The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-07-31
THE SOUTH ROLLS UP WEALTH.
Half q Billion Of Assessed Values Ad-
B ded This Year--small Town Ra-
pidly Developing into Cities. j..

,a Assessed values of property in the
South this year are likely to show an
.Ssiincrease over those Of last year Of at
sleast half a billion dollars Judging
gfrom facts in such typical States as
Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennes-
,.ssee, which would indicate an increase
Gin true values Of at least $1,250,0
1000. Fom various quarters of the
South correspondence in this week rs
issue of the Manufacturers Record
tells Of recent progress in the accum-
. ulation of wealth, and of measures
2 to add still further to the store.
!. Building permits at Memphis for in
4 stance, exceeded last month those of
any month on record and surpassed
those Of the corresponding month Of
the previous year by 100000. While
j building undertaking ranging from
/ 100000 downward in investment, have
&just been announced there, not to
mention plans for beginning work
4 within the next month upon millions
dollar Court House.
!. In the Norfolk, Va, section, where
! the shipments Of lumber aggregate
!, 700,000,O00 feet year, so great is the
demand for labor in construction of
new buildings that every mechanic is
not only at work, but is receiving
record-breaking wages, apartment
houses six or eight stories high with
numerous rooms are rented as fast
as they are completed, oldtime reSid-
ences and business houses are giving
buildings, and at least 1000 new
way to tall modern stores and office
houses could be rented with ease.
Charleston, w. Va, is increasing its
hotel capacity at a cost of more than
100000, and plans have been per-
fected for the establishment at Hun
tington, in the same State, by large
iron-pipe concern of New York State,
Of a plant to manufacture iron soil
pipe, radiators, etc, to use 200 tons of
pig iron day and to employ ultimate
ly 500 men.
Work is being pushed upon i'm
provements that will shortly permit
several furnaces in Alabama, which
are being overhauled to resume oper-
ations, and the shipments of iron are
equal to the production there. At
one point in the southern part of the
State Il town Of $50 persons has with
in the past five years become city
Of 1000 and since the beginning of
spring has spent more than 100000
in substantial improvements, while
practically every stream in the coun-
try has been spanned with modern
steel bridges. Somerset, to which the
oil output Of lower Kentucky is pipcd
for transmission to West Virginia
refinerics, has not Il vacant house
and is buildin" more than 100 houses,
. Within few months lis system of
street railways will be added to its
modern equipments.
IN Southwest Texas tremendous
impetus has been given farming opor-
ations by the spread of irrigation, and
extensive drainage projects are bring
ing large areas in Florida under cult
vation.
Recently the Deepwater Railway,
in West Virginia, has completed cigh"
teen miles of construction. leaving
forty-scvcn miles To be built to con
necton with the Tidewatcr Railway
the Norfolk and Western Railway has
completed Il -twcnty-two-milc branch
in West Virginia; the South aud
Western Railway is advancing in
North Carolina, and the Central of
!. Georgia Railway and the East Cost
+, Railway, of Florida, are pushing con-
1. truction on extensions. Extensions of
Il railroads are under way, too, in Ken
r lucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama
Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, and
4 the indication arc that, while a great
i deal of work of the kind has been ac-
\ complished since the first of the year,
& the railroads of the South will be
@&busy with improvements and extern
J sions during the remainder Of the
year.