The Rocky Mount Herald
VOLUME 4, NO. 32
WILL BUILD 3
ADDITIONS TO
LIBRARY HERE
Wings And Rear Addition Will
Be Constructed At Braswell Me
morial Library
Bids on the construction of two
end wings and a rear addition to
the Braswell Memorial library on
Falls Road will be opened here
about August 10 or 12, it was learn
ed today from Harry J. Harles, ar
chitect for the additions.
The new additions to the building
are a gift from Dr. M. R. Bras
well who originally- established and
endowed the library in honor of his
son, the late Thomas Hackney
Braswell, it was stated today by F.
E. Winslow, chairman of the com
mittee of the libnuy trustees in
charge of arrangements tot the ad
ditions.
The wings at each end of the
main reading room of the library,
ifr. Harles said, 35 feet deep and
24 feet widb. One will be a read
ing room for children and the oth-|
er a reference room.
The rear addition, 51 feet long
and 28 1-2 feet deep, will be a
two-story construction with a lec
ture hall down-stairs and upstairs
•tacks in which to keep books, a
work room and a committee room.
A new boiler plant will also oe
added to heat the additions.
CERTIFICATES
ISSUED FOR
LIFE SAVING
Three examiners were given their
certificates and two seniors received
awards following the three-day life
saving course which was conducted,
at the municipal swimming pool by
Charles Mix, regional Bed Cross life
saving instructor.
John King Brewer and Mokey Fai
•on were given their reappointments
as examiners and Leon Grimes pass
ed the tests for the first time. Mick
ey Bennett and Paul Holscher pass
ed the senior tests. Brewer, Faison,
and Grimes will conduct further
classes at the pool.
E.CI.C. Offers
New(Gredits Now
Greenville, N. C., July 30.—East
Carolina Teacher* College will of
fer a major, leading to the A. B.
degree in physical education, begin
ning with the fall term, 1937. Al
though physical education has been
taught since the opening of the col
lege, this will be the first time
students will have the opportunity
to major in this work.
The college is making this ad
dition to its course of study, to
meet a wide-spread demand \for
trained teachers in this field. Stu
dents have been requesting an op
portunity to major in physical edu
cation for several years, and pub
lic school officials have shown much
interest in this work; they want
teachers of physical education in
both grammar and high schools and
supervisors of playgrounds.
The college has secured the ser
vices of J. D. Alexander as head of
the physical education department
and coach. Mr. Alexander was an
all-round star athlete at the Uni
versity of lowa. He has his M. A.
degree in physical education from
lowa, and has completed most of
the work of the Ph. D. degree in phy
sical education at Peabody College,
which probably has the best gra
duate school of physical education
in the south. At Peabody Mr. Alex
ender is considered one of the best
men who has majored in that de
partment. For the past seven years
he has been head of the depart
ment of physical education and head
coach at Lincoln Memorial Univer
sity, where he has built up an ex
cellent department.
Miss Lucille Horton, who has
taught physical education in the
college for the past two years, will
continue in the department. She
has her M. A. degree from Peabody
College, and has made a splendid
ncord as a teacher.
Nash Students
At Louisburg
Louisburg, August 4.—Several of
.the more than 200 students who
have already enrolled at Louisburg
College for the coming year- are
from Nash County and nearby ter
ritory.
A total of 10 students have al
ready enrolled from this area and
5 towns and cities are represented.
These are Bailey, Nashville, Middle
sex. Castalia, and Red Oak.
The names of boys and girls from
this section who have indicated
their intentions to attend. Louis
burg College during the coming year
are: Edward Lamm of Bailey; Miss
Eleanor Bone, Miss Anne Clee Dick
ens, Miss Nancy Lee Harper, and
Dorothy Dozier, of Nashville; Misc
Bettie Beal of Red Oak; Miss Mar
garet Corbitt, and Carlton Allen of
Middlesex; and Miss Jvanita Bobbitt
of Castalia.
| IN WASHINGTON
| WHAT
IS*
TAKING
\ PLACE
BY
UNITED STATB*SENATOR
♦ t » *■ *.*
The economic map of the countty
looks much better than it did a
year ago. Improvement haa been
more rapid in some sections than in
others. But the general level of
business, industry and agriculture
is higher than it was when the Con
gress convened last January for
what has been one of the longest
sessions of the latft fifteen years.
Evidence of the widespread im
provement in our national econo
mic structure la found in the un
certainty surrounding the legislative
course to be' followed before Con
gress adjourns. There are maay
precedents for the present situation.
In times of emergency, when there
is great pressure for new laws to
meet conditions threatening the
stability of our people, the Congress
has always moved quickly to enact
needed legislation. But when times
get better, legislative action is us
nally slower and more studied.
Strong sentiment against new expe
riments i« always the rule rather
than the exception.
Some members of Congress now
feel that it is time to adjourn. They
contend that the country is more
prosperous, that men ore going
back to work, that crops are good
and that things are moving along
in an orderly fashion. In this
group are those who oppose contro
versial legislation and believe that
it should be postponed until a la
ter date.
The other group, those who be
lieve that Congress should remain
in session until it completea its
work, feel that such action is essen
tial to preserve the gains already
made. This group strongly opposes
any 1 delay in the enactment of aew
legislation affecting industry and
agriculture.
Whatever the merit of each of
these schools of thought, and sound
arguments can be advanced for both
aides, there is a growing belief
among the members of Congress that
they need to discuss current condi
tions with the leaders among their
am constituents. First-hand infor
mation on -local developments and
needs are eagerly sought. How will
some particular proposal effect the
workers of my state! What do the
farmers themselves feel is necessary f
Are the views, of constituents being
accurately presented by pressure
groupsf What are the factst These
and other questions are being asked
daily by members of the Congress
as they study pending legislation.
It is a hopeful sign. It is a sign
that legislation is more and more
undergoing the acid tests of true
public opinion. It means that the
village store and the town hall are
still great political forums. It is evi
dence that our citizens are more
alive to the important part the Fed
eral Government plays in their dai
ly affairs.
One unfortunate condition in the
effort to draft a national pattern of
laws, is that some piece of legisla
tion may help the country as a
whole, but be extremely bad for a
particular state or section. The Ad
ministration speaks for the country
as a whole. An individual member
of Congress speaks for his state. It
is becoming more and more difficult
to reconcile the national good with
that of the individual states. Farm
legislation is a case in point. What
may be a tine thng for agriculture
generally, may be harmful to one o'
more elements of the farm popula
tion.
An indication of this is the at
titude of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture in favor of a subcom
mittee holding hearings at strategic
points throughout the country as
a preliminary to drafting new farm
legislation. Such a course would de
lay a new measure, but some con
tend that the law finally drafted
would be more constructive. There
are some grounds for the belief
that it might result in legislation
free of some of the red tape now
vitally affecting administration of
farm aid. In any event, it would
secure th e views of the -'dirt farm
er," who is without the time and
means to present his views in Wash
ington.
o
Parent-Teacher
Institute At U. N. C.
The tenth annual Parent-Teacher
Institute, will open at the Univer
sity of N. C., at Chapel Hill, Mon
day evening, August 9, at 7:30
o'clock, with Mrs. J. Buren Sid
bury, of Wilmington, State President
in charge.
The sessions will continue through
Friday.
R. M. Grumman, director of the
University Extension Division is
chairman of the Institute Commit
tee.
A broad program has been outlin
ed, with daily round table discus
sions on subjects relating to the
North Carolina Schools.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1937
R.E.A. PROJECT
IS FAVORED BY
MANYFARMERS
Carmody Receives Warm Reception
From Farmers Indignant Over
Action Taken By Directors Of Co
operative
Federal REA Administrator Johu
M. Carmody, who wrote Governor
Hoey last week that if the REA re
tired , from Johnston county it
would be upon the expressed will
of the people and not "because a
power company has spent or stands
ready to spend a million dollars,"
found awaiting him in the court
house here Wednesday night a
crowd of farmers and farm women
indignant over the recent action of
the directors of the Johnston Coun
ty Electric Membership Corporation
in agreeing to abandon their REA
project in favor of the Carolina
Power and Light Company.
Administrator Carmody, who with
several of his Washington associat
es came here to attend the mass
meeting called by supporters of the
cooperative project and to investi
gate personally the decision of the
directors, told the assembled throng
which packed the main floor of the
courtroom that he came as a "ser
vant of the people to ask for fur
ther instruction." If he accepted the
sentiment of those attending the
meeting as "further instruction,"
the Federal government will contin
ue to exert efforts in behalf of
Johnston county farmers who have
been struggling to obtain electri
cal energy cooperatively.
There was no uncertainty as to
how the crowd felt about the con
troversy over rural electrification
that has been in progress in the
county for more than a year. Tho
cheers that followed utterances of
men backing the cooperative, the
gibes thrust at speakers apparently
not in sympathy with the coopera
tive and, chiefly, a show of hand*
on the issue indicated conclusively
that the farmers assembled wanted
to overrule the directors of their
membership corporation, who in
their opinion acted with too much au
thority in deciding to abandon
the project without consulting 'the
prospective patrons of the project
through a mass meeting of some
similar mean* of determining sen
timent.
Show Of Hands
The show of hands came early in
the meeting and forewarned the
tone of the remainder of the pro
ceedings. Z. L. Talton, farmer of
the Sanders Chapel section, who
was the first to take the floor af
ter Mr. Carmody had prefaced the
session with a review of the issue
involved, told of his futile efforts
to get the power company to build
a line through his neighborhood as
late ag two years ago and, fired with
zeal for the cooperative, suddenly
how many in the crowd want
ed the government project to con
tinue in Johnston county. Hands
went up from over the whole audi
ence.
Then Mr. Carmody intervened for
a more accurate check. He asked
for another show of hands this time
only from farmers, one from a
family, who were included in the
survey of the cooperative project
and who wanted the project com
pleted as proposed. At least 200
hands went up. On another vote by
raised hands, only five or six per
sons indicated opposition to the co
operative.
Mr. Horne Heard
J. L. Horne, Jr., publisher of the
Rocky Mount Telegram and a for
mer member of the State Rural
Electrification Authority, was called
upon for his views by Mr. Grady.
He pleaded for ''harmony" and
asked the farmers to cooperate in
getting the "heat out of the John
ston county row."
Mr. Horne told of the stole REA
efforts for the Johnston project and
explained that the State Authority
last summer thought it best for tho
membership corporation to withdraw
Vs application for Federal funds
when it appeared to the Author
ity members that the Federal REA
was not showing the interest it
should be in the Johnston project
when it advanced only a partial
allotment of SBO,OOO, instead of the
requested $310,000. He quoted from
a letter received from Morris L.
Cooke, then the Federal administra
tor, which lie said gave no assurance
that the additional funds would be
alloted making possible the origi
nally proposed 295-mile project.
Mr. Horne declared that the
State REA did not think the coun
ty's interest could be best served by
a small project, such as could bo
completed with SBO,OOO, and the
Authority therefore passed a reso
lution suggesting that the smaller
loan not be accepted. He said the
power company was asked to enter
Johnston county because it proposed
to build abotit 125 miles of lines
or more lines than the cooperative
could build with SBO,OOO.
Nicholson's Answer
Attorney Nicholson said he wrote
the letter referred to, which went
over Mr. Cooke's signature, and that
it plainly indicated that the Feder
al REA was ready to back the
Johnston cooperative until the full
project of 295 miles was completed.
He said the partial allotment was
made pending the start of another
fiscal year when the additional
funds were to be alloted out of new
appropriations.
Near the close of the meeting,
E. G. Holland, who said he wa« a
"neighbor and friend" of J. W.
i Woodard, president of the member
i (Please turn to page three)
Outstanding Boy and Girl
I
H
In New York to receive the SSOO college scholarship awards they
won in the 1036 national social progress program, Billy Hale of Hixon,
Term., and Daphne Debruln of Fort Benton, Mont., the nation's out
standing boy and girl members of the 4-H clubs, are pictured looking
over the big city from the top of the RCA building. This is their first
visit to New York.
Cotton Farmers Suffer
The delay of Congress in passing needed agricultural
legislation has had a very bearish condition on the price
of cotton. Many of our southern Senators who haven't
been supporting the President in his effort to do something
for the agricultural people of the State as they should
have, have undertaken to place the blame upon the
shoulders of the President when the real blame rests on
the shoulders of these Senators.
When the price of cotton began to go down, these same
Senators made a request upon the President to make 12c
loans on cotton. The President immediately informed the
Congress and the people at large that the Government
could not affofd to make 12c loans on cotton without the I
authority to put into effect crop control, and that the ac
tion of the Supreme Court in declaring null and void the
Triple "A" took all authority from him to put into effect
crop control; that Congress had not passed much needed
legislation in the place of the voided Triple "A".
There has been much talk of adjournment in Congress,
but our opinion is that the nearer time comes for Congress
to adjourn and no necessary farm legislation passed, it- is
going to prove embarrassing to many of these Senators
who had stood in the way of and blocked all farm legisla
tion, particularly in the cotton producing States. In fact,
we believe that quite a few of them will take their rest
in other States than the cotton producing States for they
are not going to find it wholesome where cotton is selling
far below the cost of production.
OLD PEOPLE SUFFERING
The slowness in putting into effect the Old Age Pension
Law in this section is very bad on many of our old people.
This morning we had a caller, an old negro, who was sev
enty-five years old, who has been on the charity list, but
by reason of the anticipated benefits of the Old Age Pen
sion Law, has been denied this July allowance and unless
there is more speed put into the operation of this law;
it appears that he will lose August and it does not yet appear
but what he may even lose September.
The charity office in Rocky Mount has been practically
closed, expecting the Old Age Pension Law to give the
needed assistance. The County and City has a serious re
sponsibility in this matter and these payments should not
have been stopped until further provision had been made
to take care of these old people. We called attention week
before last to an old colored preacher in Rocky Mount, eigh
ty-three years old, sick, and unable to work, having to
depend upon the slipshod handout from a few passers by.
He had been receiving four dollars per month from the
charity office and since this has been closed, he has
been left in this destitute condition.
The State Welfare Department which has control of the
[ operation of the Old Age Pension Law should have made
these investigations in June rather than wait until July
when they knew it was impossible to put this law into ef
fect in one month's time.
WE HAVE NOT SEEN IT
Sometime back the Board of Aldermen of the City of
Rocky Mount had a very costly survey made in connection
with the removal of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Company from the City of Rocky Mount. The survey cost,
we are told, in the neighborhood of twelve or thirteen
thousand dollars, considering the expenses incurred by the
City and including a seventy-five hundred dollars fee for
the "Expert." Now, while there has been some little pub
licity given to this report, yet the real report has never
been published, and we have had many requests from in
terested citizens to know if we had a copy of the report
and, of course we informed them that we had not, but re
ferred them to the City office for the report. We have no
idea how long this report is, and we naturally expect that
the Board of Aldermen has placed it in archives to be
read probably by future unborn generations. We have
never thought at any time that anything would come of
this report other than perhaps the killing of the Jordan
Street underpass.
HAIL HURTS CROPS BADLY
IN THREE COUNTIES MONDAY
POSTOFFICE
BIDS ARE DUE
NOVEMBER 1
Postmaster Diacloses Letter From
Procurement Division Official
To Kerr
Barring "unforseen contingencies"
the probable date for placing the
work on the Rocky Mount post
office building on the market for
construction bids has been set for
November 1 of this year, according
to information received here today.
Postmaster E. C. Speight disclosed
as much in a letter to Congress
man J. H. Kerr of the Second dis
trict, from W. E. Reynolds, as
sistant director of procurement in
the United States Treasury Depart
ment's building division. The letter
assured Congressman Kerr, who has
been instrumental to a large extent
in securing a sum of around $150,-
000 to effect needed improvements
in the local postoffice building, that
'•if it proves practicable to anti
cipate this schedule, advertisements
will be released at a corresponding
ly earlier date."
Mr. Reynolds pointed out that for
a project of the size contemplated
"completion of working drawings
and specifications—would ordinarily
—require an approximate ninety
days,'' as he pointed out that the
bids would be placed for Novem
ber 1 if possible.
LOCAL HORSE
IS WINNER
IN TWO RACES
Ben Mayo, Edgecombe County
fanner and commissioner, is the
proud owner of "Chief Counsel*'
which this week established a track
record for two-year-old* at old Or
chard Beach, Maine, in the Grand
Circuit there, when the pride of
the Mayo stables walked away with
1 the mile rauo in 2:03 ,1-2.
Mr. Mayo, who has been a suc
cessful race track driver himself in
other days, is a lover of the sport
and of horses. He has many of
them on northern tracks at this
time, and expects that his two
year-oid Chief Counsel will be the
horse to beat when it reaches the
age of three, four or five years old.
Chief Counsel, suffering from a
cold, has made but two starts late
ly, winning them both. Now that
the cold is better Mr. Mayo has in
structed his rider to enter the twv
year-old in the races at Goshen, N.
Y., Cleveland, Ohio and Indianapo
lis, Indiana.
When the Coastal Plain Fair opens,
Mr. Mayp, who is president of
the Edgecombe Fair Association, ex
pects to enter all of his horses in
the races here. If he can get a
group of two-year-olds Tarboro and
Edgecombe county will see Chief
Counsel this fall.
"Chief Counsel is going to make
a great horse, a fine racer, and I
look to a great season if no injury
happens," said Mr. Mayo.
Sampson Boy
Wins Contest
Hartwell. Dawson, 16-year-old farm
boy of the'Piainview High School in
Sampson County has been awarded
first prize of a one-year college
scholarship in the State finals of the
10th annual cooperative essay con
test, sponsored by the FCX and the
State Cotton Association.
Second prize of $25 went to the
lone female contestant, Helen Pierce
Whitlock of the Eudy High School
in Stanly County; third of sls
to Randolph Denton, of the Gold
Sand High School in Franklin Coun
ty; fourth of $lO to Jim Davis,
representing the Clyde High School
in Haywood County; and fifth of
$lO to Russell Knowles of the Wind
sor High School in Bertie County.
In delivering the prizes T. E.
Browne, State director of vocation
al education, complimented all tho
contestants highly on their ability
to speak and ''to think problems
through." "We must have sound
thinkers on agricultural questions,"
he said, "but thinking is not enough.
Thinkers must also be able to im
press their thoughts on others in a
forceful, clear and concise manner. - '
Dr. Clarence Poe, President and
Editor of the Progressive Farmer,
spoke emphasizing the need of an
enlightened agriculture. W. Kerr
Scott, State Commissioner of Agri
culture, also spoke briefly.
NOTICE
Those desiring to subscribe to The Rocky Mount
Herald may do so by sending SI.OO with name and
address to The Rocky Mount Herald, Rocky Mount,
N. C.
Town , State Route No
SI.OO PER YEAH
Edgecombe Badly Hit, Wilson And
Greene Also Visited By Disas
trous Storm
Tarboro. Aug. 4. —A rain and hail
storm that began at McKendree
church section Monday night and
forty-five minutes later lifted be
yond Archie Burnette'g farm, left
an inch and three-quarters rainfall
and hail destruction, that even to
day wag undetermined.
The hail began to fall near McKea
dree church, and running in a lino
hit Cliff Weeks, Bill Eason, B. T.
Fischer, County Agent Joe Powall,
John Price, Van Anderson, W. L.
Page and the Bill Clark's Bourne
farm.
Then it hit Tarboro, and passing
over the town, continued towarda
Oak Springs, and hit Archie Bur
nette, the W. 8. Clark Cumminga
farm, John Oouneil
farm, and in slight measure touckr
ed parte of Harvery Bdmoadwn,
Hann'ah Jenkins, the Keech place
and the Knight farm.
The worst part of the storm m
between Tarboro and McKendre*
church, and seemed to center it*
fnry on Bill Eason and Cliff Week*
farms. Most of the hail hit in num
ber 11 township, a little in num
ber one and nnmber seven.
Damage was estimated from 19
per cent to 100 per cent, and money
damage was undertermined this
morning, as farmers with insurance
rushed to town to file their claim*,
neither hail nor rain at Speed.
There was no hail at Wiggins
Cross Roads, Macclesfield, Crisp, and
Assistant County Agent H. E. Al
phin in reporting on the hail hit
area stated: •
"A survey of the territory hit be
tween the Rocky Mount-Pinetopa
and Rocky Mount-Tarboro highways
shows a conservative damage of $86,-
000. Most of the damage is tobac
co, and the destruction of the crops
is from 5 per cent to 86 per cent,"
said Mr. Alphin.
"Tobacco jeopardized greatest ap
pears to be in the Hartease and No
ble Mill section, where W. S. Clark's
farm was hard hit on hail, wind and
rain.
"In some sections wind did far
more damage than, the hail, ft nest
Oorr, near Rocky Mount, was hit
twice by hail this year, the storm
last night, and the one last Juno.
Even his cotton, corn and peanuts
were damaged as well as the tobac
co.
"The damages were spasmodic, with
the average damage around 25 per
cent and the majority are covered
by insurance.
"The tobacco of M. A. Killibrew
in the Nobles Mill section was dam
aged about 40 per cent; Silae Weeks
about 90 per cent; Bill Eeason about
55 per cent to 70 per cent.
"Unfortunately the tobacco was hit
at the most crucial time. Damage
could not have been worse. Time is
not left for the l»aves to grow, and
the suckers to produce quality tobac
co.
''The best means to salvage the to
bacco jeopardized by the hail is to
leave the tobacco on the stalks un
til the leaves turn yellow and then
pull. If the farmer tries to cure the
hail and wind swept leaves now
they will turn black or brown and
of course he worthless."
LEGIONLAYS
PLANS FOR
■ ARMISTICE
Austin Addresses Committee Meet
ing—Installation Friday Night
Working committee members of
the Coleman Pitt post of the Amer
ican Legion formulated plans for
local observance of Armistice Day,
November 11, in a special meeting
last night at Duke's luncheonette.
Commander Palmer V. Boyd said
today that all members of the Le
gion would gather at his home in
Englewood Friday night at 7:30 for
the installation of officers for the
coming year. Mr. Boyd said that a
social hour would get underway at
8:30 o'clock. He invited each legion
naire to bring an ex-service man
with him and also the ladies.
Dr. J. Lewis Clinton is the com
mander-elect to succeed Commander
Boyd.
AUTOMOBILE KING
IS 74 YEARS OLD
Dearborn, Mich., July 30. —Henry
Ford was up bright and early, aa
usual, today, paying little or no
attention to the fact that it was
his 74th birthday.
The automobile manufacturer, in
excellent health, went to his lab
oratories early and was reported at
work there where technicians are
preparing for production of 1038
Ford cars.