ex
tension Division.
SEPTEMBER 1, 1926
CHAPEL HILL, N C.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
VOL. XII, NO. 42
KJiturial Board. E. C. Branson. S. H. Hobba, Jr.. L. E. Wilson. E. W. Knieht. D. D. Carroll. J. B. Bnllitt. H. W. Odum.
Entered as second.claaa matter Novainuer 14. 1914. at the PoatofRce at Chapel Hill. N. C.. under the act of Autrust 24. 1912
TAXING FARM LANDS
The recent annual report of the
State Commissioner of Revenue shows
that the total value of all property
listed for taxation in North Carolina
for the tax year 1924 amounts to $2,-
711,783,919. Of this amount land, mean
ing mainly farm land and improve
ments thereon, is listed at $964,516,849.
There are more than 29 million acres
of land listed for taxation, exclusive of
town lands, manufacturing properties
outside incorporated towns, mineral,
timber and water-power properties.
Some of this land is really not farm
many notable exceptions. Why should
Stanly and Vance rank considerably
above Scotland, Edgecombe, and
Johnston? Why should Yancey rank
ahead of Rober.on and Harnett? Why
should Yadkin rank ahead of Halifax,
Davidson, or Sampson? These are
merely a few of many cases that might
be cited. Manifestly some counties
appear too high and others too low,
their true worth considered.
There is only one remedy to the
present indefensible poficy employed in
listing prop.erty in North Carolina, and
that is to adopt a state-wide policy
requiring property to be listed at its
land, but property of lumber companies | value in every county, or at some
and so on. However, for all i uniform percent of its true value The
purposes these 29 million acres j gchool equalization fund, for one thing,
be considered as farm land, improved j ^.|j ^ mockery until such a policy is j
and unimproved. • adopted. It must come eventually, why i
Town real estate, manufacturing now? :
properties outside incorporated towns, ; i
and mi,lerai, timber and LISTING LIVESTOCK i
properties are listed at $ooU,oii,Doa. . ;
Farmers pay taxes on 63 percent of all Property is listed for taxation largely
real properly listed for taxation in the on the principle of Let your conscience
gfate. i be your guide. Some people are con-
The census authorities estimate the ! scientious, even when it comes to pay-
true wealth of North Carolina at four ing taxes. Others seem to have only a
and a half billion dollars for 19Z2. It wee small conscience. The tax book
would be more than that amount for should be awarded the annual prize for
1924 The tax books show two billion ' the best book of fiction produced during
seven hundred and eleven million dol- the year. A few hours spent thumb-
lars listed for taxation. Thus only 60 ing through the local tax sheets will
percent of the true wealth of the state prove to be highly entertaining and
^ i: 'T'birt rtlimov t/v En
is on the tax books.
Gaston First
KNOW NORTH CAROLINA
OUR TAXABLE WEALTH
The following table, based on the
recent annual report of the State
Commissioner of Revenue, shows the
total value of the different classes
of wealth as assessed for taxation
in North Carolina for the tax year
1924. Real and personal property,
including corporations, totals $2,400,-
.398,076, and forms the great bulk of
wealth listed for taxation.
Item Tax value
Farm land $964,616,849
Town real estate 726,862,361
iVUg. property outside
incorporated towns 90,734,419
Mineral, timber, water
power property 13,224,909
Personal property, inc.
corporations 605,070,537
Value, and excess, public
service companies 242,216,606
Value, and excess,
bank stock 32,670,069
Excess corporation
value 36,426,207
Excess value B.&L 72,963
Aggregate value all
property $2,711,783,919
ture of the movement is the spirit of
cooperation which has been engendered,
the willingness to work for the good of
the industry as a whole that has been
shown by manufacturers who in the
past have kept aloof from all coopera
tive movements, and the new relation
ship between Northern and Southern
manufacturers that has resulted from
the meetings held.
The temporary set-up of the organi
zation approved at the meeting held
last month, is based on the expectation
that the Institute will have a member
ship representing 18,009,000 spindles,
or approximately half of the active
cotton spindles in the country. This
goal promises to be reached before the
first annual meeting, called for October
20. Last week 60 members of the South
Carolina Cotton Manufacturers Asso
ciation pledged 2,200,000 ^spindles to
the support of the Institute. Meetings
are to be held by North Carolina and
Georgia manufacturers shortly. Most
of the larger cotton manfacturing
groups in New England have already
Halifax close, by they average $34,10.
Two adjoining mountain counties with
similar conditions vary by one hundred
percent. In two adjoining Piedmont
counties with similar conditions we find
cattle listed at three times as much in one
county as in the other. In the Coastal
Plains we find two adjoining counties
enlightening. The climax to the tax
I sheets will be found under the items
!of personal property. The ordinary
The table which appears elsewhere taxpayer has a fierce battle with his j with similar conditions, but in one
ranks the counties according to the conscience when he sets out to list his j cattle are listed at four times as much
average per acre value of farm land, ' personalty. And usually the taxpayer I upon an average as in the other. There
including improvements, as listed for gets the best of the fight. There is j seems to be little agreement on the
taxation. Gaston county ranks first Httle uniformity in the listing of real 1 value of cattle, judging by the tax
with an average assessed value of property, but when it comes to listing ] books.
$181.64 per acre; Graham county comes' personal property the stage is all set | The average hog is listed at $6.98.
last with farm land assessed at an for vaudeville. ! They are listed at an average of more
MUTUAL HELPFULNESS
The most distinct and significant
movement in American agriculture in
this decade is the almostuniversal trend
toward cooperation in the marketing
and distribution of farm products.
There has been some cooperation by
farmers in the United Spates for many
years, but with the last two decades,
and particularly during the last decade,
the movement has assumed proportions
which indicate that it is a response to a
fundamental and universal need of
present-day American agriculture. It
is highly significant from all points of
view that the best minds in agriculture,
without regard to region or commodity,
are unanimous in the opinion that
group acti.m in marketing must be
added to individual efficiency if pro
duction and the high standards of
American farm life are to be preserved
and agriculture is to maintain its
proper place in our national life.
Although cooperative marketing is a
farmer’s movement, it is not in any
proper sense a selfish class movement
and holds no menace either to consumer
or other business interests. Agricul-
pledged their membership, and it is j production is essential to national
not impossible that by the time the welfare, and the only guaranty of- an
October meeting is held manufacturers ! adequate and dependable supply of
representing 20,000,000 or more spindles i »g™"ed^™g?r=ul.ura? p^JpSim
will have promised their support. | jg obvious to any thoughtful mind
Leaders of the various State asso- that this happy result can not be
ciations of cotton manufacturers are
urging their members to join the move
ment
In the elimination of waste and de
velopment of new markets and new uses
for cotton goods there is work enough
fur such an organization to do to justify
its existence. By going vigorously
about its tasks with these ends in view
and avoiding anything that might sug
gest monopoly or restraint of trade,
the Cotton Textile Institute can with
out doubt bring one of America’s prin
cipal industries to a better and more
profitable basis.—Commerce and Fi
nance.
obtained by agriculture unless it avails
itself of the efficiencies and economies
of organization and specializ.'ition which
characterize other industries in this
day. Consideration alike of intelligent
self-interest and public welfare must
prompt other classes to support wise
and intelligent efforts of farmers to
place their important industry upon a
basis of stability and prosperity.
Agricultural cooperation, as we un
derstand it at the present time, is
simply an extension of the principle of
mutual helpfulness and exists between
many groups engaged in industry, com
merce, or agriculture.—Annual Report
U. S. D. A.. 1925.
of $6.02 per acre. The state ' One of t;be most interesting sections ' than nine dofiers in Cleviiland, Hpnd.ei:T..
average tax value of LAND PER ACRE
By Counties in North Carolina, 1924
In the following table; based on the 1926 report of the State Commissioner of
Revenue, the counties are ranked according to the per acre value of land as
average value of farm land on the tax ' of the annual report of the State Corn-
books is thirty-three dollars per acre. ' missionerof Revenue is the table show-
This includes all farm land, improved | jng the average value of the different
and other, along with buildings and other | forms of livestock as listed by counties,
improvements classed as real property. ' The table gives a clear idea of the lac-k
An acre of land in Gaston is listed at of uniformity in listing property gener-
thirty times as much as an acre in ally.
Graham. Tnis is far in excess of Horses
the relative value of farms as given by , i f .
the census of aKricuiture. 1 The state averaKe value ^ ^ spective policies of the several counties j
I listed on the tax books is $60.92. But j-ygarding listihg livestock. Because ,
Justifiable and Otherwise l there is a wide variation between j ^g^ally when a county is low in one j
The variations in tax values follow , counties. In one county horses will be , livestock it is low in all other ;
in general the variations in true values. ; rnJranhic i
No two farms are exactly alike, and in , adjoining conn y. g j Sheep and GoatS
no two counties are farms of equal; dn-.sion of the state we fipd enun e ,
, • I J * • 4--4- with high value alongside counties
value. There is abundant justification , .n.ntt; hnr«P«
The table does not include manu
facturing properties outside incorporated towns, mineral, timber and water
power properties, nor town lota. It includes all improved and unimproved
farm lands, forests, woodlots, and waste lands listed for taxation.
Gaston leads with land taxed at $181.64 per acre. Graham is last with land
,, , , , ^ iisiea on me tax books for the year 1924.
son, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Rocking-
ham. Several counties average above
eight dollars. On the other hand we
find twelve counties in which the listed
value averages from two to three dol- i^ ^ r or- no
1 Tc if Ui-phr i-hnt tAkirnr hntrs the ' listed at an average of $6.02 per acre.
lars. Is ^ y . 1 State total land listed for taxation, exclusive of items noted above,
county over, t ey are wor „ j 29,202,290 acres with a total assessed value of $964,515,849 or an average
as much in oiie county as in another.' ^ . ..n,> ap
The difference lies mainly in the re-jvalue of ,33.00 per acre. ^
Department of Rural Social-Economics, University of North Carolina.
The state average
Average ]
j value of
Rank County land per
acre
value of sheep on i i Gaston $181.54
. XU 4- ^ with low value. In one county horses the tax books is $2.66. The range is
for a wide range in values on the tax average of $93.72, and - from ninety-seven cents each in Bruns-1
wick county to four dollars and ninety '
the same area
books, although there may be no justi-1 .
fication for the position of a particular ^ ornap of ‘RSV 72
^ they are listed at an average ot $3/.
county. It IS no our purpose to point, ^
out counties thnt perhaps rank out «*!, /;„ forty-four dollars in
their proper order. Anyone at all fami- v. x t «io.v,tTr t«7o Hollnr^; in
state can readily locate Davidson, but at eighty-two do la^
I Beaufort, and ninety-four dollars in
liar with the
counties that rank too high and others
that rank too low. The counties ought |
to rank on the tax books as they rank in |
true wealth, and they would if it were
the policy of the counties to list real
property at its true value. Or at some
uniform percent of its true value. In
stead, some counties approach true
values on the tax books, while in
others the policy is to assess at some
agreed upon percent of the true value,
as 66 percent in Orange county, 75 per
cent in Durham county, and so on. No
one has been able to give a legitimate
reason for our policy of allowing-the
various counties to list property ac
cording to local likes and dislikes. And
what is even worse, there is otten no
uniformity in listing property within a
county. Some pay too much, and
others not enough. The most casual
perusal of the local tax sheets is
the only proof needed to substantiate
this point. For pure fiction there is
nothing that beats the tax books. To
illustrate: the owner of one of the most
attractively furnished homes in a
prosperous mid-state town lists personal
property at three hundred dollars.
Oriental rugs, antiques, the motor car
and other items do not have much
value to him, on the tax book!
Urban and Cash Crop
The counties that rank high in the
accompanying table are mainly the
urban counties, and the coastal plains
cotton and tobacco counties. The
counties in which land is listed at a
small value per acre are mountain,
tidewater, and rural piedmont counties
for the most part. However, there are
Brunswick. They^ are listed at thirty-
five dollars in Polk, and at eighty-two
dollars in Halifax. And so on for many
more cases that might be cited.
Mules
Mules average $140.28 each in Beau
fort county and $34.47 in Haywood.
These are the extremes but many other
counties show undue variations. Bruns
wick averages $116.43 while Davidson
averages $53.66. Mules average above
one hundred dollars ,in Halifax and
about fifty-three dollars in Buncombe,
ninety-five dollars in Chowan and fifty-
four dollars in Madison, and so on
through the list of counties. /
A jack is worth three hundred dollars
in Anson, two hundred dollars in
Catawba and Davie, but only five dol
lars in Camden, ten dollars in Bruns
wick, Durham, Hertford and Jones,
while the 112 jacks and jennets of
Macon are listed at an average value of
$2.67 each. One hundred and twelve
jacks and jennets at a grand total of
three hundred dollars, the value of one
jack in Anson county!
Cattle
There is undoubtedly much difference
in the quality and value of cattle in
the different counties. But can the
difference in quality alone explain the
varying values on the tax books? The
state average is $20.96. The extremes
are $38.68 in New Hanover, and $7.19
in Scotland. In one Tidewater county
cattle are listed at four times as much
upon an average as in the adjoining
county. In Hertford county cattle aver
age ten dollars on the tax books and in
two cents in Orange county. There are j
several counties in which sheep range
from four to five dollars each while in ;
27 counties the value on the tax books ^
is between one and two dollars each. !
Goats range all the way from 72,
2 Durham 89.92
3 Mecklenburg 86.14
4 Wilson 73.52
6 Forsyth ^ 70.25
6 Guilford 69.83
7 Pitt 67.04
8 Greene 62.80
9 New Hanover 61.69
10 Wayne 61.64
cents each in one county to four dollars i ji Buncombe 60.54
12 Lenoir 69.99
13 Catawba 54.21
14 Rowan 53.79
15 Cleveland 63.16
, , 16 Stanly 48.60
wide ranp in value, from ^ yance 47.81
and thirty cents each in another.
Dogs
The state average value of dogs on
the tax books is $12.83. However, we
find
average of $1.01 in Camden to $36.81 in 46 68
Rockingham. Many counties range, Pasquotank.ZZ. '' 46.33
around twenty-five to thirty collars, | 22
and equally as many more around . 21 Jdhnston 43.54
to three dollars. Some counties list • ije^^g^son 42.29
many dogs, while others list only a few. ^ , 42.10
Davidson, Johnston, Wake, and Wil
son list more than three thousand dogs I ^^owan
each. Sixteen counties list fewer than '
100 dogs each. Johnston lists 3,202
dogs and Pitt only 67. Guilford, a city
county, lists 392 dogs, while Wake lists
3,690. It is rather noticeable that
counties which list a large number of
sheep list few dogs, and vice versa.
Surry county lists 2,418 dogs and 126
sheep. Ashe, close by, lists 13,724
sheep and only 624 dogs. The dogs of
the state are listed at nearly twice the
aggregate value of the sheep, and only
a small percent of all dogs are listed for
taxation.
24 Scotland 40.86
40.56
I 26 Edgecombe 40.46
i 27 Person 40.20
28 Nash 40.11
29 Alamance 40.00
30 Cumberland 38.92
31 Cabarrus 38.15
TEXTILE INSTITUTE
There is every reason to believe that
in the formation of the Cotton Textile
Institute, recently organized by lead
ing manufacturers, the cotton textile
industry has taken an important step
forward; that the way has been opened
to a better and more profitable era
in cotton manufacturing.
Probably the most remarkable fea-
32 Davie 38.02
33 Rockingham 37.60
34 Richmond 36.63
36 Yancey 36.61
36 Duplin 36.24
37 Alleghany 36.88
38 Robeson 34.73
39 Harnett 33.98
40 Anson 33.63
41 Lincoln 32.49
42 Caldwell 32.16
43 Perquimans 32.14
44 Surry 31.22
46 Union 31.13
46 Beaufort 31.07
47 Currituck 30.77
48 Rutherford 30.74
49 Martin 30.34
60 Yadkin 30.29
Average
value of
Rank County land per
acre
61 Mitchell $29.34
62 Ashe 28.87
63 Stokes 28.81
54 Alexander 28.78
66 Polk 28.47
66 Halifax 28.44
67 Franklin 28.18
68 Warren 28.16
69 Hertford 28.00
60 Davidson 27.'93
61 Watauga 27.38
62 Moore 26.64
63 Sampson 26.38
64 Avery 26.16
66 Lee 26.74
66 Burke 26.44
67 Orange 24.62
68 Pamlico 24.66
69 Craven 24.22
70 Granville 24.21
71 Gatess 23.66
72 Haywood 23.43
73 McDowell 23.34
74 Camden 23.15
76 Carteret 22.61
76 Washington : 22 50 •
77 Northampton 22.32
78 Bertie , 21.86
79 Caswell 21.69
80 Columbus 21.56
81 Macon 20.18
82 Randolph 19.64
83 Montgomery 18.41
84 Onslow 18.27
85 Jones 18.12
86 Tyrrell 17.99
87 Madison 17.96
88 Chatham 17.60
89 Jackson 17.18
90 Clay 16.34
91 Bladen 16.91
91 Wilkes 16.91
93 Transylvania 14.61
94 Pender 13.26
96 Swain 12.76
96 Brunswick 11.43
97 Hyde IQ.96
98 Cherokee 10.02
99 Dare 7.21
100 Graham 6.02