North Carolina Newspapers

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. OCTOBER 3, 1928 CHAPEL HILL, N. C. THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS VOL. XIV, No. 45 Kditorial Board. E. C. EranBon, S. H, HobbB. Jr.. P. W. Wa^er. L. E. WIlBon, E. W. Knlsht. D. D. Carroll, H. W. Odnm. Entered aa aecond-claaa matter November 14, 1914, at the Poatoffico at Chapel Hill, N, C„ under the act of AoKnat 24, 1911, PROPERTY PER SCHOOL CHILD WEALTH PER SCHOOL CHILD Tfie table which appears elsewhere ■^gbows how ihe counties of North Caro lina rank on the basis of general prop- -erty valuation, as determined by the State Board of Equalization, per school -child in average daily attendance. The property valuations are as fixed by the State Board of Equalization in making distribution of the equalizing fund for the school year 1928-29, reduced to valuation per pupil in average daily attendance. The Secretary to the State Board says; “It is believed that the ability of the various counties to support public schools is best indicated by general property valuation per pupil in average daily attendance. The child actually in school largely determines the edu cational cost, and it is the taxable wealth back of such child that indi cates the ability of that community to meet the cost. “ Forsyth Leads Forsyth county stands at the head of the column with eleven thousand two hundred and forty-five dollars of general determined property value back of every school child in average daily attendance. Forsyth county is first not only on this basis but on the basis of aggregate taxable wealth, and near the top in taxable wealth per inhabitant. Buncombe ranks second in general property valuation per school child in average daily attendance with nine thousand four hundred and twenty- nine dollars. It might be interesting to note that the difference in property valuation per child between Forsyth, which leads, and Buncombe, which ranks second, is greater than the total valuation per child in Clay county! Clay county, which ranks last in the accompanying table, has a general , property valuation of only sixteen hundred and eight dollars per school child in average daily attendance. The school child in Forsyth county has back of him seven times as much deter mined general property valuation as the school child in Clay county. Generally speaking, Clay county, in order to have educational opportunities equal to those of Forsyth county, would have to impose a rate seven times as high as Forsyth. Fortunately the . equalization fund, which is far too small to equalize school facilities, does materially aid the poorer counties of the state. It gives them better schools than they could possibly have without it. But even with such a;d, plus excessive local tax burdens for school support, the poor counties fall far short of the wealthy counties in school facilities, no matter on what basis comparisons are made. In commenting on the above table the News and Observer says: “Since 90 counties participate in the equaliza tion fund and ten do not, it is natural i to assume that the ten counties with the highest valuation per child would be the ones not participating. This is true of the first seven counties, includ ing Forsyth, Buncombe, Mecklenburg, * Durham, New Hanover, Guilford, and Gaston. i'he eighth county, Graham, •with a valuation of $6,664, receives 90 cents per child in average daily at tendance. Cabarrus and Wake, which follow in order, do not participate. I McDowell, which stands 11th injioe, j. receives $2.69, while Wilson makes the [ •tenth county not participating in the t fund. “Generally speaking, the counties with the smaller valuation per pupil receive the largest amounts, with the •exception of Polk County which re ceives $14.71 per pupil in average daily attendance, and has a per pupil valua tion of $4,221. Seventeen dollars and eighty-eight cents is the largest amount ■' given to any county per child in average daily attendance; this goes to I Dare county, which stands next to the bottom of the list. Clay at the foot, with $1,608 valautioq per pupil in average daily attendance, receives $13.21.” Property vs. Rates It seems clear that comparing the counties on the basis of determined valuation per child in average daily attendance, or on the basis of school enrollment, is much sounder than com paring them on the basis of tax rates for school support. Tax rates may mean much or little, depending upon whether or not property is listed at its true value. It is notorious in North Carolina that property is not listed uniformly, so notorious that a special state board has to be appointed to fix property valuations before the equaliz ing fund can be apportioned. in recent comparisons between census values and tax values of farm lands it has been discovered that the discrepancies are enormous. The counties range all the way from one county with its lands valued at about fifty percent more than the value' placed by the census to another couiity I whose lands were listed for taxation at only one-sixth of the value placed upon I them by the federal census. Obviously j tax rates do not measure tax burdens 1 when property is not listed uniformly, i In the two counties referred to above ' the tax rate could be about nine times j as high in the low-valuation county as ! in the high-valuation county without ■ seriously affecting the actual tax burden, assuming the census values to i be approximately correct. j The point we wish to make is that | the wealth back of the school child is ■ the proper measure of ability to sup- j port schools, and that school tax rates I may or may not indicate the school tax I burden. The accompanying table I presents an interesting study of the; relative ability of the counties to sup-1 port schools. The iniquity and inequity j of a state system of public education | largely financed by local property taxa tion is glaringly obvious.—S. H. H., Jr. SPECIAL NOTICE There has been no issue of the News Letter for the last two weeks. Formerly it has been the custom to omit two issues in December. This year it was decided to omit the two issues falling between the last term of summer school and the opening of the new college year. The issues omitted are those that would have appeared on September 19 and 26. FARM WOOD LOTS The farmer is, or should be, inter-' ested in timber for two reasons. First, ! on account of the amount of forest! land that he owns, and second, because 1 of the amount of timber and other 1 forest products that he uses. | The farmers today control in many ■ states over fifty percent of the forested 1 areas. In the Southern Appalachian states he controls approximately fifty j percent and in the Southern Ap-1 palachian and Southeastern states he ; controls three-sevenths of the forested ] areas. In only a few of the states, as j Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida, is the ; larger proportion of the forested area ; owned by lumber companies and the ■ state. ! The farmer is one of the larger con-! sumers of lumber, and it has been j estimated that he uses over fifty per-' cent of all the forest'products of this j country. | The farmer is therefore a large' factor and greatly concerned in the I future timber supply of the South. In order, however, for him to develop, these forested areas to the best ad-; vantage to himself and the state, it is necessary that he receive cooptation in raising this crop of timber. At the present time there are four govern mental agencies in many of the states ready to assist the farmer in raising a more productive and more valuable timber crop. In North Carolina the chief of these agencies are the U. S. Forest Service and the division of Forestry of the State Department of Conservation and Development, which cooperates with the Federal and State Departments of Agriculture. Example of Cooperation In addition to these agencies several users of forest products are cooperat ing with the farmer not only in mar keting his product, but also in raising his crop. A splendid example of such cooperation is the Halifax Paper Cor poration, of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. This Corporation believed that it was possible for it to obtain within a minimum distance a constant ,upply of pulp wood for the operation of its mill. To this end they have made contracts with certain farmers within a radius of twenty-five miles of the mill, to purchase suitable wood for making pulp, at a definite agreed price over a definite period. The farmers in this district who grow principally cotton all have a large proportion of their land covered with forest?, most of which contain wood suitable for making pulp. They have little work to do on the farm after the completion of ginning until they are ready to plow again in April. I There is also an idle period after the ; crop is laid by in August. The Halifax ! Paper Corporation has arranged with j the farmer to purchase pulp wood aur- 1 ing these idle periods just as fast as he : can bring it in. { The corporation is instructing and i urging the farmers to use the small ] branches for their fuel, thus keeping i the woods clean; and also teaching ! them to thin out the denser growth, I thereby improving their stand of ; timber. Demonstrations are held to ; illustrate to the farmers bow to thin a tract of timber, and another such dem- ; onstration will be given in January j 1928. These demonstrations are made by the foresters of the Extension I Service, and it is believed the corpora tion has thoroughly convinced the people of that vicinity that the Exten sion foresters and the state forest service are always ready and willing to assist them in working out plans for handling their wood-lots. The corporation does not buy pulp wood from those who have bought a tract on the stumpage basis and then cut everything down, ruining a large proportion of the young growth. Last year the Halifax Paper Cor poration had one-hundred twenty-six white and one-hundred seventy-six colored people hauling wood to its mill. It has been estimated that the pulp wood brought in from these vari ous farmers is not greater than the annual growth of young trees. This corporation has been the medium through which the farmers within a radius of twenty five miles of the mill have been able to keep busy twelve months in the year, and to raise another money crop in addition to cotton. The amount of money dis tributed to the farmers has enabled many of them to pay for their fertilizer and other expenses connected with their cotton crops, without going into debt.—Col. J. H. Pratt, in American Forests and Forest Life. MILLIONS OF WASTE ACRES There are in North Carolina close to four million acres of idle land which should be reclaimed for forests, accord' ing to an estimate of the Division of Forestry. This territory has been denuded of growth by forest fires following qfdinary methods of logging and is either unsuited or not yet needed for agriculture. Since otherwise the land will not be used, it is pointed out that its reforestation will not only bring eventual financial benefits, but will also be an asset to the state in many other ways. Idle land is a liability while productive land is an asset. The two ways suggested for reclaim ing this land are by the planting of forest tree seedlings or by sowing the seed direct. The success of planting, F. H. Claridge assistant forester shows, has been demonstrated in many European countries and in some parts of the United States, where it has been resorted to in order to supplement natural reproduction or to reclaim areas denuded by fire or shifting sand. Some of the best reasons given tor reclaiming the land are: the increasing price of timber, the enhanced value of a farm on which timber is growing, the desirability of shelter-belts and windbreaks, the advantages of making idle lands productive and the fact that idle land deteriorates. TEXTILE INDUSTRY GAINS The much feared “slump” in textiles failed to materialize in 1927 except as to a drop of less than one percent in cost of raw material and power and 1.7 percent in total sales volume of products, indicat- ing lower selling prices, says a report issued yesterday by the State Depart ment of Conservation and Develop ment, the report based on the federal census for 1927 now being made by this department in co-operation with the federal government. A total of $310,000,000 in volume of this business was produced in the state during 1927 as compared with $316,- 068,931 in 1926, the census shows. Statistically 1927 showed ten more, ora total of 374 establishments reporting, and the industry employed 14 percent more, or over 11,000 more workers than the ^84,139 employed in 1926, bringing the payroll of wage earners to 96,809. Payrolls for wage earners showed an increase of 23 percent or 12 million more dollars than the $53,939,704 paid in 1926. These workers added 16 per cent or 17 1-4 million dollars more value in manufacture than in the previous census. In addition to the 96,809 wage earn ers in the industry, 2,447 salaried em ployes were paid an additional $6,494,- 211 last year. North Carolina ranks first in the United States in the number of'spindle hours and second in the value of out put and number of spindles.—News and Observer. NORTH CAHOLINAILEADS “There are more different kinds of trees and plants to be found in North Carolina than in any other state in the Union,” said H. M. Curran, forester for the State Department of Agricul ture, who has spent seven years in the Philippines, three years as forester for the Argentine government, and several years in Brazil and the Central Ameri can republics as a forestry expert. “In our mountains we find the typi cal timbers of Canada, including the spruce, the balsam, the beech, the birch and the maple, while in the southern section of the state we find tropical trees, such as the palmetto and others. We lead also in the production of plants and shrubs, there being found here nearly all the plants common to the entire temperate zone, as well as trees. The trailing arbutus, for example, is in reality the famous New England mayflower, except that it blooms here in April, while in New England it blooms a month later and thus derives the name it bears in that section of the United States. “The cranberry is also found in the mountains of North Carolina. This is a northern plant, as is the winter- green.”—The Agricultural Review. INCREASE IN NEWS PRINTING North Carolina newspapers and pe riodicals in 1927 showed an increase of more than one and a quarter million dollars in volume of business over 1926, according to figures made public yes terday from the U. S. biennial census of manufactures being taken by the state conservation department in co operation with the federal bureau of the census. Census figures reveal a total of $8,- 960,742 in business transacted by these publications for 1927 compared with only $7,697,496 for the previous bien nial tabulation, an increase of $1,263,- 246, or 16 percent. The report lists an increase of 8 per cent in the number of establishments over the two-year period or a jump from 146 to 167. A total of 1,068 wage earners are shown for 1927 and only 924 in 1926, an increase of 134 during this period, and the total payroll for these workers amounted to $1,819,469 in 1927 and $1,698,836 in 1926, an increase of $220,- 634 or 14 percent. In addition to the 1,068 wage earn ers, salaried employes of newspapers, mostly engaged in editorial and staff work, numbering 994 and receiving $1,838,282, were reported.—News and Observer. GENERAL PROPERTY VALUATION FOR THE YEAR 1928-29 Per School Child in Average Daily Attendance In the following table supplied by Leroy Martin, Secretary to the State Board of Equalization, the counties are ranked according to the general prop erty valuation, as determined by the State Board of Equalization, per school child in average daily attendance. The valuation is for the school year 1928-29, Forsyth leads with $11,^6 of general property per child in average daily attendance. Clay county comes last with only $1,608 of property valua tion per child in average daily attendance. The following table is an excellent index of the relative ability of the counties to support public schools. Department of Rural Social-Economics, University of North Carolina Rank County Value of property per pupil in Rank County Value of property per pupil in 1 Forsyth average daily attendance $11,246 61 Chatham average daily attendance $4,144 2 Buncombe 9,429 62 Robeson 4,138 3 Mecklenburg.... 9,319 63 Cumberland .... 4,124 4 Durham 9,031 64 Hoke 3,976 6 New Hanover ... 8,840 66 Martin 6 Guilford..... 8,716 66 Greene 3,962 7 Gaston 7,879 67 Carteret : 3,936 8 Graham 6,664 68 Camden 3.918 ...: 3,884 9 Cabarrus 6,324 69 Currituck 10 Wake 60 Washington .... 3,873 11 McDowell 6,063 61 Person 3,821 12 Wilson 6,943 62 Nash 3,819 13 Vance 6,807 63 Harnett 2,818 14 Pasquotank 5.625 64 Lincoln 3,732 16 Henderson 6,634 66 Anson 3,703 16 Wayne 6,499 66 Union 3,702 17 Rowan- 6,467 67 Duplin 3,669 18 Catawba 6,298 68 Hertford 3,684 19 Pitt 6,216 69 Montgomery ... 3,628 20 Transylvania .... 6,199 70 Perquimans .... ^ 4.9H 21 Iredell 6,188 70 Yancey 3,426 22 Lenoir 5,061 72 Tyrrell 3,410 23 Halifax ....^ 6,048 73 Onslow 3,396 24 Moore 6,040 74 Northampton... 3,368 26 Rutherford 4,994 76 Alexander 3,286 26 Orange 4,971 76 Gates 3,174 27 Rockingham 4,963 77 Sampson 3,163 28 Craven 4,936 78 Alleghany 3,166 29 Burke 4,904 79 Madison 3,136 30 Alamance 4,884 80 Pender 3.126 31 Edgecombe 4,873 81 Bertie 3,048 32 Swain 4,849 82 Warren 3,036 33 Stanly 4,837 83 Columbus 3,010 34 Richmond 4,813 84 Stokes 2,997 36 Johnston 4,729 86 Brunswick 2,966 36 Haywood 4.691 86 Wilkes 2,962 37 Davie 4,646 87 Jones 2,966 38 Cleveland 4,621 88 Bladen 2,916 39 Granville 4,618 89 Watauga 2,898 40 Mitchell 4,686 90 Ashe 2,843 41 Davidson 4,660 91 Franklin 2,801 42 Beaufort 4,504 92 Yadkin 2,791 43 Randolph 4,483 93 Caswell 2,739 44 Chowan 4,485 94 Cherokee 2,728 46 Surry 4,446 96 Hyde 2,637 46 Jackson 4,411 96 Pamlico 2,490 47 Lee 4,339 97 Avery 2,469 48 Scotland 4,268 98 Macon 2,409 49 Polk 4,221 99 Dare 2,174 60 Caldwell 4,162 100 Clay.; 1,608