The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-07-23
NORTH CAROLINA SLOPPY
WITH OPPORTUNITIES: WHAT
CAN THE PRESS DO IN DEVEL-
OPlNG THEM?
Bion H. Butler Before N. G. Press
Association : --..

Bion H. Butler Before N. G. Press
- Association :
Recently said one day in thu
News and Observer that Nortl
Carolina is sloppy with opportunity
That expression has beer brough
back to me to set the pleasant tasl
of pointing out some of those oppor
tunities and telling bow the news
paper men may help in the develop
ment of them.
Thlrty-two years ago this summer
caught my first glimpse Of North
Carolina. At that time had seen
enough of the industrial develop
ment and progress Of the United
States from Texas, Kansas and Min.
nesota east to New England to aD-
preciate what development means
and to recognize the opportunity
for development where it appeared
Fifteen years Of my newspaper
work was passed as a ritter of pro-
gress of the big industrial expansion
in Pittsburg territory where big
things are done. That gave me a
furthsr insight into what opportunity
is and what it is worth. 1t is more
than twenty years ago that | COM
menced to write IN the Pittsburg
Times stories of opportunities in
North Carolina: In that twenty
years have been showing people
what see here, and in going out
to show them | continuity fall over
more things to show. lid not dis
cover North Carolina all of a sudden.
1t has been a gradual finding of new
possibilities until it is easy to see
that no State in the Union today can
present so much of opportunity as
North Carolina. This is said in all
elaboration, for unsupported claims
are of no use to anybody. 1t is fol-
ly to deceive ourselves. | make
this claim after an acquaintance
with almost every community OF
any consequence in the United
States.
, The chief factors that are putting
North Carolina in the front are eli
mate, rainfall, waterpQwer, trans
portation. convenience to the mar
kets of the United States and of the
world, the permanent supply of raw
material for factory use, and a pop
ulation of intelligence and upright
character. | do not include those
temporary resources like timber,
mineral deposits, ETC., which are
valuable in themselves, and of
great importance, are still temporary
and not in the class with those per-
manent things that are of everlasting
worth.
In hunting a place for a permanent
home for myself and family lpick- !
ed North Carolina deliberately from
all the rest Of the country because it
offered a bigger lnducement in nat
ural advantages. 1t has the best
climate and the best rainfall. Cli-
mate makesa State fit to live in.
Rainfall and mild climate makes it
All agricultural possibility. Soil is
factor, but fertility can be made.
Kansas and California and other
States of the West are not so fertile
now as when first knew them.
North Carolina is more fertile. Fer
tility is underline control of man,
climate and rainfall are not.
Therefore we must regard North
Carolina as one Of the foremost ag-
ricultural possibilities on earth. The
story of the last fifteen years bears
this out. In the last census period
the State more than doubled its farm
products. In the last five years
it has almost doubled again. This
record if kept another ten
years will put North Carolina
among the first three or four States
of the Union
Mill development is fully as rapid
Fourteen Years ago the State facto-
ries produced about SO million dol
lars worth of goods. Now they
make three times that value. Fac
tories are springing up to bui'd the
widest variety of products. The
factories are diversified to scores of
different lines. They will diversity
more because they have the power.
In a dozen years the development of
waterpower in North Carolina has
been one of the marvels of the in
dustrial world. What is ahead no
oodyA can guess, but almost any
guess seems safe enough. The