The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-04-17
STATE REA AIDS
FOOD PRODUCTION


Carolina Rural Identification
Authority which has led to the ad-
dition of $4,000 rural consumers
of. electricity since 1885, was
brought e b out by federal
housing survey.
This survey, conducted in 1888,
in one group of its queries asked
the rural family if it would like
to have electricity and to what
uses it would put the power should
it become available
D. S. Weaver, head of the Ag-
ricultural E n g n er n G De-
partment of the Experiment Sta
ton at State College, who is also
one of the original members of
the NCREA, points out that a re-
cent survey shows these same
rural customers using a little over
twice as much electric current as
their original answers indicated.
The original survey led to a
more intensive one later, using
three representatives counties for
study, Moore, Edgecombe and
Cleveland. Again the responses
were encouraging, and again a
more extensive survey was made,
this one covering all the counties
in the same way the representa-
tive three were studied.
With the material gathered in
these three surveys, Weaver says,
active work was begun with the
establishment of the North Caro-
lima Rural Identification Author
ity, set up by the General Assem-
bly, in 1885.
Public Utilities
The State REA, first such or
ganization to be set up in the
United States and forerunner of
the national body, began its
work with the public utilities in
the state.
1t persuaded these concerns that
rural families responses to the
showed that the extention
of their lines would lead to in
creased revenue. This statement
was not misleading.
On the contrary, whereas public
utilities could not afford to main
tain a line for less than II GUS
toners per mile in 1885, today the
increased usage has made a line
feasible for as few as three Gus
toners per mile.
Of the 156,925 rural customers
of electricity July l, 1913, 1O3, O43
are buying their power from the
public utilities.
Municipalities
Today, 81 municipalities in the
state are supplying 9,977 custo-
mers outside of centralized areas
with electricity, Weaver reports.
This second retailer of power
was the next cooperative step
taken by the NCREA. Although it
remains last on the list of re-
tailers of power, it too has bene-
fitted from the wider distribution
If electricity.
Federal REA
The q REA cooperatives in the
state have been established since
The formation Of the state agency,
Weaver. points out. Their total
Of customers, 43,905, have
ben added since 1885 when the
program got it's beginning and the
ID, 1904 miles of power line con-
structed by them is close to the
Is, 254.27 miles maintained by pub
lie utilities in rural areas.
Future
Naturally, Weaver says, all this
expanse has been halted by the
war. Copper, the basis for cleo
trlcal wiring, has found uses else.
where even more important, and
the potential rural customer is
forced to wait his turn in the post
war planningA
But he stresses, the rapid
growth of the past, the encourag.
ing requests of future users, and
ever-expanding uses for electri-
city, point to a program that will
orlng electrical power into even
more homes and farms after vic
tory.
1t is Uncomfortable, he points
out, that the outstanding food pro-