North Carolina Newspapers

GOVERNOR [^LEAN'S MESSAGE , TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLE --o-— Reviews Progress Of First Two Years Of His Ad ministration and Makes Recommendations For Remaining Two !n Biennial Message. Review of progress of the firat two years under h*s administration and recommendations for the remaining two, featured the.bienni -t message of (h.vernor McLeatf to the genera) ar ..mbly in joint s&sion in Raleigh on she night of Jan. o. Tie message ftdhiws: , Mr. ['resident, Mr. Speaker, amt Members of the Genera) Assembly: The ( ^institution of Xorlh Garoiina provides that the Governor sha)!, up . ], the ton.ening of each session of the Genera) Assembly, communicate i,. )i, ;n the mrm m a messcgr, uomation concerning the affairs of *- nfe, together with such reconi n.emlations as, in his judgment, are !:,"t ssary and expedient. This mandate of our t'nnstitution has been strictly nditcred to by my predecessors in of !;,nd it now affords me a sense i f pbasrtre entirely without affection to appear before this honorable body of nbic and patriotic representatives f)i sh from the people of North Caro lina. Also, I feel a deep sense of oh legation. With the convening of this General Assembly, one-half of my term as Governor has expired. ! come to give an account of my stewardship to give t ad. through you, to the real and only sovereigns in a free state—the aeoplc themselves. To them 1. as the i fuel' executive officer of North Caro lina, am directly responsible, even as you, constituting another coordinate branch of our government, are also re sponsible. Together, we owe them a dhuble responsiblity. I as their chosen spokesman, elected to recommend for yotfr consideration what I conceive to he best for them, and you as the body that enacts these recommendations into laws and statutes for their gov ernance or that rejects them, as the case may bc\ *My' powers are only recommendatory. Coercion is not one of the prerogatives of the Covernor of North Carolina, nor would thavc it such So, in the midst of my term of of fice, having faithfully endeavored to put into impartial and unselfish prac tice the policies enacted into law by your predecessors, two years ago, 1 come to give an account of what has been done and t^ make recommenda tions for the f^ure. I ask you to pass judgment on behalf of the people that elected us and be governed in your deliberations by the verdict you shall naeh when yoa shall have weighed the results I shall endeavor to place lefme you on this occasion. In the performance of the tasks faith has at no time becndinimed. r There have bet'r^hf^tdicaps, of course, thaj, have been imposed upon me, my but these hate only served to rttengthen my determination to do the host 1 could fur our people who, v hen they elected me, elected your predecessors to receive whatever rec ommendations 1 should make. Practi . ally all of the measures I asked for during the session of the General As sembly ofGM25 had been discussed by am in my campaign. Of course, emer gencies that arose during the session prompted some recommendations that did not directly constitute a part of my platform when seeking office. Yet, these fitted in, as I saw it, with the general polities 1 had advocated. 1 have striven to hold fast to the vision—of a still greater State, peo ple') by happy and prosperous citi uns. Spiritual values must never he minimized. They must always he brought into coordination with pro gress and never divorced from it Idealism without practicability is a vain thing. But in our practices we ma t always hold an idea! in view. It is my earnest prayer that the kind Providence that has permitted us to become a great State will deliver us from selfishness and keep us far from the path of mercenary materialism. Gentlemen—and ! take this occasion to recognize the member of the oppo site a^x who sits in your, midst—you are at the threshold of a most im portant session. The results of your lie-liberations when finally translated into action should contribute in large measure to the advancement, general vilfare and happiness of the people of our beloved Commonwealth. I have faith in you, that you will interpret into legislation the present needs of tit - State, as thfy shall come to your attention; that you will thoughtfully and tactfully shape such policies for the next biennium as will mala- for the genera! we)t-bemg ol fvorth ( aro ijna. ! shall net at this time attempt to tiistuss fully the fiscal affairs of the State, These will be presented to you later in the session, also some special matters not discussed in this message. The General Assembly of 1925 made a great record of constructive achieve ment, and I sha^ always feel pro foundly gratef^M&or the favorable consideration itTSave to the many measures I urgeiupon it. Its confi dence in my sincere determination to serve the people of North Carolina heartened me at the outset of my ad ministration and gave me renewed courage to face the many responsi bilities that loomed in my official pathway My ambition to prove faith ful to the trust was stimulated. ^ Cmulitions confronting the session I of ]f)21 were the natural results of a ; change In the economic life an) ' thought of our people. The previotf ;d--.'adc had been marked by unprece dented progress in all directions. So : n inventory was necessary. The State , had gone forward so courageously and 'o well that we found it necessary to ' rttrvcy and recast our administrative ; nmchim ry. in order to properly con duct the affairs of the State under the j now conditions in the midst of which we found ourseives. It became tho duty of the General Assembly to con serve, promote, strengthen and length en the roots of our security and to con solidate our gains and install new gov .rnmenta! machinery. Drastic re trenchment was at no time considered. Changed methods of doing things, however, were necessary, due to changed and fast changmg rondtttons, i.i ()-&!' that wp might continue to move steadily forward with safety and rrmervatism and with a strong de termination that progress shoutd in no wise ho abated. As many of you wiil rcadiiy recall, in my campaign for Governor, as well a in mv.mesMtges to the GcntralAs c-mbly of tR23. ! endeavored to stress Uto fact that expansion had brought abrut a correspontling nee<! for radi cal ^hanges in our methods of admin istration, urging thut the time had come to app!y to th<- State's affairs thou- same business principles and methods necessary to the success of ..ny Y.eit-ordered enterprise. At my request, more than thirty measures looking toward the improve ment of government administration were enacted by that Genera! Assem bly As many of you were a!so mem bers of the tast Centra! Assembiy and took an active part in the passage of these measures and also because I fee) you are interested in their opera tion. ! have concluded to summarize them on this occasion. ! fee! it is due you atrd, through you, the peop!e of the State that I shoutd officially give an account of the resuits that have been brought about. Considering the fact that 1 definitely askedfor the measures, ! feet an added responsi bility. Had ! not been sincerely eon vincod of their merit, I should never have requested their passage, the Executive Budget System Pet haps, the most important meas ure enacted into taw by the General Assembly of 192o was the act estab lishing the Executive Budget System. Under the terms of this act, the Bud get Bureau iu the Executive Depart ment became a supervising depart ment of finance and business adminis tration, and the Governor was made the executive director. The Governor now supervises the business and fin ancia) affairs of North Carolina in rpuch the same way that the executive head of a iarge business enterprise supervises the various branches of tha^ ousittess. No reform instituted by the bast General Assembly had a more far. reaching and at the same time simpli fying effect. Many intricacies were eliminated and coordination of ex penses was brought about. In these days when expenditures by govern ment for both current expenses and permanent improvements have risen to such a high figure and so rapidly as tj challenge the best thought of finan *ial students, the exnerienee of gov ernments which have adopted tl.e bud get system stands out convincingly in favor of this method of handling pub lic affairs Business enterprises long ago adopted the system the princi ples of which are so absolutely essen tia! that they admit of no argument. For two centuries the budget system has prevailed with success in England and in recent years it has been adopt ed by our own Federal Government and many of the States in the Union The principle involved is as old as civ ilization itself. Simply stated, it means that no individual or group can be permanently prosperous and suc cessful and, consequently, happy un less they live up to the sound prin ciple of keeping expenditures within their incomes. No head of a family can avoid confusion and financial em barrassment whose household expens es amount to more than he earns. The same rule applies to a government. Granting that a government is, in a measure, an abstract proposition, yet tin- money it spends is not, for, after ail, it comes from the pockets of the people. It is their right to have their funds protected and insured against expenditures that, even thouch thev arc kgitimatc, are not weH-ordered. Vt'e who administer government are pnidic servants, and we should be as arefu] witit the pubiic's funds as we are with our own when we invest them KOTM E fn the Superior ( our!. ^Jorth Carolina, Kobe ton County Kmi!y McKeilar Dsn J. McKellar. fht defendant above named will take notjee that an action entitlesl a^ above has been commenced in the Superior Court of Robe %,n County. Ncrth Car^dina. to obtain an ab solute divorce by plaintiff axuihat the de fendant on the ground of adultery, and Dte said defendant will further take notice that he is required to appear at th" office of the clerk < f the Supo jor C^urt for the c iunty of Koia^-on on the 29th. day of Jt*n. 1927. and answer or demur to the complaint file! in daid action in the office <f the Clerk of he Superior Court, and the defendant vi!l further take notice that If he fails to answer ;r demur to *-aid compiaint wihin tw< nty daya from yaid date, the plaintiff will apply to the court for the relief demanded in the complaint. Thi? ^th. day <#f Jan. 1927. C. B. SK1BBEK. Clerk of the Superior Court. Britt & Britt. Atty^ 1-6-4 Thura. 1 J TURN HA!R DARK - WITH SAGE TEA i . !f Mtxed wtth 3utphur tt Darken* Naturatty Nobody CanTeH The old-time mixture ot Sage Tea tnd Sulphur tor darkening^ gray, streaked and faded hair is grandmoth er's recipe, and folks arc again using it to keep their hatr a good, even color, which is quite sensible, as wc are liv ing in an age when a youthful appear ance is of the greatest advantage. Nowadays, though, we don t have the troublesome task ot gathering the sage and the mussy mixing at home. Alt drug stores sell the rcady-to-use prod net improved by the additton of other Sediems, called "Wyeth'. Sage and Sulphur Compound." It }S very popu lar because nobody can discover it has been applied. Simply moisten your comb or a soft brush with it and draw this through your hair, taking one small strand at a time; by morning the gray hair disappears, but what delights the ladies with Wyeth's Sage and Sulphur Compound, is that, besides beautifully darkening the hkir after a few applica tions, it also produces that soft lustre and appearance of abundance which :* ro attractive. in industrial enterprises. The Executive Budget Act became genet ally effective on July 1, 1925, and I shall have the opportunity to present to your honorable body the first complete budget ever presented tj the General Assembly of North Caro linn It shows the operation of thi Executive Budget System for one completed year of the ourrent bien nium, and also a complete budge, covering all appropriations and reve nues recommended for consideration by this Legislature to he made effec tive for the biennial period beginning July 1. 1927. The budget to be presented to you iepresents the best wort: of the Gov ernor and all members of the Advisory j Budget Commission, appointed by him and acting in an ex officio capacity, who attended the met ting.. As most of you, at least, arc aware, the Com mission is composed of the chairmen of the finance and appropriations com mittees of both houses of the General Assembly, together with two - citi zens appointed by the Governor to represent the tax payers. Thus, the people themselves are taken into counsel by the Governor, who is the executive head of the Commission, and by the General Assembly. It is with great satisfaction that I am able to report to you at this time that the-Executive Budget System is working with a remarkable degree of success. It has had much to do with the marked improvements that have been brought about in handling the State's financial affairs, with the re sult that large sums of money have been saved the tax payers. Prof, of this statement will be contained in my ! budget message. It is my firm con-! vietion that this system represents the most constructive piece of legis lation enacted by the last General As* scmbly. As a part of the Executive Budget j System the General Assembly declar ed it to be a fixed policy that puTrent j expenses at no time exceed the total! revenues available within the same period and that the State maintain at j ail times a balanced budget- In furth erance of this policy, all statutes al lowing appropriations general and un limited in character were repealed; and every department, institution and other spending agent of the State was placed upon a definite appropriation basis. This brought about a coordina tion of expenditures which hitherto was unknown in North Carolina. In brief, wc have safeguarded the funda mental principle of the balanced bud get by providing there mpst he no appropriation without a correspond ing provision for the revenue to meet Drink Water to Help Wash Out Kidney Poison If Your Back Hurts or Bladder Bothers You, Begin Taking Saits When your kidneys hurt and your back feeis sore don't net scared and pro ceed to ioad your stomach with a !ot of drugs that excite the kidneys and irri tate the entire urinary tract. Keep your kidneys clean iike you keep your bowels cican, by (lushing them with a miid, harmtess saits which helps to re move the body's urinous waste and stim ulates them to their normal activity. The function of the kidneys is to filter the blood. In 24 hours they strain front it 50t) grains of acid and wast6, so we can readily understand the vital impor tance of keeping the kidneys active. Drink lots of good water—yon can't drink too much; also get front any phar macist about four ounces of Jad Salts; take a tablespoouful in a glass of water before breakfast each morning for a few days and your kidneys may then net (Inc. This famous salts is made front the acid of grapes and lemon juice, combined with lithia, and has been used for years to help clean and stimu late clogged kidneys; also to neutralize the acids in the system w they are no longer a source of irritation, thus often relieving bladder weakness. Jad Salts is inexpensive; can not in jure; makes a delightful effervescent lithia-water drink, which everyone should take now and then to help "keep their kidneys clean and active. Try this; also keep up the water driuking. and no doubt you will wonder what became of your kidney trouble and back ! ache. By all means have your physi ! cian examine your kidueys at least twice ^ a year. - ritwh'f.'. !^et us now consumer brtefiy other acts suppiementing and making mo!*r effective the Executive Budget Act. t mention first the act which requires that a!) coHectinpr agencies shaM de posit their funds daiiy with the Stat! Treasurer. This has resutted in sav ing considcrahic money to the State by increasing the amount of interest received by the Trqpsurer on daiiy de poattH and uecreasmg me uttort time borrowing in anticipation r f the collection of taxes. Another act that has greatly aided in making th; Executive Budget Act effective is that j which consolidated the principal reve nu<j collecting agencies, including tin motor vehicle bureau, under the De-; pnrtment of Revenue. This was a wise piece of legislation, in that it result- j ed in bringing about coordination an i a more effective supervision of al! < money-collecting agencies. I refer at- j so to the act iapsing ail appropria tions for maintenance to the various departments, institutions and spend ing agencies which remain unexpend- j etl at the end of the fiscal period This is not only a wise reform but has re j suited in saving the tax payers much I money, in that it has discouraged un-! necessary expenditures. One of the soundest policies now in effect is that which bans the issuance j of State bonds except for useful and permanent improvements and which provides for the payment of interest and amortising the principal within the life of the improvement for which the bonds arc issued. The Constitution now provides for a limited bonded in debtedness and for sinking funds for the payment of bonds at maturity. These sinking funds must he safety and wiseiy invested, thus insuring protection against their violation. To make these Constitutionai provision ;! effective, the Cenerai Assembly Es tablished a Sinking Fund Commission, < which is composed of the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Au-; ditor, who are required under tic severest penaities to invest ail sink ing funds. This directiy protects tin j State's credit which might be serious ly injured if the sinking funds were i not wiseiy and safeiy invested. Salary and Wage Commission One of the most valuable achieve { ments of the iast Ccnerai Asr.cmid/; was the creation of what i.. know ' i as the Salary and Wage Commission, i While this Commission affects direct ^ Iy oniy the persons in the employ of i the State, yet it affords these men! and women protection and, at the same time, prevents wa$te in the payment ; of extravagant and irregular salaries. This legislation resuited in a system of personnel classification of State employees subordinate to the heads of departments and fixed for them regular hours of work, holidays, vacation . periods and sick ieavc. While there was aroused considerable opposition to this legislation in the city of Raleigh, i which-made the Commission's task a tedious and delicate one, yet this an tagonism has largciy subsided now that the State employees and their friends have come to realize the wis-! dom and justice of the measure- The act creating the Commission was no^ j intended as a blow at the" State em ployees. On the contrary, it was evi dent that the time was dt hand to protect those who were not receiving compensation commensurate with tha^ received by others performing like services in other departments by mak-! ing a general survey of salaries ani ] establishing an equitable basis. In stances \vcre found where abnormal salaries were being paid to some while others doing work of a like character were receiving much smalier! sums. Unreasonably high salaries h#ve been reduced and those unduly low have been raised to a higher level. The Commission, composed of men of character, business integrity and wide experience, has, I believe, performed a real service for the State Empioyecs ant! for the State as a whole. The scale adopted is, I think, a dignified scple that compares well with that adopted by business firms that strive to pay just wages, it Has Men satu that it is higher than the scale in many of the other States and com pares very favorably with that allow ed by the Federal Government. Ccr tainly the hours of work are pleasant, allowing employees ample time to carry on their personal pursuits out side of business hours. Desiring to obtain the services of the best men possible, I appointed a members of the Salary and Wage Commission men who are typical rep resentatives of the principal groups that pay the major portion of the State's taxes. I take this occasion to publicly commend them as well as the Executive ^Secretary of the Commis sioh Each has performed a distinct service. This reform Involves matters of growth and development which will extend over a period of Beveral years. Hence, I recommend to your honorable body a continuation of the work of the Commission. Pardons and Paroles. One of the most constructive and beneficial measures adopted by the !§st General Assembly was the act creating the office of Commissioner of Pardons in the Executive Depart ment. Work imposed upon the Gov ernor as the result of the Constitu tional provision giving him power to exercise clemency had become well nigh unbearable. !n the early days of our Statehood this did not entait so much labor; but with the increase in population and the consequent in crease in prison sentences, the Gov ernor's duties incident to the consid eration of applications for clemency were multiplied many times. The chief executive was often prevented from g!vfng Hie 'othdr affairs of State ihi' consideration he could otherwise have given. A remedy was necessary. At my request, when i foresaw even mor? duties devolving upon the Governor with the adoption of the program of governmental reforms in prospect, the General Assembly two years ago mad? statutory provision for a Commis-* sioner of Pardons to assist the Gov ernor in the investigation of clemency petitions The act took from the Gov ernor none of his obligations in this matter imposed by the Constitution, but followed the Constitution which provides that the method of hearin ? cicnicncy eases and granting clemency wnen sucn appears rtgnt anu proper shall be prescribed by legislative enactment. The appointment was mad$. on April 1, 1925, shortly after th - adjournment of the lasf session, and the new measure has functioned in a satisfactory manner, due largely t) the fact that 1 was able to secure a Commissioner a man eminently fit ted for this work, in character, train ing and temperament. The most bene ficent phase of this reform has been that in connection iyith the supervis ion of paroied prisoners. In most crimes of lesser grade tjtan capita) offenses, the judges impose indeter minatc sentences, that is, sentences j of maximum and minimum duration,: the expiration of which depends upon ' the conduct of the prisoner himself. The presiding judge says, in effect "You wili stay in prison at least the minnmum of your term and whether: you remain longer depends entirely j upon you; whether you change your; attitude toward society and determine, j when. Iterated, to pick up the broken threads of your life and weave them into good citizenship." Use of the parole is the only prac- ^ tical expedient in those "cases where , prisoners have been sufficiently pun ished and where longer service would not benefit them but prove burden some to the State, or county. In such ; cases it is far better to parole the prisoner and keep him under strict supethdsion. Putting these principles into effect, 1 have been able, with the assistance of the Commissioner of Pardons, ti observe and report to your honorable hodo most beneficial results from the I paroles granted by me. Most cases have been confined to; offenses not of a serious nature. Un-! dcr the strict system- of supervising j paroled prisoners, I have had to re voke oniy about twenty-five It woui i be difficult here to enumerate all the benefits that have resulted from this j reform. Capita! Issues (Illue Sky) Law Among the measures sponsored by me and enacted into law in 192fi was the new Capital Issues Law. popularly known as the "Blue Sky Law". This has served to check many wild financ ing schemes. It has put out of th? running those unscrupulous men who promote "fly by night" enterprises and whose only hope is "to get away with it." Our law is one of the most stringent in America. Some amend ments, however, are necessary, includ ing one reducing the tax upon the leg itimate sales of securities, subject to registration under the Act. There should aiso be an amendment provid ing for the registration of certain se curities of foreign corporations whose j standing is as good as that of domes- j tic corporations eligible for registra j tion. This provision will make it pos sible for dealers in this State to parti- ! cipate in national issues, provide the investing public in North Carolina a! wider range of securities and, at the same time, remove the present handi cap under which dcaicrs in this State! are working. The purpose of this iaw was to prevent frauds it! connection with the saic of securities only. A law designed to prevent frauds in i real estate transactions will probably, have to be enacted. Under the term:; { of the Capital Issues I,aw, I appoint- i cd Mr. Allen .1. Maxwell, who called! to his assistance Mr. I. M. Bailey, aC Assistant Commissioner. Tito iaw pro-! vides that the Commissioner shaii h:i one of the members of the State Cor poration Commission. This provision was for purpose of coordination and to enable the utilization of a depart ment already existing rather than the' creation of new departments. Mr. Maxwell and Mr Bailey have rendered the State and its people valuable service, through the able manner in which they have executed their duties in this connection, sav ing to investors hundreds of thou sands of dollars during the nest two years. There is urgent need for a Federal capital issues law and 1 un derstand a bill providing for its cs tablishment is now pending in Con gress. , Public Health. North Carolina's progress in puMic heaith wotk is one of the State's out standing achievements, due largely to *be efficient manner in which orr heaith officials have performed the tasks committed to them. The work of the State Board of Health has in creased to a remarkable degree. In my opinion there is no more profitable j investment than that which looks to I ward the prevention and cure of , diseases. Protection of health is not I oniy a humane thing but a wise poiicy from a practical standpoint. A healthy people is a valuable asset. Therefore, North Carolina cannot afford to take (Continued on page 3.) 666 is a Prescription for Colds, Crippe, Flu, Dengue, Bilious Fever and Malaria. % * It kills the germs. *3 Station to Station tails jah m<Hj! new be Reversed To o*t the fattest iong distapceconnections f!ace your ea!! by num ber. Vou find !t worth -whita to keep a hat oT the outoftown teiephonea you c^!!. You can now cal! your home or office at the tow station-to-statlen rate—and have the charges re versed. Think w hat a convenience this is! A station-to-Etation call la on# where you ask for a git#n tele phone — either by number or by name and address pf the telephone wanted, and not' for a particular party. And you will be glad to know that reduced statin r to - station rates now take effect after 7 P M. T(iere Is a still further redaction In force after 8:80 P. —instead of midnight. < "f.ong Distance" will gladly nivc you rates ^nd other helpful information. MORGAN B. SPEtR, Carotinas Manaaer "Ecu. SYSTEM SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY On? Pohcy, (htf Syilnn, The Virginia Carolina Joint Stock Land Hank of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, will loan money on improved farm lands in Robeson County in amennts from $1000.90 to $35,000. Amortization plan maturing in 33 years, l oans can be retired at end of 5 years. This Land Bank during the past several years has placed many thous ands of dollars in Robeson County to the mutual satisfaction of itself and the borrowers. For information address Virginia Carolina Joint Stock Land Bank, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, or call on T. A. McNeill, attorney, McLeod Building, Lumberton, N. C. Virginia Carolina Joint Stock Land Bank ELIZABETH CITY, N. C. .NOTICE. I have moved my Insurance Office*, to No. 404, Chestnut Street. Just across the street from the Lorraine Hotel. Q. T. WILLIAMS, Agent j Lumberton, N. C. ^ GRANTHAMS Insurance & Real Estate Agency ' Depen dable Service.'' Phone 26 F AIRMONT, N. C. Jonea Bldg. ——Ha!** Tobacco Canvas Tbin Homespun Riant Bed Guano Trucking Guano K.M.BCGGS Lumberton, N. C. . '