Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-25
ECONOMIC EXPERTS
LAY PLANS TO HELP
MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Educators Outline Tentative
Program for Survey to
Cost $500, 900.
REAL SITUATION HELD
PRACTICALLY UNKNOWN
Type Areas Would Be Studied by
State and Federal Relief"
Agencies.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.

The folk of the Appalachian hollows,
log cabin jewellers of the twentieth CEN
tury, and their more advanced neighbors
soon may be the subjects of an inten-
sive study, the Department of Agricul-
ture, the Bureau of Education, six or
seven State colleges and experiment sta
lions, church boards and research foun-
dationS cooperating to solve their So
cial and economic problems.
Plans for this project were advanced
at meeting here yesterday presided
over by DR.. Thomas Cooper, dean of the
University of Kentucky, and tentative
programs were outlined to cost about
100000 a year for three years. About
half the necessary funds are available.
1t Is hoped to have workers in the
field this Spring, according to DR.. l..
G. Gray, chief of the Bureau of Land
Economics of the Department of Agri-
culture.
Intensive Studies Planned.
The plan. as outlined by DR.. Gray, is
to solve the Southern Appalachian
problem, one of the most complicated
now before the public, by intensive ag-
r1cultural, economic, educational, social
and biological studies of type areas
and co-ordinating all these in relief
recommendations.
The real situation in the approx
mately 10000 square miles of the area,
DIR. Gray pointed out, is largely un-
known. 1t has only been studied in
patches. 1t is planned to concentrate
the studies on about 5000 square miles
of type areas.
For this purpose, it is hoped to have
airplane surveys of the terrain under
way in few months. The pilots will
photograph the forests, extent of cul-
tivated land and the location of cabins,
houses, schools and churches. Workers
then will be sent into the field to deter
mine the point that will repay intensive
investigation. This, it is expected, will
take UP the first year and probably will
be the most costly part of the work The
remaining two years will be devoted
largely TO specific Investigations.
One-Si Surveys Cited.
In some areas, DR.. Gray said, there
have been school surveys that failed to
take in underlying economic and social
causes. AT present, he pointed out,
one church is surveying the religious
situation in a large section of the
Southern mountains with the idea of
relocating churches and establishing
new ones to meet the needs of the
population. but the representative of
this church at the conference yesterday
said the survey meant little without
economic data.
The proposed study, it was pointed
out, will give a more accurate popula-
ton estimate, the condition of the
people and where they live.
The forestry problem is of extreme
Importance and must be clearly under
stood before there can be any real I'M
derstanding of the problems of the
mountain people. Originally their live
lihood depended largely on the forest
products. and processes of deforestation
are directly related to the social, bio
logical and educational conditions.
This affects also the marginal popula-
ton of the mountain counties.
First Conferred in December.
The first conference, at which the
present plan was launched, was held at
Knoxville in December, and the meet
ing yesterday indicated such encourage
ing progress that no doubt was felt of
its success.
prepared under DR.. Gray's direction by
G. F. Clayton of the Bureau of Land
Economics.
One states the specific problems to be
studied in each area, including popula-
ton, schools and churches and their
locations, local industries, abandoned
farms, operated farms, taxation, condi-
ton OF the land, roads, family histories.
water power, local markets, public
health and opportunities for improve
ment in view Of the whole situation.
The second outline is of the type
areas such as the Blue Ridge, the east
ern Monadnocks and Piedmont Valleys.
the Unaka range, which is the north
1HNnr nF @
palachian system, and the central
mountains groups.
Organizations taking part in con-
ference work included the University
OF Kentucky, the John C. Campbell
Folk School of North Carolina, the
Home Missions Council, the Russell
Sage Foundation, the Conference of
Southern Mountain Workers, United
States ONCE of Experiment Stations.
Alabama Polytechnic Institution, the
Bureau of Agricultural Economics of
the Department of Agriculture, the
University of Tennessee, Tennessee
Agricultural Experiment Station, Geor-
gia State College of Agriculture, United
States Forest Service, North Carolina
Agricultural Experiment Station, Vir-
ginia Agricultural Experiment Station,
the United States Bureau of Education
and the Bureau of Home Economics.
In order to accomplish much this
year, DR.. Gray pointed out, 1t will be
necessary to have airplanes over the
region this Spring and every effort is
being made to arrange the finances so
that this can be done.
Several of the organizations which
expect to take part have promised to
contribute funds and the time of work.
ers,. which will amount to approximately
half the cost.