North Carolina Newspapers

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1933 Page 2 THE WAYNESVILLE MOUNTAINEER (Hit? iHmmtamrrr Published By THE WAYNESVILLE PRINTING CO. Phone 137 Main Street Waynesville, N. C. W. C. ItUSS Managing Editor I. D. DEATON General Manager Owners Published Every Thursday SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 Year - $2.00 6 Months - 1.25 3 Months - .65 Subscriptions payable in advance Entered at the post office at Waynesville, N. C as Second Class Mail Matter, as provided un der the Act of March 3,1879, November 20, 1914. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 19.5'J DOES HAYWOOD COUNTY WANT A COUN TY AGENT? The above question is of vital importance at this time and if it is to be answered in the affirmative it means that those in favor of such an answer must go out in the communities of the county and "convert" those who are at this time holding out for a negative answer to the question. The commissioners take the position that they are not justified in spending the taxpay er's money for a county agent when some of the farmers do not want this assistance, while some of the farmers maintain that they cannot get along without the assistance of a county agent. It is understood that when Ihe farmers of this county show that they want a county agent one will be provided. We do not believe that the commissioners will resume the oilice of county agent until there is shown to them that there is more cooperation prevailing among the farmers of this county. Chairman Hyatt stated Monday at the commissioners meeting that the thing to do was to go to the people wanting a county agent and show them the value of such a worker. With the position of the commissioners clearly in mind, those wanting a county agent should go out and solicit every farmer and get them all to agree on the matter and then pre sent it to the board. At that time we feel that the office of county agent will be forth coming and not before. As we see the situation, it now rests entirely in the hands of those anxious to answer the question above either yes or no. If Haywood County wants a county agent it is going to take cooperation among the farm ers to get one. RATCLIFF COVE COMMUNITY FORGING AHEAD The citizens of the Ratcliff Cove communi ty have undertaken a fine thing by buying the old school house for a community building where they have community gatherings that would not be entirely suitable to be held in a church. The spirit in which the community went about acquiring the building shows that there is existing in the Ratcliff Cove community a spirit of fellowship and cooperation. We feel that great things will develop from this torn-, munity house, and that the community will be bound even closer by ties of friendship than ever before. Other communities in the county would do well to follow the splendid example set by the progressive citizens of Ratcliff Cove. BE OPTIMISTIC ALSO PATIENT One of the most encouraging bits of news recently was the fact that the Bank of Clyde had been authorized to resume work and operate all departments. News of this nature always puts people in an optimistic frame of mind. Regardless of how optimistic we get, we should not expect great things to happen overnight. The business world is just beginning to re cover from a breakdown and it will take some time to get back to normal. Even with banks all round us resuming business, we cannot ex pect business to be as brisk as it was in the days of '26 within a few days after the banks resume work. Let's be patiently optimistic. TO 29'i LET CONTRACT FOR HIGHWAY SOON Reports received here indicate that the contract for the construction of the Soco Gap Road will be let in February. This is not as early as some had anticipated the contract would be let, but nevertheless, it is considerab ly more than others expected. Actual construc tion should be under way within a few months and that within itself will be a feature worth while for Waynesville to advertise. KEEPING COUNTY AGENTS Realizing that agriculture is the big basic business of the nation, and that the county agent is essential to the highest welfare of agriculture, the American Rankers' Association, through its agricultural commission, is advis ing against retrenchment to the extent of dis continuing or disturbing county agents, or home demonstration agents, and their constructive programs. "When business comes back", said the statement, "we can not expect it to proceed along the same highway or knock at the same door it did previously. Necessary adjustments are bound to bring about new methods as new devices. Those who are alert will profit there by; those who are waiting aimlessly for things to just happen may wake up some day to find that the business they have been waiting for is already in the hands of wide-awake competi tors. "Farming is no exception. To avert disas ter and to effectively prepare for the future the farmer, like any other business man, needs expert advice. He must have a vital and close contact with his agricultural college and ex periment station. The human medium through which this is accomplished is the county agri cultural agent. His service is an investment, not an expense. "Any attempt to save taxes by dispensing with or limiting the efficiency of a good co'unty agent, is a serious stepbackward. Compare taxes and ability to pay taxes, in counties with and without agents; the evidence is all in favor of the county agent. "When the battle of economic deliverance in in progress is not time to discard a good soldier or to question the need of an able cap tain. It, is all right to reduce expense, but a reduction that will impair our capital and jeop ardize our income may be false economy. If we have a good county agent, let's uphold him and make it possible for him to help lead us out of the wilderness." The above is sound and timely advice that should lie carefully weighed by those charged with the expenditure of public funds. No penny-wise and pound-foolish policy should be followed in our efforts to lower taxes and con serve public funds. The county agents and home demonstration agents are necessities not luxuries, Southern Agriculturist, Jan., 19:5:!. HILLS TO AliOLISH OFFICE OF TAX COL LECTOR Senator Francis and Representative Ho well seem to be of one accord in regard to the oilice of tax collector. Rills have been intro duced to the General Assembly by these two Haywood oflicials asking that the salary of the tax collector be reduced from $4,500 to $-'),000 a year, and also abolish the office effective December 1, 1934. If these bills are passed, it will mean, we understand, that the sheriff would become tax collector. At present the sheriff of Haywood County is the only sheriff in the state who is not on a salary, according to infor mation reaching us. No doubt the idea the two Legislature members have in mind is to abolish the tax office and give a portion of the present salary now going to tax collector to the sheriff. Anyhow, even if the bill is passed upon, it won't affect the present men in office, as the bill specifies that it become effective December 1, 1934. FOR THE SAKE OF ROY SCOUTS Next Wednesday and Thursday evening the Rotary Club is sponsoring a three-act comedy, "Once In A Blue Moon" at the High School auditorium for the benefit of the Boy Scout work that is sponsored by the club. Needless to say, the club could not have selected a more worthy project than to provide leadership and activities for the boys of this city. To carry on this work as it should be done, it takes a certain amount of money. " Often boys join the organization from families without the necessities of life, and these are really the boys the club is trying to encourage, and it means that funds must be provided for them by the club. The members of the club feel that they need the financial cooperation to carry on this work, but instead of asking for donations they have brought here a member of Southern Arts Studios to train 150 local people for the play which will be presented next week. The play is highly recommended and should be worth much more than the admission price besides the help toward a worthy cause. Let's-help our Boy Scouts by enjoying ourselves. Editor of The Mountaineer: losintr a letter clipped from the Ral.'igh News and Observer. 1 think it will he of interest to your many readers if you see fit to pub lish same. A RFADKR. JUICY STATE DEI' A HTM EXT JOBS T the Editor: It appears that Mr. Thatideus Eure, Principal Clerk of the House, misunderstood my letter printed in The News and Observer Thursday, regarding tne ease wun which I said I had observed certain gentlemen who were holding nk juicy state department jobs snapped up the few choice plums the legis lature had to pass out. I did not charge that these men were receiv ing pay for two jobs. I merely ask ed if they were. I stated in my letter and I reit erate here that I think i; was a down right shame that these men should have been appointed to those legis lative positiom, when there are hun dreds of other deserving Democrats who find themselves without means cf making a living for themselves and their families at the present time. To give you and the public some idea of what nice jobs these legisla tive plums are. I beg to submit some figure which a newspaper friend fathered frvm tl': r? :ords of the State Auditor. Auditor's records show that Mr. Thaddeus Eure, Principal Clerk dur ing the 19:il session received $U0t for' his service as clerk ; 8400 fcr ii: c exjig the House Journal, and was pi ven $500 as extra compensation. 1hi makes i t.-ul ot- a.- cc m- n:M'od with th; '?:i00 received I y ti'c kvislators. Mr Eeroy MaiJii. l'riir.'.pal CU-vk in th(. Senate during the same session, received !ji!(H7 for his services iis clerk; Sl'lO for indexing the Senate Journal and was given S."iH f,y the Senate as, !; ' i'a coiiipens i lion. Prior to Ilecemlier .'11, last, records show these gentlemen were on the State payroll as follows: Eure 80,000 )ii r year, as as -i-tanl personnel di rector; Martin, as swiftni'y to the Equalization Hoard. $4,200. ' Again I reueat: If these gentle men can lie spared so e'tsily from their legnhr iohs in order to let them work the sol', snips in the legislature. the'" D.'t-dtiims in slat? departments puim ! very unimportant, and, in ' '-.( iu'erest of economy, they Should ' " : It il isheil. If they are important, t'- "i 'five their state department jobs to some other Democrats. KRXF.ST MARTIN. '.his would amount to Soil,u(it annu a.'.y. Add to this the local unit rawn . h ps. towns and districts, we have a tended indebtedness of ore and one ha'r million more drawing interest at the same ,-u'ji making Sl'O.uOO annu ally amounting to $-0,000 per month ) ' $:j:i:3 per day. With the taxable wealth of the count around twenty 's ve. million dollars Ht th? present tax rate would bring in something like .312.500 in revenue, not including rlnes, forfeitures, licenses, and other miscellaneous incomes. Now with this enormous amount of interest and every thing tangible taxed to the constutional limit, where or from what source will this revenue come without increasing the valuation of property or increasing the tax rate.' These are difficult problems to solve nd should claim the serious consid eration of our law makers and all who have control of the financial affairs of the country. J. A. FRANCIS. 24 Years Ai in HAYWOOD When wine enters the stomach, secrets usually fly out of the mouth. E Ptor of Mountainer": We seem to be living in a time when the powers to be are ambitious to realize great incomes for the na tion, state, counties, and towns. We have developed a type of citizens who seem to measure their greatness and usefulness by the appropriations they can get from the legislature or insti tutions they can set up at the ex pense of thp taxpayers. New institutions call for increased appropriations every yiear and old ones call for bond issues every time the legislature meets with littl said of the object of taxation or the wefare of the people, and less said of the obligation to reduce rather than in crease the burden of taxation. Noth ing is said of budgets to what money is actually needed and the purpose of the appropriation but they seem to measure their greatness by the big ness of th, appropriation they vote for rather than the care with which they discharge their trust as custo dians of the taxes of the people. The legislature reaches the state not in quest of economics but in quest of new revenues. Every time the legislature meets there is a cry for more and expenses have increased un der responses to this cry' at incredi ble rate until we have reached the constitutional limit leaving us with the necessity in order to maintain the pace we have been following for the past ten years to vastly increase valuation. In 191 S while the state was instat ing our present tax policy, one J. W. Bailev. now United States Senator from this state, pointed out its dan gers and its tendencies and results in watching the trend of taxation. Since! that, tiirip if. is verv sinnnvonf Vio- mnn have- forgotten that among other oiessings oi tnc state the blessing of low taxes is on of tVio ,'i.lif,.n. nients of a commonwealth and is the jewel ot economy, thiit among the i ioremost virtues ot government is to tssary and just. But in our beastly piosperuy we iiKe sheep went astray and today we realize our blunder in not heeding the warning of Mr. Bailey. Now the truth of his warn ing words is apparent. Many thous and farms have been sold for taxes and the end is not yet. The bonded indebtedness of North Carolina has increased at the rate of two million dollars a year for the past four years and now meets a deficiency cf twelve million dollars which will call for additional revenue which our leg islature. ,,now in session, will have to provide from some source or issue bonds to meet this deficiency and as the state is bonded very near the lmit it is doubted whether bonds could be sold or not and all property is taxed to the limit and beyond, so this is a perplexing problem whhh will con front our law makers. It is hoped that theV Will llSn SOTttA ttdiymnnt n. A " t mill not while their time away in needless uuvu, out get tion-n to business of some constructive legislation that will benefit all classes. . . Now a peep into county conditions. t irst we notice in 1919 the county was Dractienllv nut. of H&Kf T - "-'-" miiiieii years the bonded indebtedness of the county had reached the sum of one and one-half million dollars. Drawing interest at four per com per anr.um. An Expensive Race A candidate for county commis ioner in a New York county in the recent election has filed the following statement of his campaign expenses and expenditures: "Lost 1,349 hours of- sleep think ing about the election which should he worth $1,349. Lost my two best front teeth and a lot of hair in a per sonal encounter over the tariffworth say $45. Donated one beef critter, four shoats and five sheep to a 'bar becue say $36. Cave away 14 pairs of suspenders, 18 dresses and 46 gingham aprons worth about $87. Also $5 in cash and 14 baby rattles total $6.40. Kissed 157 'babies no charge for this but would never do it again. Tried to kiss the mother in one case and also will never do this again. Kindled 14 kitchen fires and 18 fires in rural schoolmarms :ay $32. Put up seven stoves-n-say $7. 'Walked 4.067 miles say $100 for the shoe leather and wear and tear. Shook hands with 9, 45(" persons and wouldn't do it again for a dollar apiece- . Told 10.899 lies no charge for this as I am a lawver bv Pro- i'e-sion. At tended 17 revival meetings, was c .r.vrtod 14 times an I bap'.icd three .:.! !iy immersion . .iid four times ) in other way moderate charge for this would he $38, at an average rate of $1 each. ' Contributed $7S to for eign missions and -15 '.vents to home missions toal $78.15, .Mad,, love to nine grass widows charge say $1 each. Hugged 78 old nr. id.- $2 each total $156. Got tot by. dogs 18 times---charge $8 as dam ages to pants and njthinjf for wounds to myself. Was defeated by two votes because my opponent hugged M) old maids." BRIEF NEWS ITEMS The seventeenth annual meeting of the North -Carolina Beekeepers' As sociation will be held at State College at ten o'clock Friday, January 27. Mr- and Mrs. W. C. Garrison formerly of Asheville, have rented .Mr. Sam Millers house and have moved here. Mr. J. N. Shoolbred- left yesterda. for England, where he wili remain oil a visit until spring. He goes for u rest tor a lew montns. Misses Grace and Julia Bowles left Monday for Atlantic City, where they will spend sometime. They will also visit New York before returning home. The Unagusta Manufacturing Com. pany after having ibeen shut down for sometime began operations at Ha zelwood on January 11 with a full force of hands. This company shows a good report of business last year notwithstanding the panic. A beautiful memorial volume to Mrs. Mary Love Stringfield Wulbern has just been issued by the Dorcas Bell I.nve Chanter of thp Danchters of the American Revolution. It is handsomely bound in black with gold borders and letters. It contains a biographical sketch of Mrs. Wulbern and many tributes of respect from persons and organizations in this state and others. Plans for home-made brick brooder house have been developed by C F... rarrish and David S, Weaver of the State College Extension Service and may be had on application to either of the two specialists. . .. Iredell farmers using the seed loans for cash buying last season say they -aved at least 20 percent on the ferti lizer purchased. Clyde P.T..A. Hear Supt. A. J. Huchins (Contributed.) Mr. A. J. Hutchins; superintended of the Canton schools, made a force ful talk at the meeting of the Clyde Parent-Teachers' Association, Tues day af:e-noon- January 10, Mr. Hutchins gave valuable infor. mition concerning the response which sehool.- have made to the new eco nomic system of North Carolina. lie urged he; parents to let their county representatives t'j the legislature know that '.hey are standing for the schools. The message ' Was . so well received that the association adopted a 'esolution to that effect. A -report was made that relief work i .being continued in the community. More than 200 garments have been distributed. Rapid progress has taken place in the beautification of ihe school grounds. (Donations-'., wpre made iby various members of the association for trees which will be set out on the grounds. . The meetings during the year of 1932 were successful, but with the at tendance of over 50 enthusiastic mem bers on Tuesday afternoon, it is felt that the influence of the P. T. A. will be even greater. MYSTERY SOLVED Another Remarkable Story of a Puzzling Crime Unravelled by the French Detective Police, as Told by Mr. H. Asheon-Wolfe, Former Assist ant of the Famous Dr. Bertillon, of the Surete, in The American Weekly, tie Magazine Distributed "With the Next Atlanta Sunday American. JUST A TIP You need no longer throw those old shoes away. Just bring them to us and we'll return them to you almost as good as new. "The Trade Is Not Closed Until You Are Satis fied" THE CHAMPION SHOE SHOP E. T, Duckett, Prop. MAIN ST. NEXT WESTERN UNION The jqropsr c'e wiii rievive yo-u-v health ! COc Yes, That's Right, we've all got to take our medicine if we expect to prosper and have happy health. At this time of the year we ought to be particularly careful of the health of the little ones. You can make sure that any medicine that f.nds its way to their little tummies is pure if purchased here We're particularly careful about our prescriptions. Alexander's Drug Store PHONES 5351