Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Oct. 15, 1936, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page four uirHLANDS MACONIAN THE FRANKLIN PRESS AND THE HI ®k:e ^x^nklxn Kuh Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press At Franklin, North Carolina Tekphone No. 24 VOL. LI BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter New Competition for the Power Companies P^LECTRIC power rates have been somewhat re duced throughout the country generally and to a very considerable extent in the states of Tennes see, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Miss issippi since the Tennessee Valley Authority was brought into being. This lowering of rates, strange to say, has resulted in greater profits for many power companies because rate reductions have been followed by increased consumption. The whole policy of the big power companies, however, is still all wrong as far as economical pro duction and distribution of electric energy. They still must levy rates not only to cover actual pro duction and distribution costs plus a fair margain of profit but also to defray a vast speculative ex pense. Power companies, at least the larger ones, work on a monopolistic basis in their own areas. To do this they frequently find it necessary to buy and hold undeveloped potential hydro-electric pow er sites, either to keep out competition or with view to possible expansion in the distant future. The bondholders and stockholders in the power com panies must be paid their dividends, but idle prop erties held for speculative or monopolistic purposes, do not earn money. So the money must come from the consumers. TVA and other power developments directly or indirectly financed and operated by the government are doing much to correct this situation and will, m all likelihood, continue to exercise their bene ficent influence for many years to come. Not even a Republican administration, we venture, would attempt to junk TVA or Boulder Dam. The inex cusable waste the Republicans permitted at Muscle Shoals is still remembered by Democrats and Re publicans alike. The point we are arriving at, however, has noth ing to do with TVA or any other governmental means of providing competition for the power com panies. A new type of competition is slowly but surely developing the Diesel engine. Already many large industrial plants and some communities are obtaining electricity from dynamos powered by Die sel engines. Hitherto, this source of power has been impractical for the very large or the very small industrial plants and communities. But the manu facturers of Diesels are making significant strides in the perfection of their product. They are build ing both larger and smaller engines, engines which burn a crude oil which can be bought for far less than gasoline. Writing in the October issue of the Rotarian magazine, C. L. Cummins, president of the Cum mins Engine company, ventures this prediction: “My own guess is that the Diesel is a greater threat to their own (power company’s) continuance than was anything proposed during the last session of Congress. The fact is, we gan produce electrical power from Diesels at as low a cost as the largest, most efficient steam or water-power plant, and do It right on the spot, thus saving the capital costs and the transmission losses inherent in super-power lines.” This is an established fact which some industrial ists already have made use of to combat arbitrary power rates and demand service contracts which power companies have tried to impose upon them. Now even the small manufacturer need not sub mit humbly to exorbitant power rates, for Diesel engines are now made in five and ten-horsepower sizes, and under fairly steady loads, can produce electric power for a cent or less per Kilowatt hour, Hydro-electric power properties, both privately owned and publicly owned, will continue to dcf busi ness for many years to come; but it is becoming in creasingly evident that the Diesel engine will ac complish far more than the government in squeezing water out of power company stocks and in forcing the hydro electric barons either to develop or to turn loose their expensive superstructures of specu lative and monopolistic holdings. 1/ the Number 42 s o^DVC^\- REAcno ue'S A —^g/vyWt/Vf€X-^ jl ‘Uncle” Jess Coleman A TRIBUTE “When I was a young man 1 lifted a thousand pounds. I’m about 74 or 75 now, near as I can reckon, but I’m still a good man on the muscles,” “Uncle” Jess said to me last Summer, his seamed, black face shining in honest pride. Strong in body, he was equally strong in loyalty. Thirty years ago he promised his “01’ Miss” that he would look after her grave and those of her loved ones should she precede him in death. For more than a quarter of a century he kept that promise. Thro.ugh the seasons, but particularly at Easter, he weeded, sodded and cut the grass on his “white folk’s” graves in the old Methodist cemetery. Some years ago he was working in an adjoining county just before Easter. He went to his employer and said, “Boss, I’ve got to get off one day this week to keep a prom ise I made to my dead Mistress.” The foreman, struck by the strange request, asked for further details, and so learned about “Miss Alice” Robinson, “the lady of the flowers,” her family and latticefi Hall.” Then to test the old man, he said, “Unde, I’m workmg day and night to complete this job. I don’t see how I can possibly spare you.” ^ pfore he could say .any more Uncle Jess replied, “Boss, I hates to lose my job, but if I have to I can quit it. But I can’t break my promise to 01’ Miss” Taking the old man by the hand the foreman declared, “No IJnrlp’ you won’t lose your job. It’s ur,: usual enough for anyone to keep a promise to the living, much Ie« to the dead. You’ll get full " for your day off.” ® A year ago “Uncle” Jess walked two miles in a pouring ra'in to carry flowers from “Dixie Hall” to the burial plot. When reminded that he had had pneumonia only a short time before and might catch cold again, he said, “I never turns bfick. I believe 01’ Massa will take care of the ol’ darky who’s tried his best to live right and keep his promise to the dead.” Born in South Carolina in slav ery days, “Uncle” .Jess came to Macon County about 1874. Ever since he was virtually a member of the Robinson family at “Dixie Hall” and a respected member of this community. Black and white respected him for his honesty, for his constant and careful industry, and for his tender care in nursing the sick. Many are the houses throughout the county to which he went to minister with skilful hands, and to prepare the dead for burial. For decades he waited patiently on his invalid wife because, “When I married Lou 'I swore before God and man to care for her in .sick ness and in health.” Young and old in Macon county loved “Uncle” Jess for his merry eart and homely philosophy. Be cause he was a simple soul, it took ittle to send him into deep, purg ing laughter. To hear it was a golden tonic. In his long and -useful life he exemplified the finest traditions of e Old South. Kindly gentle, sweet-natured, with pride in his workmanship,^ he was in the fullest sense a credit to his race—or to There is a special place « / Green Pastures where this faithful servant” can take his rest. Such at least is the confident be- “ef of one of his “chilluns.” James Robinson Daniels Bruce- Barton There is purposf and PLAN ik RecSruSt’’W E facts are me e Ll r ' lations genJrllS^'t'it.-e- matter of carefully balanced Sn.’’ erahtiesThat°5akrin ritory. " '^oo much ter- subjecteVtT has been have prettv ^^ocks that ditional structure'' u" it with his rV ’ shocked is Tot fhe ‘hat the earth ‘ «nter of the universe with the sun and stirsi- around it. Darwin shocWj his “Descent of Man." I people have been was created perfect and l» Darvwin proved that nijB w 'up. He is not yet up tot which the continuing evolution may make posii The astronomers shock«li they peered through liS| scopes beyond the douds® neither the streets of golli pearly gates we once siippi there. But nothing has happed| voice inside that speaks ii! nor the sense of awe tliin under the stars, nor to E conviction that somehow ik purpose and a plan ttatii significant and duty They even dared to life this purpose and plan effi yond the grave and no > can ever produce any their faith is unfounded. Bewildered andkoken,B mon man still has sonifi which he believes and e«i that something be only oitf of what he once was taifi one hundred per cent W than as though he belie'® ing. LET’S DO LESS GENERALLY SPEAKINC The advertising man# corporation had company could gather will for itself by broaW hour of dinner music. selected was from s'? The plan met with the « the vario.us departfflcn the board of ■chairman of die boar a vigorous objection. “I never knew « absurd in my We- “Dinner music from Why., .nobody sits do" before 7 ;30.” ., ^ ^ No argument wou d ' Indeed, he burst into ^ couple of days later ant. ” Ilf cpI* “I told you so, came m on ? port and I had asked each one your regular , 0 said 7:30, some said » body eats He had talked on a yacht and getting a cross American people- , judgment and trou originates from ing isolated bits 0 proceeding forthwith general statemen ’ p 5 (Copyright, ^ j
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Oct. 15, 1936, edition 1
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