The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-15
PLANNING OF LAND
use IS ADVOCATED
Thorough Program Is NOW
Under Way In Is North
Carolina Counties
By JOHN FOX
Assistant Extension Editor
n. C, State College

L" ~
RALEIGH, April 14.-R The
who, what, where, when, why and
how of newspaper writing is being
applied to land use planning, the
newest farm program of the U. s
department of agriculture, being
administered in North Carolina by
the agricultural extension service
of n. C. State college.
J. F. Criswell, state land use
project leader, reported today that
the program is under in 16 coun'
tries, and preliminary meeting
have been held in u other coun-
tries-all since work started in
January, 1889.
Land use planning" Criswell
explained, sis the American way
of helping farm people to solve
their W problems, and allowing
them to tell the government what
they want done. We are asking
the farmers and farm women who
they are, what their problems
are, when and why the prob
lens developed, and how they
want them solved"
Here is how the state project
leader says the program works:
Committees are formed in each
community to map and classify the
agricultural lands and problem
areas" Then these committees rec
ommend solutions to problems, and
finally a county committee passes
the recommendations on to a state
committee, which, in turn, calls
upon the agricultural and govern.
mental agencies to carry out the
recommendations.
For instance, the committees
may find that erosion is the major
problem, and recommend that the
extension service and the soil con-
servation service extend their ter
racing and cover crop programs.
Or they might find that secondary
farm-to-market road Improvement
is needed. This would be a problem
for the highway departments to
solve. There might be a need for
better health service, or the farm
security administration might be
asked to provide for greater rural
rehabilitation through it's loan
service.
All of these are problems which
CrisWell said were in Caswell coun-
ty, the first county to be COM
pleted on a unified basis; that is,
the mapping, classification, and
recommendation phases have been
accomplished, and the agricultural
and governmental agencies have
been asked to go to work and
shape their programs to meet the
wishes Of the people.
The committees have also made
their recommendations in Camden,
Castor, Greene, and Harnett coun-
ties, and the mapping and classifi,
cation work has been completed in
Cherokee, Durham, Gates, Moore,
Pender, Pennsylvania, Tyrrell, An
son, Guilford, Rowan, and Franklin
counties. Preliminary meetings
have been neld in Alamance Ber-
tie, Bladen, Buncombe, Chowan,
Clay, Craven, Dare, Lenoir, Mont
gomery, Sampson and Stanly coun-
ties.
CrisWell is being assisted in the
field work by the county agents:
r. L. Melvin and Henry Pierce of
the bureau of agricultural eco.
nomlcs; and J. P. Leagans and J.
w. Green, assistant extension land
use planning specialists.
Farmers and farm women on the
state land use planning commit.
tee are: H. c. Ferebee of Camden,
L. Roy Bradshaw Of Pender, r.
Hunter Pope of Halifax, John IT.
Thorne of Pitt, G. T. Scott of
Johnston, N. P. Gilchrist of Scot
land, D. S. Rhyme of CASTOR,
George c. Neal of Caswell, John
F.. Long of Iredell, R. c. Deyton of
Yancey, c. S. Slagle of Macon.
Mrs. w. F. Woodruff of Nash,
Mrs. A. G. johnson of Harnett,
Mrs. w. HI. Williamson of Cas-,
well, Mrs. T. M. Hartsell of Stan.
~ and Mrs. ]. H. L. Miller of
Mcdowell.