Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-06
MILLIONS
USED To BUILD
HIS HOME STATE
tobacco King Is Developing
Cheap Power All Over Caro-
Iinas to Help Cotton Mills.

CHARLOTTE, July 5.-James B.
Duke, tobacco king. is playing the
role Of godfather to North Carolina.
TO make his native State prosper
Gus he has spent $4,000, 900 on power
plants and a similar amount has gone
to aid young business men establish
cotton mills. other States may scoff
at Duke. but he is a prophet who is
honored in his own country.
year or two ago Mr.. Duke retired
as president of the American Tobacco
Company. He maintained control Of
the British American Tobacco Com
pany, however, and to-day he domi-
mates the tobacco Industries of the
Ord World; but just prior to laying
down the reins OF the American COM
pany Mr.. Duke conceived the idea of
placing North Carolina in the fore
front of the cotton manufacturing
States OF the Union.
While the cotton acreage Of his ma
tive State was not nearly so great as
that of other sister States, yet he de-
termined that the Southern planter
should find market for his product
without being forced to accept prices
which are materially lessened by ex-
cessive freight rates demanded to land
1t in the New England mills.
Rivals of New England.
North and South Carolina were both
likely places, in his opinion, for a
chain Of cotton mills as we'll equipped
as those of New England. II is only a
short haul from there to Norfolk and
Newport News, where transatlantic
steamships touch going and coming,
thus easily solving the problem of ex
port facilities.
Then, too. should the mills grow in
volume their owners could far. out
strip their New England competitors
in bidding for the raw product from
neighboring States for the same rea
son that, with a lower freight rate to
reckon with, they could pay the plant
er and broker better prices.
Knowing every nook and corner of
his native State by heart, Mr.. Duke
awoke to the realization that millions
upon millions Of horsepower in her
| many waterways was going to waste.
once harness these streams and erect
would be an easy matter to generate
and diffuse sufficient power to turn
| the spindles OF every cotton mill in
the two States as well as to light
| every municipality, the homes and
| business places of those dwelling
/ within their confines, and at the same
| time to supply the motive power for
! every street railway line in the two
| States.
The result was cheap power and
| light for every county in North Caro-
| lima.
The demand for the product from
| the cotton plants soon became so
compelling that within a few years
! the horsepower was doubled and then
| some
Millions for Young.
Making Charlotte his central head
quarters when not at the farm OF his
birth, near Durham, he let II be known
| that he was ready, willing and eager
to help any and all deserving, ener-
getic and capable persons who desired
| to join hands with him in making the
| Old North State one Of the foremost
| cotton manufacturing centers of the
| Union.
The formal announcement was
made that a fund OF $50. 000, 900 was
available for the establishment of cot
! ton mills at likely and we'll selected
| points. The money would be forth
| coming at an instant's notice, pro-
vided the person could convince those
| in charge OF 1t that he had II thor
| ough knowledge of the business, was
| energetic, faithful and industrious and
| possessed sufficient money of his own
! to make 1t worth his while to strive
| for the success of the enterprise and
| stick TO business,
| Scores of young men who grew up
in the cotton mill business, but whose
| chances of owning a mill of their own
| were remote in the extreme, were
quick to benefit by the offer OF their
native States wealthiest son.