Newspapers / The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.) / Feb. 9, 1923, edition 1 / Page 1
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Hertford County Herald THIRD NEWSIEST WEEKLY PAPER IN THE STATE A PAPER WORTH WHILE BEST ADVERTISING MEDIUM IN EASTERN CAROLINA Volume XIII. Eight Pages Ahoskie, North Carolina, Friday, February 9, 1923 One Section No. 40 Better County Government Is Provided In Bill MR. LAWRENCE TO I CHANGEMANYLAWS Act Would Reduce Expense* of County and Eliminate County Road Superintendent AUTHOR OF LEGISLATION EXPLAINS ITS FEATURES DIGEST OF BETTER GOVERN MENT ACT t. Provides that each town ship shall ho represented on board of commissioners. 2. Eliminates county road superintendentj abolishes county unit in road work; and (ires commissioners right to use own discretion in working roads. 3. Reduces per capita rood tax from $6 to $4. 4. Provides that main county ros^s shall be 30 feet wide, and reduces width of lateral roads to 24 feet. $. Extends time limit in pre senting claims for material taken from lands, from 0 to 12 months. f. Extends time limit on filing claims against road board for damages in laying out new roads, etc. 7. Increases monthly license Uu> en non-residents hauling logs or other heavy material over the roads from $3 to >18; also provides that license tax may be levied on residents engaged in same business during months of December, January, February, and March, tax not to excyd $10 per month. 5. Separates per capita and property taxes, allowing the lat ter te be devoted to road pur- - 9. Provides far publication in newspaper proceedings and min utes of road board and commis sioners. 10. Requires assessors and list takers to give in their list to Register of Deeds. 11. Reduces commissions of tax collectors to 2fi% on first $20,000, and 1H% thereafter. !$? Provides for election of tax collectors by popular vote. 13. Increases sheriff's salary to $2100. 14- Limits compensation of office of Superintendent of Schools to $2900. ' "Qi- --- As promised in tthe last issue of the HERALD, the provisions of a bill entitled "AN ACT RELATED TO THE BETTER GOVERNMENT OP HERTFORD COUNTY AND RE DUCING THE EXPENSES THERE OF" are given in detail, with expla nations of each provision of the bill by Representative Lloyd J. Lawrene, who framed the act, and will engi neer it through the present session of the General Assembly. Due to the great length of the ori ginal bill, it will not be published in full, since the explanations given and the outine printed at the top of this column clearly define each section of the act Explanations By Mr. Lawrence SEC. 1. This section guarantees to the county six commissioners, and one commissioner from each town ship. The nomination, and also the election, is made by the county and not by townships; and in order that no township may impose upon the county a commissioner Hist the county as a whole is not satisfied with, the provision is inserted re quiring the commissioner to obtain a majority vote in the county. Should any commissioner be acceptable when nominated, and not acceptable at the time of election, a remedy would even then provided to defeat him and still not let in a Republican; in such event he would not receive a majority vote from the county, .and in that event the County Board of Elections would declare a vacancy, and ap point a commissioner from the town ship of the defeated commissioner. SEC. 2. This relates to the road act. It does not require the road commiaeioners to work the roads un (Conttnued on page 2) CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WILL EMPLOY SECRETARY Ahoskie Will Send A Young Lady "Queen" To Exposition At Wilson, March 22 , In the ft ret meeting since accept ing the resignation of C. O. Harris secretary, the board of directors of Ahoslde's Chamber of Commerce Tuesdajr night voted unanimously to secure the services of a secretary at once and begin to function in a way that will bring some real results. The session was held Tuesday night with all but two of the eight directors present. It was the sense of the di rectors that the organisation should function in "high gear" so long as funds were available, and there were any signs of accomplishment. Prospects of employing a compe tent and highly recommended secre tary are bright. N. G. Bartlett, sec retary of the Eastern Carolina Chamber of Commerce, has recom mended a young man whom, he says, 1 would All the bill here acceptably. Some definite word is expected from him this week, in response to in quiries made by the local organisa tion. V. D. Strickland, president of he chamber, is also in communication rith Norman Y.~ Chambliss of Rocky Mount, president of the State Secre arial Association, who also writes .hat he thinks he can place a good man here. By the next regular meet ing night, the directors hope to fill the place acceptably. The hotel proposition has been held up pending advices from the archi tects, Benton ft Benton of Wilson. However, the hotel will be one of the largest projects for which the chamber will work. Correspondence relative to other proposed additions to the town has been handled''by Mr. Strickland since the chamber has been without a secretary. No definite action marked the meet ing Monday night, except the sec retaryship, and a motion unanimous ly passed to pay the expenses of an "Ahoskie Queen" to the Eastern Carolina Exposition in Wilson March 19 to 26. Each town in Eastern Carolina has been invited to send one representa tive to take part in a "Queen's Con test," the individual towns selecting their best looking young lady by any method they choose. She will at tend the Exposition Thursday of the Exposition, a vote being taken during the night's session on the "Queen" of the contestants from all of the towns. The winner will be presented with a $500 diamond ring. < > THIS SECTION FEELS RESULTS OF STORMS This town ?nd entire county has felt with no slight degree of discom fiture the results of the storm disturb ance* off the Eastern coast which has had the whole Atlantic seaboard in the grip of snow, sleet, and rain for several days. Following several days of unusually warm and bright days the sudden drop in temperature, and the accompanying rain, sleet, and snow flurries has caught many un awares and with little preparation for any such brand of weather. First signs of the cold wave were felt here Saturday night. During that night, the temperature fell sev eral degress, and a cold rain set in. Throughout Sunday a slow, inter mittent rain fall. On Monday it did a little of everything?it was regular "falling" weather. In snowed but lit tle, rained bounteously, and sleeted some. Monday night's rain and sleet frose fast and hard, and Ahoskie's side walks were as slippery as an eel Tues day morning. Several minor casual ties occasioned by a few individuals swapping places with feet and head resulted on Main street. It was also reported that a knee "cap" had been bu rated on some farmer living near town. It rained and sleeted all day Tues day, and the temperature remained around the free sing point. Several phone wires snapped and fell to the ground here Tuesday, on account of the heavy sleet Trees and shrub bery are both hanging low from the excess iee. NORFOLK CONCERNS ARE COMPLAINING Will Open Branch Wholesale House in State Account High Freight Rates * EASTERN CAROLINA EXTENDS A WELCOME "Come on down, and be one amongst us; you'll eventually do it, anyway" is the message Eastern North Carolinians are sending to Norfolk wholesale concerns, who are complaining of high freight rates from their city to points in North Carolina. Articles recently appeared in Norfolk papers, quoting wholesalers of that city on the freight rate situation, and in one instance relating that the Southern Distributing Company of Norfolk would soon open a branch house in Rocky Mount, to serve this sec tion of North Carolina. The article referred to says fur ther: "The inequality of freight rates was assigned by Mr. Herbert as one of the principal reasons for making this change. The Rocky Mount plant will receive goods direct from their source and distribute them through out eastern North Carolina .? In many instances dealers here are threatened with being confined al most entirely to local business, being surrounded by an invisible freight rate boundary, which hedges them in with freight charge* so high they are unable longer to compete at a profit with competitors in the North Caro lina territory." Local wholesalers can see no reason for complaint from the Norfolk firms, which for many years have enjoyed a monopoly of the eastern Carolina business. This monopoly was prin cipally due to excessive intra-state freight rates within North Carolina, combined with the discrimination on through shipments from the West, in favor of the Virginia city. Recent reductions made in favor of North Carolina have placed this section on an equitable competitive basis with Norfolk firms, and eastern Carolina is now getting what has justly been its dues for many years past. "Norfolk firms have enjoyed a monopoly on this business for years, and through discriminative freight rates in her favor it has almost been impossible for North Carolina firms to live, until the equalisation in rates. Eastern Carolina has fed Norfolk all these years, and now that she is com ing into her just possession, the Vir ginia city's wholesalers are hollering unjust freight rates. Why, that is what we have been runing up against for years". That is what J. B. Barnes, manager of the Barnes-Saw yer. Grocery Company thinks of this Norfolk propoganda. Mr. Barnes and other prominent business men, who have been inter viewed upon this matter, are very enthusiastic over the prospect of North Carolina cities and towns drawing branch houses from the Vir ginia city; and express the belief that sooner or later eastern Carolina will become the permanent home of the Norfolk wholesale houses. There is no question about the Nor folk wholesalers having lived and prospered on the business coming out of this section. They have done it for years; and local business thinks it but a matter of business that they establish permanent business homes in the territory from which they de rive a large per cent of revenue. Eastern Carolina stands with open arms, and extends a welcome to the Norfolk firms to establish themselves in this territory, carry their stocks here, bank with us, enjoy our same freight rate, and add their taxes to the upkeep of one of the best systems of state roads in the Union. As Bob Phelps, representative of a foreign shoe wholesale house, says, "North Carolina is the place for all good things, and they'd just as well realise that thing right now, pack up, and pay the last bit of 'unjust' freight COMMISSIONERS SHIVERED DURING SESSION MONDAY New Heating System Did Not Gire Enough Warmth For Comfort Last Monday's regular February session of the board of county com missioners was one of the shortest on record. With all members except one present and ready for business st half past ten o'clock, every item of business was attended to, and all bills against the county disposed of by one o'clock, and adjournment was taken until the first Monday in March. The five commissioners shivered in the office of the Register of Deeds which has been lately divested of its coal stove, the new steam heating system having been turned on. When cleric John Northcott took a bill off the file for $350, balance due on the steam heating system, the commis sioners were in little mood to order its payment It was the last bill taken up, and it was deferred for another month during which time the contractors are expected to add some more warmth to the system that has already cost the county $1,600, be sides the $350 bill presented Mon day. One of the very first motions made and passed at the meeting was to de fer further action on a Recorder's Court until first Monday in Marcji. This will be no news to HERALD readers, as the status of the court in this bounty was given in detail in last week's issue. Nothing further will be don^in creating the court, unless Representative Lawrence sends his bill through tlj| legislature, which is not at all likeftsince the bil provid ing for more jqpicial districts stands an excellent chance of passing the legislature. The commissioners also withdrew their instructions or request to the bounty representative to change the 'system of tax collection, by placing the duties upon the sheriff, and abol ishing the office of tax collectors. This only carries out the plan as pre sented in these columns three weeks ago. Little else of note was done by the commissioners Monday. The rest of the time was spent in approving bills against the county. ***?*****??? ? WHO IS YOUR CHOICE ? ? FOR AHOSKIE QUEEN? * ? _______ * * "Queen Aho.kie" is going to * * got a free trip, including espen- * * see, to the great Eastern Caro- * * lina Exposition at Wilson, March * * 19-25. The young lady, married ? * or single, who receives the larg- * * est number of rotes from the * * date of issue of this paper until * * March 10th, will be crowned * * Ahoslde's Queen and will repre- * * sent Ahoslde at Wilson. * * The Chamber of Commerce * * has voted to defray the expenses * * of AhoeUe's "Quean", and the * * HERALD has been designated to * * take the votes and announce the * * winner. In another column there * * appears a voting coupon, which * * explains itself. Cut this out and * * mail or bring it to the office be- * * fore March 10th. . ? Votes are restricted te any * * lady who receives her mail at the * * Ahoslde postoffice, including the * * yonag ladies of the town who'* * are now away from home taaeh- * * ing or attending school. Every * * person, resident el the town or * * community, is entitled te one ? * vote only; and every vote must * * be accompanied by the name of ? * the person voting, as wsll as the * * young lady voted for. * * Don't wait to turn in your * * vote. Send it along new; it trill * * be tabulated and standing of * * contestants published in each * * issue of the paper up te March * * ltth. ? v Keep the young pigs growing con tinuously from the time of birth to maturity is an important item in suc cesaful hog raising. to a permanent home in North Caro lina." HERTFORD COUNTY ROADS WILL NOT HOLD UP WITHOUT PLENTY GRAVEL Dependable Type Mutt Be Constructed in Order to Roup Any Benefits From Half Million Dollars STATE RECEIVES BIDS ON BALANCE OF SYSTEM Many Favor Expending Money On Main Roads, Connecting Towns and Villages Between the Ground Hog and hi* inevitable direction to the weatherworlu to do iU worst, and a lack of gravel on the roads so far constructed with the county's half a million dollar bond issue, those who would navigate over the high ways in Hertford County have been and are forthwith served with an edict that there's noth ing doing. In some cases, of course, exceptions have been noted?a few of the faithful Fords are still plodding the mud, fording the streams, and tearing their entrails out try ing to get their chaffeurs from place to place. Even the sinewy mule, with his years of training on the farm, and the more gentle species?the horse? are finding it increasingly distasteful to keep up the ordinary traffic needs of their masters. In at least one in stance one man plodding through the mud on his buggy had to lift his ve hicle across a dangerous stream, while a friend (stuck in the mire with his Ford) led the old mare across a narrow strip of land that threatened to give way beneath, the horse's hoof's. High Price Traveling The fellows who, by the very na ture of their business, have to do a little traveling even during the worst Season of the year find automobiling an expensive business taking into account the gasoline and oil consum ed, bearings wrung out, bodies made shackly, and many other odds and end that help to make a "mud tax" the largest single item of taxes paid by the ordinary individual of Hert ford County. But, when the fellow living by the side of the road, or the fellow travel er with horse or mule says three to five "bucks" as his toll for pulling an automobile out of the mire, there comes to the traveler a stern reali zation that not all the profiteers are confined to the "big bug" class. More than one person has told of hav ing paid from $3 to $5 for being pull ed a few yards out of a hole in the road. On the other hand, numerous in stances of playing the "Good Samar itan" act have been recited to the writer and, in fact, this class out numbers the gouging kind. Relief In Sight When the State Highway Commis sion received bids on the construction of the Aulander-Winton highway last Thursday persons interested in bet ter roads in Hertford experienced a slight vanishing of morose feeling that this county would not get any thing at all in the way of a state highway. Approximately $109,000 will be spent on building the 17.6 miles from Aulander to Winton, the highway coming through Ahoslde. The road will be of gravel type, $7$, 678.60 being spent on the drainage, grading and graveling, and $86,988 for bridge construction. Nello L. Teer submitted the lowest bid for read construction, and E. T. Gallo way the lowest for the bridges. The letting of this contract for a gravel road, costing a fraction above $4,000 a mile, exclusive of bridges, precludes the probability of the county getting any hard surfaced roads out of the $66,000,000 bond issue. However, great relief will come to this county if a dependable gravel road is built, and that is what it looks like will be done. It is presumed that work will begin . on the road as soon as weather condi ' tions permit. Hertford County is hoping that it will be ready for travel before next winter comes around, for ita people are tired and sick of trav eling over such roads as this county has had for many winters. With the construction of this road and the completion of the Winton-Murfrees boro road, intra-county travel be tween the three principal towns of the county will be possible the year round. This will be accomplished through the State System. What further work the State High way Commission will do in Hertford County yet remains unknown to per sons in the county. Mr. Hart, dis trict commissioner, says he is working on the largest project yet undertaken in any county. This statement, coupled with his expressed desire to build a bridge across the Chowan river at Winton, leads to the belief that this is the project which Hert ford County will receive from the big state bond issues. " County Roads Bad Notwithstanding the half million dollar bond issue and the repeated efforts to build some dependable all the-year-round roads in the county, outside the State System, present conditions of the county roads are evidences of but little seal accom plishment. Roads have been straight ened, drainage has been attempted, the road bed widened, and man^plac ed in shape for surfacing with gravel. A few stretches have been graveled? but only a few. The principal county roads, two of them leading out of Harrellsville, and the other out of Ahoskie are still pil ing up a mud tax on all travelers. The county road to Murfreesboro is also an example of what construction without gravel really amounts to. Only those portions of these roads that have been thoroughly graveled are pretending to hold up this winter. The old-type "corduroy" or "pol ed" roads have been resorted to dur ing the winter months. It was the only way traffic could move, and then it could hardly get along. The vast majority of mileage of county roads is still a sea of mud; and opinion sounded out rather thoroughly by a representative of the HERALD is practically unanimous that there will be but little benefit derived from the big bond issue unless radical changes are made in the construction policy. "Lai Ma Cravat Them" "Will you please hammer it into the heads of the people that I must have gravel and plenty of it, if I am to build any lasting roads in Hertford County. I cannot build roads without gravel. All the work on building road beds goes to naught, unless there is gravel to hold it there in wet weather; and there is no hope of any permanency in roads so long as a plentiful supply of approved gravel is witheld from the road force." That is the gist of a statement made but Superintendent of Roads F. G. Hines. He says wherever he has used gravel on the roads, that is, good gravel, travel has not been in the least hindered by the wet weather. Mr. Hines stated that for less than $1,000 a mile he can put the roads in shape for?the gravel. The gravel will cost in the neighborhood of $3000 per mile, to use the best available which is none too good for this county. Say System Wrong Here and there among the citisens and taxpayers in the county the in quirer finds some who say the roads should have been let on contract and built of approved types. But, since the county is equipped to the extent of about $100,000 for road building, there seems to be little hope of do ing contract work now. Others seem to think, and they are positive in their convictions, that it would be far better for the remainder of the bond issue to be used in con structing approved gravel roads ever dm main county throughfares, in cluding the Harrellsville - Aboekie road, Harrellsville-Wlnton road, and AhosMe-St Johns road, the latter (Continued on page 7)
The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 9, 1923, edition 1
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