PAGE FOUR
CHATHAM RECORD
O. J. PETERSON
Editor and Publisher
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE:
One Year $1.50
Six Months 75
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1929
Bible Thought and Prayer
•• •" i ■ ■«»- -* 1 • •' 1 ‘tt
1! BEGIN THE DAY RIGHT—
Cause me to hear Thy loving kind-
" ness in the morning; for In Thee
‘ do I trust; cause me to know the'’
« way wherein I should walk; for,
' 1 lift-up my soul unto Thee. —Ps. |
143:8.
;; PRAYER Gracious God. so;
• cleanse us by Thy Spirit that every ,
], morning we may behold Thy face ;
with Thy righteousness.
— «
Chatham has apparently made
about five-twelfths of a fair
cotton crop and about a third
of a fine crop.
o
This Is a year when courage
and caution combined will be
demanded. The law of aver
ages is in favor of a fine crop
year. There should be one good
one in seven. Y’et it may not
come, and it will not do to
count the chickens before they
are hatched. However, it is
important that a fine setting of
eggs be prepared. People will
simply have to live hard and
work hard; cut expenses, but
not in vital matters. Land
should be well prepared and
plenty of fertilizer used. But
The Record wishes to suggest
again, in time this ,7fl ar, that
the poorer land be useu "or
cotton, and enough nitrate of
soda used to keep the cotton
growing till September 1, and
no more, if one can gauge the
amount. Thfs ViT leave the
better land to be 'planted in
crops that are sir e. Poor land
treated as suggested, we be
lieve, will make as much cot
ton as the riches ;iand when
boll weevil prevail. As for The
Record, it will try to survive
’and £eep aheae game
•by saving when possible. We
shall always undertake to give
the county news and a liberal
editorial section, but when bus
iness does not justify a full-size
paper, we shall cut the size and
thus .save the few dollars that
we fail to make. If everybody
paid subscriptions promptly, a
shortage in advertising would
not mean a loss to the paper,
but we have to take things as
we know them to be.
v ■<♦>
The Christmas trade at Pitts
boro was exceedingly good,
better than this writer had:
ever seen it. lhe up-to-date j
groceries and the live advert is- 1
Jng by them account for the j
improvement in a great meas- 1
ure, we are sure*
sive Grocery, Poe and Moore, i
and the Cut-Rate Grocery, the j
firms that told the people what j
they had and how cheaply they ;
were selling it, did record
breaking businesses. The other
stores, doubtless, got part of
the benefit of their advertising.
As we have said, Pittsboro can
become the trade center of a;
population of 15,000 to 20,000 j
people if the merchants will j
carry the goods at the right
prices and then tell the people |
about it. People are trading
here now who were not seen
in Pittsboro stores a year ago. I
But to reap the full benefit, no |
picayunishness should govern
the advertising policy of our
merchants. The Record goes to
every community in Chatham
county. It does not go to every
home, but does not have to do
#o to get the news abroad. For
instance Poe and Moore sold
salt to a colored man from over
in th« Merry Oaks section be
cause he had seen the salt
bought by a neighbor and heard
-the pirice frorri him. The Rec
ord wants-to help build up
Pittsboro as the trading center
of th| county but-it-needs the
xo-operation: of every merchant
is the towhT seen
tare Tuesday of
Week,jj&en everybody was
ikgitnfht te JC %e~“brcrke,” indi
0
voic« is mj
The editor of the Record con
| gratulates his friend Harrison
Fisher of Clinton upon his ap
I pointment as attorney for the
I eastern district. When we re
turned, twelve years and a half
ago, to Clinton from Louisiana
we found this young man who
had grown up in our absence
a young lawyer who had al
i ready served Sampson county
in the legislature. Later he was
elected senator. We learned to
know and respect him, and
that he has a similar feeling
for this editor is evidenced by
the fact that he is a subscriber
to this paper—for the sake of
the editorials, he kindly says.
Fisher is one of the cleanest
and safest men we know, and
he succeeds a good man. It is
interesting to note in this con
nection that E. L. Gavin, attor
ney for the middle district, was
also a young practicing attor
ney at Roseboro in the same
county of Sampson in 1917. He
soon afterwards removed to
Sanford, where he made rapid
advancement. These two Samp
son boys may be guaranteed to
watch carefully the interest of
the government in their respon
sible positions.
<*>
Our friend, Ike London, in
his paper, asserts that a wise
administration of Democratic
affairs will not drive any one
from the Democratic party, and
looks askance at the proposed
opposition to Senator Simmons.
But that is saying that the
Senator’s own administration of
party affairs for which he re
ceived a reward of thirty years
in the senate was not a wise
one, and we consent. The Rec
ord has unhesitatingly stated
that Mr. Simmons w T as the au
thor of fusion and confusion in
North Carolina. It was he who
had the final say in the dis
franchisement of the majority
of white men in Sampson coun
ty, for instance, unless they
should do as they did, form a
new party organization. The
less said by the partisans of
the Senator about opposition to
his candidacy for the senate
driving people from the party,
the better for his cause. His
record has been writ in big let
ters. The writer knows that
period by heart, and has aver
red, and avers now, that Mr.
Simmons was rewarded for
putting out the fire started by
himself! Thirty years is mani
festly a sufficient reward for
that service.
«
CHRISTMAS AT HOME
Much comment has been
made by state papers about the j
fact that more people spent the I
past Christmas quietly at home 1
than has been the custom for!
several years. Os course, there 1
was a lot of visiting; Christmas
is always an occasion for farn-j
ily gatherings and reunions. J
But there was in evidence this;
year more disposition on parti
of folks just to stay at home!
and spend the day with the J
family. Those who found it
necessary to be on the high
ways observed much lighter!
traffic than they had antici- j
pated and fewer accidents were \
reported than had been ex-:
pected. In fact, most of the!
accidents of the Christmas sea- j
son occurred Sunday and Sun-!
day night before when the sleet;
and frozen pavement made
driving hazardous. This is a
(restless age; folks are always
hurrying somewhere or coming
I back. It is a fine thing if the
spirit of peace that is supposed
to pervade the eatth at Christ
| mastime has been effective
| enough this year to keep folks
contented at home.
<s>
WHAT OF 1930?
(From The Hamlet News-Messenger)
The end of the year affords
good opportunity for retrospec
tion, for the studying of ex
periences through which we
have come and assimilation of
some of the lessons that are
contained in them. Likewise
the beginning of another year
1 is the proper time for prospect
‘ and plans. No . sensible man
‘ will undertake to build a house
t without some sekt of blue print
i or plaos to gp; |>y; no traveler
l will set ottty journey for
* some particular destination
- without first Charting his
l: course. x So yno man or firm
- should begin a new year’s busi
ness without ; some objective
| and seme sort of chart to sol
s | low toward the" end desired:
»Conditions are changing so rap*
, lldiy that many details must he
[omitted from "the chart, and
THE (’ HATH A JVI REt-UKy, rll I sJjUSnI.' I' - L.
others must be modified from
time to time.
Looking back over the year
just closed and the two or three
that preceded it one may dis
cern certain tendencies in busi
ness that ought to help in plan
ning for the future. There is a
fundamental economic law
which revolves around a con
dition variously known as the
“point of diminishing returns,”
“the saturation point,” and the
“peak of the market.” All
these terms mean practically
the same thing.
The years 1927 and 1928
were peak years for automobile
production. Economists pre
dicted that the saturation point
would soon be reached. The
past year proved them right;
more automobile concerns fail
ed last year than for many
years past. For 1930 manu
facturers of all the higher
priced cars expect considerable
curtailment in production and
sales. The peak has been
passed.
The years 1926 and 1927
were the peak years for long
term real estate loan business
es. Along with this, and to
some extent allied with it, in
surance business was good. The
amortization over long periods
of time of real estate indebted
ness, had a marked influence
upon the development of de
ferred payment plan purchases
in many lines—particularly au
tomobiles, radio and furniture.
The result of this is that almost
every home owes more than it
can immediately pay; and as
much as it can ever pay unless
employment conditions im
prove. And there is little pros
pect of the employment situa
tion improving unless the man
ufacturers can sell more of
their product. Thus is develop
ed another vicious circle, and
another saturation point in de
ferred payment sales in almost
all lines.
This situation, unpleasant as
it is to contemplate, still has
much encouragement. There
can be no doubt of the fact
that the deferred payment plan
has raised the standard of liv
ing, has made possible com
forts and luxuries to the mid
dle classes that otherwise they
could not have hoped for, and
has made possible the pur
chases and furnishing of homes
by many who otherwise would
have continued as tenants.
Neither can there be any doubt
about the fact that the. system
has been abused and stretched
beyond its point of service and
so has enslaved with debt many
families that otherwise would
have been independent. Per- 5
haps its most disastrous infiu- ;
ence has been to make many
people regard debt lightly, and
so has softened the moral fibre
of the race. So it is a good
thing that the turning point ap
parently has beer, reached, and
there will probably be less of
that kind of business this year.
Perhaps the policy of re
trenchment will not reach so
far as to keep many families
from buying an automobile or
a radio or needed furmture;
but almost surely it will influ
ence many to drive the old car
a year longer, to put up with
a radio that hasn’t quite all of
; the latest dew-dads on it, and
to revarnish the old chair and
bedstead rather than buy new
ones. If this prediction is true
the dealers in some of these
lines, who have been living in
affluence, will likely not pros
per so well this year; but to
offse that the grocers and deal
ers in necessary clothing _will
I have their inning and will nnd
collections better.
Speaking of grocers and
clothing folks collecting ac
counts calls to mind a lesson
that they should learri from the
experiences of the past few 7
years. rCedit is a commodity
of incalculable value, but it has
been debauched so that both
the creditor and the debtor
treat it with contempt. The
: successful business is that which
i buys and sells for cash all com
• modifies that will be consumed
:j or., dissipated jriapidly in use,
l and sells for credit .only those
r commodities which in ordinary
t use will maintain theirj£aiu_e
• and stand as security for {lie
r purchase price. ;
ki;! * Automobiles, f d#t*ftii.r¥ jlfaM
radios will still be aold on ; the
i .installment pian-^^i»i^hot
- bo extensively and
X tie isvestifjiiicm of tlto pur
- chaser’s ability to pay—be
r cause a purchase money ntort
- gage can lie against them. But
5 the tendency is to get away
l from selling eatables and other
merchandise that is consumed
or dissipated, except for cash.
The conditions above dis
cussed are general, applying to
Hamlet as well as to almost
every community in the coun
try. There are certain purely
local conditions that call for
consideration. One hears re
peatedly that there is no money
in Hamlet, that everybody is
broke. Truth of the matter is,
there is plenty of money herq.
It w 7 ould surprise many people
to know where it is. The folks
w 7 ho have lived high and kept
up the appearance of reason
able wealth are not in as good
shape as they used to be and
they are talking hard times.
But there is another element,
folks who have always lived
close, who even in good times
talked poor, and they still talk
that way, but stuck around in
unsuspected places they have
money. There are people in
Hamlet right now borrowing
money from men who have
never earned as much as the
borrower. But (there is nearly
always a “but” to spoil the pic
ture) it is also true that the
folks whohave a little money
now are those who have never
done anything for their com
munity, have never invested in
any community-developing in
dustry, have not added any
thing to taxable values or sup
ported the social, educational
and religious institutions; and
now that the men w r ho have
generously supported the things
that made Hamlet a good town
are in need, they take advan
tage of their condition to fur
ther enrich themselves. That’s
why money seems scarce; that’s
why it is hard to promote any
thing for community improve
ment, soci*al or industrial. The
task of the rest of us who
haven’t any money is to try to ■
educate these people in the .
duties of citizenship and neigh- j
borliness.. If that can be done ]
money will circulate again and j
times will be good in Hamlet. (
What 1930 holds for Hamlet
depends largely upon the peo
ple of Hamlet themselves. If i
we choose to sit around and
discuss hard times and money
scarcity, we will only intensi
fy the feeling of pessimism
that has too much prevailed. .
If, on the other extreme, we .
stand on the house tops and
yell to all and sundry that
times are good in Hamlet and
that things are as they ought
to be, we will make ourselves
ridiculous and will retard ap
plication of remedies to the real
ills which we suffer. The mid
dle course is the one which ex- .
perience suggests that we
suffer. The middle course is
the one which experience sug
gests that we should follow.
We are bound to recognize
that local business ought to be
better; but we must also go a
little further and see that it
can be made better by our own
efforts. On part of the house
holders there should be more
respect shown to indebtedness,
economy should be practiced in
every detail and accounts paid
up as rapidly as possible "before
any new ones are made. On
part of the merchants they
should be more careful in ex
tending credit, and by making
it harder to obtain they will en
hance its value to the customer.
On part of all of us there ought
to be a spirit of determination
to work, to keep up our end
of the log and to co-operate
with each other in community
building enterprises. This spirit
will make 1930 prosperous and
happy; lack of it will find us
in worse state next year than
we are now.
———<§> —
Land for Taxes
(Greensboro News)
The Chatham Record is visioning
the county in its corporate capacity
as a land owner and suggesting what
may be done with the real estate.:
Under the tax law of 1927, making
foreclosures of tax sales compulsory,
if there are no individual buyers the
county is required to take title to the
land. For its own county of Chat
ham the Record is suggesting that
the lands be cultivated under the su
pervision of the county agent , and
county home superintendent, pyobab
; ly as demonstration plots , for field
crops, pasturage and timber grow
s ing, county convicts being utilized for
| Jthe purpose. Which might‘be wd’ffctfdl
out &o : good effect in some' cohwtiee
i and 'not in others. ' Would depe&ihor
[ the efficiency of the management aiufc
! other conditions. Probably** in mos
t cas<*fe the best • purpose t could be
. served bg offering the land?
lots at cost andmterset, encouraging
' home ownership; and in many' in
■ stances, former owners who couldn’*
Abe «e«ym£s<l their , lands con ft"
h be taken, way ffom VtJwm if they
' didn’t pay faxes, would'phobably btr
r R-tok. * *»• * ->*••*!* «
Bjpt then-It is possible. If fidt prefer
able, that there will be no county
ownership of land to worry about.
Maybe after an actual demonstration, •
seeing that it can be done, land own
ers will hereafter make it a point to
pay taxes -without waiting for costs
to be taxed that double or treble the
amount, which provokes a mighty,
wail. Another alternative is that the
legislature "will pass a law providing
in effect that any land owner who
makes oath that he is unable to pay
taxes on his real estate may go tax
free. In some oLthe counties the law
yers are resoluting or otherwise call
ing on the county commissioners to
nullify the tax la-ws of 1927 by stop
ping the foreclosure proceedings.
There is the usual story of hardship
and hard times and the plea to wait
a year. They have already waited
two year, some of them longer. The 1
sole desire of a chronic delinquent is
time-—all the time he wants. Hence
the suggested provision for release,
permanent and" effective, for those
who think they can’t—meanin’ they
don’t want to pay nor try to pay.
The amount of the delinquences can
be added to the tax bill of those who j
pay. That’s the real remedy that’s!
being offered.
NO HEARINGS ON RAIL
MERGERS THIS TERM
Press dispatches from Washington j
quote many other senators and rep-1
resentatives as agreeing with Senator
Overman that there is little likelihood
of congress reaching consideration of
the interstate commerce commission’s
plan for consolidating railroad sys
tems at this term of congress.
— ,
NOTICE OF SALE
By virtue of the power of sale
contained in a certain Deed of Trust
from A. B. Noell and Sadie Noell, his
wife, to the undersigned trustee,'
dated Feb. 16th, 1928, and recorded
in the office of the Register of Deeds
of Chatham County in Book of Mort
gages H. A. Page 765-6, default hav-:
ing been made* in the payment of the
debt secured thereby, and the holder
of the notes thereby secured I will
at % the court house door of Chatham
County, on
Monday, January 27th, 1930,
at 12:00 o’clock noon offer and sell
to the. highest bidder for cash the
following described real property.
Bounded as follows: North by J.
L. Womble, East by L. E. Cole, South .
by R. L. Johnson estate, West by'
B. Nooe, containing 80 acres more or
less. For further description see
Book G. A. Page 68 in the office of
Register of Deeds of Chatham
County. i
This December 26th, 1929.
MARY E. BLAND,
Trustee.
The Best Purgative for
him iit~l
wEo
rMtma9 ~ " Relieves
the congestion, reduces I
complications, hastens recovery.
THE BANK OF PITTSBORO
> PITTSBORO, N. C.
The Oldest Bank in Chatham County
f- 1 V Wishes You
A Happy and Prosperous New Year
A. H. London, President
J. L. Griffin, Cashier.
' 4 ■ *'• • • «.'*•
A Happv and Prosperous New Year
i J " ' .r'l . . •• • -
? THE'BftNK OF MQfcJGptE
v ■» ' >• *ti ' - >-* V ■ "'*’># ' * - ■ ■ •
fe n: o :• £ "Z
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i..• f - Vfcj- l * i« -- :} •.
janmky s, m
each year-.
treat COLDS
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When Vicks
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Today, the whole trend of
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needless “dosing,” and the
demand for Vicks has grown
until it is neces- "f .. —*
sary to again iJOgL
raise the figures *
in the famous /X| I
slogan. There
are now “Over
2 6 Million jaJs ised
Jars Used y«oriy
Yearly." Il l
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