Biennial report of the Department of Conservation and Development of the State of North Carolina |
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C6e Lifirarp of ti^e (Untuetgitp of Jl3ortl) Carolina Collection ot jRottli Catoliniana (1550 JOSfPHRUZICKA B •-i.TiMORE, MO, GBeE««BO.RS,.N.C. (WASHlNGtCTN:. DC, 00006766369 This BOOK may be kept out TWO WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on the day indicated below: Lib. lOM-Je '36 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access (NC-LSTA) http://www.archive.org/details/biennialconserv19341936 MAR; SIXTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF The Department of Conservation and Development OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 1936 N' SIXTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 1936 BOARD OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus, Chairman Raleigh J. Q. GiLKEY, Vice Chairman Marion Santford Martin Winston-Salem E. S. Askew Merry Hill Jos. J. Stone Greensboro W. C. EwiNG Fayetteville D. L. Ward New Bern J. L. HORNE, Jr Rocky Mount J. W. Harrelson Raleigh J. P. Rawley High Point Harry R. Lindsey Leaksville F. PiERCY Carter Asheville Jas. L. McNair Laurinburg R. Bruce Etheridge, Director Raleigh LEHER OF TRANSMIHAL Raleigh, N. C. October 15, 1936. To His Excellency, Hon. J. C. B, Ehringhaus, Governor of North Carolina. Sir: In accordance with Section 11, Chapter 122, Public Laws of 1925, and by direction of the Board of Conservation and Development, I have the pleasure of submitting herewith the Sixth Report of the Department of Conservation and Development for the biennium ending June 30, 1936. There are shown in this report a review of the activities of the Depart-ment during the last two-year period and a financial statement for the biennium. Respectfully submitted. R. Bruce Etheridge, Director. uI if) a. < D O z Q Z < CO uu a. 3O (/) ui a. i3o u — g rro U z ct u <7 5< Uj ki lo kj -J '^O 5_ s coS^ ga g.^ ':ii 53 H cfc ( u O Q r 5 (t -J p :^?^S. (d wo7 UI O< 1- ^ III hi 1- 5 < ti DC UI T o o _J < I 1- n g UJ u y n Q 1- Xu DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL AND PRINCIPAL OFFICERS ADMINISTRATIVE R. Bruce Etheridge, Director Paul Kelly, Assista7it Director R. N. Sanford, Auditor Mrs. Etoyal P. Hobbie, Fiscal Clerk Gladys Pritchett, Purchasing Agent Frances Pope, Senior Stenographer DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES Capt. John A. Nelson, Commissioner N. R. Webb, Fiscal Clerk Mary E. Willis, Stenographer A. B. Freeman, Assistant Sanitary Engineer Assistant Commissioner Thomas Basnight, Maneto DIVISION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Paul Kelly, Chief DIVISION OF FORESTRY J. S. Holmes, State Forester W. C. McCormick, Assistant State Forester Grace White, 'Accoiaumg' uiern-Stenographer Mabel Duke, Senior Stenographer Susan Marshall, Stenographer District Foresters: John D. Findlay, Rocky Mount Paul W. Tillman, Rocking, am J. R. Spratt, Lenoir J. M. Stingley, New Bern J. B. Lattay, Fayetteville, N. C. DIVISION OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES J. D. Chalk, Commissioner E. B. KUGLER, Chief License Clerk Mrs. Alice W. Austell, Senior Stenographer Frances Pappendick, Stenographer Assistant State Wardens: J. A. Bradshaw, Asheville Larry Warrington, New Bern Fred D. Williams, Fayetteville W. C. Lisk, Richfield Rupert E. West, Moyock R. Grady Farthing, Boone Chas. W. Burn ham. Supervising Fish Culturist, Fayetteville Fish Hatchery Superintendents: Morrison Hatchery, Leo F. Reiger, Balsam Frank Stedman Hatchery, W. T. Parker, Fayetteville "Pete" Murphy Hatchery, Frank S. Dysart, Marion Boone Hatchery, C. E. Smathers, Boone Roaring Gap Hatchery, Wm. R. Skaggs, Roaring Gap DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES H. J. Bryson, State Geologist Marjorie Smith, Stenographer DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES AND ENGINEERING T, S. Johnson, Chief Engineer W. H. Riley, Assistant Engineer Carroll L. Mann, Jr., Assistant Engineer F. E. Day, Assistant Engineer, Asheville Dorothy Lindsey, Stenographer C Q \ REPORT OF DIRECTOR The two years covered by this report constitute a period of great im-portance to the State's conservation program. Whereas, the preceding biennium was marked by drastic retrenchments in the Department's activi-ties, improved economic conditions, more adequate fiscal provisions, and extensive cooperation from Federal emergency agencies have altered the situation. Plans carried out during the biennium did not by any means all originate with this administration; but they have followed, to a considerable extent, carefully conceived policies of our predecessors who labored faithfully to guide public thought and activities toward a realization of the purposes for which the Department was created. Their fundamental work had charted the course toward progress. As a result of the foregoing reasons, much of a constructive nature has been accomplished during the last biennium; and even more important, the attitude of the public toward the natural resources of the State is changing materially. There is a growing general impression that all our renewable resources should be so handled as to assure the maximum future returns and that those of exhaustible nature should be utilized to the best possible ad-vantage. These gains must be preserved and new objectives sought in making the State a more prosperous and pleasant place in which to live. BOARD OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT To a considerable extent, credit for progress in the program of the De-partment is due to the wise direction and untiring efforts of the Board of Conservation and Development. Members of the group, headed by Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, as Chairman ex-officio, have given wise direction to its policies and have devoted liberally of their time to the solution of its problems. The Director has at all times had the benefit of their helpful counsel and active assistance. Although serving without compensation. Board members have exhibited at all times a keen interest in the affairs of the Department and the gen-eral welfare of the State. They have not only established policies but have taken the time from their own activities to assist in the execution of their proposals. Special mention should be made of the deep interest of Governor Ehringhaus in the natural resources of North Carolina and his concern that they be utilized for the best interests of the public. Only with his full cooperation has the Department been able to carry out many important projects. LEGISLATION One of the most serious handicaps to the conservation program at the beginning of the biennium was the severe curtailment in appropriations. This support of the Department was cut probably more drastically than for any State agency in 1933 when an annual appropriation of only $29,645, '^ compared with $80,800 for the previous year, was provided. IS 8 The General Assembly of 1935, however, met the challenging needs of the program by appropriating $69,665.95 for fiscal year, 1935-36. As a result, the Department has been able to function more effectively and meet more of the demands for service. From the standpoint of constructive conservation legislation, the 1935 General Assembly probably made the greatest contribution since the De-partment was created. Some of the more important conservation measures passed by that body and their designation in Public Laws of 1935 include: Chapter 486—Reenactment and revision of the State Game Law, now gen-erally acknowledged as one of the outstanding statutes of its kind in the country. Chapter 35—Reinvestment of authority to regulate fisheries of the State in Board of Conservation and Development. Chapter 197—Authorizing a program to mark points of outstanding his-torical interest in North Carolina in cooperation with the State Highway and Public Works Commission and the State Historical Commission. Chapter 226—Empowering Department of Conservation and Development to accept land from the Resettlement Administration for State Parks, For-ests, Game Refuges and Public Shooting grounds for administration. Chapter 173—An act directing the withholding of State-owned vacant lands from sale where found suitable for State Parks, Forests, etc. Chapter 332—Empowering State to turn over to Federal government lands in vicinity of Cape Hatteras for a National Park should such a reser-vation be established. Chapter 430—Authorizing State Park system, enabling the Department of Conservation and Development to acquire suitable areas for this purpose "by lease, purchase or otherwise." Chapter 178—An act looking toward State-wide forest fire protection with cooperation between the State and Counties where needed. HISTORICAL MARKERS Various organizations and Individuals for a number of years have urged the marking of places of significance in the history of North Carolina in a manner similar to the program carried on in Virginia and other states. The Board of Conservaton and Development in July, 1934, adopted this project as one of its major objectives for the biennium and enlisted the cooperation of the State Historical Commission and the State Highway and Public Works Commission in the undertaking. One of the first steps was the appointment of a committee of outstanding historians representing the so-called "Big Five" among the men's colleges of the State—the University of North Carolina, Duke University, State College, Wake Forest College, and Davidson College, and the Secretary of the State Historical Commission. A bill authorizing the program was introduced in the General Assembly of 1935. With a committee amendment declaring the erection of historical markers a valid expenditure, to a limit of $5,000 annually, of highway main-tenance funds, the bill was passed. The Highway and Public Works Com-mission subsequently set aside $5,000 annually for the biennium of 1935-37 for the marker program. In a division of the marker work, the committee of historians, headed by 9 the Secretary of the State Historical Commission, was placed in charge of the selection of spots to be marked and the preparation of the inscriptions; the Department of Conservation and Development undertook to look after the casting of the plates, definitely locating the markers, and other busi-ness details; and the Highway and Public Works Commission agreed to erect the markers. Each of the cooperating agencies has carried out its duties and the arrangement has worked well. The committee selected a design 42 inches wide by 36 inches deep, fin-ished at the top in a scroll efl'ect with a facsimile of the State seal imbedded approximately midway of the top center. Since aluminum is a North Caro-lina product, it was decided to use this metal in casting the plates. Under the contract, let on competitive bid, the first 50 markers cost $39 each delivered in Raleigh and an option was taken on an additional hundred at $38 each. Up to the end of the current biennium, 46 of the markers had been com-pleted and most of these erected. Additional legends are being furnished and it is probable that 150 or more may be in place by the end of the two-year period. Following are the key numbers, titles and locations of the first group completed: A-1 St. Paul's Church Chowan County A-2 Indian Woods Bertie County A-3 George Durant Perquimans County A-4 Joseph Hewes Chowan County A-5 James Iredell Chowan County B-1 First English Colonies Dare County C-1 Stanly Home Craven County C-2 Tryon's Palace Craven County C-3 First Printing Press Craven County C-4 Ocracoke Inlet Carteret County C-5 Abner Nash Craven County C-7 Richard Dobbs Speight Craven County C-8 Spanish Attack Carteret County D-1 Cornelius Harnett New Hanover County D-2 Old Courthouse New Hanover County D-3 Orton Brunswick County D-4 Stamp Act Brunswick County D-5 St. James Church New Hanover County D-6 Moore's Creek Bridge Pender County D-7 Samuel Ashe Pender County E-1 Green Hill Place Franklin County E-2 Nathaniel Macon Warren County E-3 Independence Halifax County E-4 William R. Davie Halifax County E-5 Annie C. Lee Warren County G-1 John Penn Granville County G-2 Alamance Battleground Alamance County H-1 Battle of Bentonville Johnson County H-2 Joel Lane House Wake County H-3 Isaac Hunter's Tavern Wake County 10 H-4 State Capitol Wake County H-5 Christ Church Rectory Wake County H-7 Dix Hill Wake County I-l Old Bluff Church Cumberland County 1-2 U. S. Arsenal Cumberland County 1-3 John Charles McNeill Scotland County 1-4 James C. Dobbin Cumberland County J-3 Guilford Courthouse Guilford County J-4 John Motley Morehead Guilford County J-5 Calvin H. Wiley Guilford County J-1 "O. Henry" Guilford County 0-1 Kings Mountain Battleground Cleveland County 0-2 Sidney Lanier Polk County P-1 Calvary Church, Episcopal Henderson County P-2 Zebulon B. Vance Buncombe County P-3 Riverside Cemetery Buncombe County Full acknowledgement should be made of the unselfish service of the committee of historians. These men have served purely through interest in the program without compensation. While the major burden of research, involving many perplexing details, has been borne by the State Historical Commission, the committee has reviewed and approved the legends for each individual marker. The committee has been assisted by an advisory group representing the various patiiotic groups in the State and by many public-spirited citizens who have taken an active interest in the program. STATE PARKS While this subject will be covered in more detail in the report of the Division of Forestry, some mention of the progress should be made in the Director's report. The State finds a culmination during the past biennium of plans of many years' standing to provide the people with a system of recreational areas and to preserve places of outstanding scenic value. Three new State Parks, all coming as gifts, have been acquired during the biennium. These new areas are Hanging Rock in Stokes County, Mor-row Mountain in Stanly County, and Cape Hatteras (Phipps Memorial Park) in Dare County. There were previously three State Parks—Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, Rendezvous Mountain in Wilkes County, and Fort Macon in Carteret County. Some development has been carried out on each of these areas, largely as the result of means provided by various emergency Federal organizations. A description of the improvements and more detailed information on these areas will be found elsewhere in this report. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES Conservation officials of North Carolina have over a period of years sought a remedy for depressed commercial fishery market conditions. Dur-ing the biennium of 1930-32, a meeting of dealers was called and an organi- 11 zation formed. This group worked faithfully to help solve the problems of the industry. The fishermen were also advised to organize in order to seek a cooperative solution of their problems. Faced by diminishing returns for their products while the price of other commodities was rising, the economic condition of the fishermen grew pro-gressively worse early in the current biennium. Eager to assist in any effort which offered opportunity to boost the income of the commercial fishermen, the Department encouraged the establishment of an NRA code for the industry, but this plan did not get a start before the act establish-ing the NRA was declared unconstitutional. The Department next proposed setting up definite grades and standards for seafoods as had been done for various agricultural products. It was hoped by this plan to establish more uniform products and increase the consumption of seafoods and the return to the fishermen. It was found impossible, after a thorough investigation of the requirements, to proceed with this project because of the lack of funds. Following the storms in the fall of 1933 and the spring of 1934, the needs of the fishermen in the form of new equipment to replace losses were pre-sented to the relief agencies and as a result a large number of nets was distributed. Next, full support was given to a series of bills introduced in Congress for the relief of the fishermen. On February 27, 1934, the Director ap-peared before the House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Ma-rine, Radio, and Fisheries to urge the extension of relief measures applied to agriculture and the manufacturing industries to the fisheries, along with other bills intended to assist the fishermen. At the hearing he stressed the need of "marketing associations." With the full cooperation of Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, who has con-tinuously manifested an interest in the welfare of the commercial fishermen , and the industry, the Department proposed the establishment of an organi- ,^ zation to take advantage of facilities of the Division of Self-Help Coopera-tives of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. At the request of Gov. Ehringhaus and the Director, a study to determine the need and prospects for such an organization in North Carolina was authorized by Mrs. Thomas O'Berry, Emergency Relief Administrator. As a result of this survey, the N. C. Fisheries, Inc., a cooperative for the com-mercial fishermen, was organized. Facilities for marketing and storing fish provided for the cooperative, in-clude a main plant at Morehead City with a daily freezing capacity of more than 10,000 pounds of fish and storage space for 800,000 pounds. Bi'anch plants were established at Southport, Manteo, and Belhaven. Operation of the plants at Morehead City, Southport, and Belhaven began October 7, 1935; and the Manteo plant opened in November. Total cost of all the plants, according to the ERA, was approximately $132,605. While the Department has no hand in the management of the organiza-tion, it is hoped that the entire industry may profit from new forms in which seafoods are offered to the consumer, the large storage capacity which makes it possible to absorb a considerable part of seasonal surpluses, and expanded markets for fishery products. 12 PARK-TO-PARK HIGHWAY This Department cooperated with the State Highway and Public Works Commission and other agencies in presenting North Carolina's claims for this great scenic drive which will connect the Great Smoky Mountains Na-tional Park with the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The Vice-chairman of the Board of Conservation and Development, J. Q. Gilkey, of Marion, served as chairman of the special committee appointed by Gov. Ehringhaus, to represent the State's interests in the parkway. That this committee and other agencies were successful in their endeavors is generally known. This scenic road will be one of the outstanding drives in America, with the climax being reached in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The drive will extend along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina, running for some 250 miles through this State where its elevation will be nowhere less than 2,000 feet, with a maximum height of some 6,000 feet. SURVEY OF RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES At the request of Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, the Department has under-taken to inventory the resources and industries of North Carolina with the results of the study to be issued in printed form by the end of the current calendar year. The Department hopes this report will be the first step toward a continuous study of this nature, brought up to date at regular intervals. The project is now being organized, and it is expected that the informa-tion gathered for the report will serve as a guide for future develop-ment and will promote a fuller utilization of the industrial, agricultural, and natural resources of the State. Active direction of the study has been placed under the direction of T. S. Johnson, of this Department, who is also serving as consultant to the State Planning Board. Mr. Johnson will be assisted by the Division of Com-merce and Industry. SAND FIXATION PROGRAM Repeated studies of the coastal section of North Carolina have brought opinions from various engineers that steady erosion caused by the wind and tides threatens the future existence of that narrow strip of land known as "the Banks" which protect the mainland of the State against the forces of the elements. The Department, in an effort to save this protecting reef, sponsored a WPA project of "sand fixation" on "the Banks." Largely as a result of the interest taken in the proposal by Rep. Lindsey Warren, of the First Con-gressional District, a comprehensive progi'am of this nature was approved by the Works Progress Administration. Five camps of transient workers, extending along approximately 100 miles of the coast, were established by the end of this report period. These camps had a total of 591 men, including 13 the administrative force. The location of the units and the number of men at each are as follows: Manteo, 187; Duck, 104; Hatteras, 112; Rodanthe, 127; and Ocracoke, 61. The National Park Service is scheduled to assume co-sponsorship of the project, with the Department of Conservation and Development, on July 1, 1936. This cooperative sponsorship is considered a fortunate move for the Department because of the wider facilities of the Federal agency for plan-ning and supervision. First of the sand fixation measures is the construction of brush and wood fences to arrest the movement of sands drifting before the winds. The second phase of the program contemplates extensive grass plantings to form a protecting mat over the shifting sands. The reestablishment of forest growth on a considerable part of this area is contemplated as the final step in the undertaking. An account of ECW sand fixation operations will be found in the Division of Forestry report. OYSTER PLANTING Planting of oysters, started as a job-creating relief measure under the old Civil Works Administration in the previous biennium, was continued during the current two-year period by the Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration under the sponsorship of the Department of Conservation and Development. A total of 774,038 bushels of oysters and shells had been planted at the close of last biennium and 1,358,468 bushels were added during 1934-36. The shells and oysters were placed on sound bottoms in Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde and Dare Counties at an average cost of 9 cents per bushel. Many oyster bottoms of North Carolina have been effectively rehabilitated by this new stock. While the project has provided work for hundreds of men, it also constitutes a sound investment for the future. The planted oysters are expected to multiply in volume and provide future crops of shellfish, and thereby to furnish more work and income for the fishermen. PROPOSED EASTERN NATIONAL PARK The Department has continued to urge the establishment of a new National Park along the picturesque "Banks" of North Carolina. Elaborate briefs supporting the project have been filed with the National Park Service; and definite improvement and development programs looking toward this goal have been submitted to the various work relief agencies. Establishment of Cape Hatteras State Park and the extensive sand fixa-tion programs are steps toward the major development which, it is hoped, will eventually extend 75 or more miles along "the Banks" and pos-sibly incorporate other nearby reservations, including the Wright Memorial on Kill Devil Hill and Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. 14 RECOMMENDATIONS Two general recommendations, both matters of prime importance to the State, are submitted for consideration. First, the opportune time has arrived for the State of North Carolina to launch a program to attract tourists and promote further utilization of her natural resources in manufacturing processes. With economic conditions rapidly improving, the number of persons seeking recreation, new scenic areas, and historical interest is increasing. Those familiar with the attractions of our State need not be convinced that the vacationist finds virtually all of his demands met in North Carolina. The tourist industry is becoming more highly competitive and the States that would profit more fully from their natural endowments must seek aggressively to bring new visitors within their borders. North Carolina is capitalizing only to a small extent on her natural resources compared with some of her sister States that have made known their attractions through the various mediums of advertising. The expendi-ture of a modest fund for this purpose will be a sound investment which should return dividends a hundredfold or more. Improving economic conditions signify a greater industrial activity. North Carolina, although already a leader in her section of the country in industrial development, offers wide opportunities for expansion of manu-facturing. Further utilization of the State's natural resources in the production of finished articles means more jobs, larger payrolls, and greatly increased wealth for her citizens. It is recommended that funds be provided for advertising the tourist attractions and industrial opportunities of the State. Second, the historical marker program has been accorded the approval and support of the public. It has quickened the interest of the people of North Carolina in the history of the State, and there is every indication that the project will prove a sound investment from the standpoint of increased State pride and in attracting visitors. With the fund of $10,000 provided over a period of two years, only a comparatively small number of outstanding points of historical interest have been marked, and others equally deserving should be given similar attention. Provision of at least an amount equal to that made available during the past biennium is urged for the next fiscal period. 15 APPROPRIATION DIVISIONS Statement of Receipts and Disbursements Biennium 1934-1936 II. Administration : Board of Conservation and Deiulopment: Attending Meetings Director's Office: Salary, Director Salaries, Staff Wages, Janitor-Messenger Office Supplies Stationery and Sundries Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage .. Field Travel Printing Forms Printing Publications Equipment Repairs Subscriptions and Dues Fair Exhibits Office Equipment Total Expenditures - Less Receipts: Sale of Publications - State Appropriation WaTEB RESOtTRCES: Salary, Chief Engineer Salaries, Staff Salaries, Extra Office Supplies Engineering Supplies Materials Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage Field Travel-. - - Printing Forms Duplicating Service Motor Vehicle Operation Repairs, Equipment Cooperation with U. S. Geological Survey General Expense Mechanical Service Office Equipment Engineering Equipment Purchase of Motor Vehicles Total Expenditures.. Less Receipts: Private Cooperation State Appropriation. 1034-35 $ 319.26 000.00 300.00 524.87 219.32 22.25 547.21 200 . 24 60.90 353.86 75.98 401.37 35.66 65.00 152.48 151.42 $10,429 82 20.61 $10,409.21 654.17 126.00 65.72 51.38 29.69 42.62 162.72 4.32 834 . 23 6.45 60.69 382.65 18.30 .031.31 84.08 13.50 105.45 $8,673.28 1,022.41 S 7,650.87 1935-36 322.14 4,800.00 4,1*0.00 699.00 260.25 188.72 504 . 50 151.52 180.21 767 . 55 226 . 25 14.65 55.00 358.15 $12,667.94 34.85 $12,633.09 1,080.00 5,862.00 919.90 75.27 211.83 19.06 77.00 70.10 1.86 1,305.98 19.45 70.36 639.68 17.41 3,109.92 25.83 1,138.37 $14,644.02 1,195.12 $13,448.90 16 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 III. IV, MiNERAi. Resources: Salary, State Geologist . Salaries, Staff OflSce Supplies Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation., Printing Publications OflSce Equipment Purchase of Automobiles.. State Appropriation. Forest Fire Prevention: Administration: Salary, Chief of Forest Fire Control. Salaries, Staff Office Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage Field Travel Printing Forms Motor Vehicle Operation Equipment Repairs Workmen's Compensation Special Equipment Office Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment Purchase of Automobiles Alterations, Office Cooperative Projects: Salaries and Wages, Wardens. Travel Expenses, Wardens— Fire Control Equipment Equipment Repairs Telephone Lines Lookout Towers Buildings Wages, Fire Fighters — District No. 1: Salary, District Forester. . Salaries, Staff Postage . Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents 2,250.00 1,050.00 32.53 10.00 25.34 1,095.13 $ 2,950.00 2,340.00 34.37 86.69 476 . 20 541.44 436.36 76.95 623,20 S 4,463,00 3,000.00 2,616,00 162,39 357,00 136,80 30,34 616.76 425 . 59 759,68 25,82 94,71 302.78 202.23 93,60 1,215.20 106.30 7,565.21 3,600,00 3,570,00 222,44 424,00 71,86 31.89 878.70 500.84 463.64 47.10 51.00 151.00 143,55 2,697.38 $10,145.20 $37,732.28 1,616.06 16,706.99 911.40 683.27 452.81 8,533,05 $12,853.40 $66,820.54 3,070.03 14.585.91 1,994.71 1,539.54 1,123.90 132,14 12,103.61 $66,635.86 $ 1,680.00 927,00 75.00 114.17 263.95 432.75 120.00 $101,370.38 $ 2,640.00 2,370.00 75,00 108.40 637.04 670.87 120.00 $ 3.612.87 $ 6,621.31 17 Statbmbnt of Receipts and Disbursements—Continutd Biennuim 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 IV. Forest Fire Prevention—Continued District No. S: Salary, District Forester Salaries. Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation Electric Current Bents District No. 3: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents Buildings District No. 4' Salary, District Forester. Salaries, Staff Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents District No. 6: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams- Field Travel - Motor Vehicle Operation. Electric Current Rents District No. 6: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents 1,666.66 44.00 91.57 133 . 22 420.70 8.40 120.00 1,500.00 2,610.00 61.00 100.92 449.77 435.31 120.00 $ 2,484.55 $ 1,225.00 2,200.00 89.00 105.51 427 . 20 781.40 265.50 $ 5,277.00 $ 1,800.00 2,460.00 67.00 78 43 450 . 88 724.31 206.11 $ 5,093.61 1,800 00 45.00 103.63 381.70 600.44 60.00 8 5,786.73 $ 2,107.50 2,490.00 65.85 72.15 334.80] 717.181 45. 00 J $ 2,990.77 $ 1,375.00 2,008.00 48.66 65.00 343.81 788.68 1.50 27.00 $ 5,832.48 $ 1,800.00 2,280.00 43.55 122.65 526.83 821.02 3.06 70.00 $ 4,657.55 1,428.26 34.72 18.54 241.30 446.70 55.00 5,667.11 1,785.00 2,340.00 72.05 95.08 859.48 1,188.32 218.00 $ 2,224.52 Total Expenditures | $97,844.93 $ 6,557.93 $149,966.34 18 Statement op Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 IV. Forest Fire Prevention—Continued Less Receipts: Federal Cooperation County Cooperation Private Cooperation Donation from Game Fund. . State Appropriation. V. IndtjstriaIi Survey: Salaries and Wages Supplies and Materials Postage, Telephone and Telegrams. Travel Expense VI. State Appropriation. General Forestry, Parks and Planting: Salary, State Forester Salary, Staff OflBce Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Field Travel- — Printing Forms Printing Publications Office Equipment - State Forests and Parks: Salary, Assistant Forester Salaries, Staff Labor Office Supplies Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel. Printing Motor Vehicle Operation Building Repairs Fire Insurance Household Equipment Purchase of Automobile Forest Planting: Salaries, Staff Labor Office Supplies Agricultural Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel $46,225.34 30,287.67 5,081.89 13,500.00 $95,094.90 $ 2,750.03 !,400 00 900.00 30.45 45.00 16.06 63.07 9.20 49.73 15.44 $ 3,528.95 872.00 26.00 15.75 12.99 3.10 100.75 6.52 38.89 28.27 $ 1,104.27 $ 715.00 77.00 22.50 482.95 10.00 22.29 4.27 78.61 $55,257.12 37.794.24 8,886.22 17,500.00 $119,437.58 $30,528.76 361.66 9.93 10.00 89.80 $471.39 3,000.00 1,080.00 25.30 120.24 73.92 127.68 32.54 6.50 $ 4,466.18 $ 2,100.00 1,907.50 61.33 34.60 16.79 204.37 11.58 293.69 68.12 62.08 299.72 508.21 $ 5,567.89 900.00 851.08 21.77 3.50 22.66 5.94 19 Statement op Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Bienniuni 1<?34-1936 1934-35 1935-36 VI. General Forestry, Parks and Planting—Continued Printing Motor Vehicle Operation Repairs Fire Insurance Agricultural Equipment Purchase of Land Total Expenditures.- Less Receipts: Federal Cooperation. Sale of Seedlings Sale of Publications. - Permits, State Lakes. Park Concessions State Appropriation. Departmental Summary: Disbursements : Administration Water Resources Mineral Resources Forest Fire Prevention.. Industrial Survey General Forestry Less Receipts: Administration Water Resources Forest Fire Prevention General Forestry Advance from Contingency Fund. State Appropriation : Administration Water Resources Mineral Resources Forest Fire Prevention Industrial Survey General Forestry Advance from Contingency Fund. 14.25 231.23 7.50 36.10 2.77 91.95 9.29 39.19 16.30 ,013.50 $ 1,701.70 $ 3,977.95 S 6,334.92 $14,012.02 1,104.85 1,408.29 489.83 2,312.70 6.70 5.00 193.15 126.90 188.98 140.53 $ 1,983.51 $ 4,351.41 $10,429.82 8,673.28 4,463.00 97.844.93 6,334.92 $ 3,993.42 $10,018.60 $12,667.94 14,644.02 7,565.21 149,966.34 471.39 14,012.02 $127,745.95 $ 20.61 1,022.41 95,094.90 1,983.51 $199,326.92 $ 34.85 1,195.12 119,437.58 3,993.42 5,000.00 $98,121.43 $10,409.21 7,650.87 4,463.00 2,750.03 4,351.41 $129,660.97 $12,633.09 13,448.90 7,565.21 30,528.76 471.39 10,018.60 —5,000.00 ,624.52 $69,665.95 20 DIVISION OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES Statement of Receipts and Disbttesements Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 VII. Inland Fisheries: Administration: Salaries Commissions Office Supplies Field Travel Printing Forms Publicity Service. Legal Costs Fire Insurance OfiBce Equipment. Morrison Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Salaries, Staff Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel.. Motor Vehicle Operation. . Lights and Power Building Repairs.- Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchangp^_ Water Rights Murphy Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Labor Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel... Motor Vehicle Operation.. Building Repairs Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exhcange.. Stedman Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Salary, Staff Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel.. Motor Vehicle Operation Building Repairs 800 00 2,422 82 7 54 74.33 360.57 10 80 2 52 75.67 $ 3,754.25 $ 1,220.00 900.00 2,945.46 14.24 63.59 9.85 114.89 78.26 5.25 5.00 414.54 1,125.00 S 6,896.08 •S 900.00 267.50 1,591.62 95 33.84 1.50 243.99 475.18 9.87 118.00 314.54 $ 3,956.99 $ 900.00 360.00 973.92 2.00 117.72 3.49 30.00 626.11 83.87 21 Statement op Receipts and DiSBimBEMENTa — Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 Inland Fisheries—Continued Equipment Repairs Hatchery Eqviipment Motor Vehicle Exchange Roaring Gap Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Labor Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. . Lights and Power Building Repairs Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchange.. Boone Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent. Salary, Staff Supplies Telephone and Telegrams Motor Vehicle Operation. Building Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchange. Lake Mattamuskeet: Salary, Superintendent Salaries, Wardens Supplies Motor Vehicle Operation Purchase of Motor and Boats. Total Expenditures Less Receipts: Sale of Anglers' Licenses Transfer from Preceding Year. Transfer to Succeeding Year. VIII. Game: Administration: Salary, Commissioner. Salaries, Staff Salaries, Wardens 54.77 59.87 549.00 $ 47.69 235.07 $ 3,760.75 S 900.00 202 . 20 2,313.74 2.50 7.58 347.29 73.55 261.00 34.75 50.81 440.46 $ 3,610.20 S 1,200.00 432.00 2,770.83 2.00 13.10 1.53 231.81 86.00 56.10 27.78 —31.74 $ 4,633.88 $ 900.00 360.00 1,741.85 15.00 5.63 332.05 176.49 203 . 57 372 , 50 4,789.41 1,080.00 432.00 2,551.64 348.38 208 . 27 17.75 « 4,107.09 S 4,638.04 $ 1,500.00 900.00 19.19 2.35 133.75 $27,109.04 $31,476.06 $ 2,555.29 $28,951.87 $36,062.36 1,920.66 $31,476.06 $ 4,367.02 $ 3,000.00 10,850.84 49,906.62 $37,983.02 $ 9,031.15 $ 4,000.00 16,221.67 79,233.77 22 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1935-36 Game—Continued Stationery and Supplies. . License Buttons Postage Telephone and Telegran h Express and Drayage Field Travel Printing Forms Printing Publications Motor Vehicle Operation. Typing Records Publicity Service Legal Costs Insurance and Bonding. _ Repairs, Equipment Alterations, Office Equipment Game Farm, Fayetteville: Salary, Superintendent.. Labor Supplies Sustenance for Labor Travel Expense Motor Vehicle Operation . Repairs Equipment Game Farm, Mt. Mitchell: Salary, Keeper Supplies Motor Vehicle Operation _ Repairs Equipment Buildings Refuges, General: Salary, Superintendent. . Office Supplies. _ Postage and Telephone.. Travel Expense Motor Vehicle Operation. Motor Vehicle Exchange. Mt. Mitchell State Game Refuge: Salaries, Wardens Daniel Boone State Game Refuge: Salaries, Wardens Wayah Bald State Game Refuge: Salary, Warden 399.99 4,248.64 926.12 315.62 198.07 7,754.77 2,017.33 .545.24 35.30 26.70 60.50 1,287.96 110.82 243.00 1,227.82 i 677.64 3,467.62 1,225.25 711.26 310.63 10,362.82 2,906.64 2,941.19 590 . 46 54.09 235.63 150.00 1,308.56 39.98 .75 223.45 $83,155.34 $ 1,410.00 180.00 1,342.57 180.00 78.60 425 . 50 236.49 $124,661.41 $ 1,680.00 216.00 1,437.99 180.00 105.55 22.00 125.31 702 . 29 $ 3,8.53.16 •S 270.00 1,075.10 21.77 46.07 1,434.29 626 . 96 4,469.14 502.00 894 . 42 134.13 600 . 54 825 . 58 8 3,474.19 $ 1,200.00 2.35 23.46 77.89 717.11 $ 2,956.67 $ 1 440.00 7.84 25.27 76.71 602 . 16 352 . 84 $ 2,020.81 $ 1,200.00 « 690.00 ? 600.00 $ 2,504.82 $ 1,440.00 $ 1,320.00 $ 680.00 23 Statement op Receipts and Disbubsements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1935-36 VIII. Game—Continued Guilford Game Refuge: Salary, Warden Rent of Building Holly Shelter Refuge: Salary, Warden Roaring Gap Refuge: Salary, Warden P. R. Camp Refuge: Salary, Warden Rent-- Migratory Bird Refuges: Feed and Supplies Miscellaneous Accounts: Bounties Workman's Compensation. Rebuilding Lake Rim Donation to Fire Control. Equipment River Patrol. . . Motor Boats Operation $ 360.00 150.00 30.00 12.60 $ 510.00 S 480.00 $ 360.00 $ 360.00 100.00 42.50 480.00 432.00 432.00 100.00 460.00 $ 137.30 1,184.13 24,704.47 13,500.00 $ 532,00 $ 200.00 $ 79 . 30 206 . 87 5,212.35 17,500.00 1,991.05 410.02 Total Expenditures Less Receipts: Sale of Hunting Licenses Refund of Bounty Payments Sale of Building (Asheboro) Special Licenses Appropriation from Contingency Fund for Rebuilding Lake Rim . $39,251.30 $136,054 80 127,642.12 2 , 780 . 50 750.00 $25,240.99 $164,959.53 175,614.92 759.68 213.00 Transfer from Preceding Year. 9,250.00 24,269.17 31,083.35 Transfer to Succeeding Year. Divisional Summary: Total Expenditures Less Receipts $164,691.79 $28,636.99 $163,163.84 196,167.85 $207,670.95 $42,711.42 $193,911.40 245,653.97 Transfer to Succeeding Y'ear. $ 33,004.01 $ 51,742.57 Financial statement of Division of Commercial Fisheries follows report of this Division. DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES The fishing industry is one of North Carolina's most valuable natural resources. There is no possible way of estimating its true value to this and future generations, but the true worth should run into millions of dollars. Many thousands of people are engaged in it and many more thousands are in one way or another affected by it. It should be given every reasonable protection. The industry during this past biennium has experienced a substantial gain, every branch having shown a marked increase in production. The factors that usually control in this industry have been much more favorable during this period than in recent years. The fishermen have weathered the depression and now have their boats and nets back to normal again; they also have enjoyed better prices for their catch than they did during the past two bienniums. FOOD FISH More people in a wider area are engaged in food fishing than any other branch. Some time during the year it extends to all of our waters, both inside and outside. During no single day in the three hundred sixty-five, except Sunday, is net fishing not done. During the last year of this bien-nium the fishermen have enjoyed a better market for their fish than they have for a long time, due in part to better facilities for handling their product. However, the past shad season was the worst ever experienced, due partly to flood waters in all the rivers during the shad fishing sea-son. The fact that the herring season comes a little later than the shad season accounts for the normal catch this activity enjoyed last year. Fishing, in general, has been better on the inside for the past two years on account of the opening of New and Durm Inlets. These improved conditions have enabled the fishermen to replace many of their boats and nets. The outlook is toward a steady increase in this important industry for the reason that better equipment to handle fish than ever before is available. There have been caught during this biennium 98,- 055,000 pounds of food fish at a value of $2,859,500, SHRIMP Shrimping, in a commercial way, is a local activity and has been confined throughout the years to two counties, Brunswick and Carteret; but during the past season a great many shrimp were caught in Pamlico County. How-ever, Brunswick continued to be the banner county, having produced 678,467 pounds more of shrimp for the biennium than Carteret. The production of the latter county has been proportionally larger than in previous years. Shrimp in great quantities have been lying off Beaufort Inlet in easy reach of our trawlers and we are hopeful that they will continue to return to these waters seasonally. During the past biennium we produced 4,680,746 pounds of shrimp at a value of $280,904.76, which is more than double the production the previous biennium. 25 MENHADEN More capital is required to finance this activity than any other phase of the fisheries. The factories and equipment cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a rule the season lasts only a couple of months—October, November and part of December. During the past season there was the largest catch of menhaden in the spring of the year than for a like period during the past twelve or fifteen years. Most of these fish are caught at sea during the fall season as they pass the North Carolina Coast on their way south ; and the number of menhaden caught is wholly dependent on the weather, because the fish strike in here during the rough, bad weather. They have passed by before the boats can get out again if the rough weather lasts long. This phase of the industry employs a large number of men who have nothing at stake, except their labor, as the boats and equipment are furnished by the operators. If weather conditions are favorable, the men make good wages. During the past biennium 210,905,000 menhaden were caught; 665,785 gallons of oil were manufactured; and scrap in the amount of 18,100 tons was marketed. In this industry approximately $200,000.00 is invested in boats; $35,000.00 in nets and equipment; and $200,000.00 in factories. OYSTERS This branch of seafood industry suffered a severe setback during the September storm of 1933, which sanded up and killed most of the oysters; but under the CWA, ERA and WPA we have planted in Dare, Hyde, Pam-lico, Carteret, Onslow, Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick Counties 2,133,506 bushels of oysters and shells. We are hopeful that this work will, in some measure, offset the loss suffered from the storm. This planting was done at a cost of $193,102.24, or an average of .09 per bushel. Without some setback it is hoped that this part of the industry will be back to normal in a few years, although the Bureau of Fisheries through its representative. Dr. Prytherch, stationed at the laboratory at Beaufort, has found a lot of borers, whose activity at the present time is confined to Core Sound. He has advised trapping these pests as the surest method of keeping them from spreading to larger areas or possibly getting rid of them altogether. In his experiments with this method, he has had great success and has found it can be done at a nominal cost. He has recommended that this De-partment offer a bounty to induce the fishermen to trap the borers and thus destroy as quickly as possible this natural enemy of the oyster. Dur-ing the past biennium the State has produced 407,754 bushels of oysters at a value of $142,713.90, which is 107,000 bushels more than were marketed in the previous period. CLAMS The clam industry has had a marked gain during the past biennium. This gain followed the opening of Drum Inlet, which was cut through Core Banks during the September storm, letting sea water into Core Sound and 26 thus adding to its salinity. The clams are now growing in a much larger area than they have ever grown before and in much greater quantities. This part of the industry affords a livelihood for fishermen during the sum-mer months when general fishing is at its slackest. The clams are sold by the catchers to the bedders, who put them on the northern markets during the winter months or sell to out-of-State trucks. During the past few years clams have been produced in commercial quantities only in Brunswick and Carteret Counties. TTie latter county produces more than all of the other combined clam growing counties in the State. During the past biennium we produced 94,832 bushels of clams at a value of $118,540.00, an increase of 32,124 bushels over the previous biennium. ESCALLOPS Carteret is the only escallop-producing county in the State. At one time this was one of the most valuable industries in this county, but for the past several years it has almost been wiped out because of the disappearance of grass in the sounds. Government specialists have not been able to determine what killed out the grass along the Atlantic Coast. The grass for the past season has been coming back in some sections, particularly in Core Sound ; and there has been a great pickup in this part of the industry. The gain is nine hundred percent over the last biennium, though the total production was insignificant in comparison with that ten years ago. During the past biennium the production was 18,708 gallons of escallops, valued at $37,417.00. CRABS The soft-shell crab is caught in commercial quantities only in Carteret County during the months of April and May. The production of crabs is so much greater in Maryland than it is in North Carolina that this State's market is stopped practically at a standstill immediately after the opening of the crabbing season in that State. North Carolina's season opens about two months before Maryland begins to produce crabs in commercial quan-tities, and the out-of-State buyers leave as soon as the season opens there. A large number of people make good wages at this work during April and May. The State produced 160,922 dozens of crabs, valued at $160,922.00, during this biennium. The hard or blue crab is found all along the coast and has been more valuable during the past two seasons than ever before. On account of the severe weather which killed out the crabs on the Chesa-peake Bay last winter much larger production and sales were recorded here. This activity has grown to be one of the most active of the entire fishing-industry. There is an ever-increasing demand for hard crab meat. The number of crab meat houses in this State during this period reached fifteen. Many loads of hard crabs were hauled away by out-of-State trucks for Vir-ginia and Maryland crab houses. 27 REPORT OF SANITARY ENGINEER Captain J. A. Nelson, Fisheries. Comynissioner, Morehead City, N. C. Dear Sir: I have the pleasure of submitting herewith report of shellfish sanitation work conducted by this office for the biennium ending June 30, 1936. This report does not go into detail of the work carried on, but covers in a general way the various activities. Great progress has been made in shellfish sanitation during the past two years. Seafood dealers have learned that it is to their advantage to handle their products in a clean, sanitary manner and have built or improved their plants so that we now have packing plants that will compare favorably with any on the Atlantic Coast. Close sanitary supervision over the crab meat packing industry has had much to do with the development of this now important seafood industry in North Carolina. This office, in cooperation with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, has maintained regular inspection and laboratory control over all inter-state shipments. Fifteen crab meat plants located from Morehead to Manteo operated in the State during this biennium, giving employment to several hundred people. Regular monthly inspections and constant laboratory control work have been carried on in the oyster and clam packing and shipping industries, to meet the requirements of the U. S. Public Health Service for inter-state shipments. An average of fifty shucking and packing plants and seventy-five shell-stock plants operated during the biennium. Several new and mod-ern oyster shucking houses were constructed, and with the general improve-ment in business conditions further improvements are being made. A system of rating or classifying the plants according to the type of construc-tion and the manner of operation is now being worked out. This will help create a keener interest in shellfish sanitation, as each plant or manager will strive to maintain a good sanitary rating. Sanitary surveys were made of producing and new areas being developed along the coast. It was not found necessary to restrict any additional waters on account of pollution during this biennium. Further work along this line is needed, since more and more raw sewage is being discharged into streams leading into our producing areas. Constant supervision over the patrolling of the restricted areas was also maintained, and several indi-viduals were prosecuted in court for taking shellfish from these polluted areas. Due to this strict supervision, no shipments were turned down and condemned on out-of-State markets. If the seafood industry is to continue to improve and afford better living conditions for the people engaged, it is and will increasingly be very impor-tant that a Division of Shellfish Sanitation be set up and maintained at a high standard. North Carolina cannot aff'ord not to furnish qualified tech-nical supervision for this highly important industry, which is the source of livelihood for several thousand people. A. B. Freeman, Assistant Sanitary Engineer. DIAMOND-BACK TERRAPIN Some years ago the diamond-back terrapin was in great demand. Because of this fact and in order to give our fishermen what aid we could toward supplying this demand—terrapin of best quality were selling on northern markets as high as $60.00 per dozen—this State in cooperation with the 28 Federal Government began the propagation of diamond-back terrapin at the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries at Beaufort, North Carolina. Cement pens were built and two thousand adult terrapins were bought for brood stock. In the course of time there were liberated yearly in our waters' at selected points five to ten thousand young terrapin. This has been going on for ten years, with the result that terrapin are more plentiful in our waters than ever before. For some years the demand for this choice food has not been so great as previously. However, the market is becoming more active and, of course, the price is becoming more attractive. If and when the demand for this product does increase appreciably, our fishermen will reap a com-paratively rich harvest that this Department and the Federal Government have made possible. This is one of the constructive measures the Division of Commercial Fisheries has fostered in an active, practical way. PATROL BOATS Three of our patrol boats are thirty years old and are, therefore, obsolete and should be replaced with new boats. Often the time element plays a large part in the enforcement of our regulations. Yet these boats cannot be made to render the service required of them, because they are slow and unseaworthy when compared with the more modern boats with which they must compete. Each of these boats has large bodies of water to patrol and it is readily seen that more territory is left unprotected for larger periods of time than would be the case with speedier and more seaworthy boats. And, too, the operating expense of a new boat would naturally be less. The Pamlico, Albemarle and Chowan should be disposed of and new boats put on patrol in their place. The John A. Nelson, the largest of our fleet, is stationed at Morehead City and is used by the Commissioner for general supervision in the Sounds. It is used in the ocean at Ocracoke and Hatteras during the winter months to look after the out-of-State trawlers. The Roanoke, the speed boat, is also located at Morehead City and is used by one of the inspectors for collecting licenses and patrolling the closed terri-tories where oysters and clams are not allowed to be taken. The Pamlico is stationed at Belhaven, and is used by an inspector for patrolling Pamlico Sound, Pamlico and Pungo Rivers. The Neuse, one of our small boats, is stationed at New Bern, and is used by an inspector for patrolling Neuse River. The Albemarle and the Croatan are stationed at Manteo, and are used by an Assistant Commissioner, who has charge of staking oflf fishing limits, enforcing the law and collecting licenses in the lower Albemarle Sound and Upper Pamlico Sound. The Chowan is stationed at Edenton and is used by one of the inspectors at that point. He patrols the waters of upper Albermarle Sound, Chowan, Roanoke, Perquimans, Cashie and Scuppernong Rivers, collecting licenses and enforcing the fishing regula-tions. These boats should be on duty the year round to keep the fishermen informed of the regulations and laws as well as to protect the industry against would-be violators. 29 KIND, QUANTITY AND VALUE OF FISH TAKEN IN WATERS OF NORTH CAROLINA For the Period July 1, 1934, to June 1, 1936 Kinds of Fish No. of Pounds Value Spotted Trout Gray Trout Sea Mullet Blue Fish Mullet.- Croakers Spots Hogfish Mackerel Shad ___ Herring Butters Carp Rock or Striped Bass. Flounders Puppy Drum White Perch Assorted Cats Eels Jack Pike. Pompano Channel Bass Sturgeon Total Food Fish. Shrimp Menhaden (No. of Fish). ,700,000 ,000,000 ,200.000 ,000,000 ,000.000 ,000,000 ,000,000 500,000 400,000 ,000,000 ,000,000 .600.000 200,000 700,000 ,000,000 500,000 ,000.000 ,000,000 450,000 60,000 500.000 20.000 12,000 200.000 5.000 8.000 98.055,000 4.681.746 210.905,000 222,000.00 450,000.00 24,000.00 30,000.00 180.000.00 210,000.00 200,000.00 10,000.00 20.000.00 750,000.00 350.000.00 48,000.00 12.000.00 105.000.00 80.000.00 20.000.00 60.000.00 30,000.00 22.500.00 3.000.00 25.000.00 1.000.00 1.200.00 4,000.00 1.000.00 800.00 $ 2,859,500.00 280,904.76 1,054,425.00 Total Value of Fin Fish. $ 4,194,829.76 Shellfish Oysters.. 407,754 (Bushels). Clams. 94,832 (Bushels). Escallops 18.708 (Gallons). Soft-Shell Crabs 160,922 (Dozens). Hard Crabs 10,000,000 (Pounds). Diamond-Back Terrapin 5.000 (Pounds). 142,713.90 118.540.00 37,416.00 160,922.00 200,000.00 937.50 Total Value of Shellfish $ 660.529.40 Totals Value of Fin Fish. $4,194,829.76 Value of Shellfish 660.529.40 Total Value Water Products _ $4,855,359.15 30 STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS OF THE DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT For Biennium 1934-35—1935-36 1934-35 1935-36 Administration and iNSPEcnoN: Commissioner's Salary Assistant Commissioners' Salaries. - Commission Employees' Salaries _. Office Staff Office Supplies Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Traveling Expense—Commissioner- Printing and Binding Motor Vehicle Operation Office Rent Counsel Fees Insurance and Bonding Equipment Other Expenses Total. Patrol Boats: Salaries and Wages Supplies Gas and Oils Repairs Equipment. Subsistence Docks and Warehouses Marking Fishing Limits Fire Insurance—boat J. A. Nelson. Total Shellfish Sanitation: Supplies and Materials. Equipment Total. Total Expenditures. Less Receipts Credit Balance. Appropriation.. Receipts: Food Fish Licenses and Taxes. Oyster Licenses and Taxes Escallop Licenses and Taxes. _ Clam Licenses and Taxes Crab Licenses and Taxes Menhaden Licenses Power Boat Licenses Other Sources Total. 3,000.00 1,327.00 6,185.12 2,393.00 245.54 164.25 270.64 317.82 619.46 831.90 700.00 92.00 10.00 $ 16,156.73 3,490.93 1,263.21 1,384.94 486 . 07 196.31 839.00 100.00 122.93 130.00 $ 8,013.39 52.10 20.28 $ 24,242.50 24 , 257 . 29 $ 8,900.77 4,729.39 515.60 1,810.43 3,951.82 2,234.75 289.00 1,825.53 $ 24,257.29 3,600.00 1,411.67 5,826.31 3,420.00 95.94 164.25 250.00 138.52 591.42 632.60 700.00 500.00 99.12 62.00 8.00 17,499.83 3 , 199 . 50 1,051.11 1,323.99 2,279.91 562,55 687 . 50 175.00 395.04 130.00 9,804.60 57.04 57.04 $ 27,361.47 21,605.20 5,756.27 $ 8,386.85 4,615.94 472.30 2,120.37 1,500.52 1,987.75 225.00 2,296.47 $ 21,605.20 DIVISION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Although this Division has had no full-time personnel during the bi-ennium, its functions have been maintained to a limited degree through the office of the Assistant Director. The collection of state data and statistics, particularly industrial and commercial, has continued; and the public has been served by the dissemi-nation of available information requested by numerous individuals and organizations. There have, however, been no facilities for classification, collation, and analyzing of these data and statistics for their more effective use. This Division has continued to serve as a clearing house for public in-formation concerning various activities of the Department. The people of the State have been familiarized with the general conservation program and also with the status of the work of the different Divisions by means of news and feature copy provided for the press and the radio. Press: The newspapers of the State have continued their cooperation by giving freely of their space to news and feature articles on conservation. They have also supported editorially the various activities directed toward obtaining the most effective use of the State's natural resources and for their preservation for future generations. Their familiarity with the prob-lems confronting the State and her resources has made this co-operation doubly valuable; and, to no small degree, much of the progress toward more effective conservation and development has been made possible by the as-sistance of the press. The Department takes this means of expressing its appreciation for the valuable aid rendered by the press of the State. Radio: Because of restricted personnel, the Division was unable to con-tinue weekly broadcasts which had been given in previous years during the first part of the biennium. However, the approval of an educational proj-ect by the Emergency Relief Administration in June, 1935, made possible the resumption of the Department's radio programs. All facilities of the radio stations were made available without cost, and the Department ex-presses its gratitude to the various stations for their effective cooperation. Cecil E. Bell, an experienced radio announcer, was employed with funds furnished by the ERA to prepare and deliver a regular weekly schedule of dramatized conservation programs. These programs were handled each week by six North Carolina stations and for part of the time by all the broadcasting companies in the State. Mr. Bell continued this work for about six months and at the end of that period he was retained by the De-partment for the same purpose and to assist in the preparation of publica-tions. Near the latter part of the biennium, Mr. Bell was assigned to the special study of resources and industries mentioned later in this report. "Come to North Carolina" : An attractively illustrated brochure under this title was brought out in March, 1936, for general tourist information. This was the first literature of this nature issued by the Department since 1927. 32 The booklet is a guide to the historical, recreational, and scenic attrac-tions of the State, featured by a small-scale map on which various points of outstanding interest are spotted. Its cover and the map were done in four colors and numerous illustrations were used in the txt. Because of limited funds, only 44,000 of the booklets were printed. Even before the press run was complete, requests for at least double the number available had been received, and it was necessary to cut each allotment more than half. The principal distribution of the publication was through travel agencies scattered throughout the country. Some of these began requests for more copies within a few weeks but it was possible to furnish only a limited number of these. Chambers of Commerce in the various cities of the State also cooperated with the Department in distributing the booklet, and few of these received a sufficient number to meet their demands. Within approximately 60 days, the entire supply of the publication, with the exception of a small number retained for meeting individual inquiries received by the Department, had been distributed. Requests for thousands of copies since that time could not be met. According to numerous comments received by the Department, the bro-chure, together with an attractive four-color highway map issued by the State Highway and Public Works Commission, was an important factor in one of the best tourist seasons experienced in years in North Carolina. The Department is seeking means of bringing out a reprint of the publication. Conservation Text: It has been the plan of the Department to urge that the study of conservation be prescribed in an appropriate grade in the public schools of the State. With this idea in view, a proposed text book is now under preparation. The subject is being treated in such a manner as to interest as well as inform the pupil concerning the great natural re-sources with which the State has been endowed and to create a more whole-some respect for these gifts of the Divine Creator. Preliminary copy has been prepared and will be ready for publication when checked thoroughly and revised, if approved by the educational au-thorities. Manuscript should be completed within the next fiscal year. Informational Leaflets: In order to meet numerous requests for general information concerning the State, the Division has issued several mimeo-graph sheets. One of the most popular of these leaflets is "Facts About North Caro-lina", first compiled several years ago but which has been brought up to date several times. General data on population, geography, industry, cli-mate, education, highways, history, natural resources and other subjects are contained in this sheet. It has been reissued probably a score of times and thousands of copies given out. The principal distribution has been to North Carolina school children; and in addition, hundreds have been used for response to inquiries for general information on the State. Another mimeograph issued by the Division was under the title, "Con-servation Suggestions for Organized Groups." This circular is intended to answer such questions as: "What is conservation? Why is it necessary? How does it affect life, health, and happiness?" The sheet describes briefly the objectives of conservation, and suggests particular research and projects 33 dealing with natural resources. It is designed especially for distribution to organizations interested in various phases of the Department's program. Report on Resources and Industries : The Division is cooperating with the Division of Water Resources and Engineering in the compilation of a report on the resources and industries of the State. This study was started near the closing of the biennium, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the calendar year. The report is being made at the request of Governor Ehringhaus, and it is hoped that regular inventories of this nature may be continued as one of the functions of the Department. Data gathered during the survey are intended as an index to guide future development and to encourage a more thorough utilization of all the resources of the State. Industrial Promotion: During the early months of this biennium the calls for information from industrial and commercial concerns interested in locating in the State have been infrequent, but with improving general conditions there is an increased demand for this type of data. More adequate facilities for gathering and utilizing basic industrial in-formaton are needed if the Department meets demands for these data. It is believed that intelligent efforts of this nature to promote the industrial and commercial development of North Carolina will be a sound investment. If a State advertising fund is provided, the demands for reliable and up-to-date information on raw materials and facilities of a widely varied character will be intensified. Inquiries for definite data will be more fre-quent and should be followed up intelligently and thoroughly. DIVISION OF FORESTRY There are two State agencies dealing with State-wide Forestry in North Carolina, each cooperating with its separate bui-eau of the United States Department of Agriculture under the Clark-McNary Law. These are the Forestry Division of the Department of Conservation and Development, commonly known in the field as the State Forest Service; and the Forestry Division of the Agricultural Extension Service. This latter receives aid through the United States Agricultural Extension Service. R. W. Graeber, extension forester, whose office is at State College, cooperates with the State Forester in the distribution of tree seedlings produced by the Depart-ment of Conservation and Development in its forest nursery for forest planting on the farms of the State. The Division of Forestry has for convenience in bookkeeping as well as in administration been divided into four branches. By far the largest and most important branch is that of Forest Fire Control which has been in charge of W. C. McCormick since May, 1934. During that time a number of changes in personnel, a very considerable extension of the area, and an increase in available funds have taken place. According to officials of the United States Forest Service, the proportion of forest land now under proper protection in North Carolina is greater than that of any state in the southeastern region. The branch of Forests and Parks was until August, 1935, in direct charge of the State Forester. With the greatly increased work, due to the coop-eration of the National Park Service in the acquisition and development of State Parks through the Emergency Conservation Work, competent assist-ance became imperative, and the services of Thomas W. Morse, a trained landscape architect with considerable business experience, were secured. He, with the efficient assistance of Miss Annie Ramsey, who had previously been responsible for the major part of the business connected with park development under ECW, now handles the State Park work with energy and effectiveness. The remainder of the forestry work, including supervision of the State Forest Nursery, the various Federal and State contacts and such educa-tional work as it is possible to do under the limited appropriation, are car-ried on directly by the State Forester and his Secretary. Some additional clerical help has been received through a WPA project in both the Park and the Forester's office for which thanks are due this Federal relief organization. With the rapid expansion of the forest plant-ing program and the development of the enlarged forest nursery an assist-ant forester, trained and experienced in nursery and planting work, has become a necessity. Provision for such a man will be asked of the next General Assembly. Unfortunately through lack of proper State office accommodation it has been necessary to divide the work and personnel of this division, Mr. Morse with his Federally-paid clerical force occupying rooms in the Commercial Bank building, while the ECW, which is closely tied up with the State Forester and with the Forest Fire Control branch, is also located several 35 blocks away from une State office. Not only does this situation consume unnecessary time but it prevents close contact of administrative officials, contributing thei'eby towards inefficiency. A State building where the whole department can be together and function as a unit seems to be one of the principal needs at the present time. In addition to the State forestry agencies operating in North Carolina there are a number of regular as well as emergency Federal agencies cover-ing parts or all of the State. Some brief reports of the activities of the more important ones are included in this report. FOREST FIRE CONTROL The branch of forest fire control of the Forestry Division of the Depart-ment has made considerable progress within the period covered by this report. A substantial increase in the state appropriation was made avail-able for this work through the action of the last legislature, which made possible the broadening of activities and put under protection additional counties and areas of privately-owned timberland. The Federal Govern-ment, under the Clarke-McNary Law, which provides that the government will reimburse qualifying states not in excess of 50 per cent of monies spent by such states for forest fire prevention, appropriated $50,560 per year for the two years. Increased county funds through the inclusion of additional counties and additional county appropriations were needed; increased private funds through the cooperation of additional timberland owners, together with a larger State's appropriation for the last half of this biennium, were responsible for our ability to expand. The result was that the fire control section of the Division of Forestry has been supervising the largest acreage ever placed under protection in the history of the State, which automatically increased the field personnel to the largest number of employees ever under appointment; and while a most severe fire season was encountered during the spring and summer of 1936, every fire within a cooperating county or upon a cooperating unit was handled in a satisfactory manner and thousands of acres of timberland saved from destruction. Personnel: Because of the demand for foresters made by government agencies and the enlarged program of the fire control organization, a con-siderable turnover in personnel during this biennium was encountered. At the beginning of this biennium there were six established forestry districts, with only three District Foresters handling the work. This was due pri-marily to the fact that salaries had been reduced to such a point that Federal agencies had been able to take away many of our technically trained and experienced foresters. This condition existed until late in the spring of 1935. Of the three District Foresters above mentioned, L. A. Carter resigned January 14, 1935, to accept work with the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, leaving only two experienced men. On October 15, 1935, W. A. Peterson resigned to accept work with the Resettlement Administration, leaving only one. Through meager savings made in the salaries of these resigned District Foresters, it was possible to appoint J. B. Lattay, a technically trained and 86 experienced forester, on April 16, 1935, to replace Mr. Carter. In May, through further savings in salaries, it was possible to appoint J. R. Spratt and J. M. Stingley, both graduates in Forestry from the N. C. State College, as District Foresters, both men having had practical experience. In July, 1935, J. D. Findlay, also a graduate of N. C. State College in Forestry, was engaged as District Forester. In November, 1935, P. W. Tillman, a gradu-ate forester with several years' experience in the U. S. Forest Service, was appointed District Forester. Therefore, on January 1, 1936, W. K. Beichler, the remaining Senior District Forester, had charge of the two mountain districts with a District Forester in charge of each of the four eastern dis-tricts, making a total of six District Foresters, one acting as Assistant District Forester in a training capacity. Dan Blake of Asheville was appointed District Ranger in November, 1934. J. R. Miller, who had been in the service for a number of years, took leave, without pay, effective June 30, 1936, due to the condition of his health. On June 1, 1935, W. S. Ragsdale, former County Warden, was promoted to District Ranger; Ragsdale resigned effective June 30, 1936. District For-ester W. K. Beichler was promoted to Forest Inspector and transferred from Asheville to the Raleigh Office effective July 1, 1936. On July 1, 1935, through a rearrangement of the forestry areas. District 3 headquarters was established at Rockingham in the new Federal Building; District 5 headquarters was transferred from Washington, North Carolina, to Rocky Mount. The six district headquarters on June 30, 1936, were as follows: District 1, Asheville; District 2, Lenoir; District 3, Rockingham; District 4, New Bern; District 5, Rocky Mount; and District 6, Fayetteville. All of these offices are in Federal buildings or city offices, with the exception of Fayetteville. Present Organization: The organization of the forest fire control branch of the Division of Forestry as set up July 1, 1936, is as follows : the Assist-ant State Forester as Chief of Forest Fire Control; a Forest Inspector and three office assistants constitute the Central Office force; and the Chief of Forest Fire Control and the Forest Inspector both work out of the Central Office at Raleigh. Five District Foresters, technically trained and with practical experience, are in charge of fire control activities in six Districts. Six District Forest Rangers, non-technical, promoted from the warden ranks, serve as assistants to the District Foresters in field activities and direct contact men with the warden organzation in the field. Six Clerk-Stenographers, one in each District Office, handling all office routine, accounts, etc. Fifty-six County Forest Wardens, one in each cooperating county, in charge of fire control within the county. Ten Association Rangers on as many associations. All of these County Wardens and Rangers are full-time men, and all taxpayers, who devote their entire time to the work assig-ned them. In many cases the County Wardens are combination Forest, Game and Fish Wardens and are jointly paid by the three divisions. Twenty-nine of these County War-dens and five Association Rangers are supplied with a State-and-covmty or Association-owned fire-fighting truck. Each county is divided into fire dis-tricts averaging about 14,000 acres of timberland to the district and a District Forest Warden working directly under the County Warden in 37 charge of each of these county fire districts. District Wardens are paid on an hourly basis for the exact amount of time they devote to the work. District Wardens sign up Pledged Crews of fire fighters, who respond to their calls and work with them on all fires, thereby forming a trained fire fighting crew rather than depending on pick-up labor. This has proven very satisfactory. During the fire season, which usually runs from November 1 until the middle of May, towermen were employed at each of the 66 lookout towers and five other points which were manned for this purpose, making a total of 71 seasonal employees during the fire period in detection work. There were approximately 200 men employed during the fire season who form three-to five-man fire crews which were stationed at certain towers throughout the cooperating counties and on protective associations. The above listed full-time and seasonal employees, together with District Wardens, averaging approximately 15 to the county, bring the total number of permanent and part-time employees up to approximately 1,100. The 22 employees comprising the Raleigh and field headquarters personnel are entrusted with the supervision, disbursement of funds and all work con-nected with the direction of 56 County Wardens and approximately 1,000 seasonal employees and fire control plans and activities necessary in the protection of approximately 14,000,000 acres of forest land or 75 per cent of the total forested area of the State needing protection. PROGRESS CHART June 30 1932-33 June 30 1933-34 June 30 1934-35 June 30 1935-36 3 4 30 803 30 35 5,804,343 $ 23,150 5,064 4,740 17,000 50,560 3 4 33 884 33 54 6,405,975 $ 17,845 4,400 2,755 11,000 36,000 3 4 44 800 44 62 9,862,289 $ 36 , 020 5,430 2,755 13,000 50,560 6 6 56 1,000 56 Private timberland o^-ners cooperating Forest area under protection (acres) _ Finances: 77 13,634,000 $ 53 , 000 9,100 24,930 15,000 50,560 $ 100,514 1.7 cents $ 72,000 1.1 cents $ 107,765 1.1 cents $ 152,590 1.12 cents Note: In June-July, 1936, a complete new survey was made of the forest area needing protection in the State and the cost of giving this area adequate fire protection. Results: Total forest area needing state protection 20,339,122 acres Annual cost per acre of adequate protection 4.9 cents This cost is based upon an allowable annual burn of 1.18 per cent of the forest area. It represents, then, an annual expenditiire of less than 5 cents to protect an acre of forest land which can be conservatively valued at from $10-$15. 38 County Cooperation: Prior to July 1, 1935, county cooperation with the State in fire control was voluntary. In event a county did not wish to cooperate with the State there was no law empowering the State to establish fire control in such county, with the result that throughout the several forestry districts there were numerous counties not cooperating and in some instances completely surrounded by cooperating counties. Fires origi-nating in these non-cooperating counties spread into cooperating counties, uncontrolled, materially increasing the cost of protection in cooperating counties, A law, enacted in 1935 by the Legislature, broadened the powers of the State Forester through permitting the establishment of a fire control organization in any county in which, in the State Forester's estimation, based entirely upon existing fire conditions and timber values at stake, fire control was necessary. While it has not yet been necessary to use this law, its existence is believed to have been instrumental in securing the voluntary cooperation of some previously non-cooperating counties, with the result that on June 30, 1936, the counties formed a solid block of cooperating units from Virginia to the South Carolina line through the Coastal Plains and Sand-hill Section of the State in which the greatest fire hazard exists. The num-ber of cooperating counties increased from thirty-two in 1934 to fifty-six in the spring of 1936 and additional counties have signed agreements to cooperate, effective July 1, 1936. From July 1, 1934, to June 30, 1936— the period of this report—no county dropped out of the organization nor have any indicated a desire to do so. This is a condition that did not exist prior to the passage of the law. This makes possible the planning of fire control work over a period of years without the constant fear of a county withdrawing if and when it chooses, thus breaking down the organization to that extent. On next page will be found a tabulation showing cooperating counties with sums made available by them for the past several years and the dates on which they begin cooperation with the State in fire control. Private Cooperation: In addition to the county cooperative setup, indi-vidual timberland owners, or groups of timberland owners may list with the State their holdings where the total acreage is not less than 30,000 acres. The assessment rate on these lands varies according to what is con-sidered necessary to give adequate protection and usually ranges from one to ten cents per acre, this sum being matched by an equal amount of State and Federal funds. On June 30, 1936, there were 13 protective associations functioning. These associations embrace approximately 400,000 acres and are owned by 77 landowners. With four exceptions, all of these holdings are within the boundaries of cooperating counties. The funds provided by these cooperators are forwarded to the State at the beginning of each fiscal year and deposited in a special fund for dis-bursement by the Division of Forestry. Budgets are prepared at the be-ginning of each fiscal year covering each association and reports showing accomplishments and disbursements are supplied each cooperator at the end of each fiscal year. The funds provided by the cooperators enable addi-tional protection to their timberlands, through the purchase of tractors, fire line plows, road machinery and other equipment necessary in the con-struction and maintenance of plowed fire lines; building of spur telephone 39 COUNTIES COOPERATING AND ANNUAL SUMS MADE AVAILABLE BY THEM County 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 $ $ $ 500 700 500 1,250 1,000 1,500 2,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,000 S 750 700 Avery 500 500 600 1,250 Bertie 680 1,000 1,500 1,500 2,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,200 1,000 Burke - 1,300 Caldwell . 1,000 700 Clav 400 1,500 1,000 750 700 1,000 750 700 1,100 600 700 825 700 1,500 500 650 1,000 600 600 1,000 500 400 400 750 400 570 1,000 700 500 600 500 400 500 500 500 600 500 400 400 600 400 420 600 Halifax -- 1,000 700 400 400 Hertford __ 750 300 600 750 1,600 300 800 500 750 1,100 1,250 300 300 300 800 Macon Montgomery 565 750 1,000 500 750 1,000 500 750 1,250 800 1,000 750 1,250 500 500 750 850 Pitt -_-__-_ .-_ - 1,200 500 1,200 Polk --. - . 300 500 Pender _ ..- -- _ 1,500 1,000 1,200 1,628 1,000 1,200 2,520 1,000 1,250 1,500 1,000 1,000 1,500 600 600 600 600 Stanly. . .. . ... 700 200 600 500 600 600 Transylvania 600 600 750 500 600 750 750 Wake --- _ 1,000 Wayne Wilkes 800 500 700 844 500 700 1,000 500 800 1,250 500 Wilson. - 800 Washington . 850 Yancey ... ..__ 300 500 Number Counties cooperating 30 33 44 56 40 lines; employment of year-long' Association Rangers under State appoint-ment; and other protective measures. Following is a list of the associations above mentioned, showing names, rates of assessment, location, etc. FOREST PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATIONS Name of Association Assess-ment Rate Location—County Number Individuals in Association Acreage Listed 1934-35 1935-36 1934-35 1935-36 Elk Creek Association - 2)i H Hn 2«! If! H Watagua, Wilkes, Caldwell Burke, McDowell Rutherford 1 6 14 14 1 1 6 14 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 19 1 20 40,000 38,000 14,000 32,000 6,600 20,000 25,000 39,000 30,000 10,000 34,000 31,000 South Mountain Association 40,000 38,000 14,000 (Minimum dues $5). 17,000 6,600 State College Association Onslow, Jones 84,000 Eureka Lumber Co. Association Beaufort . 8,000 East Carolina Land Association Beaufort _ . 20,000 Camp Mfg. Company . Bertie 1 1 3 1 1 15 20,000 Camp Mfg. Company . Hertford-Gates Harnett, Hoke, Cumberland 25,000 Overhills Protective Association 36,000 30,000 Cooper River Timber Co. 10,000 Orton Protective Association... Brunswick 36,000 15,000 Waccamaw Protective Ass'n Columbus-Bladen . . 4 35,000 Total 62 77 319,600 434,600 Fire Control Improvements : During this biennium, the State and coop-erators have been called upon to bear only a small portion of the fire control improvements during this period. The major portion of all improvements consists of lookout towers, tower houses, trailer sheds, telephone lines, roads, trails, and fire breaks, having been constructed with CCC labor under the direction of the Emergency Conservation Work, which agency bore all costs of material. In the list of towers made a part of this report, it will be noted that, with one exception, all of the towers listed as having been constructed during this period were built from ECW funds by CCC labor. In the case of this one exception, only the cost of the tower itself was borne by State cooperative funds, all erection costs being paid by ECW. Seven other towers have been purchased and are on the ground for erec-tion. These will be included in the next biennial report. 41 THE FOLLOWING TOWERS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY ECW AND ERECTED THIS BIENNIUM Name Height County Date Built By Tower Costs* Tower House Number RoomB Greens Cross Liles Mamers Southern Pines.. Tryon Mountain. Rendezvous Mountain Dudley Wilson Toxaway High Windy Roaring Gap Shallotte Maco • Jones Lake East Robeson Swift Creek Wilmar Newkirk Everetts Rose Hill Comfort Young Earpt Ward's Corner.. - Chinquapin Plymouth Foreman 99'9" 79 '6' 72 '9' 72'9' 45'9' 59'3' 99'9' 99'9' 45'9' 45'9' 59 '3" 99'9' 99'9'' 99 '9" 99 '9' 79'6' 99'9" 99'9' 99'9' 99'9' 102' 120' 99'9' 99'9' 99'9' Bertie Halifax Harnett Moore Polk .- Wilkes. Wayne Wilson Transylvania Buncombe Alleghany Brunswick Brunswick Bladen Robeson Nash Craven Sampson Beaufort Duplin Jones Johnston Johnston Pender Duplin Washington. . Martin Aug. 1934. July 1934.. Sept. 1934. July 1934.. July 1934.. Oct. 1934.. Sept. 1934. Sept. 1934. Oct. 1935.. Sept. 1934- June 1935. Feb. 1935.- Dec. 1935.. Jan. 1935.. Feb. 1935.. Mar. 1935- Feb. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. April 1936. May 1936- April 1936. April 1936. ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW 51,255.54 1,086.82 990.63 991.47 873.35 823 1,745, 1,422. 889, 968, 963, 2,122, 1 , 697 . 1,531. 1,714. 1,221. 2,149, 1,423, 1,410. 1,630, 2,001, 1,095, 894, 2,088, 1,877, 1 , 770 , 1,978, 2-room 2-room 2-room 4-room 1-room cabin room •room •room cabin room cabin room cabin room room room room room 5-room Includes cost of tower, freight, labor and other materials used in construction. tThis tower was purchased by a cooperator, and erected by ECW (State costs were $45 and ECW costs were In addition to the above, ECW purchased and constructed the following tower houses at other tower sites: Table Rock, Burke County 1-room cabin Bolivia, Brunswick County, June, 1935 5-room The above towers, as noted, represent a total investment of $38,073, all of which was provided by the ECW program during this biennium at no cost to the State or Counties. Furthermore, the cost of the tower houses is not included in that figure (these houses represent an investment of about $18,250, also without cost to the State or Counties). Including the above towers and tower houses, the State has 73 towers used solely for forest fire detection. The Department's plan for fire control over the entire State calls for a final system of 123 such towers, their loca-tion being so arranged as to give complete coverage to all forest areas need-ing such protection, and to fit into the existing tower systems of the U. S. Forest Service and National Park Service. 42 Telephone Lines: To make the fullest use of the towers in the detection system, telephone lines connecting these towers with each other in series, are necessary. Telephones in the homes of wardens living upon such lines and the County Wardens connected with the towers in the counties are also needed. During the past two years there have been constructed approxi-mately 370 miles of telephone line. All construction work has been done by ECW, and with the exception of approximately 18 miles of wire pur-chased from State funds, all material has been supplied by ECW. In the main the lines are metallic circuits. Therefore, the 370 miles of telephone line represent approximately 740 miles of wire. Meagre available funds would not have permitted the construction of this mileage of telephone line from State and cooperator's funds; and we are, thei'efore, greatly indebted to ECW for this much needed improvement. TELEPHONE LINES CONSTRUCTED THIS BIENNIUM Name of Line Tuscarora Tower Line Rhems Line Bearwal low-Fa irview Bearwallow-Edneyville Chambers Mountain-Clyde High Windy-Blue Ridge Tryon Mountain Highway No. 19 Warden Smart-Rutherfordton Biggerstaff-Pinnacle System Connection Biggerstaff Tower-Melton-Warden Owens. Biggerstaff System-Dave Smith Hawshaw Tower-Vance-Newland „ Rendezvous Tower-Warden Nichols Table Rock System-Morganton Warden Wise-Warden Dellinger Table Rock Lookout-Warden Beck (Relocating and rebuilding) Hibriten Tower-Lenoir Rendezvous Tower-Stamper's McCormick's-Linden Line Scotland Tower-Hoffman Laurinburg Line Mamers Tower-Lillington Sassafras Tower-Rosman Horse Ridge Tower-Dave Smith Roaring Gap Tower-Highway Dudley Tower Line Wilmar Tower Line Woolard's to Washington Swift Creek Tower Line Lillington to Ray's Highway 15A to McLean's Jones Lake Tower-Sutton's Store Palestine Tower-Fayetteville Palestine Line to McLean's Mamers-Lillington-Ray Spur Lines Shallotte Tower-Dawson Jones Orton Tower-Reed's Highway 17 to Johnson's Length Miles 1 5 6 9 3 3 8^ 7 25 2H 4 3 15 2 7 'A 4 16 13 1 9 9 7.5 0.6 5\4 9 2.4 1 9.7 1 4 4.5 0.9 1.3 35.1 12.2 3.5 Covinty Craven Craven Buncombe Henderson.-. Haywood Buncombe Polk Rutherford. . Rutherford. _ Rutherford _ _ Rutherford. Avery Wilkes Burke Burke Burke Caldwell Wilkes Harnett Richmond Harnett Transylvania Burke Alleghany Wayne Craven Beaufort Nash Scotland Scotland Bladen Cumberland. Harnett Harnett Brunswick Brunswick Brunswick Year Built 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 Built By NCFS NCFS ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW Type Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Ground Ground Ground Ground Met. Met. Ground Ground Ground Met. Ground Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. 43 TELEPHONE LINES CONSTRUCTED THIS BIBT^NIVM—Continued Name of Line Highway 17 to Coleman's Funston Road to Earp's Reed's to Foulke's Rockingham-County Warden Rougemont-Mount Tirzah Tower Scotland Neck to Scotland Neck Tower Lilea Tower-Lit tleton Northampton Tower-Jackson Scotland Co.-York Spur Scotland Co.-Bostic Anson Co. Line No. 1 Montgomery Co.-O. D. Smith Spur Southern Pines-Southern Pines Tower Aberdeen-Carthage Line to Ferguson's Laurel Hill-Ralph Curries' Highway No. 15 to Barber's Highway No. 15 to Monroe's Laurinburg to EUerbe Clarkton to McQueen's East Robeson Tower-Lumberton Fayetteville to Cedar Creek Tower and Green Bros. Lumber Co Toxaway Tower-Fairfield Toxaway Tower-Lake Toxaway . Length Miles 1.4 0.1 3.0 2.0 5.0 4.4 7.6 4.7 0.8 1.5 6.0 4.0 H IH 7.3 3 2 52 3.0 8.2 16.8 5.2 9.3 County Brunswick Brunswick Brunswick Richmond Durham-Person Halifax Halifax Northampton.. Scotland Scotland Anson Montgomery Moore Moore Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Bladen Robeson Cumberland Jackson Transylvania Year Built 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 Built By ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW NCFS NCFS NCFS NCFS ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW Type Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. The above 406.5 miles of telephone line, at an average cost of $200 per mile, represent an investment of about $81,900. About $80,000 of this was borne by ECW at no cost to'the State or Counties. Truck Trails: On June 30, 1936, there had been constructed a total ol 1,053 miles truck trails by the Emergency Conservation Work. Of this mileage, 600 miles were built during the biennium. These roads are used for accessibility, for fire fighting purposes, into previously inaccessible areas, and have proven of material assistance in allowing the organization to reach fires with the least possible delaj?^, thereby reducing the area burned. They are low grade roads and not highways—constructed for fire control purposes only. They also act as fire breaks and back-fire lines when back-fires are necessary. Fire Lines: Approximately 800 miles of fire lines have been constructed; and about 500 miles of this line were built by ECW and consisted of plowed lines ranging from six to nine feet in width, used as fire breaks and as back-fire lines. On one association area, embracing some 15,000 acres of land, approximately 300 miles of six-foot plowed furrows were con-structed from State cooperative funds as added protection against fire. Sev-eral hundred miles of fire line have been maintained annually on cooperat-ing units by the State by re-plowing old lines and burning between lines and roads, 44 Tower Houses: Up to June 30, 1936, ECW had constructed 24 trailer sheds, ten one-room cabins, two five-room towermen's houses at as many-towers; also one large lookout cabin used as a tower itself. In addition to these the State had previously put up from cooperative funds seven tower houses at as many towers. These buildings are of three classes: five-room bungalows, two-room buildings, one room for living quarters and one a garage for the storage of the fire-fighting trailers and other fire-fighting equipment; and one-room cabins for the accommodation of the towermen at the towers in the mountains of the two western districts. Nearly all are accessible by road, and all are connected with telephone to wardens or commercial exchanges. In securing tower sites in the Eastern Districts we are requesting one-acre tracts, preferably deeded to the State. Sites including 24 acres of land are State property and long-time leases cover an additional 18 acres. Where no deeds can be secured, from 39 to 99-year leases are given us. Where it is deemed advisable year-long towermen are being employed at a small wage and furnished with a house, a garden site and a small place for keep-ing poultry and a cow. The full-time of these employees is required during the fire season but it is stipulated in their appointment that during the off-fire season, or during the period when their services are not required on lookout duty, they are at liberty to engage in any other activity, pro-viding they retain a residence at the tower and are available at all times for call when needed. By this means vandalism at these tower sites is pre-vented; a trained and satisfactory detection organization is retained; these towermen are subject to call at any time their services are needed. In the case of towers in the Mountain Districts, sites are obtained either by lease or deed, and are generally one-fourth to one-half acre in size. Since fires in the mountains are usually definitely seasonal, the towerman is not needed the entire year, garden sites at the towers are not practical, and hence the larger sites are not required. The tower houses which ECW has con-structed range in value from $1,500 for the five-room bungalows to $350 each for the cabins at the mountain towers. A list of these tower houses will be found in Table 9 on page 41. Fire-Fighting Equipment: After having experimented with all approved forest fire-fighting equipment in use in the South over a period of years we have selected a limited list of equipment that has been found most satis-factory for the needs in this State. Prime among this equipment is a five-gallon back-pack spray pump, manufactured by the D. B. Smith Company. We standardized on a specially constructed fire rake made with mowing machine teeth instead of the regular rake tooth. This is manufactured by the Council Tool Company of Wananish. A special brush hook manufac-tured in a manner to permit of its use as a light axe as well as a brush hook is also used. This is also made by the Council Tool Company. We use an 18-inch by 24-inch swatter made from a piece of belting of this size properly attached to a straight handle for beating out fires. In addition to the above standard equipment we use single-bit axes, long-handled shovels, railroad fusees for back-firing purposes, five-gallon back-pack water supply tanks for filling the fire pumps, ordinary galvanized water 45 buckets, and lanterns in night work. Some use is made of cross-cut saws and, in the mountains, of double-bit axes. Gasoline-operated portable power pumps are being considered as standard equipment, as far as limited funds will permit. A list of equipment follows: LIST OF PRINCIPAL ITEMS OF FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT Purchased During Biennium Total on Hand Date of This Report 37 66 379 265 444 65 1,275 1,789 16 1 38 100 Water buckets .-... -._...- .. ..-. 492 709 628 69 2,864 5,137 66 21 A majority of the 34 half-ton trucks in service are equipped with 75- gallon water tanks and motor-driven centrifugal pumps for filling and dis-charging the tanks under pressure with sufficient hose for use while the truck is moving or for carrying out lines of hose on fire. Each truck is equipped with sufficient fire-fighting equipment and carrying capacity for ten fire fighters. In addition to the above there are in operation 60 two-wheel fire-fighting trailers which are attached to the rear of wardens' cars. They are supplied with a 55-gallon reserve water tank, sufficient tools and equipment for ten men. We have purchased during this biennium for use on association areas, two light caterpillar tractors, two 3-disc fire line plows, one road machine, one heavy tractor disc harrow; and there have also been secured, at a small cost, several discarded motors and chassis of county school busses which are being worked over into fire-fighting trucks to be stationed at towers. Forest Fire Statistics : In spite of the fact that beginning July 1, 1934, approximately 4,000,000 acres of additional timbered area were brought under protection, the number of fires was reduced from 1,700 in the spring of 1934 to 251 in the fall of that year and the total area burned from 169,000 acres in the spring to 13,000 acres in the fall. The average area burned per fire was also materially reduced along with the total cost per fire, which was reduced better than half from the spring season. The spring of 1935 was what would be considered a normal spring fire season and the fall of this year again represented a reduction of the number of fires from the spring season. The area under protection was increased to approximately 14,000,000 acres during this biennium. The spring of 1936, however, represented one of the worst fire seasons 46 in the history of the Forest Service. The field organization functioned per-fectly. There were ample equipment and funds for operation during the period of a normal fire season but fires gradually increased, causing a very serious situation in May and June. Where there were 1,700 fires in the spring of 1935 there were 3,405 during the spring months of 1936; and where $43,000 was spent in handling these 1,700 fires, $92,607 was expended in handling the fires in the spring of 1936. This abnormal condition, com-ing after the normal closing date of a spring season, completely absorbed all of the remaining funds and caused a deficit. In spite of the outlay and the increased number of fires, we were able to hold the average cost down to $3.55 per fire. Two conditions are responsible for this large number of fires. First, there was a larger area under protection by almost 5,000,000 acres, or one-third. However, there was in the field a larger organization, a better detection system, a better reporting system and a better trained organiza-tion. The result was that more fires were discovered, reported, and worked upon than would have been possible with a smaller and less efficient organi-zation. Second, the drought condition that existed, particularly through the Coastal Plains section, was responsible for many fires getting out of con-trol and the dried-out condition in the bays and pocosins caused these fires to burn more persistently. This materially increased suppression costs. The late spring, preventing farmers from starting farming operations at the ordinary time, caused a widespread outburst of fires from brush-burning and other agricultural activities as farmers were enabled to get into the woodlots and fields at a time when the climatic conditions were most favor-able for burning and when fires spread most rapidly. Ordinarily the middle of May sees the spring fire season virtually over, but May and June of this year represented the worst season in the past fifteen years. The entire field force was taxed to the limit and had it not been for the organization functioning in many of the counties in the Coastal Plains section, it is common knowledge that the greater portion of the tim-berlands in some counties would have been completely destroyed. Fires burned for a period of a month or two in many instances ; crews worked on them continuously day and night but due to the nature of the inflammable material it was impossible to extinguish them completely. At the close of June a very serious condition continued and fires were burning in many counties in the Coastal Plains where normally such areas would be under several inches of water. The following table shows the forest fire statistics for the protected areas for the past four years. 47 FOREST FIRE STATISTICS FOR PROTECTED AREAS BY FISCAL YEARS Area Under Protection—Acres Number of Fires by Classes: A—Under M acre B — ],i to 10 acres ' - C—10 to 100 acres D—101 to 500 acres E—Over 500 acres Total Causes of Fires: Brush Burning Hunters, Fishermen, Campers Railroads Lumbering I ncendiary Smokers Lightning Miscellaneous Unknown Total Area Burned—Acres: Merchantable Timber Reproduction Open Grass Land Total Average Area Per Fire, Acres Per Cent of Protected Area Burned.. Damage: Merchantable Timber Reproduction Other Total Average Damage Per Fire Total Fire Fighting Costs Average Fire Fighting Costs Per Fire Law Enforcement: Number of Prosecutions : Number of Convictions Fines and Costs Responsible Parties .Apprehended : Number of Parties Billed Number Making Payment Amount Received 5,804,343 40 498 720 106 15 1,379 227 131 47 16 362 333 8 130 125 14 , 263 47 , 599 6,671 68,533 50 1-2% 32,031 82,607 14,836 $ 129,474 $ 94 8,479 6.15 52 33 545 144 92 419 29 882 1,386 371 78 2,746 371 694 52 65 427 652 10 234 241 2,746 82,170 157,132 19,075 258,377 94 4.0% 214,863 290,825 54,717 $ 560,405 $ 204 22 , 509 8.20 57 44 666 184 89 519 1934-35 9,862,289 54 901 903 159 16 2,033 495 195 29 35 396 632 7 150 94 2,033 23,442 57,186 15,443 96,071 47 0.9% $ 50,055 122,292 19,979 $ 192,326 $ 95 7,566 3.72 56 45 566 149 112 524 1935-36 13,634,000 206 1,953 1,540 283 64 4,046 758 384 98 112 872 1,265 26 414 117 4,046 48,597 129,487 64,125 242,209 60 1.8% 111,649 251,549 26,656 389,854 96 15,388 3.80 110 85 878 252 194 997 48 FOREST FIRE STATISTICS FOR PROTECTED AREAS BY FISCAL YEARS—Continued 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 Cost Paid by Landowners: Number of Parties Billed Number Making Payment Amount Received Warden Activities: Number of Hours Worked Miles Traveled—Car, Foot, Horse Number of Notices Posted Number of People Interviewed Number of Sawmills Inspected Number of Schools and Meetings Visited 55,724 129,883 2,443 33,190 259 671 80,279 195,075 1,126 29,037 287 277 98,419 247,897 2,308 64,647 624 434 227,126 523,694 3,610 103,150 933 473 Comparison of Protected and Unprotected Areas Area Protected by State Area Unprotected Total Needing State Protection Forest Lands in North Carolina—Acres: 1934 Calendar Year 10,053,950 13,634.000 2,034 2,423 182,250 115,733 1.81% 0.85% $ 370,389 198,611 10,514,050 6,934,000 604 461 632,687 357 , 569 6.02% 5.16% .11,417,792 618,588 20 , 568 , 000 1935 Calendar Year 20,568,000 Number of Fires Reported: 1934 Calendar Year - -- -- 2,638 1935 Calendar Year 2,884 Area Burned—Acres: 1934 Calendar Year --- - -- 814,937 1935 Calendar Year 473,302 Per Cent of Total Forest Area Burned: 1934 Calendar Year 3.47% 1935 Calendar Year 2.30% Damage: 1934 Calendar Year -. -- .- $1,788,181 1935 Calendar Year - - 817,199 The above figures do not include 978,000 acres of National Forest and Park lands, Indian lands and the Fort Bragg Military Reservation pro-tected directly by the Federal Government, as of 6-30-36. County Fire Control Activities: The usual number of wardens' meetings was held throughout the different districts, at which time the wardens were coached in fire control methods and plans laid for the following fire seasons. In October of 1934, a conference of the District Foresters and District Rangers of the State Forest Service, together with the Director and Camp Superintendents of the ECW, was held. At this meeting a definite un-derstanding, in writing, was prepared as to the responsibility in fire con-trol of the District Foresters, District Rangers, County Wardens and the Project Superintendent of ECW. This meeting was primarily to have a 49 clearer understanding among all concerned as to the division of responsi-bility in order that no misunderstanding might occur. The result of this meeting has been very satisfactory. A conference of District Foresters and District Rangers was called in June, 1935, and assembled at the Mount Mitchell Game Refuge, where a week was spent in setting up standards for work and inter-district prob-lems discussed. Representatives of the U. S. Forest Service were present at this meeting and cooperation between the State and Federal Forest Service was discussed and a program mapped out. At this meeting special stress was laid on the necessity of law enforcement and the proper pro-cedure in such. Conclusion: At the beginning of this biennium it became clearly evident that if we were to provide adequate fire protection in and upon cooperating units, changes in policy were necessary. Prime among such was the need of having County Wardens devote their entire time to their work and in order to do this it was necessary to pay them a wage that would permit of such. Consequently, the salaries of the County Wardens were increased to the point where their entire time could be demanded. In order to accom-plish this in some counties it was necessary to have the appropriation in-creased sufficiently to care for such increase in salary. The counties re-sponded favorably. This enabled us to obtain satisfactory County Wardens who are now devoting their entire time to the work. These Wardens are paid salaries ranging from $60 to $150 per month, the average being around $100. The old idea of having Deputy Wardens distributed promiscuously throughout the counties was done away with. They were not efficient, with the result that we unnecessarily lost acreage. These Deputy Wardens have been largely replaced with organized fire crews distributed where needed and paid a small monthly wage during such periods. The crews remain at a tower under the direction of a District Warden subject to fire call day and night. Regardless of how much fire-fighting time they put in, their wage remains the same; and the sooner the fire is out the sooner they are able to rest. This automatically reduces the area burned as they are not paid by the hour and, therefore, have no interest in working any longer than is absolutely necessary. Year-long towermen, stationed at the towers, give us not only better detection, but stabilize the organization. In order to prevent a breakdown in the morale of the warden organiza-tion and seasonal employees, CCC crews are only called upon where it is fully determined that the regular warden organization cannot handle a fire because of its size, etc. Equipment of County Wardens with fire-fighting trucks, fully equipped, has been another factor in improving the work. The erection of numerous additional towers and the tying-in of these towers with telephones have contributed materially to quick detection and the prevention of lost motion in fire control. There is a very noted improvement in the attitude of the average citizen toward fire control over that which existed a few years ago. The residents of the State are becoming more "Forest Minded." It is much more easy 50 to secure heavy fines and even road sentences for fire law violations than it was in the past, indicating that the courts are back of the work. The re-districting of the State to bring under one supervisory head simi-lar timber types and climatic and g-eographical conditions has enabled us to build up by forest districts a more perfect organization; and through the retention of supervisory personnel familiar with conditions in their district noticeable progress has been made. It is our aim eventually to make each and every cooperating county a fire control unit within itself wherein each County Warden will concentrate his efforts toward fire control in a manner that will carry to the residents of that county the necessity of each and every individual assuming a personal responsibility for not only the protection of his own lands from fire, but also the lands of his neighbors. No extensive use of a forestry educational program has been made dur-ing this biennium. This was partly due to a lack of funds, but chiefly to the fact that this educational work is best presented through personal con-tact with individuals rather than mass approach as is done in the case of lectures, motion pictures, etc. The press of the State has cooperated 100 per cent in carrying the mes-sage to the news-reading public. The members of the last legislature, we feel, had a far better knowledge of the problems of fire control than has been evidenced in the past and it was through their knowledge of the needs of this department that we were able to secure additional funds and pas-sage of the law that was so beneficial in blocking up the work within the State. STATE FOREST NURSERY Ten years' experience in operating the State Forest Nursery on a mini-mum appropriation has brought out a number of requirements which seem to be essential to successful operation, which means sufficient economical production of suitable tree species to restore, as soon as practicable, profit-able forest growth to North Carolina's eroded and devastated idle land, both privately and publicly owned. The object of the State Forest Nursery, therefore, is the production eco-nomically of such forest planting stock as may be annually required by public and private landowners of the State for reforestation of waste and denuded lands. The chief factors in this program are (1) sufficient suitable land for the production of the needed species, (2) competent management and supervision, (3) an adequate supply of labor, seed, fertilizer and equip-ment, and (4) favorable weather conditions. Land: With increasing demand for seedlings and the occupation of a still greater amount of the fourteen-acre tract south of the road near Clay-ton by buildings, there has been insufficient land to afford necessary rota-tion of crops; and with no opportunity of thus adding humus to the soil, growth of the seedlings has been greatly retarded. In February, 1935, efforts were renewed to secure additional space at the nursery. The remaining portion of the Pool (Ashley Home) tract, from which the original purchases were cut off in 1927 and 1930, consisted of 51 nearly 100 acres north of and across Highway No. 70 from the present site. This tract had become the property of the State Banking Department. The experiences of the summer of 1935 emphasized the serious need for sufficient space to allow for rotation of crops, so negotiations were renewed in October when this property was offered to the Department for $3,250 cash. The Budget again declined to allow the $1,000 item in the next year's budget to be used but suggested a transfer of funds from one of the other divisions of the Department, which proved impracticable. However, in De-cember arrangements were made for the purchase of two-thirds of the tract and a lease under option to purchase for the other one-third, and a deed for 63.2 acres comprising the eastern portion of the tract was executed and turned over to the Department in January, 1936. At the same time a lease with option to purchase before August 1 was entered into and the whole property came under the administration of the Department. Cowpeas were sown on both parts of the addition and black walnut, black locust, mimosa and longleaf were sown in rows, with no water supply in sight. Results with the tree seed were far from satisfactory but the peas promise a good crop of humus. Deed for the remaining one-third, 33.3 acres, on the western side of this area was finally secured in July, 1936. The cost of the land for the nursery property has been as follows: January, 1928 9.28 acres $1,200 July, 1931 4.9 acres 500 January, 1936 62.3 acres 2,000 July, 1936 33.3 acres 1,500 109.78 acres $5,200 Cost of abstract, fees, etc 100 $5,300 This is an average cost per acre for the 110 acres of some $48, considered a very fair price in view of its frontage on Highway U. S. 70 of some 1120 feet. With its restoration to full fertility this property will steadily in-crease in value. Already fifteen acres are growing a crop of cowpeas which will greatly improve the quality of the soil. The labor, supplied through the cooperation of the Federal Government, has been adequate to the needs, though the time and effort consumed in transporting men daily from the CCC camp at Manchester has considerably increased the actual cost of production. The establishment of a side camp from that camp, following the removal of the Durham camp, made available a number of men who can put in full time on the nursery and with the additional barracks room now available some fifty men are housed on the nursery property, though not more than half of these can be made available for nursery work. P. W. Allred, ECW foreman, a man with considerable forestry training, has been in charge of the side camp, while Addie Pace has continued to have charge of the State property as nurseryman, resident in the cottage. Distribution: Weather conditions were normal during the 1934-35 grow-ing season but the winter and spring of 1936, with its wet and severe weather, interfered with and often prevented working the land until the middle of April. Excessive drought following that, has seriously affected 52 the crop to be distributed next winter. The drain on the one small well by the increased personnel of the camp seriously interfered with the use of water on the seed beds and authorization for an additional supply through ECW, though greatly appreciated, did not come in time to remedy this lack. TABLE I DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS BY SPECIES, 1932-1936 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 10. 11. 12. 13. Loblolly Pine-- Shortleaf Pine. Longleaf Pine.. Slash Pine Black Locust.. Tulip Poplar.. Black Walnut. Red Gum Miscellaneous. Mimosa Maritime Pine. Cypress Ash 93,006 66,381 19,790 11,331 25,400 22,700 8,846 2,450 2,578 258,392 61,202 24,152 31,152 34,652 4,621 9,445 6,952 5,040 392,175 28,725 57,325 30 510,107 3,216 10,906 2,065,900 45,850 471,913 34,300 296,065 118,176 9,035 5,985 4,325 1,417 17,650 11,050 2,110 5,650 Totals. 242,482 435,608 1,018,444 3,073,465 The table above shows the total number of forest tree seedlings grown in the nursery near Clayton and distributed to farmers and other landowners and agencies for forest planting. Approximate cost price is charged, except to schools and other public agencies, which under certain conditions have been supplied some seedlings free or at reduced prices. TABLE II DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST SEEDLINGS BY CLASS OF COOPERATORS, 1934-1936 Class of Cooperators Biennium, 1934-36 Number Cooperators Number Trees Total Period, 1926-36 Number Cooperators Number Trees Farmers Companies Schools State Boy Scouts ^.. 4-H Clubs, Home and County Agents- Municipalities Soil Conservation Service Resettlement Administration E. C. W. Dare County Fort Story, Virginia Illinois U. S. Forest Service 133 6 9 346,720 92,927 137,364 2,526 43 4 55,550 21,000 ,032,040 793,200 71,050 39,000 500 500,040 560 39 238 50 30 ,403 6 1,307,964 280,014 547,685 317,632 14,680 116,621 105,674 2,032,040 793,200 71,060 39,000 600 500,040 Totals. 203 4,091,917 3,326* 6,126,000 *JJitkny duplioatioDB in these. 53 The above table shows the distribution of seedlings for the two years of the biennium and for the ten-year period since the establishment of a State Forest Nursery. Cooperation with the several Federal agencies interested in reforestation enabled us to place practically all plantable stock. A con-siderable amount of small stock, which under ordinary conditions would have been discarded, was made use of in this way. The lack of State lands under the care of this Department on which to plant any surplus stock pre-vented one of the usual ways of disposing of such surplus. As a slight recognition of the Federal contribution to the operation of the nursery, half a million seedlings were delivered free to the United States Forest Service for planting on the national forest in South Carolina, while reductions were made in the prices to the Resettlement Administration and the Soil Conservation Service. The Soil Conservation Service was the State's largest customer and although this Federal agency has established three forest tree nurseries in North Carolina, so far these have been unable to supply their own demand. The practice of requiring landowners to purchase seedlings from the De-partment where more than a small acreage is to be planted by the Soil Conservation Service, has developed. This plan, if adhered to, will en-courage State production and will give the landowner an added interest in his plantation. The Resettlement Administration secured nearly 800,000 seedlings, half of which were planted on their Sandhills and Bladen County projects. Cooperation with the ECW has secured many improvements to the nursery in addition to the six buildings listed on page 75 of the report of the State Director. A ditch along the south boundary was blasted out in July, 1935, and a power line has been laid from Clayton, which now fur-nishes light to the side camp and power to the repair garage. Diseases: The wilt disease which attacked the black locust seedlings in the summer of 1934 proved less threatening the following summer and it has been practically non-existent during the summer of 1936. The white grubs, however, continued as a very serious menace to the pine seedlings through 1935, and no practicable plan was worked out to control them, although the United States Bureau of Entomology has continued its studies of this pest in the North and South Carolina State Forest Nurseries. It is, therefore, surprising that during the early summer of 1936 practically no grub injury has been experienced. The longleaf seedlings, most of which were sown in rows, have suffered destructively from drought and subsequent beating rains which covered the central buds with sand. At the request of the Southern Forest Experiment Station seed supplied by that Station was sown in a "study of seed sources", but the lateness of the sowing and the drought allowed so few seed to come up that the results are worthless. The important effect the weather has had on the nursery in 1936, sug-gested the advisability of securing some actual data on rainfall. Request was made of the United States Weather Bureau for a rain gauge and Lee A. Denson, Director at Raleigh, installed a rain gauge June 25, 1936, so that records on rainfall observed by the nurseryman will now form part of our planting records. 54 STATE PARKS In the establishment of a well ordered system of State Parks several im-portant factors must be given due consideration. One of the primary rea-sons for establishing State Parks is the preservation of areas of outstand-ing natural beauty or interest. It follows then that areas to be eligible for consideration as State Parks must have natural beauty or interest of suffi-ciently high standard to attract not only people in the immediate vicinity of the area but people from distant parts of the State. Unless an area has such quality of natural beauty, it has not the status of a State Park and if established as such, will sooner or later become merely a county or rural municipal park. But, while people go to State Parks for the enjoyment of natural beauty, they also go for recreation; and, as a general rule, in establishing State Parks in a state where very few if any State Parks exist, the physical ability of the area to lend itself to the provision of various types of recreation, such as swimming, boating, hiking, camping, picnicking and similar activi-ties, must be given careful consideration. People want and need outdoor recreation of the type provided by State Parks and it would be unwise, in-deed, to overlook or fail to place sufficient importance on this factor. The parks should not be too far removed from large urban centers of popula-tion. In beginning a State Park system, these three basic considerations must be kept firmly in mind: (1) Natural beauty or interest; (2) recrea-tional possibilities; (3) geographical location. A complete State Park system would probably contain a variety of areas. The various types and the number of each would depend, among other things, upon the scenic beauties of the State as a whole; the recreational facilities available from such other sources as National Parks, National Forests, State Forests, County and Municipal Parks, State Parks in ad-joining states, private recreational areas, as well as the present population of the State and its probable rate of increase. Some of the various types of State Parks (or Recreational Areas) are: 1. State Parks established primarily because they have sufficient natural beauty and recreational pos-sibilities, 2. State Parks established because they have unusual natural beauty and are established for its preservation. 3. State Parks established because they have sufficient historic or scientific value to be of State-wide interest. 4. State Parks established to preserve typical natural scenery and to afford recreation to large centers of population. These types are listed in the order in which at present it seems wise to set them up, taking into consideration the physical aspects and the population of North Caro-lina. It is much less important to establish State Parks solely for recrea-tion (especially since the creation of parks for the purpose is, or should be, in part by municipalities and counties) than to select those areas which have both natural beauty and recreational possibilities. It is likewise im-portant to preserve for all time areas of great natural beauty and inspiring scenery, even if they are very simply developed and provide mainly for passive recreation and the enjoyment of nature. In establishing State Parks it is important that the desired areas be secured as soon as possible even if they are held undeveloped for years. It was, for instance, more costly and difficult to secure Mount Mitchell in 1915 than it would have 55 been twenty-five years earlier and it will be much more costly and difficult to secure State Park areas twenty-five years hence than it is now. The average person wants to know what can be done at State Parks, what general or special interest have they for the public? The State Parks so far established in North Carolina (with the possible exception of Fort Macon which is primarily historical in interest) are of the class which com-bines natural beauty with opportuni
Object Description
Description
Title | Biennial report of the Department of Conservation and Development of the State of North Carolina |
Other Title | Biennial report of the Department of Conservation and Development. |
Creator | North Carolina. |
Date | 1934; 1935; 1936 |
Subjects |
Conservation of natural resources--North Carolina--Periodicals Fisheries--North Carolina Forests and forestry--North Carolina Game and Game-birds--North Carolina Industries--North Carolina Mines and mineral resources--North Carolina Natural Resources--North Carolina North Carolina. Department of Conservation and Development--Periodicals Parks--North Carolina |
Place | North Carolina, United States |
Time Period | (1929-1945) Depression and World War Two |
Description | Title from cover. |
Publisher | Raleigh, N.C. :Dept. of Conservation and Development,[1928]- |
Agency-Current |
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality |
Rights | State Document see http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,63754 |
Physical Characteristics | v. ;23 cm. |
Collection | Health Sciences Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Type | text |
Language | English |
Format | Reports |
Digital Characteristics-A | 6335 KB; 132 p. |
Digital Collection |
Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access, a North Carolina LSTA-funded grant project North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Title Replaces | North Carolina. Department of Conservation and Development..Biennial report of the director |
Audience | All |
Pres File Name-M | pubs_edp_biennialreportconservation19341936.pdf |
Pres Local File Path-M | \Preservation_content\StatePubs\pubs_edp\images_master\ |
Full Text | C6e Lifirarp of ti^e (Untuetgitp of Jl3ortl) Carolina Collection ot jRottli Catoliniana (1550 JOSfPHRUZICKA B •-i.TiMORE, MO, GBeE««BO.RS,.N.C. (WASHlNGtCTN:. DC, 00006766369 This BOOK may be kept out TWO WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on the day indicated below: Lib. lOM-Je '36 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access (NC-LSTA) http://www.archive.org/details/biennialconserv19341936 MAR; SIXTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF The Department of Conservation and Development OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 1936 N' SIXTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 1936 BOARD OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus, Chairman Raleigh J. Q. GiLKEY, Vice Chairman Marion Santford Martin Winston-Salem E. S. Askew Merry Hill Jos. J. Stone Greensboro W. C. EwiNG Fayetteville D. L. Ward New Bern J. L. HORNE, Jr Rocky Mount J. W. Harrelson Raleigh J. P. Rawley High Point Harry R. Lindsey Leaksville F. PiERCY Carter Asheville Jas. L. McNair Laurinburg R. Bruce Etheridge, Director Raleigh LEHER OF TRANSMIHAL Raleigh, N. C. October 15, 1936. To His Excellency, Hon. J. C. B, Ehringhaus, Governor of North Carolina. Sir: In accordance with Section 11, Chapter 122, Public Laws of 1925, and by direction of the Board of Conservation and Development, I have the pleasure of submitting herewith the Sixth Report of the Department of Conservation and Development for the biennium ending June 30, 1936. There are shown in this report a review of the activities of the Depart-ment during the last two-year period and a financial statement for the biennium. Respectfully submitted. R. Bruce Etheridge, Director. uI if) a. < D O z Q Z < CO uu a. 3O (/) ui a. i3o u — g rro U z ct u <7 5< Uj ki lo kj -J '^O 5_ s coS^ ga g.^ ':ii 53 H cfc ( u O Q r 5 (t -J p :^?^S. (d wo7 UI O< 1- ^ III hi 1- 5 < ti DC UI T o o _J < I 1- n g UJ u y n Q 1- Xu DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL AND PRINCIPAL OFFICERS ADMINISTRATIVE R. Bruce Etheridge, Director Paul Kelly, Assista7it Director R. N. Sanford, Auditor Mrs. Etoyal P. Hobbie, Fiscal Clerk Gladys Pritchett, Purchasing Agent Frances Pope, Senior Stenographer DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES Capt. John A. Nelson, Commissioner N. R. Webb, Fiscal Clerk Mary E. Willis, Stenographer A. B. Freeman, Assistant Sanitary Engineer Assistant Commissioner Thomas Basnight, Maneto DIVISION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Paul Kelly, Chief DIVISION OF FORESTRY J. S. Holmes, State Forester W. C. McCormick, Assistant State Forester Grace White, 'Accoiaumg' uiern-Stenographer Mabel Duke, Senior Stenographer Susan Marshall, Stenographer District Foresters: John D. Findlay, Rocky Mount Paul W. Tillman, Rocking, am J. R. Spratt, Lenoir J. M. Stingley, New Bern J. B. Lattay, Fayetteville, N. C. DIVISION OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES J. D. Chalk, Commissioner E. B. KUGLER, Chief License Clerk Mrs. Alice W. Austell, Senior Stenographer Frances Pappendick, Stenographer Assistant State Wardens: J. A. Bradshaw, Asheville Larry Warrington, New Bern Fred D. Williams, Fayetteville W. C. Lisk, Richfield Rupert E. West, Moyock R. Grady Farthing, Boone Chas. W. Burn ham. Supervising Fish Culturist, Fayetteville Fish Hatchery Superintendents: Morrison Hatchery, Leo F. Reiger, Balsam Frank Stedman Hatchery, W. T. Parker, Fayetteville "Pete" Murphy Hatchery, Frank S. Dysart, Marion Boone Hatchery, C. E. Smathers, Boone Roaring Gap Hatchery, Wm. R. Skaggs, Roaring Gap DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES H. J. Bryson, State Geologist Marjorie Smith, Stenographer DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES AND ENGINEERING T, S. Johnson, Chief Engineer W. H. Riley, Assistant Engineer Carroll L. Mann, Jr., Assistant Engineer F. E. Day, Assistant Engineer, Asheville Dorothy Lindsey, Stenographer C Q \ REPORT OF DIRECTOR The two years covered by this report constitute a period of great im-portance to the State's conservation program. Whereas, the preceding biennium was marked by drastic retrenchments in the Department's activi-ties, improved economic conditions, more adequate fiscal provisions, and extensive cooperation from Federal emergency agencies have altered the situation. Plans carried out during the biennium did not by any means all originate with this administration; but they have followed, to a considerable extent, carefully conceived policies of our predecessors who labored faithfully to guide public thought and activities toward a realization of the purposes for which the Department was created. Their fundamental work had charted the course toward progress. As a result of the foregoing reasons, much of a constructive nature has been accomplished during the last biennium; and even more important, the attitude of the public toward the natural resources of the State is changing materially. There is a growing general impression that all our renewable resources should be so handled as to assure the maximum future returns and that those of exhaustible nature should be utilized to the best possible ad-vantage. These gains must be preserved and new objectives sought in making the State a more prosperous and pleasant place in which to live. BOARD OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT To a considerable extent, credit for progress in the program of the De-partment is due to the wise direction and untiring efforts of the Board of Conservation and Development. Members of the group, headed by Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, as Chairman ex-officio, have given wise direction to its policies and have devoted liberally of their time to the solution of its problems. The Director has at all times had the benefit of their helpful counsel and active assistance. Although serving without compensation. Board members have exhibited at all times a keen interest in the affairs of the Department and the gen-eral welfare of the State. They have not only established policies but have taken the time from their own activities to assist in the execution of their proposals. Special mention should be made of the deep interest of Governor Ehringhaus in the natural resources of North Carolina and his concern that they be utilized for the best interests of the public. Only with his full cooperation has the Department been able to carry out many important projects. LEGISLATION One of the most serious handicaps to the conservation program at the beginning of the biennium was the severe curtailment in appropriations. This support of the Department was cut probably more drastically than for any State agency in 1933 when an annual appropriation of only $29,645, '^ compared with $80,800 for the previous year, was provided. IS 8 The General Assembly of 1935, however, met the challenging needs of the program by appropriating $69,665.95 for fiscal year, 1935-36. As a result, the Department has been able to function more effectively and meet more of the demands for service. From the standpoint of constructive conservation legislation, the 1935 General Assembly probably made the greatest contribution since the De-partment was created. Some of the more important conservation measures passed by that body and their designation in Public Laws of 1935 include: Chapter 486—Reenactment and revision of the State Game Law, now gen-erally acknowledged as one of the outstanding statutes of its kind in the country. Chapter 35—Reinvestment of authority to regulate fisheries of the State in Board of Conservation and Development. Chapter 197—Authorizing a program to mark points of outstanding his-torical interest in North Carolina in cooperation with the State Highway and Public Works Commission and the State Historical Commission. Chapter 226—Empowering Department of Conservation and Development to accept land from the Resettlement Administration for State Parks, For-ests, Game Refuges and Public Shooting grounds for administration. Chapter 173—An act directing the withholding of State-owned vacant lands from sale where found suitable for State Parks, Forests, etc. Chapter 332—Empowering State to turn over to Federal government lands in vicinity of Cape Hatteras for a National Park should such a reser-vation be established. Chapter 430—Authorizing State Park system, enabling the Department of Conservation and Development to acquire suitable areas for this purpose "by lease, purchase or otherwise." Chapter 178—An act looking toward State-wide forest fire protection with cooperation between the State and Counties where needed. HISTORICAL MARKERS Various organizations and Individuals for a number of years have urged the marking of places of significance in the history of North Carolina in a manner similar to the program carried on in Virginia and other states. The Board of Conservaton and Development in July, 1934, adopted this project as one of its major objectives for the biennium and enlisted the cooperation of the State Historical Commission and the State Highway and Public Works Commission in the undertaking. One of the first steps was the appointment of a committee of outstanding historians representing the so-called "Big Five" among the men's colleges of the State—the University of North Carolina, Duke University, State College, Wake Forest College, and Davidson College, and the Secretary of the State Historical Commission. A bill authorizing the program was introduced in the General Assembly of 1935. With a committee amendment declaring the erection of historical markers a valid expenditure, to a limit of $5,000 annually, of highway main-tenance funds, the bill was passed. The Highway and Public Works Com-mission subsequently set aside $5,000 annually for the biennium of 1935-37 for the marker program. In a division of the marker work, the committee of historians, headed by 9 the Secretary of the State Historical Commission, was placed in charge of the selection of spots to be marked and the preparation of the inscriptions; the Department of Conservation and Development undertook to look after the casting of the plates, definitely locating the markers, and other busi-ness details; and the Highway and Public Works Commission agreed to erect the markers. Each of the cooperating agencies has carried out its duties and the arrangement has worked well. The committee selected a design 42 inches wide by 36 inches deep, fin-ished at the top in a scroll efl'ect with a facsimile of the State seal imbedded approximately midway of the top center. Since aluminum is a North Caro-lina product, it was decided to use this metal in casting the plates. Under the contract, let on competitive bid, the first 50 markers cost $39 each delivered in Raleigh and an option was taken on an additional hundred at $38 each. Up to the end of the current biennium, 46 of the markers had been com-pleted and most of these erected. Additional legends are being furnished and it is probable that 150 or more may be in place by the end of the two-year period. Following are the key numbers, titles and locations of the first group completed: A-1 St. Paul's Church Chowan County A-2 Indian Woods Bertie County A-3 George Durant Perquimans County A-4 Joseph Hewes Chowan County A-5 James Iredell Chowan County B-1 First English Colonies Dare County C-1 Stanly Home Craven County C-2 Tryon's Palace Craven County C-3 First Printing Press Craven County C-4 Ocracoke Inlet Carteret County C-5 Abner Nash Craven County C-7 Richard Dobbs Speight Craven County C-8 Spanish Attack Carteret County D-1 Cornelius Harnett New Hanover County D-2 Old Courthouse New Hanover County D-3 Orton Brunswick County D-4 Stamp Act Brunswick County D-5 St. James Church New Hanover County D-6 Moore's Creek Bridge Pender County D-7 Samuel Ashe Pender County E-1 Green Hill Place Franklin County E-2 Nathaniel Macon Warren County E-3 Independence Halifax County E-4 William R. Davie Halifax County E-5 Annie C. Lee Warren County G-1 John Penn Granville County G-2 Alamance Battleground Alamance County H-1 Battle of Bentonville Johnson County H-2 Joel Lane House Wake County H-3 Isaac Hunter's Tavern Wake County 10 H-4 State Capitol Wake County H-5 Christ Church Rectory Wake County H-7 Dix Hill Wake County I-l Old Bluff Church Cumberland County 1-2 U. S. Arsenal Cumberland County 1-3 John Charles McNeill Scotland County 1-4 James C. Dobbin Cumberland County J-3 Guilford Courthouse Guilford County J-4 John Motley Morehead Guilford County J-5 Calvin H. Wiley Guilford County J-1 "O. Henry" Guilford County 0-1 Kings Mountain Battleground Cleveland County 0-2 Sidney Lanier Polk County P-1 Calvary Church, Episcopal Henderson County P-2 Zebulon B. Vance Buncombe County P-3 Riverside Cemetery Buncombe County Full acknowledgement should be made of the unselfish service of the committee of historians. These men have served purely through interest in the program without compensation. While the major burden of research, involving many perplexing details, has been borne by the State Historical Commission, the committee has reviewed and approved the legends for each individual marker. The committee has been assisted by an advisory group representing the various patiiotic groups in the State and by many public-spirited citizens who have taken an active interest in the program. STATE PARKS While this subject will be covered in more detail in the report of the Division of Forestry, some mention of the progress should be made in the Director's report. The State finds a culmination during the past biennium of plans of many years' standing to provide the people with a system of recreational areas and to preserve places of outstanding scenic value. Three new State Parks, all coming as gifts, have been acquired during the biennium. These new areas are Hanging Rock in Stokes County, Mor-row Mountain in Stanly County, and Cape Hatteras (Phipps Memorial Park) in Dare County. There were previously three State Parks—Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, Rendezvous Mountain in Wilkes County, and Fort Macon in Carteret County. Some development has been carried out on each of these areas, largely as the result of means provided by various emergency Federal organizations. A description of the improvements and more detailed information on these areas will be found elsewhere in this report. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES Conservation officials of North Carolina have over a period of years sought a remedy for depressed commercial fishery market conditions. Dur-ing the biennium of 1930-32, a meeting of dealers was called and an organi- 11 zation formed. This group worked faithfully to help solve the problems of the industry. The fishermen were also advised to organize in order to seek a cooperative solution of their problems. Faced by diminishing returns for their products while the price of other commodities was rising, the economic condition of the fishermen grew pro-gressively worse early in the current biennium. Eager to assist in any effort which offered opportunity to boost the income of the commercial fishermen, the Department encouraged the establishment of an NRA code for the industry, but this plan did not get a start before the act establish-ing the NRA was declared unconstitutional. The Department next proposed setting up definite grades and standards for seafoods as had been done for various agricultural products. It was hoped by this plan to establish more uniform products and increase the consumption of seafoods and the return to the fishermen. It was found impossible, after a thorough investigation of the requirements, to proceed with this project because of the lack of funds. Following the storms in the fall of 1933 and the spring of 1934, the needs of the fishermen in the form of new equipment to replace losses were pre-sented to the relief agencies and as a result a large number of nets was distributed. Next, full support was given to a series of bills introduced in Congress for the relief of the fishermen. On February 27, 1934, the Director ap-peared before the House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Ma-rine, Radio, and Fisheries to urge the extension of relief measures applied to agriculture and the manufacturing industries to the fisheries, along with other bills intended to assist the fishermen. At the hearing he stressed the need of "marketing associations." With the full cooperation of Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, who has con-tinuously manifested an interest in the welfare of the commercial fishermen , and the industry, the Department proposed the establishment of an organi- ,^ zation to take advantage of facilities of the Division of Self-Help Coopera-tives of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. At the request of Gov. Ehringhaus and the Director, a study to determine the need and prospects for such an organization in North Carolina was authorized by Mrs. Thomas O'Berry, Emergency Relief Administrator. As a result of this survey, the N. C. Fisheries, Inc., a cooperative for the com-mercial fishermen, was organized. Facilities for marketing and storing fish provided for the cooperative, in-clude a main plant at Morehead City with a daily freezing capacity of more than 10,000 pounds of fish and storage space for 800,000 pounds. Bi'anch plants were established at Southport, Manteo, and Belhaven. Operation of the plants at Morehead City, Southport, and Belhaven began October 7, 1935; and the Manteo plant opened in November. Total cost of all the plants, according to the ERA, was approximately $132,605. While the Department has no hand in the management of the organiza-tion, it is hoped that the entire industry may profit from new forms in which seafoods are offered to the consumer, the large storage capacity which makes it possible to absorb a considerable part of seasonal surpluses, and expanded markets for fishery products. 12 PARK-TO-PARK HIGHWAY This Department cooperated with the State Highway and Public Works Commission and other agencies in presenting North Carolina's claims for this great scenic drive which will connect the Great Smoky Mountains Na-tional Park with the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The Vice-chairman of the Board of Conservation and Development, J. Q. Gilkey, of Marion, served as chairman of the special committee appointed by Gov. Ehringhaus, to represent the State's interests in the parkway. That this committee and other agencies were successful in their endeavors is generally known. This scenic road will be one of the outstanding drives in America, with the climax being reached in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The drive will extend along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina, running for some 250 miles through this State where its elevation will be nowhere less than 2,000 feet, with a maximum height of some 6,000 feet. SURVEY OF RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES At the request of Gov. J. C. B. Ehringhaus, the Department has under-taken to inventory the resources and industries of North Carolina with the results of the study to be issued in printed form by the end of the current calendar year. The Department hopes this report will be the first step toward a continuous study of this nature, brought up to date at regular intervals. The project is now being organized, and it is expected that the informa-tion gathered for the report will serve as a guide for future develop-ment and will promote a fuller utilization of the industrial, agricultural, and natural resources of the State. Active direction of the study has been placed under the direction of T. S. Johnson, of this Department, who is also serving as consultant to the State Planning Board. Mr. Johnson will be assisted by the Division of Com-merce and Industry. SAND FIXATION PROGRAM Repeated studies of the coastal section of North Carolina have brought opinions from various engineers that steady erosion caused by the wind and tides threatens the future existence of that narrow strip of land known as "the Banks" which protect the mainland of the State against the forces of the elements. The Department, in an effort to save this protecting reef, sponsored a WPA project of "sand fixation" on "the Banks." Largely as a result of the interest taken in the proposal by Rep. Lindsey Warren, of the First Con-gressional District, a comprehensive progi'am of this nature was approved by the Works Progress Administration. Five camps of transient workers, extending along approximately 100 miles of the coast, were established by the end of this report period. These camps had a total of 591 men, including 13 the administrative force. The location of the units and the number of men at each are as follows: Manteo, 187; Duck, 104; Hatteras, 112; Rodanthe, 127; and Ocracoke, 61. The National Park Service is scheduled to assume co-sponsorship of the project, with the Department of Conservation and Development, on July 1, 1936. This cooperative sponsorship is considered a fortunate move for the Department because of the wider facilities of the Federal agency for plan-ning and supervision. First of the sand fixation measures is the construction of brush and wood fences to arrest the movement of sands drifting before the winds. The second phase of the program contemplates extensive grass plantings to form a protecting mat over the shifting sands. The reestablishment of forest growth on a considerable part of this area is contemplated as the final step in the undertaking. An account of ECW sand fixation operations will be found in the Division of Forestry report. OYSTER PLANTING Planting of oysters, started as a job-creating relief measure under the old Civil Works Administration in the previous biennium, was continued during the current two-year period by the Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration under the sponsorship of the Department of Conservation and Development. A total of 774,038 bushels of oysters and shells had been planted at the close of last biennium and 1,358,468 bushels were added during 1934-36. The shells and oysters were placed on sound bottoms in Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde and Dare Counties at an average cost of 9 cents per bushel. Many oyster bottoms of North Carolina have been effectively rehabilitated by this new stock. While the project has provided work for hundreds of men, it also constitutes a sound investment for the future. The planted oysters are expected to multiply in volume and provide future crops of shellfish, and thereby to furnish more work and income for the fishermen. PROPOSED EASTERN NATIONAL PARK The Department has continued to urge the establishment of a new National Park along the picturesque "Banks" of North Carolina. Elaborate briefs supporting the project have been filed with the National Park Service; and definite improvement and development programs looking toward this goal have been submitted to the various work relief agencies. Establishment of Cape Hatteras State Park and the extensive sand fixa-tion programs are steps toward the major development which, it is hoped, will eventually extend 75 or more miles along "the Banks" and pos-sibly incorporate other nearby reservations, including the Wright Memorial on Kill Devil Hill and Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. 14 RECOMMENDATIONS Two general recommendations, both matters of prime importance to the State, are submitted for consideration. First, the opportune time has arrived for the State of North Carolina to launch a program to attract tourists and promote further utilization of her natural resources in manufacturing processes. With economic conditions rapidly improving, the number of persons seeking recreation, new scenic areas, and historical interest is increasing. Those familiar with the attractions of our State need not be convinced that the vacationist finds virtually all of his demands met in North Carolina. The tourist industry is becoming more highly competitive and the States that would profit more fully from their natural endowments must seek aggressively to bring new visitors within their borders. North Carolina is capitalizing only to a small extent on her natural resources compared with some of her sister States that have made known their attractions through the various mediums of advertising. The expendi-ture of a modest fund for this purpose will be a sound investment which should return dividends a hundredfold or more. Improving economic conditions signify a greater industrial activity. North Carolina, although already a leader in her section of the country in industrial development, offers wide opportunities for expansion of manu-facturing. Further utilization of the State's natural resources in the production of finished articles means more jobs, larger payrolls, and greatly increased wealth for her citizens. It is recommended that funds be provided for advertising the tourist attractions and industrial opportunities of the State. Second, the historical marker program has been accorded the approval and support of the public. It has quickened the interest of the people of North Carolina in the history of the State, and there is every indication that the project will prove a sound investment from the standpoint of increased State pride and in attracting visitors. With the fund of $10,000 provided over a period of two years, only a comparatively small number of outstanding points of historical interest have been marked, and others equally deserving should be given similar attention. Provision of at least an amount equal to that made available during the past biennium is urged for the next fiscal period. 15 APPROPRIATION DIVISIONS Statement of Receipts and Disbursements Biennium 1934-1936 II. Administration : Board of Conservation and Deiulopment: Attending Meetings Director's Office: Salary, Director Salaries, Staff Wages, Janitor-Messenger Office Supplies Stationery and Sundries Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage .. Field Travel Printing Forms Printing Publications Equipment Repairs Subscriptions and Dues Fair Exhibits Office Equipment Total Expenditures - Less Receipts: Sale of Publications - State Appropriation WaTEB RESOtTRCES: Salary, Chief Engineer Salaries, Staff Salaries, Extra Office Supplies Engineering Supplies Materials Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage Field Travel-. - - Printing Forms Duplicating Service Motor Vehicle Operation Repairs, Equipment Cooperation with U. S. Geological Survey General Expense Mechanical Service Office Equipment Engineering Equipment Purchase of Motor Vehicles Total Expenditures.. Less Receipts: Private Cooperation State Appropriation. 1034-35 $ 319.26 000.00 300.00 524.87 219.32 22.25 547.21 200 . 24 60.90 353.86 75.98 401.37 35.66 65.00 152.48 151.42 $10,429 82 20.61 $10,409.21 654.17 126.00 65.72 51.38 29.69 42.62 162.72 4.32 834 . 23 6.45 60.69 382.65 18.30 .031.31 84.08 13.50 105.45 $8,673.28 1,022.41 S 7,650.87 1935-36 322.14 4,800.00 4,1*0.00 699.00 260.25 188.72 504 . 50 151.52 180.21 767 . 55 226 . 25 14.65 55.00 358.15 $12,667.94 34.85 $12,633.09 1,080.00 5,862.00 919.90 75.27 211.83 19.06 77.00 70.10 1.86 1,305.98 19.45 70.36 639.68 17.41 3,109.92 25.83 1,138.37 $14,644.02 1,195.12 $13,448.90 16 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 III. IV, MiNERAi. Resources: Salary, State Geologist . Salaries, Staff OflSce Supplies Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation., Printing Publications OflSce Equipment Purchase of Automobiles.. State Appropriation. Forest Fire Prevention: Administration: Salary, Chief of Forest Fire Control. Salaries, Staff Office Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage Field Travel Printing Forms Motor Vehicle Operation Equipment Repairs Workmen's Compensation Special Equipment Office Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment Purchase of Automobiles Alterations, Office Cooperative Projects: Salaries and Wages, Wardens. Travel Expenses, Wardens— Fire Control Equipment Equipment Repairs Telephone Lines Lookout Towers Buildings Wages, Fire Fighters — District No. 1: Salary, District Forester. . Salaries, Staff Postage . Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents 2,250.00 1,050.00 32.53 10.00 25.34 1,095.13 $ 2,950.00 2,340.00 34.37 86.69 476 . 20 541.44 436.36 76.95 623,20 S 4,463,00 3,000.00 2,616,00 162,39 357,00 136,80 30,34 616.76 425 . 59 759,68 25,82 94,71 302.78 202.23 93,60 1,215.20 106.30 7,565.21 3,600,00 3,570,00 222,44 424,00 71,86 31.89 878.70 500.84 463.64 47.10 51.00 151.00 143,55 2,697.38 $10,145.20 $37,732.28 1,616.06 16,706.99 911.40 683.27 452.81 8,533,05 $12,853.40 $66,820.54 3,070.03 14.585.91 1,994.71 1,539.54 1,123.90 132,14 12,103.61 $66,635.86 $ 1,680.00 927,00 75.00 114.17 263.95 432.75 120.00 $101,370.38 $ 2,640.00 2,370.00 75,00 108.40 637.04 670.87 120.00 $ 3.612.87 $ 6,621.31 17 Statbmbnt of Receipts and Disbursements—Continutd Biennuim 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 IV. Forest Fire Prevention—Continued District No. S: Salary, District Forester Salaries. Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation Electric Current Bents District No. 3: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents Buildings District No. 4' Salary, District Forester. Salaries, Staff Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents District No. 6: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams- Field Travel - Motor Vehicle Operation. Electric Current Rents District No. 6: Salary, District Forester.. Salaries, Staff Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. Rents 1,666.66 44.00 91.57 133 . 22 420.70 8.40 120.00 1,500.00 2,610.00 61.00 100.92 449.77 435.31 120.00 $ 2,484.55 $ 1,225.00 2,200.00 89.00 105.51 427 . 20 781.40 265.50 $ 5,277.00 $ 1,800.00 2,460.00 67.00 78 43 450 . 88 724.31 206.11 $ 5,093.61 1,800 00 45.00 103.63 381.70 600.44 60.00 8 5,786.73 $ 2,107.50 2,490.00 65.85 72.15 334.80] 717.181 45. 00 J $ 2,990.77 $ 1,375.00 2,008.00 48.66 65.00 343.81 788.68 1.50 27.00 $ 5,832.48 $ 1,800.00 2,280.00 43.55 122.65 526.83 821.02 3.06 70.00 $ 4,657.55 1,428.26 34.72 18.54 241.30 446.70 55.00 5,667.11 1,785.00 2,340.00 72.05 95.08 859.48 1,188.32 218.00 $ 2,224.52 Total Expenditures | $97,844.93 $ 6,557.93 $149,966.34 18 Statement op Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 IV. Forest Fire Prevention—Continued Less Receipts: Federal Cooperation County Cooperation Private Cooperation Donation from Game Fund. . State Appropriation. V. IndtjstriaIi Survey: Salaries and Wages Supplies and Materials Postage, Telephone and Telegrams. Travel Expense VI. State Appropriation. General Forestry, Parks and Planting: Salary, State Forester Salary, Staff OflBce Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Field Travel- — Printing Forms Printing Publications Office Equipment - State Forests and Parks: Salary, Assistant Forester Salaries, Staff Labor Office Supplies Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel. Printing Motor Vehicle Operation Building Repairs Fire Insurance Household Equipment Purchase of Automobile Forest Planting: Salaries, Staff Labor Office Supplies Agricultural Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel $46,225.34 30,287.67 5,081.89 13,500.00 $95,094.90 $ 2,750.03 !,400 00 900.00 30.45 45.00 16.06 63.07 9.20 49.73 15.44 $ 3,528.95 872.00 26.00 15.75 12.99 3.10 100.75 6.52 38.89 28.27 $ 1,104.27 $ 715.00 77.00 22.50 482.95 10.00 22.29 4.27 78.61 $55,257.12 37.794.24 8,886.22 17,500.00 $119,437.58 $30,528.76 361.66 9.93 10.00 89.80 $471.39 3,000.00 1,080.00 25.30 120.24 73.92 127.68 32.54 6.50 $ 4,466.18 $ 2,100.00 1,907.50 61.33 34.60 16.79 204.37 11.58 293.69 68.12 62.08 299.72 508.21 $ 5,567.89 900.00 851.08 21.77 3.50 22.66 5.94 19 Statement op Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Bienniuni 134-1936 1934-35 1935-36 VI. General Forestry, Parks and Planting—Continued Printing Motor Vehicle Operation Repairs Fire Insurance Agricultural Equipment Purchase of Land Total Expenditures.- Less Receipts: Federal Cooperation. Sale of Seedlings Sale of Publications. - Permits, State Lakes. Park Concessions State Appropriation. Departmental Summary: Disbursements : Administration Water Resources Mineral Resources Forest Fire Prevention.. Industrial Survey General Forestry Less Receipts: Administration Water Resources Forest Fire Prevention General Forestry Advance from Contingency Fund. State Appropriation : Administration Water Resources Mineral Resources Forest Fire Prevention Industrial Survey General Forestry Advance from Contingency Fund. 14.25 231.23 7.50 36.10 2.77 91.95 9.29 39.19 16.30 ,013.50 $ 1,701.70 $ 3,977.95 S 6,334.92 $14,012.02 1,104.85 1,408.29 489.83 2,312.70 6.70 5.00 193.15 126.90 188.98 140.53 $ 1,983.51 $ 4,351.41 $10,429.82 8,673.28 4,463.00 97.844.93 6,334.92 $ 3,993.42 $10,018.60 $12,667.94 14,644.02 7,565.21 149,966.34 471.39 14,012.02 $127,745.95 $ 20.61 1,022.41 95,094.90 1,983.51 $199,326.92 $ 34.85 1,195.12 119,437.58 3,993.42 5,000.00 $98,121.43 $10,409.21 7,650.87 4,463.00 2,750.03 4,351.41 $129,660.97 $12,633.09 13,448.90 7,565.21 30,528.76 471.39 10,018.60 —5,000.00 ,624.52 $69,665.95 20 DIVISION OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES Statement of Receipts and Disbttesements Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 VII. Inland Fisheries: Administration: Salaries Commissions Office Supplies Field Travel Printing Forms Publicity Service. Legal Costs Fire Insurance OfiBce Equipment. Morrison Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Salaries, Staff Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel.. Motor Vehicle Operation. . Lights and Power Building Repairs.- Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchangp^_ Water Rights Murphy Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Labor Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel... Motor Vehicle Operation.. Building Repairs Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exhcange.. Stedman Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Salary, Staff Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams Express, Freight and Drayage. Field Travel.. Motor Vehicle Operation Building Repairs 800 00 2,422 82 7 54 74.33 360.57 10 80 2 52 75.67 $ 3,754.25 $ 1,220.00 900.00 2,945.46 14.24 63.59 9.85 114.89 78.26 5.25 5.00 414.54 1,125.00 S 6,896.08 •S 900.00 267.50 1,591.62 95 33.84 1.50 243.99 475.18 9.87 118.00 314.54 $ 3,956.99 $ 900.00 360.00 973.92 2.00 117.72 3.49 30.00 626.11 83.87 21 Statement op Receipts and DiSBimBEMENTa — Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1934-35 1935-36 Inland Fisheries—Continued Equipment Repairs Hatchery Eqviipment Motor Vehicle Exchange Roaring Gap Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent Labor Supplies Postage Telephone and Telegrams. Field Travel Motor Vehicle Operation. . Lights and Power Building Repairs Equipment Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchange.. Boone Hatchery: Salary, Superintendent. Salary, Staff Supplies Telephone and Telegrams Motor Vehicle Operation. Building Repairs Hatchery Equipment Motor Vehicle Exchange. Lake Mattamuskeet: Salary, Superintendent Salaries, Wardens Supplies Motor Vehicle Operation Purchase of Motor and Boats. Total Expenditures Less Receipts: Sale of Anglers' Licenses Transfer from Preceding Year. Transfer to Succeeding Year. VIII. Game: Administration: Salary, Commissioner. Salaries, Staff Salaries, Wardens 54.77 59.87 549.00 $ 47.69 235.07 $ 3,760.75 S 900.00 202 . 20 2,313.74 2.50 7.58 347.29 73.55 261.00 34.75 50.81 440.46 $ 3,610.20 S 1,200.00 432.00 2,770.83 2.00 13.10 1.53 231.81 86.00 56.10 27.78 —31.74 $ 4,633.88 $ 900.00 360.00 1,741.85 15.00 5.63 332.05 176.49 203 . 57 372 , 50 4,789.41 1,080.00 432.00 2,551.64 348.38 208 . 27 17.75 « 4,107.09 S 4,638.04 $ 1,500.00 900.00 19.19 2.35 133.75 $27,109.04 $31,476.06 $ 2,555.29 $28,951.87 $36,062.36 1,920.66 $31,476.06 $ 4,367.02 $ 3,000.00 10,850.84 49,906.62 $37,983.02 $ 9,031.15 $ 4,000.00 16,221.67 79,233.77 22 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1935-36 Game—Continued Stationery and Supplies. . License Buttons Postage Telephone and Telegran h Express and Drayage Field Travel Printing Forms Printing Publications Motor Vehicle Operation. Typing Records Publicity Service Legal Costs Insurance and Bonding. _ Repairs, Equipment Alterations, Office Equipment Game Farm, Fayetteville: Salary, Superintendent.. Labor Supplies Sustenance for Labor Travel Expense Motor Vehicle Operation . Repairs Equipment Game Farm, Mt. Mitchell: Salary, Keeper Supplies Motor Vehicle Operation _ Repairs Equipment Buildings Refuges, General: Salary, Superintendent. . Office Supplies. _ Postage and Telephone.. Travel Expense Motor Vehicle Operation. Motor Vehicle Exchange. Mt. Mitchell State Game Refuge: Salaries, Wardens Daniel Boone State Game Refuge: Salaries, Wardens Wayah Bald State Game Refuge: Salary, Warden 399.99 4,248.64 926.12 315.62 198.07 7,754.77 2,017.33 .545.24 35.30 26.70 60.50 1,287.96 110.82 243.00 1,227.82 i 677.64 3,467.62 1,225.25 711.26 310.63 10,362.82 2,906.64 2,941.19 590 . 46 54.09 235.63 150.00 1,308.56 39.98 .75 223.45 $83,155.34 $ 1,410.00 180.00 1,342.57 180.00 78.60 425 . 50 236.49 $124,661.41 $ 1,680.00 216.00 1,437.99 180.00 105.55 22.00 125.31 702 . 29 $ 3,8.53.16 •S 270.00 1,075.10 21.77 46.07 1,434.29 626 . 96 4,469.14 502.00 894 . 42 134.13 600 . 54 825 . 58 8 3,474.19 $ 1,200.00 2.35 23.46 77.89 717.11 $ 2,956.67 $ 1 440.00 7.84 25.27 76.71 602 . 16 352 . 84 $ 2,020.81 $ 1,200.00 « 690.00 ? 600.00 $ 2,504.82 $ 1,440.00 $ 1,320.00 $ 680.00 23 Statement op Receipts and Disbubsements—Continued Biennium 1934-1936 1935-36 VIII. Game—Continued Guilford Game Refuge: Salary, Warden Rent of Building Holly Shelter Refuge: Salary, Warden Roaring Gap Refuge: Salary, Warden P. R. Camp Refuge: Salary, Warden Rent-- Migratory Bird Refuges: Feed and Supplies Miscellaneous Accounts: Bounties Workman's Compensation. Rebuilding Lake Rim Donation to Fire Control. Equipment River Patrol. . . Motor Boats Operation $ 360.00 150.00 30.00 12.60 $ 510.00 S 480.00 $ 360.00 $ 360.00 100.00 42.50 480.00 432.00 432.00 100.00 460.00 $ 137.30 1,184.13 24,704.47 13,500.00 $ 532,00 $ 200.00 $ 79 . 30 206 . 87 5,212.35 17,500.00 1,991.05 410.02 Total Expenditures Less Receipts: Sale of Hunting Licenses Refund of Bounty Payments Sale of Building (Asheboro) Special Licenses Appropriation from Contingency Fund for Rebuilding Lake Rim . $39,251.30 $136,054 80 127,642.12 2 , 780 . 50 750.00 $25,240.99 $164,959.53 175,614.92 759.68 213.00 Transfer from Preceding Year. 9,250.00 24,269.17 31,083.35 Transfer to Succeeding Year. Divisional Summary: Total Expenditures Less Receipts $164,691.79 $28,636.99 $163,163.84 196,167.85 $207,670.95 $42,711.42 $193,911.40 245,653.97 Transfer to Succeeding Y'ear. $ 33,004.01 $ 51,742.57 Financial statement of Division of Commercial Fisheries follows report of this Division. DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES The fishing industry is one of North Carolina's most valuable natural resources. There is no possible way of estimating its true value to this and future generations, but the true worth should run into millions of dollars. Many thousands of people are engaged in it and many more thousands are in one way or another affected by it. It should be given every reasonable protection. The industry during this past biennium has experienced a substantial gain, every branch having shown a marked increase in production. The factors that usually control in this industry have been much more favorable during this period than in recent years. The fishermen have weathered the depression and now have their boats and nets back to normal again; they also have enjoyed better prices for their catch than they did during the past two bienniums. FOOD FISH More people in a wider area are engaged in food fishing than any other branch. Some time during the year it extends to all of our waters, both inside and outside. During no single day in the three hundred sixty-five, except Sunday, is net fishing not done. During the last year of this bien-nium the fishermen have enjoyed a better market for their fish than they have for a long time, due in part to better facilities for handling their product. However, the past shad season was the worst ever experienced, due partly to flood waters in all the rivers during the shad fishing sea-son. The fact that the herring season comes a little later than the shad season accounts for the normal catch this activity enjoyed last year. Fishing, in general, has been better on the inside for the past two years on account of the opening of New and Durm Inlets. These improved conditions have enabled the fishermen to replace many of their boats and nets. The outlook is toward a steady increase in this important industry for the reason that better equipment to handle fish than ever before is available. There have been caught during this biennium 98,- 055,000 pounds of food fish at a value of $2,859,500, SHRIMP Shrimping, in a commercial way, is a local activity and has been confined throughout the years to two counties, Brunswick and Carteret; but during the past season a great many shrimp were caught in Pamlico County. How-ever, Brunswick continued to be the banner county, having produced 678,467 pounds more of shrimp for the biennium than Carteret. The production of the latter county has been proportionally larger than in previous years. Shrimp in great quantities have been lying off Beaufort Inlet in easy reach of our trawlers and we are hopeful that they will continue to return to these waters seasonally. During the past biennium we produced 4,680,746 pounds of shrimp at a value of $280,904.76, which is more than double the production the previous biennium. 25 MENHADEN More capital is required to finance this activity than any other phase of the fisheries. The factories and equipment cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a rule the season lasts only a couple of months—October, November and part of December. During the past season there was the largest catch of menhaden in the spring of the year than for a like period during the past twelve or fifteen years. Most of these fish are caught at sea during the fall season as they pass the North Carolina Coast on their way south ; and the number of menhaden caught is wholly dependent on the weather, because the fish strike in here during the rough, bad weather. They have passed by before the boats can get out again if the rough weather lasts long. This phase of the industry employs a large number of men who have nothing at stake, except their labor, as the boats and equipment are furnished by the operators. If weather conditions are favorable, the men make good wages. During the past biennium 210,905,000 menhaden were caught; 665,785 gallons of oil were manufactured; and scrap in the amount of 18,100 tons was marketed. In this industry approximately $200,000.00 is invested in boats; $35,000.00 in nets and equipment; and $200,000.00 in factories. OYSTERS This branch of seafood industry suffered a severe setback during the September storm of 1933, which sanded up and killed most of the oysters; but under the CWA, ERA and WPA we have planted in Dare, Hyde, Pam-lico, Carteret, Onslow, Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick Counties 2,133,506 bushels of oysters and shells. We are hopeful that this work will, in some measure, offset the loss suffered from the storm. This planting was done at a cost of $193,102.24, or an average of .09 per bushel. Without some setback it is hoped that this part of the industry will be back to normal in a few years, although the Bureau of Fisheries through its representative. Dr. Prytherch, stationed at the laboratory at Beaufort, has found a lot of borers, whose activity at the present time is confined to Core Sound. He has advised trapping these pests as the surest method of keeping them from spreading to larger areas or possibly getting rid of them altogether. In his experiments with this method, he has had great success and has found it can be done at a nominal cost. He has recommended that this De-partment offer a bounty to induce the fishermen to trap the borers and thus destroy as quickly as possible this natural enemy of the oyster. Dur-ing the past biennium the State has produced 407,754 bushels of oysters at a value of $142,713.90, which is 107,000 bushels more than were marketed in the previous period. CLAMS The clam industry has had a marked gain during the past biennium. This gain followed the opening of Drum Inlet, which was cut through Core Banks during the September storm, letting sea water into Core Sound and 26 thus adding to its salinity. The clams are now growing in a much larger area than they have ever grown before and in much greater quantities. This part of the industry affords a livelihood for fishermen during the sum-mer months when general fishing is at its slackest. The clams are sold by the catchers to the bedders, who put them on the northern markets during the winter months or sell to out-of-State trucks. During the past few years clams have been produced in commercial quantities only in Brunswick and Carteret Counties. TTie latter county produces more than all of the other combined clam growing counties in the State. During the past biennium we produced 94,832 bushels of clams at a value of $118,540.00, an increase of 32,124 bushels over the previous biennium. ESCALLOPS Carteret is the only escallop-producing county in the State. At one time this was one of the most valuable industries in this county, but for the past several years it has almost been wiped out because of the disappearance of grass in the sounds. Government specialists have not been able to determine what killed out the grass along the Atlantic Coast. The grass for the past season has been coming back in some sections, particularly in Core Sound ; and there has been a great pickup in this part of the industry. The gain is nine hundred percent over the last biennium, though the total production was insignificant in comparison with that ten years ago. During the past biennium the production was 18,708 gallons of escallops, valued at $37,417.00. CRABS The soft-shell crab is caught in commercial quantities only in Carteret County during the months of April and May. The production of crabs is so much greater in Maryland than it is in North Carolina that this State's market is stopped practically at a standstill immediately after the opening of the crabbing season in that State. North Carolina's season opens about two months before Maryland begins to produce crabs in commercial quan-tities, and the out-of-State buyers leave as soon as the season opens there. A large number of people make good wages at this work during April and May. The State produced 160,922 dozens of crabs, valued at $160,922.00, during this biennium. The hard or blue crab is found all along the coast and has been more valuable during the past two seasons than ever before. On account of the severe weather which killed out the crabs on the Chesa-peake Bay last winter much larger production and sales were recorded here. This activity has grown to be one of the most active of the entire fishing-industry. There is an ever-increasing demand for hard crab meat. The number of crab meat houses in this State during this period reached fifteen. Many loads of hard crabs were hauled away by out-of-State trucks for Vir-ginia and Maryland crab houses. 27 REPORT OF SANITARY ENGINEER Captain J. A. Nelson, Fisheries. Comynissioner, Morehead City, N. C. Dear Sir: I have the pleasure of submitting herewith report of shellfish sanitation work conducted by this office for the biennium ending June 30, 1936. This report does not go into detail of the work carried on, but covers in a general way the various activities. Great progress has been made in shellfish sanitation during the past two years. Seafood dealers have learned that it is to their advantage to handle their products in a clean, sanitary manner and have built or improved their plants so that we now have packing plants that will compare favorably with any on the Atlantic Coast. Close sanitary supervision over the crab meat packing industry has had much to do with the development of this now important seafood industry in North Carolina. This office, in cooperation with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, has maintained regular inspection and laboratory control over all inter-state shipments. Fifteen crab meat plants located from Morehead to Manteo operated in the State during this biennium, giving employment to several hundred people. Regular monthly inspections and constant laboratory control work have been carried on in the oyster and clam packing and shipping industries, to meet the requirements of the U. S. Public Health Service for inter-state shipments. An average of fifty shucking and packing plants and seventy-five shell-stock plants operated during the biennium. Several new and mod-ern oyster shucking houses were constructed, and with the general improve-ment in business conditions further improvements are being made. A system of rating or classifying the plants according to the type of construc-tion and the manner of operation is now being worked out. This will help create a keener interest in shellfish sanitation, as each plant or manager will strive to maintain a good sanitary rating. Sanitary surveys were made of producing and new areas being developed along the coast. It was not found necessary to restrict any additional waters on account of pollution during this biennium. Further work along this line is needed, since more and more raw sewage is being discharged into streams leading into our producing areas. Constant supervision over the patrolling of the restricted areas was also maintained, and several indi-viduals were prosecuted in court for taking shellfish from these polluted areas. Due to this strict supervision, no shipments were turned down and condemned on out-of-State markets. If the seafood industry is to continue to improve and afford better living conditions for the people engaged, it is and will increasingly be very impor-tant that a Division of Shellfish Sanitation be set up and maintained at a high standard. North Carolina cannot aff'ord not to furnish qualified tech-nical supervision for this highly important industry, which is the source of livelihood for several thousand people. A. B. Freeman, Assistant Sanitary Engineer. DIAMOND-BACK TERRAPIN Some years ago the diamond-back terrapin was in great demand. Because of this fact and in order to give our fishermen what aid we could toward supplying this demand—terrapin of best quality were selling on northern markets as high as $60.00 per dozen—this State in cooperation with the 28 Federal Government began the propagation of diamond-back terrapin at the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries at Beaufort, North Carolina. Cement pens were built and two thousand adult terrapins were bought for brood stock. In the course of time there were liberated yearly in our waters' at selected points five to ten thousand young terrapin. This has been going on for ten years, with the result that terrapin are more plentiful in our waters than ever before. For some years the demand for this choice food has not been so great as previously. However, the market is becoming more active and, of course, the price is becoming more attractive. If and when the demand for this product does increase appreciably, our fishermen will reap a com-paratively rich harvest that this Department and the Federal Government have made possible. This is one of the constructive measures the Division of Commercial Fisheries has fostered in an active, practical way. PATROL BOATS Three of our patrol boats are thirty years old and are, therefore, obsolete and should be replaced with new boats. Often the time element plays a large part in the enforcement of our regulations. Yet these boats cannot be made to render the service required of them, because they are slow and unseaworthy when compared with the more modern boats with which they must compete. Each of these boats has large bodies of water to patrol and it is readily seen that more territory is left unprotected for larger periods of time than would be the case with speedier and more seaworthy boats. And, too, the operating expense of a new boat would naturally be less. The Pamlico, Albemarle and Chowan should be disposed of and new boats put on patrol in their place. The John A. Nelson, the largest of our fleet, is stationed at Morehead City and is used by the Commissioner for general supervision in the Sounds. It is used in the ocean at Ocracoke and Hatteras during the winter months to look after the out-of-State trawlers. The Roanoke, the speed boat, is also located at Morehead City and is used by one of the inspectors for collecting licenses and patrolling the closed terri-tories where oysters and clams are not allowed to be taken. The Pamlico is stationed at Belhaven, and is used by an inspector for patrolling Pamlico Sound, Pamlico and Pungo Rivers. The Neuse, one of our small boats, is stationed at New Bern, and is used by an inspector for patrolling Neuse River. The Albemarle and the Croatan are stationed at Manteo, and are used by an Assistant Commissioner, who has charge of staking oflf fishing limits, enforcing the law and collecting licenses in the lower Albemarle Sound and Upper Pamlico Sound. The Chowan is stationed at Edenton and is used by one of the inspectors at that point. He patrols the waters of upper Albermarle Sound, Chowan, Roanoke, Perquimans, Cashie and Scuppernong Rivers, collecting licenses and enforcing the fishing regula-tions. These boats should be on duty the year round to keep the fishermen informed of the regulations and laws as well as to protect the industry against would-be violators. 29 KIND, QUANTITY AND VALUE OF FISH TAKEN IN WATERS OF NORTH CAROLINA For the Period July 1, 1934, to June 1, 1936 Kinds of Fish No. of Pounds Value Spotted Trout Gray Trout Sea Mullet Blue Fish Mullet.- Croakers Spots Hogfish Mackerel Shad ___ Herring Butters Carp Rock or Striped Bass. Flounders Puppy Drum White Perch Assorted Cats Eels Jack Pike. Pompano Channel Bass Sturgeon Total Food Fish. Shrimp Menhaden (No. of Fish). ,700,000 ,000,000 ,200.000 ,000,000 ,000.000 ,000,000 ,000,000 500,000 400,000 ,000,000 ,000,000 .600.000 200,000 700,000 ,000,000 500,000 ,000.000 ,000,000 450,000 60,000 500.000 20.000 12,000 200.000 5.000 8.000 98.055,000 4.681.746 210.905,000 222,000.00 450,000.00 24,000.00 30,000.00 180.000.00 210,000.00 200,000.00 10,000.00 20.000.00 750,000.00 350.000.00 48,000.00 12.000.00 105.000.00 80.000.00 20.000.00 60.000.00 30,000.00 22.500.00 3.000.00 25.000.00 1.000.00 1.200.00 4,000.00 1.000.00 800.00 $ 2,859,500.00 280,904.76 1,054,425.00 Total Value of Fin Fish. $ 4,194,829.76 Shellfish Oysters.. 407,754 (Bushels). Clams. 94,832 (Bushels). Escallops 18.708 (Gallons). Soft-Shell Crabs 160,922 (Dozens). Hard Crabs 10,000,000 (Pounds). Diamond-Back Terrapin 5.000 (Pounds). 142,713.90 118.540.00 37,416.00 160,922.00 200,000.00 937.50 Total Value of Shellfish $ 660.529.40 Totals Value of Fin Fish. $4,194,829.76 Value of Shellfish 660.529.40 Total Value Water Products _ $4,855,359.15 30 STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS OF THE DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT For Biennium 1934-35—1935-36 1934-35 1935-36 Administration and iNSPEcnoN: Commissioner's Salary Assistant Commissioners' Salaries. - Commission Employees' Salaries _. Office Staff Office Supplies Postage and Box Rent Telephone and Telegrams Traveling Expense—Commissioner- Printing and Binding Motor Vehicle Operation Office Rent Counsel Fees Insurance and Bonding Equipment Other Expenses Total. Patrol Boats: Salaries and Wages Supplies Gas and Oils Repairs Equipment. Subsistence Docks and Warehouses Marking Fishing Limits Fire Insurance—boat J. A. Nelson. Total Shellfish Sanitation: Supplies and Materials. Equipment Total. Total Expenditures. Less Receipts Credit Balance. Appropriation.. Receipts: Food Fish Licenses and Taxes. Oyster Licenses and Taxes Escallop Licenses and Taxes. _ Clam Licenses and Taxes Crab Licenses and Taxes Menhaden Licenses Power Boat Licenses Other Sources Total. 3,000.00 1,327.00 6,185.12 2,393.00 245.54 164.25 270.64 317.82 619.46 831.90 700.00 92.00 10.00 $ 16,156.73 3,490.93 1,263.21 1,384.94 486 . 07 196.31 839.00 100.00 122.93 130.00 $ 8,013.39 52.10 20.28 $ 24,242.50 24 , 257 . 29 $ 8,900.77 4,729.39 515.60 1,810.43 3,951.82 2,234.75 289.00 1,825.53 $ 24,257.29 3,600.00 1,411.67 5,826.31 3,420.00 95.94 164.25 250.00 138.52 591.42 632.60 700.00 500.00 99.12 62.00 8.00 17,499.83 3 , 199 . 50 1,051.11 1,323.99 2,279.91 562,55 687 . 50 175.00 395.04 130.00 9,804.60 57.04 57.04 $ 27,361.47 21,605.20 5,756.27 $ 8,386.85 4,615.94 472.30 2,120.37 1,500.52 1,987.75 225.00 2,296.47 $ 21,605.20 DIVISION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Although this Division has had no full-time personnel during the bi-ennium, its functions have been maintained to a limited degree through the office of the Assistant Director. The collection of state data and statistics, particularly industrial and commercial, has continued; and the public has been served by the dissemi-nation of available information requested by numerous individuals and organizations. There have, however, been no facilities for classification, collation, and analyzing of these data and statistics for their more effective use. This Division has continued to serve as a clearing house for public in-formation concerning various activities of the Department. The people of the State have been familiarized with the general conservation program and also with the status of the work of the different Divisions by means of news and feature copy provided for the press and the radio. Press: The newspapers of the State have continued their cooperation by giving freely of their space to news and feature articles on conservation. They have also supported editorially the various activities directed toward obtaining the most effective use of the State's natural resources and for their preservation for future generations. Their familiarity with the prob-lems confronting the State and her resources has made this co-operation doubly valuable; and, to no small degree, much of the progress toward more effective conservation and development has been made possible by the as-sistance of the press. The Department takes this means of expressing its appreciation for the valuable aid rendered by the press of the State. Radio: Because of restricted personnel, the Division was unable to con-tinue weekly broadcasts which had been given in previous years during the first part of the biennium. However, the approval of an educational proj-ect by the Emergency Relief Administration in June, 1935, made possible the resumption of the Department's radio programs. All facilities of the radio stations were made available without cost, and the Department ex-presses its gratitude to the various stations for their effective cooperation. Cecil E. Bell, an experienced radio announcer, was employed with funds furnished by the ERA to prepare and deliver a regular weekly schedule of dramatized conservation programs. These programs were handled each week by six North Carolina stations and for part of the time by all the broadcasting companies in the State. Mr. Bell continued this work for about six months and at the end of that period he was retained by the De-partment for the same purpose and to assist in the preparation of publica-tions. Near the latter part of the biennium, Mr. Bell was assigned to the special study of resources and industries mentioned later in this report. "Come to North Carolina" : An attractively illustrated brochure under this title was brought out in March, 1936, for general tourist information. This was the first literature of this nature issued by the Department since 1927. 32 The booklet is a guide to the historical, recreational, and scenic attrac-tions of the State, featured by a small-scale map on which various points of outstanding interest are spotted. Its cover and the map were done in four colors and numerous illustrations were used in the txt. Because of limited funds, only 44,000 of the booklets were printed. Even before the press run was complete, requests for at least double the number available had been received, and it was necessary to cut each allotment more than half. The principal distribution of the publication was through travel agencies scattered throughout the country. Some of these began requests for more copies within a few weeks but it was possible to furnish only a limited number of these. Chambers of Commerce in the various cities of the State also cooperated with the Department in distributing the booklet, and few of these received a sufficient number to meet their demands. Within approximately 60 days, the entire supply of the publication, with the exception of a small number retained for meeting individual inquiries received by the Department, had been distributed. Requests for thousands of copies since that time could not be met. According to numerous comments received by the Department, the bro-chure, together with an attractive four-color highway map issued by the State Highway and Public Works Commission, was an important factor in one of the best tourist seasons experienced in years in North Carolina. The Department is seeking means of bringing out a reprint of the publication. Conservation Text: It has been the plan of the Department to urge that the study of conservation be prescribed in an appropriate grade in the public schools of the State. With this idea in view, a proposed text book is now under preparation. The subject is being treated in such a manner as to interest as well as inform the pupil concerning the great natural re-sources with which the State has been endowed and to create a more whole-some respect for these gifts of the Divine Creator. Preliminary copy has been prepared and will be ready for publication when checked thoroughly and revised, if approved by the educational au-thorities. Manuscript should be completed within the next fiscal year. Informational Leaflets: In order to meet numerous requests for general information concerning the State, the Division has issued several mimeo-graph sheets. One of the most popular of these leaflets is "Facts About North Caro-lina", first compiled several years ago but which has been brought up to date several times. General data on population, geography, industry, cli-mate, education, highways, history, natural resources and other subjects are contained in this sheet. It has been reissued probably a score of times and thousands of copies given out. The principal distribution has been to North Carolina school children; and in addition, hundreds have been used for response to inquiries for general information on the State. Another mimeograph issued by the Division was under the title, "Con-servation Suggestions for Organized Groups." This circular is intended to answer such questions as: "What is conservation? Why is it necessary? How does it affect life, health, and happiness?" The sheet describes briefly the objectives of conservation, and suggests particular research and projects 33 dealing with natural resources. It is designed especially for distribution to organizations interested in various phases of the Department's program. Report on Resources and Industries : The Division is cooperating with the Division of Water Resources and Engineering in the compilation of a report on the resources and industries of the State. This study was started near the closing of the biennium, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the calendar year. The report is being made at the request of Governor Ehringhaus, and it is hoped that regular inventories of this nature may be continued as one of the functions of the Department. Data gathered during the survey are intended as an index to guide future development and to encourage a more thorough utilization of all the resources of the State. Industrial Promotion: During the early months of this biennium the calls for information from industrial and commercial concerns interested in locating in the State have been infrequent, but with improving general conditions there is an increased demand for this type of data. More adequate facilities for gathering and utilizing basic industrial in-formaton are needed if the Department meets demands for these data. It is believed that intelligent efforts of this nature to promote the industrial and commercial development of North Carolina will be a sound investment. If a State advertising fund is provided, the demands for reliable and up-to-date information on raw materials and facilities of a widely varied character will be intensified. Inquiries for definite data will be more fre-quent and should be followed up intelligently and thoroughly. DIVISION OF FORESTRY There are two State agencies dealing with State-wide Forestry in North Carolina, each cooperating with its separate bui-eau of the United States Department of Agriculture under the Clark-McNary Law. These are the Forestry Division of the Department of Conservation and Development, commonly known in the field as the State Forest Service; and the Forestry Division of the Agricultural Extension Service. This latter receives aid through the United States Agricultural Extension Service. R. W. Graeber, extension forester, whose office is at State College, cooperates with the State Forester in the distribution of tree seedlings produced by the Depart-ment of Conservation and Development in its forest nursery for forest planting on the farms of the State. The Division of Forestry has for convenience in bookkeeping as well as in administration been divided into four branches. By far the largest and most important branch is that of Forest Fire Control which has been in charge of W. C. McCormick since May, 1934. During that time a number of changes in personnel, a very considerable extension of the area, and an increase in available funds have taken place. According to officials of the United States Forest Service, the proportion of forest land now under proper protection in North Carolina is greater than that of any state in the southeastern region. The branch of Forests and Parks was until August, 1935, in direct charge of the State Forester. With the greatly increased work, due to the coop-eration of the National Park Service in the acquisition and development of State Parks through the Emergency Conservation Work, competent assist-ance became imperative, and the services of Thomas W. Morse, a trained landscape architect with considerable business experience, were secured. He, with the efficient assistance of Miss Annie Ramsey, who had previously been responsible for the major part of the business connected with park development under ECW, now handles the State Park work with energy and effectiveness. The remainder of the forestry work, including supervision of the State Forest Nursery, the various Federal and State contacts and such educa-tional work as it is possible to do under the limited appropriation, are car-ried on directly by the State Forester and his Secretary. Some additional clerical help has been received through a WPA project in both the Park and the Forester's office for which thanks are due this Federal relief organization. With the rapid expansion of the forest plant-ing program and the development of the enlarged forest nursery an assist-ant forester, trained and experienced in nursery and planting work, has become a necessity. Provision for such a man will be asked of the next General Assembly. Unfortunately through lack of proper State office accommodation it has been necessary to divide the work and personnel of this division, Mr. Morse with his Federally-paid clerical force occupying rooms in the Commercial Bank building, while the ECW, which is closely tied up with the State Forester and with the Forest Fire Control branch, is also located several 35 blocks away from une State office. Not only does this situation consume unnecessary time but it prevents close contact of administrative officials, contributing thei'eby towards inefficiency. A State building where the whole department can be together and function as a unit seems to be one of the principal needs at the present time. In addition to the State forestry agencies operating in North Carolina there are a number of regular as well as emergency Federal agencies cover-ing parts or all of the State. Some brief reports of the activities of the more important ones are included in this report. FOREST FIRE CONTROL The branch of forest fire control of the Forestry Division of the Depart-ment has made considerable progress within the period covered by this report. A substantial increase in the state appropriation was made avail-able for this work through the action of the last legislature, which made possible the broadening of activities and put under protection additional counties and areas of privately-owned timberland. The Federal Govern-ment, under the Clarke-McNary Law, which provides that the government will reimburse qualifying states not in excess of 50 per cent of monies spent by such states for forest fire prevention, appropriated $50,560 per year for the two years. Increased county funds through the inclusion of additional counties and additional county appropriations were needed; increased private funds through the cooperation of additional timberland owners, together with a larger State's appropriation for the last half of this biennium, were responsible for our ability to expand. The result was that the fire control section of the Division of Forestry has been supervising the largest acreage ever placed under protection in the history of the State, which automatically increased the field personnel to the largest number of employees ever under appointment; and while a most severe fire season was encountered during the spring and summer of 1936, every fire within a cooperating county or upon a cooperating unit was handled in a satisfactory manner and thousands of acres of timberland saved from destruction. Personnel: Because of the demand for foresters made by government agencies and the enlarged program of the fire control organization, a con-siderable turnover in personnel during this biennium was encountered. At the beginning of this biennium there were six established forestry districts, with only three District Foresters handling the work. This was due pri-marily to the fact that salaries had been reduced to such a point that Federal agencies had been able to take away many of our technically trained and experienced foresters. This condition existed until late in the spring of 1935. Of the three District Foresters above mentioned, L. A. Carter resigned January 14, 1935, to accept work with the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, leaving only two experienced men. On October 15, 1935, W. A. Peterson resigned to accept work with the Resettlement Administration, leaving only one. Through meager savings made in the salaries of these resigned District Foresters, it was possible to appoint J. B. Lattay, a technically trained and 86 experienced forester, on April 16, 1935, to replace Mr. Carter. In May, through further savings in salaries, it was possible to appoint J. R. Spratt and J. M. Stingley, both graduates in Forestry from the N. C. State College, as District Foresters, both men having had practical experience. In July, 1935, J. D. Findlay, also a graduate of N. C. State College in Forestry, was engaged as District Forester. In November, 1935, P. W. Tillman, a gradu-ate forester with several years' experience in the U. S. Forest Service, was appointed District Forester. Therefore, on January 1, 1936, W. K. Beichler, the remaining Senior District Forester, had charge of the two mountain districts with a District Forester in charge of each of the four eastern dis-tricts, making a total of six District Foresters, one acting as Assistant District Forester in a training capacity. Dan Blake of Asheville was appointed District Ranger in November, 1934. J. R. Miller, who had been in the service for a number of years, took leave, without pay, effective June 30, 1936, due to the condition of his health. On June 1, 1935, W. S. Ragsdale, former County Warden, was promoted to District Ranger; Ragsdale resigned effective June 30, 1936. District For-ester W. K. Beichler was promoted to Forest Inspector and transferred from Asheville to the Raleigh Office effective July 1, 1936. On July 1, 1935, through a rearrangement of the forestry areas. District 3 headquarters was established at Rockingham in the new Federal Building; District 5 headquarters was transferred from Washington, North Carolina, to Rocky Mount. The six district headquarters on June 30, 1936, were as follows: District 1, Asheville; District 2, Lenoir; District 3, Rockingham; District 4, New Bern; District 5, Rocky Mount; and District 6, Fayetteville. All of these offices are in Federal buildings or city offices, with the exception of Fayetteville. Present Organization: The organization of the forest fire control branch of the Division of Forestry as set up July 1, 1936, is as follows : the Assist-ant State Forester as Chief of Forest Fire Control; a Forest Inspector and three office assistants constitute the Central Office force; and the Chief of Forest Fire Control and the Forest Inspector both work out of the Central Office at Raleigh. Five District Foresters, technically trained and with practical experience, are in charge of fire control activities in six Districts. Six District Forest Rangers, non-technical, promoted from the warden ranks, serve as assistants to the District Foresters in field activities and direct contact men with the warden organzation in the field. Six Clerk-Stenographers, one in each District Office, handling all office routine, accounts, etc. Fifty-six County Forest Wardens, one in each cooperating county, in charge of fire control within the county. Ten Association Rangers on as many associations. All of these County Wardens and Rangers are full-time men, and all taxpayers, who devote their entire time to the work assig-ned them. In many cases the County Wardens are combination Forest, Game and Fish Wardens and are jointly paid by the three divisions. Twenty-nine of these County War-dens and five Association Rangers are supplied with a State-and-covmty or Association-owned fire-fighting truck. Each county is divided into fire dis-tricts averaging about 14,000 acres of timberland to the district and a District Forest Warden working directly under the County Warden in 37 charge of each of these county fire districts. District Wardens are paid on an hourly basis for the exact amount of time they devote to the work. District Wardens sign up Pledged Crews of fire fighters, who respond to their calls and work with them on all fires, thereby forming a trained fire fighting crew rather than depending on pick-up labor. This has proven very satisfactory. During the fire season, which usually runs from November 1 until the middle of May, towermen were employed at each of the 66 lookout towers and five other points which were manned for this purpose, making a total of 71 seasonal employees during the fire period in detection work. There were approximately 200 men employed during the fire season who form three-to five-man fire crews which were stationed at certain towers throughout the cooperating counties and on protective associations. The above listed full-time and seasonal employees, together with District Wardens, averaging approximately 15 to the county, bring the total number of permanent and part-time employees up to approximately 1,100. The 22 employees comprising the Raleigh and field headquarters personnel are entrusted with the supervision, disbursement of funds and all work con-nected with the direction of 56 County Wardens and approximately 1,000 seasonal employees and fire control plans and activities necessary in the protection of approximately 14,000,000 acres of forest land or 75 per cent of the total forested area of the State needing protection. PROGRESS CHART June 30 1932-33 June 30 1933-34 June 30 1934-35 June 30 1935-36 3 4 30 803 30 35 5,804,343 $ 23,150 5,064 4,740 17,000 50,560 3 4 33 884 33 54 6,405,975 $ 17,845 4,400 2,755 11,000 36,000 3 4 44 800 44 62 9,862,289 $ 36 , 020 5,430 2,755 13,000 50,560 6 6 56 1,000 56 Private timberland o^-ners cooperating Forest area under protection (acres) _ Finances: 77 13,634,000 $ 53 , 000 9,100 24,930 15,000 50,560 $ 100,514 1.7 cents $ 72,000 1.1 cents $ 107,765 1.1 cents $ 152,590 1.12 cents Note: In June-July, 1936, a complete new survey was made of the forest area needing protection in the State and the cost of giving this area adequate fire protection. Results: Total forest area needing state protection 20,339,122 acres Annual cost per acre of adequate protection 4.9 cents This cost is based upon an allowable annual burn of 1.18 per cent of the forest area. It represents, then, an annual expenditiire of less than 5 cents to protect an acre of forest land which can be conservatively valued at from $10-$15. 38 County Cooperation: Prior to July 1, 1935, county cooperation with the State in fire control was voluntary. In event a county did not wish to cooperate with the State there was no law empowering the State to establish fire control in such county, with the result that throughout the several forestry districts there were numerous counties not cooperating and in some instances completely surrounded by cooperating counties. Fires origi-nating in these non-cooperating counties spread into cooperating counties, uncontrolled, materially increasing the cost of protection in cooperating counties, A law, enacted in 1935 by the Legislature, broadened the powers of the State Forester through permitting the establishment of a fire control organization in any county in which, in the State Forester's estimation, based entirely upon existing fire conditions and timber values at stake, fire control was necessary. While it has not yet been necessary to use this law, its existence is believed to have been instrumental in securing the voluntary cooperation of some previously non-cooperating counties, with the result that on June 30, 1936, the counties formed a solid block of cooperating units from Virginia to the South Carolina line through the Coastal Plains and Sand-hill Section of the State in which the greatest fire hazard exists. The num-ber of cooperating counties increased from thirty-two in 1934 to fifty-six in the spring of 1936 and additional counties have signed agreements to cooperate, effective July 1, 1936. From July 1, 1934, to June 30, 1936— the period of this report—no county dropped out of the organization nor have any indicated a desire to do so. This is a condition that did not exist prior to the passage of the law. This makes possible the planning of fire control work over a period of years without the constant fear of a county withdrawing if and when it chooses, thus breaking down the organization to that extent. On next page will be found a tabulation showing cooperating counties with sums made available by them for the past several years and the dates on which they begin cooperation with the State in fire control. Private Cooperation: In addition to the county cooperative setup, indi-vidual timberland owners, or groups of timberland owners may list with the State their holdings where the total acreage is not less than 30,000 acres. The assessment rate on these lands varies according to what is con-sidered necessary to give adequate protection and usually ranges from one to ten cents per acre, this sum being matched by an equal amount of State and Federal funds. On June 30, 1936, there were 13 protective associations functioning. These associations embrace approximately 400,000 acres and are owned by 77 landowners. With four exceptions, all of these holdings are within the boundaries of cooperating counties. The funds provided by these cooperators are forwarded to the State at the beginning of each fiscal year and deposited in a special fund for dis-bursement by the Division of Forestry. Budgets are prepared at the be-ginning of each fiscal year covering each association and reports showing accomplishments and disbursements are supplied each cooperator at the end of each fiscal year. The funds provided by the cooperators enable addi-tional protection to their timberlands, through the purchase of tractors, fire line plows, road machinery and other equipment necessary in the con-struction and maintenance of plowed fire lines; building of spur telephone 39 COUNTIES COOPERATING AND ANNUAL SUMS MADE AVAILABLE BY THEM County 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 $ $ $ 500 700 500 1,250 1,000 1,500 2,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,000 S 750 700 Avery 500 500 600 1,250 Bertie 680 1,000 1,500 1,500 2,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,000 1,300 1,000 1,200 1,000 Burke - 1,300 Caldwell . 1,000 700 Clav 400 1,500 1,000 750 700 1,000 750 700 1,100 600 700 825 700 1,500 500 650 1,000 600 600 1,000 500 400 400 750 400 570 1,000 700 500 600 500 400 500 500 500 600 500 400 400 600 400 420 600 Halifax -- 1,000 700 400 400 Hertford __ 750 300 600 750 1,600 300 800 500 750 1,100 1,250 300 300 300 800 Macon Montgomery 565 750 1,000 500 750 1,000 500 750 1,250 800 1,000 750 1,250 500 500 750 850 Pitt -_-__-_ .-_ - 1,200 500 1,200 Polk --. - . 300 500 Pender _ ..- -- _ 1,500 1,000 1,200 1,628 1,000 1,200 2,520 1,000 1,250 1,500 1,000 1,000 1,500 600 600 600 600 Stanly. . .. . ... 700 200 600 500 600 600 Transylvania 600 600 750 500 600 750 750 Wake --- _ 1,000 Wayne Wilkes 800 500 700 844 500 700 1,000 500 800 1,250 500 Wilson. - 800 Washington . 850 Yancey ... ..__ 300 500 Number Counties cooperating 30 33 44 56 40 lines; employment of year-long' Association Rangers under State appoint-ment; and other protective measures. Following is a list of the associations above mentioned, showing names, rates of assessment, location, etc. FOREST PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATIONS Name of Association Assess-ment Rate Location—County Number Individuals in Association Acreage Listed 1934-35 1935-36 1934-35 1935-36 Elk Creek Association - 2)i H Hn 2«! If! H Watagua, Wilkes, Caldwell Burke, McDowell Rutherford 1 6 14 14 1 1 6 14 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 19 1 20 40,000 38,000 14,000 32,000 6,600 20,000 25,000 39,000 30,000 10,000 34,000 31,000 South Mountain Association 40,000 38,000 14,000 (Minimum dues $5). 17,000 6,600 State College Association Onslow, Jones 84,000 Eureka Lumber Co. Association Beaufort . 8,000 East Carolina Land Association Beaufort _ . 20,000 Camp Mfg. Company . Bertie 1 1 3 1 1 15 20,000 Camp Mfg. Company . Hertford-Gates Harnett, Hoke, Cumberland 25,000 Overhills Protective Association 36,000 30,000 Cooper River Timber Co. 10,000 Orton Protective Association... Brunswick 36,000 15,000 Waccamaw Protective Ass'n Columbus-Bladen . . 4 35,000 Total 62 77 319,600 434,600 Fire Control Improvements : During this biennium, the State and coop-erators have been called upon to bear only a small portion of the fire control improvements during this period. The major portion of all improvements consists of lookout towers, tower houses, trailer sheds, telephone lines, roads, trails, and fire breaks, having been constructed with CCC labor under the direction of the Emergency Conservation Work, which agency bore all costs of material. In the list of towers made a part of this report, it will be noted that, with one exception, all of the towers listed as having been constructed during this period were built from ECW funds by CCC labor. In the case of this one exception, only the cost of the tower itself was borne by State cooperative funds, all erection costs being paid by ECW. Seven other towers have been purchased and are on the ground for erec-tion. These will be included in the next biennial report. 41 THE FOLLOWING TOWERS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY ECW AND ERECTED THIS BIENNIUM Name Height County Date Built By Tower Costs* Tower House Number RoomB Greens Cross Liles Mamers Southern Pines.. Tryon Mountain. Rendezvous Mountain Dudley Wilson Toxaway High Windy Roaring Gap Shallotte Maco • Jones Lake East Robeson Swift Creek Wilmar Newkirk Everetts Rose Hill Comfort Young Earpt Ward's Corner.. - Chinquapin Plymouth Foreman 99'9" 79 '6' 72 '9' 72'9' 45'9' 59'3' 99'9' 99'9' 45'9' 45'9' 59 '3" 99'9' 99'9'' 99 '9" 99 '9' 79'6' 99'9" 99'9' 99'9' 99'9' 102' 120' 99'9' 99'9' 99'9' Bertie Halifax Harnett Moore Polk .- Wilkes. Wayne Wilson Transylvania Buncombe Alleghany Brunswick Brunswick Bladen Robeson Nash Craven Sampson Beaufort Duplin Jones Johnston Johnston Pender Duplin Washington. . Martin Aug. 1934. July 1934.. Sept. 1934. July 1934.. July 1934.. Oct. 1934.. Sept. 1934. Sept. 1934. Oct. 1935.. Sept. 1934- June 1935. Feb. 1935.- Dec. 1935.. Jan. 1935.. Feb. 1935.. Mar. 1935- Feb. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. Nov. 1935. Dec. 1935.. April 1936. May 1936- April 1936. April 1936. ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW 51,255.54 1,086.82 990.63 991.47 873.35 823 1,745, 1,422. 889, 968, 963, 2,122, 1 , 697 . 1,531. 1,714. 1,221. 2,149, 1,423, 1,410. 1,630, 2,001, 1,095, 894, 2,088, 1,877, 1 , 770 , 1,978, 2-room 2-room 2-room 4-room 1-room cabin room •room •room cabin room cabin room cabin room room room room room 5-room Includes cost of tower, freight, labor and other materials used in construction. tThis tower was purchased by a cooperator, and erected by ECW (State costs were $45 and ECW costs were In addition to the above, ECW purchased and constructed the following tower houses at other tower sites: Table Rock, Burke County 1-room cabin Bolivia, Brunswick County, June, 1935 5-room The above towers, as noted, represent a total investment of $38,073, all of which was provided by the ECW program during this biennium at no cost to the State or Counties. Furthermore, the cost of the tower houses is not included in that figure (these houses represent an investment of about $18,250, also without cost to the State or Counties). Including the above towers and tower houses, the State has 73 towers used solely for forest fire detection. The Department's plan for fire control over the entire State calls for a final system of 123 such towers, their loca-tion being so arranged as to give complete coverage to all forest areas need-ing such protection, and to fit into the existing tower systems of the U. S. Forest Service and National Park Service. 42 Telephone Lines: To make the fullest use of the towers in the detection system, telephone lines connecting these towers with each other in series, are necessary. Telephones in the homes of wardens living upon such lines and the County Wardens connected with the towers in the counties are also needed. During the past two years there have been constructed approxi-mately 370 miles of telephone line. All construction work has been done by ECW, and with the exception of approximately 18 miles of wire pur-chased from State funds, all material has been supplied by ECW. In the main the lines are metallic circuits. Therefore, the 370 miles of telephone line represent approximately 740 miles of wire. Meagre available funds would not have permitted the construction of this mileage of telephone line from State and cooperator's funds; and we are, thei'efore, greatly indebted to ECW for this much needed improvement. TELEPHONE LINES CONSTRUCTED THIS BIENNIUM Name of Line Tuscarora Tower Line Rhems Line Bearwal low-Fa irview Bearwallow-Edneyville Chambers Mountain-Clyde High Windy-Blue Ridge Tryon Mountain Highway No. 19 Warden Smart-Rutherfordton Biggerstaff-Pinnacle System Connection Biggerstaff Tower-Melton-Warden Owens. Biggerstaff System-Dave Smith Hawshaw Tower-Vance-Newland „ Rendezvous Tower-Warden Nichols Table Rock System-Morganton Warden Wise-Warden Dellinger Table Rock Lookout-Warden Beck (Relocating and rebuilding) Hibriten Tower-Lenoir Rendezvous Tower-Stamper's McCormick's-Linden Line Scotland Tower-Hoffman Laurinburg Line Mamers Tower-Lillington Sassafras Tower-Rosman Horse Ridge Tower-Dave Smith Roaring Gap Tower-Highway Dudley Tower Line Wilmar Tower Line Woolard's to Washington Swift Creek Tower Line Lillington to Ray's Highway 15A to McLean's Jones Lake Tower-Sutton's Store Palestine Tower-Fayetteville Palestine Line to McLean's Mamers-Lillington-Ray Spur Lines Shallotte Tower-Dawson Jones Orton Tower-Reed's Highway 17 to Johnson's Length Miles 1 5 6 9 3 3 8^ 7 25 2H 4 3 15 2 7 'A 4 16 13 1 9 9 7.5 0.6 5\4 9 2.4 1 9.7 1 4 4.5 0.9 1.3 35.1 12.2 3.5 Covinty Craven Craven Buncombe Henderson.-. Haywood Buncombe Polk Rutherford. . Rutherford. _ Rutherford _ _ Rutherford. Avery Wilkes Burke Burke Burke Caldwell Wilkes Harnett Richmond Harnett Transylvania Burke Alleghany Wayne Craven Beaufort Nash Scotland Scotland Bladen Cumberland. Harnett Harnett Brunswick Brunswick Brunswick Year Built 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1934 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 Built By NCFS NCFS ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW Type Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Ground Ground Ground Ground Met. Met. Ground Ground Ground Met. Ground Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. 43 TELEPHONE LINES CONSTRUCTED THIS BIBT^NIVM—Continued Name of Line Highway 17 to Coleman's Funston Road to Earp's Reed's to Foulke's Rockingham-County Warden Rougemont-Mount Tirzah Tower Scotland Neck to Scotland Neck Tower Lilea Tower-Lit tleton Northampton Tower-Jackson Scotland Co.-York Spur Scotland Co.-Bostic Anson Co. Line No. 1 Montgomery Co.-O. D. Smith Spur Southern Pines-Southern Pines Tower Aberdeen-Carthage Line to Ferguson's Laurel Hill-Ralph Curries' Highway No. 15 to Barber's Highway No. 15 to Monroe's Laurinburg to EUerbe Clarkton to McQueen's East Robeson Tower-Lumberton Fayetteville to Cedar Creek Tower and Green Bros. Lumber Co Toxaway Tower-Fairfield Toxaway Tower-Lake Toxaway . Length Miles 1.4 0.1 3.0 2.0 5.0 4.4 7.6 4.7 0.8 1.5 6.0 4.0 H IH 7.3 3 2 52 3.0 8.2 16.8 5.2 9.3 County Brunswick Brunswick Brunswick Richmond Durham-Person Halifax Halifax Northampton.. Scotland Scotland Anson Montgomery Moore Moore Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Bladen Robeson Cumberland Jackson Transylvania Year Built 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1935 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 1936 Built By ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW NCFS NCFS NCFS NCFS ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW ECW Type Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. Met. The above 406.5 miles of telephone line, at an average cost of $200 per mile, represent an investment of about $81,900. About $80,000 of this was borne by ECW at no cost to'the State or Counties. Truck Trails: On June 30, 1936, there had been constructed a total ol 1,053 miles truck trails by the Emergency Conservation Work. Of this mileage, 600 miles were built during the biennium. These roads are used for accessibility, for fire fighting purposes, into previously inaccessible areas, and have proven of material assistance in allowing the organization to reach fires with the least possible delaj?^, thereby reducing the area burned. They are low grade roads and not highways—constructed for fire control purposes only. They also act as fire breaks and back-fire lines when back-fires are necessary. Fire Lines: Approximately 800 miles of fire lines have been constructed; and about 500 miles of this line were built by ECW and consisted of plowed lines ranging from six to nine feet in width, used as fire breaks and as back-fire lines. On one association area, embracing some 15,000 acres of land, approximately 300 miles of six-foot plowed furrows were con-structed from State cooperative funds as added protection against fire. Sev-eral hundred miles of fire line have been maintained annually on cooperat-ing units by the State by re-plowing old lines and burning between lines and roads, 44 Tower Houses: Up to June 30, 1936, ECW had constructed 24 trailer sheds, ten one-room cabins, two five-room towermen's houses at as many-towers; also one large lookout cabin used as a tower itself. In addition to these the State had previously put up from cooperative funds seven tower houses at as many towers. These buildings are of three classes: five-room bungalows, two-room buildings, one room for living quarters and one a garage for the storage of the fire-fighting trailers and other fire-fighting equipment; and one-room cabins for the accommodation of the towermen at the towers in the mountains of the two western districts. Nearly all are accessible by road, and all are connected with telephone to wardens or commercial exchanges. In securing tower sites in the Eastern Districts we are requesting one-acre tracts, preferably deeded to the State. Sites including 24 acres of land are State property and long-time leases cover an additional 18 acres. Where no deeds can be secured, from 39 to 99-year leases are given us. Where it is deemed advisable year-long towermen are being employed at a small wage and furnished with a house, a garden site and a small place for keep-ing poultry and a cow. The full-time of these employees is required during the fire season but it is stipulated in their appointment that during the off-fire season, or during the period when their services are not required on lookout duty, they are at liberty to engage in any other activity, pro-viding they retain a residence at the tower and are available at all times for call when needed. By this means vandalism at these tower sites is pre-vented; a trained and satisfactory detection organization is retained; these towermen are subject to call at any time their services are needed. In the case of towers in the Mountain Districts, sites are obtained either by lease or deed, and are generally one-fourth to one-half acre in size. Since fires in the mountains are usually definitely seasonal, the towerman is not needed the entire year, garden sites at the towers are not practical, and hence the larger sites are not required. The tower houses which ECW has con-structed range in value from $1,500 for the five-room bungalows to $350 each for the cabins at the mountain towers. A list of these tower houses will be found in Table 9 on page 41. Fire-Fighting Equipment: After having experimented with all approved forest fire-fighting equipment in use in the South over a period of years we have selected a limited list of equipment that has been found most satis-factory for the needs in this State. Prime among this equipment is a five-gallon back-pack spray pump, manufactured by the D. B. Smith Company. We standardized on a specially constructed fire rake made with mowing machine teeth instead of the regular rake tooth. This is manufactured by the Council Tool Company of Wananish. A special brush hook manufac-tured in a manner to permit of its use as a light axe as well as a brush hook is also used. This is also made by the Council Tool Company. We use an 18-inch by 24-inch swatter made from a piece of belting of this size properly attached to a straight handle for beating out fires. In addition to the above standard equipment we use single-bit axes, long-handled shovels, railroad fusees for back-firing purposes, five-gallon back-pack water supply tanks for filling the fire pumps, ordinary galvanized water 45 buckets, and lanterns in night work. Some use is made of cross-cut saws and, in the mountains, of double-bit axes. Gasoline-operated portable power pumps are being considered as standard equipment, as far as limited funds will permit. A list of equipment follows: LIST OF PRINCIPAL ITEMS OF FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT Purchased During Biennium Total on Hand Date of This Report 37 66 379 265 444 65 1,275 1,789 16 1 38 100 Water buckets .-... -._...- .. ..-. 492 709 628 69 2,864 5,137 66 21 A majority of the 34 half-ton trucks in service are equipped with 75- gallon water tanks and motor-driven centrifugal pumps for filling and dis-charging the tanks under pressure with sufficient hose for use while the truck is moving or for carrying out lines of hose on fire. Each truck is equipped with sufficient fire-fighting equipment and carrying capacity for ten fire fighters. In addition to the above there are in operation 60 two-wheel fire-fighting trailers which are attached to the rear of wardens' cars. They are supplied with a 55-gallon reserve water tank, sufficient tools and equipment for ten men. We have purchased during this biennium for use on association areas, two light caterpillar tractors, two 3-disc fire line plows, one road machine, one heavy tractor disc harrow; and there have also been secured, at a small cost, several discarded motors and chassis of county school busses which are being worked over into fire-fighting trucks to be stationed at towers. Forest Fire Statistics : In spite of the fact that beginning July 1, 1934, approximately 4,000,000 acres of additional timbered area were brought under protection, the number of fires was reduced from 1,700 in the spring of 1934 to 251 in the fall of that year and the total area burned from 169,000 acres in the spring to 13,000 acres in the fall. The average area burned per fire was also materially reduced along with the total cost per fire, which was reduced better than half from the spring season. The spring of 1935 was what would be considered a normal spring fire season and the fall of this year again represented a reduction of the number of fires from the spring season. The area under protection was increased to approximately 14,000,000 acres during this biennium. The spring of 1936, however, represented one of the worst fire seasons 46 in the history of the Forest Service. The field organization functioned per-fectly. There were ample equipment and funds for operation during the period of a normal fire season but fires gradually increased, causing a very serious situation in May and June. Where there were 1,700 fires in the spring of 1935 there were 3,405 during the spring months of 1936; and where $43,000 was spent in handling these 1,700 fires, $92,607 was expended in handling the fires in the spring of 1936. This abnormal condition, com-ing after the normal closing date of a spring season, completely absorbed all of the remaining funds and caused a deficit. In spite of the outlay and the increased number of fires, we were able to hold the average cost down to $3.55 per fire. Two conditions are responsible for this large number of fires. First, there was a larger area under protection by almost 5,000,000 acres, or one-third. However, there was in the field a larger organization, a better detection system, a better reporting system and a better trained organiza-tion. The result was that more fires were discovered, reported, and worked upon than would have been possible with a smaller and less efficient organi-zation. Second, the drought condition that existed, particularly through the Coastal Plains section, was responsible for many fires getting out of con-trol and the dried-out condition in the bays and pocosins caused these fires to burn more persistently. This materially increased suppression costs. The late spring, preventing farmers from starting farming operations at the ordinary time, caused a widespread outburst of fires from brush-burning and other agricultural activities as farmers were enabled to get into the woodlots and fields at a time when the climatic conditions were most favor-able for burning and when fires spread most rapidly. Ordinarily the middle of May sees the spring fire season virtually over, but May and June of this year represented the worst season in the past fifteen years. The entire field force was taxed to the limit and had it not been for the organization functioning in many of the counties in the Coastal Plains section, it is common knowledge that the greater portion of the tim-berlands in some counties would have been completely destroyed. Fires burned for a period of a month or two in many instances ; crews worked on them continuously day and night but due to the nature of the inflammable material it was impossible to extinguish them completely. At the close of June a very serious condition continued and fires were burning in many counties in the Coastal Plains where normally such areas would be under several inches of water. The following table shows the forest fire statistics for the protected areas for the past four years. 47 FOREST FIRE STATISTICS FOR PROTECTED AREAS BY FISCAL YEARS Area Under Protection—Acres Number of Fires by Classes: A—Under M acre B — ],i to 10 acres ' - C—10 to 100 acres D—101 to 500 acres E—Over 500 acres Total Causes of Fires: Brush Burning Hunters, Fishermen, Campers Railroads Lumbering I ncendiary Smokers Lightning Miscellaneous Unknown Total Area Burned—Acres: Merchantable Timber Reproduction Open Grass Land Total Average Area Per Fire, Acres Per Cent of Protected Area Burned.. Damage: Merchantable Timber Reproduction Other Total Average Damage Per Fire Total Fire Fighting Costs Average Fire Fighting Costs Per Fire Law Enforcement: Number of Prosecutions : Number of Convictions Fines and Costs Responsible Parties .Apprehended : Number of Parties Billed Number Making Payment Amount Received 5,804,343 40 498 720 106 15 1,379 227 131 47 16 362 333 8 130 125 14 , 263 47 , 599 6,671 68,533 50 1-2% 32,031 82,607 14,836 $ 129,474 $ 94 8,479 6.15 52 33 545 144 92 419 29 882 1,386 371 78 2,746 371 694 52 65 427 652 10 234 241 2,746 82,170 157,132 19,075 258,377 94 4.0% 214,863 290,825 54,717 $ 560,405 $ 204 22 , 509 8.20 57 44 666 184 89 519 1934-35 9,862,289 54 901 903 159 16 2,033 495 195 29 35 396 632 7 150 94 2,033 23,442 57,186 15,443 96,071 47 0.9% $ 50,055 122,292 19,979 $ 192,326 $ 95 7,566 3.72 56 45 566 149 112 524 1935-36 13,634,000 206 1,953 1,540 283 64 4,046 758 384 98 112 872 1,265 26 414 117 4,046 48,597 129,487 64,125 242,209 60 1.8% 111,649 251,549 26,656 389,854 96 15,388 3.80 110 85 878 252 194 997 48 FOREST FIRE STATISTICS FOR PROTECTED AREAS BY FISCAL YEARS—Continued 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 Cost Paid by Landowners: Number of Parties Billed Number Making Payment Amount Received Warden Activities: Number of Hours Worked Miles Traveled—Car, Foot, Horse Number of Notices Posted Number of People Interviewed Number of Sawmills Inspected Number of Schools and Meetings Visited 55,724 129,883 2,443 33,190 259 671 80,279 195,075 1,126 29,037 287 277 98,419 247,897 2,308 64,647 624 434 227,126 523,694 3,610 103,150 933 473 Comparison of Protected and Unprotected Areas Area Protected by State Area Unprotected Total Needing State Protection Forest Lands in North Carolina—Acres: 1934 Calendar Year 10,053,950 13,634.000 2,034 2,423 182,250 115,733 1.81% 0.85% $ 370,389 198,611 10,514,050 6,934,000 604 461 632,687 357 , 569 6.02% 5.16% .11,417,792 618,588 20 , 568 , 000 1935 Calendar Year 20,568,000 Number of Fires Reported: 1934 Calendar Year - -- -- 2,638 1935 Calendar Year 2,884 Area Burned—Acres: 1934 Calendar Year --- - -- 814,937 1935 Calendar Year 473,302 Per Cent of Total Forest Area Burned: 1934 Calendar Year 3.47% 1935 Calendar Year 2.30% Damage: 1934 Calendar Year -. -- .- $1,788,181 1935 Calendar Year - - 817,199 The above figures do not include 978,000 acres of National Forest and Park lands, Indian lands and the Fort Bragg Military Reservation pro-tected directly by the Federal Government, as of 6-30-36. County Fire Control Activities: The usual number of wardens' meetings was held throughout the different districts, at which time the wardens were coached in fire control methods and plans laid for the following fire seasons. In October of 1934, a conference of the District Foresters and District Rangers of the State Forest Service, together with the Director and Camp Superintendents of the ECW, was held. At this meeting a definite un-derstanding, in writing, was prepared as to the responsibility in fire con-trol of the District Foresters, District Rangers, County Wardens and the Project Superintendent of ECW. This meeting was primarily to have a 49 clearer understanding among all concerned as to the division of responsi-bility in order that no misunderstanding might occur. The result of this meeting has been very satisfactory. A conference of District Foresters and District Rangers was called in June, 1935, and assembled at the Mount Mitchell Game Refuge, where a week was spent in setting up standards for work and inter-district prob-lems discussed. Representatives of the U. S. Forest Service were present at this meeting and cooperation between the State and Federal Forest Service was discussed and a program mapped out. At this meeting special stress was laid on the necessity of law enforcement and the proper pro-cedure in such. Conclusion: At the beginning of this biennium it became clearly evident that if we were to provide adequate fire protection in and upon cooperating units, changes in policy were necessary. Prime among such was the need of having County Wardens devote their entire time to their work and in order to do this it was necessary to pay them a wage that would permit of such. Consequently, the salaries of the County Wardens were increased to the point where their entire time could be demanded. In order to accom-plish this in some counties it was necessary to have the appropriation in-creased sufficiently to care for such increase in salary. The counties re-sponded favorably. This enabled us to obtain satisfactory County Wardens who are now devoting their entire time to the work. These Wardens are paid salaries ranging from $60 to $150 per month, the average being around $100. The old idea of having Deputy Wardens distributed promiscuously throughout the counties was done away with. They were not efficient, with the result that we unnecessarily lost acreage. These Deputy Wardens have been largely replaced with organized fire crews distributed where needed and paid a small monthly wage during such periods. The crews remain at a tower under the direction of a District Warden subject to fire call day and night. Regardless of how much fire-fighting time they put in, their wage remains the same; and the sooner the fire is out the sooner they are able to rest. This automatically reduces the area burned as they are not paid by the hour and, therefore, have no interest in working any longer than is absolutely necessary. Year-long towermen, stationed at the towers, give us not only better detection, but stabilize the organization. In order to prevent a breakdown in the morale of the warden organiza-tion and seasonal employees, CCC crews are only called upon where it is fully determined that the regular warden organization cannot handle a fire because of its size, etc. Equipment of County Wardens with fire-fighting trucks, fully equipped, has been another factor in improving the work. The erection of numerous additional towers and the tying-in of these towers with telephones have contributed materially to quick detection and the prevention of lost motion in fire control. There is a very noted improvement in the attitude of the average citizen toward fire control over that which existed a few years ago. The residents of the State are becoming more "Forest Minded." It is much more easy 50 to secure heavy fines and even road sentences for fire law violations than it was in the past, indicating that the courts are back of the work. The re-districting of the State to bring under one supervisory head simi-lar timber types and climatic and g-eographical conditions has enabled us to build up by forest districts a more perfect organization; and through the retention of supervisory personnel familiar with conditions in their district noticeable progress has been made. It is our aim eventually to make each and every cooperating county a fire control unit within itself wherein each County Warden will concentrate his efforts toward fire control in a manner that will carry to the residents of that county the necessity of each and every individual assuming a personal responsibility for not only the protection of his own lands from fire, but also the lands of his neighbors. No extensive use of a forestry educational program has been made dur-ing this biennium. This was partly due to a lack of funds, but chiefly to the fact that this educational work is best presented through personal con-tact with individuals rather than mass approach as is done in the case of lectures, motion pictures, etc. The press of the State has cooperated 100 per cent in carrying the mes-sage to the news-reading public. The members of the last legislature, we feel, had a far better knowledge of the problems of fire control than has been evidenced in the past and it was through their knowledge of the needs of this department that we were able to secure additional funds and pas-sage of the law that was so beneficial in blocking up the work within the State. STATE FOREST NURSERY Ten years' experience in operating the State Forest Nursery on a mini-mum appropriation has brought out a number of requirements which seem to be essential to successful operation, which means sufficient economical production of suitable tree species to restore, as soon as practicable, profit-able forest growth to North Carolina's eroded and devastated idle land, both privately and publicly owned. The object of the State Forest Nursery, therefore, is the production eco-nomically of such forest planting stock as may be annually required by public and private landowners of the State for reforestation of waste and denuded lands. The chief factors in this program are (1) sufficient suitable land for the production of the needed species, (2) competent management and supervision, (3) an adequate supply of labor, seed, fertilizer and equip-ment, and (4) favorable weather conditions. Land: With increasing demand for seedlings and the occupation of a still greater amount of the fourteen-acre tract south of the road near Clay-ton by buildings, there has been insufficient land to afford necessary rota-tion of crops; and with no opportunity of thus adding humus to the soil, growth of the seedlings has been greatly retarded. In February, 1935, efforts were renewed to secure additional space at the nursery. The remaining portion of the Pool (Ashley Home) tract, from which the original purchases were cut off in 1927 and 1930, consisted of 51 nearly 100 acres north of and across Highway No. 70 from the present site. This tract had become the property of the State Banking Department. The experiences of the summer of 1935 emphasized the serious need for sufficient space to allow for rotation of crops, so negotiations were renewed in October when this property was offered to the Department for $3,250 cash. The Budget again declined to allow the $1,000 item in the next year's budget to be used but suggested a transfer of funds from one of the other divisions of the Department, which proved impracticable. However, in De-cember arrangements were made for the purchase of two-thirds of the tract and a lease under option to purchase for the other one-third, and a deed for 63.2 acres comprising the eastern portion of the tract was executed and turned over to the Department in January, 1936. At the same time a lease with option to purchase before August 1 was entered into and the whole property came under the administration of the Department. Cowpeas were sown on both parts of the addition and black walnut, black locust, mimosa and longleaf were sown in rows, with no water supply in sight. Results with the tree seed were far from satisfactory but the peas promise a good crop of humus. Deed for the remaining one-third, 33.3 acres, on the western side of this area was finally secured in July, 1936. The cost of the land for the nursery property has been as follows: January, 1928 9.28 acres $1,200 July, 1931 4.9 acres 500 January, 1936 62.3 acres 2,000 July, 1936 33.3 acres 1,500 109.78 acres $5,200 Cost of abstract, fees, etc 100 $5,300 This is an average cost per acre for the 110 acres of some $48, considered a very fair price in view of its frontage on Highway U. S. 70 of some 1120 feet. With its restoration to full fertility this property will steadily in-crease in value. Already fifteen acres are growing a crop of cowpeas which will greatly improve the quality of the soil. The labor, supplied through the cooperation of the Federal Government, has been adequate to the needs, though the time and effort consumed in transporting men daily from the CCC camp at Manchester has considerably increased the actual cost of production. The establishment of a side camp from that camp, following the removal of the Durham camp, made available a number of men who can put in full time on the nursery and with the additional barracks room now available some fifty men are housed on the nursery property, though not more than half of these can be made available for nursery work. P. W. Allred, ECW foreman, a man with considerable forestry training, has been in charge of the side camp, while Addie Pace has continued to have charge of the State property as nurseryman, resident in the cottage. Distribution: Weather conditions were normal during the 1934-35 grow-ing season but the winter and spring of 1936, with its wet and severe weather, interfered with and often prevented working the land until the middle of April. Excessive drought following that, has seriously affected 52 the crop to be distributed next winter. The drain on the one small well by the increased personnel of the camp seriously interfered with the use of water on the seed beds and authorization for an additional supply through ECW, though greatly appreciated, did not come in time to remedy this lack. TABLE I DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS BY SPECIES, 1932-1936 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 10. 11. 12. 13. Loblolly Pine-- Shortleaf Pine. Longleaf Pine.. Slash Pine Black Locust.. Tulip Poplar.. Black Walnut. Red Gum Miscellaneous. Mimosa Maritime Pine. Cypress Ash 93,006 66,381 19,790 11,331 25,400 22,700 8,846 2,450 2,578 258,392 61,202 24,152 31,152 34,652 4,621 9,445 6,952 5,040 392,175 28,725 57,325 30 510,107 3,216 10,906 2,065,900 45,850 471,913 34,300 296,065 118,176 9,035 5,985 4,325 1,417 17,650 11,050 2,110 5,650 Totals. 242,482 435,608 1,018,444 3,073,465 The table above shows the total number of forest tree seedlings grown in the nursery near Clayton and distributed to farmers and other landowners and agencies for forest planting. Approximate cost price is charged, except to schools and other public agencies, which under certain conditions have been supplied some seedlings free or at reduced prices. TABLE II DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST SEEDLINGS BY CLASS OF COOPERATORS, 1934-1936 Class of Cooperators Biennium, 1934-36 Number Cooperators Number Trees Total Period, 1926-36 Number Cooperators Number Trees Farmers Companies Schools State Boy Scouts ^.. 4-H Clubs, Home and County Agents- Municipalities Soil Conservation Service Resettlement Administration E. C. W. Dare County Fort Story, Virginia Illinois U. S. Forest Service 133 6 9 346,720 92,927 137,364 2,526 43 4 55,550 21,000 ,032,040 793,200 71,050 39,000 500 500,040 560 39 238 50 30 ,403 6 1,307,964 280,014 547,685 317,632 14,680 116,621 105,674 2,032,040 793,200 71,060 39,000 600 500,040 Totals. 203 4,091,917 3,326* 6,126,000 *JJitkny duplioatioDB in these. 53 The above table shows the distribution of seedlings for the two years of the biennium and for the ten-year period since the establishment of a State Forest Nursery. Cooperation with the several Federal agencies interested in reforestation enabled us to place practically all plantable stock. A con-siderable amount of small stock, which under ordinary conditions would have been discarded, was made use of in this way. The lack of State lands under the care of this Department on which to plant any surplus stock pre-vented one of the usual ways of disposing of such surplus. As a slight recognition of the Federal contribution to the operation of the nursery, half a million seedlings were delivered free to the United States Forest Service for planting on the national forest in South Carolina, while reductions were made in the prices to the Resettlement Administration and the Soil Conservation Service. The Soil Conservation Service was the State's largest customer and although this Federal agency has established three forest tree nurseries in North Carolina, so far these have been unable to supply their own demand. The practice of requiring landowners to purchase seedlings from the De-partment where more than a small acreage is to be planted by the Soil Conservation Service, has developed. This plan, if adhered to, will en-courage State production and will give the landowner an added interest in his plantation. The Resettlement Administration secured nearly 800,000 seedlings, half of which were planted on their Sandhills and Bladen County projects. Cooperation with the ECW has secured many improvements to the nursery in addition to the six buildings listed on page 75 of the report of the State Director. A ditch along the south boundary was blasted out in July, 1935, and a power line has been laid from Clayton, which now fur-nishes light to the side camp and power to the repair garage. Diseases: The wilt disease which attacked the black locust seedlings in the summer of 1934 proved less threatening the following summer and it has been practically non-existent during the summer of 1936. The white grubs, however, continued as a very serious menace to the pine seedlings through 1935, and no practicable plan was worked out to control them, although the United States Bureau of Entomology has continued its studies of this pest in the North and South Carolina State Forest Nurseries. It is, therefore, surprising that during the early summer of 1936 practically no grub injury has been experienced. The longleaf seedlings, most of which were sown in rows, have suffered destructively from drought and subsequent beating rains which covered the central buds with sand. At the request of the Southern Forest Experiment Station seed supplied by that Station was sown in a "study of seed sources", but the lateness of the sowing and the drought allowed so few seed to come up that the results are worthless. The important effect the weather has had on the nursery in 1936, sug-gested the advisability of securing some actual data on rainfall. Request was made of the United States Weather Bureau for a rain gauge and Lee A. Denson, Director at Raleigh, installed a rain gauge June 25, 1936, so that records on rainfall observed by the nurseryman will now form part of our planting records. 54 STATE PARKS In the establishment of a well ordered system of State Parks several im-portant factors must be given due consideration. One of the primary rea-sons for establishing State Parks is the preservation of areas of outstand-ing natural beauty or interest. It follows then that areas to be eligible for consideration as State Parks must have natural beauty or interest of suffi-ciently high standard to attract not only people in the immediate vicinity of the area but people from distant parts of the State. Unless an area has such quality of natural beauty, it has not the status of a State Park and if established as such, will sooner or later become merely a county or rural municipal park. But, while people go to State Parks for the enjoyment of natural beauty, they also go for recreation; and, as a general rule, in establishing State Parks in a state where very few if any State Parks exist, the physical ability of the area to lend itself to the provision of various types of recreation, such as swimming, boating, hiking, camping, picnicking and similar activi-ties, must be given careful consideration. People want and need outdoor recreation of the type provided by State Parks and it would be unwise, in-deed, to overlook or fail to place sufficient importance on this factor. The parks should not be too far removed from large urban centers of popula-tion. In beginning a State Park system, these three basic considerations must be kept firmly in mind: (1) Natural beauty or interest; (2) recrea-tional possibilities; (3) geographical location. A complete State Park system would probably contain a variety of areas. The various types and the number of each would depend, among other things, upon the scenic beauties of the State as a whole; the recreational facilities available from such other sources as National Parks, National Forests, State Forests, County and Municipal Parks, State Parks in ad-joining states, private recreational areas, as well as the present population of the State and its probable rate of increase. Some of the various types of State Parks (or Recreational Areas) are: 1. State Parks established primarily because they have sufficient natural beauty and recreational pos-sibilities, 2. State Parks established because they have unusual natural beauty and are established for its preservation. 3. State Parks established because they have sufficient historic or scientific value to be of State-wide interest. 4. State Parks established to preserve typical natural scenery and to afford recreation to large centers of population. These types are listed in the order in which at present it seems wise to set them up, taking into consideration the physical aspects and the population of North Caro-lina. It is much less important to establish State Parks solely for recrea-tion (especially since the creation of parks for the purpose is, or should be, in part by municipalities and counties) than to select those areas which have both natural beauty and recreational possibilities. It is likewise im-portant to preserve for all time areas of great natural beauty and inspiring scenery, even if they are very simply developed and provide mainly for passive recreation and the enjoyment of nature. In establishing State Parks it is important that the desired areas be secured as soon as possible even if they are held undeveloped for years. It was, for instance, more costly and difficult to secure Mount Mitchell in 1915 than it would have 55 been twenty-five years earlier and it will be much more costly and difficult to secure State Park areas twenty-five years hence than it is now. The average person wants to know what can be done at State Parks, what general or special interest have they for the public? The State Parks so far established in North Carolina (with the possible exception of Fort Macon which is primarily historical in interest) are of the class which com-bines natural beauty with opportuni |
OCLC Number-Original | (OCoLC)2253557 |