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Remember Thursday Evening, July 28, Comimunity Singing at Sandhill Farm life School. Be sure and go
THE PILOT
VOLUNE
NUNBER
Devoted to the Upbuilding of Vass and Its Surrounding Country
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
VASS, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 22, 1921
PRICE FIVE CENTS
LUMBER PROSPECTS B3TTER
Walter Graham has been in Nor
folk and the south in the last week
or two, and he comes back home say
ing that building prospects look bet
ter. “More building is in progress
around Norfolk, and the outlook is
that it will continue. The building
and loan societies are furnishing
money from somewhere,” he said,
“and the tendency is to try to catch
up with the building shortage that
has prevailed for the last half dozen
years. The demand for lumber is a
little better, and the prices are show
ing a tendency to improve slightly,
although there is no great rush to
clean out what is in the mill yards.
But take it all through it looks as
if building movement had commenced
that may lead to improvement, even
though gradual, in the lumber trade.”
Not a great deal of lumber is made
any more in this section, still here and
there are little mills that bring out
amounts that in the final total con
stitute an industry of importance. Al
so several men of the community are
interested in lumber production in
other sections, and in that way lumber
is more of a product of concern in the
welfare of the Vass section than it
would be otherwise. But as Mr. Gra
ham says, lumber is a sort of baro
meter of other business. If himber
begins to show improvement it is a
fairly reliable sign that things in
general are picking up, and when one
starts in that direction it has an in
fluence on others. But even in itself
if lumber is improving the improve
ment will be felt through this com
munity.
THE CAMP ROAD
Reference to a road from Pinehurst
to Camp Bragg by way of Vass has
an interesting sound, but the Pilot
has not been able to get much light
on the matter. Some years ago an
effort was made to have a road from
Fayettfville to Pinehurst, passing
through Vass, but the many hills on
the Cumberland end of the line pre
vented action. Later that road was
built from Fayetteville to Longstreet
church, and from Vass to Morrison’s
bridge a good road was provided, but
through the upper end of Hoke a
stretch remained; it had a number
of streams to cross and not a large
population, and a road was finally
built by Raeford, and the Vass road
slipped into the air.
When the camp was established a
new obstacle appeared, as the whole
country from Morrison’s bridge to
withih a few miles of Fayetteville is
within the camp boundary. But the
building of Overhill and the develop
ment of the McQueen waterpowers
on the river have given road building
dowi\ that way a further stimulus,
and talk has been heard at times of a
road that would cross at the Lament
bridge and go to Fayetteville by a
connection with the clay road that
comes from Fayetteville to Manches
ter. Part of this route would have to
go through the camp, as Lamont
bridge crosses over into the camp
territory.
The Pilot has no information as to
the probability of the building of this
road, but the people out that way are
seemingly much iifterested, and they
think they see a chance.
KEEPfNG THE COTTON MILL
RUNNING
DEATH OF MRS. McINNIS
On Sunday evening, July 17th, Mrs.
Duncan Mclnnis died at her home in
Lakeview, aged 43 years, 3 months
and 11 days. She suffered painfully
for many months before her death,
but she bore her suffering bravely un
til the end.
Mrs, Me Innis, before her marriage
to Duncan Mclnnis, was Evelyn Mc
Donald, daughter of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Duncan McDonald, also of Lake
view. She was loved by her school
chums and girlhood friends as well
as by those who knew her in woman
hood.
She joined Union church when a
girl and had been a consistent mem
ber for 26 years. Besides a husband,
seven children and four sisters, a host
of friends and relatives are left to
mourn her departure
A Southern Pines man in Vass this
week says it will soon be time for that
section to be looking for wood, and
that as the mild winter of last year
is hardly likely to be repeated he ex
pects the big demand of last year will
be exceeded this year. He predicts
that farmers around Vass who have
trucks and wood will be called on to
help out some before the robins nest
again.
The cotton mill is kept running, al
though prices for yarn are low. But
the mill management figures that if
the hands can be kept employed the
people of the community are provided
with an income, and the trade is held
to a certain extent by the sales of
the product. The organization is al
ways an important factor about any
industry, and if the hands can be kept
employed and on the job so that in
case business picks up again some
day they will be there ready to work
it will be much better than having
everybody scattered.
Then Mr. Cameron figures that the
community has grown up about the
cotton mill and it is better to find
something for the hands to do even
if the mill makes no profit, than to
shut down and make no profit. It is
the case of the oyster when the cook
asked him if he would be fried or
roasted and he said he didn’t see that
it made much difference. The de
mand for yarn is still slow, and one
reason is that the government when
the war closed had on hand a large
supply of cotton goods of various
kinds and has been throwing that on
the markets at any price and in big
quantity to get rid of it. How much
of that material is yet to be unloaded
is not known, but it has badly de
moralized trade, and is a factor in the
uncertainty that still prevails.
At the mill office it is said that it
is hard to make a forecast on the
prospect for cotton. The mill has a
big stock still in the warehouses,
which it is working up as fast as it
can, but it is not enthusiastic over
manufacturing yarn from cotton that
cost thirty-five or forty cents a pound
and sells in the market in competition
with cotton that cost twelve cents.
Trying to work off the high priced
cotton in manufactured form has had
an influence in lessening the demand
for cotton goods. Every wholesaler
who had on his hands cotton that he
had bought at a high figure disliked
to push it out at the present lower
prices. So selling the manufacture 1
goods has been a slow business.
Gradually the market is taking
goods that have been made from last
year’s crop, and with the smaller crop
made this year, which the government
estimates at 8,500,000 bales, or the
lowest that has been made in twenty-
five years, it is presumed that the new
cotton will be called for in the course
of time. Every day the mill is using
some of the stock on hand and it
must have more when that is gone.
CROPS LOOK GOOD
The crops in this part of the state
look good. Those who have been in
other sections of the state and coun
try tell the Pilot that the tobacco
crop of Moore is about the best they
have seen any place. Cotton is coming
along first rate around Vass, and
some of the corn fields look as if
they would be record makers this
year. On all the country roads that
lead out of town the crops are im
proving with the recent rains, and
the farmer will have a right good
yield of everything, although he is
not very confident of prices. Con
cerning cotton, Mr. Cameron told the
Pilot that he looks for prices to pick
up. The export demand has improved,
and the mills appear to be making
a little better time. Although the
improvement is not what it might be
it is significant of better things, and
as long as it is in the right direction
Mr. Cameron thinks it is encouraging.
One thing about the cotton situation
is that the shelves of the stores are
pretty well emptied of stocks and the
prices for manufactured goods are
down so that buying is encouraged,
and when once it begins the low stocks
and low prices will make calls on the
mill which will have to use cotton. Mr.
Cameron does not predict high prices
for cotton, but he thinks the demand
is going to be better with possible
improvement in prices before long.
CAMERON
Our town was honored last week
with some distinguished visitors.
Governor Cameron Morrison, and
little daughter Angelia, Rev. Evan
Dhu. Cameron, of Oklahoma, called
to see Mrs. Janie IVjfuse and family,
and Mrs. E. A. McFayden, whom the
Governor calls “Cousin Betsey Ann.’'
Congressman, W. J. Sears and wife
and daughter, from Florida, stopped
over night at the Greenwood Inn on
his way to Washington, and were
pleased with the fare and hospitality
of Miss McLean.
After months of extreme suffering,
Mrs. Flora Cameron passed away
Monday at her home on Route 3. The
funeral services were conducted by
Rev. M. D. McNeill, at Cypress church.
Mrs. Cameron was a woman of re
fined character and noble qualities,
and in her youth was a beautiful
lady and very popular.
The Cameron correspondent is on
the sick list.
Miss Kate Harrington is home from
Charlotte to visit her mother.
Miss Ruth Klapp, of Greensboro,
is the guest of Miss Burdette Joyner.
Mr. and Mrs. J. D. McLean were
supper guests, Saturday evening, of
the Misses Arnolds on Route Two.
Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien and children,
and Mr. and Mrs. Leak, of Rocking
ham, were guests, Sunday, of Misses
Minnie and Bonnie Muse.
Mrs. H. D. Tally, Miss Jacksie
Muse, and Mr. Lendon Hartsell motor
ed to Mt. Vernon Springs, Sunday, to
see Mr. Tally who is spending some
time at the springs for his health.
Mr. and Mrs. Archie McDugald, of
Hamlet, spent Tuesday in town, the
guests of Mr. McDugald’s sister, Mrs.
H. D. Tally.
Mr. Carl Phillips, of Charleston,
a former Cameronian, spent Sunday
in town with friends.
The Young Ladies’ Auxiliary will
meet with Miss Margaret Gilchrist
Thursday afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. D. B. Teague, of San
ford, spent Sunday in town at the
afternoon services of the Presbyterian
church. Their lovely little daughter,
Elizabeth Coble, was christened by
her grandfather. Rev M. D. McNeill.
The church voted Rev. M. D. Mc
Neill a vacation during the month »f
August.
Sunday School Institute to be held
at the Baptist church Thursday night,
PYiday and Friday night. The pastor
urges all to be present at 6:30 or 7
P. M.
Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Borst and little
son, H. A., Jr., spent Sunday after
noon in town, the guests of Mrs. E.
M. Borst.
Miss Mabel Muse leaves Wednesday
day for Siloam to visit Mrs. Opal
Jones; later joining a camping party
for Blue Ridge.