Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-07-05
Daily Dispatch Bureau.
In the Sir Walter Hotel.
Nv T. e.. RASKERV

Raleigh, July 5. The progress
which rural identification has made
in North Carolina during the past
two years has been due largely to the
interest the people of the State have
taken in extending electricity to
farms and homes in rural sections
and the progress which will be made
during the next two years will depend
upon the extent to which this interest
continues to grow, Chairman Dudley
Bagley, of the North Carolina Rural
Electrification Authority, said today
on the second birthday of this agency.
while we like to think that we
have played some part in the building
or authorization of some 6,841 miles
of rural electric lines during the two
years the authority has been function
ING. l can say without hesitation that
these miles of rural electric lines,
which will serve some 38,587 rural
customers, could never have been
started. much less completed. but for
the interest and cooperation of the
people generally over the State,'' Bag
lev said. For the people served by
these lines had to convince us, the
mower companies or the Rural Elec-
trification Administration in Wash
ington that they wanted electricity
for it. before any of these lines could
be built.
Progress Up to People.
The numeer of additional miles
of lines which will be built during the
coming two years is hence dependent
entirely on how many rural people
who do not now have electricity want
it and how much they are willing to
do to get it. For rural identification
is not a fixed and definite program,
but develops from day to day and
from week to week as farm people be-
come more interested and as new and
less costly methods of construction
are worked out. AS more and more
rural residents realize that electricity
in the country is a necessity and not
a luxury. more and more power lines
will be built to take care of their
needs-and we know that more and
more farm people are coming to this
realization every day"
What Has Been Done.
In reviewing the accomplishments
of the State Rural Electrification Au-
thority during the first two years of
its existence, Chairman Bagley point
ed out that of the 6,841 miles of rural
lines built or authorized, to serve 49,,
5S7 rural customers, 1870 miles had
already been constructed. At the pre-
sent time A miles of rural lines are
under construction, while 1883 miles
have been authorized for construc
ton. A total of 26,321 persons are now
getting service from the lines already
built. 1888 will get service from the
442 miles now under construction
while 1888 will be supplied with cleo
tric service when the 1882 miles au-
thorized for construction have been
built
No Cost to State.
Chairman Bagley pointed out that
all of this new construction of rural
lines in North Carolina had been &C
complshed without the expenditure
of a single dollar by the State in con-
struction work, since the State Rural
Identification Authority is purely a
coordinating and promotional body.
Our principal job has been to find
localitis where the country people
wanted lectricity, and then to bring
this community in touch with the
agency from which they might be
able to get electric service in the
shortest time and at the lowest cost,
Chairman Bagley said. I'VE have also
tried to educate the rural residents
and make them see that electricity is
a necessity and not luxury, that all
of them could get low rates if all of
them would agree to use it.
Power Companies Take Lead.
Since we believed it was our duty
under the law to help community
that wanted electricity to get it in the
shortest time possible, consistent with
good service and reasonable rates, we
have usually contacted the power
companies in the immediate territory
first to see if they were interested in
building the lines" Bagley said. "And
IN most instances, the power COM
panies have been glad to build the
lines when they have been assured of
enough users to make it worth while
Tor them. In other cases, municipal
plants and systems have extended
their lines into rural districts, as in
Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe coun-
ties"