Evening star., 1909-02-19
Benson's Further Contribution.

THE company was organized and about
$1,000 was paid in by friends at the
north and $4,000 by Mr.. Benson's family.
largely by his father, an ex-slave and
one of the most successful men in his
county.
"Other parcels of land were acquired,
so that the company started with plan
tation of about 5000 acres. Additional
purchases have been made from time to
time to round out the tract, so that now
the company owns $500 acres
"The stock has been increased from
time to time as these additional pur-
chases have been made and the work de-
veloped, until now it amounts to nearly
$4,000. The number of farms first rented
was fifteen. 1t is now more than forty
The population of the plantation was at
first sixty and is now more than 1870
1.-The most important industry which
the compay had in mind was the turpen-
tine business, which during the first year
Welded a profit to the company, after all
o expenses were paid of $1,000 or more
10 per cent on the capital. The net
rms from the turpentine business
should repay the total cost of the
After the turpentine is exhausted the
trees are practically as good for lumber
and are expected to yield about as much
for that purpose After the timber is cut
the lanQ mas Deen proven 10 De eAeeiieL'
for cotton raising and peach growing.
1.-The company has a sawmill shngle
mill, a turpentine still two stores. forty
farmhouses. live stock and general
equipment of tools and modern farm ap-
plances 1t has paid dividends amount
ing to per cent per annum on it's capi-
tai for the past two years. 1t has an
earned surplus of over $4,000 carrying
all the land at its cost price.
IF the company had additional capital
fnr
lilies now. Cheap cottages would be put
up and small advances made to the farm
kers to enable them to move onto the
land pay off their loans to their present
landlords (Which, as things have been
| there they always owe) and start under
better auspices and with helpful super
vision and with the chance to work in
winter in the various mills. which they
do not ordinarily have outside
What Benson Has Done.
"Mr Benson is the of a former
slave who started with nothing. but is
now the richest man in his county. having
a prosperous. we'll kept plantation of
several hundred acres. William Benson,
the son, went to the little cabin school,
worked on the plantation with his father.
spent three years at Fisk University,
Nashville, and then came to Howard
University at Washington, where he
graduated in 1894.
HE then went back to his old home
joined his father on the farm. and soon
started school for the benefit of neigh
boring children. which has grown into the
Kowaliga Institute. with go colored boys
and girls from the immediate neighbor-
hood and eleven teachers, who give in
struction in the common school branches,
manual training and agriculture.
The children learn to read and write and
cipher, to and cook to do laundry
work to work in the garden. to make but
ter and to care for the stock and poultry.
In the fall of the year they pick and pre-
serve biackberries and other fruits and
raise all kinds of garden truck. which is
sold i'm the neighboring cities
THE area Of the community influenced
Iby the school and the industrial COM
pany is eleven miles long. with an aver
age width of seven miles containing ap-
proXimately 10000 acres, or Seventy-seven
square miles. with a population of 1000
people or more. most OF whom are col
lored. Our company owns almost one-fifth
of the acreage of this community while
a bout 5000 acres are held i'm small hold
ings by individual negroes, making a