No matter how vividly printed words are used to attempt to describe the growth of industry in the South; no matter how impressively large the figures used to tell of the progress being made as the score of new industries is totaled each month in Ties, the story of growth gains in meaning as developments are illustrated in this article.
This is a sampling only of what has happened in the first six months of this year to bring new jobs, new incomes, more prosperity along Southern Railway
System lines as the South continues to grow in importance and maintains its record of out-pacing the national rate of growth in almost any business improvement category that can be named.
The plants and warehouses shown have started operations since January
1961 or have been enlarged and added new productive capacity since that time
An entire issue of this magazine would be needed to picture all similar developments -large and small -in the period.
Southern tracks can be seen in many of the pictures. Even where the visible evidence is lacking, Southern is still in the picture because these industries look to us, wholly or in part, to satisfy basic transportation needs.
Photo 1
New plant (its third unit went into service this year, the fourth is under construction) of the Southern Electric Generating Company (SEGCO) at
Wilsonville, Ala. -pictured at right
Photo 2
-is supplied with coal by the company's newly-opened Mine No. 2-above-at
Maylene, Ala. Southern carries the coal from mines to power plant in 10,000ton trainloads.
Photo 3
Boyle Midway, Inc., a division of American Home Products Corp., located its new plant at Chamblee, Ga., near
Atlanta.
Photo 4
Mocha Coffee Company and Southern Tea Company warehouse at Atlanta,
Ga.
1 i
Photo 5
Dillon Supply Company at Charlotte, N. C.
Photo 6
Newest branch pIant of Rutland Fire Clay Company was built along Southern’s main line at Gastoma, N. C.
Photo 7
Spur-track view of Quality Lithograph Division of Riegel Paper Corp., Chamblee,
Ga.
Photo 8
Railroad tracks are a prominent feature in the vast acreage of the Tennessee
River Pulp & Paper Company plant at Counce, Tenn.
Photo 9
New plants under construction-this is the Nopco Chemical Company plant at
Louisville, Ky. are a familiar sight along Southern's lines.
Photo 10
Another chemical plant. This one is at Decatur, Ala., "nd belongs to Minnesota
Mining & Manufacturing Company.
Photo 12
Commercial Bonded Warehouse at Raleigh, N. C., furnished this architect's drawing to show what its new setup will look like.
Photo 11
Union Carbide Corporation's Visking Company Division Plant at Loudon, Tenn.
.
Photo 13
Branch of a company widely served by Southern, this is General Electric Supply
Company at Louisville, Ky.
In many cases Southern participates in the life of a new industry at every stage of its development. Southern plays an important role in attracting many industries to "Look South." It works with them while they are choosing a building site. Southern trains deliver the materials for construction of plants and
warehouses. Southern service is relied upon to bring in raw materials for new and old factories to transport goods to warehouses; to distribute the vast output of the South's new and old –industrial producers.
With its 8,200 miles' of line, a vast fleet of locomotives and freight cars (many of these specially designed to serve shippers' needs most efficiently) with skilled personnel, with a forward-looking and realistic and competitive pricing policy for freight services, the Southern is a true partner in progress for the South as it grows industrially.
Photo 14
Weyerhaeuser Company, Lynchburg, Va.
Photo 17
Dominion Manufacturing Company at Culpeper, Va.
Photo 15
Two new Southern-served plants at Lexington, Ky., are shown in this one: Dixie
Cup Division of American Can Company is in the upper left corner; Square D
Company occupies the rest of the picture.
Photo 16
Neely's Incorporated at Greenville, S. C., specializes in building supplies.
The growth along Southern's lines continued at an excellent rate during the first six months of 1961. Figures for the period are not yet complete but so far Southern has information about concrete plans for 126 new industries, distributing warehouses, and plant expansions. Total investment expenditures will be more than $45 million. New jobs for almost 5,000 people will result.
Photo 18
Thousands of cords of wood ready to be put into production of Novoply particle board at the United States Plywood Corp. plant at South Boston, Va.
Photo 19
Representative of the expanding food industry in the South is Goodnight Bros.,
Inc., wholesale food distributor at Charlotte, N. C.
Photo 20
The picture below of Duke Power Company's Plant Allen at Belmont, N. C., was used in the January issue of Ties to illustrate industrial growth in the Carolinas last year.
Photo 21
Now, look at the picture on the left and count the smokestacks. The fifth turbine unit added 275,000 kw of electric power and made Plant Allen the largest investor-owned electric power plant in the Southeast.
When these announced plans have reached the stage of being productive industries they will contribute further to another very interesting feature of the
South's growth. This is a balanced growth, achieving the industrial goal of diversity. Many types of industry are involved, more are finding homes in the
South.
What these pictures cannot show is that these buildings do more than change the skyline of their respective locations.
They mean more jobs for workers (automobiles parked on the lots of some only begin to tell how many); they put money in the cash registers of local merchants; and they provide both directly and through their employees some of the taxes needed for better schools and other community services. In brief, they contribute to a rise in the living standards of the communities around them.
And photographs can only hint at the pride a community itself can draw from new industry. Behind every decision on the location of a new plant or warehouse is the confidence of its management that the area chosen offers attractive living conditions the kind that will keep workers healthy and happy. Expansion of an industry, aside from the economic reasons for enlarging, proves they have chosen well.
Take a good look at the plants pictured on these pages. They're a sure-fire sign of a region on the move. They mean business for the Southern, both present and potential. The Southern does and will continue to serve them well.