Wake County: Economic AND Social THE WAKE COUNTY CLUB UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA APRIL, 1918 EDITORIAL BOARD G. B. Lay Editor-in-Chief and Business Manager W. H. Stephenson Assistant Business Manager 0. R. Cunningham R. C. Maxwell T. P. Harrison, Jr. J. R. Pearson \]o'r\h Carolina. U-niVersity. W^Ke courify club., Wake County: Economic AND Social THE WAKE COUNTY CLUB UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA APRIL, 1918 EDITORIAL BOARD G. B. Lay Editor-in-Chief and Business Manager W. H. Stephenson Assistant Business Manager 0. R. Cunningham R. C. Maxwell T. P. Harrison, Jr. J. R. Pearson EDWARDS & BROUGHTON PRINTING CO. Raleigh, N. G. 1918 In Bxchango Uyiv. of N orth Carolina SEP 2 7 1933 CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgments 5 Foreword 6 A Short History of Wake 7 J. R. Pearson Ealeigh, Our Capital City 11 W. H. STBa>HENSON Natural Resources, Industries, and Opportunities 17 O. R. Cunningham Wealth and Taxation in Wake County 24: R. C. Maxwell Farm Conditions, Farm Practices, and the Local Market Problem 29 ■ T, P. Harbison, Jr. Seven-year Gains in Wake County Rural Schools 42 O. R. Cunningham Where Wake Leads 48 G. B. Lay Our Problems and Their Solution 57 G. B. Lay Acknowledgments To issue any publication requires two things : the efforts and dollars of men. The former we have found in a group of col- lege students at the University of North Carolina from Wake County — men who are interested in Wake's standing among the counties of the State and who are eager in every way possible to raise this standing and place every phase of Wake's economic and social development ahead of that of any other county in this State. In the preparation of this Bulletin they have been greatly assisted by the general direction and kind assistance of Dr. E. C. Branson, head of the University Department of Rural Econom- ics; by the reading of the final manuscript by Mr. R. D. W. Connor; and by the many suggestions and assistance given by various other public-spirited men throughout the county. The other requirement is financial backing. In this we are grateful to these public-spirited men who by their liberal support have made the Wake County Bulletin possible : Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Citizens N^ational Bank, Raleigh. Commercial National Bank, Raleigh. Dillon Supply Co., Raleigh. Hudson-Belk Co., Raleigh. Raleigh Banking and Trust Co. Hicks' Drug Stores, Raleigh. Allen Brothers & Fort, Real Estate, Raleigh. Farmers and Merchants Bank, Apex. Dr. John B. Wright, Raleigh. Henry E. Litchford, Richmond, Va. Major W. A. Graham, Raleigh. Edwards & Brought on Printing Co., Raleigh. Foreword This Bulletin, ^Yake County : Economic mid Social, issued by the Wako County students at the University of North Carolina, is the third ol its kind to be issued in America ; the first (Sampson County: Economic and Social) having also been issued by University students in May, 1917. It is a social and economic studv of the Wake County of today, which is the basis of the Wake County of tomorrow. Books in plenty have been written about the world in general, but this study is devoted to a particular part of the world : Wake County. It is a study of county economics, a source-book of information which has long been in process of collection by the North Carolina Club, and which has been assembled and inter- preted by the Wake County Club. It should stimulate a county pride and an interest in county welfare. The advantage of this Bulletin to Wake County is not meas- urable solely in terms of its contents. It represents a county consciousness on the part of the men who have written it. It reveals a constructive interest in the welfare of their home county. The process of preparing it has given them an invalu- able laboratory training in county conditions and problems which has fitted them for constructive citizenship in their home county. This work is an expression of a distinct movement beginning in the University of North Carolina. It purposes to relate edu- cation to immediate, practical service. It is significant as ex- pressing the growing interest of students in the practical prob- lems of citizenship, which augurs well for the future. The in- terest manifested in it by the business men of Wake County, who have made possible its distribution, is expressive of a new spirit in business which seeks its welfare in promoting the wel- fare of those it serves. . -mt r^ Albert M. Coates, President, The North Carolina Cluh. A Short History of Wake J. R. Pearson, Apex Wake County is located in the central part of IsTorth Carolina, on the eastern edge of the Piedmont Plateau, and is bounded by Johnston, Harnett, Lee, Chatham, Durham, Granville, and Franklin counties. Its territory affords the greatest possible agri- cultural advantages. Only Kobeson County has a larger number of rural people, and no other section of the State produces crops of a greater variety or larger total value. Wake's average annual temperature is 60 degrees and its rainfall around 52 inches a year. Its climate is free from the sudden extremes of heat and cold of the Mississippi valley States. The natural conditions of health are unsurpassed. Her soils and seasons are suitable to cotton and tobacco, the grains, hay and forage, and to profitable livestock farming. There are no better country schools in this or any other State. In agricultural opportunities, school and church advantages there is no better county of the State to live in. Within the boundaries of Wake are the State Capitol, various other department buildings, the Central State Hospital for the Insane, the State Schools for the Blind, the State College of Agriculture and Engineering, Wake Forest College, Peace In- stitute, St. Mary's School, and Meredith College, the City High School, four farm-life schools, Shaw University, and St. Augus- tine. With these superior advantages, Wake ought to be at- tractive to homeseekers from the North and Middle West. Name of the County Wake preserves the maiden name of the wife of Tryon, a royal Governor in the Colonial period. However, some author- ities claim this honor for Esther Wake, a sister of Lady Tryon. 8 Wahe County : Economic and Social Foundation of Wake Wake County was created bj the General Assembly of 1770, during Governor Tryon's administration. The act of erection may be found in the existing courthouse records under the date of September 12, 1771, in Book A, pages four, five, and six. In June of 1771 Wake's first court convened. The Capital City vv^as located in Wake by an act of the General Assembly of 1791, and it M^as located and surveyed by nine commissioners in 1792. Its name preserves the memory of Sir Walter Raleigh. Michael Rogers, maternal great-grandfather of the late F. J. Haywood, was Wake's first sheriff. There has been a steady increase in the population of the county since 1790. The census at that time showed 10,182 inhabitants; in 1910 there were 63,229. The increase in the last census period was 57 per cent. Territorial Changes Territorial changes in Wake since its establishment have been effected only twice. In 1881 Oak Grove Township lost a part of its area in the creation of Durham County. In 1911 still another portion of this township was transferred to the same county. Since that time the remaining portion of Oak Grove has been combined with portions of Barton's Creek and House's Creek into Leesville Township. With these two exceptions, no material changes have been effected in the territory of Wake in her entire history. The addition of this new township made a total of nineteen tovpnships in Wake, as follows : Barton's Creek, Buckhorn, Cary, Cedar Fork, Holly Springs, House's Creek, Leesville, Little River, Mark's Creek, Middle Creek, ISTeuse River, New Light, Panther Branch, Raleigh, St. Mary's, St. Matthew's, Swift Creek, Wake Forest, and Wliite Oak. A Short History of Wake 9 Wake County During the Revolution During this period the General Assembly was most active. It met at Kew Bern, Hillsboro, Halifax, Smithfield, and in 1781 it met in Wake County, at the Lane homestead. The Assembly sat at Tarboro in 1787. The members of that Assembly con- ceived the idea of fixing a definite place for a State Capital. The next year the Assembly met in Hillsboro and agreed that the Capital of the State should be situated "within ten miles of the plantation whereon Isaac Hunter now resides, in the county of Wake." Her Contribution to the State and Nation Wake County has supplied more than her quota of men of State-wide and national importance. During the 148 years of her history she has furnished one President, Andrew Johnson, and one Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels. Wake has contributed to the State three Governors, eleven Councillors of State, five Secretaries of State, six State Treas- urers, one Comptroller and two Auditors, two Labor Commis- sioners, four Attorney-Generals, four Supreme Court Judges, three of whom were Chief Justices. Fifteen Congressmen were born in Wake and twelve of them represented the Fourth Dis- trict. Her roll of honor is as follows : President of the United States — Andrew Johnson, 1865-'69 ; Secretary of the Navy — Josephus Daniels, 1913 — . Three Governors— Charles Manly, 1849-'51, W. W. Holden, 1865-'70, and Daniel G. Fowle, 1889-'91. Five of the fifteen Secretaries of State — Rufus H. Page, 1859-'62, John P. H. Russ, 1862-'64, Henry J. Memminger, 1868-'71, Wm. L. Saunders, 1879-'91, and Octavius Coke, 1891- '95 ; six State Treasurers — John S. Haywood, 1827, Charles L. Hinton, 1839-'4:2 and 1845-'52, Kemp P. Battle, 1865-'68, 10 Wake County : Economic and Social Donald W. Bain, 188G-'92, Benjamin E. Lacy, 1901 to date; one Comptroller — Wm. J. Clark, 1851-'55, and two Auditors — Hal W. Ayer, 1898-1900, and Benjamin F. Dixon, Jr., 1910; four Attorney-Generals — Henry Seawell, 1803-'08, James F. Taylor, 1825-'28, Sion H. Kogers, 1863-'68, Lewis P. Olds, 1870-'71 ; and two of the seven Commissioners of Labor and Printing — Wesley N. Jones, 1887-'89, Benjamin K. Lacy, 1893- '97, 1899-1901. Four Supreme Court Judges, three of them Chief Justices — Wm. N. H. Smith, 1879-'89, Augustus S. Merrimon, 1885-'93, Walter Clark, 1889 to date, and Walter A. Montgomery, 1895- 1905; seven Superior Court Judges — Henry Seawell, 1811, George E. Badger, 1820-'25, Romulus M. Saunders, 1852-'67, Daniel G. Fowle, 1865-'67, Wm. R. Cox, 1877-'79, Walter Clark, 1885-'89, and Spier Whitaker, 1889-'94. Fifteen Congressmen have been furnished by Wake, and twelve of them represented the Fourth District — Josiah Crudup, Daniel L. Barringer, Romulus M. Saunders, Wm. H. Haywood, George E. Badger, Sion R. Rogers, Thomas L. Clingman, L. O'B. Branch, Thomas Bragg, John T. Deweese, Wm. R. Cox, and John Nichols ; and Andrew Johnson, Robt. N. Page, Abra- ham Rencher, representing another State or other districts in North Carolina. The foregoing paragraphs exhibit in brief Wake's contribu- tion of noteworthy men to the State and the Nation. These are the men preferred b^'' public choice to high public honors. It is impossible in this short sketch to single out and to name in appreciation each one of the hundreds of noble men and women who in the 148 years of our county history have contributed to the development of business, manufacture, and banking, and to the educational and spiritual well-being of Wake. Raleigh — Our Capital City W. H. Stephenson, Raleigh Kaleigh, almost the precise geographical center of the State, was founded in 1792. Situated in a gently rolling region on the edge of the Atlantic coastal plain, with an altitude of 365 feet and a mean annual temperature of 60.3 degrees, its climatic conditions are ideal. There is an annual sunshine of 62 per cent with a mean precipitation of 49,9 inches. This is one reason why Kaleigh has always appealed to people seeking an attractive place in which to live and why the population in the last few years has grown to 30,000 people, suburbs included. The shape of Raleigh is a square covering an area of four square miles. It is located on five main highways — the Capital, Ocean- to-Ocean, Central, Quebec-to-Miami, Washington-to-Atlanta — and is the objective of 13 sand-clay and macadam roads leading to other towns. There are 65 miles of wide streets in Raleigh, 17 of which are asphalt, and 95 per cent of which are improved. Fourteen miles of these improved streets are provided with mod- ern electric street railway. Thus the streets of Raleigh con- tribute largely to its municipal beauty, as do also the four pub- lic parks, which include Union Square on which the State Capi- tol stands, and the two public playgrounds fully equipped and under the supervision of instructors. Raleigh has a unique asset in its beautiful and numerous shade trees. A final source of beauty is found in the many elegant homes and well-kept lawns of the city. Educational, and Publishing Center It is as an educational and publishing center that Raleigh leads the other towns of the State. There are 12 public schools in the city and its suburbs, employing 123 teachers and with a school property value of $349,200. The public schools have made 12 Wake County : Economic and Social considerable increase in enrollment and general standing during the last six years. In the high school, however, there is still room for improvement in curriculum and participation in inter-high school activities. In addition to these, there are four private schools in Raleigh offering varied fields of study. Here are also located St. Mary's School, the largest Episcopal boarding school for girls in the United States, Meredith College (Baptist), and Peace Institute (Presbyterian), all high-grade institutions of learning for young women. The North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering is situated in the suburbs west of the city, and during 19 16-' 17 furnished instruction to 819 students, including short course, but not including 531 summer school attendants. Shaw University (Baptist) and St. Augus- tine's School (Episcopal) are co-educational institutions for negroes, and are the largest of their respective denominations, with a combined enrollment of over 1,000. King's Business College, the biggest school of its kind in both Carolinas, with over 300 students, and the Page School of Pharmacy are also located in Raleigh. Thus the county-seat is doing her full share in the battle North Carolina is waging for education against illiteracy and ignorance. Within Raleigh's limits are published more magazines and newspapers than in any other town in the State. All told, there are 27 publications sent out from Raleigh to the people of North Carolina and other States. Their combined circulation in 1917 was 332,000. Two of these are dailies, the Neivs and Observer, a morning paper, and the Raleigh Times, an afternoon journal. The Progressive Farmer, edited by Dr. Clarence Poe, is the foremost agricultural journal in the South and has over 200,000 subscribers. The State Journal, edited by Mr. W. T. Bost, is a publication of growing importance in the field of political science. There are a number of religious journals published in Raleigh, the Biblical Recorder and the Christian Advocate leading; and a labor paper, The Union Herald. Baleigh — Our Capital City 13 Raleigh — The Convention City of the State It is also as a convention city that Raleigh claims first rank among the leading cities of the State. There are five hotels, which annually accommodate 167,000 visitors. The municipally owned auditorium has a capacity of 5,000 people, and is one of the finest in the South. The Raleigh Country Club, which possesses an excellent eighteen-hole golf course and six tennis courts, extends its privileges to guests of Raleigh hotels. Civic Progress The civic progress of Raleigh has been remarkable under the commission form of government. The waterworks system is municipally owned and keeps in reserve a three-months supply. The fire department, employing 28 firemen, is the only com- pletely motorized and fully paid fire department in the State. The museum is recognized to be the finest State museum in the United States, while the Hall of History is one of the finest in the country. Raleigh has three public libraries with over 90,- 000 volumes. There are two telephone systems in the city with 3,865 city and rural subscribers; which means a gain in the number of phones in the last five years of 65 per cent. The hydro-electric power, available for lighting and street railway purposes, comes from three sources, under contract with the Carolina Power and Light Company. Rex and Mary Elizabeth hospitals for the whites and St. Agnes for the negroes are free public institutions with excellent facilities and under high-grade management. In the city of Raleigh there are 2,257 employees, drawing a combined annual salary of $1,161,000. Raleigh is one of the 16 cities of the United States having a municipal abattoir. An incinerator has been recently installed. 14 Wahe County: Economic and Social Industrial Raleigh Industrially Raleigh has made large relative increases, but has not equalled her record in education and civic growth. In six years the postoffice receipts have increased from $112,337 to $204,075, a gain of almost 90 per cent. During this same period 47 wholesale and jobbing houses have made the remark- able increase in wholesale trade of 1G5 per cent. The gain in the assessment of real and personal property in five years has amounted to 36 per cent, while the total resources of the seven Raleigh banks is now $14,000,000, or an increase of nearly 60 per cent in the last eight years. This industrial growth is encouraging, but still Raleigh has not found her proper indus- trial status among the other cities in the State, which, in the finality, depends on equitable freight rates, a goal that is being strenuously worked for at present by the business men of Raleigh. Manufacturing Growth in Raleigh The number of manufacturing establishments, according to the Chamber of Commerce, has grown from 49 in 1907 to 75 in 1917, with annual products valued at $5,000,000. But when compared with other leading cities in the State, Raleigh ranked seventh in the number of establishments in 1914, with Charlotte leading, and sixth in the capital invested, with Winston leading. According to the Federal Census of Industries, the raw materials consumed in manufacture in Raleigh during the last ten years have increased from $512,000 to $1,020,000, and in value of output from $1,087,000 to $2,916,000. Here, again, there are seven towns in the State ahead of Raleigh, and Winston is again in the lead. This means that Raleigh has been timid in undertaking and prosecuting manufacturing enterprises. Raleigh — Our Capital City 15 A Tradition of the Past She has been hampered by a tradition of "safety-first" deal- ing in her industrial and manufacturing enterprises, which has prevented the giant strides that more industrially aggressive towns in the State have been making. But evidences of a re- awakening are found in the new manufacturing concerns that have been recently organized in Raleigh, such as the washboard factory, the new hosiery mill, the packing plant, the airplane factory, foundry, machine shop and implement works, and other various mills of many kinds. What Raleigh needs is the same industrial courage that has been the making of Durham, Char- lotte, and Winston. And in this rebirth of manufacture and rapid growth in wholesale trade we see again indications that she will take her proper place in trade and manufacture. Her business men are improving their old standing, but they are not yet venturing boldly enough into new fields of business. What Raleigh needs is to put aside the idea that her preemi- nence springs from the fact that she is the State Capital or from her educational leadership. She must take advantage of her many fine opportunities and make the best of them. And when this is done, her place in the industrial and commercial world will be as safely assured as her leadership in education, publi- cation, and banking. The Present Challenge But the response to the challenges of a crisis is always the acid test of a city. Raleigh has oversubscribed her quota for the Red Cross support, for Liberty Loan Bonds, and has led the State in the number of books given to the soldiers. This is largely due to the valuable work that her Woman's Club and Red Cross are doing. An enormous quantity of surgical dressings, knitted goods, and the like has been sent to France. The women of the county have been stirred to conserve food and to plant gar- 16 Wake County: Economic and Social dens, can fruit and vegetables, and do everything in their power to help win the war. Raleigh has been very fortunate in her women workers. They have done marvels. The Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and other organizations have also aided materially in this work, and have backed the Government in every way, whether in War Savings Stamps or Liberty Loans or in food production and conservation. Raleigh has done well, and, in so doing, has won recognition throughout the Nation. She is awake to the critical situation that exists in the world today. Much can be expected of her in the near future ; for she has awakened to her full share of the task, and it can be said with truth and certainty that she will perform all her duties well. She is on the royal road to a greater success than ever before. (All of the important facts were obtained, January 1, 1918, from the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.) Natural Resources, Industries, and Opportunities OusBY R. Cunningham, Apex Geography Wake County is one of the largest in the State, its approxi- mate area being 540,800 acres. Originally the county was larger than it is at present, but a few years ago practically an entire township was taken off and added to Durham, our neigh- boring county. Wake lies on the border of the Piedmont region, and naturally it has a rolling, uneven surface, which is charac- teristic of the Piedmont section. Neuse River, which is not very large in Wake County, is our principal river. In addition, there are several creeks that are utilized to a small extent for grist and roller mills. The types of soil in the northern and western portions of the county are clay and clayey loam. The climate of the county is rather mild, the spring and fall months being suitable for outdoor work. Because of its high elevation, good drainage, and good water, Wake has a very healthful climate. A large portion of the county is divided into farms, mostly small ones. According to the geography of the county, our chief agricultural products are cotton and tobacco. Minor crops are the grains, hay, and forage. As another chapter treats the agri- cultural resources, this discussion will pass on to our timber resources. Timber Resources It has been estimated that 90 per cent of our county has at one time been cleared, but since the Civil War about 40 per cent has reverted to forests. In past years hardwoods and pine types were on a par, but in 1915 about 14 per cent of the original 2 18 Wake County: Economic and Social forest growth was woodland. At the same time 86 per cent of the forests of the county was second-growth pine. Wake has 260,000 acres of timber land, which is 50 per cent of the total area of the county. It is estimated that there are 315,000,000 board feet of timber in Wake, 93 per cent of which is second-growth pine, 2 per cent oak, 3 per cent original long- leaf pine, and the remainder various original gTOwths. In the year 1914, 110 sawmills cut 75,000,000 board feet of timber. They cut upon an average 700,000 feet each, but some of them cut a million or more feet each during the year. Ninety-two per cent of the lumber cut was second-growth pine, 4 per cent old growth long-leaf pine, and 2 per cent oak. The stumpage of second-growth pine timber varies in value from $2 to $4 per thousand feet, while old growth long- and short-leaf pine is worth from $1 to $2 more per thousand feet. I have already pointed out that about 14 per cent of our wood- land is original forest growth. Of long-leaf pine about 9,000,- 000 feet remain, but it has all been boxed and is being cut very fast. In addition, there are 8,000,000 feet of second-growth pine in the county giving an average of 1,000 feet per acre. In addition to the sawmills, there are 20 planing mills, hand- ling from a quarter million to ten million feet of timber a year. The transportation facilities are comparatively good, there being several railroads running through the county, and the highways are in good condition most of the time. After taking into consideration the status of our forest re- sources, we see that our supply of timber is being gradually exhausted. Here is the problem that confronts us today: How are we to conserve our timber, or what means must we take to insure sufficient reproduction? We must first take precau- tion in seeing that the seed trees are left when timber is cut. Second, it is essential that our forests be protected from being burned through carelessness. If the people of our county, espe- cially the people of the rural districts, will consider the impor- Resources, Industries, Opportunities 19 tance of preserving seed trees, and especially protecting our forests from fires, tliej will help towards solving a great problem that becomes more complex each year. Industries Wake County has many industries, but not as many as it should have. These industries are classed in this discussion under three main heads : cotton mills, knitting mills, and other miscellaneous enterprises. COTTON" MILLS We have six cotton mills in Wake : one at Neuse, one at Wake Forest, one at Wendell, and three in Raleigh. In these six mills there are 63,258 spindles, 1,263 looms, 217 cards; the horse- power is developed by steam, electricity, and water to the amount of 2,800. The raw material in 1916 was 7,913,310 pounds of cotton, and the total value of the output was $1,837,150. The total number of persons employed was 1,040 ; males 617, females 338, and children 98. The highest average daily wage of the men was $3.58, the lowest $1.04; that for women was corre- spondingly $1.92 and $.95. The State averages were $3.05, the highest for men, and $.97 the lowest; $1.54 the highest for women and $.85 the lowest. The estimated number of depend- ents on the employees of these mills was 2,485. The number of days that the mills were in operation was 308.5 days in the year. It is evident from the life that the operatives and em- ployees lead that they are fairly intelligent. For instance, the percentage of operatives that can both read and write is 92.44, while the State average is only 89 per cent. The average num- ber of hours constituting a day's work is 10.3, and the average for the one mill that is in operation both day and night is 10.5 hours. The number of hours work for the week is 60, and the operatives are paid weekly. 20 Wake County: Economic and Social KNITTING MILLS There are five knitting mills in Wake : one each at Morrisville, Wendell, and Zebulon, and two in Raleigh. The capital stock of these mills is valued at $93,675; they use 443,992 pounds of raw material to produce goods with an estimated value of $761,596 a year. The number of knitting machines reported is 343, sewing machines 96, horsepower 74, men employed 85, women employed 161. The highest average daily wage paid men was $2.40 a day, the lowest $1 ; the highest wage paid women was $1.89 and the lowest $.80. Of those employed in these mills, 98.17 per cent can both read and write. The mills are in operation 308 days in the year, and the livelihood of about 750 people depends on those employed in them. Wake County should have more than five knitting mills; it should share in supplying South America and other countries with knitting mill products, which are in great demand. It is true that the capital stock of the knitting mills in the State has almost doubled since 1906, but the South is still behind the North in number and variety of industries. MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIES The total number of miscellaneous industries in our county in 1916 was 55. The total capital of these enterprises was $891,820; the combined value of the plants $840,650. Their payroll was $557,690, and the total output of goods estimated at $2,633,795. The total number of horsepower used was 2,590 ; number of men employed 1,090, women 90, and children 3 (persons under 16 years of age). Ten hours constitute the average day's work in these industries. The means by which these miscellaneous enterprises are operated are as follows : 26 by steam, 16 by electricity, 1 by steam and gasoline, 2 by steam and electricity, 3 by hand power, 2 by gasoline, 1 by gas and electricity, 1 by gas engine, and 3 unreported. Resources, Industries, Opportunities 21 Of the people employed in these mills, 92 per cent can both read and write. The highest average daily wage paid the men was $3.09, the lowest $1.12; to women the highest was $1.79, and the lowest $.91. In Wake, as elsewhere in I)Torth Carolina, there is a large field for industries of every sort. They have been held back in the past because of the scarcity of capital and the timidity of our men of means. But the people of Wake and the State are be- ginning to realize, though very slowly, the opportunities that confront them in the field of miscellaneous industrial enterprises. Publications There are established in Wake 33 newspapers and periodicals, with a circulation of 340,358. The total capital stock invested in these publications was $149,200; the estimated value of the plants is $68,000; their payroll amounts to $116,690 a year. The number of horsepower used is 83 ; the number of persons employed 84; the average work day is 8.43 hours, or 50.66 hours per week; the average highest wage is $3.20, the lowest $1. Raleigh is a well developed publishing center, and in this par- ticular it ranks well up with other cities that are many times larger. The best equipped single printing establishment in the entire South is that of the Edwards & Broughton Printing Company. Facts About Manufacturing- According to the 1914 census of manufactures, Raleigh shows the following five-year increases: total wages paid 34,1 per cent, new materials used 27 per cent, total value of products 22.7 per cent, total salaries and wages 29 per cent, value added by manufacture 17.8 per cent, primary horsepower employed 4.1 per cent, number of wage-earners 2.7 per cent. The census also shows a five-year decrease in the total number of salaried em- ployees and in capital invested. 22 WaJce Cou7ity : Economic and Social The 1914 Federal Census of Industries summarizes manu- factures in nine IsTorth Carolina cities : ISTew Bern, High Point, Asheville, Wilmington, Greensboro, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Durham. In the amount of capital invested Ra- leigh ranked ninth, in value of total output eighth, in the number of establishments seventh, and in the annual payroll sixth. These figures justify me in saying that Raleigh is not living up to her opportunities and possibilities as a manufacturing com- munity. Opportunities Wake can rightly be called the county of opportunities. These opportunities are many, and doubtless some of them have been pointed out in other chapters, but they cannot be emphasized too much. In agriculture a great chance is open to the farmers to make their farms more productive each year by the use of proper methods of farming. We need more bread-and-meat farming and more livestock. Our farmers must realize that many of their ideas and much of their equipment are obsolete. This is an age that requires brain work as well as manual labor to make our farms more productive. On the Farmers' Union and the club work of the boys and girls mainly rest our hopes and expectations of arousing the people of the rural districts to the great opportunities that are before them today. As has been pointed out before, there is need of more mills, foundries, and factories in the county. Why should Wake not have more cotton mills, knitting mills, and other enterprises? We have the capital and the labor ; we need the spirit of enter- prise. There is a great need for a packing plant in the county ; in fact, the movement to establish such a plant is already under way. It is true that our industrial development for the past several years has been creditable ; but still our industrial status is not what it might be. The fact that a large number of people Resources, Industries, Opportunities 23 in the county possessing sufficient capital to finance industries have been afraid to risk their money accounts for the fact that Wake lags behind in industrial development. This is not only true of Wake County, but also of most counties throughout the State. We have valuable resources in Wake County ; v^q desire to see our county forge ahead and prosper, yet we have numerous op- portunities before us unchallenged. Who will take advantage of them ? What are the home people of our county waiting for ? If we do not take advantage of our opportunities and strive to develop the resources of our county, how can we expect Wake to keep pace with the development of the State and the Nation ? The industrial South is developing in leaps and bounds, and it is our duty to keep Wake fully abreast of the most enterprising communities. We must bend our efforts toward making it in all particulars the best developed county, not only in North Carolina, but the South. What we need, in a word, is more ini- tiative. Wealth and Taxation in Wake County Raymond C. Maxwell, Raleigh Pkopeety Wealth and Increase In 1913 the taxable property of Wake amounted to $27,211,- 050. Only two counties had a larger total of properties on the tax list. It still holds this rank, but in 1916 our taxables had increased to $31,648,704. Here is an increase of $4,443,654 in three years, or a gain of one and a half million dollars for each year. Only two other counties in the State have more property than Wake on the tax books — Mecklenburg with $36,091,920 and Guilford with $33,629,469. Our increase in taxable property from 1903 to 1913 was 64 per cent, or a little less than that of the State at large, which was 81 per cent. The increase in taxable properties listed by negroes was 97 per cent; the increase in taxables owned by whites was 31 per cent. These figures are not unusual where negroes are thinly scattered among white majorities. In Wake, as elsewhere, the property of the negroes is relatively small. It was $1,739,000 in 1916, and his taxes amounted to only one dollar of every twelve dollars paid into the county treasury. County Wealth, Total and Pek Capita Although Wake is not thought of as a strictly agricultural county, still in 1910 it ranked fourth in the State in total farm wealth, the census total being $11,982,984. This is not bad, considering that Wake is sixth in size with only one-third of its half million acres of land under cultivation. But Wake fell behind the average for the State in the increase of farm values during the last census period. The ratio of gain being 118 per cent and 130 per cent respectively. Fifty-three counties made a Wealth and Taxation 25 better showing. This fact grows out of our farm tenancy sys- tem. Our excellent rural schools alone saved our county prop- erties from disaster. The same tenancy system explains our small per capita wealth in farm properties — lands, buildings, farm animals, tools and utensils. In 1910 it was only $272, against $322 for the State, $560 for Alleghany, $830 in Oklahoma, and $994 in the United States. Forty-nine counties made a better showing in this par- ticular. It wounds our pride to think that the average farmer of the United States is worth three times more than the average farmer in Wake. Iowa has reached the high-water mark in $3,386 as an average for a State. Not only is the per capita county wealth in farm properties small, but so, also, is our per capita taxable wealth in all prop- erties. In 1910 it was only $436 for the whites and $44 for the negroes. It is evident that improvement can be made in farm wealth and in all other properties in Wake. The average farmer in Iowa is worth more than nine times the average farmer in Il^orth Carolina, and the average taxpayer in general nearly nine times the average taxpayer in Wake. When Wake raises cotton and tobacco on a home-made bread-and-meat basis we shall be ten times richer than the Iowa people in less than any ten years. Farm Tenancy and Farm Mortgages In 1910, 54 per cent of our farms were cultivated by tenants, and nearly a fifth of the farms cultivated by white owners were mortgaged. Seventy-two counties made a better showing in farm ownership and 55 in freedom from mortgage debts by white farm owners. It requires a good deal of optimism to expect five-sixths of our farmers to own the farms they cultivate ; nevertheless this is the ratio of farm ownership in seven ol our counties, among them Alleghany, the richest county in per capita farm wealth in the State. The simple truth is that we 26 Wahe County: Economic and Social need more home-owning farmers in Wake and fewer tenants. Ownership farming, not tenancy farming, is the way up and out in Wake, for the farmer, the community, and the county. It is a sign of achievement. The farmer does not get very far continually using something that belongs to somebody else. The tenant is a valuable asset to the community if he has the industry, thrift, and enterprise to rise out of tenancy to owner- ship, but if he is content to dig a bare living out of rented soil, and spend the net profits in reckless living, instead of saving the surplus money to go back into land of his own, then he be- comes a liability instead of a community asset. The tendency in Wake should be in the direction of increasing farm ownership and decreasing tenancy. Mortgage Debt Mortgage debt on farm properties is not in itself bad, pro- vided it represents money borrowed for more land, better farm buildings, better livestock, and better labor-saving machinery. The richest farm State in the Union carries the heaviest mort- gage debt on farm properties, but the mortgage debt represents expansion and development, not bread and meat, hay, forage, and fertilizers during the chopping season. This is the kind of debt that cripples the tobacco belt. In Wake 55 per cent of every hundred white farmers own the farms they cultivate, and 19 per cent — or nearly a fifth of them — in 1910 were weighed down by mortgage debt; only 27 of every 100 negro farmers were farm owners, and nearly a third, or 32 per cent, of them were hobbled by mortgages on their land. Wake County ranks fifty-sixth in w^hite farm mortgage indebtedness and thirtieth in negro farm mortgage debt. Nine- teen per cent of the white farms in this county are mortgaged, and 32 per cent of the negro farms. The State average for the white farm owners is 17 per cent and for the negro owners 26 per cent. It thus appears that Wake again falls below the State average. Wealth and Taxation 27 Bank Wealth and Resources AVake County has several of the strongest banks in the State, and the total bank resources in 1915 were more than ten million dollars. It was fifth in per capita bank resources in 1915, the average per inhabitant being $153. This far exceeds the State average, which was only $62. In per capita bank capital in 1915 Wake stood high above the State average. Only five counties made a better showing. The average for Wake was $15, for the State it was $8.50, and for the United States $26.50. In per capita bank loans and discounts Wake stood fifth in 1915, our average being $99.30, while the State average was only $45. The total bank loans and discounts in that year amounted to $6,758,342. FACTS ABOUT WEALTH AND TAXATION IN WAKE 4th in total farm wealth, 1910 Census I 11,982,984.00 54th in wealth increase, 1900-1910, per cent 118 State increase, 130 per cent. 20th in increase in value of domestic animals, 1900-1910, per cent 132 State increase, 109 per cent; Robeson County, 208 per cent. 3d in total taxable property in 1913 $ 27,211,050.00 Increase in taxable property, 1903-1913, was 64 per cent. State increase, 81 per cent — whites, 31 per cent; negroes, 97 per cent. The total taxable property in Wake County in 1916 was $31,648,704. 50th in per capita country wealth 272 Alleghany, $560; State, $322; United States, $994; Iowa, $3,386. Per capita taxable wealth: All property in Wake in 1910 was $347— whites, $436; negroes, $44. Three years later per capita wealth of negro increases to $58. 69th in negro farm owners; per cent of all negro farms. . 27 State average of negro farm owners, 33 per cent. Negro farm owners in Wake number 577; white farm owners in Wake are 55 per cent of white farmers; in North Carolina, 66 per cent. 28 WdTce County: Economic and Social 31st in tax rate, State and county, on the $100 in 1913.. 89% Sixty-nine counties had a higher rate. Yancey County had the highest rate, $1.68%. There is abundant room for general progress and improvement in the tax rate in Wake. The State and county levy in 1916 was only $1.00%, and 38 counties were carrying a heavier tax burden. 38th In tax value of farm land compared with census value, per cent 45 4th in professional taxes paid in 1916 $955.00 There were 191 doctors, dentists, lawyers, photog- raphers, architects, etc., in Wake. 5th in State income taxes paid, 1916 $5,328.00 Only Mecklenburg, Guilford, New Hanover, and Forsyth paid more; 26 counties paid nothing. 56th in white farm mortgages, per cent 19 State average for whites is 17 per cent. 30th in negro farm mortgages, per cent 32 State average for negroes, 26 per cent. For both races, 18 per cent in North Carolina. 11th in improved roads in 1913. There are 800 miles of sand-clay and macadam roads in the county, with thirteen of the roads leading out of Raleigh. Here good roads are important because, within a radius of 100 miles of Raleigh, there are 1,791,908 inhabitants with over seventy-five brisk, busy towns. 6th in per capita bank capital in 1915 $15.38 State average, $8.51; U. S., $21.46. Total bank capital $1,031,000.00 5th in per capita bank loans and discounts in 1915 $99.30 State average, $45. Total bank loans and dis- counts, $6,758,342. 5th in per capita bank resources in 1915 $153.20 State average per capita, $62.65. Total bank re- sources, $10,389,992. Farm Conditions, Farm Practices, and the Local Market Problem T. P. Harrison, Jr., West Raleigh LoCATIOIf Wake is one of our 41 cotton-belt counties, which is a most favorable circumstance for her farmers ; for those living in this belt are blest with soils and seasons that can be made to yield under intelligent methods not only cotton in superabundance, but every food and feed crop necessary to our well-being. Our climate is an ideal one for farming. We have short, mild win- ters, a long growing season, and an abundant, well distributed rainfall. Wake is preeminently adapted to successful farming. Let us see what specific conditions place our county among the most desirable farm areas, not only in this State, but in the United States, market facilities considered. Wake is situated in the east-central portion of the State. Kaleigh, the State Cap- ital, is located in the center of the county. Three extensive rail- way systems — the Southern, the Seaboard, and the l^orfolk Southern — traverse every nook and corner of the county, thus affording farmers a ready means of placing their produce on the market. Soil and Climate Wake is situated on a corner of the Piedmont plateau that projects into the tide-water country. It is bisected by nu- merous streams flowing into Neuse River, which traverses the county. For this reason the land is rolling and possesses an excellent system of natural drainage. The county comprises 540,800 acres, of which approximately 50 per cent is wooded and only 35 per cent under cultivation. This leaves 350,000 acres of idle land in pine woods and broomsedge fields ; in other 30 Wake County: Economic and Social words, practically two-thirds of the total area is uncultivated. Reserving 50,000 acres for wood-lot uses and allotting 75 acres to each family, there is room in Wake for about 4,000 new farm families. Valuing each acre at a minimum of $20, we have $7,000,000 of dead capital tied up in the idle land of Wake. Consider, also, how greatly the value of this land would increase under proper cultivation. According to a Federal survey, the soil of Wake is of three types : Cecil sandy loam, Durham coarse sandy loam, and Cecil coarse sandy loam. While cotton and tobacco grow well in Wake, the report lays great stress upon the adaptability of our soils to all truck crops and the grains, as well as upon the main forage crops. Our lowlands and high lands are both admirably adapted to corn. Sweet and Irish potatoes demand nothing better than a sandy loam. For fruit growing and for trucking. Wake is wonderfully fit. The 1910 Census figures show that the crop-producing power of Wake exceeds that of the richest farm counties of Illinois and Iowa, which are the richest farm States in the Union. The average crop yield per acre in the United States, according to the last census report, was $16.31 ; for Wake County it was $21.34. This is an increase of $5.03 over the Nation at large. This is certainly a rank of which we should be proud, so proud that we should got busy and produce per acre yields that will put Wake above any county in the United States. We can do it. Why shouldn't we? The crop yield of Los Angeles County, Cali- fornia, one of the eight banner counties in agriculture in 1910, was only $35 per acre. Wake can easily go ahead of this aver- age even in ordinary years. So far as climatic conditions are concerned, we are certainly to be envied. According to an official bulletin, the climate of Wake is mild and well suited to the growing of a great variety of crops. The first frost comes about ITovember 3d; the last about April 4th. This permits a growing season of 213 days, while in north Wisconsin and North Dakota it ranges from 80 Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 31 to 110 days. Thus abundant time is allowed for the planting, maturing, and harvesting of all our crops. Our rainfall is ample and well distributed throughout the year. The spring and fall months are ideal farm months. We can readily see, then, that farm conditions in Wake are highly favorable to successful farming. In so far as actual conditions of soils and seasons are concerned, Wake could stand among the leaders of the I^ation in the production of annual crop wealth. Neither Wake nor any other county in North Carolina has yet cashed in the values of climate alone. Farm Methods and Pkactices Now, it is well that we examine into the methods and prac- tices of our farmers to discover whether or not they are utilizing their opportunities to best advantage. Are they carrying for- ward the chief industry of Wake in such a way as to contribute to the best interests of the county ? In what particulars do we fall short and wherein are our methods and practices injur- ing us ? The 1910 Census shows that seven-tenths of the total crop wealth of Wake was produced by cotton and tobacco alone. A comparison of figures indicates that for many years increasing attention was paid to these two crops and decreasing attention to food and forage crops. Referring to the conditions existing in Wake in 1860, we can see by the table at the end of this article that our total wheat yield decreased 80 per cent in fifty years, and our corn crop 56 per cent. Other crops decreased in sim- ilar ratios. Glancing down the page, we find that during this half century our cotton crop increased 400 per cent, and our tobacco crop practically 1,320 per cent. Our record for live- stock is also alarming. During these fifty years our hog-raising industry decreased 87 per cent, our cattle 67 per cent, and our sheep 95 per cent. Between the years 1900 and 1910 our corn crop decreased considerably, our oat crop was 37 per cent smaller, and our wheat crop 50 per cent smaller. Since 1910, 32 Wake County: Economic and Social Wake has been raising less cotton and more food and feed crops. In 1910 only one-third of our total crop values were produced by food crops. In the census year we imported into Wake County four and a quarter million pounds of meat, two and a half million pounds of butter, nearly two million fowls, three- quarter million dozens of eggs, and one and a quarter million bushels of corn. These statistics clearly indicate that up to 1910 Wake was headed in the wrong direction. More and more we were inclined to neglect food crops, and to give more and more attention to cotton and tobacco as ready-cash crops. Con- sequently, instead of raising our bread and meat, we were forced to send a vast amount of money out of the county to pay for farm and pantry supplies we failed to raise at home. According to an authentic statement, we sent out of the county for this pur- pose in 1910 four million dollars to pay for imported food and feed supplies alone. The same exhibit shows that our annual food and feed amounted to six million dollars, and that we pro- duced at home a little less than two million dollars worth of breadstuffs. In that year, as for many long, long years, our cotton and tobacco money barely paid our bill for imported bread and meat. Our agriculture was ill-balanced and unsafe, and we failed to realize the extent to which this state of affairs was retarding agriculture, hindering industrial development, reduc- ing accumulated farm wealth to a minimum, and crippling both banking and trade in Wake County. In the census year the per capita rural wealth of Wake County was only $272, as against $322 in North Carolina, $560 in Alleghany County, and $944 in the United States. This places Wake as forty-ninth in per capita country wealth among the counties of the State. Alleghany County, which produces no cotton and no tobacco, ranks first in per capita rural wealth in N"orth Carolina, while Wake with far greater advantages ranks only forty-ninth. Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 33 How It Is Affecting the County These, in brief, are the direct results of the farm system and methods forced upon our farmers by the calamities of the Civil War. And not until 1910 did either Wake County or the State at large begin to balance up agriculture with more food crops, better rotations, more and better livestock. The time has come when we must stop buying farm supplies with cotton and tobacco money; and since the census year we have undoubtedly made great changes in our farm systems. But for long years we have been forced to buy bread and meat, grain, hay, and forage, not because we cannot produce them, but sim- ply because we did not raise enough of them to fill our own barns, bins, and pantries. We bought supplies shipped in over long distances, we paid exorbitant transportation charges, and enor- mous sums went to a swarming multitude of middlemen. The penalties of this system fell upon the farmers, but even more upon the town and city dwellers of the county. The High Cost of Living in Raleigh The fact that four million dollars left the county in 1910 to pay for imported food and feed largely accounts for the high cost of living in Raleigh. According to a Government report, Raleigh is one of the six most expensive cities in the United States to live in. Most of us realize what the high cost of living means to industry in a city like Raleigh, It implies the greatest hindrance to industrial development and success that could possibly be presented. A high cost of living calls for high wages. High wages mean a greater labor cost in factory pro- duction, and under such conditions manufacturers cannot com- pete with any degree of success with other concerns located in areas where the labor cost of production is lower. When labor costs are high, profits dwindle or disappear. 3 34 Wake County: Economic and Social In order that the high cost of living in a citj may be reduced to a minimum, it is of primary importance that this city should become the center of a well developed food producing region. In normal times nearly half of a thousand-dollar income goes to pay for family food alone ; at present nearly two-thirds of it. Therefore, the price of food must be kept at the lowest possible level. It cannot be reduced so long as consumers must pay enormous overhead charges for transportation and distribution. Raleigh, as we have seen, is by no means the center of a well developed food producing area. If the cost of living is to be kept on reasonable levels, producers and consumers must be kept close together. The city in America with the safest basis for assured growth and prosperity is invariably the center of an abundant food-producing region. And a county or community that cannot or will not feed itself cannot expect to prosper. Wake not only can feed herself, but she is capable of becoming one of the leading food-producing counties in the State. When the farmers of Wake raise cotton and tobacco on a bread-and- meat basis, they will keep at home the four million dollars a year that goes into the pockets of the Middle Western farmers, or a reasonable portion of this King's ransom. When this is done, our farm wealth will easily be doubled within five years. The Crop-Lien System, A Hindrance Farm tenancy under the crop-lien system is largely responsi- ble for the meager wealth of our farm population and the high cost of living in Raleigh. In 1910 more than half of the farms in Wake County were cultivated by tenants. Three-fifths, or 1,922, of these tenants were croppers, and 1,357 were cash, or standing rent tenants. These farmers are obliged to go into debt to the supply merchants in order to keep soul and body to- gether during the growing season. This situation is the eco- nomic result of our crop-lien system, under which it is useless to Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 35 hope that our farmers will plant more food crops and less of the money crops. The crop-lien system calls for a money crop, one that can be turned into instant, ready cash. What more natural than that cotton and tobacco should be planted, both being crops that can be turned quickly into money ? Indeed, he is forced, in the very nature of things, to raise cotton and tobacco and neglect food and feed crops. The disastrous one-crop, farm- tenancy, crop-lien, supply-merchant system can be broken down by the bankers of a community, and by the bankers alone. The methods of the Texas bankers will be discussed later on. The Lack of Adequate Maeket Facilities Another factor that forces Wake farmers to neglect food crops and to plant the money crops is the lack of conveniences and facilities in Raleigh for marketing home-raised bread-and-meat products. "When the farmer plants cotton and tobacco he real- izes that the whole world is an organized market for them. He does not have to seek the market, the market seeks him. They are an acceptable credit collateral even before they are planted. They can be turned into instant cash the minute he gets into town. Not so with the food products, for Raleigh is inade- quately equipped with modern marketing facilities. Or, what is more nearly true, the housewives of Raleigh do not have the marketing habits of the housewives in Baltimore and New Or- leans. When a farmer brings his produce to Raleigh he is forced either to peddle it from door to door, or to stand idle in the market place waiting for customers. This state of affairs is bad for the producers and the consumers in Wake County. Since we have erected a county courthouse costing more than all the public school property in the county, certainly we should be equally eager to provide the various facilities necessary for the marketing of home-produced food products. Our city market is beginning to serve the purpose for which it was erected, but until 36 Wake County: Economic and Social the consumer is brouglit to buy his food personally, until the merchants will accept corn and other food crops as collateral for loans, until the banks force the merchants to do this, and until the farmers themselves raise more of the food and feed crops, our marketing facilities will be inadequate and Wake will continue to send money out of the county annually to buy what she can so easily raise at home. The rest-room for women in the county courthouse is a forward step in this matter, and is being well used by the farmers' wives and daughters. A fuller discussion of this matter is given in the chapter on ''Our Problems and Their Solution." When we consider what this backwardness implies, what pen- alties we are paying, should we not be planning and scheming to discover the means for remedying these conditions ? With- out the best marketing facilities by which our farmers may quickly and successfully dispose of their products, we cannot hope that they will respond. We must make them see the ad- vantages in raising food crops before they will begin to cooperate in any measure in solving this problem. That Wake County is capable of raising its own food no one acquainted with the facts can deny. With our crop yield per acre averaging $5.03 above that of the United States, we could raise our own food in super- abundance. Our Corn Club boys have demonstrated our corn- raising capabilities. In 1914, Y2 corn-club boys averaged 49 1/5 bushels of corn to the acre at a cost of only 40 cents per bushel. At this rate, our adult farmers could produce on the corn acre- age of the county 2,500,000 bushels, or enough for home con- sumption and a half million bushels over to sell abroad. How We Can Remedy the Situation After carefully considering our status in food production and the facts underlying the truth that Wake is a poor county in per capita country wealth, let us look at the ways out. In the first Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 37 place, we must solve the problem of local markets for home- raised food and feed products. Consumers and producers must be brought together, farmers must get more for their products and consumers more for their money. This double result means the elimination of useless middlemen. The banks can help immensely. If they establish credit ac- commodations, big scale marketing will be facilitated. Texas has set an enviable pace in this direction. Her banks now refuse loans to supply merchants doing a crop-lien business pro- tected by cotton acreage alone. They require that a certain part of the acreage be put in food crops, thus forcing every farmer to raise a sufficiency of bread and meat. The supply merchant can discount no other kind of a crop-lien at the bank. Thus the bankers force the supply merchants to force the farmers to raise cotton on a bread-and-meat basis. As a result, they are keeping at home the $217,000,000 that in the past has been leaving the State to pay for imported food supplies. Moreover, the Texas boards of trade are maintaining free telephone market information exchanges. Impartially operated, they are proving an immense advantage in informing farmers as to market condi- tions and demands, and customers about the farmers with products to sell. Our banks, our Merchants' Association, our Chamber of Com- merce, and our Rotary Club in Raleigh must all pull together to solve these problems. And when we have our work well under way it will mean that our home-made money will be kept at home, and a vast enhancement of rural wealth and city trade, manufacture, and banking will follow. It was a four-million- dollar proposition in 1910 ; and unless we are now raising more food and feed products than we were at that time, it is some- thing like a ten-million-dollar proposition today. 38 Wahe County: Economic and Social Facts About Farm Conditions in 1910 The figures on the left indicate rank; that is, thej show how many counties made a better showing. 38th in land under cultivation. Per cent of total area 35.5 State average, 29 per cent. Land under cultivation, 191,864 acres. Idle acres, 348,936, or tviro-thirds of total area. 2d in number of farms 6,137 Average cultivated acres per farm, 31.3. Size of cultivated farms larger in 58 counties. About one-third are less than 50 acres in size, both cultivated and uncultivated land considered. 16th in poultry increase, 1900-1910. Per cent 33.3 97,930 fowls of all kinds in county in 1910. Rank in num- ber of fowls on hand, 5th. 43d in cattle per thousand acres 24 State average, 23; U. S., 61. 14th in cattle increase, 1900-1910. Per cent 31 Caldwell increase, 62 per cent; State average increase, 12 per cent. 44th in hogs per 1,000 acres 33 State average, 39; U. S., 66; Iowa, 263. 53d in swine decrease, 1900-1910. Per cent 11 69 counties decreased; only 28 increased. 67th in sheep losses, 1900-1910. Per cent 62 Total number lost, 785; worth $2,826. Wake ought to en- force her dog license tax. The revenue from this source for schools in 1916 was only $452; in Halifax it was $3,323. 73d in farm tenancy, per cent 54.3 State average, 42.3 per cent. Ten-year increase in Wake, 1.1 per cent. Forty-seven counties decreased in farm ten- ancy. White tenants in Wake, 1,757; negro tenants, 1,576. The landless, homeless, white tenants and their families number nearly 9,000 souls. Three-fifths of all tenants are croppers, 1,922 in number. 1,357 are cash, or standing rent tenants. Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 39 Facts About Faem Practices 9tli in cotton production; total crop, 1914, bales 29,253 Robeson first with 74,168 bales. Five-year increase, 6.5 per cent. Fifty-seven counties increased at a greater rate; eight counties decreased in cotton production. Cotton production per acre in Wake in 1910 was 282.1 lbs.; rank, 15th. State average, 261 lbs. 12th in tobacco production in 1910; pounds 4,478,073 For 1900 it was 3,143,390 pounds. 86th in non-food crops produced — cotton, tobacco, etc $ 2,832,626.00 Cotton and tobacco, per cent of total crop wealth, 69 per cent of total farm wealth produced; non- food crops, 31 per cent. 2d in annual farm wealth produced % 4,818,607.00 This total covers both crops and animal products. Every two and one-third years the farmers produce more wealth than they have been able to accumu- late in 140 years. 19th in crop-yielding power per acre $21.34 State average, $20.18 in 1914. Compares well with Missouri, $13.96; Minnesota, $13.19; North Dakota, $11.10; South Dakota, $10.79 in 1910. 18th in production of annual farm wealth per person $109.50 State average, $85. Average of French farmers, $126. 85th in food and feed production per person $31.00 Needed, $84 per person; deficit, $53 per person. Total deficit, $3,987,000. 86th in food and feed crops; per cent of total crop value. . . 31 Alleghany, 89 per cent; State average, 47; Wake ranks 50th here. Facts About Food and Feed Production 4th in corn production; total crop, bushels 686,991 Robeson first with 1,142,060. 86th in corn produced per person; bushels 11 Needed per person, 31 bu. ; deficit of 20 bu. Total deficit, 1,273,108 bu. State average, 15 bu. per person in 1910. 54th in wheat production per person; bushels .4 Needed, 4 bu. per person; deficit per person, 3.6 bu. Total deficit, 227,539 bushels. Only 15 counties in 1910 raised wheat surpluses. Loss in wheat production, 1900-1910, was 49 per cent. 40 Wake County: Economic and Social 24th in oat production; total crop, bushels 39,809 The loss in oat production, 1900-1910, was 19 per cent. 15th in hay and forage production; total crop, tons 6,060 Ten-year increase, 1900-1910, was 48 per cent. 72d in beef production per person; pounds 16 State average, 33.8 pounds. 85th in pork production per person; pounds 52 State average, 93 pounds. 72d in poultry production per person; fowls 5 Needed, 13 fowls per person per year; deficit, 8 fowls per person. Total deficit, 505,000. 97th in egg deficit; dozen 672,700 Needed, 17 1/^ doz. per person; produced, 7 doz.; de- ficit, 101/2 doz. 86th in increase in farm sales of dairy product; per cent. . 24 Total sales in 1910 were $83,634. State increase was 146 per cent. "Wake produced 11.7 lbs. butter per person. The average amount needed was 48 lbs. 39th in live-stock products per person $17.00 Alleghany, $65; State average, $17. Per capita crop production in Wake was $31. Total farm wealth produced, $48 per person. 97th in bill for imported food and feed supplies $ 3,987,000.00 In three years it equals the farm wealth accumulated in 140 years. 1st in Boys' Corn Club enrollment in 1914; boys 352 Average per acre yield, 49.2 bushels, or nearly four times the average for the country. At this rate the grown-ups might have produced corn enough for home consumption and a half-million bushels over to sell. Instead they bought 1,273,108 bushels. 15th in Girls' Canning Club enrollment, 1914 20 Tins and glass jars filled, 7,120; rank, 13th. Clear profits, $657.80; rank, 13th. Farm Crops in Wake in 1860 and 1910 1860. Hogs 46,710 or nearly 2 per inhabitant 1910. 16,952 or nearly 14 per inhabitant Per capita decrease, 87 per cent 1860. Wheat 79,293 bu. or nearly 3 bu. per inhabitant 1910. 25,377 bu. or nearly %bu. per inhabitant Per capita decrease, 87 per cent 1860. Corn 725,843 bu. or 25.4 bu. per inhabitant 1910, 686,991 bu. or 11 bu. per inhabitant Per capita decrease, 56 per cent Farm Conditions, Practices, and Local Markets 1860. Oats 48,391 bu. or nearly 9 bu. per work animal 1910. 39,809 bu. or nearly 4% bu. per work Per capital decrease, animal 50 per 1860. Cotton 5,889 bales (500 lbs.) 1910. 29,367 bales Total increase, 400 per 1860. Tobacco 314,755 lbs. 1910. 4,478,073 lbs. Total increase, 1,320 per 1860. Potatoes 244,066 bu. or 8y2 bu. per inhabitant 1910. 251,394 bu. or 4 bu. per inhabitant Per capita decrease. 51 per 1860. Hay 7,782 tons or 1.4 per work animal 1910. 5,575 tons or .61 per work animal Per capita decrease. 56 per 1860. Cattle 16,777 or .59 per inhabitant 1910. 12,405 or .19 per inhabitant Per capita decrease. 67 per 1860. Sheep 10,738 1910. 476 41 cent cent cent cent cent cent Total decrease, 95 per cent Seven- Year Gains in Wake County Rural Schools OusBY R. Cunningham, Apex Since the memorable educational awakening in Wake County during the Aycock administration, a great deal of interest has been centered in the rural schools. The people of the county have realized the needs of the rural districts, and by their will- ingness to be taxed, and by other sacrifices of its citizens, the county has made wonderful strides in the development of its educational system. There are no better country schools in the State or the entire South. 1. Consolidation of Schools In 1908-'09 the white school property was valued at $126,567 ; seven years later the value was $306,671, or an increase of 142 per cent. There were 88 rural white schools in Wake in 1908- '09, and 76 in 1915-'16, a decrease of 14 per cent. The reason for the decrease in number of white schools during this period lies in consolidation of many of the small schools, a policy which has been advantageous to the county. The people have begun to realize the great advantages which result from consolidation, namely, the graded system, better attention to the training of little children, longer class periods, and longer terms. There were 34 country schools in 1908-'09 with two or more teachers ; seven years later the number was the same. In 1908-'09 all but five of the schools were equipped with patent desks; in 1915-'16 only one school had old-fashioned home-made desks. These facts indicate that Wake County has taken a wise step in developing consolidated rural schools. Thus, more of our coun- try children are in school, the numbers enrolled moving up from 76 to 81 per cent. But, also, they attend better, the average Seven-Year Gains in Rural Schools 43 daily attendance moving up from 57 to 63 per cent. Every scliool man knows that these are tremendous gains in a seven- year period. These increases would not have been possible with- out the school supervisors of the county. Wake leads the State in this modern movement, and she will be in disgrace if she loses her primacy in this particular. 2. Increasing Liberality The table that follows shows that during this interval our total expenditures on country schools was more than doubled, the increase being 150 per cent; that the amount spent for teach- ing and supervision was nearly trebled, the increase being 189 per cent; that the average annual salary of the rural white teacher was more than doubled, the increase being 124 per cent. On the other hand, the expenses of administration show an increase of only 80 per cent. Wake County leads the State in the total amount invested in country school property. In 1915-'16 the value of such prop- erties was $306,671, which was nearly two and a half times the total value of 1908-'09. 'No other county in this or any other State can show such gains in a seven-year period. 3. Teachers' Salaries The number of rural white teachers has grown from 136 to 199, an increase of 46 per cent. Likewise, there has been a noticeable gain in the average annual salary of rural white teachers. The increase in seven years was from $153.59 to $344, a gain of 124 per cent. But still the teachers of our county, like those of every other in the State, are very poorly paid today, the high cost of living considered. The figures of the Washington authorities show that the teacher's dollar will buy less than haK as much as it would in 1914. Meantime, the quality of our country school teaching corps has immensely im- 44 Wake County: Economic and Social proved. In 1908, 36 of them held college diplomas; seven years later the number had increased to 68, a gain of 29 per cent. Thus we see that our teachers are giving more time and money preparing to render better service in the schools. The people of Wake need to realize that their country school teachers must have a living wage. If it cannot be so, our splendid sys- tem will promptly fall to pieces, and the children of the county will pay the penalty. 4. Small School Population and Lakge Attendance The total school population in 1908-'09 was 13,212, and in 1915-'16 it was 15,315, an increase of 16 per cent. Total en- rollment increased from 10,131 to 12,522, a gain of 24 per cent. But best of all, our average daily attendance increased from 5,826 to 7,890, a gain of 35 per cent. These are marvelous gains, considering the fact that more than half, or 54 per cent, of our country people are tenant farmers who move from place to place year by year and thus gradually lose their interest in schools. So it usually is in counties afflicted by the tenant-farm system. But not in Wake; which means that our excellent country schools are a bulwark of defense for farm landowners. They have helped to keep a desirable class of tenants in the county. The foregoing statements are based on the tables at the end of this discussion. They illustrate the progress that Wake County has made in education during the last seven years. Today we have four excellent county high schools, namely, at Cary, Wakelon, Holly Springs, and Bay Leaf. Two of these high schools, Wakelon and Cary, have farm-life departments. The total property of these four county high schools is valued at $110,000. In addition to these county high schools, there are 23 other schools in which some high school instruction is given. Of these, the principal ones are the Apex Graded School and the Wendell Graded School, both of which prepare students for college. Seven-Year Gains in Rural Schools 45 In the educational development of our county much credit is due the women, who have organized themselves into what is known as the Woman's Betterment Association. Since the be- ginning of this organization, in addition to giving other aid to the cause of education, the association has raised large sums of money in various ways, which has been spent in establishing libraries, domestic science courses, beautifying school grounds, and in various other helpful ways. The modesty of these inter- ested women has prevented them from getting credit for many things that they have accomplished. Great credit for our successful educational development is due our former County Superintendent of Schools, Prof. Z. V. Judd, and to the former Chairman of the Board of Education, Mr. L. J, Sears. These men with untiring efforts piloted our educational system through its early struggle with ignorance and placed the country schools on a firm basis. Our present County Superintendent, Dr. E. W. Knight, and Mr. E. B. Crow, the Chairman of the Board of Education, are continuing the fight against ignorance and illiteracy in Wake with the same enthusiasm and vigor with which the educational movement began. Wake's County Commencement is an important event, and everybody takes an interest in it because the people appreciate its significance and value. But despite our growth in the past, we still have room for improvement in our schools. Since our country is at war, it will be necessary for us to make greater sacrifices than we have made heretofore to keep our schools on the highest possible level. But we must "keep the lights of learning burning," because after the war trained minds will be needed to solve the great problems that will confront not only America, but the world. With the cooperation of every citizen, Wake County's educational system will continue to grow, be- cause the people fully realize the necessity of good educational facilities. 46 Wahe County : Economic and Social SEVEN-YEAR GAINS IN WAKE COUNTY RURAL SCHOOLS, 1908-09 TO 1915-16 1908-09 Total expenditures $62,632.00 Spent on teachers and supervision. . 28,769.00 Administration expenses 4,370.00 New buildings, both races $19,133.00 Total school population 13,212 Total enrollment 10,131 Per cent of enrollment 76 Average daily attendance 5,826 Per cent attending 57 Average annual salaries, white rural $153.59 School property $126,567.00 Rural white schools 88 Having two or more teachers 34 Per cent having two or more teachers 39 Total rural white teachers 136 Number rural white teachers with four years experience 70 Number having college diplomas... 36 White schools with patent desks... 83 White schools with home-made desks 5 New schoolhouses, both races 4 Cost $14,492.00 Total school districts 88 Local tax districts, number No report Total raised by local district taxes. . $7,820.00 Note. — * means decrease. Per Gent 1915-16 Increase $156,584.00 150 83,085.00 189 7,853.00 80 $23,905.00 25 15,315 16 12,522 24 81 5 7,890 35 63 6 $344.00 124 $306,671.00 142 76 12* 34 ... 45 6 199 46 113 61 68 90 75 1 80* 7 75 $15,854.00 9 75 15* 45 $29,972.00 283 STATUS OF WAKE COUNTY SCHOOLS, 1913-14 Rank 3d in total taxable wealth in 1914 $28,299,788.00 1st in Investment in rural school property, 1914 $266,569.00 On a per capita basis, Wake, with $11.02, was out- ranked only by New Hanover, Craven, and Durham. 21st in local school tax rate (county and special), on the $1,000 $5.97 Pamlico leads with $8.90, and Hertford comes last with $3.45. 1st in amount spent upon buildings and supplies $95,074.00 Seven-Year Gains in Rural Schools 47 18th in salaries paid white rural school teachers $292.40 State average, $235.27. Of the 169 white teachers in the county, all have had four years experience; 98 have normal training; and 55 had college diplomas. 19th in number of local tax districts; per cent 48.7 37 out of the total number of 76 school districts levy a local tax. 1st in total revenues from district tax $75,831.00 Received from State appropriation and equalizing fund $14,473, and $1,650 from the High School Fund. 33d in school attendance on enrollment; per cent 76.7 Watauga leads with 87.3 per cent. Hyde is lowest with 55.2 per cent. 2d in rural white schools with two or more teachers; per cent 68.8 53 of the 77 schools have two or more teachers. — in rural white schools with patent desks; per cent 100 75 schoolhouses, and all are equipped with patent desks. 63d in expenditures per high school pupil enrolled $23.18 An increase of $2.03 over the year 1907-08, at which date the county ranked 45th. In 1913-14 the county had 3 four-year high schools and 2 two-year high schools with 8 whole and 1 part time high school teachers. It raised for high schools $2,806, and received from the State $1,750. 11th in high school attendance on enrollment; per cent. . 83.7 Burke leads with 93.2 per cent; Wayne is lowest with 54.3 per cent. 4th in per capita investment in rural white school prop- erty, 1913-14 $11.02 N. C. average, $5.10. Durham first with $13.97; Tyrrell last with 44c. Where Wake Leads George B. Lay, Raleigh Of the many things that Wake County has to be proud of, the most impressive is the simple fact that it is the capital county of the State and has as a county-seat the progressive city of Raleigh, whose business men stand for high ideals and who today have "Wide Awake, Raleigh," as an inspiring motto uppermost in their minds. Raleigh Raleigh, with a population of 30,000, has grown from a coun- try town, twenty years ago, into a dignified and beautiful city, with an enormous business wealth. It is a distributing point for many of the most important concerns that do business in this State. Its central geographical position and fine railway connections, together with the rich trade territory and its possi- bilities, are assets that are invaluable, and, in time, should place Raleigh ahead of every other city in the State. Among the unique assets of Raleigh are the colleges and schools that are situated there. The State College of Agriculture and Engineering, and the three schools for women — Meredith, Peace, and St. Mary's — with their annual influx of girls, are of inestimable value to our city, and we are justly proud of them all. The numerous State institutions, such as the State School for the Blind, the State Hospital for the Insane, and many others, make our Capital City a central meeting point for the State. Our colored schools, St. Augustine and Shaw Univers- ity, the Catholic and the Methodist orphanages are also institu- tions of conspicuous worth and influence. We take pride in them as a sure indication of our school advancement. Raleigh is also the gathering point for many of the most important Where Wahe Leads 49 meetings of the State, not to speak of the State Legislature and the State Fair. Our great city auditorium makes Ealeigh the logical convention city of the State. OuK Schools The progress that Wake has made in the last few years in improving her schools is remarkable. The amount raised by local district taxes for the support of her country schools alone increased nearly 300 per cent between 1909-1916. The average annual salary of her white rural teachers was more than dou- bled during this period, although it is still below a living wage. Meanwhile, her country school property increased 142 per cent. In every way Wake has stepped to the forefront in public school progress in l^orth Carolina. Her per capita investment in rural school property, not including the school property of Raleigh, is $11.02, which is beyond the State average of $5.10, and very near that of the leading county of the State — Durham, with $13.97. The average salary of the white teachers in the county, town and country, was $429.54 in 1916. Only five counties paid more; while her rural white teachers received $292, only 17 counties paying more. The need of better schools with better- paid teachers is evident, because the native white illiterates of non-voting age in the county were 9.8 per cent, the illiterate white males of voting age were 11.5 per cent of this age group. Of late years Wake has pursued the sensible policy of con- solidating her rural schools, a step which means better buildings, better teachers, and better equipment. She has built some of the finest rural high schools in the State, in Gary, Wakelon, Holly Springs, and Bay Leaf. Efficiency, better teachers, better salaries, and the best equipment possible are some of the ideals that Wake County educators have cherished ; and as a result the country schools of Wake have made greater progress during the last few years than in a whole century before. 4 50 Wake County: Economic and Social Wake is the capital county of the State, the home of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, and naturally she has led in the development of her educational system. As mentioned before, consolidation, better paid teachers, and better supervision have been the mainsprings of Wake's policy. This development has been going on, slow at first, ever since the days of Governor Aycock, who put life into public education in North Carolina. Since then the efforts of many loyal men have added to the improvement of our schools. The work, however, of Wake's former County Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Z. V. Judd, and the former Chairman of her Board of Education, Mr. L. J. Sears, was untiring and has meant more for the county than the average citizen even dreams of. Through their efforts the schools of the county were put upon a firm basis. They must, however, be enormously strengthened to meet the necessities that public education every- where will face when this war is over. Our present Superintendent, Dr. E. W. Knight, and the Chairman of the Board of Education, Mr. E. B. Crow, are ably fitted to lead in the fight against the perils that now test our country schools and nerve our people to bear the increased bur- dens that will come with peace. Our schools must be kept up to their former high level, and they must also evidence the growth that President Wilson and Lloyd George both insist upon as necessary for the public welfare, even in these times of immense expenditures for war. It is not a wise policy to cut down the local tax or the total of the school appropriations, for our schools are the soul of democracy, for which we are fighting today. Wealth The fact that Wake County ranks third in the State in taxable wealth is an enviable record. In 1913 her taxables were $27,- 211,050, which increased to $31,648,704 in 1916. Her total farm wealth in the last census year amounted to $11,982,984, ^Yllere WaJce Leads 51 although Wake has not been considered an agricultural county. And here we venture to say that it must be so considered in the future, if banking and merchandizing are to develop into the largest possible proportions in Wake. During the period 1900-'09 the increase in value of farm ani- mals was 132 per cent, while the State increase was only 109 per cent. In 1916 Wake paid into the State Treasury .$5,328 as personal income taxes. Only four counties paid more. In 1913 our professional taxes amounted to $895, and only one county paid more. But in 1916 nobody paid any professional taxes for county support. Here is a defect in our salary plan of paying county officers. Wake, with 6,137 farms, and ranking in this respect second in the State, is also second in annual farm wealth produced. The total in 1910 was $4,818,607. This means that our farms in two and a half years produced more wealth than our farmers have been able to save and accumulate in the last 140 years. We know how to make the wealth, but we have not learned how to save it. It is a hard lesson, but we must learn it before we shall begin to keep our money at home. In per capita bank capital. Wake stood sixth in 1915. Her average of $15 put Wake high above the State average of $8.50, but below the U. S. average of $26.50. We have some of the strongest banks in the State. In 1914 Wake had 602 miles of improved public roads. It was a full half of our total public road mileage, and an increase of 75 per cent in four years. Only ten counties at that time were building improved public highways more rapidly. But in 1916 we had over 800 miles of good roads. Good roads are a vital asset to any community, and their improvement and up- keep is of paramount importance. 52 Wake County: Economic and Social Low Tax Eate In spite of the great amount of money raised by taxes in the last few years in Wake for permanent improvements, her com- bined State and county rate for all purposes in 1913 was less than in 65 other counties in the State. At that time it was only 89 2/3 cents on the $100; in Yancey County it was $1.68 2/3. In 1916 it was only $1.00 2/3, and 39 other counties were carry- ing heavier State and county burdens. With her attention fully focused on improvement along every line. Wake has made great progress, and yet she has kept her State and county rate for all purposes at a level so low that there is ample room for a hand- some increase in levies for school purposes. But the fact that property in Ealeigh is assessed at about 66 2/3 per cent of its actual value and in the rural districts at from 10 to 20 per cent, has led to a condition that is unfair to the Raleigh taxpayer, and, at the same time, is unfair to the county itself. Industrial Plants The rapid building and improvement of roads in Wake is im- portant, because Raleigh is the center of a district that has, within one hundred miles, a population of 1,791,908 inhabitants and more than seventy-five lively towns. Wake has also 118 miscellaneous plants; six cotton mills with $1,116,000 of capital. In 1916 these cotton mills consumed Y,253,085 pounds of raw material and turned out finished goods worth $1,512,154. Our six knitting mills had a combined capital of $221,657. With our good roads, our farmers have ready access to a good market for cotton, tobacco, food crops and animal products of every kind. On the other hand, our merchants and mills easily reach their customers in the surrounding trade territory. Wake is on the right road to success, but with a long way yet to go. We have, also, in the county 33 publications, most of which are leading publications, and all of which help to push the county forward and advertise our advantages to the outside world. Where Wake Leads 53 Ageiculture The farmers of any community form the backbone of that community, a fact that is not less true of Wake than it is of the State as a whole and the ISTation at large. Upon their labor, their prosperity, good cheer and high courage depend to a large extent the prosperity and wealth of the county. Wake County, with a variety of fine soils and advantageous seasons and with only one-third of her total acreage under culti- vation, has a fine record in the total and the per-acre yield of crop wealth. Her per-acre crop yield was $21.34: in the last census year, while that of the United States was only $16.31. Only 18 other counties in this State yielded larger per-acre crop values. Our Boys' Corn Club enrollment in 1914 was the largest in the State. At that time there were 352 boys actively engaged in this work, and Wake led the State. Two years later 36 Corn Club boys raised the average yield nine bushels per acre and lowered the cost of production five cents a bushel. If the farmers of the county would only equal the record these boys have made in corn production, an average of 49.2 bushels per acre, they could supply the needs of the county and have more than one million bushels a year to sell. The boys' average is four times that of the farmers of the county. Nevertheless, in 1910, we were fourth in total corn production, with a yield of 686,991 bushels. The girls in the Canning Clubs of Wake also make an ex- cellent showing and give the county a high rank in the produc- tion and conservation of home-raised food. In the number of girls reporting only two counties made a better showing in 1915, and in the money value of their products the county ranked fourth. When 135 girls fill 42,269 containers with fruit and vegetables, worth more than eight thousand dollars and clear profits of nearly six thousand, the value of such work in Wake is beyond debate. 54 Wake County : Economic and Social Between 1900 and 1910 we increased our hay and forage production by 48 per cent. In this respect we outranked 85 counties in the State. It is a great forward step for any county to take. Abundant, cheap forage means more livestock, and live- stock are essential to farm prosperity. Wake ranked second in the annual production of farm wealth. In 1910 the total was $4,818,607 worth of food crops, animal products, cotton, and tobacco. JSTot only was Wake's annual total of farm wealth large, but her production per person was $24.50 better than the State average. In this respect we stood eighteenth among the counties of the State, with a production of $109.50 per inhabitant. The work that is being done in crop production and animal husbandry at the State College of Agriculture and Engineering- has already borne fruit in the increase of cattle in Wake. Dur- ing the last census period our cattle increased by 31 per cent in number, and our poultry 33.3 per cent. Only thirteen counties of the State made a greater increase in cattle and only fifteen a greater increase in poultry. But best of all, our breeds of cattle, pigs, and poultry are improving. In 1914 Wake ranked ninth in cotton production, with a total of 29,253 bales. But in 1917 her cotton crop fell to but 20,274 bales ; which means that Wake is producing less cotton but more food and feed stuffs. Here is a change of the greatest signifi- cance in the development of a safe agriculture in Wake. Thus, we can readily see that all the conditions of farm pros- perity are present in Wake; but, owing to her rapid growth in population, her production of food and feed crops has not kept pace with her enlargement along other lines. Her idle acreage, two-thirds of the county, should be put to work. At a conservative estimate, the 350,000 acres of idle land in Wake are worth seven million dollars ; and they represent just that much dead capital. Neither the owners of this land, the Where Walce Leads 55 agriculture of the county, nor the business men of Kaleigh can afford a dead investment of this huge sort. . The production of farm wealth in Wake is based on a tenancy system; and undoubtedly the farm tenants of the county rank far above the average of the State in industry, sobriety, and trustworthiness. The explanation ? It lies in the fact that our good country schools attract a superior class of tenants into the county and hold them there longer than they are accustomed to settle down elsewhere. In brief, our investment in schools has been the best invest- ment the landowners of Wake have ever made. Where Wake Leads The figures on the left, indicating rank, show how many coun- ties make a better showing. 6th in area ; acres 540,800 2d in population 63,229 15th in density of rural population; people to square mile 52.1 25th in native white illiterates ten years old and over; per cent 9.8 26th in native white illiterate voters, 1,116; per cent. . . . 11.5 18th in average salary paid white teachers, 1914 $292.00 State average, $235.27; 169 rural teachers; 98 had normal training, 102 four years experience, and 55 college diplomas. 6th in average salary of all white teachers in the county, including Raleigh $429.54 18th in marriage rate per 1,000 inhabitants, fifteen years old and over, 1914 12.8 State average, 10.1; Pasquotank, 23.6; marriages in Wake, 807. 38th in birth rate, per 1,000 inhabitants 32.6 Average for U. S., 1913, 26.6; N. C, 31.2; Clay, 54.4. 4th in total farm wealth $11,982,984.00 20th in increase in value of domestic animals; per cent. . 132 State increase, 109 per cent. 3d in total taxable property, 1916 $31,648,704.00 56 Wake County: Economic and Social 35th in tax rate, State and county, on ?100 in 1913 89% 3d in income taxes paid, 1913 $4,769.02 Thirty-three counties paid no income taxes. 2d in professional taxes paid 1895.00 11th in improved roads in 1913; per cent 34 Number of miles, 343; in 1914, 602 miles or 50 per cent of the total road mileage (public) ; in 1915, 800 miles. 2d in number of farms 6,137 16th in poultry increase, 1900-1910; per cent 33.3 Rank in number of fowls on hand, 5th. 14th in cattle increase, 1900-1910; per cent 31 9th in cotton production; total crop, 1914, bales 29,253 12th in tobacco production, 1910; pounds 4,478,073 2d in annual farm wealth produced $4,818,607.00 Every two and a half years the farmers produce more wealth than they have been able to save and accumulate in 140 years. 19th in crop-yielding power per acre $21.34 18th in production of annual farm wealth per person $109.50 4th in corn production; total crops, bushels 686,991 15th in hay and forage production; total crops, tons 6,060 1st in Boys' Corn Club enrollment in 1914; boys 314 15th in Girls' Canning Club enrollment; number of girls 20 (All data taken from the 1910 Census unless otherwise mentioned.) Our Problems and Their Solution George B. Lay, Raleigh The many reasons that we have to be proud of Wake County have been pointed out in the Last chapter. In these respects she leads or ranks with the topmost counties in the State. There are, however, some vital defects in the economic and social life of Wake. They must be remedied if the county is to move into her rightful position of leadership in the State. The fact that we are near the bottom of the list in many par- ticulars of economic and social importance will doubtless astound many of our people. If this were not the case, there would be no need of this little book and the suggestions that we offer with the hope of aiding our home county in her upward and onward development. We do not lead in everything ; in fact, we are at the end of the list in many respects. All of our problems, then, are not already solved ; nor can they be solved without the coopera- tion of our business men and bankers, our farmers, teachers, and religious leaders. It will take the federated efforts of them all to remedy our deficiencies, and to bring every detail of com- munity life to the high levels we have reached in many particu- lars. This will require constant work, lively interest, and cour- ageous support from all our people. The most important facts of this discussion are tabulated at the end of this chapter. If Wake ranks ninetieth in one detail, it seems that 89 other counties have a better record. Our Rural Population and Our Idle Lands The fact that Wake ranked sixtieth in rural population in- crease in the last census period shows that we have not had a healthy growth, during recent years, in the rural parts of the county. This is to be explained, in part, by the fact that we 58 WaJce County: Economic and Social stand fifteenth in density of rural population, but only in part. For Wake is second in total population in the whole State. For this reason, our density in rural population, if the farmers of the county ever hope to support the growing city of Raleigh, must be closer to our standing in total population. Since two- thirds of the total area of the county is uncultivated, we have ample room for 4,000 more farm families, which means an increase of 20,000 in rural population. A fifty per cent increase of this sort would immediately increase the volume of farm wealth produced, and this would mean more business for mer- chants and bankers; more labor to draw upon in establishing new industrial enterprises; and a better chance for the country people to draw closer together in cooperative effort for better farming, better schools and churches. These are all fundamen- tal concerns in economic and social development. What better thing could the farmers and the Chamber of Commerce do to- gether than to attract four thousand new farm families into Wake and to turn into active capital the seven million dollars of dead capital now buried in idle acres ? Farm Tenancy and the Crop-Lien Evil, Besides the fact that Wake has nearly 350,000 idle acres, we must face the fact that, like the rest of the South, Wake County is sadly crippled by farm tenancy and the crop-lien evil. These two systems reduce 54 per cent of our farmers to the lowest possible level of material prosperity and make impossible the hope and high courage that are necessary to social progress. And, mind you, more than half, or 1,700, of our tenant farmers are whites. They are our own kith, kin, and kind. They ought to live on the highest and not on the lowest economic levels. The way out for them lies in cotton and tobacco farm- ing, based on live-at-home, bread-and-meat foundations. But our tenants will always raise more cotton and tobacco and neg- lect food and feed crops until they are allowed or required by Our Problems aiid Their Solution 59 the landlords, the supply merchants, and the bankers of the county to grow their own supplies at home. This is the states- man-like policy of the Texas bankers. They are refusing to accept as collateral crop liens protected by cotton acreage alone. Acceptable crop liens must be written in terms of cotton and feed crops, under what they call the half-and-half system. That is to say, the bankers are forcing the supply merchants to force the farmers to farm on a live-at-home basis. The plan holds down in Texas, this year, nearly a half billion dollars ; it would hold down in Wake some eight million dollars, at present food prices. Wake has long enough tried to grow rich by purchasing farm supplies with cotton and tobacco money. The result is a per-capita country wealth in farm properties averaging $210, against $322 in the State, $944 in the United States, and $3,386 in Iowa. And Wake must solve the problem of local markets for home- raised food and feed crops. The farmers can now turn their cotton and tobacco crops into instant ready cash ; but not so with their corn, wheat, oats, hay and forage, their pork, beef and mutton, their butter, eggs and poultry. They will not bother with these as long as they must peddle them from door to door, or stand in the market place all the day idle as at present. The changing of such a system is a matter that needs the co- operation of the business men of the county, the public officials, and the farmers. The rent and the crop-lien contracts must include a stipulation to the effect that the tenant must devote a certain definite acreage year by year to food and feed crops — enough to supply himself, his family, and his farm animals dur- ing the growing and marketing seasons. How serious the condition in Wake County is can be readily understood from the fact that 54 per cent of our farms are cul- tivated by tenants, more than half of them being white and also more than half croppers. Ownership, not tenancy, should be the condition of our farmers. Hand in hand with ownership CO Wake County: Economic and Social goes the stimulus of initiative, for a farm owner will take a more lively interest in his farm than the tenant who cares to produce little besides cotton and tobacco. What is worse, tenants move about from place to place, are little identified with any one community, and in the nature of things feel a minimum responsibility for local law and order. This economic and social evil grows on us apace. It is dying out little by little in 47 counties of the State, but steadily increases in Wake. We need more home-owning farmers and fewer tenants. In the matter of farm mortgages, also. Wake is considerably behind. The white farmers in 55 counties and the negro farm- ers in 29 counties make a better showing than they do in Wake. This condition, which is again typical of the South in general, is the penalty that the owners of farm lands pay for the pre- vailing cash-crop, crop-lien system in Wake. It is a drawback to our economic development, and it must decrease. OuK Ill-Balanced Fakm System Any system of farming is ill-balanced that does not produce (1) cash crops in reasonable amounts, (2) food crops enough to feed the farm family and the farm animals, and (3) that does not have farm animals enough to consume the waste and to yield a steady income through the year. The fact that Wake in 1910 sent out of the community $4,000,000 to import the food and feed products that we failed to raise at home is enough to show that our farm system is ill-balanced and unsafe. Our farm- tenancy, crop-lien systems form the basis of this intolerable situ- ation. It explains why we are forty-ninth in per-capita rural wealth in the State, which is an exceedingly bad record consid- ering the natural resources of our county, our fine soils, our good seasons, our high average crop values per acre, our good high- ways, and our excellent railway facilities. Our vacant lands have hindered the bettering of this condition, but, on the whole, the main trouble is, as I have also pointed out, the fact that we Our Problems atid Their Solution 61 pay too much attention to cotton and tobacco and too little to food crops, livestock and livestock products. The wealth of a community depends on a well-balanced farm system, and this is just as true of the merchants and the bankers as for the farmers themselves. Only one-third of our total crop values are produced by food crops, a condition that gives us a low rank in this particular. While we rank in cotton and tobacco production among the very best counties in the State, we nearly foot the list in the per- capita production of food and feed. In two and one-half years the farmers of Wake produce more wealth than they have been able to accumlate in 140 years, due largely to our ill-balanced farm system. Sixty-seven per cent of our yearly crop values are produced by cotton and tobacco alone ; and less than a third of our annual crop wealth is produced by food and feed crops. In the census year we needed $84 worth of food per inhabitant, we raised only $31 worth, which left a deficit of $53 a person, counting every man, woman, and child in the county. The total bill for imported supplies was some four million dollars. These figures mean that our county needs to be headed in another direc- tion. We must raise more food. If we could make Wake County self-supporting during this war, we would be doing a very great deal more than our "bit" to win the war. We would release for use in Europe large quantities of food that we have been importing yearly. We would hold down at home the King's ransom that we have been sending outside the State for imported food supplies. We would, in this way, reduce the cost of living in the county and in Raleigh. According to Gov- ernment figures, Raleigh is one of the six most expensive cities to live in in the whole United States. And yet, Raleigh is the center of a farm area that in possibilities and advantages is the very best in the State. We have the prerequisites for an enor- mous development in our agriculture and for undreamed of wealth in Raleigh, but we have not yet made the best of our 62 Wake County : Economic and Social opportunities. Ealeigh needs to be the center of a well devel- oped food-producing region, and she must get busy with plans to promote prosperity, high courage, and good cheer among the farmers in her trade territory. Besides the lack of food crops, we are also backward in live- stock and the production of animal products. In 1910 our farm animals of all sorts were only 22 per cent of the number required in even a lightly stocked farm area. We were 78 per cent de- ficient in the number of livestock on hand, and 64 counties made a better showing. Since 1860 (see last page at end of article on Farm Condi- tions, Farm Practices, and the Local Market Problem) our cat- tle have decreased 67 per cent in number, our hogs 87 per cent, and our sheep 95 per cent. Such decreases are almost unbe- lievable. It seems reasonable to svippose that these industries would naturally keep pace with the increase in population ; but such has not been the case in Wake, according to the data of the Federal census reports. Up to 1910 we raised more and more cotton and tobacco and less and less feed and food. However, we increased the number of cattle 31 per cent between 1900 and 1910; but such increases must continue for a long time in order to produce meat and dairy products enough for home con- sumption and surpluses to market. In the census year we im- ported over four and a quarter million pounds of meat, two and a half million pounds of butter, nearly two million fowls, and three-quarter million dozens of eggs. This condition should not exist. We must not let it exist, as it drains our ready-cash strength, boosts the price of living, and stunts the growth of industries. Co-oPEEATioN-, Livestock: Two Solutions Considering the fact that we import such enormous amounts of breadstuffs and animal foods, we must act, and act immedi- ately, if we wish to redeem our standing and increase in wealth and prosperity. We can do this if we will only develop the Our Problems and Their Solution 63 spirit and the practice of cooperation. Not only must the farm- ers cooperate with one another, but with the bankers, the mer- chants, and the consumers. On the other hand, the bankers, merchants, and consumers must go more than half way to meet the farmers in the way of fair-mindedness. A sound system of lending money and of buying lands on the installment plan (the small farmer can buy on no other) must include a proviso forcing the tenant or the buyer to raise all the bread and meat needed for home supply. The banks can stimu- late local interest in livestock farming by importing and selling superior breeds of farm animals on easy terms, or in backing the county demonstration agent in such enterprises. The Com- mercial !N'ational Bank of Raleigh, cooperating with the Exten- sion Bureau of the State Department of Agriculture, is already interested and active in this direction. When their new build- ing was built, they placed at the disposal of the farmers a room, off their lobby, the first of the kind in the whole South. Some time ago this bank exhibited a fine Jersey cow in its lobby, and offered to lend money on easy terms to the farmers wanting to buy better dairy animals. Three carloads of these fine cows have already been ordered through their initial efforts. The Com- mercial National Bank has also exhibited pigs, poultry, and sheep within their lobby, and intends to give an exhibit of this nature monthly. Other banks are also doing valuable work. With cooperation of this direct sort on part of the bankers and merchants, we may expect a great increase in our food and feed products in the near future. Adequate Market Facilities : Theie Meaning The greatest hindrance, however, to the farmer in the produc- tion of abudant foodstuffs is the fact that Raleigh has no ade- quate marketing facilities. His cotton and tobacco are easily marketed, but not his food products. "He must peddle his fruits, nuts, and vegetables, butter and eggs, meat and poultry, 64 Wake County: Economic and Social from door to door, or stand in the market place all the day wait- ing. It is bothersome, wasteful of time, embarrassing, and un- remunerative. The producers and consumers of food products are as far apart as if they lived on different planets. The farm- ers are shy of cultivating housewives at back doors ; and house- wives are too close to telephones to visit a market place, a Sab- bath day's journey distant; Raleigh is not yet provided with grain and hay warehouses, cold storage plants for perishable products, or credit accommodation upon stored food products; with ample market spaces for free, open-air trading; with con- venient camping sheds, hitching grounds, and feeding stalls ; with rest-rooms for the country people provided with lavatory and toilet facilities, chairs and lounges, books, newspapers, and magazines to make the country people feel the warmth of city hospitality. Ealeigh is not ready to handle the big four-million- dollar trade in home-raised foodstuffs."* Without adequate market facilities we cannot expect the farmer to balance up his farm system with food crops and farm animals. The cooperation of the grocers, quick and fair market facilities, and a more clean-cut attitude on the part of all con- cerned will produce the results desired. If any one of these classes is continually trying to overreach the other instead of working with him for mutual advantage, the results will be dis- astrous. They must all be patriotic enough to realize that only by strict cooperation can Raleigh hold down at home some four million dollars in ready cash year by year, increase the pros- perity of the farmers, and at the same time lower the cost of living in Raleigh. The very largest asset of Wake County of late years is a group of alert, enterprising men in the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Y. M. C. A., and other civic organizations. Together they can successfully attack and solve the economic and social problems of Wake. Prosperity of a greater sort is easily ahead of us, and they can lead us into it. *Tl]e Local Market Problem in Wake: by the Wake County Club. — Kaleigh Timex. Our Problems and Their Solution 65 High Death Rate The Health Survey of Ealeigh, which has just been published, gives the death rate for the fiscal year, in Raleigh, as 27.8 per thousand, a condition that is intolerable. The rate in the county in 1914 was 17 per thousand. Raleigh's death rate affects that of the county, and the struggle now proceeding to eliminate abso- lutely from Raleigh the 1,500 open privies will materially reduce the death rate in Raleigh, and, therefore, in Wake. Dysentery and typhoid diseases go hand in hand with such conditions as now exist in Raleigh. We should not stop fighting this evident evil until these conditions are absolutely cleared up. Our State institutions, of course, increase our death rate, but in all large cities the same condition exists, and does not excuse the high death rate in Wake. Better Schools, the Watchword The more civilized the community, the better the schools, the higher the salaries of the teachers, and the greater the attend- ance and advancement of the pupils. In these matters Wake County has done some wonderful work, but a word of reminder here is not out of place. We must never for an instant stop our efforts at progress. We must make this necessary agency of social life, on which the progress of the whole county depends, the best possible. We are on the highway towards this goal, but strenuous efforts are still needed to place us on a par with the best educational standards that exist in this country. Church Membership In 1906, the date of the last published Census of Religious Bodies, 46 per cent of the people of Wake, 10 years old and over, were on the rolls of the various churches. In ratio of church membership, only 37 counties made a better showing. Where less than half of the people of responsible ages are in the 5 66 Wake County: Economic and Social church, there is manifest room for vital activity on the part of church organizations. The large per cent of non-church mem- bership, 54 per cent, is directly related to our large ratios of tenancy, town and country, to rural illiteracy and near illiteracy. These correspondences are not only coincidental, but causal in Wake and everywhere else in JSTorth Carolina. Tenancy, both in Ealeigh and in our country regions, and illiteracy and near- illiteracy are fundamental social menaces to the church; and our church authorities need to get busy with these social ills. Co-OPEEATION After a survey of such facts as these, we are brought to the inevitable conclusion that the solution of all these problems de- pends upon cooperation between the farmers on the one hand, and the lawyers, merchants, bankers, teachers and preachers of the cities and towns on the other. The country supplies our food and many of our most prominent men of affairs ; the city in return must supply market and credit facilities. The cities can- not grow without a healthy countryside to back them ; likewise, the rural communities need the active backing of a live and prosperous town or city. With better cooperation, we shall be able to "get together" on these problems and place Wake County high in the list of the most progressive counties of the State and the ISTation. OUR PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTION (Data based on 1910 Census of Department of Agriculture) 60th in rural population increase during the census period; per cent 7.4 38th in church membership in 1906; per cent 46 State average, 40. 69th in negro farm owners; per cent of all negro farmers. . 27 53d in swine decrease, 1900-1910; per cent 11 69 counties decreased; only 29 increased. 67th in sheep losses, 1900-1910; per cent 62 Our Problems aTid Their Solution 67 73d in farm tenancy; per cent 54.3 Ten-year increase of 1.1 per cent in Wake; 47 coun- ties decreased. 86th. in non-food crops produced — cotton, tobacco, etc. — value $2,832,626.00 Cotton and tobacco produce annually 67 per cent of the total crop wealth. 85th in food and feed production; per person $31.00 Needed, $84 per person; deficit, $53 per person. Total deficit, $3,987,000 in 1910. 86th in food and feed crops; per cent of total crop values. . 31 86th in corn produced per person; bushels 11 54th in wheat production per person; bushels .4 72d in beef production per person; pounds 16 97th in egg deficit; total dozen 672,700 86th in ten-year increase of farm sales of dairy products; per cent 24 97th in bill for imported foods and feed supplies; in 1910. . $3,987,000.00 85th in pork production; per person, pounds 52 72d in poultry production; per person, fowls 5 65th in live stock on hand; per cent of a lightly stocked area 22 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 416 828 8