OCR Text |
Show This basin is part of a much larger region which is characterized by low incomes, low living levels, high tenancy, deteriorated lands, and exploitation of resources. The primary objective of all Federal programs in the region is the solution of these eco- nomic and social problems. To accomplish this objective, the present authorizations for planning should be replaced by broad authorization and directive to plan a comprehensive program suited to the characteristics and needs of the region and designed to make the most of its potentialities. To assure full accomplishment of these purposes, individual agencies should no longer proceed in- dependently. Single-purpose or dominant-purpose thinking which has led to overemphasis of certain objectives and subordination of others must be abandoned. Toward this end it is recommended that a river basin commission be established for this basin or the larger region of which the basin is part. Such a commission would follow the pat- tern recommended generally by the President's Water Resources Policy Commission.7 5. Water Resources and Readjustment of the Regional Economy The Problem Contribution of water and related land resources development to the readjustment of agricultural and industrial economy. The Situation The major problem of the Alabama-Coosa Basin and the entire southeast region of the United States is the provision of adequate economic opportunity for its people. This basin, like much of the South- east, is a predominantly rural area with low farm incomes. In spite of the decrease in tenancy and increase in farm ownership in the past 20 years, more than half the farm families are either tenants or share croppers. Notwithstanding a large natural increase, the population in the Alabama-Coosa Basin has grown only 6 percent during the past decade because of heavy migration of people from the area. Total increase in basin population was less than half that for the United States as a whole (14.5 percent). 7 See volume 1 of this report. 562 Between 1939 and 1947 the number of production workers employed in manufacturing increased from 85,000 to 116,000, or 37 percent. But in the same period, the average increase in number of produc- tion workers in the Nation was 53 percent. Still, the growing industrialization of the basin has im- proved the economic and material well-being of the people. In 1940 per capita income of this region was $322, or 56 percent of the national average. By 1948, per capita income had increased to $958, or 68 percent of the national average. Net income per farm in Alabama in 1945 was 2.5 times that of 1940 but the income per farm in 1945 was only 51 percent of the United States average compared with 61 percent in 1940. The past decade has brought changes in the agri- cultural economy. Mechanization is replacing hand labor on some farms. Farm tenancy and share cropping continue to decrease. The shift from cotton and corn to grassland and more diversi- fied types of farming has progressed with increased employment in industry. It is estimated that by 1956, the number of people living and working on farms in the basin will be approximately 60 percent of the number so occupied in 1940. This change is taking place largely in the cotton-producing areas. From the standpoint of more efficient land use, the population shift based on present trends will be beneficial. However, this presents the problem of providing permanent employment opportunities for those displaced from farms. Further expansion of industrial and other nonfarm enterprises in the area will alleviate the employment problem to the extent that these people can be absorbed in indus- trial or other types of nonfarm employment. To achieve this, attention should be centered on factors favorable to expanding industry-increased production of forest and farm crops through im- proved management practices, increased low-cost electric power, and measures to assure continuous supply of abundant, clean water. Educational fa- cilities need to be increased and improved, with special emphasis on agriculture, animal industry, forestry, and the mechanical arts. By putting lands to their most productive use and by improving management practices, crop and pas- ture yields can be increased greatly. The region of which the basin is a part is one of the principal forest areas of the Nation. The extensive forest and its rapid growth provide an expanding base for the lumber and the pulp industries. Present rate of timber growth in this area can be tripled, in time, |