1939: North Carolina

Area and Population.

One of the thirteen original states, North Carolina was settled as a colony in 1650. It is popularly known as the 'Old North State' to distinguish it from South Carolina, and as 'the Tar Heel State' from a designation attributed to Cornwallis's soldiers, who when crossing a river into which tar had been poured, emerged with the substance sticking to their heels. With an area of 52,426 sq. mi., the state ranks 27th in size.

In 1930 (U. S. Census) the population was 3,170,276, including 2,234,948 whites, 918,647 Negroes, 16,579 Indians, and 92 Asiatics. The estimated population in 1938 was 3,476,000, ranking the state 12th in population. In 1930 only .4 per cent of the population were foreign-born. This was the lowest percentage of foreign-born in the nation. The principal cities are Charlotte (82,675), Winston-Salem (75,274), Greensboro (53,508), Durham (52,037), Asheville (50,193), Raleigh, the capital (37,379), High Point (36,745) and Wilmington (32,270).

Education.

In 1939 the number of inhabitants of school age totaled 1,110,555; number of elementary schools, 4,058; high schools, 946. The enrollment in elementary schools was 700,672. The total expenditure for the current operation of public schools amounted to $29,151,402, and the average salary paid all teachers was $850.

Agriculture.

The chief occupation in North Carolina is agriculture. In 1935 the United States census showed 300,967 farms with 19,970,002 acres, and a total value of land and buildings of $622,834,983.

The state's income from crops in 1938 ranked it third among the states of the Union. Total cash farm income from all sources, including government payments, totaled $273,601,000, ranking North Carolina twelfth in that respect. Corn, produced in every county, is the principal crop, the output in 1938 being 46,398,000 bu. The chief money crops are tobacco, cotton and peanuts. North Carolina leads all states in the production of tobacco, usually producing more than two-thirds of the nation's flue-cured product, and over one-third of all the tobacco grown in the United States. The production of tobacco in 1938 amounted to 516,850,000 lbs.

On January 1, 1939, the state's farm animals included 310,000 mules, 70,000 horses, 664,000 cattle, 1,155,000 swine, 60,000 sheep and 9,829,000 chickens.

Industry.

The value of all manufactured products in 1937 was $1,384,737,686; the number of establishments, 2,896. Wage earners numbered 258,771, and wages paid amounted to $189,265,474. North Carolina leads all the states in the manufacture of cotton goods and tobacco products. It is second in the manufacture of rayon and fourth in furniture production. The active cotton mill spindles on July 31, 1939, numbered 5,802,170.

Natural Resources.

The earliest records of minerals in North Carolina were reported by the Ralph Lane Colony in 1785. They now include small quantities of iron, silver, gold, lead, zinc, tin, chromium, nickel, kaolin. North Carolina is the leading producer of mica in the United States.

Wild-life.

North Carolina ranks as one of the foremost states in the Union in the variety and abundance of wild-life. Included are deer, elk, bear, raccoon, squirrel, muskrat, turkey, grouse, pheasant and quail.

Fisheries.

In North Carolina 15,000 persons are dependent on the fisheries for a living. The 1934 catch amounted to 163,462,000 lb., valued at $1,672,200. This included crab, shrimp, menhaden, trout, mullet, blue fish, shad, pompano, oysters and terrapin.

Forests.

The forest regions of North Carolina fall into three divisions, the Southern Forest, Central Hardwoods and the Northern Forest. The merchantable trees include pine, oak, poplar, chestnut, gum and cypress.

Welfare and Correction.

The correctional institutions include the Eastern Carolina Training School, at Rocky Mount; Stonewall Jackson School, Concord; Home and Industrial School, Samarcand; School for Negro girls, Efland; Morrison Training School, Negro boys, Hoffman; Women's Industrial Farm Colony, Kinston.

The institutions for mental defectives are Caswell Training School, Kinston; State Hospitals for Insane at Raleigh and Morganton; State Hospital for Insane (Negroes), Goldsboro. Among welfare institutions are the School for Blind (White), Raleigh; School for Blind and Deaf (Negroes), Raleigh; and the School for Deaf (White), Morganton.

Government.

The General Assembly consists of a Senate with 50 members and a House of Representatives with 120 members. The state is represented in Congress by two Senators and 11 Congressmen.

Legislative Matters.

Legislation in 1939 included passage of three health laws: 1. Blood test examination for prospective mothers to further the prevention of syphilis in unborn children; 2. Physical examination before issuance of license to marry; 3. Diphtheria immunization of children.

Drastic changes were made in the election laws, including repeal of law permitting absentee voting in primary elections. A North Carolina food, drug and cosmetics act was passed, and provision was made for the establishment of a third hospital for the treatment of tubercular patients, and for increased appropriations for the public schools of the state.

State Officers.

Governor, Clyde R. Hoey; Secretary of State, Thad Eure; Auditor, George Ross Pou; Treasurer, Charles M. Johnson; Attorney General, Harry McMullan; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Clyde A. Erwin.

United States Senators.

Josiah W. Bailey, Robert R. Reynolds.