The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-22
NORTH CAR0LINA'S
WONDERFUL TRANSITION
rev fears Ago She Was Primarily Farming State:
iooay one Is Manufacturing State-Value Of Pro-
ducts OF Mills and Factories so Per Cent Greater
Than Value of Farm Products.
(By
(By BlON III. BUTLERl


A half dozen years ago il a North
Carolina man had been asked what
the occupation OF the people Of his
State is he would have answered that
North Carolina is primarily a farming
State. doing considerable manufactur
ing. some mining, a little fishing and
q proportion of the people engaged in
mercantile pursuits. in TRANSPORTATION
and the usual odds and ends of daily
work
Probably you think that is a good
answer even yet But it is not.
North Carolina is a manufacturing
State. The products of the mills and
factories or the State Outclass those OF
the farms in the ratio Of three To two
While the farms yield close to two
hundred million dollars a year. the
factories climb up to almost three
hundred million.
rms transition of North Carolina
rom an insignificant agricultural
State to prominent place as q man.
ufacturing State is one of the indus
trial events Of this country in the last
few years.
The reports OF the census Of 1890
showed that North Carolina farms
produced trifle over fifty million
dollars worth of sttff in the year. The
factories fell behind the farms in VOL
uine of product, both farm and fac
tory together producing less than half
as much as the farms alone do now.
But the mills now turn out fully a
haii more than the farms do, the
total making more than five times as
much as the State produced a dozen
years or so ago.
North Carolina is twelfth among
the States of the Union in the number
Of hands employed by the factories.
In twelve years the State has increas-
eo the value OF its factory output six
and one half times
That is not statement that can be
comprehended easily, but it may
snow the significance if we say that
" the same rate of gain could be
hept up FOR another twenty years
North Carolina would be the fore
most manufacturing States in Amer
lea There is no likelihood that such
VIII be the case, for this rapid in
crease cannot be maintained indef-
nitely
No State south of the Ohio and Of
1ennsyivania gives employment to so
many people in factories as North
carolina. Missouri is the only State
west OF the Missouri that employs as
many people in factories. as are en-
pioSed IN North Carolina. Massachu-
ssetts and Connecticut are the only
New England States with as large a
factory population as North Carroll
mas
II you put your finger on the map at
missouri. draw it eastward to MaSsa-
rhusetts. include Connecticut and New
Jersey on the way, and Michigan and
WISCONSIN, you have all the States Of
.oc mon that have a larger factory
population than North Carolina. Iou
VIII observe that the manufacturing
ni"ck is compact one. and that
H"fln Carolina is quite alone in heI
location among all the rest.
Ih'a state &C affairs is all the more
:, charitable when 1T i. rememD, red
,ua' a dozen years ago North Caro-
'"" made absolutely no nretensi,aS
- place among the manufacturing
states, and had slight suspicion that
l. would ever be among the first divi-
si"n. Probably not a man II the
.'itc SUSPECTED ten years ago thst
,'th Carolina would so soon, If ever
.,''u Sucf. promlrent place among
thn factory States of the country
itt ad.anCc has been so swift and
- " unexpected that it is scarcely
nhoWn now outside of the census
urcau and the Offices of few man
eiacturers whose business it is II sell
""PPnes To the growing factories. The
""iprise that await, the icduStrial
world when North Carolin: s position
i one OF these days fully understood
VIII he interesting 10 observe. for the
whoie Country yet looks upon this
o't'e as prosy Dut of-the way agrI-
s"'uriti section of little cOnseQueT &C
:" manufacturing circles. where men