North Carolina Newspapers

The news in this publica- THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA Published weekly by the tion is released for the press on f-RTTKl? University of North Gurolina receipt. WW Jm Jua JL A for its Bureau of Extension. 'EBRUARY 25, 1920 CHAPEL HHX, N. C. VOL. VI, NO. 14 dUorial Board i B. C. Branson. L. B. Wilson, E. W. Knight, D. D. Carroll,B. Bullitt. Entered as second^olass matter November 14, 1914, at the Postoffloe at Chapel Hill, N, C., under the act of August 24, 1912 CAROLINA CROP WEALTH _ I, TOWN AND COUNTRY According to the latest published re- lort of the State School Superintendent, nr the school year 1917 1918, foui-tifths ■f North Carolina’s entire scliool popu ation of 846,000 are rural and live in he country regions. The other fifth live n towns and cities. The total available school fund for each ural child was 87.71; for each town or ity child it was 816.23. The value of the school property pro vided for the education of tlie four-fifths vai 87,800,000; while the value of the otiool property for the one-fifth was 86, 00,000. Tlie annual salary of the teachers of ural children was $244. The annual alary of the teachers of town and city hildren was $468. The rural children went to school 113 ays. The town and city children wentto ;:hool 165 days. The town and city children had more tian twice as much speift for their su- ervision as was spent for the supervision f the country children. Nearly three times as miich was spent )r the operation and maintenance of dioois for the City children as was spent ir the operation and maintenance of .•hools for the children of toe rural egions. So long as the.se coiidition.s continue, in we have for thechildien of North arolina the often boasted equality ot iucational o|)poriunily?—E. W. K. VAR AGAINST BANKRUPTCY The Attorney-General of the United bates has laid down a platform for slop ing, if.not bringing down to earth, the igli cost of living. It consisted of five lanks. First, there should be a fair price com- littee in every town and county, backed y official authority ; second, an organi- ition of women to refuse buying any- iiug but actual necessities until jirices re brought down-; tliird, conservation nd economy meetings everywhere, under uspices of civil bodies; fourth, tlie in- uence of prosecuting authority to pre- ent industrial disturbances and bring b"Ut peace in industry; and fifth, the p.mobilization of four-minute men to reach the work - and - save doctrine hroughout the country. —Literary Digest. FORTY-NINE CENT DOLLAR During the last six year- tlie rising tale ol price.s ha.s reduced the pun-lias- ig valiieof the dollar from §1 in 1913 to 1.495 in 1919. Taking the prices of 1913 as a ba-^e, le wholesale prices of farm products have taied from 100 to 220. Food has gone to 14; clolh and cloth products to 231; lel and liglit to 181; metal and metal rnducts to 172; lumber and building laterial* to 160. Chemicals and dritir.s went to 216, but 11 to 179; household furnishings rose to ?3; and miscellaneous articles to 206 he average of all these items is 202. The net result of the priee increases as been to reduce the purcliasiiig povver ' the dollar to 49 1-2 cents as itoiiutared ith 1913. Tills means that any indiviii al wbose_salary has not been -doubled nc.e. 1913 is working under an actual ecrease in compensation.—School Life. ly removed in so far as they applied to plants operating entirely by water power. As a result certain communities in the State which received their light ami power from these plants enjoyed a dis tinct economic advantage enabling them to keep their industries going at full ca- pacity and their stores open during long er hours tlian was permitted their less fortunate neighboring communities de pendent upon power plants operated by 'Coai. It happened that this same period was the end of a protracted drought, so that all the streams in the State were near their minimum flow and in consequence there was a shortage even of the normal liydro-electric power. Small Water Powers Tlie facts indicate the tremendous ad vantage to be derived from hydro-elec tric installations. The state is peculiarly rich in water jjower resources, but many have not been developed. Particttlarly is this true of tlie smaller w'ater power.« capable of developitig frotn 10 to 500^ horse power. These may stift'ice to pro vide power for individual farm use, for the use of .small mills and mantifactur- insr establishments, and for liglit and power to small conimttfiities. Many such communities in the Sta'e are near etioiiyh to some small stream with sufficient fall to provide the neeessary power for their ti.se. Tlie State Highway Commission is au- rliorized t)y leeislarive act to aid in the develonnient ol small vvater powers. Tins work is b-‘inv d me tlirous;h cooperation w tb the Division of Couinry Home Com forts ami'''ouveniences of the Dniversity of North Carolina. Already several pro jects have been brought bj srrou|is of in terested citizens for the advice of the engineerintr staff. In several instances these pi'ojects have been -investigated in detail, re|)orts and recoinmeiidanons rendered, and the water powers are now in jiroeess of development. Farmers, or eomniunities wliieh are not incorporated towns, that are intere.st- ed in the development of .small water power sites wdl do well to write to the. Director of the Division of Country Home Comforts and Ct.nvenience.s at lha|iel Hill. The proposals will be eareftilly con sidered, and wlien warranted a• special investigator will be sent to study the situation and make a report.—Thorndike Saville. 4 OUR WATER POWERS During December, when manufactur- ng organizations and transportation acilities were strained to the utmost to neet the greatest volume of business ever cnown in tliis country, a strike of coal workers threatened seriously tlie welfare, safety and prosperity of the country. As i result drastic measures were taken to tonserve the existing’ coal in storage. ■I’actories W'ere shut down, train service lurtailed, stores forced to close early in /he busiest season, households were with- 'ut adequate fuel, and light and power ilante reduced to minimum operation. The readers of the News Letter are familiar with the inconveniences and thr^tened ' disaster which loomed up the tatmediate future. Many of them will Jecall the controversy in North Car olina daily papers relative to the restric tions placed upon the operation of the peat plants using hydro-electric power in this State. The restrictions were final OUR HOLIDAY BOOK LIST Our Christmas recreation was found for the iiio.-t part iu tlie l•hatK'e to read a half dozen really worth while books stack ed on our work-desk during the busy days of the fall term. We are listing them in the University News Letter iu order to give them the widest possible currency among our readers. 1. Keligion — Its Prophets and False Propliets, by James Bishop Thomas, Pro fessor of Systematic Theology in the Uni versity of tlie South, at Sewanee, Tenn essee. 256 pp.—Macmillan Co., N. Y. We closed this book feeling that if the Church Visible could and would break over ecclesiastical barriers into Kingdom building in the blaster’s mind and way, then this sorry scheme-of-things-entire could be salted down unto salvation; tliat else it is in fair way of rotting to the quick. A wise book; the spirit of it is a benediction. 2. The New State, by M. P. Follett. 373 pp. — Uongmans, Green and Co., N. Y. Here is a volume that directly or indirect ly involves every re-construction problem that democratic societies are puzzling at these days. A strong book of founda tional sort. 3. Philosophy and the Social Problem, by Will Durant, of Columbia University. 272 pp.—Macmillan Go., N. Y. There is not a single dull page in this book. The author’s contention is that philosophy ought to be actively concerned with the social problem, that its work is in the streets as well as in the library, that it must have a vital use to commu nity life, that it must get busy with the job of remaking society, that it must be applied to the miseries of men, that it must organize ttie wisdom of yesterday for the guidance of today and tomorrow. And so on and on. A brilliant book. 4. Outlines of Social Philosophy, by J. S. McKenzie, formerly fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 280 pp.—Macmillan jCo., N. Y. An excellent companion-piece BUILDING TO-MORROW John Rnskin When we •build, let ua think that we build forever. Let it not be for the present delight, not for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank ns for, and let us think, as we lay'stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our Fathers did for us.’ for Durant’s volume; competent, discrim inative, definitive, dull It organizes the subject for, contemplative^ thinking and sound culture of the aloof variety, 5. Cotton as a World Power, liy James A. B, ."'cherer, president of Tliroop Col lege of Technology, Pasadena, Cal. 452 |i|). — Frederick .A. Stokes Co., N. Y. By long odd.s the best single volume on cot- tmi as an economic factor in lii.-tory— English, American, Southern ; an inlonii- inv, stimulating book of maximum value to soiitliern students in college classes and to business circles alike. 6. Ttie Birds of Nortli Carolina, by T. Gilb ft Pearson, 0. 8. and H. H. Brim- let. 380 pp, with excellent plates, and 275 text figures. $2.75.—N. C. Geologi cal and Economic Sarvej, Cuapelllill, N. C Invaluable for bird lovers; tisenil for purposes of iilentificatiou and famil iar window acqiiaiiicaiice witli tiie birds. 7. Sex Edm ation, by .Maurice A. Bige low, ol T. aclier’s College, 0 Juinbia. 251 pp. — .Miicmillan Co.,_A. Y. The ■••aiie.st Volume iu the wliole list ot.sex pedagogy ; ought to be ill every liome ai/d school library. 8. Today’s World Problem iu Disease Prete.ilioii, by Dr. Joint H. Stokes, of tile .Uayo Dlinic, Rocliester, Wioii. 136 po.— llieU. S. Public Healtli Service, 228 Fir.'C St., N. W., Wasliiiigtoii. Wiil fie sent free of charge. Hijre is one real ly competent, decent pamphlet iliat e- iiierges from the ruck ol venereal disea.«e literature—one of the very lew iianiplileis on tins subject tliai. we li.ive been willing to call to tlie attention of onr readers. ANNOUNCEMENT Beginning with the next issue of the News Letter there will appear each week a letter from some member of the engi neering staff of the Division of Country Home (tomforts and Conveniences of the University Bureau of Extension. This division is cooperating with the State Highway Commission in helping the peo ple of the state to install in country homes the comforts and conveniences which heretofore have been available on ly to those people w ho were fortunate, or shall we say unfortunate, enough to live in the larger towns and cities. These letters will appear in four, groups; (1) Water Power, (2) Water Supply and Sanitation, (3) Farm Light ing and Power, (4) F'arm Telephones.' The following is a list of titles of a few typical letters which will appear from week to week: (1) The Fiiiidameiitals of Water Power. Simple statements about the effect of the two factors, Head and Flow, on the povv- or of a stream. (2) Water Wheels vs Turbirie.s. Ad vantages and limitations of each type of prime movi r. (3) Farm W'ater Supply Systems. Sim ple description and comparison of the diflVrent methods of supplying water to conntrv lionies. (4i Hydraulic Rams vs Pumps. Ad- -faiitagc.s and limitations of each method of water siqip y. (5i Man Power vs Electric Power. Sim ple economic analysis ofsaving by replac ing man power witli electric power. (6) Limitations of Farm Lighting Sets. Analysis of the power requirements in rural homes and on the farm with a dis cussion of how far the standard sizes of farm lighting sets fill the bill. (7) Organizing a Rural Telephone Sys tem. Steps in the procedure of organiz ing a rural system. (8) Do’s and Dont’s about Farm Tele phones. (9) Community Organization lor Coun try Comforts. The aim of the.«e articles will be to dis- .cuss in a simple way some of the princi ples and coptrivances that are being usei more and more every day to make life in the country as fitII of comfort and hap piness as modern engineering develop ments make city life. The classic definition of engineering is “the art of direi ting the forces of nature- for the use and convenience of mankind.’’ According to this definition the enginee!- and the farmer have much in common. In fact, it might almost be said that the farmer is an engineer f .r he is indeed di recting the moat vital forces in nature for the use ami necessities of his fellow man. The engineering profession should con sider it a great privilege to be able to as sist the farmer in hi.s work by bmigii g to him all of the advantages that it has already made possiiJe for the peop'e who are crovided into the congested areas of cities and towns. It is hoped that this series of articles will do much to further this end, by ac- ■ qtiaintitig the people of the state with the services that may be had free of expense through this divi.sion. —P. H. D. THE LETHARGY OF HAYTI I b' lieve tliat w'e du not appreciate suf- ticic! tiy tlie atisnlutely indispeiisalilepart that human energy beats tn a lot of social and moral problems. Perhajis I had bet- j ter use the word tiep ratlier than energy, j that sense of physical v\cll-ticing tliat makes a man want to do things. Down in Hayti I understand that it is hot and muggy all the lime. Man noes not yearn for activity. He burns fr..m tlie jieat of the climate and yearns for the , sliade. and seeks it. Hayti, a land of. b-irbarism, shows it, and I believe it is ' true that a moderate amount of malaria ill a commnnity takes it a long way from the energy of Chicago and New York to ward the lethargy of Hayti. I suspect, . but cannot tirove, tliat hundreds of town ships in the United States are second and thini and fourth class places, when they might be first class or best second class places, if the people tor twenty-five years could be frre of malaria. We now know iiow to get rid of the mosquito, the carrier of malaria. We have been thinking of land drain age in this country in terms oi mere land reclamation, so if it didn’t pay a man to drain his two acre swamp, or his half or quarter-acre swamp, it was all right. It was his spoiled acre. As a matter of fact, we need to believe, and act on the idea that the removal of every mosquito breed ing place is primarily a social matter, a neighborhood matter, a civilization mat ter, using the word civilizatiou as it ap plies to a state or a country or a county. — J. Russell Smith, University of Penn sylvania. PER CAPITA CROP WEALTH Two hundred seventy-three dollars and a half per inhabitant, counting men, wo men, and children of both races, ornear- ly $1400 per family! That’s the amazing crop wealth produced by the farmers of North Carolina last year. Last week we ranked the states accord ing to total crop values. Elsewhere in this issue we rank the states according to per capita crop production. It throws light on relative crop values in the’differ- ent states, the consuming public consid ered; this and little more. Many of the states that rank high in the agricultural column when livestock and animal products enter into the ac count, rank low when crops alone are the basis of comparison. Indiana, Illi nois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are instan ces in point. The income of the farmers in these and similar bread-and-meat states is defived mainly from livestock and livestock products. (Vop ,«a es are relatively a small detail in these s'a'es— friim a fourth to a third, say, of the total farm income in average years. But the-e are tlie states that rank high in to tal larm vames produced, and total farm wealtli accumulated. The nclnst far mers in the Union are in the areas nf live-stock, grain, hay, and forage farm ing. But crops alone con.sidered, North Car olina ranks ahead of 44 states of the Uii- i'lii in total values, and ahead of 40 states in the production of per capita values. And fur once, South Carolina stands two places above us, on this basis of compari son Holding It Down Our high rank in peracre and per cap ita crop values is due to the fact that even in average years cotton and tobacco will produce gross money values far be yond those of grain, hay, and forage crops. Along with sweet potatoes they are the greatest per acre money producers in the entire list of standard farm crops. But producing great wealth with cotton and tobacco is one thing; retaining it in tlie area where it is produced is another. Indeed, the problem is so hard that yeai in and year out, good years and bad, it cannot be done on a credit basis in a farm tenancy system. But cotton and to bacco production in the South on a bread-and-meat basis, by home owning farmers, would make the southland the richest agricultural area on the globe in ten years, no matter what prices ruled i» the cotton and tobacco markets. In onier to open up this .statem ■ t somewhat, consider the fact that two- thirds of our crop values last year wer* produced by cotton and tobacco alone. Our standard food crops amounted to only 152 million dollars at farm prices, and around 300 million dollars at retail market prices, or $120 per inhabitant. For home-raised milk and meat prodiieU add a third, which is the normal ratio in North (Carolina. The,total ot home-raised bread-and meat products at retail prices was $lb0 per inliabitant in North Caro lina in 19i9. But the average annual consumption of pantry supplies ig $360 per person. In brief, we are $200 short per inhabitant or SOOmillinus short all told. Our' bill this year for imported food alone will run around some such gigantic total as thi.s— 10 say nothing of imported feed supplies for our domestic animals. Safe farming would hold down in North Oaroliiia many or most of ti.ese millions year by year. However, it looks certain that starva tion alone wiil ever cure us of the fallacy of buying bread and meat with cotton and tobacco dollars. Cotton and tobac co culture on a bread and-meat basis in North Carolina is tar away we fear. W« are threatened by cotton and tobacco hysteria; whicli means less attention to food crops and meat and milk animals. CROP WEALTH PER INHABITANT IN Based on the Report of the Federal Bureau of Crop Estimates, MISS HENRIETTA R. SMEDES University of North Carolina 1919 December 1919. Rank States Per Cap. L South Dakota $426.17 2. Nebraska 414.98 3. Iowa 387.16 4. Kansas 333.13 5. North Dakota. 331.45 6. South Carolina 310 08 7. Wyoming 287 23 8. North Carolina 273.52 9. Mississippi 243.88 10. Idaho 239.22 11. Texas 229.60 12. Arkansas 217.21 13. Oklahoma 211.96 14. Minnesota.. 209.30 15. Georgia 206.10 16. Arizona 200.69 17. Kentucky 196.81 18. Colorado 196.55 19. Indiana 176.42 20. Nevada 173.67 21. Vermont 172.32 22. ’ Wisconsin 167.79 23. Montana T. 164,04 24. Alabama ■* 158.98 Rank State 25. Missouri 26. Tennessee 27. Oregon 28. Virginia 29. Calttonna 30. New Mexico 31. Michigan. .U 32. Illinois 33. Maine 34. Louisiana 35. Delaware 36. Washington 37. Ohio 38. Utah 39. West Virginia... 40. Florida ,,.. 41. Maryland 42. New Hampshire. 43. Pennsylvania 44. Connecticut 45. New York 46. New Jersey 47. Massachusetts... 41. Rhode Island.. Per Cap. - $158 36 152.24 152.06 151.24 148.06 140.10 130.98 127.05 126.04 12104 . , 120 42 ■ ' 113.97 106.39 104.60 103.75 95.57 95.13 89.81 52.30 52.03 45.98 33.47 19.59 13,34