A comparison of the value of the manufactured products in 1929 with that of 1933 shows a decrease of $430,182,000, or approximately 33%. In the latter year, the State's 2,084 indus trial establishments, with a product exceeding $5,000, employed 200,202 wage-earners and had an output valued at $877,853,000. The following table shows the principal industries in 1933, the number of establishments, the average number of wage-earners and the value of the product : persons engaged in the industry; the product was 163,462,000lb. valued at $1,672,200.
Minerals.—During the first half of the 19th century North Carolina was a mining State of the first importance, but in it ranked 38th among the States of the Union. The total value of the mineral products of the State, in the latter year, was 306 or -18% of the total for the United States. The principal minerals produced, ranked according to value, were stone ($1,831,351), clay products ($1,242,857), crude feldspar ($465, 214), sand and gravel ($225,588), talc ($165,523), mica ($98,17o), gold ($17,779), coal ($9,000), miscellaneous In 5934, North Carolina's output of crude feldspar constituted 51% of the total quantity and 55% of the total value of that mineral produced in the United States. Feldspar was produced chiefly Gaston county, with the industry centred chiefly at Gastonia and Belmont, was the leading textile producing county in the United States in 1933. Other important textile producing counties of North Carolina were Alamance, Cleveland and Mecklenburg. Nearly 50% of the tobacco factories were situated in the city of Winston-Salem and over 8o% of the total value of the yearly output was reported from that city. Others in which the industry flourished were Durham, Greensboro, Reidsville and Statesville. The chief centre of the furniture industry was High Point in Guilford county. Other centres of importance were Winston Salem, Thomasville, Hickory, Lexington, Mount Airy, Salisbury and Lenoir.
Transportation.—Railway building was begun in the State in 1836 with the Raleigh and Gaston line, opened from Raleigh to Gaston in 1844 and extended to Weldon in 1852. The steam railway mileage in 1934 was 4,902 as compared with in in 1925. The eight electric railway companies in the State in 5932 had a total of 19om. of track, of which the most part was main line. Since 1920 great progress has been made in developing a great system of highways. The State highway system on Jan. 1, 1935, had a mileage of 10,330; of this total 9,446m. were surfaced. During 1934, 692m. of new surfacing were placed. The total high way expenditures made by or under the direction of the State department amount to over $20,000,000 annually. There were,
in Aug. 1932, according to the State corporation commission, 8o passenger bus lines operating on 1,418m. of road and carrying 2,881 passengers for a total revenue of $176,000. The total motor vehicle registration for 1935 was estimated at 456,152. Wilming ton, the deep-water port, had in 1934 a water-borne trade of 965,000 tons received and 57,000 tons of shipments.
History.—The history of North Carolina may be divided into four main periods : the period of discovery and early colonization (152o-1663) ; the period of proprietary rule (1663-1729) ; the period of royal rule (1729-76); and the period of Statehood (from 1776).
It is possible that some of the early French and Spanish ex plorers visited the coast of North Carolina, but no serious attempt was made by Europeans to establish a settlement until near the close of the 16th century. After receiving from Queen Elizabeth a patent for colonization in the New World, Sir Walter Raleigh, in April 1584, sent Philip Amadas, or Amidas (1550 1618), and Arthur Barlowe (c. 1550–c. 1620) to discover in the region bordering on Florida a suitable site for a colony. They returned in September with a glowing account of what is now the coast of North Carolina, and on April 9, 1585, a colony of about 108 men under Ralph Lane (c. 1530-1603) sailed from Plymouth in a fleet of seven small vessels commanded by Sir Richard Grenville. The colony was established at the north end of Roanoke island on Aug. 17 and about a week later Grenville returned to England. Threatened with famine and with destruc tion from hostile Indians, the entire colony left for England June 19, 1586, on Sir Francis Drake's fleet. Only a few days after their departure Sir Richard Grenville arrived with supplies and more colonists, 15 of whom remained when he sailed away. Although greatly disappointed at the return of the first colony, Raleigh despatched another company, consisting of 121 persons under John White, with instructions to remove the plantation to the shore of Chesapeake bay. They arrived at Roanoke island July 22, 1587, and were forced to remain there by the refusal of the sailors to carry them farther. Of the 15 persons left by Grenville not one was found alive. White's granddaughter, Vir ginia Dare (b. Aug. 18, 1587), was the first English child born in America. White soon returned to England for supplies, and having been detained there until 1590 he found upon his return no trace of the colony except the word "Croatan" carved on a tree; hence the colony was thought to have gone away with friendly Indians.