North Carolina Newspapers

PAGE FOUR THE CONCORD TIMES PUBLISHED MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS Entered as second class mail matter at the post office at Concord, N. C. f under the Act of March s, ism J. 8.~ SHERRILL, Editor and Publishe* W. M. SHERRILL, Associate Editor Special Representative: FROST, LANDIS & KOHN New York. Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle r—■— PRICES FOR COTTON AND COT TON GOODS. The Dry Goods Review recently asked Walker D. Hines; president of the Cot ton Textile Institute, Inc., to discuss for publication some phase of his address de livered before cotton manufacturers at the Atlantic City convention. Mr. Hines chose to discuss “Prices ofyjCotton and Prices of Cotton Goods.” declaring: “In my address at Atlantic City, I stat ed that the cotton textile industry seems in recent years to have‘shown an extra ordinary hospitality to abnormally low prices, and that we have seen situations where when the cost of cotton falls the prices for cotton goods fall promptly, and yet when the price of cotton rises, the prices of goods show surprising reluct ance in stepping up with the price °f cotton. v “I believe these observations are strik iftglv emphasized by existing conditions. We have had a very marked increase in :tfc price of cotton in the last few rffonths. There appears to have been nothing like a corresponding increase in the price of cotton goods. “I understand that analysis oi recent prices of cotton and of staple cotton goods will‘show that on account of cotton goods prices going down when cotton goes down and not rising corresponding ly when cotton goes up, the margin to cottr manufacturing £osts and profits is vert nitrch narrower than it was a year ago and that in many Instances present prices show a loss'll the replacement cost of cotton is considered, in cases where a year ago the prevailing price when analy zed on the same basis showed a profit. “The" wav this condition works appears to make it highly probable,” says Mr. Hines, “that cotton textile manufactur ers, under existing methods can hardly hope oil the whole to get back, year in and year out, the average price they pay for cotton plus manufacturing cost and a reasonable profit. When the manufactur er buys cotton cheap and thereafter the price of cotton goes up substaantially, there seems to be a disposition on the part of the manufacturer to be content with the price which is figured on the low price which he paid for his cotton. But it he btivs his cotton at a higher fig ure and the price of cotton goes down, it seems impossible for him to get a price based on what he paid for cotton and in that case he must accept a price which re flects the lower current cost of cotton. Ap parently the prevailing practice works both ways to the disadvantage of the mill and, I believe, to the disadvantage of the general situation. “There seems to be still another phase of this situation which may be illustrated by taking as a starting point the present condition. In the fall it may be found that prices for cotton are on tlie present level, or higher, or are on a substantially lower level. If on the present level, the mills acquiring their new stock of cotton at the higher price wiU feel the impera tive need for getting a substantially high er price for their goods in order to es cape actual loss in manufacture and yet will likely encounter strong resistance to increase prices. On the other hand if the price level for cotton is substantially lower, they are likely to be faced with, strong pressure for a further reduction in the price of cotton goods, although the present price does not reflect the present price of cotton. ** “Os course, there are practical reasons which contribute very largely to this sit uation. Nevertheless, the query contin ually recurs to me as to whether there is not involved here an unfortunate psy chology which unfairly operates against the interests of the mills and distributors and I believe against the interests of the public, in tending to deprive the mills of reasonable opportunity to get back on tthe average their cost of cotton, their manufacturing cost and a moderate prof it.” - GARDNER DISCUSSES TAX. Addressing druggists of the State at their Greensboro meeting O. Max Gard ner set himself right on the question of sales tax for North Carolina. Such a system was denounced by the Shelby man who is . generally recognized as the next gubernatorial candidate in ’North Carolina. Because of his political ambitions and : because otWhe strength lie. enjoys'as a prospective candidate for Governor the; statement of Mr. Gardner relative to tax affecting North Carolina is of a ital importance. Unless there is a big politi cal upset, which is not looked for now, Mi*. Gardner will' be the next Governor of the State and as such will be in posi tion to dominate to a certain extent at least, tax matters. The income tax he lauds as “the most just of all taxes,” and as “fundamentally correct because it is the most difficult of all taxes to pass on to some one else.” The sales tax he brands as “an attempt to make the yoke of government easy and the burden light upon those who bear it with ease, and to place the burden on thoise to whom the yoke of government is heavy and the burden hard.” “The -smiles tax can never be justified, Mr. Gardner declares, “except when we have reasonably exhausted all other sour ces of ability to pay, and it is gratifying to see tht abandonment by the National government of the excise or nuisance tax as a source of public revenue. A general or special sales tax is a preversion of the accepted basis of dquity in taxation. It is a tax on consumption. It is a tax on industry. It is a tax on expenditures. It is a tax on poverty; It is a tax on the mdst careful, the most prudent and ener getic of our people. It ignores the two fundamentals of justice and equity in taxation, namely, net earnings and abil ity to pay. It compels the day laborer in the sphere of his simple life to pay at the same rate as the millionaire with his large business and multiplied thousands.” <’ . » NORTH CAROLINA’S FURNITURE INDUSTRY. / y The manufacture of furniture, the Uni versity News Letter tells us, has long been a chief activity in North Carolina. The industry was hard hit by the post war depression, however, and for several years its output was seriously curtailed, this being one of the major industries that first feels any business slump. Dur ing the past two years there has been an increase in the number of factories, how ever, and a substantial gain in the value of output. North Carolina has one hundred and nine corporations manufacturing furni ture reporting as active, according to the recent, report of the State Department of, Labor and Printing. The federal De partment of Commerce reports that there are one hundred and twenty-seven furniture establishments in the state. The value of output for last year is reported at nearly fifty-six million dol lars. The capital stock of our furniture fac tories totals more than nineteen million dollars, including estimate for twenty fac tories that failed to report on this item. The value of the plants is slightly less than the capital stock, or approximately eighteen million dollars. There are approximately thirteen thou sand forking in the furniture factories. All of the employees are adult j males except three hundred and seven- j teen adult females and forty-five children. I The annual wages paid wage earners to tal nearly eleven million dollars. The average number of hours consti tuting a day’s work is ten and a week’s j work is fifty-five. In 1925 North Carolina ranked seventh among the states in the value of furni ture manufactured, two of the six states ahead of us barely outranking us. North Carolina rahks first in the manufacture of wouden bedroom furniturefourth in the manufacture of wooden dining-room furniture; and third in the manufacture of kitchen furniture. We manufacture about one-third of the furniture manu factured in the South. CONCORD FIGHTING, It has been definitely stated that offic ials of the Piedmont and Northern Rail way do not approve of plans for extend ing their lines through this city. In the hearing at Charlotte a representative of the interurban stated that present plans call for a line through Cabarrus but none through this city. We haven’t given up the fight, howev er. Legal representatives are in attend ance on the hearing and they are seek ing by various questions and answers to show that any extension of the lines should include Concord. The interurban is seeking permission for the extension on the ground that the extension is a ne cessity for the proper development of this section apd Concord’s representa tives at the hearing contend that this per mit of necessity should make the route strike this city. Concord needs the additional facilities. That’s the truth in a few words and if the interurban is to be constructed to meet a necessity it should be made to serve Concord. That’s.,the only grounds upon which it has a claim for extension, ! and if the extension is Ho be made’to serve the coinfnunity it should serve all of the community. At any rate we have not given up the light. After many intimations that the * line would be built through the city last 'minute developments showed that the interurban officials intended to leave Con cord off the new route so the city and county officials engaged counsel to rep resent them at the hearing. It may be that Commissioner Harris, representing the I. C. C., will see the necessity of a line for Concord, and if he does the inter urban officials will have no voice in the matter. They will build the line where the commission directs that it be built, i Concprd and Cabarrus officials were wise in prosecuting this matter. They may not get what they want but at any rate they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they did not give in with out a fight. ABOUT FAMILY REUNIONS. Cabarrus county people are firm believ ers in family reunions. Each summer finds scores of families which originated in Cabarrus called baok for reunions, in many instances the reunions affording the only opportunity during the year for such gatherings. Already some reunions have been held this year and as the summer progresses more and more of them will be held.'We delight in the custom, and believe that such gatherings are good for relatives and friends alike. Editor Clarence Poe, of The Progres sive Farmer, gives some valuable sug gestions on family reunions and we are passing them on to our readers. They are well worth trying: “Some features of the program for our family reunion may interest others. A history of the family dealing especially with pioneer, ante-bellum, and Civil War times will be given. • Three of the young er generation more gifted in music than the rest of us will have charge of the musical features. One of the champion checker-players has challenged all com ers to a life-and-death contest. A base ball game, I believe, is on the program. Another proposal unde|r consideration would award small prizes for the oldest member of the clan on hand; for the largest family present; for the most in teresting reminiscence of old times re , ported; for the most interesting collec tion of old relics, documents, papers, etc., and for the best suggestion regarding a 1928 reunion.” MAY BEST MONTH FOR CON STRUCTION IN STATE. ; North Carolina had $13,000,200 in con tracts for new building and engineering work last month, according to F. W. Dodge Corporation. The above figure was the liighest contract total on record for any May. It was 58 per cent, over i the total for May . 1926 and more than double the April 1987 total. Included in last month’s cdnstruction record were the following important classes of work' $5,- j 221,500, or 40 per cent, of all construc- I tion for industrial plants; $3,148,000, or 1 24 per cent, for public works and utili ties; $1,958,000, or 15 per cent., for resi dential buildings; and $939,000, or 1 per cent., for educational projects. New construction "started in this state j during the past five months has reached a total of $34,289,900, being 39 per cent, un der the amount reported in the first five months of 1926. Contemplated new work reported in North Carolina, during May amounted to $10,021,700. This figure was 46 per cent, over ‘April, as well as 19 per cent. over May of last year. \ ■ NON-ADVERTISERS FAIL. ’Die Nation’s Business recently pub lished figures showing the connection be tween business failure and failure to ad vertise. In Troy, N. Y.,\ for instance, 10Q per cent, of the failures were businesses that did not advertise; in Chicago, 98 per cent.; in Detroit, St. Louis, Portland, Ore., 94 per cent. Only three cities showed percentages lower than 75 cent. The Tampa Tribune remarks to the point: / “When we know that from 75 to 100 | per cent, of the business failures are 1 among the non-advertisers, it appears the I utmost folly for a business to attempt to succeed without advertising. “Sound business judgment and ence have long'ago demonstrated that instead of ‘can’t afford to advertise,’ the phrase should read, ‘can’t afford not to advertise.’ ” TAXABLE WEALTH OF THE STA^E. The aggregate taxed wealth per capi ta in Cabarrus county jn;49ss \ya| SLO(k accordiiigfto an article! ifi ; Tito University News Letter by Paul W. Wager. -Cabar rus ranked 20th among the 100 counties of the State, the taxable wealth being lafger only in Forsyth, Mecklenburg, Durham, Guilford, Buncombe, Gaston, the concord times New Hanover, Rowan, Iredell, Wake, McDowell Richmond, Wi}son, Scotland’ Burke, Montgomery, Moore, Pasquotank, and Cleveland counties. In his ‘article Mr. Wager points out that “the 10 richest counties, measured m per capita wealth, are the counties with large urban populations. Thus wealth seems to .concentrate as people concen trate. Forsyth and Mecklenburg are the t>yo most populous counties in the state, and they are the richest in per capita wealth. Durham, Guilford and Bun combe follow closely. Each of the next five counties, Gaston, New Hanover, Rowan, Iredell and Wake, contains a city or large town. Among the twenty-one counties which have as much as SI,OOO taxed wealth per inhabitant nearly all have flourishing towns. The presence of Richmond, Montgomery, and Moore in this higher bracket is no doubt due in large measure to the peach orchards. The high rank in McDowell is rather surpris ing, its large railroad valuations must be the explanation. “The twenty counties at the bottom of the list are scattered from the coast to the Tennessee line. They are the counties with little or no railroad mileage, with little or no manufacturing, and with no large towns. In these counties nearly the whole burden of taxation must be borne by the farmers, and with little else to tax the rate on farm property is necessar ily high. The average county rate in the twenty richest counties is $1.09 and in the twenty poorest counties $1.60. County taxes thus tend to be regressive, the higher rates falling on those least able to pay. “It should be pointed out that taxed wealth does not represent the same ratio to true wealth in every county. Some counties have their property assessed rel atively higher than others. It may be that some of the counties which seem to have little per capita wealth have their property assessed at low valuations. On the other hand the city counties, which rank high, contain relatively more intan gible property which escapes the tax books. It would not be justifiable, therefore, to assume that there is any more uniformity in true wealth than in taxed wealth. The inequalities which ex ist are partly due to differences in natur al resources, partly due to industrializa tion, and partly due to the position of the county boundaries. There is perhaps lit tle significance in the fact that twenty four counties have a per capita wealth in excess of the state average and seventy six counties below that figure. It would be more significant if we could know what per cent, ot the population of the state have $983 per person, or $4,915-for a family of five.” COW AGAINST COTTON. A group of bankers visiting the Georgia State College of Agriculture were shown a Holstein cow whose milk during the course of a year actually sold for more than 19 bales of cotton would bring at 12 cents per pound. During the past year that cow produced 16,461.8 pounds joi milk, weighed and recorded daily; or the equivalent of 1,914.16 gallons. The milk was retailed through the Agricultural College creamery at sixty cents per gal lon for a total of $1,148.49. The market price of nineteen bales of cotton at twelve cents per pound, the price at which a considerable part of the last crop changed hands, is $1,140, or $8.49 less than the milk from the single cow. “That cow’s record,” says The Manu facturers Record, “furnishes the starting point for some calculations that should prove interesting to every cotton planter. How does the cost productivity of a good Holstein cow compare with the cash productivity of cotton? Let every cotton farmer fill in the following ques tions according to his own land and local conditions, and draw his own conclus ions^ “1. llow many acres are required \to produce nineteen bales of cotton? “2. What is the value of the land? “3. What is the cost of making the crop ? “4. At the best price reasonoble to ex pect, whaU is the profit? “5. How many Holstein cows could be supported on this land, supposing all possible feed for them to be grown at home? - “6. What profit could reasonably be expected from such a herd? “7. If the market for whole milk is not good, what stock could be rais ed on the skim milk after selling cream? “8. What profit could be expected in this way? view; the foregoing figures does it seeni advisable-to~,b‘egin. wit hdrawing land from cotton in oj-der to start bqilding up a dairy heed as .rapidly as money~can be found for the invest ment?” The Augusta Chropicje, discussing this comparison, saia. “The lesson to be drawn is, of course, j obvious. For us of Georgia helplessly to j talk about agriculture being prostrated when we have the cow, the hog and the hen, to say nothing of fruits, vegetables, 1 grain, etc., to supplement cotton, is a confession of impotency and cowardice that should make us ashamed of our selves. We need to wake up.” FAKE PROMOTERS ON THE JOB. _______ . r- Since the World War only a few avia- • tion concerns had been organized up to the time Colonel Lindbergh made his his toric flight. We say few in a compare- ! tive sense for the industry while show ing some progress, had not grown pro portionately with other enterprises. There were less than a hundred well .founded aviation companies in the Unit eed States the day* the “Lone Eaglet set sail over the seas, but since his noted flight almost a hundred more have come into being. They are after speculators, of course, and their propositions are not, for the most part, founded on anything more stable than enthusiasm created by the two trans-Atlantic flights. Colonel Lindbergh has not mentioned these mushroom companies, to be sure, hut be has warned the people against sinking thejr mondy into companies which promise trans-Atlantic air service and the like. He knows that such busi ness is not feasible and he has done a fine service in expressing these views. No one can tell now when such service will be well founded. Certainly, such is not the case now. Take Commander Byrd’s proposed flight, for instance. For weeks he has waited for favorable weath er before hopping off, and he is going in one of the largest planes in America to day. Three motors has his plane which' can carry four persons and 1300 gallons of gasoline, but just the same he has to wait on good weather. There are too many risks to the busi ness to make it a safe investment. Many of >frhe older companies are on a solid foundation, they are building engines and ships that will sell, and stock in these concerns no doubt will prove a good investment, but we should be careful about the others., We should not take chances with the mushroom growth which has sprung up as a result of the two flights made across the Atlantic. The aviation industry will grow and fortunes will be made from it, but this will come from the companies with backing and ex pedience. . AGAIN BIGHT. Durham Herald. O. Max Gardner has of late been telling the folks some of the things he hoped to do if he should become governor, among them being the ambition to be “ the friendly governor,” and to provide more conveniences, especially electricity for light and power, for farm houses. The other night at Greensboro he changed and told the druggists in convention there that he was against something, and in that he was just as effective as when he was telling of the things he hoped to bring about, probably more so. He came out it direct opposition to a sales tax except as the last resort in an emergency. While the declaration by North Carolina’s next governor is assuring, it was not more than was expected. The sales tax has few* things to eom mend it to the people, on the other hand it has many things against it. However, there is not much danger of this state adopting any such means of raising revenue at any time in the near future, certainly nol as a general scheme. 1 While it is true that all taxes eventually fall upon the consumer, the sales tax hits him directly between the eyes, or it would probably be more appropriate to say right in the middle of his pocketMook. It isn’t camouflaged to make it easier. For, that reason it is more objectionable than other usual ‘fornfs of taxes. When Gardner becomes governor there will be at least four years that the state won’t have to worrjf about a sales tax. RELIGION WORRIES THE REDS. Monroe Enquirer. The readers of the daily papers recall the stories that went the rounds to the effect that the Russians had abolished religion. Os course, the Russians could not do this, but the net result, as far as the Russians are concerned, would be the same, if the Russian people -believed that they could abolish religion. > * Now comes a story from Riga, to the effect that a religious revival is causing concern to the Soviet authorities, who admit that anti-religious organiza tions are suffering discomfiture in the revival of religion among the masses. The effects of the re vival are said to be felt in the factories, under goiernment control, and even in the barracks of the Red Army itself. Russia, in attempting to uproot religion, tackles a job that no nation can put over. Official state ments that religion does not exist mean very little when the emotions of the human heart burst into spontaneous expression. Regardless of what Red Russia has done against organized religion the real religious experience of her people still lives and v ill flpme into bright lights at the opportune times. REMOVES WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Winston-Salem Sentinel. . am ® s Webb, who Is presiding at a trial in Charlotte in the course of which a great deal of sordid evidence is hieing introduced, ordered women and children out of the courtroom. Those who were hesitant in obeying the court’s orders were forced out by the sheriff. The jurist is to be commended for his firm action. He would not have 1 been going too far if he had ordered the men out also, -Che courts are not institutions to be con (acted in secret. Rut the ends of publicity do not demand that curious men and women and even be allowvtdto revel in all the revolting ctreu instances whifchSare 4mjbived yin t allqwedto do so'does them no good'at all and detracts from the general'~tohe‘\pf ;s6eiety in stead of improving it. Thp tpp-haj; is a vicious, vfle, ugly syoribol of tlie Victorian; bard, 1 unyielding, uncomfortable and pretentious.—Canon Donaldson MonJ i A h ' t <wß ! Lexington dj_ .\ WB ! Btate °Pmion in °%i. HH ; h , 0 -w. Ink, there bn- .. i limp «‘»re barr, d > th * Lie chance of : >>l! % jjM| thoroughly stocS lplyi »hHi lr,,ni **ason t„ 1 -O'- R,n '"" '"unties a i f* -,fl| f tie res as^'^H In '" great Io "« “"<1 w.l» ‘'"if 8 kmnes »j SM millions „f ti sh . , ' ,f thi * that iu hat chery. ~r breeding properly stock the company have M,is big a, f lkm : 'tc other lakVSH ' vater Iknlin. whel 91 - h, r„„ n e S9 b*ke just below P.adin ; h V iik :« Ou'ial tisl'in; i"tk <l»m it *»■ h:m ' hp >-. v rarest its that £ ■ two counties f ftr the big bike is weU Major Wade I’hilHps meat and Conservation,h9 turn of having such a is certainly to be terprise may t* put and Federal fisheries company forming the lalf 1 ® r T -UOODijjB Lexington Dispatch. “North Carolina Steps June lb issue of "T w UIH folder issued regularly i Railway. The folder pertinent facts lina has made in ediicttios/jH facturing and agriculture tfl among other things therisjß Pupils to over Ib.fKMi. an enrollment of j n igS It is nearly a million mj two thousand school buses'u9 70.000 rural school childn,fl The expediture of ,lB dollars in road building as/rfS for school equipment has these figures show, for the Union having a hiweruß only seven with a In conclusion the arti&|B twenty-five year. North ifjß fetters of her lethargy andß reputation for progressivewtß position in education: poor.j been replaced by magMfitati ways : diversification of empj agricultural importance hug in the Nation, while her mil magical expansion, have products increase more than cent.” If this I- boasting, it is done for us by others who c from afar. It is splendid* Carolina, and while it doesM has reached her destiny it isa world sees us well on the way. THE SAME REASON 111 Charlotte News. More bills are said toil Legislature of the average s than there are laws enactedil and Germany, all put topttei whole year. yoine authorities blame it t of the herd instinct, some of this County by sensible men# when groups of human beufl deliberative or any other p-ii}* what may happen. The individual is always* when alone than he b wtoi more conservative, nmre sens**. Therefore, the wisest sort*! life may be sent to the Saw only help, but take the of some law that, when even strike him as being surb. If that is true of one * qualities of leadership in ■ true of the average. ruirtW who generally do the mllo So it has been said tilt" possibility of intelligent» portion of the number o gathered together. That’s the reason « the reason we have a ot * needed. PATRIOTISM Bl> 11 Moore County »«>• The city council of , ago erected a meJlQoria Lj the words of the P r ”l’ ‘ beat their swords m ll _ spears into sftoril sainst n.l* » * | any more. () n M el »- veterans refused to “ ld by this inscripti" ll 011 ' gjf expression of “blatan to the patriots wlw • " j If this class of P* 1 tain that the pwgj J* false prophet, for t fan up a f< * truth were ■ us^n» be tha t veterans ‘ h, Jt ,«iriS* profiteering 1 (HIKCH FOKjf Winston-Salem Itev. Douglas L *• ~i er chaplakn ,n chairman of 111 raise f.ni'ls fer lk llr>B , purposes at t Urn y r Bragg is the on J a permanent tbetf jj 1 men are station place in which to b the War i*» £ ' church hnildinr otniK are fee* ll © now steps au ttl ,n r* j„ the State c k project is ok y l< t ’| l ) p t ity - the people of tioU . perfec his orga We can ill f erVe " e t time, in the ' ,,tel we :V t} one of'these tlays^j our large cities-"