The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1959-04-17
COASTLAND PEOPLE
ARE FACING MOST
CHALLENGING ERA
Development and Prosperity By
Leaps and Bounds Ready to
Follow Careful Planning

carolina COaSClanQ, ana Cne lead
ership of the locality is in the
midst of the most challenging era
in it's history.
Old methods of earning a liveli-
hood have played out and new
sources of income must be found.
Just as the farmer has had to
abandon the horse or mule and the
hired hand who followed the pillow
from daylight to dark, and is now
forced to cultivate tremendously
large farms and buy machinery
costing a small fortune, so is the
fishermen of today forced to find
new methods or be starved out of
business.
The fishermen too must pillow a
longer row. He must go many
miles, from home, out into ocean
waters before he can get the big
money any more. He cannot pro-
coed with the ancient equipment
sufficient unto the needs of other
days. He must have heavy in
vestment, also equal to small
fortune in costly nets, and in boats
sufficiently large and safe in
stormy waters far from home.
The change has already taken
place. Larger boats are built or
bought each year and brought to
our own locality by our own peo-
pie. But the largest Of these boats,
because we lack channels of suffi-
cient depth, are not adequate to
our needs and do not permit our
people to go into competition with
the still larger vessels able to OPP
crate out of Beaufort and Norfolk.
So now we see the best of what
we might catch and profit by, be-
ing taken away by others every
day from ocean waters at our
front door, only because the boats
of our people cannot go in and out
our channels and inlets.
1t is indeed fortunate for US all
that a few people many years ago
who conceived and planned the
long fight now bearing fruit
grasped so early the trend of the
fishing industry, and had the fore
sight to look ahead and to make
the effort which now offers us
success, particularly at Wanchese
which, when a few dollars have
peen raised, will witness immedi-
ate construction of II foot har-
Dor and channel all the way to the
ocean.
When this project was under
taken, it was necessary for the
people to pledge that certain
things would be provided by local
interests if the Congress would
grant the money needed.
That was pledge made by re-
sponsible people and accepted in
good faith by the Government
The law was written that local in
terests would provide certain
things. Contracts cannot be let
without the conditions having been
met. The consideration is small in
return for the many advantages
and profits to the people accruing
from what will be provided by all
the people of the United States at
a cost of more than a million dol
lars.
This new waterway will provide
the community with an opportuni-
ty for greater expansion that has
ever been known. 1t will open up
new avenues for employment for
many people; for an upsurge in the
development of commercial enter
prises and considerable new con-
struction. To all people in the
area, there will come new and
larger profits, more employment
close at home; new incentive and
opportunity for our young men to
remain home and embark in bust
ness in the land they love.
For it is apparent that the new
avenues to ocean fishing must be
followed mostly by the younger
men. It will take strong men, and
bold men, and men with vision to
carry on this calling, with it's elo'
ment of risk, both at sea and from
the financial sides of processing
and marketing. It will call, for
large investments and the deter
mination and strength to carry on
ventures that are big. Being new
to the area, they may be looked
upon askance by many people,
and some will offer discourage
ment and try to take away hope.
This is the biggest thing of its
kind to ever come to the coastland
of Dare County and like all other
big things, it will present new
problems. 1t will mean greater
values for all adjacent property
which may be sought for the es-
tablishment of businesses not now
existing. 1t will call for the en-
largement of businesses now oper-
ated, and multiply by thousand
fold today's annual volume for
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