https://digitalcollections.eku.edu/files/original/4e3718bcbad7a74eb6a582c4c3d36856.pdf bb296ac00f03e4984262e4d20e83220d PDF Text Text I THE COURIER-JOUR AL, LOUIS ILLE, KY. TH RSDAY fOR ·r G Ab out East K en tu c k y Caudill Says He Knows More Than Fantus By JEA HOWERTO Former Slt&te Rep. Harry M. Oaudill of W1hite&burg, who comes in for bot h praise and criticisl!L in t:he. late t Fantus industrial action report, made t:his comment to •a reporter yesterday: "l figure I know more about economic growth in Eastern Kentucky than Faatus does. ' He added, that "the Fanlus crnwd" has come lo conclusions uha are at variance with other surveys, uc,b a.s one by the F ord Foundation. "These hasty repor,Ls like F,a ntus made. . . . They ( those making L1he study) just flit through." He aid a man from Fantus talked to him "a couple of hours." The Fantus report said Caudill, in his book "Night Comes t o The Cumber• lands. " ''has made a contribution of real originality, humantty and intellectual courage which few olhers have been able to bring to so difficult a subject." Charges Economic Amnesia 1' hen it accu es Caudill of •·a form of economic geograP'hY amnesia" in his latest writings, including "Misdeal in Appalachia" in lhe June Atlantic Monthly. 1 Say the Fa ntus repor t: ''Mr. Caud!ill doe his cau e a disservice by recklessly extending his original and often valid umberland Plateau arguments (·c overing 19 Kentucky countie ) to alJ of Appalachia .... One coultl have greater confidence in 'Mr. Caudill' charges of a 'misdeal' if it were not so painfu11y obvious that he does not hesitate to stack the deck to deal hi m eli a full house of dangling comparisons." The rnpoiit says Caudill overlooks uch t hings as "pionee1'ing" by private industry, ·' fine" public sewer and water system,; and "re markable" indu trial growith in parts -0f Eastern Kentucky. Oaudill's an wer <to this charge, in a telephone interview yesterday was, "There is a -g reat deal going on in Eastern Kentucky but practically aiJJ of it is with public funds ." He cited a waler p lant ·housing-project and road project at Whitesbu,rg and •a sewage ystern at Jenkins. Says Non E mploy Many People "These :things give ~he impression of great activity and prosperity " Caudill said, "but what they will effect on a permanent basis remain to ·b e seen. None of U1ese pr-0jects is employing an appreciable number of local people." Oaudill's point is that •t he trouble with Appalachia is not a lack of wealth but a lack of confidence in t he area on the part of tthe 'busine.ss comm.unity. He cited Pike County as ' one of t he richest countie in 1the state with $46 million on depo it. But Pike County has some of the most remarkably wpoveri hed communities in the state. The WP A built the chools, the people didn t. 'Phey took their wealth out of the county. Says Wealth Leaves U ntaxed "W·hat we ·have t-0 I-ind are w,ay;s to get tha't wea lth into chool health facilities and 1·oads, then industry will come to those areas. "The weallth flows out of Eastern Ken- lucky untaxed. Our sch-001 are supported by the do,I e-the minimum foundation program - and a t'hird, o.f the people are on i:elief. " He told of ·an Ea lern Kentucky woman who wanted to enliarge her furniture business. Three Eastern Kentucky !banks ·turned down her request for $12,· 000, which she finally got from a Lexington insur.ance company. ln a humorou aside, Caudill said a new paper in Johnson County criticized ·hi book, saying there was a boom on in that county. • The nex-t week," he aidi, "tl1e paper went out of business, bankrupt." �5 K. H 1965 Fantus Suggests Remedies On 'Negative Impressions' has been a tendency f'or state and local people to abdicate their roles as spokesmen for this progre and alilow the mat. ter tio be handled by press releases from one federal agency after another-which carry liittle weight with industrial pros- Report Cites Eleven Beliefs On East Region pee . Wants Rerord .• .,· "• to industry, it must be the Kentucky Department of Commerce. Before it can do 1lhis, it needs to put the record straight on eX'actly wllat developments now make the area educationally more attractive Ix> industry, B how uoh programs are coordinated, and C how quickly and under what conditions they can go illlto action. In our judgment the effort calls for a sizable public relations program. . . . Possibly one facet would be to establish a nwnber of c~ll.ege soholanships to be awarded promlSli:tg young people ready t ~ make a comnutm~nt to return to th_e reg1~m upon graduM!10n and work w1•1Jb bheU" home folk. This could be re• garded as a kind of "seeding" program f1or future development. Courier-Journal Bureau < traight If there is to be a chief pokesman FRA KFORT Ky.-Fantu Area Research, Inc., in it, "blueprint !or action" for Economic Region C compri ing 38 East Kentucky counties, said no realistic program can sidestep the "negative impression " that exist in the minds of out ide busine s men. It listed 11 impre sions about East Kentucky that Fantus said were either untrue, misunder tood or distorted and uggested remedies in each area. Stiff MIi' UNSHADED COUNTIES ARE D E ALT WIT H IN FANT US REP ORT The n um b ers rep resent area s referred t o in the report less encouraging. Brighitest spot Me ex- slowdowns, with a number being fi nished tensions of Mountain Parkway. Of the ahead of schedule. several , Quick Start" road corridors anThere appears to be no inevitab~ity n unced by the Appalachian Regional The shades of opinion on tbe 11 imthat District 50 U.M.W. will automaticalC • •on the more ·gnificant are pre ion range from disintere t and thC:!°t:1th; Whit burg locaie. Both in ly organize or even give trouble. to new polite skepticism on the one hand to operations entermg the fact and in impression, th,js is now ~ne of manufacturing deep distrust and disfavor on the other, area. By inference from t alks with r ethe report said. 4 . Inadequate Communit the most remote area in all oI Reg111otn le. sponsible Jooal leadership it can be . . In the past apparentlf, not a e e- reasoned that unorganized plants can "It may be impos ible to budge the "WRON G" IMAGE OF Facilitie phone service in the region has been of operate there or that reasonable conposition of the Ja.tter groups," the re~r the highest capability. . . . ~Y. year-end tracts can be negotiated. EASTER N KENTUCKY asserted. "It should not be impos rble, Except for Asltland and possibly Har- 1965 direct long-distance dialing from however, to awaken interest and dispel lan. individual communities have not the '(Ashland area) phone user's own It Js difficult, howe er, to see any skeptlci m, where it exi ts, i! it can be all of the management skills that are been ucce sfttl in achieving any particu- sv,,;tchboard will be available. early end to the "Bloody Harlan" image. honestly demonstrated that many of the and lar identity.... in the outside world.. .. ot only is the turbulence continuing, belief mentioned re t on misinforma- a part of the free nte11pri~e ystem .... Reports of mail service a;e less en- but much of it is rationalized by some Industrial prospects tend to think of tion, half-truths or evidence that is no the region as populated wiith backwoods couraging, tr aced to compl~mts . ~f the spokesmen on the basis that "this ls the 2. Inadequate Trainable longer valid." inflexibility in handling ma1l-ng1d a~- only way local people have of expressing mining camps .... Labor up pl herence t o long-established rural mail themselves, and it is the only language Here are the 11 beliefs and the delivery r outes. Communities which apl)ear trong in the other side understands.'' report's comments on each : .Alitfuough recognizing the region as water and ewer capabilities and natural The picture for motor carri~r er~ce one of }abor urpluses, mo industrial- gas service ll!I'e: is mixed because some carne:s with Whatever truth -t here be in that enti1. Avoidance Of The A.rea By ists doubt the ability o! the communities good connections do not have nghts or ment it will hardly be accepted by outto supply the kind of manpower they Ar a 14-London , Midcill.esboro, Som. do not exercise them to come up_ t~e side 'industry. Loud voices of local proational Firms need. . . . Feelings are expr ed that!. erset, Will~amsburg, Pineville. Big Sandy River. As a result, 1t 1s te t would make an impression. The general impression of many out- "the cream or the labor force le,ft many neces ary for the shipper to settle ~or side busine smen i that Economic years a.go." Area 15- Irvine, P~ville, Pikeville, two- and three-line hauls that delay shipRecommendations tate can and Officially, facts that upport these im- Pre ton burg. Region C i an induslrial wa teland hould publicize the good. Unfort_unatements. pre ions are being circulaited, uclh as shunned by national firm . Thinking on ly, it cannot hide the bad , but _1~ can r a 16-AS'hland, oaUevtsburg, Lou. the ubject ha been conditioned by one- "statistical profile " of the Area ReRecommendations-- ever al cour es of show that this i not charaotenstic of isa, Maysvil!le, South bore. ided Appalachia "documentaries" and development Administration, but the e action are indicated. First, th!! activity 1£ gas is eliminated as a requistte, of private aviation in the region needs the region at laxge. distorted by federal emphasi on haky are ba ed on 1947 to 1959 data . . . . Recent surveys of labor force in area these qualify on the basis of their water both publicityand encouragement. Secboot trap programs as a cure-all for the Any change in the Harlan County . axe in remarkable agreement on three and sewer ,y terns: Monticello, and pos. ond the near term completion of certain image can only come about as a re ult of region's imbalances. sibly Whitesburg, Fleming burg and key points: road links requires emphasis and dif- local efforts In both words and deeds Facts are that manufacturing firms I . 'I1he ratio of applicanil:s to jobs of. Cumberland. ferentiation from the long-term r outes that demon; trate there is and will conwith two or more Kentucky establishments employing 50 or more persons fered exceeds ten to on . programmed for the area. tinue to be an end to bloodletting and lialn Motels Ab ent 2. Roughly 60 per cent of ,fille male Third, pre ent mail and telephone violence. provide between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs in the East Kentucky region, including applican'ts and lha:Lf of 't he female regis. Chain motels, even in the Ashland service cannot be taken for granted as apparel, footwear, food processing, 'l!rla111ts are in the 17 to 34 age bracket. area, are conspicuous by their absen e, it can in many parts of the country. Both 7. Poor Living Conditions tobacco. chemicals, stone, clay and glass 3. Approximately half of males and 60 manufacturers. per cent of females have completed one Tational magazine articl~s. television or more year of high <ihool. A third are documentaries on Appalachia, and books 12 Companies Have 16 Plants high ISC:hool graduat . like " ight Comes to The c umberWi.tlrln the region there are 12 such lands " by Whitesburg attorney Harry Recommendations-If llhe Kentucky companies with 16 plants. 10 of them Caudill convey the image of a povertyDep,artmen1 t of Commerce can get a-cro s eith er nationally-known firms or subridden r egion without hope. the idea tbat the region does in fact haye stantial businesses with headquarters Although Caudill's book was about the subsmntial manpawer resources of uit. outside Kentucky. 19 counties of the Cumberland Plateau, able age and. education profiles, tt will be suc-b are the quirks of semantics that The r egion contains r oughly one-fourth a major acbievement. .. . Cumberland Plateau b as been transof the state population and 11 per cent There must be less emphasis on llhe muted into virtually a synonym for Apof its manufactu ring employment ... • region as a ociology labora1iory and palachia. n.n n,•&~onUna- wh,aJ ttu:._ 1n.dJustri;al .ff'ln<r'P 8. Unnecessarily High Labor Rates nle s it i the coal miner's "scale," i't is difficult to know what trangers to the region have in mind when they say labor rates are unnecessarily high. Within Region C can be found both the big steel wage pattern at Armco and the federal minti.mum. In between are a num ber of earning patterns which appear more with regard 11:o industry than to locale. Where industry-by-industry comparison can be made, straight-time average hourly earnings in the region are closely similar to those in the smaller urban and rural areas of the rest of the state. There Is little basis for the contention that labor rates of semlskills in the smaller urban areas are unnecessarily high-or even liigh. Interestingly enough, even ~he coal miners "scale" does not necessarily mean the sacrosanct $26 a day. It can mean and often does mean $24 or $18 or some other figure r eflecting the realities of ithe situation. 9. Low Productivity iany agricultural areas start with an advantageous 'image in the minds of prospective employers, associating the off-farm worker with responsible atti<tude and good· productivity in the faotory. Very liittle of Region C is agricultural and does not enjoy this favorab'le image. Conversely, it conjures up an unfavorable image associated With lar ge welfare rolls, the mining tradition, and "mountain folk." lt matters not that large parts of the region are neither mining nor mountainous areas. It is popular and easier to demonstrate the oppo ite in 'documentaries." certainly, the Region's coal mining in• dustry and its teel, petroleum refinin g and chemical industries are measurably among the most productive in the nation. By: t e same ardsticks. man.:r of tla• l I I 1i t �.J..U.~ 1.1;;\,:UJ,U .I .:lllU,l/1.l.)UJO,.l.)' ovvu uu "' little publicized." Flaw in the picture is Area 15 which heretofore has been devoid of big manufacturing names. With upcoming ttnits by Lycoming Shoe Corp., this area joins other parts of East Kentucky as having attracted outside investment. Recommendations Department of Commerce should empha ize the operations of big business in Economic Region C and de-emphasize the haky bootstrap programs that mar this image. The latter and the "badge of ppalachia" undermine confidence of outside business management. great deal must be done at the local level, otherwise di cordant notes can be expected. Because of a long and involved history of extractive industry managed from the outside, many local people have over-reacted to a point where they declare they have no intentions of their land ever again becoming another Canada-that is, with its economic de tiny determined in Detroit, Chicago, New York and so on. Yet these same people seem perfectly willing to lhave t heir economic destines determined in Washington. They have become preOC<.'upied with tourism and na tu:ral re OUJ'ce . . . Jf rl;he region has one need tihat !ltands above all o thers, it is furtheT "coloniza. tion" by out9id e industry. In e ery instance, sucm colonizatio,n has brought in.to the region management, sound busirre s ·t hinking, people--0nd staible pay. rolls. Call Vent nre Dismal In oon-lras1:, the :record of fe:derallyflnanced local manufacturing verutu.res has been a di mal on-e, sta.I,ting with good i.nitentions and political appea!, but lackmg hard-headed oommercial eval uation prospect want's to know . . .. Likewise, t'here is a great deal more to be learned from the schools . . . . Few if any of the school uperin endents sparked to the idea that t hey should help in sheddin g lighit on the m11.npower reources of their areas. 3 . Substandard Education Levels Most industrial prospects wttJh negative .impressions of the region tend oo link "lack of labor" with "poor education . .. " In 14 of t'he 38 counti adult illiteracy ranges from 20 to more tlhan 30 per cent . The problem is yielding to government programs but progress is 1JOl:1tuously slow beoau:se illite:racy is concentra ted in ~he older age groups to whom learniing is an uphill batfile. Illiteracy of fathers and mother , coupled wilth high birth rate , also helps exp1ain w'hy h iglh school dropornt Nlltios are higher, and why many pupils are e~ rolled in grades several years behind theiT ,a ge group at the time 'they quit schooll.. 1.'lhe l'egion is still engaged in catohing up with the rest of the s-taite. Wiit!h about a fourth of Kent ucky's population, it will produ~ less 'than 22 per cent (.9,000) of it.s high sdhool graduates. The fom.- sb.'Ongest forces for change aTe a new generaition of parents who pos ess high chool diplomas, B increased federal aid to schools, C emergence of community colleges having areawide significance, and D reshaping of vocational tl.'aiining programs to meet particl.l'Lar area c<:mdiition.s. The area is expot·ting trainees and graduailes fa er than loca-1 indusrtries are a'l>:sorbing output. Recommendations-Educational prog. re and manpower training in tJhe r egion owe much to the he~ping hand of itlhe federal ,:rovernment. Becau e of this, 1lhere ays Book May Be seru.1 in;fficient and therefore low in produchould Kentucky's ind'UStrial develop- tivity. ment representatives pretend the Caudill luch of the burden of demonstrating book does not exist? It could be possible that this work may yet turn out to be a productivity must rest 011 •the area vouseful tool of industrial development for cation&! schools. . . . The good work all its imperlect understanding of what of these schools in developing productive skills has failed of recognition in makes for economic growth. staff P hoto For one thing, the book can be a the past. COMMUNITY COLLEGES LIKE PRESTONSBURG ARE backdrop against which to spotlight the 10. La.ck Of Industrial islands of change that can be seen deHELPING AREA veloping on t he Cumberland Plateau Plant ites since 1962. Restaura•n t facili.ties are few and far be- existing conditions and possibilities for Most businessmen who have r ead There are islands which take shape as tween . .Much of the r estaurant trade gen. improvement need study. individual communities within the sub- cert.a/in national magazine articles or erated in A!shland goes "•across the rivr egion. There are also islands which ap. who have been exposed to certain T V As to r oads, everybody knows they are pear within individual communities. One programs cannot be expected to picture er" when ilt wants a drink. eve.I'thei!,ess, good overnight accom- going to be built. • , • But , •• t he indus- has only to stand on the campuses of the Region C as having industrial plant modarums for businessmen are available trial prospect needs to know those which Prestonsburg Community College and the site .... in the region, such as 1llt Pikevi'lle, ·P aints- will definitely be completed in the next Southeast Community College to apFully developed sites, or readily. ville, Somerset, A hlian,d and l\liddles- year or two. preciate this sober truth. developed ones, can be found in: boro. ot onily <!Jha,t, but the state park urther, too much emphasis on the Area 14-Middlesboro, London-Corbin, system offers a number of fine lodges, The odds for enticing plant managerial arterial r oads program takes attention know-how into the r egion may increase Somerset, Monlticello, Barbourville, Wilwhere food service is uni:f\ornlly good. away from the lengthening agenda of Plainly, none of t hese fiadts fits the if the plant manager is in his late 40s or liamsburg, Mount V-emon. stereotype of the region which stamps other local road problems-the "swing- m.id,50s-a man with grown-up children. Area I S-Paintsville-Prestonsburg, Irout an impression that 1lhe area is pre- ing bridges" that isolate both people and His housing needs will be easier to vine-Ravenna, Tri-cities, Jackson-Quicksome potential site areas, also farm-todominantly one of decrepit coal mining satisfy. Inadequacies of schools and youth sand, Beattyville. market roads that need upgrading. programs may be less of a deterrent to towns. Area 16-Maysville, Flemingsburg, Recommendations-There are feeliil'gs 6 . Militant Unionism And Coal him. Owingsville, Grayson, and Greenup-toin the region th~t it is a stepchild of He must see more evidence of the Louisa sector, including Ashland. Fr-ankfort which only gets attention in Field Disorders progress that Mr. Caudill calls for. election years. There are al"s>O feelings 11. A History Of Flooding Feat· of the Ea.st Kentucky labor force, This takes in a great deal of territory that the utilities are not doing all they and includes both near-term and longfear of labor turbulence and anti·shooild or could. There are two s:ides to ... It is doubtful rt:hat any pveconcepllhis. One that should not be o\rerlooked management attitudes in the coal fields range measures. The near-term measures continue to tion of rt:he region as one r avaged by is 11he $7 million expain-sion progam of - these two fear more than anything lag badly. F or all the emphasis on the flood waters has been a pr+ime factor Kentucky Power Company wihich will else have given East Kentucky its repu- unemployed fathers program and Presi- to discourage new plalllt 1ocations. Other tation as a "high risk area." •.• bring many facilities to 1Jhe region. dent Johnson's goals of beautifying the factors, already identified, undoubtedly Oonditions are changing, but even the countryside, the elimination of eyesores carry more weight. Pennsylvania Utilities Cited recent record is spotty in a number of -dumps, auto junkyards and littered Beyond the assurance that can be The other sid~ concerns the amount of respects. streams- is being t ackled in a desultory given of flood-free sites, some way must aotivity devoted to recruiting ourtside inbe found to show how the many flood fashion. The good and bad include the followdustry. For example, when com!I)arisou control projects and programs affecting ing: are drawn wit!h other parts of coal-minWe recommend t hat it become a crash the region will also aid in keeping the ing Appaladhi.a___.1Jhe a•n thradte region of program with highest priority. At last r oads open and passable during heavy 1. Generally goOd labor relations of acconnts there were possibly 5,000 East r ains.... Pennsyh,ania is a case in point-the area development efforts of electric utili- manufacturing firms operating in Area - Kentucky familles taking part in the unThere should be careful scrutiny of tie in East Kenrtucky appear under- 16, exceptions being opecations of brick employed fathers program. Within their possilii.Ji<ties for installing culverts and and clay workers at Olive Hill and More- ranks should be found more than enough other forms of storm drainage on manned and ineffectual. head, and the shutdown of Harbison manpower to implement this recom• stretches of road known to be trouble5. Poor Accessibility, Poor Walker plant at Olive Hill. some. mended crash program. 2. Generally favorable labor relations "~l'u 11 s avurs aaop seq alj sv Co mmunications u.uu .. tSUt: .. d -i-6)\ in Area 14, except startup Of Crane •,{area ·r ip.1,eq;im .TOAllW Many outside business executives have facility at Somerset, difficulties at Coroq <>q~ puno.re iu1q;,.1ew JiO ;qi1u misgivings that satisfactory oommunica- bin in 1963, and a contested election at the Somerset plant of General Electric. tion can be ac'hiev-ed in 1Jhe region. asao;i q:µno:,. SlJ.1 pa.wp.ro lep.rai .1ap.ro ipae N.111 aA.rasa.rd, prno..r. s.radOO.Jl 1-1-e-is ~.e q,11 pa.8pa1d JOUJ.a,1.oi aqJ, Facts are that schedu!led air service is .iapea,, si,q.8p ffAf:> 'o2eafqJ u1 .A oal liners' Ranks Split avaifable at KellOV'a and at London-Cor·saaue:AaT.tl!I bin . Primary facilities used outside the 3. Splits in ranks of coal miners in T!lf:>e-Ji 0 1JM.tirq.ra oi pauuoiJ <Sr a~i1w :;,.1,ln{mt1s73 region are fille •airports at Lexingiton, Ciu• Area 15. Bargaining units now include ;tuoa 1e-r.>~J!q 1! mun Alll.S Ol P<>&OA ..ratjjjl United Mine Workers, the Progressive rtM. ..r.a.,puv '11n.i;ia,1 au,.rew a1rq.v. e, iunl?J !ll,\\ U}lll.t 2.0f.AIJP ~ -qi8rioq1iJiV cinnati and Louisville .... e1s a41 .lOJ sa2Je,q:> J.ap.mru ao i;rer Principal volume o( sutiace traffic Mine Workers and the Southern Labor S!SIJ:) OJ, pa'I iaafo,ld l &1JOA uses the fountain Parkway, U . . 23, U.S. Union. Also on t he inerease are non- soi: l r.rea .qaqq ur sao.rZaN o,v..i · 25, .S. 60, U.S. 119, U.S. 421 and U.S. union mining operations and the 'UM.el asnoq~.mo;i sn;:,,!.rawy a{(i uo soon ·a;iuaiorA pue, su011e~s •1sod dn ){OOl s..ro.ie.iisuomap alirtf<M. pu~ 460. Under construction are extensions of prevalence of ' sweetheart" contracts. P JiJO p;;}If:>11°' 1 1 s1q~ '.uo~:>aJa a:>e<>d the Mountalin Parkway and 1-64 and 1-75 4. Disinterest of merchants at Pre tons. <>:>!:J!Sllr e lll aurr .I.llOA AJUO Sl!IfM. o.12aN ~6 1,noqe :,.o dno.rZ e 'e:p1e1w ut Through rail carrier service is predom- burg and Cumberland, to menrtion but urpueqs J•OJ pa1sa.rll'e a.r,M1 sao.rZ,a N <>:>!J:J.O srq w oJ:,. iup1eads 'aoqe.n11s asuai inantly north-soultlh except -for Chesa- ,tw-o place , in being organized by the 'ANUa;i.a.J 1oaro.rd .ra10A :iaw aqlJ, OlilJ~ Ufeh PaAOW JOU.taA08 SqQ, sv peake & Ohio's east-west roulte in the United Mine Wockers. a~ p,Mow a:maJaJUoo diqs.rapea'I Ohio River basin. Mail and phone service 5. Gunfire and dynamitings in Harlan 0 UJaq1nos S\ 2DDI .1aq1n'I mpew is generally aV'ailaible. County. ne pa1dn.1a sr f.T;) n:>paury .iq-11, 6. A number of manufacturing indusTwi ting Roa ds Are Hazardous 'AlI:l 111.8.JOat) tries along the river in Ohio and West Surface trav·ell is handicapped by many Virginia have satisfacliory experience u1 i~ntf2rr wai.aJci pue twisting and haza:rdous roads of low ca. with labor that commutes from East pacity. Dl'iving time to most communities Kentucky. from scheduled service ,a irports ranges 7. Chemical Plant experience with confrom one to three hours. But when operaitions of private aircraf<t tract maintenance firms has been highly ar e taken into account, accessibility of satisfactory. These firms have contracts the region i not as bad as it first ap. with local labor halls. pear: . In fact, some remarkable growt'h Finish Ahead Of Schedule in priv,a te aviation is t aking place in flhe 8, Major construction pcoj ects have area. 'l'1t near-term ouUook for roads is far bee• ,ompI•t• d without tabo, uncost o, 1-::., Slaff PhOlos bV BIii Strode WOOD CONVERSION FIRMS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO GROW 596:li . 'S J.SG~ '!>NINJIOW .A.VOSHilH.L r0 L J'D]J'D.L]H STIJ].L<Jmy . 1 n .LOU.t<Jao~ V]iJ.LOcJ~ I . ~ 311 SID01 ''I N1Ul0 f-HfilIDl.O::.l aHJ. l �µ FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 19, 1965 SECTION B-14 PAGES Mine,-Mouth Power Plants 1 Plugged To Boom Appalachia By BEN F. REEVES Courier-Journal and Tlm11 Buruu W ASHINGTON-Kentui:ky's Ha'1'l'Y M. , Caudill was in town yesterday plugging away for a plan to build huge minemouth power-generating plants in the Appalaobian ooail fields. The Whitesburg author and attorney had a receptive audience in the 250 or so members of the Yankee-Dixie Power Association here for their first general meeting. The association, made up of representatives of municipally-owned utilities and rural electric coopera1lives, is unveil.mg its proposal for a billion-dollar power system to supply low-cost power to pubic and private utilities 1lhroughout the Eastern United States. The Yankee-Dixie scheme calls for construction of three two-million kilowatt nine.,mouilh thermal, genemting stations. One would be in Eastern Kentucky, another in Northern Alabama, and the third in Western Pennsylvania. Exact locations are not pinpointed These stations would be linked by extra high voltage transmission lines, and subsidiary lines would branch out to the eastern coastal plain from New England to Florida, and westward as far as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Hugh L. Spurlock, manager of the East Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation at Winchester, Ky., is chairman of the association. Caudill said construction of the big generating stations at the source of the fuel would extend the goal of President Johnson's Great Society into impoverished Appalachia. He said the plan would not only furnish abundant and reliable low-cost electri cirty to a major area of the nation, but would make money available to upgrade the economy of Appalachia. The association says the new power system, estimated to cost $1.037 billion, can be financed through the sale of bonds and not require ,appropriation of public money. Caudill said the plan would enable the Appalachian region to convert itself from a poverty-ridden area into a truly beautiful, rich and prosperous region. The author of "Night Comes to th Cumberlands" suggested that Congres pass enabling legislation to give the Y'an kee-Dixie projed the right of eminen domain, and to permit issuance of tax free revenue bonds. "Let us candidly make use of tax-free revenue bonds to accomplish this great social advance, seeing that the welfar-e of the whole people is so deeply involved. For if we are to be able to plow back into the land some of the value of thalt which is being taken out, we must take advantage of all legally available opportunities," be said. Caudill said Yankee-Dixie engineering advice is that if the system is built to proper scale and with reasonably cheap money, it would be feasible to earmark at least a quarter of a mill per kilowatt hour to upgrade the Appalachian regional economy. Would Avert Blackouts Another speaker at the meeting, Richard Wood, assistant administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration, said electric power failures such as occured in the orbheast last week could have been prevented through intereonnection of such a power grid as proposed by Yankee-Dixie. Yankee-Dixie was formed last March \ by representatives of consumer-owned electric utilities. Its plan is based on {. engineering and economic studie! by the n finn of Laramore, Dougiass & Popham of Chicago and New York. Richard Popham told the meeting yes' terday, "The need for such a system is unquestioned. Use of electric power in this growing region is expected to triple before 1980. This demand must be met and it must be met from sources of power economical enough to provide stimulus for the development of the area." �--- The IT SCREAMS! CARL D. PERKINS ~~~~N~T~~SEI~TATIVEs MOUNTAIH..E·AGlE Wh itesburg, Letcher County, Kentucky, Thursday, August 4, 1966 Vol. 59. No. 12 GREAT SOCIETY PRIMER The experience of Appalachia provides elementary lessons for other reg ions (EDITOR'S NOTE: Warner Troyer is the writer-director of an hourlong documentary film on Appalacnia shown this week on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation network. Troyer was in Eastern Kentucky for several weeks this summer gathering material for the film. Much of this time was spent in Letcher County. Before beginning his television career, Troyer was a political correspondent at the Canadian parliament for a metropolitan newspaper. ) each week to attend the classes. So a man in his early-middleage, with no means of supporting his family, with no job training and no employrr.er.t prospects worth considering. has been excised from the federal aid pro~am. His family would like it 1f he could read and write, but they see the imperatives of finding groceries as more com pelling. TRAIN AND POUGE STAFF: Not fairly rule three, because no scale of priorities could humanely put this at any number below one. I;:em: An administrator in the Since impertinence is a halltown of Whitesburg told at least mark of journalism and its three women with whom I spoke, slaves, the only apology offered after telling them they were not for the conclusions here stated, entitled to any relief, food following something like a stamps or other benefits, that month's vest-pocket-survey of they could best hope to help East Kentucky, is the selfish their families survive by, "goin&, one embodied in regrets at the home and growing a big garden. warm friendships only-half-beHis brutal fiumor did little to gun, at the kind and always EVER SINCE HARRY M. CAULCLL"S BOOK "NIGITT COMES TO THE CUMBERLANDS" DEFINED help these mothers face the fact courteous people only-halfsome of the basic problems faced by those who would improve life for t he pe ople of the Appathey hadn't the means of feedknown, at the womb-like warmth ing their children decently. lachians, boosters of Great Society legislation have argued that Dawn now is breaking in the of enfolding Cumberland hills mountains. But whether it is Night that is coming or Dawn that is breaking, it is a scene of Item: Several families we met and forests only half-perceived spectacular beauty that greets tfie beholder from the top of Pine Mountain near Whitesburg. This, qualified for one or several forms in any period covering less than incidentally, is a photo made shortly after supset. of aid, yet had been t<>ld by a lifetime of sunsets and wind uninformed social workers and rustlings. bureaucrats that there were no Here, then, the leswns I would means by which they could be hope my government and society helped. It is distressing when can learn from the initiatives the people for whom these proexercised in the Great Society grams were planned are unable program as it has been implew get clear explanations of the m ented and lived in East Kensons of help available to them; tucky. Governments a nd socie- it is appalling when the people ties, like all children, tend employed to administer the prousually to insist on making their grams cleady are often them The first, he said, is creation A call for stronger federal lead- means for acquiring housing, edown mistakes, despite the exper- selves ignorant of the provisions of a top-flight system of public ership in a national drive to stamp ucation, jobs and opportunities, ience of others: so we'll probab- of many schemes. and that it will protect them aeducation. He proposed a fed out ignorance, poverty and dely not leam- -or at least, not gainst oppression and reprisal by eral version of the Minimum spair in Appalachia and the rest benefit, from America' s War On focal politicians who seek to Foundation Program now in efPUBUSH THE RULES, IN CLEAR of America was issued this week Poverty. But if we could . • . • capture control of federal funds LANGUAC'E: To be blunt, some by Whitesburg Attorney Harry M. fect in Kentucky and several and to reap prestige and profit administ ·.:1tors, like children other states. Caudill, DON'T WASTE EXPERIENCE: for themselves for their use. Let playing poker, seem to amend Speaking at a seminar spon Under such a program, he said, That's Rule One. Legislation the people know that the prothe rules according to the stakes sored by the federal Economic the US Commissi oner of Educashould be drafted and vetted by grams are theirs and not the larinvolved and the people with Development Administration in tion would spell out basic. deexperts in social sciences, not gesse of local dynasties. Do this sirable levels o~ instruction in whom they appear, all too often, Williamstown, Mass. lawyers. People who have lived to be 'playing.• Moreover, and the people will respond beCaudill said that more federal mathematic• ,e arts and sciand worked in hard-core areas cause in the ghettos the governpeople of little educational protection against oppression ences, history, the 1 anguages of social disadvantage should be m ent that is respected is the na background find red tape jungles of poor Americans by local poland other disciplines. He would begged for their advice. Theortional gpvemment. The symbol iticians is necessary to provide complex and fearful places, as specify minimum standards for ies are beautiful things--but that is honored is the national do we all. It's essential that the morale to enable the poor school buildings. The states effective action in the field of to work for their own bettermem. flag rather than the courthouse the programs and the rules be would survey their districts to social habilitation demands the or city hall. . . Let us not for"Education, housing and jobs-clear and clearly describe d. pinpoint the ones which failed to polished and tempered knowthese are the three cardinal needs get for an instant that with all meet the housing and teaching It is NOT enough when, for ledge that is gained only by its shortcomings rhe Federal Gov- standards. Congress then would of the ghetto, " Caudill said. example, officials of the State trained people who have lived "But to realize them, more than- ernment is the hest government issue appropriations directly to of Kentucky refuse to give a in the gut of the problem and money and good intentions are re- in America. As it provides the the states, which would use them complete copy of their convolearned its moods at first hand. quired. There is, after all, .an to upgrade deficient school sysluted food stamp regulations to funds it should assume the reAd hoc legislation aimed at intangible called morale. It any journalist, whl le citizens tems to the federal floor leve 1. sponsibi lity of leadership at all quick solutions is no answer at springs from a strange huma n are regularly deprived of food levels." "It is simply ioconceivable that all. The poor have always chemistry which psychologists stamp certification for a whole in this rich country a lack of funds Caudill suggested several fedbeen with us --the poor in mater- range· of improbable reasons--or have not yet successfully defined. eral programs to be followed as shall c01tinue to deprive young Aial things and the poor in spirit The people in the ghettos can for no reasons at all that the "part of a natioo al policy calmericans of any exposure to forwhom tfiey breed, If we truly victims of these curious regulaachieve miracles for their own eign language, an appreciation of culated to transform islands of live in a society which, for the tions, as they are administered betterment when the spark of ingood music and the visual ans, a cultural defeatism into the sur~first time in human history, has locally, can divine. spiration is lit. Wimess the paring creativeness so often assocl grasp of world and national history decided that's not good enough, tisan campaigns during World ated with the phrase, ' the A (Continued on Page 2) then let us take the time and ESTABUSH IRONCLAD APPEAL War II when whole populations merican way of life. ' " pains to do the job, human, PROCEDURES: People who have rose to st.rike down an armed and material and spiritual, properly. had a lifetime of small rewards organized oppressor. Witness the Temporary relief measures are will, in the best situations, have sudden revival of the negro in the fine: life and health should be, a jaundiced view of "officials. •t south-- his militant insistence on must be, preserved while per- · The present administration of civil rights and human dignity, This issue of The Mountain Eagle was printed early in ormanent solutions and goals are the War On Poverty, at the local in defiance of long entrenched der that we might attend a conference on "Great Societies planned. But jerry-built legislevel, does not represent what tyranny. And on a much smaller and Quiet Revolutions" at Lake Couchiching, Ontario, Canlation and plans papered together could be described as "the best scale, witness the uprising of the ada. with optimism and bope won't do; situation. " Only with a simple, brave people in the Kentucky T he conference, a week-long affair, is sponsored by the these can only disappoint legisbulletproof appeal system will mountain community of Clear Canadian Institute on Public Affairs and the Canadian lators and taxpayers as well as the people for whom the programs Creek who last year rose in deBroadcasting Corporation. Its purpose is to draw together beneficiaries and thus finally are intended ever feel fairly fense of their land against the interested persons for discussions of the philosophy of the slow the progress ~nd momentum treated. ravages of strip-miners and atGreat Society in the United States and tne influence it is of the whole program. It is vital that justice be done tracted the attention and gained having on political and social thought and action in Canin any program of this kind- - and the_ sympathies of most of the ada. it is equally vital that justice nation. BE FLEXIBLE: That' s rule two, Because Eastern Kentucky and its problems provide a and it's as critical at the level be seen to be done, At the moCaudill said he did not know major testing ground for many Great Society theories, of program implementation as is ment, it' s not. the answer to the problem o[.igthe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation chose Eastern rule one at the planning level People with grievances are left niting "this chain of inspirat!on Kentucky in general, and Letcher County in particular, In Letcher County, for example, to find their own path through a and courage, " but he offered as the locale for an hour-long documentary film which labyrinth of administrators, ofthis suggestion: I met the family of a man who was shown this week as a keynote of the conference and had l;>een laid off the Unemploy- fices, regulations, and frustra"Let all federal efforts be aimed also will be seen !JO the CBC network. tions. Time and again one meets at the people in the areas to be ed Fathers program on grounds In anticipation of our absence, we asked several persons people who believe they are en- aided. Let the poor be told that he refused to attend evening who have observed the Great Society as it is implementschool classes. He did, But he titled to help, or redress, but the United States of America ed in Letcher County to tell us their views. They are prewould have had to walk about "I just got tired of trying, " seeks to help them help them sented in this week' s paper for readers here and away. 16 miles, over 'holler' roads, (Continued on Page 8) selves--to provide them with the By War ner Troyer BOLDER FEDERAL ACT ION NEEDED TO END POVERTY, CAUDI LL SAYS_ To regular readers of Th e Mountain Eagle: �THE MO UNTAI N EAGLE WHITESB U RG, LETCHER CO UNT Y , K E T UC K Y • THE NEW MAN What constitutes the ideal member of the Great Society? In whose image shall he be czeated? These are questions that take on increasing importance as various programs and ready~rnade solutions to Appalachia' s problems are tried- -with but little success. For with each failure comes a hardening of attitude on the part of federal and state administrators toward the people they are supposed to be helping. As is pointed out by Alben So1nit on Page 4 of this paper, designers of the Appalachian Regiona1 ·0evelopment prt>gram are, lille rrecrustes, cutting off the legs or stretching the frames of communities to make them fit someone's concept of community development. The tactics Prc,crustes used to make his guests fit ·t he accommodations of his inn also are being used upon the hapless victims of various "human resource" development programs. The classic example of this is the Work Experience - Training program, also known as the muskrat gang, the happy pappies, the L-B-Jaybirds, or the jobless fathers as prejudice dictates. The WET program is America' s ultimate answer to the question of what is to be done with men displaced by automation. After a few months previous trial experience in West Virginia, the program got under way in Eastern Kentucky in January, 1964. It is an off-shoot of th.e Aid to Dependent Children program, one of the cornerstones in the nation 's welfare structure. ADC makes regular monthly. subsistence payments to children of broken homes, But traditionally, payments have been barred to homes containing an abie-bodied adult male. on the theory that if the man of the house is at home and able to work it is his responsibility to sup~ port his family. The theory, however, fell apan in the Appalachian coal fields when actual unemployment approached or exceeded 50 per cent of the total adult male labor force as automation displaced tens of thousands of miners. Obviously the man of the house could not werk if no job were available--and yet, obviously, the family would starve--and many were starving--in the absence of any income source. And so, the WET program emerged, The WIT theory is that each of the jobless fathers can be retrained to assume useful. productive, self-supporting roles in the American economy. Step by step, the theory has been tested. But along the way, administrators of the program have forgotten that theirs is a program supposed to help, and not punish~ Train them in whose iinage, for what occupation? Unions across the land were quick to close ranks and make it clear to federal officials they wanted no mass of trained but unemployed men competing for their jobs. And so the jobless fathers obviously could not be created in the image of a mason, an electli.cian, a carpenter, a painter, a plumber, or any other of the organized skills. But it is a work program,. as well as a training program. And what to do with them? Well. we coul d go back to the ·days of the WPA program of the 19301 s and use them to build schools and highways and dams and other needed public facilities, including housing. But. says private industry, to do this would deprive us of contracts which would otherwise be ours. And, say the unions, this would deprive union labor of work that should be done by skille<l union men at union wages. What to do? Well, we do the obvious. We take the highly skilled coal miner automated out of a job and we put him to work cutting weeds or patching holes in di.rt roads or sweeping out the courthouse. And we kidllim,. and we kid the public, by claiming we are "retraining" him so that he can move on and out of Eastern Kentucky and take a proper, productive job in the Great Society in some big-city factory somewhere, Never mind that the majority of the men are elderly, with bodies wracked and tom by years of crawling on thei.r knees in the tnines which have fired the nation. Never mind that industry will not hire old, tired men. It says in the program that we are going to rettain thert\, and retrain them w~ must. And they become expert weed cutters., Along the way, to be sure they_are properly supervised and don't chisel i:he taxpayers, we divide them into crews and assign them for supervision to the magistrates and mayors and county judges of Eastern Kentucky, who are given the task of molding them into respectable citizens, with proper attitudes toward work and society, Along the way, hundreds of the WET men have rebelled at the total indignities of their treatment, and have spoken out in criticism. But also along the way, administrators of the program have learned how to deal with the malcontents. They simply cut them off the program, take away their medical cards entitling their families to free medical care, take away their eligibility for food stamps - and tell them if they don't like their treatment, if they won' t adjust to the mold, they and their faioilies can starve, And after a few months of this training and· work experience and character building. we boldly proclaim that the lucky man is now a re-made, rehabilitated individual, ready for a tole in the Great Society. Sine~ he has had so much training as a weed cutter, we conclude that he is properly trained to become a foundry worker in Indiana, and we tell him there is a job awaiting him in an Indiana factory--or on a Florida citrus farm, We·cut him off the WET program, point him in the direction.of the job in the promised land, and say goodbye, But suppose the man figures he can't support his family on wages offered {generally the bottom of the scale), or. for dozens of perfectly valid reasons, simply doesn't want to uproot his family from Eastern Kentucky and venture off with them to the jungles of a big-city slum? Then we cut him off food stamps and take away his eligibility for all forms of assistance, and let him and his fami 1y go hungry. The program has not been a total waste, because it has served to funnel money into the pockets of the unemployed and many fami lies have been saved from. absolute disaster. But at what a price-the personal dignity and self-respect of the majority of the me n. A recent occurrence in a high school class composed mostly of the sons and daughters of WET men demonstrates clearly th.e low esteem in which the program is held by the people it affects most, Asked what they would do to help Eastern Kentucky, 80 per cent of the students said they would do away with the WET program. The faults of the pmgram have been obvious from the beginning-the lack of training. tfie lack of worthwhile work, the denial of self-respect. Bu~ none of the federal agencies involved•-Health, Education and Welfare, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Depanment of Labor - •has shown the faintest indications of con cern, and instead of seekin~ reform, they continue full steam ahead piling indignity upon indignity upon the men themselves, For example, next week will mark the end of the third month since the suspension of one unemployed miner and his family from the program. from food stamps and from all other forms of assistance because the man voiced mild criticism of one aspect of the Community Action Program in Letcher County. The man notified the local state welfare office he wished to appeal his suspension. . But 90 days later he still has not been notified when he is to receive a hearing. . Such is the price of failure to conform, to fit the mold of the Great Society as .it is being formed in Eastern Kentucky with the full sanction; of Washington. · T HUR SDAY, A U G UST 4 , 1.9 66 . PA GE 2 Resources must work for people (EDITOR'S NafE: AttomeyAuthor Harry Caudill of Whitesburg has been a principal spokesman for East Kentucky since 1963, The following is condensed from Appalachian South magazine. ) By Harry Caudi II Since the publication of my article "Poverty and Affiuence in Appalachia" in the fall and winter issue of The Appalachian South, a number of people have written to express agreement with my contention that abser ~ tee ownership is one of the major causes of A_ppalachian poveny. None took issue with my claim that the draining away of Appalachia' s great mineral wealth by eastern corporations is our primary difficulty and that it.bas produced a remarkably poor people in an extremely rich land. However, some of them have demanded to know whether I have in mind any plan IJy which this chronic malaise cA,1 be cured. One woman declared that I had made a good diagnosis but had left the patient as sick as ever before. She wrote, "It doesn't do rnuch good to tell us mountaineers what is wrong with us unless you can help us ffnd a remed:f.. What is y9ur solution for East Kentucky's economic illness?" The question is a fair one and ought to be answered. In the same issue of the Appalachian South,. Mr. Edgar S, Fraley of Bristol. Virginia came · close to the mark when he suggested that the Federal Government should buy up the coal lands from their present owners and tum them over to the counties, the companies to be com pensated by county bonds, Under Mr, Fraley's proposal the coun ties would retire the bonds out of coal royalties and use the balance of such income for schools and other public services. "This, " Mr. Fraley declared, "would break the colonial relationship: now existing between the New York corporations and the Appalachian coooties--the same kind of relationship that existed between Great Britain and µidia," Mr. Fraley admits that his scheme is unlikely to receive any serious consideration and in this he is, unfortunately, ri$t. It is cenain that his proposal will be ignored by Washington. After two years of intensive study of the Appalachian im ~ balance the master minds in that city could think of nothing more effective than a $1, 100,000,000 l'development" program with 80 per cent of the money going to roads. The remainder, too small to be really effective. will be devoted to a number of other purposes, This effon at Appalachian revitalization-the Appalachian Development Act of 1965--is comparable to a one-spoonful blood transfusion for a man who has bled exten sively from deep wounds ·until he has coll~psed. The infusion of new life is not really big e nough to restore the patient and unless the wounds are closed it will be dissipated through continued bleeding. The truth is that eastern Kentucky could solve its problems without federal aid and without help in any real sense from the state, Kentucky mountaineers could build a viable economy and a great and abudant society for themselves and their descendants without cost to the taxpayers and without resort to any radical or untried scheme, To do so they would need only a few pages of enabling legislation, a modicum of imaginative leadership and the strength of will (translate: guts) to overcome the Mellon empire and its local retainers in a hard fl.Mt, In the 1930's much of the state of Washington was cut-over THE MOUNTAIN EA.GLE is published every Thursday at 12• w. Mail.. Street, Whitesburg. Letcher County, Kentucky, Thomas E. Gish is the editor and publisher, Second-class postage is paid at Whitesburg, Ky. Subscription rates, $3 a year in Letcher Coun ty, $5 a year outside. Single issues, 10¢. This is Number 12 of ·volume 59. timber-land and other large tracts were semi-desert, After the logging companies had logged out, the forest fire swept through the bark and other wood residues leaving the earth blackened and naked, Erosicn did immeasurable harm, but slowly the land healed its wounds with thickets as nature struggled to restore her forests, Many of the :people moved away from the blighted counties and those who remained were forced to a realization that they must abandon the territory or rebuild tqeir economy along new and · di verse lines. They stumbled upon a novel. but thoroughly practical approach. The Legislature authorized the formation of Public Utility Districts as bodies corporate and politic with the right to own real estate and to exeJCise the right of etninent domain. They were empowered to sell bonds, generate and sell electricity and devote the proceeds from such sales to public purposes. A PUD could con p sist of a few voting precincts or of one or more counties. In the last generation Chelan County, Washington (1960 population: 40, 744) has sold ·bonds for more than $325, 000, 000 and invested the money in hydroelectric dams and generators. A sinking fund was/rovided for debt retirement an revenues from power sales are used to retire the bonds. More than a million dollars per year are con tributed to the county and municipal governments. This money finances sdJ.ools, hospitals and libraries, land reclamation, reforestation and other essential public sent ces and facilities. Total power sales amount to a bout $27, 000, 000 annually. An abundance of cheap power has begun to attact new industry. Good schools and a growing economy are drawing people into a county once threatened with wholesale abandonment, A "depressed area" has ·t ransfonned i.t self into a thriving and dynamic region. The same miracle of development, diversification and growth has occurred in Grant County, Last year that county had a population of only 46, 477 but income from electric power sales exceeded $20, 000, 000. Impressive sums are being plowed into the development of plant sites and other faplities calculated to spawn new economic muscle. The power is being carried by extra -high -voltage transmission lines into the Puget Sound area and, when needed, will flow through the west coast power grid into Los Angeles. This pioneering effort can hold the key to eastern Kentucky's future. Let us suppose the same methods were to be applied to the state's eastern counties, which, as a whole, claim the national championship for human poverty. I propose that the General Assembly pass an enabling act consisting of all the forty-four eastern counties lying wholly or in part within the mountains, The District would be corporate and politic, its board of directors to be appointed by the governor and to consist of the ablest men and women available, The EKDD would have the right ·or eminent domain, the right to own property essential to its purposes, to gena-ate and sell electric power, and to acquire, own, develop and utilize land, water and mineral resources for the public welfare. Due provision would be made to assure sound .fiscal polp icies on the pan of the agency and it would assume responsibility for the long range, overall land and human resource develop· ment of the entire territory. Such additional inventories of the region's wealth as are needed wouldoe promptly made and a comprehensive development plan would be drafted. The Agency then would offer its tax-free bonds on the market. The demand for such debentures is strong and there · ~ .every reason to believe that hundreds of millions of dollar's worth could be sold, The money so ott ained would then be used to buy the great tracts of minerai owned by Fordson Goal and Land Company, The Kentucky River Coal Corporation, Virginia Iron Coal and Coke Company, Virginia Coal and Iron Company, the Big Sandy Corporation .and other non-resident owners. The nistrict would then design and b).lild dams over the territory. The lakes so created would have to be large in order to impound water for hydro-electric power generation, Too, they would pro.vide cooling water for giant coalbuming thermal plants. The combined output from hydro-electric and steam generators would be c~rried to market by extra -hfghvoltage transmission li:nes in the manner now contemplated by Yankee-Dixie Power Associar· '.>fl, coai woui<l be leased on equitable terms to mining companies, with safeguards for the land written into the contracts, Gas, oil, and limestone rights would be let out to other com panies or; perhaps, to co-operatives organized for the purpose of extracting and sell,ing the minerals, All royalties would be paid into the Districtueasury. Thus the tens of millions of dol lars now flowing so quietly and so easily out each year would be ensnared by an af;ency of, by and for the Appalachian people. Billions of dollars would be required eventually to build the dams and power plants, the sewerage sys tems, schools, hospitals, libraries and housing, and to replant the forests which true development would involve, But with wise management the potential is available for whatever prodigious syms the task may necessitate, All the region would share in this "Operation Bootstrap.'' The headwater counties a,e rich in minerals, but have few suitable lake sites. The foothill counties with their wider valleys lack the minerals but are ideally suited for the primary impoundments. As development progressed, $!.®lier dams wouldoe built rartber up-stream, Goal for power production would be carried by railroads from the mines to the plants Some of the income would be used for plant-site development, thus hastening industrial &:ver sification. It is probable that no more than a third of all income would be required by the sinking fund. Eventually the bonds would all be paid off, but f~r decades thereafter the generanve stream of revenue would continue. The severance and sale of natural wealth would beget regional rejuvenation on a scale far beyond anything we can now visualize. Federal (from P. l) and insights into the fabulous world of moden mathematics, Yet in the ghettos today the schools are so skeletal. so stark and so overcrowded that the children are more often kept than taught and their opportunity to learn is alwar,s dubious and often impossible, ' "We can be sure that without a spectacular upgrading of schools real economic development can not ensue, no matter how ingenious the other remedies we may apply, " Caudill said. He urged the federal government to make public housing available at reasonable rental rates to people of all economic circumstances. "To do otherwise is to isolate the poor in new centers, perpetuating their separation from the rest of society, " he commented, He urged the Economic Development Administration to pinpoint the urge1't need for new towns-planned communities--in Appalachia, the Ozarks, the Deep South, on Indian reservations and in urban areas where replacement is more feasible than Ief&ir. "After all, " he said, the best way to wipe out '. :e ghettos is to do just that. Nor .does our failure to clear them away and replace them with pleasant new communities stem from any real lack of caJ?itaL When Congress resolved to do so it found unlimited billions to finance a war in south -east Asia. When we genuinely want to do it we will find the money needed to house all our citizens. ··An<l we should seek to persuade Americans to discard their prejudice against public hoµsing. One should feel no greater shame by reason of living in a publicly owned house tlian by driving over a publicly owned highway." � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Perkins, Carl D. Congressional Papers Description An account of the resource Carl D. Perkins (1912-1984) served eastern Kentucky as a US Representative between 1948 and 1984. His papers contain legal documents and correspondence related to his activities in Congress and focus heavily on coal mining, flood control, education and labor.<br /><br />Only a portion of this collection has been digitized. See the <a href="http://ekufindingaids.libraryhost.com/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&amp;id=188">Finding Aid</a> for a description of the entire collection. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Perkins, Carl D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1948-1984 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text photographs reel to reel film Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource collection Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2005a002 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Caudill, Harry Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Carl D. Perkins Congressional Papers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1966 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Contact <a href="mailto:archives.library@eku.edu">Special Collections and Archives</a>, Crabbe Library, Eastern Kentucky University for reproductions, rights and permission to publish. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource news clipping Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2005a002-bg042-f03 Harry Caudill War on Poverty