State Prison, the prison has made in net earnings, above all expenses, during the administration of Governor Craig the sum of four hundred thousand dollars: Now therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate, the House concurring: That the action of the board of directors of the State Prison Action ratified and approved. appropriating ten dollars to each of the dependent and needy families be and the same is hereby ratified and approved. Ratified this the 23d day of January, A. D. 1917. RESOLUTION No. 13 RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE NORTH CAROLINA DELE- Whereas the United States Government, acting under and by Preamble. authority of H. R. fifteen thousand nine hundred and forty-seven, appropriating eleven million dollars for the construction of a Government armor plant, and authorizing and directing the Secretary of the Navy to provide such a plant, is now about to select a site for the location of said plant, acting by and through the Honorable Secretary of the Navy and the General Naval Board, as well as by and through an armor plant board, recently appointed, consisting of Admiral Frank F. Fletcher, Commander Frank H. Clark, and Civil Engineer R. C. Backenhus; and Preamble. whereas some one hundred and twenty-five or one hundred and thirty localities, on September thirteenth and fourteenth, one thousand nine hundred and sixteen, presented written briefs and oral arguments to the Honorable Secretary of the Navy and to the General Naval Board, setting forth the advantages and resources of their respective localities, which, in their opinion, entitled them to the location of said plant; and whereas the General Preamble. Naval Board has recently submitted its preliminary report, eliminating from the contest all of the sites and localities presented, excepting some eighteen or nineteen towns, of which Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee, representing the claims of the Watauga Valley, are two, by the application of the military policy outlined by the War College Division of the General Staff of the War Department on September eleven, one thousand nine Preamble. Preamble. Preamble. Preamble. Preamble. Preamble. hundred and fifteen; and whereas, as a result of the application of this principle, as embodied in the General Board's preliminary report, the only town in the State of North Carolina, namely, Fayetteville, which was pressing its claims as a suitable location for said plant, is thus eliminated; and whereas it has been recently brought to our attention by circular-letters issued by said armor plate board, bearing dates of December twenty, one thousand nine hundred and sixteen, and January twelve, one thousand nine hundred and seventeen, that the policy of the Government in the making of armor will probably be that of the purchase in the open market of suitable pig iron, instead of the erection of furnaces and the smelting of ore; and whereas the said communications from said armor plant board indicate that Bessemer pig iron, with a phosphorus content of not exceeding .1 per cent will be demanded, to meet the requirements of the Government; with a manganese content of from 1.06 per cent to 1.16 per cent; with a copper content not to exceed .034 per cent; a sulphur content of from 0.25 per cent to .032 per cent; with a silicon content of from .6 per cent to .96 per cent; and whereas it has been reliably brought to our attention that no locality in the South, and probably no locality in the United States, excepting possibly those sections which draw on the Lake Superior ore beds for their raw material, can produce pig iron of the analysis required from the ores in their immediate locality (that is to say, without importing their ores and other raw material), excepting the locality in the immediate vicinity of the Watauga Valley, which is removed only twenty-three miles from the famous Cranberry ores, which for many years have been smelted at Johnson City, Tennessee, and which produce a very high grade of low phosphorus pig, of the following analysis: and as much higher as the specifications call for; and whereas it has been brought to our attention that this marvelous bed of low phosphorus metalle iron ore, located in Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, and other western North Carolina counties, immediately contiguous to the Watauga Valley, is probably the largest bed of low phosphorus ores to be found outside of the Lake Superior District, and that these beds contain an almost inexhaustible quantity of ore-sufficient, in fact, to meet all the demands of the Government for many hundreds of years; the tonnage in that immediate locality probably running into the hundreds and hundreds of millions of tons; and whereas the Watauga Valley seems to occupy a peculiar and a unique location, in that in its immediate vicinity there is in existence a most marvelous and wonderful combination of the very raw materials and elements which enter into the manufacture of armor plate, as hereinafter set forth namely: coal beds. (1) Its close proximity to the great coal fields of Virginia, Location as to where the greatest bodies of high-grade steaming and gas-producing coal in the world lie in absolutely inexhaustible and illimitable quantities; all within easy reach of a downhill haul, of the Watauga Valley, with an existing freight rate of only seventy-five cents per ton; limestone. (2) Its being located on a solid bed of colomitic limestone, of Location as to an analysis that exactly suits the Government's requirements, and which exists in inexhaustible quantities for miles around; (3) Its location in a section where there is abundant hydro- Hydro-electric electric power possibilities; and where, within from thirty to fifty miles of the proposed site, there can be economically developed and put into operation from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand electric horse-power; power. cromium. (4) Its location in the immediate vicinity of immense quan- Manganese and tities of high-grade manganese and cromium, from which with electrical furnaces operated by this electrical horse-power ferromanganese and ferro-cromium can be economically produced; (5) The fact that this valley is absolutely surrounded by Safety of location. precipitous mountain ranges, being in the very heart of the great Appalachian system, and on the western slope of the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains, and between these ranges on the east and the Cumberland Mountains on the west, thus making a veritable fortress, and a locality which could probably be more easily and economically defended than any locality in the United States, because of the existence on all sides of impenetrable mountain ranges, and which location comes nearer complying with the one requirement in the act of appropriating the money to build the plant, namely, that the site shall "be located at a place approved by the General Board of the Navy. with especial reference to considerations of safety in time of war," than any other locality in the United States; (6) Its location in the midst of native-born white skilled labor Labor. population, where there is no trace of foreign element, and where labor unions have never existed, and where strikes have never occurred, and where this pure Anglo-Saxon native labor has been for twenty-five years developing into a high-class skillful labor, by reason of the marvelous industrial development which has been taking place in that immediate locality during the last twenty-five years, and would thus afford the Government with ample skilled labor; (7) In a locality possessing railroad facilities equal to the best, Railroad facilities. and in every way ample to take care of the situation, being within Pure water. Drainage. Drainage and dumpage. Agricultural advantages. Highways. four miles of the great Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway (8) In a location where there is the greatest abundance of pure freestone water for domestic purposes, the town of Elizabethton being supplied from one spring, which brings ten million gallons per day to the city, from an elevation of two hundred and fifty feet, only six miles distant, and Johnson City being supplied with the same character of pure water from a series of springs only fifteen miles distant; (9) In a location well drained by two rivers, namely, the Doe and the Watauga rivers, both being bold, swift, clear mountain streams maintaining a uniform flow and having watersheds in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in the very midst of the immense Appalachian forest reserve, where the Government already owns in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, to protect the headwaters and watersheds of these streams and springs and to maintain the flow; (10) In a location where there is perfect drainage and dumping facilities; (11) In a location where there exists throughout the entire year unexcelled climatic and sanitary conditions; where there is a cilmate that is not surpassed by any in the world; with an elevation of sufficient height, namely, about one thousand six hundred and fifty feet, as a result of which malaria and other like fevers, mosquitoes, etc., etc., are absolutely unknown; where the bracing, stimulating atmosphere and the uniformly cool nights enable the laborers to perform their work under the most satisfactory conditions; (12) In a locality surrounded by a splendid agricultural community and where living has always been and is today probably cheaper than at almost any point in the United States; (13) In a location that is completely surrounded and in close proximity to many of the national and semi-national highways of the South; in a county which is just spending close to half a million dollars in building a system of highways that open up and connect Tennessee with Western North Carolina, by a road through the famous Doe River gorge, through the Cranberry mining district, and connecting with the Crest-of-the-Blue-Ridge and the Yohnalassee roads and other North Carolina highway systems; and in a location where the adjoining county of Washing ton is in the act of voting a seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar bond measure for the purpose of building a system of highways that will connect in every way with said Watauga Valley; (14) In a situation where aviation and wireless facilities would Aviation and wireless facilities. be absolutely unique and unsurpassed; aviation experiments in this section having proven that there are air currents over these mountains that would make an aeroplane attack almost impossible, and which, at the same time, would furnish the very best facilities for the establishment of wireless stations; there being in the mountain ranges in close proximity to this valley more than one hundred and sixty peaks exceeding four thousand feet in height, over forty of which exceed six thousand feet in height; (15) A situation which offers to the Government an abso- Free site. lutely free site for all of its requirements. western North Carolina The immense and practically incalculable advantages to the Advantages to State of North Carolina in the location of this plant in the Watauga Valley (which valley is midway between the towns of Johnson City and Elizabethton) cannot possibly be overestimated. This is the greatest opportunity that has ever been presented to Western North Carolina for the development of her wonderful natural resources, which are among the most wonderful and richest in the United States; and inasmuch as the proposed site is only separated from North Carolina and from the natural resources above referred to by the distance of a few miles and an imaginary line, and where the great bulk of the raw material will be drawn from North Carolina, there is every reason why the entire North Carolina delegation should bring to bear with the said Armor Plant Board all of the influence and argument possible in the way of convincing said board that no locality in the United States exists where it would be to greater advantage to the entire country to locate the plant than in the Watauga Valley. We believe it to be the patriotic duty of every North Carolinian Duty of citizens. to support that site, which is actually the very best site in all the country for this plant, by reason of the rare and wonderful combination of resources which exist there. The construction of a great plant of this character is a great Considerations National institution, and by right ought to be located in the very governing location. best place, based upon the article or articles to be manufactured, and the raw materials from which they are to be manufactured, with considerations for the safety of the plant and the procurement of raw materials taken into account. It would be most unwise to locate such a plant, such a great National institution, in a locality that was dependent upon its supply of raw materials to be imported from a section which could be easily attacked and captured in case of war; it would be extremely unwise not to |