The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-10-28
WHAT OF TIE FUTURE?

WHAT OF TIE FUTURE?
I'm the past ten years scores, perhaps
hundreds. of strangers visiting Hender-
sonyine have put these questions to The
Times-News:
"Why are there SO few industries in
Henderson county? or why do YOU peO-
pie not get industries to locate in this sec
tion?'
Similar questions are asked daily by res
idcnts of the town and county. In this case
the remarks usually take the form Of de-
handing why the Chamber of Commerce
does not get some industries for the COM
muuity or county.
Now. rs q matter of fact, to answer
these questions i'm detail would require all
the space contained in an issue of this
newspaper and we cannot go into the mat
ter here and now 1t may be said that the
problem of locating industries in the pres
ent day is an intricate and difficult one.
For the past five or six years industrial
DEVELOPMENT i'm every section Of the nation
has been slowed down by prevailing con-
dilions and for several Of these years was
almost at a Standstill. In that time COM
parative!y few new industries have been
started anywhere and the movement of in
dustry from other sections Of the nation to
the Southern States has been far below the
peak records.
These are probably the chief handicapS
this community and section has faced in
the past ten years, but they do not offer
all the reasons for lack of industrial growth
here. The fact that this is not known as an
Industrial area is a handicap. 1t is much
easier to locate industries in the Piedmont
than i'm the mountains. Industrialists are
favovably influenced by the fact that
section already has industries when they
look around for locations.
We believe, of course, that this section
offers natural advantages more than off
setting all that the older industrial sections
have to offer, but the problem is one Of
convincing manufacturers.
Small industries seeking locations usual
" are short of capital and want financial
assistance in some form. HenderSonville
community is not financially able to meet
crs. Some small industries have been turn
ed away because the propositions did not
measure up TO the requirements of sound
business policies.
Briefly, we have tried TO offer some rea-
Sons-logical reasons over which the peO-
pie of this town and section have no con-
trol-for the lack of industrial growth
here in recent years. The Chamber of
Commerce has been awake to the indus
trial needs of the town and section and
has done everything possible to promote
industrial growth. The organization has
had little money to spend in promoting in
dustrial development. Adequate financing
of an industrial campaign might have Sc
cured satisfactory results in the first half
of the ten-year period under consideration.
For the latter half of the period no amount
of spending or advertising would have I'M
covered much business in industrial devel-
bpment.
The foregoing is preliminary to the state
ment, which this newspaper would empha-
size with all the force at its command, that
the industrial development outlook for the
future is hopeless if the attitude of small
fraction of our population is to be selfish
greedy, controlled by lack of vision, pub
JIG spirit, and lack of concern for the gen.
eral welfare.
/ If one citizen can block the location of
q great industry in Henderson county, for
reasons that are either foolish or entirely
unworthy, what's the use for the Chamber