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 $5o.Ooo,oO0 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.
A 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
II 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 well equipped
as those OF New England. It 10 only a
short haul from there to Norfolk and
Newport News. where trans Atlantic
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 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 10 the realization that millions
upon millions of horsepower In her
many waterways was going to waste.
Once harness these streams and erect
power plants at central points and It
would be an easy matter to generate
and diffuse sufficient power to turn
the spindles of every cotton mill in
the two States. as we'll 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 It 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 cenJers of the
Union.
The formal announcement was
made that a fund OF $50, 900 900 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 it that he had ii thor
ough knowledge Of the business, was
energetic, faithful and industrious and
possessed sufficient money of his own
to make it 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 mill of their own
were remote in the extreme. were
quick to benefit by the offer of their
native States wealthiest son.