VOLUNE
PILOT
NUHBER
Is a Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
Address ail commuDications to
the pilot printing company. VASS. N. C.
DERBY CALLS ERTY
Says Too Many Peaches Make
a Low Price in
Market
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12,1924
10 The Pilot:—Your editorial in the
November 28th issue of The Pilot had
iraiiy good points and contained much
sound philosophy, but I still object to
the way you generalize and slide
aiound cold hard facts. You state
that laying a given trouble to over
production is like trying to locate a
shifting line that will not be located
“for nobody has ever yet found out
what is overproduction and what is
not.”
Well, I am no Isaac Newton but I
think I found a case of overproduction
in the peach business in Georgia last
summer when between four and six
thousand carloads of peaches were left
to rot in the orchards because the
proceeds of a car of peaches in New
York, or any other place in the coun
try that peaches could be shipped to,
would not pay the freight bill. I am
aware that some people will lay this
to the avarice and selfishness of the
railroads that charge so much money
for moving a car of peaches, and oth
ers will say it is due to the republicaii j
party or something Woodrow Wilson •
did or didn’t do, but it looks to me ;
very much as if they had just raised
too many peaches in Georgia last sum
mer.
In other words I claim that you
have a clear case of overproduction
when you raise more stuff than can
be consumed and the surplus is wast
ed. I would absolutely disregard the
prices paid by the consumer for the
portion of the product that is sold.
These are often maintained at a high
level by artificial means, despite an
overproduction. Unfortunately over
production of this nature generally
occurs in perishable crops of which
the peach crop is one of the foremost
sufferers.
I am not trying to lay down any
particular theory or to philosophise
about this situation. I am simply try
ing to find out what went wrong with
the peach business in this district
last summer and see if we in this dis
trict cannot profit by the misadven
tures that have befallen other peach
producting sections whose history is
common knowledge. I fully realize
that the Oriental Peach Moth or the
•lapanese Beetle may get into the
peach orchards of the south, and I
understand that the Oriental Peach
Moth has appeared in Georgia, and
that in a few years from now the cul
ture of peaches may be so hazardous
^ and so few may be produced that the
whole situation may be completely
f-hanged. That is not only possible
I'ut quite likely for these pests are
now playing havoc in the north east
ern orchards and it looks as if the
days of profitable peach growing were
r.umbered unless some control of these
pests can be found. This disaster as
as many others may befall us,
• ut they haven’t and so far as I can
our immediate problem is to keep
P-'oduction somewhere in line with
consumption. Your general view of
the operation of the law of supply and
demand and the survival of the fittest
is quite sound but quite fatalistic. I
‘ m not sure at all that society will not
♦eventually work out a plan whereby
the terrific waste of overproduction in
perishables will be at least curtailed,
though that is not in sight as yet in
this country. The nearest approach
to it is the almost military control
the German government used to exer
cise through the Landschaften Banks
over agricultural production in the
days of the last monarchy. I do not
know whether this still pertains or
not.
This week I see that Mr. Erty is at
bat again with a protest against niy
efforts to ruin the banks of the dis
trict and harpoon the whale that he
thinks typifies the prosperity of the
Sandhills. He alludes only U> the
prosperity induced by the peach Busi
ness of the Sandhills and as that is at
present somewhat defunct I want to
advise that neitiieT fny^=
cestors nor I were so devoid of sense
as to harpoon a dead whale.
Anyhow if there is any life in the
whale he has shown mighty little re
action to my harpoon.
Mr. Erty says that the crop seasons
of 1922, 1923 and 1924 were all ab
normal. It seems to me that as the
seasons of 1922 and 1924 were both
large crop years and the season of
1923 a small crop year, so far as the
south was concerned, that either ’22
and ’24 were normal and ’23 abnormal
or vice versa, depending on what you
call normal. I have gone on the
asumption that the full crop years
were normal and the lean crop years
abnormal, but for the sake of an
argument I will put it the other way
around. At any rate there wasn’t so
much wrong with the marketing sys
tem of 1922 as Mr. Erty thinks. We
got a little messed up down here and
laid it all to our poor marketing sys
tem. As a matter of fact better dis
tribution that year would not have
made much difference in the price ob
tained. In fact good fruit in 1922
brought a higher premium than good
fruit in 1924.
In 1923 the crop was short all round
and prices were satisfactory. Which
simply goes to prove my contention
that the peach acreage in the south
is too large and that only in short
years will we get satisfactory prices.
Also this was not the first killing frost
in 30 years. If Mr. Erty will make
some inquiries he will find that we
have had a number of killing frosts
in the last thirty years. In the old
days when there were more early
peaches in proportion to the late va
rieties the damage was not so severe.
Neither in 1923 or 1924 were the early
varieties hurt by the freeze that wip
ed out the Elbertas in 1923 and re
duced them far more than people
thought in 1924. This will happen
more often in the future and it was
an error for this section to give up its
early varieties to the extent it has.
Now to answer Mr. Erty’s questions.
(1) We were not caught unawares
without a marketing system in 1922.
If we had had the same system in
operation in 1922 as we had in 1924
we might have received a few cent^
more per crate but I doubt it. How-
(Continued on page 8)
GEO. R. ROSS
Chief of Division of Markets of the
Department of Agriculture, North
Carolina, returned last Saturday
from Chicago where he had been for
several days in the interest of his
department.
MRS. CHARLES GSCHWIND
GOOD DRIVING
SAVES CHILD
Mary Lee Hill Struck by Auto
at Road Intersection Front
of School House
Mary Lee Hill, the nine-year-old
Hill who live on Mr. John B. Cam
eron’s farm four miles from town,
was injured during the noon hour
Wednesday when she was struck by
anautomobile driven by Mr. J. C.
Lashley, of Sanford. The accident
occurred at he road intersection in
front of the school building. Mary
Lee, with several other school chil
dren, was attempting to cross the
highway. A north-bound Ford and
the Buick driven by Mr. Lashley
were meeting at the crossing. The
little girl crossed just back of the
Ford and steeped directly in the path
of the Buick. The driver swerved
his car as best he could, there being
children on each side of the road,
and applied his four-wheel brakes
with such force that his car turned
completely around and headed in the
opposite direction. The child vvas
knocked down, but fortunately, the
car, which was not running at an
excessive rate of speed, was stopped
before it ran over her. Mr. l.ashley
rushed her to the office of D*'. Ros
ser who examined her and found that
her injuries were not serious, con
sisting only of minor bruises and the
shock. Mr. Lashley who is a Brown -
Buick salesman, got in communica
tion with his employer, Mr. Brown,
of Sanford, who hurried down and
offered to carry the child to the hos
pital, but as Dr. Rosser did not
think that necessary, she was taken
to her home, fiye witnesses cc^nfeid-
eted the acdtdfeflt tiha^didaWM . ahd
commented on the expert handling of
the car, which doubtless kept the ac
cident- ««riou8.
Life is made up of glad days and
sad days, but sadder days than last
Friday seldom come to this communi
ty—the day when Mrs. Charles Gsch-
wind w^as called away from husband,
babies and others who loved her so
well to enter the Great Beyond. She
was so young, only 28, and there was
so much for the gentle mother hands
to do for four small children that it
seemed that she could not be spared;
so day by day for a week anxious
ones watched her in her losing fight
: against disease, hoping against hope
that she might win out. Skilled phy
sicians and capable nurses did all in
their power, but succeeded only in
making her last days more comforta
ble. On Friday afternoon the sum
mons came, and she answered.
The funeral was conducted on Sat
urday afternoon by a former pastor,
the Rev. 0. A. Kellar, of Benson, and
the body laid to rest in Johnson’s
Grove cemetery. The many beautiful
floral offerings and the crow-d of sor
rowing friends bore witness to the
i place Mrs. Gschwind held in the
J hearts of the people.
I Zelma, as she was familiarly known
I to most of us, came to Vass to live,
j with her parents, several years ago
when she was in the early days of
I young womanhood. She was a friend-
I ly girl, and admired for her beauty
and pleasing personality. She join
ed the Vass Baptist church and Sun
day School and attended regularly,
j winning the love of pastor and teach
ers by her Christian graces. In 1919
she was married to Charles Gschwind
of this place, so when her parents
moved away, she continued to m?.lzc
her home here. And to this home she
lovingly devoted almost her entire
time. The training of the children,
which she had begun so well, will have
to be carried on by others, but her
influence will be felt for years to
come. Surviving her are her husband,
four children, Edward, not quite four
years of age, Harold, Elsie Mae, and
a baby boy, twelve days old at the
time of her death; parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Dunk Thomas; one sister. Miss
Johnsie Thomas; one brother, Ray
Thomas, all of Cameron. Two broth
ers and one sister preceded her to the
grave. Zelma will be sadly missed,
but may we be submissive to the will
of Him who does all thing-s well.
A FRIEND.
to such minor, he shall be guilty of
a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
shall be punished by fine or imprison
ment in the discretion of the court.
Sec. 4439. If any person shall aid
or assist any minor child lUnder sev
enteen years old in obtaining*^the. pp-
session of cigarettes, or iob^ed
in any form used as a substitute there
for, by whatsoever name it may be
called, he shall be guilty of a misde
meanor and upon conviction shall be
fined or imprisoned in the discretion of
the court.
It shall be the duty of every police
office, upon knowledge or information
that any minor under the age of sev
enteen years is or has been smoking
any cigarette, to inquire of any such
minor the name of the person who sold
or gave him such cigarette, or the sub-
I stance from which it was made, or
who aided and abetted in effecting
such gift or sale. Upon receiving this
information from any such minor, the
officer shall forwith cause a warrant
to be issued for the person giving or
selling, or aiding and abetting in the
giving or selling of such cigarette or
the substance out of which it was
made, and have such person dealt
with as the law directs. Any such
minor who shall fail or refuse to give
to any officer, upon inquiry, the name
of the person selling or giving him
such cigarette, or the substance out of
which it was made, shall be guilty of
a misdemeanor.
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
VASS IS ACTIVE
IN NEW^BUILDM
Fine School House the Main Fea
ture^ Structures
" * tinder Way
CARD OF THANKS
I wish to express my heartfelt
thanks to my friends for their kind
ness during the sickness and death
of my wife. I greatly appreciate the
loving sympathy and help given my
family in these dark days; no friends
could have been truer.
CHARLES GSCHWIND.
COTTON REPORT
There were 5,062 bales of cotton,
counting round as half bales, ginned
in Moore county from the crop of
1924, prior to December 1, 1924, as
compared with 4^64 bales ginned to
j December 1, 1923.
M. McC. BLUE.
NEETING OF HEALTH
AND WELFARE ASSO.
Devoted Mostly to Christmai
Seal Sale; Reports From
Various Towns
THE LAW AS
TO CIGARETTES
Some discussion as to selling ci
garettes to minors has arisen recent
ly. To settle the disputes the fol
lowing is taken from the Consolidated
Statutes of North Carolina:
Article 35. Sec. 4438—If any per
son shall sell, give away or otherwise
dispose of, directly or indirectly, ci
garettes, or tobacco in the form of
cigarettes, or cut tobacco in any form
or shape which niay be used or in
tended to be used as a substitute
for cigarettes, to any minor under
the age of seventeen years; or if any
person shall aid, assist or abet any
^person in selling such .articles
The meetinr; of the Moore County
Health and Welfare Association was
held with Mr'. A. A. McDonald at
Jackson Springs, Wednesday, Decem
ber 3rd, at 2 p. m., Mrs. has. R. Whit
aker, president, presiding.
Much of the meeting was devoted
to the Christmas Seal Sale, which is
now on. Prospects for a largely in
creased sale of Seals were reported
from every section. The receipts from
the Seal Sale will be the only avail
able funds for the present.
The following are the allotments for
the various towns and the chairmen in
charge:
Southern Pines—Mrs. J. W. Dickie,
seals $250, bonds $400, total $650.
Pinehurst—Mrs. Herman A. Camp
bell, seals $250, bonds $340, total $590.
Aberdeen—Mrs. J. R. Page, seals,
$250, bonds $340, total $590.
Carthage—Miss Margaret McQueen,
seals, $250, bonds $340, total $590.
Spies—Mrs. J. Fulton Monroe, seals
$10, bonds $10, total $20.
Hemp—Mrs. R. F. Lynch, seals $25,
bonds $15, total $40.
High Falls—Mrs. G. C. Shaw, seals
$25, bonds $15, total $40.
Glendon—Mrs. W. T. Stockton, seals
$10, bonds $10, total $20.
Putnam—Mrs. Jim Warren, seals
$10, bonds $10, total $20.
Hallison—Mrs. Tracy Parks, seals
$10, bonds $10, total $20.
Catifteron—-Mrs. Lula Muse, seals $160,
bonds $340, total $490.
Vass—Mrs. Guy Simpson, seals
$75, bonds $105, total $180.
Manly—Miss Maty Phiilif)s, ' ftealft
$10, bonds $10, total $20.
Lakeview—Mrs. J. R. McQueen,
The building activity in Vass is suf
ficient to arouse enthusiasm among
the people, for it tells that things are
moving forward on a substantial foot
ing. Of course the big item is the fine
new high school building just off the
highway over toward Lakeview, for
there is one of the most pretentious
school houses in the county, where
nearly every district in the last two
or three years has been building new
school houses. The new Vass-Lakeview
school will cost about $50,000, and is
now far enough along it shows what
it is to signify when it is finished and
open for use. The school board se
lected a fine site on the hill between
the two public roads, and on the side
of the connecting road, for the school
is accessible from all directions. The
hill is one of the highest in the nigh-
borhood, and is far enough away from
traffic or from villages so that plen
ty of room is available for all uses.
The new house cannot be of service
for this winter’s schools, but when
the next year opens conditions will be
wholly different with that big new ad
dition to community school buildings.
In the village Charlie Temple has
a two-story brick building half way
up. It adjoins the block of buildings
that include the postoffice block on the
north side. A store room will be af
forded on the first floor, with ample
basement accomodation, and the up
per floor will be of use for other pur
poses. Mr. Temple has not announc
ed the purpose of the new building, as
he has different schemes in mind. But
it will be further room for whatever
shall be decided on, and is an indica
tion of the expansion of the commu
nity.
W. H. Keith has finished his new
building at the junction of the high
way and the road to Carthage and
Clayroad. He has moved his busi
ness to the new location, where he
has one of the most roomy and con
venient places of the kind along the
road. The filling station occupies a
part of the structure, while repairs
and store room are cared for by the
rest of the big space. Two floors give
I p’enty of surface for all the work of
i the insMtrfon. Incidentally the re-
I 'loval of t!:e dirt at the cross roads
neceisary to make the fill for the new
building has made the crossing there
a mv.ch safer one as better view of
cars from all directions is now afford
ed.
I A letter this week from R. W.
I Beadle, of Brockwayville, Penna., says
I he expects to be down here after the
holidays when he wants to look into
the water situation further. The last
samples of water sent him were pro
nounced good, and he wants to see
more of Vass and determine the wis
dom of building a water plant here for
the two villages.
KIWANIS CLUB
ELECTS OFFICERS
Wednesday night at the annual
meeting and election of the Sandhills
Kiwanis Club held in the Manor Hotel
at Pinehurst, James Talbot Johnson,
prominent attorney of Aberdeen, was
elected as president of the club to suc
ceed former Congressman Robert N.
Page who has led the club for the past
year. Mr. Johnson was one of the or
ganizers of the club and has been a
(Continued on page 5)
seals $25, bonds $100, total $125.
Niagara—Mrs. D. B. Tew, seals $10,
bonds $10, total $20.
Pinebluff—Miss Lida Hutchings,
seals $25, bonds $140, total $165.
West End—Miss Lucil^ Eifort, seals
$50, bonds $155, total $205.
Jackson SpriBgs-^|Hrs. Victoria
McKenzie, seals $25, bonds $130, to
tal- $155.
jjagie Sprirtgs—Mrs. N.- J. Carter,
sfeMs $60, hotids |1$0, total $180.
Farm laife School—Mr. R. G. Hutch
inson, seals $10, bonds $20, total $4d.