The aews in this publi
cation is released for the
press on receipt.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
WS LETTER
Published Weekly by the
University of North Caro
lina for the University Ex
tension Division.
JUNE 11,1924
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
VOL. X, NO. 30
Bditorlal Boards B. 0. Braasoa, S. H, Hobba, Jr., L. R. Wllaon, E, W. Knlarht, O. D. Carroll, J. B.BalUtt. H. W. Odum,
Eatored as aeeoad-^laaa matt«r Norsmber 14. 1914. atthePostoScoat Chapel Hill, N. C., under the aetof Auffuat 24, 1111
SHIP ® WATER TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION REPOST
North Carolina at last knows what
its transportation problem is. For
years the people of the state have
complained and protested, have won
temporary concessions only to have
them withdrawn and heavier rate bur
dens imposed. The development of
agriculture and manufacturing has
been so rapid in those fields where our!
natural advantage has been greatest, i
that there has developed a sort of sub
conscious optimism that we can con
tinue to go foward, despite heavy rate
discriminations. There has slowly de
veloped a more thoughtful, forward-
looking group, however, who realize
that sooner • or later the margin of
natural advantage which we have in
many fields will be equalized as our
richest resources are exploited; for ex
ample, only recently an increase in the
rates for hydro-electric power was
granted by our Corporation Commis
sion on the specific ground that poorer
water-power sites had to be called into
use to meet the increasing demand and
higher charges must necessarily follow.
This means, of course, that our manu
facturing enterprises will find it more
costly to turn out their products and
consequently will be less able to com
pete in the world markets. Such a
condition will grow more serious as the
years go by. Freight rate discrimina
tions, then^ which were not fatal at one
time, bid fair to become serious ob
stacles to further progress in manufac
turing, just as they have always been
in the wholesale and jobbing business.
No great distributing centers can de
velop in this state and, sooner or later,
no new manufacturing enterprise can
aiford to locate here if it can go where
freight rates are lower.
The Problem Stated
The Commission states the problem
clearly. The flow of traffic in the
South-Atlantic section arises mainly
out of an exchange of products with
the Central West (Upper Mississippi
and Ohio River Valleys and around the
Great Lakes) on the one hand, and with
New England and the Middle Atlantic
Seaboard states on the other. Water
transportation is much cheaper than
rail transportation, and wherever it can
be utilized as a competitive factor it
compels a reduction of freight rates.
Virginia had the good luck, or the good
sense, to have continuous rail lines
under one ownership developed from
the Central West to her port at Nor
folk. These trunk lines, in order to
get traffic to flow over their- lines in
competition with the great systems
further north, reduced their rates to
Norfolk. To avoid violation of the
provision that a lower rate cannot be
charged for a longer distance over the
same line, these roads were compelled
to reduce their rates to interior points
in Virginia to the level of the Norfolk
rates. As a result, the low Norfolk
rates apply for 450 miles back west
ward into Virginia and even into West
Virginia. One other factor in this
rate reduction, was the fact that Vir
ginia utilized the James River and con
structed canals westward beyond the
point where it was navigable, thus es
tablishing water competition parallel
ing the railroads.
North Carolina has no east and west
trunk lines under a common ownership
connecting with an ocean port. She
has made no use of her potential water
competition. This is partly due to her
own negligence and partly to the ob'
structionist policies of the North and
South trunk lines which dominate
transportation in this state. These same
roads, true to human instincts, have
discouraged the utilization of our ports
as agencies for the development of
coastwise traffic which would have
forced a reduction of rates on traffic,
north and south. The failure to avail
ourselves of this cheap transportation
has operated as a handicap to the great
tide-water section—potentially the
most productive area of the common
wealth.
The problem is clear cut. The duty
of the state is obvious: either arise and
unshakle itself, or accept its condition
and cease to whine about it.
The Remedy
The Commission recommends as a
solution for the problem the following:
“1. That the General Assembly
create a Port Commission of five mem
bers, vested with full authority to se
lect sites, construct port terminals with
all necessary equipment, and that the
said Port Commission be given full
power to establish a traffic organiza
tion, to enter and prosecute complaints,
either thrimgh the Corporation Com
mission or otherwise, in connection
with rates and traffic regulations, and
to do all things necessary to carry out
the purposes of its creation and to bring
relief in freight and traffic matters to
the citizens.
“2. That $7,000,000 be appropriated
for the use of said Port Commission, or
so much thereof as may be necessary,
for the purposes enumerated above.
“3. That the Port Commission be
authorized to purchase or lease ships
and operate the same, if in its opinion
adequate shipping is not provided by
private enterprise and that $1,500,000
additional be appropriated for this pur
pose, or so much thereof as may be
necessary.
“4.' That the state acquire the Cape
Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad as a
basis for a trunk-line railway from the
Cape Pear basin to the Middle West,
or otherwise provide such a trunk line. ’ ’
WE DO NOT READ ENOUGH
It has been charged against the peo
ple of North Carolina that they do not
read enough.
Well, of course the newspaper pub
lishers would hold such a view. Out of
such a population as North Carolina
has, the daily newspapers ought to
have a vastly larger circulation than
any of them is now able to boast. While
they are showing good records of in
crease, it is quite evident from the
figures which are available that not
anything like enough families in North
Carolina are doing themselves the
good service of subscribing to a daily
paper.
This is not the only nor the larger
evidence, however, that the people
read too little in this state. It has
been ascertained from a survey made
of 1,000 farms in North Carolina that
26 percent of those operated by the
landlords have no books other than the
Bible; of the owner-operators 19.5
percent have none but the Bible; of the
tenants 32.2 percent and of the crop
pers 62.1 have none but the Bible.
In these 1,000 farm homes taken from
a typical territory, 37.6 percent had no i
books except the Bible. |
The same survey showed, according ;
to a report before the North Carolina j
club made by E. D. Apple; that of the ,
1,000 families interviewed, only 20.3]
percent take daily papers, 20 percent;
take weekly papers, 10.2 percent take
church papers, 26.8 percent take farm j
papers, 1.5 percent take children’s pa-!
pers, 19 percent take magazines, while
47.5 percent take no paper or maga-!
zine of any kind.
In our state last year there were
only 64 counties which had within their j
borders a library of some kind; 46 coun
ties had no public library of any kind,
and only 11 counties had a public libra
ry of more than 6,000 volumes. Thus j
it is seen that the great majority of the j
people of North Carolina have no ac
cess to public libraries, and can be
served only by traveling libraries pro
vided by the North Carolina Library;
Commission.
That is notably true, because of the
character of the population of the
state, which is dominantly rural. A-
bout 70 percent of the people live in
the ruralside, and it is a remote rural-
side to a large degree. There are only
27 cities in the state with a population
of 6,000 or above, which makes it a
difficult problem to reach the majority
of the people with reading material,
even though this difficulty is being in
creasingly overcome.—Charlotte News.
THE MOTHERS’ AID ACT
The name of the law, passed by the
Legislature of 1923, providing for
Mothers’ Aid—An Act to Aid Needy
Orphan Children in the Homes of Wor
thy Mothers—explains briefly its pur
pose.
There are certain requirements which
must be met before a mother becomes
eligible to receive this assistance. A-
mong them are: she must be a resident
of the state for three years and the
county for one; she must be the mother
of a child or children under fourteen
years of age; she must be possessed of
KNOW NORTH CAROLINA
Rides to Prosperity
No higher proof • could ever be
asked or given of the truth of the
statement often made by the Manu
facturers Record that “he who does
the most for the building of good
highways does the most for the ma
terial, educational, and moral ad
vancement of the community,’’ than
the remarkable facts which are giv
en in this issue, showing what road
building in North Carolina has meant
for the progress of that state.
The story as presented today, con
sidered from all angles, is, we be
lieve, the most illuminating and in
spiring one ever written in behalf
of highway construction. Long re
garded as less progressive than some
of its neighboring states and in 1920
down in the “slough of despond’’
by reason of the collapse of all busi
ness interests following deflation.
North Carolina, with a vision and
energy never surpassed by any state
in this country, determined upon a
great road-building campaign.
The men who led that state to
vote $50,000,000 for beginning this
work have built for themselves -and
for all highway work a monument
which will endure as long as time
lasts. So satisfied were the people
of North Carolina with the work
that was being done by the expendi
ture of $60,000,000 that they again
voted, almost without opposition,
for an additional bond issue of $16,-
000,000 to which counties in that
state have added $7,000,000, and to
which large contributions have been
made by the Federal Government.
The abounding prosperity of
North Carolina following the prog
ress of this work, the unstinted
praise which has been given to the
state by business men and newspa
pers in all other parts of the country,
the thousands of letters which are
being received by organizations in
that state asking for further infor
mation about opportunities for set
tlement and for business, should
prove such an inspiration to every
well-wisher of his country as
to stimulate every state in
the South to match North
Carolina in its road-building cam
paign; to match it in the honesty
and integrity with which the money
has been expended, and thus keep
step with the Old North State in
the wonderful era of progress upon
which it has entered.
It took men of vision, men of
brains and of daring, men who could
dream great dreams of what road-
building would mean and who had
the courage to put their dreams in
to reality, to carry forward this
work.
From June 4 to June 10 North Ca
rolina and its road-building activi
ties will be studied by highway ex
perts from South American coun
tries, and by road engineers and con
tractors from all over the United
States, and by thousands of people
who will want for themselves to see
what has been achieved; and the
newspapers of the land will tell the
story of North Carolina's highway
work and of the prosperity in edu
cational and moral upbuilding, as
well as the material prosperity, to
an extent that has probably never
been given to any ottier road-build
ing campaign in this country.—
Manufacturers Record.
filled out. Upon consultation with the
County Board of Public Welfare the
total amount necessary for the support
of the family is determined. The Coun
ty Commissioners must then approve
the appliuation for half the total a-
mount after which it is sent to the Di
rector of Mothers’ Aid of the State
Board of Public Welfare for approval.
The arrangement goes into force be
ginning with the month in which it is
approved by the Director. The county
pays out the full amount per month
but at the end of each quarter pre
sents its bill to the State Board for one-
half the total and receives reimburse
ment.
Many of the counties have already
taken advantage of the provisions of
this law and there are at present about
176 cases in the whole state receiving
Mothers’ Aid. The average amount
granted each family is $20 although the
range is from $10 to $40 (the max
imum!. A few of the counties have
used their entire quota.
Further information can be secured
from the Director of Mothers’ Aid,
State Board of Public Welfare, Ral
eigh, N. C.
EVERYBODY IS DOING IT
Gastonia opened her new $600,000
high-school building on yesterday.
The new high-school building at Gas
tonia is financed by bonds and will cost
real money.
Gastonia is a city of about the same
size as Salisbury and is facing a
similar school situation.
Winston-^alem is building her school
system anew, starting back in 1919
with a bond issue of $800,000, then an
other of $1,100,000, then Tuesday of
this week adding another $800,000.
Asheville ' is doing practically the
same thing.
So are Hickory and StatesVille.
Concord and Charlotte are engaged
in a similar building campaign.
Little towns one never heard of be
fore are coming into print by reason of
the fact that they are votjng bonds for
schools. /
Greensboro is running a raqp with
other towns of the state in school de
velopment.
And every city and town in the state
is doing the same thing.
Salisbury is not undertaking a high-
school building because of the un
reasonable whim of a few people.
A few years ago North Carolina was
at the foot of the states in education,
save South Carolina, we believe.
We were far, far behind and when
we did start we found that we had a
sufficient mental, moral, and physical
fitness to be capable of maintaining a
home for herself and her children and
prevented only by lack of means.
This act provides $50,000 per year to
be apportioned among all the counties
on a per capita basis. Thus on the
average $600 is available per county—
the amounts varying from $1,676.60 in
Mecklenburg to $90,76 in Clay. Each
county, however, in each individual
case of Mother’s Aid must duplicate
the amount granted by the state.
The administration is in the hands'of
the State Board of Public Welfare who
cooperate with the County Boards of
Public Welfare and the County Super
intendents of Public Welfare.
The usual procedure is as follows:
The County Superintendent of Public
Welfare investigates the case and se
that the application blank is properly
long way to go and a big twenty-five-
year program to crowd into less than
half that number of years, and this
made, the cost more of a burden on
those of us standing under the load.
We have come a long way, but God
knows we had such a long way to
come; we have come a long way, but
we are not at the end of the row.
North Carolinians are brave, honest,
determined. Will we see this thing
through courageously?
Will we listen to the fainthearted
and frightened ones and stop the work
we have so splendidly begun in Salis
bury?
It is no new and unusual thing that
we are doing in Salisbury.
Cities and towns in most of the other
states have been at it longer than we;
practically every town in our own state,
large or small, is doing the same thing.
Will Salisbury refuse to keep step
with the onward and upward march of
the state, long trailing behind sister
states in education?—Salisbury Post.
TRANSPORTING CHILDREN
The motor car has done a great deal
to improve rural schools in the United
States. The size of the old rural school
depended upon the number of children
of school age residing within walking
distance of a central point. Necessarily
such schools were mainly one-room,
one-teacher schools. Motor cars and
good roads make it possible for pro
gressive communities to combine sever
al small school districts into one large
district with a real community school
in which country children can secure
all the educational advantages en
joyed by city children.
The microscopic school is rapidly dis
appearing in North Carolina. Here and
there all over the state small districts
are getting together for better school
facilities and it is no uncommon sight
to run across consolidated country
schools that compare favorably with
good city schools.
Evidence of the new day in North
Carolina is shown by a table appearing
in the 1924 report of the National Auto
mobile Chamber of Commerce. Accord
ing to a table in this report North Ca
rolina had 237 consolidated districts to
which children were transported to
school. Eighty-four of these were con
solidated in 1923, The children trans
ported to these schools daily numbered
26,046, of whom 23,413 were transport
ed by motor vehicles. Only foqr statfes
consolidated more districts in 1923 thab
North Carolina. Only seven states
transported more children to school,
and only two states transported more
children to school in motor vehicles.
However, 25,045 children is only a
small percent of all rural school chil
dren in the state. Wilson county a-
lone is responsible for around 10 per
cent of the state total of children trans
ported to school. We recommend to
the consideration of the counties of the
state the public school system of Wil
son county, which ranks foremost in
the state in the consolidation of rural
schools and transportation of country
children.
INHABITANTS PER MOTOR CAR IN THE U. S.
And Percent Increase During 1923
In the following table, based on the 1924 report of the National Automo
bile Chamber of Commerce, the states are ranked according to the number of
motor vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. The accompanying column shows the
percent increase in the number of motor cars during the year 1923.
North Carolina ranked 19th in the total'number of motor cars on January
1, 1924, with 248,414; 39th in motor vehicles per 1000 inhabitants, 15th in nu
merical increase in motor cars during the year 1923—64,262; while in percent in
crease in the number of motor cars only two states ranked ahead of North
Carolina. The explanation is found in our roads, and the general prosperity en
joyed by the state. (
Department of Rural Social Economics, University of North Carolina
Rank State
Motor
Percent
Rank State
Motor Percent
Car Per
Increase
Car Per Increase
1,000
in Motor
1,000 in
Motor
Popu. ■
Cars
Popu.
Cars
1
California. ...
290
28
26
New Hampshire 132
23
2
Iowa
231
14
25
Delaware
.... 132
22
3
Nebraska
213
11
27
Arizona
130
29
4
Kansas
206
15
28
Utah
124
21
5
Nevada
201
30
29
Connecticut ...
122
19
6
Oregon
201
24
30
Rhode Island...
121
15
7
South Dakota .
200
10
30
Montana
121
18
8
Indiana
192
24
32
New Jersey ...
120
26
8
Colorado
192
16
33
Massachusetts..
118
25
10
Wyoming ....
191
30
34
Pennsylvania..
.. .. 114
26
11
Michigan .. ..
186
26
35
Maryland
... . 109
2*
12
Washington...
179
23
36
New York
108
20
13
Minnesota ....
178
18
37
West Virginia
.... 103 >
40
14
Ohio
176
25
38
Virginia
..... 91
30
16
North Dakota.
163
10
39
North Carolina
90
35
16
Wisconsin ....
162
20
40
New Mexico ..
86
26
17
Vermont
149
20
41
Kentucky ....
80
29
18
Florida
146
31
42
Louisiana
... . 73*
33
19
Illinois
142
24
43
Tennessee
72
28
19
Oklahoma... .
142
23
44
South Carolina
.... 71
34
21
Maine
140
17
46
Arkansas
62
34
21
Texas
140
31
4>
Mississippi ...
68
35
23
Missouri
139
21
46
Georgia
68
21
24
Idaho
134
16
48
Alabama
53
41
* Small increase due to exclusion of non-resident registrants for 1923.