COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK
IN
AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Statesville, N.C., January 2, 1920.

Hon. T. W. Bickett,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Mr. Bickett:

In mingling with the people about over the state I find there is a great deal of criticism against the revaluation law and against constantly increasing taxes. There is a great deal of criticism against the creation of new offices and the taxing of the people in order to raise money to pay salaries. Most of these critics recognize the necessity for the old time county officers, but in recent years county funds have been appropriated to assist in paying County Agents' salaries. Many counties are employing whole time health officers. Some counties employ rural school supervisors, and every county under an act of the last Legislature must have a probation officer. Many counties have placed the Chairman of their Board of County Commissioners on salary. The Superintendents of many County Homes are paid salaries. Many counties pay salaries to Civil Engineers for road and bridge work, and some counties pay a salary to the road supervisor. The total amount of money necessary to pay the salary of all these officers is necessarily very large, and the tax payers are likely to look at only one side of the proposition, that is, the revenue that must be raised to pay these salaries, and not what may be accomplished for the good of society.

For a number of years there has been a demand for a better system for property appraisment for taxation purposes. The real reason for the change has been that all property should be appraised at its money value. This was the reason given by the friends of the revaluation act when the present act was passed, and since the passage of the act the friends of the law have undertaken to defend it on this ground. It has been repeatedly stated that the act was not passed for the purpose of increasing taxes, and the friends of the law are justified in saying that when the act itself states that taxes shall not be increased under this act more than 10%.

The law is a good one, and needs no defense for thinking people, but since a large percentage of our people are illiterate, or if literate, they read so little and know so little about civic matters that they do not realize the necessity for taxation for the support of the Government. A small percentage of our people, I believe, is vicious, and it is useless to argue with them.

I have been thinking recently that instead of undertaking to defend any scheme of taxation it would be better to undertake to point out to the people of the state the benefits that are being derived from the tax money that is paid in the form of taxes. During the war we became very familiar with the word propaganda, and I believe it is a good word. I believe that a system of propaganda should be at once inaugurated that would place before the tax payers of the state the immense amount of service that is being rendered the people for their money. The first thing probably to be considered is that the Government protects life and property. Then we spend a great deal of money for education both in the common schools and colleges and universities of the state. We spend thousands of dollars upon our elemesynary institutions. We contribute in a small way to the decrepit confederate soldier and his widow. Health and veterinary departments are supported for the purpose of protecting the health of the people and the livestock of the state. Millions are being spent for good roads and a road engineering force is necessary. An immense work for the benefit of the state is carried on by the State Extension Service. This Service has been so wonderfully beneficial to the agricultural interests of the state that the value of the state's agricultural products have increased so as to raise the value in the state from the 22nd in 1909 to the 4th or a possible 3rd rank among the states of the Union. We have under this Department also the women's domestic science work which has wrought wonders for the women of the state. There are many other lines of work being done by the state.

Now what I wish to point out is that the people of the state should be informed of what they are doing for themselves through the taxes they are paying. I should like for them to be shown that we are living in a wonderful civilization, and to support such a civilization a great deal of money is necessary. If you, as Governor of the state, with the facilities at your command will undertake to systematically correlate all the activities of the state for the welfare of the people, I, as one of the humble workers in the state, will do all in my power to get this information before our people.

Yours truly,

E. S. Millsaps
District Agent.

ESM/LP.