Volume XIII
Number 8
July 21
1945
THE STATE
A Weekly Survey of North Carolina
Entered a. second-class matter. June 1. 1933. at the Postoffloe at Raleljh. North Carolina, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Agriculture and
A SIde-by-sfde
Industry:
Growth
And it is as a result of this equalized prog¬
ress that North Carolina has stepped into a
position of leadership not only in the South
but in the nation as a whole.
WHILE many Southern states
are greatly worried over the
unbalanced picture of their
agricultural and industrial de¬
velopment. North Carolina stands
proudly alone as "the balanced
State."
The cause of the position among
other Southern commonwealths
is the fact that industrial progress
has not kept pace with agricultural
development. But North Carolina
need have no such worry, for it is
third in the nation in the value of
its agricultural products and ranks
first in the Southeast in industry.
No other Southern state can claim
such a record of achievement.
In view of the State’s admirable
balance between agriculture and
industry, its position as the lead¬
ing industrial State in the South¬
east. and its rank as one of the
top states in the nation in the
volume and value of agricultural
products. North Carolina has
adopted for itself the description
“a balanced State" — a title first
given to it by the late President
Roosevelt.
Equal Opportunity for Expansion
North Carolina can fairly call
itself "the balanced State" because
of the side-by-side growth of in¬
dustry and agriculture, each keep¬
ing proper pace with the other.
And it is a balanced State because
equal opportunities for expansion
lie in both agriculture and in¬
dustry.
North Carolina's recent indus¬
trial and agricultural growth
gives an impressive picture. In
THE STATE, July 21. 1943
1939, the value of its manufac¬
tured products was SI. 427.329, 478
— an increase of 1.700 per cent
over 1900. The value added to
these products by manufacture in
1939 is listed as $545,952,299. The
cash income from farm marketing
in 1925 was S278.685.000. which
dropped to a low of $98,156,000
in 1932, and now has climbed to
an all-time high of $611,415,000
for 1944. In this field North Caro¬
lina is surpassed only by Cali¬
fornia, with SI, 120.440.000 in cash
farm income, and Texas, with
$654,773,000.
Complete figures are not avail¬
able on manufacturing since 1939.
but it is estimated that in 1943
North Carolina’s manufacturing
plants were producing at the rate
of $1,750,000,000 annually.
A glance at the State’s total in¬
dustrial picture will show that in
1939 there were 3,225 manufactur¬
ing plants in North Carolina pay¬
ing wages amounting to $199,389,-
500 to 270.210 workers.
Figures Which Show Leadership
North Carolina leads the na¬
tion in the production of tobacco
products, furniture, and cotton tex¬
tiles. The value of its tobacco
THE COVER PICTURE
Scene on Lake Iliawassec,
one of the many beautiful
lakes up in western North
Carolina. The picture was
taken in Cherokee County.
products in 1939 was $538,433.-
235; furniture. $62,775,741; cot¬
ton textiles. $549,741,388. In 1939
the State led the South in lumber
and timber basic products together
with furniture and finished lumber
production. This output was val¬
ued at $104,546,062 that year. The
value of its products from chemi¬
cal process industries exceeded
$50,000,000.
And yet this State still is only
on the threshold of industrial de¬
velopment. For instance, although
no leader in mining, North Caro¬
lina nevertheless has more differ¬
ent minerals than any other State
— over 300. The value of its min¬
eral production in 1940 reached
on all-time high of $21,112,732, in¬
dicating that here is a rapidly grow¬
ing industry with a future. This
State also has more types of trees
than has all of Europe. About 60
per cent, or 18.000.000 acres, of
the State’s total land area is in
forests. More than 700 North
Carolina manufacturing plants use
wood as a basic raw material.
Also noticeable in the balanced
picture of North Carolina is a side-
by-side expansion of agriculture.
In spite of the notable growth in
industry in this State during re¬
cent years. North Carolina still
is classified as a rural State. It
ranks third in the nation in agri¬
cultural income, and last year was
first in the production of tobacco,
sweet potatoes, and home gardens;
second in lespedeza and peanuts;
( Continued on page 21)
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