THIRD NEWSIEST WEEKLY PAPER IN THE STATE A PAPER WORTH WHILE BEST ADVERTISING MEDIUM IN EASTERN CAROLINA
Volume XIII. Eight Pages Ahoskie, North Carolina, Friday, January 19, 1923 One Section No. 37
? ? 1 ==sr=i ' ' ? ? -
SHERIFF WILL NOT
BE TAXCOLLECTOR
Representative Lawrence Will
Not Attempt Any Change In
Method Of Collection
VOTERS TO ELECT
THEIR CANDIDATES
? f
There will be no change in the
method of tax collection |n Hertford
County The request made by the
commissioners that Representative
Lawrence enact legislation transfer
ring the duties of tax collecting to the
sheriff, and ^abolishing the six tax
Collectors in the eounty will not be
favorably considered by the legisla
tor.
Mr. Lawrence in a communication
to the HERALD says he will attempt
no change in the manner of collecting
taxes. However, he adds further that
he will provide for election of the tax
collectors in each township by the
voters of the township.
His letter to this paper says: "The
questional rrea that I mailed out over
whelmingly settled two things, viz:
(1) that the people wish to have taxes
collected by a collector in each town
ship, and (2) that they desire these
collectors elected by the people. I
shall endaevor to follow these in
?trnrtinnt."
For several years the tax collectors
have been elected by the voters is
their respective townships, until last
year when they were appointed by
the commissioners, petitions were
presented for appointment at that
time, and there was apparent dissat
isfaction at the petition method. The
habit of signing petitions is so strong
with some of the voters that they per
sisted in signing petitions for every
aspirant that comes along, and it was
this practice that made the selection
by petition a rather hazardous job for
the commissioner. ? - '
Usually there is little interest in
elections in the county, and the select
ion of tax collectors was about the
only job that created any interest in
the primary, nomination being equiv
alent to election. With the return to
election of collectors the interest in
bl-ennial primaries in the county will
be heightened.
The action nf the commissioners in
requesting ths county legislator to
jnake a change in the system of col
lecting taxe." had begun to warm up
the discussion on the probable candi
dates for sheriff at the next election.
The present incumbent had it all fig
ured out that the job of being sheriff
would have been a liability rather
than asset. The cost of securing an
official bond, large enough to cover
the collection of taxes, the paying of
. a deputy to assist in collecting taxes,
and the upkeep of automobiles for the
sheriff and his deputy would have
eaten up all of the $8,500 salary,
Scull thought
AHOSKIE CHAMBER
WITHOUT SECRETARY
Chaster O. Harris, who has
served as secretary of the Ahos
kie Chamber of Commerce for
the past ten weeks, has resigned
Hit position. At a special meet
ing of the board of directors held
in the Farmers-Atlantic Bank
building last Monday night, ac
tion was taken that left the or
ganisation here without the ear
vices of a working secretary.
. Plans will immediately go for
ward for securing another man
to take over the work here. There
are several projects now in pro
cess of development that need
some sort of dynamic force be
hind them to make things move.
The work of the organisation will
not admit of inaction, and
strings are out now for a suc
cessor to Mr. Harris.
The retiring secretary was a
bundle of eneig/, and knew the
business of putting "pep" into
the organisation. He worked
hard while here, and made many
friends who regret his departure.
He and Mrs. Harris left here
Wednesday afternoon.
BREAKS WATER FOUNTAIN
The spigot to the public water foun
tain on Railroad street was again
wrecked last Monday morning. A
wagon "tongue" did the damage.
Water spouted ou at a free clip far
about an hour, sprinkling the .street
OBSERVATION WORK IN
GROUP CENTER SCHOOLS
Large Per Cent Of Hertford
County Teachers Are Taking
Interest In Work
??
The schools of Hertford county
have been divided into six groups
with the following schools as group
centers?Ahoskie, Harrellsville, Co
mo, Murfreesboro, Menola and Win
ton. These group center schools
have been selected with reference:
(a) to their accessibility to the teach
ers who are to meet there for their,
group meetings; (b) to the number
of teachers that is to constitute the
group, and (c) to the possibilities of
that particular school becoming an
absorption center of the surrounding
schools. All the teachers of the group
are expected to observe the work of
the group center school two days
during the school term.
We have had group meetings at
each group center school. The visit
ing teachers assembled with the
teachers and pupils of Hie group cen
ter school at 8:45 and enjoyed the
opening exercises. Then model les
sons in first grade reading, fourth
grade reading, arithmetic, history and
geography were observed. Teachers
and pupils are certainly to be con
gratulated for the splendid way this
work was presented. In the after
noon we bad discussions of the work
observed in thp morning and the
Teachers' Reading Circle lessons.
On account of the school work in
Murfreesboro being done in three
boildings in different parts of town
the observation work of the morning
was omitted but every teacher in the
group met promptly in the afternoon
and had quite a helpful discussion of
school problems and the Reading Cir
cle lesson. We are looking forward
to the spring when we can observe the
work of this school in the new school
building. %
Only five of the seventy-two teach
ers in the county were absent from
these meetings. We need the help of
each teacher in the group to make
this day a success and hope we will
have 100 per cent of the teachers
present at our next series of meet
ings. MARY WILLIAMS,
Rural Supervisor.
COOPERATIVE WARE
HOUSE WILL CLOSE
DHpilt lncrwMi In Tobacco Pro
duction, Prices Mora Shown Ad
vance For 1922 Crop
Announcement U made from the
readquartera office at Raleigh that
the Tobacco Growera Cooperative
Association warehouse at Ahoskie will
close its doors to the reception of
tobacco of the 1922 crop, Friday,
Feb. 2. This market will close down
at the same time manv of the other
smaller eastern Carolina markets are
scheduled to cease operation.
The director* of the association are
urging all of the members of the
Association to make deliveries before
that time. Members have had much
longer time in which to sell their
tobacco at Ahoskie than did the farm
ers who sold on the auction floors
here. The open market at Ahoalde
closed in November.
More than f27,000.000 increase in
the value of the North Carolina crop
is due chief)y to cooperative market
ing, according to George A. Norwood
of Goldsboro, president of the Tobac
co Growers Cooperative Association.
' President Norwood while in Ral
eigh recently pointed out that in spite
of the enormous increase of 54,000,
000 pounds in this year's state produc
1 tion tobacco has risen in price. Prac
tically every other farm crop except
the two great organised crops of cot
ton and tobacco have shown decided
slumps in price wherever a surplus
was dumped upon the market this
year, according to the latest bulletin
of the North Carolina Crop Reporting
Service.
MR WOOTEN IMPROVING
Mr. E. M. Woo ten. Ahoslde's popu
lar hotel man, is showing signs of
rapid improvement, after andergoing
an operation at St. Vincents Hospital,
Norfolk. The operation was perform
ed last week. He hopes to be able
Lo return to Ahoskie within another
week. Many of his friends have paid
him visits while in the hospital.
*
BANK OF AHOSKIE
RASA GOODYEAR
Stockholders Failed To Settle
On Question Of Building A
New Home
OLD DIRECTORS AND
OFFICERS ELECTED
In their annual stockholders meet
ing held in the Woodmen Hall last
Friday, owners of stock in the Bank
of Ahoskie heard the report of the
1022 business of the institution. Fig
ares produced at the meeting showed
last year to have been the most
profitable during the last three years.
There has been steady growth within
the year, and the transactions have
been of a stable, safe and sane na
ture, with little or no speculative
tendencies.
For the first time in two years,
the Bank of Ahoskie declared a divi
dend of 4 8-10 per cent Cashier
James I Crawford has been busy this
week mailing the dividenf^hecks to
the stockholders. This is the six
teenth dividend declared by this bank
ing institution, which is Ahoskie's
oldest bank. For several years it was
the town's only banking home.
Definite action on building a new
home for the bank has been deferred
for a future meeting, to be called at
the instance of the directors. The
building proposition eras debated in
the meeting, and sentiment for im
mediate action eras divided among the
stockholders present, although there
seemed to be.a majority for the erect
ion of a more modern home for the
bank. The stockholders voted to del
egate the directors with the power to
secure, plana and specifications for a
new building, and, when all arrange
ments were made, to call a special
meeting of the stockholders to finally
pass upon the building program.
The bank is now housed in the same
building in which it has transacted
business since 1905, when H was first
established. It has long ago out
grown its quarters, and hah seen prac
tically all other business houses of its
day torn down to give way for larger
and more commodious buildings.
There was no change made in the
personnel of the directors or the offi
cers of the bank. The officers of the
bank, who were unanimously re
elected, are: President, C. C. Hog
gard; Vice-Prer.ident, Luther S. Sav
age; Cashier, James I. Crawford;
Assistant Cashier, Paul E. Dukes.
The following men comprise the
board of Directors; C. C. Hoggard, L.
S. Savage, A. M. Browne, T. W.
Sears, H. J. Browne, C. A. Perry, Dr.
J. B. Ruffin, W. L. Curtis, J. A. Wil
liams, J. R. Garrett, J. N. Vann, J. A.
Cope land, J. E. R. Perry, M. L. Ray
ner, W. A. Thomas, P. L. Rayner, A.
S. Wiggins, Benjiman Brown, H. 0.
Rayner, H. S. Basnight, D. R. Evans, j
COTTON YIELD WAS
LARGER LAST YEAR
Ciotton farmers in this county have
reaped a much larger harvest from
the 1922 crop than from the crop of
1921, according to reports of-cotton
ginned np to January 1. In 1922,
there were 4,790 bales of cotton gin-'
ned in Hertford County as against
3,817 bales ginned frfim the crop of
the previous year.
The increase is proportionately
larger than that of either Bertie or
Gates counties, although in both of
these there was a larger yield in 1922
than there was in 1921. The figures
are: Bertie, 14,985 in 1922, 18,088
in 1921; Gates, 4,086 in 1922, 3,998'
in 1921. Northampton county shows
the largest increase of either of thej
four counties. In 1922, 22,404 bales j
of cotton word ginned in that county'
prior to January 1, 1923; in 1921,
18,223 bales were ginned.
With the staple product now selling
at the highest figure in many months,
farmers who have not sold, merchants \
who have cotton on storage in thej
cotton centers, and speculators whoi
bought at lower figures wjjl reap a!
nice profit out of the 1922 erop. I
Prices have been advancing for sev
eral days, and the Norfolk market is
now ranging around twenty-eight
cents per pound.
Miss Mary Williams, County Sup
ervisor, spent Tuesday in Ahoskie.
She was an observer in the local
school during the day.
FIRE DAMAGES STOCK OF
GOODS TUESDAY NIGHT
Army & Navy Sale* Store Suf
fer* Low Of $2,000 Or
$3,000; Had Insurance
-? v a'
Damage to atock estimated at from
$2,000 to $3,000 waa caused by a
fire in the Army A Navy Sales Store
at Ahoakie Tuesday night between
10 :80 and 11:30 o'clock. Practically
all the atock of men's and boy'a suits,
and a large number of shoes were
completely destroyed, and all of the
other* stock of men's furnishings was
glutted with water.
Thf smell of smoke was the first
indication of a fire. Mr. J. A. Cope
land, who operates a store two fronts
distant on the same street, had been
trying for some time to locate the fire
but it was left to two or three young
men walking down the street to find
out the exact spot Smelling smoke
while Walking down the sidewalk, they
began an investigation, and soon saw
a blase in the rear of the Army A
Navy store.
An alarm was sent up to Copeland's
Drug store, and several lusty throats
fcegan yelling.fire, as they hurried
to the little house in which the fire
hose was stored. Anoth'er gave the
alarm to the light plant, and the fire
whistle sounded for several minutes.
Volunteer firemen handling the
water hose broke into the front dpor,
and played a stream of water upon
the burning clothing in the rear, soon
smothering the flames. A heavy
smokq continued to be emitted from
the front door, and it required
another thorough application of water
to squelch the smouldering fire. No
damage was done to the building,
which'has been the scene of two fires
within the past three years. Only the
front glass door was shattered.
Mr.< Samuel Bord of Portsmouth,
proprietor of the store, says he car
ried a stock valued at $9,000, and had
insurance to the amount of $5,000.
The fire is thought to have started
from the stove or flue, which is in
the rear of the building.
*? m
* LOCAL MARINE ON *
BATTLESHIP MARYLAND
? ~"?
* Washington, Jan. 18,?Start- *
* ing on a period ofc sea doty with *
* the prospect of visiting strange *
* ports in distant lands, Howard *
* Talmage, brother of Mr. Clar- *
* ence E. Phelps of Ahoskie, is now *
* a member of the. U. S- Marines *
* guard on the U. S. S. Maryland, *
* the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet. *
* .The official records at Marine *
* Corps Headquarters here show *
* that he is attached to that vessel.' *
* Phelps joined thd Marines at *
* Norfolk, Va., June 7, 1922, and *
* for several months was stationed *
* at Quanticoi Va. Later he was *
* assigned to duty on the U. S. S. *
* Maryland. Marines on battle- *
* ships perform guard duties, and *
* trained to man the secondary *
* batteries and antiaircraft guns. *
* When landing operations are nec- *
* essary they are first ashore when *
* trouble threatens. *
* The U. S. S. Maryland was *
* recently reported riding at an- ?
* chor in the navy yard at New ?
?. York City, bat it is'expected the ?
* vessel Will soon leave for the *
* West Indies, where it is custom- ?
* ary for most of the Atlantic *
* Fleet to go each winter for target ?
* practice. Doubtless the local ?
* marine will have many interest- ?
* ing experiences to recount of his *
* life on a battleship when he re- *
* turns home. *
* o ????>?*? ? e
GONE TO OKLAHOMA
Mr. Claude Greene left here Tues
day afternoon for Muskogee, Okla
homa. He was accompanied by Mr.
Otis Modlin of this city. They will
spend six or seren weeks there before
returning tb Ahoskie.
ATTENDING GRAND LODGE
Among those from Ahoskie and sur
rounding territory who are attending
the annual meeting of the Nferth Car
olina Grand Lodge of Mnpons at Ral
eigh this'week are: Messrs. L. C. Wil
liams, Herbert Copeland, J. R. Gar
rett, Lea Sessoms of Powellsville.
and B. Scull of Harrollsvile. Mr
Williams will also spend a few day
at Ma old home in Alamance County
before returning to Ahoskie.
Hertford Representative
Gives Summary Of Bills
HIGHWAY AND SHIPPING
BILLS ARE INTRODUCED
Representative Laurence Has
Been Named On House Edu
cation Committee
Stat* legislators at Raleigh have
been marking time for several days,
adjourning in honor of J. Bryan
Grimes, former Secretary of State,
and later cutting the sessions short
in order that members might spend
the week-end at their homes. How
ever, beginning Tuesday the lawmak
ers have gone to work in earnest, and
many minor bills have already been
passed, while others are being speed
ed along the regular channels.
The mere important state-wide
bills, including the Governor's ship
ping line bill, new road act apptopra
ting $16,000,000 additional for state
highwayi, and the bill to create six
additional judicial districts in the
State are now in the committee
rooms, and will probably stay there
for several days before coming on the
floor of either the House or Senate.
Although opposition has sprung up
against the bill introduced in the
legislature and designed to unmask
the Ku Klux Klansmen, the commit
tee handling this bill has reported it
favorably, and will probably be de
bated on the floor of the House, Rep
resentative Burgwyn of Northampton
will report the bill for the committee.
Among the familiar bills that have
been'introduced and are now in the
hands of the committees are those
providing for election by the people
of county boards of education, repeal
of the exemptions placed on corporat
ion stock. Another bill introduced
this week would require every candi
date for marriage to file with the Reg
ister of Deeds a.notice 16 days in
advance of the intended marriage
showing that marriage was scheduled.
Among the early bills that have re
ceived adverse reports from the com
mittee rooms are : bill to abolish capi
tal punishment, resolution to inves
tigate department of printing and
labor, and resolution calling up^n
Congress to accept Henry Ford's Mus
cle Shoals proposition.
Other new bills introduced of state
wide interdR include one by Repre
sentative Fountain of Edgecombe
providing for a training school for
incorrigible boys to be located in
eastern North Carolina; a bill to re
move judges from the primary; bill
to furnish textbooks to children at
cos; to create pardon board; bill de
signed to change date of state pri
mary from June - to August; and
another to pay National Guardsmen
an amount equal to that now paid by
the federal government.
Two more legislative investigations
are also scheduled for this week or
some time during the present session.
Representative Broughton of Wake
County has intimated that he will ask
for a thorough investigation of the
affairs of the State Sanitorium. Ashe
ville persons are also calling for an
investigation of the methods and prac
tices of the State Geological and
Economic Survey headed by Colonel
Joseph Hyde Pratt
Representative Lawrence of Hert
ford County has introduced only one
new piece of legislation during the
week. It was a bill introduced by
request and providing that woman's
unsupported testimony in seduction
case* be sufficient for conviction. The
bill did not get a single vote in the
committee room and will not reach the
floor of the house. Representative
Lawrence, Pro den of Chowan, Nowell
of Bertie, and Simpson of Currituck
have introduced jointly a bill to reg
ulate Ashing in Currituck sound and
river. ,
Mr. Lawrence has also been added
to the committee on Education by
Speaker Dawson of the House.
NEW METHODIST PREACHER
Rev. J. M. Bryant arrived last week
and took charge of the work on Ahoa
kie Circuit. He preached last Sunday
morning and night at the Methodist
church and in the afternoon at the
Methodist church in Powellsville. He
cornea to this charge from South Car
olina. He is extended the glad hand.
Several Of Bills Are Of .State
wide Interest, And Indicate
Aggressiveness Of Local
Legislator
Working On Local Measures
Would Require All Vehicles To
Stop At Railroad Crossings
In The State
Responding to inquiries from the
HERALD Hon. Lloyd J. Lawrence,
representative from Hertford County,
has issued the following summary of
bills which he has introduced into the
present session of the General Assem
bly. The bill dissolving the Chowan
Motor Company has passed final
reading, and is now effective. Other
bils introduced by him are still bef ore
the House.
Several of the proposed legislative
acts are of state-wide importance and,
whether passed or not, indicates' the
aggressiveness of Hertford County's
representative. He began early in
the session to get his bills before the
legislature. Other bills affecting
local affairs will be worked out by him
and introduced some time during the
session.
On account of illness Mr. Lawrence
has not been able to handle his duties
with the despatch usually shown by
him. He has been a vtctom of in
fluenza, but during the past few days,
he has been improving. He is now
expecting to redouble his efforts in
the lawmaking body.
The following is the summary of
bills, as written out by Mr. Law
rence, with comments upon each one:
House Bill No. 8; To Amend The
Banking Laws
This bill requires banks not only to
report to the corporation commission
RepersenUtive Lawrence CONTINUE
the amount of loans carried by the
bank to its officers and employees,
but also requires a publication of
amount of loans (1st) to its officers,
and (2nd) to its employees.
This bill has the approval of the
corporation commission.
House Bill No. 9t To require motor
vehicles to come to a full stop be
fore passing over railroad
rights of ways
The title of this bill explains itself.
It is intended to save human life.
House Bill No. 10: To regulate
Trdvel by ferries
The bill requires the owners or
operators of all ferries to equip the
same with detaohable chains, and to
have the same in use when a car ap
proaches upon a ferry, and attached
at each end after the voyage is com
menced until completed.
It leaves to the several boards of
county commissioners, in every
county in which a ferry is operated,
to fix upon a standard size chain for
such use.
This bill is also intended to save
human life.
House Resolution No. 17: To memor
ialise Congress to propose an 9
' amendment to the U. S. Consti
tution, requiring a veto of
the people on all proposed
changes in the constitu
tion
? n. ....
ine purpose 01 tms measure is ex
plained in the title, and is simply an
effort to bring the government closer
to the people. <
House Bill N. 84: To validate certain
aets of Paul S. Jordan, a
Notary Public
Mr. Jordan is assistant cashier of
the Merchant A Farmers Bank. He
is also a notary public, and in that
capacity took some acknowledgments
on papers in which the bank had an
interest.
An officer of a bank is not permitt
ed to do this, and the bill is intended
to cure the defect.
House Bill No. SS: To dissolve
Chowan Motor Company
The Company went out of business
in 1918. It has since had no corpor
ate property, and yet each year, the
corporation commission and the in
terstate commerce commission asks
for a report.
The purpose of the bill is to wipe
the corporate name of the company
out of existence, so that it may not
be yearly annoyed with the request
Concluded on page two