Newspapers / Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) / Dec. 30, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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1SDSEM HHITED STATES % M WAR \f\ SONDS W 1 AND V | STAMPS 'l|l' "VOL. LVI, NO. 27 EQUIPMENT BEING PLACED AT NEW HOSIERY PLANT Machinists Busily Engaged in Making Ready for Opening of Big Manufacturing Plant Early in the New Year A group of machinists are busily engaged today in setting up the machinery in the new hosiery manufacturing plant of the Baker-Commack Co.. Burlington. N. C? preparatory e the actual -.tart of operations early in the yeai. For a number of weeks smallscale hosiery manufacturing lias been carried on in a small building rn ATain Street, where numbers of local women have been trained to iorm the nucleus of the operating iorce required for the big plant. No less than one hundrpd people will be employed when operations get anidcr way, and the company expects no difficulty in getting the required help. Officials have indicated their great pleasure at the number of applications for work they have received, and the high quality of the workers now being mployed. The new building, which was provided by the Farmers Hardware & Supply Co., and Mr. D. L. Wilcox, was especially designed and constructed for the manufacturing of hosiery. If. was recently completed by W. C. Greene, local building contractor. and is 54x100 feet, of cinder block construction, steam-heated, and with sprinkler system. All modem conveniences found in manufacturing plants are incorporated in the structure. CHRISTMAS FIRE RAZES TWO HOMES Mrs. Alice Cook Property Destroyed in Early Morning Fire aaiucuaf Two residences belonging to the estate of the late Mrs. Alice Cook, and located in East Boone, were completely destroyed by fire early Christmas morning, with a loss of several thousand dollars, which was partially covered by insurance. Tin* fire originated from a defective flue in the smaller of the two frame houses, situated on the same lot. and occupied by Mr. Isaiah Chadwick and family. The fire had made a head start in the attic before the occupants of the building discovered ii. firemen responded to the alarm immediately, but were delayed in reaching the conflagration by a sheet of ice covering the pavement. The fire immediately spread to the large structure, both buildings being destroyed. Miss Mattie Barnes and the family of Mrs. Pearl Buchanan occupied the larger house. Practically all the belongings of the three families were lost. CHRONOLOGY OF THE YEAR 1943 Today, as is its custom, The Democrat publishes a concise chronology of the important happenings of the year 1943. This feature, which is found on page sixv will be invaluable to those who like to bear in mind the dates of the history-making events of the year, and has always been highly regaraea oy readers 01 xne local newspaper. Mrs. George Cottrell Dies This Morning Mi's. George Cottrell died this (Wednesday) morning in Watauga Hospital from a brief illness, it is learned at presstime. Mrs. Cottrell, who had been living with her husband near Lenoir, it is said, was on a holiday visit to her mother, Mrs. F. M. Maltha in Boone, when she became ill. Funeral details had not been arranged as this is written, but will be published in the next edition of this newspaper. Union Services at Blowing Rock Planned A schedule of Union church services has been arranged by the ministers of Blowing Rock, the first of which will be held Sunday, Jan. 2, at the Community Club library, with evening prayer.tnd sermon by Rev. W. C. Leach.A schedule of future services will be published in The Democrat when arranged. /A.TA1 An Indef BOONE, Collision ^ li toB8T Wr-?xV n( u- 7\ * I ? i~* 1 AVbu ui nic mioiuit. vuaai i killed 72 and injured approxim Workers using lorches are showi iims. Cars of one train were de second train crashed into the der? ARTHUR JOHNSON DIES ON CHRISTMAS Well Known Cove Creek Cilizei Succumbs to Long Illness: Rites Monday Arthur S. Johnson, aged 58 years resident of the Cove Creek section and formerly engaged in the automobile business in Boone, died a< the home last Saturday. Mr. -John son was stricken with a heart ailment about three years ago, since which time he hud been under the care of his physician, and spent several months in the Baptist Hospital For the last few months he had beer improved, however, and was abli to visit with friends in his horni community and in Boone. He hac appeared worse for only a short tiin< before his death. Funeral services were conductet from the Cove Creek Baptist Churcl Monday afternoon, the pastor, Rev James L. Sherwood, being in charge and interment was in the neurbj cemetery, Reins-Sturdivant Funera Home taking care of the arrange merits. Mr. Johnson was born in V/ataug; County, a son of the late Josept Johnson and Mrs. Nancy Johnson He was married to Martha McBridc in 1904, one son surviving, Pvt Joseph Hal Johnson, who is now ir Sicily. When ill health forced hi: retirement, Mr. Johnson was on gaged in the automobbile busines: in Boone. Early in life he joinet the Cove Creek Baptist Church, ant was noted for his wit, his cheerful ness, friendliness and willingness t( aid those in distress. He will b< greatly missed in his community an-, county. P.-T. A. Holds Interesting Meeting The local Parent-Teacher Associa tion met on Monday, Dec. 20, in th high school auditorium with a larg number of parents and teachers pres ent. The meeting was called to orde by the president, Mrs. F. E. Warmar who introduced the other officers o the organization: Mr. Herbert We; and Mr. John Howell, vice-presi dents; Mrs. A. E. South, secretarj and Mrs. Wiley Smith, treasurer. The committees appointed to serv the remainder of this school yea arc as follows: Program, Mr. Wej Mr. Howell, Miss Madison and Mis Penny; student aid, Mrs. H. Egger< Mice f~l Plo^r TJmtrnll nr?/l Mn *" 4 ?' ?-? v-'iuj , 1111. 11UIV\.U (U1U 1'Ul Hugh Daniel; publicity. Miss J. Bel The high school boys' and girl glee clubs, the grammar grad choirs under the direction of Mr. J E. Roberts, presented a program o Christmas songs. This is the first of several meet ings which will be held during thi school year. Several interesting pro grams have been planned for thes< meetings and it is hoped that evei more parents will attend. County Library to Have New Quarter; The Watauga County Public Li brary is to be moved to the build ing next door to the Quails Fum ture store, it is stated by Mrs. I F. Tnpii' the librarian. It is expected that the library wi be open in its new quarters by ne> Saturday. TRIPLETS DOING WELL The triplets, a son and tw daughters, born recently to Mr. on Mrs. Earl Lyons, are doing splendid ly, it is learned. Their names an Jimmie Jones, Janice Katie, an Jeanette Ersa Lyons. LJGA : >endent Weekly Newspaper WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CA lieh Killed 72 'j Line's two streamlined trains which t r' aiely 100 near Lumber ion. N. C. I I i attempting to reach trapped vie- | I railed and a few minutes later the j 1 liled coaches. ' & _ h ! CHRISTMAS IS ! .! QUIET EVENT HERE j ? Merriment of Former Years Largely Missing As ./alaugans ^ A m. , Observe Yuleiide. ffc * Christmas passed off in the town t ' and county much like the average I Sunday, and the carefree mc-rri- 1 . merit of peace-lime years was ab sent to a large extent as families gathered by their own firesides for the festive occasion. Peace officers report a minimum , of law violations for the week-end, , only ten persons having been ir.: carcerated, on charges of misdej meanore. Inclement weather, coupled with considerable illness throughout this ] section, contributed to the safe and j sane observance of Christmas, j Large numbers of families bad eases I of influenza, and measles has been! f plentiful among the children for the] i Dast several weeks Business men of tile town observed Monday as a holiday,, wind- , ing out three days of rest from their 1 , labors, but Tuesday morning returned to their establishments, to begin J , their inventories and get everything in readiness for the New Year. \ Holiday buying was heavy, the ; strictly Chrisimas merchandise hav ing been almost completely disposed , ; of, with accompanying heavy sales ( 1 of staple merchandise. Business men j I are highly pleased with the heavy f - volume of holiday sales. j , j Christmas Party < For Needy Kiddies \ A Successful Event ! { The annual Christmas parly for 5 the needy children of the town and i . county, given at tl-.e Appalachian , e Theatre last Sunday, under the spons sorship of the theatre management. Lions Club, Woman's organization, Watauga Democrat and others, was r a most enjoyable and successful , event. An entertaining program was f arranged for the hour, a toy, bags of y fruit, etc., were given those attend. ing, and many children, including , some of the colored residents, participated in the happy Christmas e program. \ r The attendance was not as large r this year, due to so much illness in s the county at this time, but those who came were well rewarded both in gifts and entertainment. The I, names of other needy children were I ,;I,.li? ?.?*. ~c *1? ; tivuuauiL, dllU IIICU (J<UL UX lilt; guu> e were being mailed and sent to them f. the first of the week. So all in all, f the party was a splendid success. ~ U. S. Subs Sink Dozen Jap Ships e !1 Washington, Dec. 28?Raiding Japanese supply lines over which the enemy is trying to supply bases in the South Pacific, American submarines have blasted a destroyer " and 11 other vessels to bring to 536 the number of enemy craft sunk, i- probably sunk or damaged by the t- undersea arm of the navy, i- This largest sinking report in reI. cent months gave emphasis to a recent statement by Secretary Knox 11 that the submarines on their lonely :t patrols through the Far Pacific are doing "an excellent job." LESPEDEZA o Plans are being made to distrid bute lospedeza seed to growers now I- so that they will be assured of an n ample seed supply next spiing, red ports H. L. Meacham, State College extension marketing specialist. DEM< ?Established in the Yes JROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEH rOBACCO SALES TO BE RESUMED HERE ON MONDAY lales of Weed During the PreHoliday Season 1,620,000 Lbs.. For More Than Three Fourth^ of a Million Dollars Post-holiday auction sales ot toI3CCO will be resumed on the flors f the Mountain Burley Warehouses lert- next Monday, with prospects hat considerably more th;in half a i ill ion more pounds will be disposd of before the end of the season, ndications being that there will be 10 lci-up in the strong prices prevailing before the holidays. A survey of the burley belt in elicit in auuue stiCltuiuii scai\'cy more than half of the tobacco has >ecn disposed of, and Mr. Coleman, ho warehouseman, predicts record ales for the last part of the season, ringing the total sold to no less than wo and a quarter million pounds. Before Christinas 1,620.000 pounds A barley were auctioned for $761,100.00, to considerably outstrip the ales of 1942. when about one and a inif million pounds wore sold durng the comparable period. The houses have been open this veel; for the receipt of tobacco, and iespito baa weather a considerable /olume of hurley is being placed on Vic floors with the prospect that the irst safe of the year next Monday vill find a capacity volume. Fhose Receiving Christmas Seals Urged To Remit Mis. J. E. Holshouser, chairman of lie organization for the sale of the ubcrcuiesis Christmas seals in the lounty. insists that all those who eceivod the health slickers through he mails, and who have not made emit)ancc, to do so at once. Just is soon as the final returns an- in, t- detailed report of the results of he campaign will be published. Sales of seals in the Boone disrict for the pact two weeks have .'ielded an additional $66.00. it is liseiosed. vlrs. Lawrence Hagaman [)ies Here On Friday Mrs. Bet'.ie Mae Trivette Hagarian. aged 32, residenl of the Beech Ihcek section, died in Watauga Hospital last Friday from an illness with pneumonia and complications. Funerai services wen- conducted Sunday, from the Zion Hill Baptist church by Rev W. C Payne. Interment was in the neighborhood cemetery, Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home taking care of the arrangements. Mrs. Hagaman is survived by the husband. Rev. Lawrence Hagaman, and six children: Kermine, Bennie, Janice. Jessie Lee. Paul and Floy Hagamai Army Extends Control To All Major Railroads Washington, Dec. 28.?Hope that the railroads can be turned back to private operation soon was expressed by President Roosevelt today as iU? ? ? * nit; aiuijr, nil nib uiuuia, CAienucu its control to all major carriers and prepared to use troops to run trains it necessary. The President on Monday had ordered government seizure of the railroads, threatened with a strike by threee unions, scheduled for December 30. The chief executive directed the secretary of war to take over the carriers at 7 a. m. Monday. He acted through an executive order signed an hour before, Doolittle to Comand Air Forces in Britain Washington, Dec. 28?Maj. Gen. James H. Doolittle, whose strategic air force slammed a gate across the enemy's supply routes and smashed his bases behind him to make 'Tunisia a trap for Nazi armies, is taking over direction of American ail forces in Britain as the time foi cross-channel invasion approaches. The assignment was announced by President Roosevelt today along with other major shifts in the high command, including assignment o) Lieut. Gen. Jacob L. Devers, former American commander in the European theatre, as commander oi American forces in the Mediterranean area and deputy to Sir Henry M. Wilson, over-all commandei there. 3CRA ir 1888. 4BER. 30. 1943 BAson's For< A^id Elections post Startling S |l?ted Economist and Statistic!-1 ^ an in Long Range Forecast of Trend of War. and Domestic Situation as Regards Business and Politics: Physical Volume Retail Sales to Be Down- 10 Per Cent; Other Observations and Forecasts H H i By ROGER W. BABSON Babson Park. Mass.. Dec. 30.? Most firms are booked to capacity. If any more business were offered they would not be able to handle it for many months. This is rough| ly my forecast for 1944. The Babsonl chart Index of the physical volume of business for the final quarter of 1943 averaged 141 compared with! 150.7 for the same period of 1942., The all-time high was reached in, December, 1942, when my Index | stood at 155.0 It is not possible that | this record can bo exceeded in 1944. Commodity Prices War developments will influence I commodity prices during 1944. The collapse of Germany could result in a sharp, though temporary, reac-1 tion iii leading wholesale indexes. If: tile going in Italy or elsewhere should prove unexpectedly hard? indicating a long war?prices should firm. Cattle and hogs may bring lower average prices. Soybeans and corn prices face the test of large marketings. They will do well to hold Increased imports of coffee, cocoa and sugar will hold down their prices. Continued heavy demand is indicated for most industrial commodities. To what extent efforts to roll back food prices to September 15, 1942, levels will succeed is problematical. Mounting over-all shortages, unprecedented demand and the necessity for maximum output will lend to maintain strong upward pressure on most prices. Advancing parity pricces, storage, insurance and black markets further tend to keep prices high. Subsidies will be granted certain producers during 1944. Inventories Businessmen should watch the1 government's policy of disposing ofj its huge inventories of consumer j merchandise. With supplies at a! much higher level than in World' War I, retailers, wholesalers and, manufacturers should insist there be] mi Humping on domestic markets. | This could smash prices. Flooding j the export markets could make it I difficult to sell goods abroad at a fair profit. I hope a substantial portion of our surplus will be given to the peoples of Continental Europe and China. Sales Prospects 1 forecast that retail dollar sales will average 5 per cent, to 10 per cent higher in 1944 than in 1943. Sales volume of consumer goods will again start to climb as smaller companies get the okay on postwar merchandise. I expect some decline from 1943 in the physical volume of retail sales due to scarcity of goods and less employment. Substitute merchandise has sold well but manufacturers and wholesalers are nowwary of it. As good war news increases, consumers will wait for postwar m6rchandisc rather than buy synthetic war made goods. Merchants should keep a workable inventory. Do not overstock. The following ten states are tops , for 1944: New York. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana. Illinois. Missouri, Texas, California, Oregon and Washington. Of smaller volume states, I like Georgia, Minnesota, Florida. Nebraska, Utah and Arizona. Florida may see a real boom. Outstanding sales cities arc scarcer. A year ago it was simple tc spot cities with expected gains of 40 to 50 per cent. Now more cities will show gains of only 5 to 10 per cent in 1944 over a year ago. Here is the nick nf the lot: Detroit, Mich.: Jackson. Mich.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portland. Ore.; San Diego, Calif.; Savannah. Ga.; Springfield, Mass.; ; Topeka and Wichita, Kansas, it will [ make a difference in 1944 business whether Germany cracks in the early or latter part of the year. When this happens Washington will begin at once to cancel war orders, especially on the Atlantic seaboard. 1 The army will accept no more re> cruits, may begin orderly demobil iization. Navy men may be in for t two or three years more. Army de. mobilization may start around eleci tion time in 1944. This should help i retail trade. Industries Differ r Expansion of airplane factories : has been practically completed. Automotive industry during 1944 will SI.50 A YEAR?5c A COPY ecast on War i of Year Are g Since 1929 THUMBNAIL OUTLOOK FOR J 344 1. General: Year 1944 should be divided into two parts: (a) From January 1 to dale erf Germany's collapse: and (b) from said dale to December 31st. 2. Production Babsoncharl Index will average around 130. about 12 per cent below 1943. 3. Commodities: Strength in various commodities should be followed by renewed weakness. 4. Sales: Retail sales dollar volume will average higher for entire year, but physical volume will be down 10 per cent. I 5. Labor: Pressure ior higher wage rates will continue throughout the year with more labor troubles and more wage increases than in 1943. G. Stocks: If the market is low when Germany cracks it will then go up; but if then high, it will go down. 7. Bonds: Good and mediumgrade bonds will hold close to present levels throughout the year. gradually reconvert to normal. New car stockpile low. Look for relief only on trucks. The chemical industry has enjoyed grc-at expansion. This may continue. Leaders in new drugs should prosper. Heavy chemicals may not show any gain over 1943 volume. Building about the same level for totai new building as in 1943. Relaxing restrictions on private construction will come in near future. Gains in 1944 will show in this category when compared with 1943. Am optimistic on postwar home building. The shoe and clothing industries are beset by price ceilings and increased costs. . These will continue through 1944. Woolen industry will remain very active. Rayon will continue at capacity output. Cotton textiles will be fairly active?nearly equal lasi year's level. With Germany out, consumer demand for these goods should quickly replace war orders. Dairy products will be scarce because of feed problems. Slaughter houses should do a big volume. Cereal products will do well. Canned goods will feel effects of sharply higher cosis and lower output. Bituminous coal depends upori labor union policy, but 1 expect output to be at least 10 per cent better in 1941 than in 1943. Air transport will gain in equip1 men! and efficiency. Manpower is I far from solved. The u-end of in: dustry is up for both air passengers | and freight. Railroads will continue to suffer from equipment shortages. War peak of traffic is passed. Railroad needs are so acute that higher priorities for equipment will be forced. After the war, railroads will have a terrible slump. With much less to haul, they will face, as never before, competition from coastwise shipping, river transportation, new pipe lines, airplanes and trucks. Eastern roads will slump as soon as Germany collapses. Electronics and television should boom. Heavy electrical equipment orders may decline slightly in 1944. Kilowatt output may be 10 percent better in 1944 than in 1943. Lumber volume will continue to be reduced. Backlog of machine tool orders is declining sharply. Subcontracts may help. Nonferrous metals are held down by acute manpower shortages. Paper and pulp will be affected by the cut in newsprint. Paperboard output in 1944 should equal 1943. Refinery petroleum output in 1944 will run 10 per cent above 1943. Higher prices for crude probable. All-time peaks in steel output scheduled for 1944. Shipbuilding may not' show further gains, but launc'nings I will. Outlook for Labor Crux is whether sufficient skilled i and unskilled workers can be chan; neled into critical war industries. It j is estimated that 2,000,000 workers j must be added to essential plants in the next few months. However, over 2,000,000 men and women reach age 18 every 12 months. Therefore, the labor situation may begin to ease. There will be many disputes but must upsets will be of short duration and small scope. Labor leaders must threaten strikes for publicity and to hold jobs. The cost-of-living situation will dictate the rise and fall of strikes. If rolling back prices is successful, pressure for higher wages will be considerably reduced. After Germany cracks, there will be no scarcity of labor. Labor's honeymoon is ap(CONTDTOXU ON PAGE POUR)
Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.)
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Dec. 30, 1943, edition 1
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