The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-27
Does North Carolina Need
Foreign Larbor.
By CHARLES LEE RAPER.

Department of Economics, State Uni
versity)
1t is an interesting fact that the
State which once sent so many of her
sons to other seCtions-the Middle and
far WeSt-Should now be seriously
thinking of creating a bureau of inn
migration for the purpose of inducing
more labor to come to her now many
and varied economic fields.
The time when vigorous and ambi-
tiouS North Carolinians moved in
great numbers to the West in search
of economic betterment and gain bet
ter wages, higher salaries and greater
opportunitieS-Was one of Industrial
depression in our State. This was tho
period before the coming Of diversified
agriculture, factories and great rail
roads. There were then few industrial
enterprises, and farming was not very
prosperous, especially in the middle
and western parts of North Caroline.
The demands for labor were few ana
wages were consequently low. These
conditions have now passed away;
things have now become vigorous and
hopeful. We have taken on a new
life, SO to speak, and we are active
and buoyant. We are no longer mere
ly farmers growing the same agricul
tural product from year to year. Many
Of us, to be sure, are farmers still.
but the products of our tiliage have
increased in many fold both in amount
and variety. We are also manufacture
ers, transportation agents and mer-
chants. In short, we have had a great
revolution in our economic life, and to
my mind this revolutionary process
has in reality just begun.
We once produced the elementary
products-wheat and cotton, for in
stance. We now produce these same
products and we also convert many
of them into more finished and higher
forms-into flour and cotton fabrics
of many varieties and qualities. We
not only transform these elementary
products into higher and more Valua-
BILE forms, but we also by means e
our transportation and commercial
agencies carry these higher products
to the door of the man who demands
them in the strongest terms. The
North Carolina farmer produces the
most elementary utilities, let us say
in our cotton, and these are today
worth about eight cents a pound. The
North Carolina manufacturers may by
various mechanical processes convert
these elementary utilities into many
higher and more valuable forms; ne
may make an article out of one pound
of this eight-cent cotton which will
sell on the market for something like
twenty dollars. If North Carolina pro-
duces only the raw material, she gets
little reward. If, in addition to pro-
ducing the raw material she also
transforms this into all kinds of finish
| ed forms. she reapS great rewards not
! only in the shape of wealth, but also
great activity in the other aspects {
| her life Not only must the North
| Carolina manufacturer add his part to
| our wealth, but the North Carolina
| transportation and commercial agen-
! cies also must contribute their part OF
| the complete process of economic pro-
| duction.
But to carry on all of these processes
Ito complete all the links of this
| chain of oduction-requlreS land, Ia
| Dor, capital and business management
| or organization. Land we have in
abundance; nature has attempted to
make us rich. While we now do not
| have sufficient capital for the greatest
industrial undertakings, still capital
| will come from other sections as soon
as we need it; capital is fairly mobile
| thing and will soon shift to the point
| of greatest reward to itself That &c
| have the ability to manage and orga n
! ize enterprises upon the most efficient
| scale | believe we have already de
monstrated North Carolina, however
| does not possess a great amount o1
labor especially of high grade of eff
| ficiency; we have not very great
amount of an quality, and mucl
that we have is unskilled and ever
unreliable For such a large area a.
ours, and especially for such great In
dustrial undertakings as we are nov
beginning we need a large increase d
efficient labor. Our present supply OF
reliable labor will become more skill
ed and consequently more efficient