AL INVITED
TO SPEAK BY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ROAD FIGHT
WAGED BY
GOVERNOR
Nuisance Tax Bill Intro
duced — Other As
sembly News
Raleigh. Feb. 19—The highway re
organization plan of Governor Gard
ner occupied the center of the stage
most of the past week and when the
General Assembly reconvened Mon
day night the bill carrying cat the
changes advocated had not come
from the committees. The resuli is
that the bill will be the main con.Id
eration on floors of House and Sen
ate this week, toward the latter part
of which it may come to a vote.
Much oratory, argument and at
times bitter arraignment were indul
ged in by proponents and opponents
of the measure before the joint roads
committee, providing for abolishing
the present commission and naming
another from the State at large and
taking over maintenance of county
roads.
Frank Page, former chairman and
Leslie R. A nes, former engineer.
, k up the cudgel Governor
Gardner’s plan, while chief oppon
ents were John Sprunt Hill, fourth
district commissioner; Henry A.
Page, borther of the former chair
man and E. T. Cansler, Charlotte.
Two full afternoons were consumed
in the public hearings in the House of
Representatives. Governor Gardner,
meanwhile, is throwing the full force
of his office to the support of his
measure. He issued a table showing
how much each of the 100 counties
would save by the State taking over
the road.s showing which is expect
ed to have great weight with the
louts oacK norae.
Meanwhile, the State Highway
Commission meeting Thursday, adop
ted a resolution to resign if and
when the bill is enacted, the resig
nation to be effective at the plea.'
ure of Governor Gardner. The con
tract with the State's prison to fur
nish crushed stone for highway con
struction entered into consideration
of the $1,550,000 of construction on
which bids were opened last week.
This is the first of three lettings as
a result of the emergency aid fund.
v.hioh makes available for N. C..
nearly $4,000,000. to be used primari
ly to relieve unemployment.
Former Governor Alfred E. Smith
of New York, had hardly reached
Rinehurst before the General As
sembly had a joint resolution in mo
tion to invite him to address the
joint body, and a special committee
v. as soon on its way. On their return
the members reported that Gover
•',m Smith tJomised to make a speci
al trip to Raleigh Sunday, March 1.
and to speak Monday night. He will
be the guest of Governor Gardner
while here. tie took occasion to
comm* nd Govevatr Gardners reor
ganize .ion plan having pushed some
thing similar through in New York
while Governor. He sal i. however,
that toe Constitutional Conventional
proposal was a hard nut to crack.
In one of the most dramatic scenes
tnac-te 1 in the General Assembly in
many years, Speaker Willis Smith,
with he House stage all set. cast
the d< ciding vote of that body for
the ('• nstitutional Convention bill, a
two t lirds vote being required, at
It he Thursday night meeting. An
amendment to submit the new con
st ituti >n to a vote of the people for
ratification was defeated, as was one
to have the membership of the Con
vention elected on a basis of the
present House of Representatives,
that is. the 1921 census, rather than
on the new 1931 census basis. About
six members will move to the West
end Piedmont on the new population
basis.
The Senate committee emascu
lated the bill Friday morning, how
e\er, and has endangered its pas
sage unless the Senate turnes down
committee amendments. One would
have the vote on calling the conven
tion in 1932. call a special election
to name delegates in the spring of
1933. and have the convention meet
that fall and then submit the Con
stitution to a vote of the people for
ratification.
The six months State operated
school measure has not been in the
open the past week, but the Educa
tion committee’s sub-committee is
struggling with ways and means.
One bill introduced would provide
unit' H m high school books. Two bills
provide for taxes, largely on pro
duction. as aids to the school mea
sure.
Two mills per koliwatt hour for
electrical energy produced is propos
ed in one bill. Another would pro
vide a tax of 1 to 5 per cent on elec
tric current and gas bills; 25c to $7
per 1.000 on cigars; $1.30 per 1.000
on cigarettes; 5 cents a pound on to
bacco and snuff; one cent on every 10
wts admission to theaters, picture
houses and the like; 10 pen cent of
fees and dues of social, athletic or
sporting clubs, when dues are more
than $13 a year; 20 cents per crate of
$100 of capital stock issues; 50 cents
L'4 bottles of soft drinks; 5 cents per,
per $500 on deeds. a small tax on j
other legal papers.
The House went into a night ses
.sion Friday night to consider the di
vorce bills, one of which provides for
absolute divorce in three years, when
there are no children. It provoked
much discussion and followed close
on the heels of a lengthy debate on
the resolution seeking to oust Bas
com Lamar Lunsfoijd afc reading
clerk of the House which failed of
passage.
T w o important administrative
measures hit the hopper the past
week, one on the consolidation of the
three educational institutions into
the “University of North Carolina.”
the other enlarging and extending
State control of city, county and dis
trict finances and bonds and notes.
The institution bill provides that
the trustees of the three institutions
continue until January 1. 1933, and
the 1933 General Assembly name 100
trusteess for the combined institu
tion. and the executive committee
tontinue until August 1. 1933. Gov
rnoi Gardner is directed to name a
-organization committee of nine, tne
thr.-e heads of the institutions, and
i, i moie than one «•..* n from the
trustees of the three, to present a
. msolidation plan, unifying the edu
eational program, etc., by July 1,
1932. after which the Governor is to
■all the executive committee togeth
er to adopt or revise and adopt the
alan.
The “Local Government Commis
sion” takes the place of the County
Government Advisory Commission
in the new bill, which extends the
commission’s authority to all cities,
towns and districts, as well as coun
ties. without exception. All bonds
and notes, as well as bond elections,
..ill be passed upon by this body
uid all bond and note sales will be
made through it instead of locally.
The board consists of nine members,
the State Treasurer, Auditor and
Commissioner of Revenue, and six
named by the Governor, including
two county and two city officials.
The bill provides strict regulations
for deposits of public funds and in
vestment of sinking funds. It per
mits refunding indebtedness, a pro
vision designed to aid some of the
units over approaching rough places.
While the General Assembly has
been in session almost six weeks,
nearly three-fourths of the usual
time, doubt is expressed if the ses
sion has come to the middle point in
work. The bills in the House now ex
ceed 400, of which only 81 have been
through the mill to ratification, while
the Senate bills so far have so far
passed the 200 mark, of which only
21 have been ratified. Practically all
of the bills so far ratified are local,
only a few being State-wide in scope
or interest, except a few resolutions
early in the session.
Bills introduced and of general in
terest follow:
Highway: Require sheriffs to dis
tribute and collect for motor vehicle
tags and list automobiles at the time
for advalobem taxes; creat grade
“AA” class of prisoners to work on
the highways.
Legal: Permit clerks to appoint
jurors to allot dower; to expedite
trials in criminal cases and dispense
with jury trial in certain cases; pro
vide for 13 jurors or alternate juror,
in some cases; permit and require de
l’evry of itemized accounts and re
quiring specific denials as to admis
sion for the items; to validate deeds
issued by liquidating agents of de
funct banks; provide for renewal of
bonds of guardians; protect money
held in trust by clerks.
Agriculture: Require numbering
of cotton bales by public ginners; to
ask Congress to prevent sale of but
ter-yellow oleomargarine, regardless
of tax; to place a farmer on the Ad
visory Budget Commission; requir
ing monthly reports of tobacco sales
to show the amount sold for fertiliz
er or extracting nicotine.
Pensions: Require clerks of court
to publish lists of names and
amounts of pension vouchers receiv
ed from the State.
Welfare: Providing foi* a State
institution for delinquent colored
girls at Efland; limiting work of wo
men in industry to 55 hours a week;
regulating the placing of juvenile de
linquents and dependents in homes;
permitting newspaper dafrier boys
to carry routes between 5 a. m and 8
p. m.
Railroads: Name a commission to
investigate Atlantic and North Caro
lina Railroad properties to see if
Norfolk-Southern Railway, lessor, is
keeping up repairs and see if traffic
is being diverted via Norolk and
from North Carolina ports.
Insurance: To regulate mutual bu
rial and mutual assessment associa
tions; stricter licenses for insurance
agents; requiring notices to clerks of
court of insurance companies licen
sed by the Insurance Commissioner.
Fire Sales: Require those selling
out fire or bankrupt stocks to file
an inventory with the clerk of the
court, preventing them from restock
ing with lower grade goods and pre
vt nt fraud in advertising such sales.
Max Claims Plan
Would Save Halifax
$174,235 Per Year
Raleigh, Feb. 19.—Halifax County
would save $174,235 a year on its
road bill if the State takes over and
maintains its roads, according to a
table issued by Governor Gardner
in support of his program of reor
ganization of the State Highway
Commission and taking over coun
ty highways. The figures based on
the survey made last fall by the U.
S Bureau of Public Roads, the State
Highway Commission and the Tax
Commission, show this county would
save in taxes on the total divided in
to items, as follows: overhead, $17,
274; convicts, $30,436; maintenance,
$82,753; equipment. $23,585, and gas
and oil. $20,187.
The counties which use convicts
would sa\1e $4,967,652, while those
which do not use their own convicts
would save $1,599,495, the compilat
tion shows, or a total of $6,567,147
for the 100 counties.
Meesers Robert Hudson and Roy
Taylor spent Sunday in Seaboard
with Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Taylor.
State Income Tax
Man Here Feb. 26
The following notice has been re
ceived from A. J. Maxwell, Commis
sioner of State Revenue: J. H. Nor
man, deputy commissioner, will be
at Cherry’s Cafe at Roanoke Rapids,
February 26, to assist tax payers in
filing State income tax returns. Per
sons unmarried with an income dur
ing 1930 of $1,000 and married per
sons with an income of $2,000 should
file returns on or before March 16,
1931.
What Is Your
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Your garage surley needs in
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Talk with us and get the be
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24 Second St. Dial R-444-1
Opportunity Say’s “TAG, YOU’RE IT”
Most people are waiting for their great op
portunity most remain waiters. Earnestly,
to ask the meaning of every opportunity, and
then see if it fits you may be wisdom. But this
method of delaying, this idea of not doing will
accomplish as much as the average person ac
complishes — he waits.
Opportunity belongs to the man, to the
human who has the presence of mind to improve
it.
In this great campaign conducted by The
Herald, opportunity has literally reached out
and said “tag you’re it,” and it’s YOUR MOVE
NEXT.
Perhaps obstacles have brought on a laxity of
effort. In this world of ours, there is no merit
where there is no struggle.
Trials are but a stimuli to real men and
women.
We preserve in a thing in proportion to our
pride and earnestness.
And now the procession is moving on.
WILL YOU BE AMONG THE WINNERS?
FALSE-HOPES *
_- - m .m 1 1
No duobt every member ot the Circulation
Drive hopes to win one of the automobiles when
the final count is made by the official judges.
But it is plain that everyone cannot. Only those
who fight their way to the top will share in the
big awards.
To those who feel that they have done
enough—that nothing remains but to claim
their prize—let there be warning. Uo not slip
on the banana peel of “over-confidence.” The
campaign is REAL. The prizes to be given
away represent VALUE. And it is reasonable
to assume that a proportionate measure of ef
fort will be put forth to win them. Just a few
subscriptions would hardly suffice.
1 nings wortn wnne come 10 us omy uy
ing after them hard. Do not let your past efforts
go for naught. Build on! Arouse yourself to
ACTION these last days. Fight hard today and
figure on tomorrow.
It’s the bent-on, the eager for, the hanker
ing human that WINS!
WHO’LL WIN?
FIRST GRAND PRIZE
r PONTIAC:: SEDAN :;, $790.00
SECOND GRAND PRIZE
sr CHEVROLET
SPORT ROADSTER v'alue $592.50
i