The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-01-31

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debacle of the Twenties and
Thirties.
And out of that decision grew
a small organizations: The VIII
mington Associates. Nothing for
NAL, and nothing complicated. Its
ranks were open to any business
or professional man who professed
an interest in his community. the
initial meeting. called by Mr..
Hogue, was attended by % men,
each successful business or pro-
fessional man, and each financial
ly able to back up his convictions
with substantial check if the
| right formula could be found.
One Common Bend
This group had one thing in
common = one bond that was to
hold it together and see the idea
take tangible form: that if Viii.
mington were to- avoid the mis-
takes it and its citizens made aft.
er World War I, the corrective
measures would have to start
right here at home. Translated
into still simpler language, if the
money Wilmingtonians had ac.
cumulated during the war was to
mean anything to the community
the bulk of it had to remain here
and be put to work in the eco.
nomic arteries OF the community
How to do it? And who was to
do it?
The Associates were convinced
that the future welfare of the com
munity lay in development of its
economic resources. But what re
sources did tn e community pos
sess?
First, by virtue of the war boom
which brought thousands of new
corners to work at the shipyard.
and on military reservations here
abouts, the city had acquired
through federal agencies, a ire
mendous amount of low-cost pub
lie housing. Interpreted in eco
nomic terms, low-cosr housing
means well = sheltered employees
something every modern employ
err, i n div d u al or corporation
wants today.
Secondly, nature has blessed
Wilmington with a temperate eli
mate-the sort OF a climate where
heating bills don't eat up a size
able hunk of take-home pay, ano
the kind Of climate where a man,
if he's 50 inclined, can spend his
leisure hours, or. a part Of them.
| growing table vegetables and
maybe have a few chickens. Its
all very economic. Ana very
simple.
Thirdly, Wilmington has, for all
OF its geographical isolation in re.
lation to other trade centers OF
North and South Carolina, excel
lent transportation i i es.
There's the river with it's ocean
going ships; there are two major
railroads.; there is network Of
fine highways linking the city with
north, south and west. And, again
thanks to the federal government
in this coming Air Age, there
Bluethenthal airport, largest and
one of the finest airfields in Amer.
lea.
Fourth, the war-brought indus
tries had trained a tremendous
pool Of skilled labor, the majority
Of which lives within 4 50-mile
radius of Wilmington.
Those are resources. Those are
the resources Wilmington had
and has-to offer industry.
Community Resources
Taking stock of the community S
resources, the Wilmington Associ-
ates set out to learn if anyone
would be interested. The first in
quiry was conducted by the Tide
Water Power company, through
its industrial division. One trip to
the New York area produced sew
eral promising lie a d S. Harriss
Newman, attorney, and currently
serving on the city council, found
other leads.
There were plenty Of firms and
plenty of businessmen who heard
the story and who became inter
eSted. Their reaction was some
thing on this order:
eyes, Pm interested. / want te