The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-11-25
NEXT YEAR IN NOVEMBER
Professor Graham, of State
University, Proposes That
People of Each County Get
Together and Ascertain
What Their Own County Is
Doing.
(By w. f..

(By w. +. YELVERTON.)
Washington, D.. c., Nov. 22.-No
one who talks with Prof. +. K. Ora
ham. acting president of the Univer-
sity Of North Carolina, about his sug-
gestion of a civic service week IN
North Carolina can fail TO be con-
WINGED that the plan is worthy and
that it is practical. Civic service is
a tough expression when We come to
set it down on our own doorstep and
talk to it understandngly, but it's
the only short term hat cOmpre-
hends the idea. Mr.. Graham is not
in love with the expression, but he is
imbued with the idea and it's not a
hard one to push home. He put it
across to business men n farmers
in Charlotte during Farm-Life Con-
ference Week, and not only Mecklen-
burg county but the whole State seems
for the plan.
The proposition in the first place
is a gathering of people in a county
who represent all the cOunty'S inter
ests. The great question to be asked
Is are. we getting all that's due us as
a community? Are we as a commun-
ity, as a county. producing as much
or more than we consume? Do we
raise more cotton or corn than any
llt COuhty ll%NhO oloSC lin S1AN
spend twice as much as any other
county in buying food for our fami-
lies and teams? Does the money
which we. produce stay in the county
or does it go to some ether
ity and leave our county with a de-
ficit?
Here is the problem for the State,
stated in a brief paragraph by Prof.
Graham in his Charlotte speech:
'nr Tradfnr6 knonn fa16 the
tlnkers in Ashevilla a few months
ago that the people of North Carolina
are sending $~39,64O,SS5 out Of the
State every year for supplies that
might be raised at home. The COM
mission appointed by the governor ~
ports that the feed stuff imported
into the State this year will amount
to $50, 000, 900. 1t says that the farm
rs pay from u to 20 per cent for their
loans. Our farms created $209,00O,-
600 of wealth in 1909, but their FEED
bill was S223,O 0 900. We have pro.
duced in two and one-haH years more
thar we have accumulated on our ta1
books in W and One-half centuries
Any mar who will study the figure.
that represent our productive lif'
will agree with Prof. F.. c. BransOn
when he says that the wealth-creat
ing power of North Carolina is enor
ilouS, put lS po"C
is feeble And it is on the yearl.
cash balance Of the community tina
all of our public enterprises of uplif
depend for support"
To make the community bank &C
count more prosperous, then, is tn
point. This is the problem facing tn
school people. the good roads people
the church people and all the people
Mr.. Graham says. And one finds a hi;
leak i'm the 6pvp1nnmant which nor
mits farm tenancy to increase yea
by year. Here are the figures on tn
increase, Of farm tenancy in the Stat
and in Mecklenburg county, as take
from his speech:
Home ownership of our producin
farms is decreasing instead Of in
creaSing. In 1880 33 per cent of tn
in North Carolina wer
tenants; in 1890 "a per cent; in 100
Al per cent; in 1910 AZ per cent.
our own town OF Charlotte, popula
ton and wealth have multiplied at
~fairy-like speed. We have gained
per cent in population and pract
cally doubled our wealth with eac
decade. But population in the count
has shrunk II per cent. Sixty-fo,
per cent of the farms in Mecklenbu1
are cultivated by tenants against
per cent in 1900. In spite of the gre;
increase in the cost of farm produc
very few more acres. relatively speal
ing, are under cultivation, and only
per cent of the land is improved. Ov
one-third of the total area of Il
county is in woodland and unimprov,
farm land"
Prof. Grahan's proposal is that 4
people In each county in the Sta
come together between the dates
November 3 and November : of ne
year and find out just what their OK
community il doing. Instead of I