1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 59

THE- TEXAS ALMANAC. 59

tion to the average of the United States,
which is entirely practicable, her -total
population will be more than 9,000,000.
Texas has ample resources -to support a
large additional population. The farm
census of 1925 reported more than 14,000,-
000 aces of pasture land as "plowable."
This means that 14,000,000 acres-of Texas
land are not only suitable for cultivation,
but ready for the plow. In addition, there
are millions of acres of land that, with
some preliminary work, such as clearing
tjmber, could be put in cultivation. Texas
could easily more than double her culti-
vated area. Further, Texas with a dou-
bled cultivated acreage and a manufac-
turing industry commensurate with her
agricultural operations, could easily sup-
port a population of three or four times
the present approximate 5,000,000 inhabi-
tants.
Texas ranks low among the States in
percentage of her population classed as
"urban," that is, according to 1:he United
States Bureau of the Census, population
residing in places of 2,500 or more popu-
lation. However, the tendency in Texas
toward increase in percentage of the pop-
ulation classed as "urban" has been
marked. In 1900 only 17.1 per cent of the
Texas population was urban; in 1910) it
was 24.1 per cent and in 1920 it was 32.4
per cent. The percentage of urban pop-
ulation for the entire United States in
1920 was 51.4 per cent.
The population of Texas is largely na-
tive white. The last census showed 15 9
per cent of the population negro, which
was a decrease from the percentage
shown by the preceding census report.
This negro population lies largely in the
eastern, central and southern parts of the
State. The total foreign-born population
of the State was 360,510, or approximately
7.7 per cent of the population. The total
foreign stock of Texas, that is, those of
foreign birth and foreign-born parentage,
were 805,903, or about 17.3 per cent. Of
the foreign stock population, 49.5 per cent
is composed of Mexicans, 19.7 per cent of
Germans, 8 per cent of Austrians, while
Swedes, English, Russians and Scotch
furnish most of the remaining quota.
The Mexican population of Texas is dis-
tributed largely in the Southwest, cen-
tering around San Antonio and along the
Rio Grande throughout the length of the
border of the State. There is some Mexi-
can population throughout West Texas,
with very little in Northwest Texas, how-
ever, and extending as far east as the
black land belt. The German and Aus-
trian population of the State is found in
largest numbers in the vicinity lying be-
tween Austin, Houston and San Antonio.
Texas is still a very new State from an
economic standpoint. Its population is
largely rural; and its industry is largely
agricultural; development of its mineral
resources began in earnest only fifteen or
twenty years ago. Hence, its chief eco-
nomic problem is its industrial develop-
merit, the development of a more profit-
able agriculture and the development of a
manufacturing business commensurate
with the market and raw material produc-
tion. and labor and fuel resources of the
State.
Manufacturing Industry.
As a matter of fact, the chief economic
concern of Texas today is the develop-
ment of a greater manufacturing industry.
Throughout its history Texas has been de-

voted primarily to the single task of de-
veloping its present $3500,000,000 agricul-
tural industry. The fertile soils of the
State have been the chief resource at-
tracting immigration to -Texas; the
wealth of the State -has been created- pri-
marily by crop and livestock -production
and rise in value of agricultural -lands;
cities and towns have been -built -up pri-
marily to afford the farmers distribution
exactly twice the Texas density of popula-
and banking centers. Texas at :present
produces orly 1.6 per cent of the -manui-
factured products of the United States on
a basis of value, while producing about 7
per cent of the raw material values -and
having 4.4 per cent'of the population.
When Texas manufactured products :are
in proportion to either production of raw
materials, or potential-market within--the
State, its present annual outturn of slight-
ly less than one billion dollars in- manu-
factured products will be more than dou-
bled. The development of a large urban
population is dependent upon -the -growth
of the manufacturing industries to large
extent, and the rapid development of a
paying agricultural industry upon the
millions of broad, fertile acres of unused
land is dependent largely upon the devel-
opment of a larger city population. Of
course, the production of cotton, the prin-
cipal crop of Texas, is not dependent
largely upon near-by markets, but- it has
been shown conclusively that Texas and
the other Southern States can keep the
cotton supply well abreast of demand
without utilizing increased cultivated
acreage. For the expansion of its agri-
cultural industries Texas must look
largely to production of foodstuff crops
and these, while they may depend to
large extent upon distant -markets, always
attain their most profitable status in the
midst of a large urban consuming popu-
lation.
Furthermore, a larger population and a
larger manufacturing industry is neces-
sary to the development of many of
Texas' mineral resources to their fullest
extent. There is practically always a
market for petroleum, coal, silver or gold,
but there are many other mineral com-
modities, possessing less value in propor-
tion to weight and subject to more lim-
ited demand, that will await the indus-
trialization of Texas. For example, Texas
resources for the manufacture of con-
struction materials are varied and inex-
haustible, but their development will to
large extent depend upon the develop-
ment of a Texas demand. Texas iron ores,
utilization of which has been prevented
primarily because of lack of a coal for
making coke, will nevertheless be the
basis of a great industry when the popu-
lation of the State and the growth of in-
dustry creates a sufficient demand. Texas
has inexhaustible supplies of lignite, and
there has been an appreciable develop-
ment of this resource recently, particular-
ly in the erection of power plants at the
source of fuel supply.
Recent Development Rapid.
For many years Texans have realized
that a greater manufacturing industry
was essential to the rapid development of
their State. This development did not
come as rapidly as pioneers expected, but
during recent years there has been excep-
tional advancement -in industrial progress
in Texas as a glance at statistics-on man-
ufacturing on another page Will show.