Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1931-12-18
COULD INCREASE
INCOME HUNDRED
MILLION, CLAIMED
Conservation Depart
ment Can Do Little Be-
cause O. Lack Of Funds.
He Explains.

By strengthening and improving
North Cardinals conservation laws,
the natural resources of the state can
be made to increase its annual income
by not less than 100000 accord
ing to Colonel ]. W. HARRISON, direc-
tor of the state department of con-
servation and development.
The huge amount of money from
natural can be earned with
out a further drain on the general
fund of the state, he continued. The
method is simply to arrange proper
fees and taxes to be paid by the
people who enjoy or exploit the natural
resources.
One of the greatest needs of the
state, said Colonel HARRISON, is a
statewide program for protection
of the forest from fires. The pres
ent system, although effective in the
counties which accept the terms of
as the laws leave to county commits
%sioners, and not to the owners of the
forest lands, the decision of whether
or not the forest are to be protected.
Changing conditions in each general
election place the protection Of forests
at the mercy of politics. One cent an
acre a year, or $4,000 for North
Carolina's 100000 acres of forest
land, will furnish adequate protec-
ton from fire, he declared.
The inland or sport fishing situa-
ton is also unsatisfactory, the de-
partment director continued. He
favors a moderate statewide fishing
license requirement with which the de-
partment would be able t increase
the states six fish hatcheries and to
give farmers assistance in the build
ing of farm fish ponds. 1t is possible,
he said, to bring millions of dollars to
farmers in returns from food fish
which can be produced in farm fish
ponds. Thousands of these should be
constructed under supervision of the
state but the department is unable,
through lack of funds, t furnish
assistance TO farmers who would gladly
use their spare time during the winter
months in construction Of fish ponds.
Also the present capacity of fish hat
cherries would not permit stocking of
these ponds in case they were built.
He described the condition of com
mercial or coastal fishermen of the
state as d~eplorable. Because Of lack
of funds for planting seed oysters
and carrying forward a complete de-
ve1opment program, the fishermen are
losing about $10,0O0,000 a year. The
state should either make it possible for
seed oysters to be planted over a good
part of the more than 1,000,000 acres
Of good oyster bottoms or should
change the present unreasonable law
which permits an individul to lease
only 200 acres of oyster bottoms, said
Colonel HARRISON.
There are mineral deposits in the
state valued at hundreds of millions
of dollars that cannot be surveyed
because the state cannot put expert
enced men in the field, he contin-
ued. 1t is known that one mining
company has spent more than $780,
600 in North Carolina during the
last Is months in investigating vari-
Gus mineral deposits. AS the informa-
ton collected is private, the state
does not have the advantage of any
of the data collected prospective
developers, it was declared, should be
encouraged to the extent of being fur
nished with, at least, fundamental
facts about the states mineral resourc-
es. Colonel HARRISON pointed out that
his program does not necessarily re-
quire a further heavy drain on the
states general fund. Appropriations
required for a comprehensive develop
ment of the natural u can
usually be collected from taxes or
fees levied against the industry.
He urged the need Of the states
making plans at once, in co-oPera-
ton with the United States Geologi-
cal survey, to complete a topogra-
phic map of North Carolina. Some
arrangements should be made also
to furnish large industries looking
southwark for locations with infor-
nation about the advantages offered
by North Carolina.
"Man is of nature, and nature in
cludes man." he said mo state pro-
gram for the improvement, education,
welfare, character, development and
pastime of our citizens will be COM
plete without considering parks and
plavgrounds with school houses, tim
Der production with tobacco and cot
ton products, fish and game with
high school and college athletics,
waterfalls and beautiful mountains
with public Libraries, lakes and wild
flowers and art galleries, or all phases
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