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. DECEMBER 7, 1927 CHAPEL HILL, N. C. THE UNWERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS VOL. XIV, No. 6 Editorial Board: E. C. Branson. S. H. Hobbs. Jr.. P. W. Wager, L. R. Wilson. E. W. Knight, D. D. Carroll. H. W. Odum. Entered as second-class matter November 14. 1914. at the Postoffice at Chapel Hill, N. C.. under the act of August 24, 1912. BANK SAVINGS We are presenting a table this week showing the amount of savings deposits in banks and trust companies in each of the states. The total amount of savings deposits in the national banks, trust companies, and mutual savings banks of the United States on June 80, 1926, was $24,698,192,000. This was equivalent to $211 for every person in the United States. The number of depositors was 46,762,240, hence the average deposit was $628. In New York alone this form of savings amounted to nearly six billion dollars. Of course, not all of this belonged to citizens of that state, for it represents savings hf 3,191,974 depositors. The states are ranked according to ■deposits per capita. This is not to be confused with deposits per depositor. While not all of the money in the banks of a state belong to the citizens of that state, it is nevertheless available for use in tho state where the banks are located. And, except in a few states where there are big cities, the savings deposits are to a targe extent the savings of the state’s citizens. Thus a per capita ranking probably measures fairly accurately the financial reserve of each state’s population. Thrifty New England The people of New England are noted for their thrift, and it will be noticed that the six New England states are among the eight high-ranking states. Savings deposits in Massachu setts amount to $542 per capita, and in Maine, the lowest-ranking of the New England states, $366. This means that New England families have, on the average, from $1,600 to $2,600 of bank savings deposits—to say nothing of other forms of savings. The Middle Atlantic states rank next, ranging from $624 in New York to $223 in Delaware. As already suggested, the big banks of New England and New York no doubt draw a large amount of deposits from outside the states in which they are located. California ranks high because its banks are depositories for the whole Pacific and Mountain area, and because so many of its people have come with their savings from other states. Cali fornia is furthermore a state with a great diversity of industries, diversity of agriculture, and high average pros perity. The great agricultural states of the Middle West range from Michigan with $234 per capita to Missouri with $110. South RanKs Low The Southern states rank low. Ex- cept for Florida, where bank deposits are swelled by tourists, no Southern state averages as much as $100 of savings per capita. Virginia and West Virginia come nearest to reaching this goal. North Carolina ranks fortieth among the states, with only $62 per capita. The number of depositors in 1926 was 203,472. Of the twelve lowest- ranking states nine are states in :he cotton belt. The other three—New Mexico, Arizona, and Idaho—are fron tier states still in the process of de velopment, debtor states for the time being. In a sense the same thing can be said of the Southern states. They are not young states but they never theless represent a new frontier in in dustrial development and to some ex tent in agricultural development. The relatively small amount of savings in the South must be attributed largely, however, to the presence of the negroes, farm tenancy, cash crop farming, a faulty credit system, and a rather large number of thriftless people —black and white. It must be remem bered that the South was left at the end of the Civil War with several mil lion landless, propertyless negroes to be supported, with its banks, railroads and industries prostrate, and with its agri- 'Cultural system over-turned and de moralized. In sixty years it has not been able to catch up materially with the other sections of the country but in a few years more the situation may be different. Much wealth is now being created and retained in the South. - In dustry and agriculture are getting more balanced. Nevertheless, so long as agriculture is rooted in farm ten ancy, supply merchants and crop liens it will not be in a healthy condition. The reorganization of its agricultural life remains the South’s biggest problem and until it is perfected we can never have widespread prosperity and a general high level of culture. MaKe Banks Safer One Other consideration deserves at tention. Thousands of southern people send their savings into the North for deposit, especially those who come into the South from the North, They do this because there are too many bank failures in the South, The South can not attract new wealth nor retain the wealth which it creates unless it can offer safety to the investor. The South has too many small, unsound banks, too few strong national banks, and practi cally no savings banks. Postal savings are insignificant in the South. The building and loan associations are grow ing in favor, though still underdevel oped. There are a few credit unions, but the number is not increasing. Safe depositories for the small investor should be provided in greater num bers. Commercial banks, or many of them, are too risky for the families whose limited savings are the product of toil and sacrifice. Too often we see people deprived of their life savings through investment in fraudulent or highly speculative stocks. The rural regions of the South have been the favorite bunting grounds of the blue-sky stock vender. With so many sources of safe and profitable in vestment, what a pity that our thrifty but uninformed citizens cannot be spared the losses and heartaches to which bank failures and stock manipu lations subject them!—Paul W. Wager. IMMIGRATION IN 1927. Secretary of Labor James J. Davis in his analysis of immigration statistics finds that in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1927, a total of 638,001 aliens were admitted to the United States, as compared with a total of 496,106 aliens for the previous year. As compared with 1926, 263,608 aliens departed during 1927, against 227,766 departures for the previous year. There fore, for the last fiscal year there were 284,493 aliens admitted in excess of departures, as compared with 268,- 361 for the preceding year. Of the 638,001 aliens admitted in the last fiscal year, 336,176 were im migrants, or newcomers for permanent residence, and 202,826 were nonim migrants returning from a temporary visit abroad or coming here for a visit. Of the 253,608 aliens who departed, 180,142 left the United States with the intention of returning, while 73,366 departed without expressing an inten tion of returning. Practically one-half of the immigrants admitted during the last year came from countries in the Western Hemi sphere, the quota restrictions not apply ing to these countries. Canada and Mexico furnished tlie greatest number of immigrants, 81,606 coming from Canada, and 67,721 from Mexico, or about 46 percent of the entire number of immigrants for the year. Europe sent 168,368, the largest contributors being Germany, 48,613; the Irish Free State, 28,064; Great Britain, 23,- 669; the Scandinavian countries, 16,- 860; Italy, 17,297; and the rest of the European countries contributing 33,976. As compared with figures of the pre vious . year, Canadian immigration to the United States decreased 10.6 per cent, Mexico increased 66.3 percent, and European immigration increased 8.2 percent. ^ THE RURAL CHURCH The future of the rural church in the United States depends largely upon population and econorbic changes. The farm population is now just about one- fourth of the total population. If the use of machinery and science in farm production continues, we will need still fewer people to produce the farm products of the United States. One famous agricultural editor stated to me recently that, within five or six decades, the farm population might be only one-tenth of the total. If, instead of 27,000,000 farm population, we shall have within fifty years only about 16,000,000 and a total population of 160,000,000, one can well imagine what will happen to most of the churches in the open country. They CITIZENSHIP DEFINED The obligations of citizenship do not rest solely or chiefly in the ex ercise of the privileges of voting, or in conducting campaigns, or in hold ing offices. Important as are all these duties their performance will amount to nothing unless our citizens are im bued with the spirit of our institu tions, which means respect for a government of law, a sincere desire to better in every practical way the conditions of human life, loyalty in all relations of life, and the disposi tion to be kindly and fair in all dealings with one’s fellow man.— Charles E. Hughes. will either disappear, as more than a thousand have in Ohio within the last fifteen years, or they will be in an impoverished condition. The country church will then no longer send its stream of candidates for the ministry, or its large numbers of recruits for the city church. And the city church administrator is, or should be, as much concerned about this matter as the one responsible for the rural churches. Go into a typical church in Peoria on a Sunday morning and ask bow many there were born on the farm. Probably three-fourths, or more will raise their hands. If these population and economic trends continue, they will also make themselves felt in tbe treasuries of the religious bodies, large and small. It is rural migration that is largely sustain ing the church in the small and the middle-sized city, and even to some extent in the metropolitan centers, though admittedly tbe latter have special conditions. When the rural migration ceases to come in such large numbers, many city churches are going to lose ground. Already the economic status of the countryside is given as one reason for declining income for some church boards. These things mean that churches serving farmers will increasingly be located in villages, towns and smaller cities, instead of the open country. They also mean that questions of re lationships between religious bodies are going to become more acute, and that cooperation will be one of the necessary techniques to find a way out.—Benson Y. Landis in Federal Council Bulletin. JUNIOR RED CROSS Members of the Junior Red Cross proved a new capacity for service dur ing the Mississippi flood, according to reports to Red Cross National Head quarters covering their work. This group of enthusiastic school children responded spontaneously and generously to the needs of the flood victims. An indication of the impor tance of this help is contained in the report that Juniors in Boston alone contributed $7,500 to the relief fund. Junior Red Cross members shared in reconstruction work in the Mid-west tornado several years ago, after the Florida storm, and are in tbe post-flood operations of the Red Cross among the people in the Mississippi Valley. Junior Red Cross has 6,822,767 mem bers, an increase of 273,329 in the last year. More than a million of the Junior Red Cross membership is distributed in the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, Porto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska, and in cludes Indian and Eskimo children. Through the medium of the Junior Red Cross in the United States, and similar groups abroad, children all over the world are being brought into closer un derstanding by international correspon dence carried on by classes in the schools. The Juniors at present have nearly twice the membership of the senior organization, but in the forthcoming membership enrollment of the Red Cross, from November 11 to 24, the goal of the adult membership is 6,000,000.— Oxford Public Ledger. OUR FUR RESOURCES According to the Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agri culture, the fur resources of the United States are steadily and rapidly dimin ishing. The raw fur catch during 1926- 26 was approximately twenty percent less than in the previous year and the decrease for 1926-27 has been even greater. Of course, the Mississippi flood has affected the catch this year but the important causes of the decline in the supply of fur animals are stated to be out-of-season trapping, over-trap- ping, the general tendency in many sections to class fur-bearing animals as vermin to be killed on sight, a great reduction of fur-producing areas, un wise drainage of swamps and marshes, and needless destruction of forests and cover. Decline in the fur supply is taking place contemporaneously with the in creasing demand for furs of all kinds. Of course, this increased demand is in part responsible for some of the prac tices which are leading to the diminish ing of our fur resources. Unless wise fur-conservation laws are enacted and enforced the Biological Survey declares that the public and private benefits from the fur resources will diminish to a vanishing point in the not distant future. It is incumbent upon the states to give fur animals better pro tection than they now have if tbe processes of extermination in progress are to be checked.—Asheville Citizen. COMMUNITY ALMSHOUSES Substitution of community alms houses for the old system of a separate institution for the poor in each county is being tried out by five Virginia counties. The experiment will be watched with interest throughout the nation. It is the first step in the new economy, the consolidation of county activities to effect a saving of cost to the taxpayer, and—it is to be hoped— to enhance efficiency of operation. It has long been contended that the majority of persons committed to alms houses need hospital treatment or should be in homes for incurables. Many feeble-minded patients are sent to poorhouses instead of to institutions where they might receive treatment. There has been vast waste, and also many human derelicts who might have been reclaimed have been sent to the almshouse, losing what hope was left to them in life. The joint opera tion of these institutions may correct this situation.—Gastonia Gazette. KNOW NORTH CAROLINA How all the seventh grade school chil dren in Craven county put on a project, “Made in North Carolina,’’ is told by Mrs. Carl Bartling in a report, just made, to the North Carolina Education Association. The first aim was to find out the names of articles made in the Tar Heel state and then tbe leaders decided to secure the actual object as a perma nent exhibit. Manufacturing concerns were solicited and industries were lo cated and the younger generation be gan to learn its “North Carolina Firsts’’ first-hand. Letters were written to secretaries of chambers of commerce, which re sulted in a large amount of literature, read in class and studied. The children of Craven were knowing North Caro lina first, to paraphase and localize tbe “America First” expression of touring agencies. The interest of receiving packages and seeing what was in them spread over the whole school. “We received gingham, outing, sam ples of silk, woolen samples of material used in making knit underwear, a chain, tobacco truck, axe handies, broom, child’s top wagon, samples of rubber used in making an automobile tire, ci gar, cigarettes, tobacco, urns for pot ted plants, tobacco flue scraper, sam ples of material used in making bed spreads, sheets, and pillowcases; pam phlets showing furniture of all descrip tions, mattresses, stoves, etc.; samples of yarn, paper, belting, drapery, flour, and from the nearby mills samples of lumber,” Mrs. Bartling said. Demonstration lessons were held. The large map of North Carolina on the wall was connected with strings attached to the various cities and sections with the articles spread around the room. Geography lessons were added to the project. By reading the literature sent them the pupils gained informa tion not found in the text-books, about the cities of North Carolina.-Durham Herald. SAVINGS DEPOSITS IN BANKS AND TRUST COMPANIES The States Ranhed According to Deposits per Capita, 1926 The following table shows the amount of savings deposits in banks and trust companies, by states on or about June 30, 1926. The first column shows aggregate amount of deposits, expressed in thousands of dollars. The second column shows the bank savings per capita in each state. This is not the average savings per depositor but the amount of savings for each person in the state’s population. The states are ranked on this basis. The table is based on information contained in the Statistical Abstract of the United States for 1926. Tbe total amount of savings deposits in the national banks, state banks, trust companies, and mutual savings banks of the United States on June 30, 1926, was $24,696,192,000. This was equivalent to $2il for every person in the United States The number of depositors was 46,762,240, hence the average deposit was $528. Ranked on the amount of deposits for each person in the state Massachusetts leads with $642, and New York is second with $624. Fifteen states exceed the average for the United States. This group includes all the New England states, all the Middle Atlantic states, California, Nevada, Micligan, and Iowa. North Carolina ranks fortieth among the states, with $62 per capita. Paul W. Wager Department of Rural Social-Economics, University of North Carolina Rank State Savings Savings deposits deposits (thousands per Rank State Savings Savings deposits deposits (thousands per of dollars) capita 1 Massachusetts..,$2,276,704...$642 ' 24 Utah of dollars) capita 64,395... 126 2 New York.... 6,918,682... 624 26 Indiana 388,166. . 124 3 Vermont 182,272... 638 26 South Dakota 86,668. .. 124 4 Rhode Island 321,866... 464 28 Missouri 384,756. . 110 6 Connecticut . 739,038... 460 29 Colorado 107,014. .. 101 6 New Hampshire.. 201,723... 444 30 West Virginia 164,822. . 93 7 California .... 1,679,146... 389 31 Virginia 229,383. . 91 8 Maine 234,380... 365 32 Wyoming 21,622. . 90 9 New Jersey .. 1,127,334... 306 33 Montana 68,933. . 86 10 Maryland 399,889... 263 34 Kentucky 179,677. . 71 11 Nevada 19,366... 261 35 Louisiana 133,786. . 70 12 Pennsylvania 2,336,613... 243 36 Kansas 126,263. . 69 13 Michigan 1,028,646... 234 37 Tennessee 166,612. . 67 14 Delaware 63,634... 223 38 South Carolina 103,694. . 67 16 Iowa 616,221... 212 39 Idaho 27,793. . 63 16 Minnesota 631,918... 200 40 North Carolina 148,802. . 52 17 Illinois 1,385,377... 192 40 Mississippi .... .... 92,660. . 62 18 Ohio 1,262,637... 190 42 Alabama .... 102,408. . 41 19 Wisconsin 489,961... 170 43 Oklahoma 92,916. . 40 20 Nebraska 208,334... 160 44 Arkansas .... 70,311. . 38 21 North Dakota 92,910... 146 46 Georgia 160,697. . 34 22 Florida 178,488... 136 46 Arizona 26,229.. . 34 23 Oregon 113,776... 130 47 Texas 164,924. . 31 24 Washington .. 192,423... 126 48 New Mexico... .... 7,486.. . 19