Jeffress Sees More State Support For Schools
PROPERTY TAX
DOOMED, SAYS
HIGHWAY CHIEF
Could Abolish Unemploy
ment In North Carolina
By Spending Six Millions
On Roads.
"Undoubtedly the state will be
forced to take completely over sup
port of the six-months school term
and I doubht that any governor can
be elected who does not promise to re
move the 15-cent ad valorem school
tax,” declared Chairman E. B. Jeff
ress, of the North Carolina state high
way commission, in a statement to a
representative of The Watchman.
Mr. Jeffress said he would guaran
tee to abolish the state’s unemploy
ment situation if congress would pass
the bill of Senator LaFollette provid
ing for $375,000,000 for unemploy
ment relief if the sum was prorated
among states for use in building roads
and other public works, instead of be
ing used as a dole as suggested by Sen
ator LaFollette.
"North Carolina’s part of a fund
of that kind would be about $6,000,
000,” explained the highway commis
sion chairman. "If the federal govern
ment would give us that sum without
requiring us to raise an equal amount,
we could use it for roads and other
necessary improvements, including un
derpasses in municipalities, and could
guarantee the municipalities that we
would handle unemployment. We
could transform the state into a pros
perous dominion, without use of a
dole.”
W e have gone through a period
of great expansion in North Carolina '
and have accumulated a large debt,
but I view the situation not hopeless
ly but hopefully for we have laid the
foundation for great future expansion
and our problem is now reduced to an :
operating problem,” continued Mr. 1
Jeffress. "When business revives we
will have the facilities so that we can
ask outside people to move in.
"Two things of outstanding im
portance were enacted by the last leg
_^lature, the decision to finance _the
six months school, and the taking of
the road burden off of property and
placing it on the man who operates an
automobile.
"Our commission is now adminis
tering under a single unit 10,000 miles
of state highways and 47,000 miles of
county highways and we have 4,200
prisoners to feed, clothe and guard.”
The highway chairman expressed
the belief that the state will eventu
ally take over the short-term prison
ers, relieving cities and counties of
caring for them except during the tri
al period.
"There is a possibility the state can
group counties under health officers
on a state-wide basis, giving further
relief on ad valorem taxes. County
lines are not proper lines for many
services of government, although I am
not advocating abolition of the coun
ties.
"The times have unstabilized public
thought and there is business and po
litical uncertainty. In facing the fu
ture, changed conditions will make
necessary a re-study of city, county
and state government.
"Instead of worrying over the mon
ey that has been spent, let’s talk North
Carolina as a united state and sell the
state to the nation. Pull together, and
then North Carolina will enter a new
era of prosperity.”
SUICIDES SHOW
GAIN FOR YEAR
Homicides decreased in North Car
olina in 1931, but suicides hit the up
ward trail. During the year 329 per
sons were killed by others and 305
took their own lives, according to the
yearly mortality statistics released by
the state board of health.
The figures compared with 347
homicides and 281 suicides in the state
in 1930.
DAN CUPID IS INACTIVE
Rutherfordton.—Only 60 marriage
license were issued in Rutherford
county during 1931 by Register of
Deeds W. O. Geer, as compared to 73
in 1930, it is reported more local cou
ples were married outside of the coun
ty and state than were married in it.
JOHN R. FISH, Agent
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
207 Wallace Building Phone 400
Salisbury, N. C.
LABOR NEWS
By
F. T. CORNELIUS, Secretary
Salhbury-Spencer Central Labor Union
Labors Renumeration
There is a tendency among certain
writers on economics and industrial
relations to assume that all the work
ers are entitled to a "living wage.”
This theory frequently expresses it
self in the declaration that if those
who own and control our industries
cannot furnish work at wages large
enough to provide their workers with
the necessities of life, then there must
be some form of unemployment insur
ance or as a last resort, relief in the
form of public or private charity,
with charity standards of living bases
on scientifically prepared budgets de
signed to keep the workers alive and
but little more. This reactionary idea
should be scrapped. Labor does most
of the productive work in all depart
ments of our economic life.
With modern machinery the work
ers not only produce earnings large
enough to provide a "living wage”
for themselves and a fair return to
the owners on legitimate investments
but also produce surplus earnings
running into billions of dollars. This
theory of the living wage people is
that this immense surplus belongs of
right to those who own and control
industry. Labor does not subscribe to
this theory. Labors policy declares
that a large and even a larger potion
of this surplus should go to the work
ers in wages, and that the amount
should not be determined in the least
by what it cost the worker to live. A
living was what the slave owners
gave their slave workers. Labor has
passed beyond the slave status. Liv
ing wage employers and economists
are still dominated by the slave con
ception. They should modernize their
viewpoint.
Executive Board Meets
President William Green has issued
a call for the Executive Council to
meet on February 2nd and on Feb
ruary 9 th. This call also included
representatives from all National and
International Unions. The purpose of
this meeting will be to consider La
bors legislative and unemployment
program. When this meeting is called
to order President Green will be in
possession of actual facts pertaining
to conditions in every locality. The
Central Labor Unions throughout the
United States playing an important
part in gathering this informatitn.
Favor Federal Relief
Local Labor is much pleased with
the introduction of Senate Bill 3 045
introduced by Senators Costigan and
LaFollette which provides for an ap
propriation of $375,000,000 to be
used for relief purposes in cities,
towns and states throughout the na
tion. All representatives from our
state in Senate and Congress have
been officially notified that the labor
movement in this district favors the
passage of this bill for the reason that
it is believed that local relief pro
grams have been empty gestures and
have failed to cope with the situation
and its ever increasing problems. Wel
fare and charitable institutions are giv
en credit for remarkable work but
lack funds to adequately provide and
the passage of this bill would offer
this necessary relief. This bill will have
the support of the entire Labor move
ment.
Oppose Wilkerson
Protests have been sent in against
the nomination of Judge James H.
Wilkerson as judge of the U. S. Cir
cuit Court of Appeals. This is the
gentleman who saw fit to issue the
drastic injunction in connection with
the 1922 shopmens strike and labor
has not forgotten the many injustices
suffered at his hands.
Oppose Reduction
The Central Labor Union at its last
regular meeting issued instructions
that our representatives be notified
that we oposed any and all reductions
in the salaries of Federal employees.
Stating in effect, that to lower these
wages would mean lowering the stan
dards of living - all over the nation,
and that Christianity and higher liv
ing conditions went hand in hand and
to lower one is to lower the other.
Therefore, reduction in salaries of
Federal employees would be a back
ward step.
Union Shop Cards
The Salisbury-Spencer Central La
bor Union has officially declared all
barber shops not displaying the Union
Shop Card unfair to organized labor
and have made arrangements whereby
unemployed union men will be used
to peacefully persuade all our friends
to patroniy those shops friendly to
us.
CHAMBER
OMMERCE
OLUMN
By R. E. L. NIEL
The conductor of this column
while in Charlotte during the past
■
week was quoted in the morning
newspaper of that city as declaring
that the unemployment situation in
Salisbury was not as critical as it was
a year- ago. In fact the article cited
the cause for the belief being that
the Cartex Mills had reopened the old
Vance Mills which had ben idle for a
year, a rug making plant had been es
tablished and a garment making con
cern had more than doubled the num
ber of employees during 1931. Atten
tion was also called to the building of
the addition to the Salisbury post
office and the negro high school.
On Saturday last the mail brought
to the aforesaid conductor a letter
from the metropolis of Western North
Carolina written by an anxious moth
er who said "I read your 'speech’ in
the Charlotte paper and I am asking
you if you will get my boy a job
there in Salisbury or elsewhere. He
has been out of work ever since he
finished college last June.” The fond
mother went on to tell of the ac
complishments of the young man and
concludes by saying "Help him get a
job right away please.” Of course the
good mother had to be told that there
were no surplus jobs at present and
that the local supply would naturally
receive first consideration. Now the
Chamber of Commerce official who
was quoted in the neighboring city
paper is wondering if he spoke out of
turn.
The incident recalls a story told of
a well to do citizen in the native city
of the writer. This man although free
hearted when it came to charity and
much beloved would never lend a
helping hand toward boosting the
town and when asked his reason de
clared: "Did you ever go blackberry
hunting? If you did and you found a
bush heavy laden with the luscious
fruit, did you call all the rest of the
boys and tel them what you had
found? Yes you did, but it was af
ter you had filled your own bucket
to overflowing!”
Life is a struggle for peace,
A longing for rest,
A hope for the battles to cease,
A dream for the best;
And he is not living who stays
Contented with things,
Unconcerned with the work of the
days
And all that it brings.
.1 -1 • 'V -i ' i . .
rle is dead who sees nothing to
change,
No wrong to make right;
Who travels no new way or strange
In search of the light;
Who never sets out for a goal
That he sees from afar
But contents his indifferent soul
With things as they are.
Life isn’t rest—it is toil;
It is building a dream;
It is tilling a parcel of soil
Or bridging a stream;
It’s pursuing the light of a star
That but dimly we see,
And is wresting from things as they
are
The joy that should be.
With a $6,000,000 hydro-electric
power plant and a $12$,000 hospital
propjected for Salisbury who will say
that 1932 has not started out with
bright prospects at least of great de
velopment for this community. Of
course both projects are in an embryo
state but a citizenship that will .give
serious consideration to enterprises
such as these can’t help attain success
in the end and it speaks well of this
central city of the Piedmont Caro
linas that has an outlook for the fu
ture, confident of the ultimate des
tiny of their section.
According to an exchange a news
paper in speaking of a deceased citi
zen, said: "We knew him as Old Ten
Per Cent, the more he had the less he
spent; the more he got the less he
lent; he’s dead—we don’t know where
he went—but if his soul to heaven
was sent, he’ll own the harp and he’ll
charge ’em rent.”
The annual meeting and dinner of
the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce
is in the offing. This event always
marks the beginning of a new year
of activity for that organization and
if the plans of its officers materialize,
as is confidently expected, the 1932
occasion will instill renewed vigor in
those charged with its direction, and
results for the good of the entire com
munity is predicted. A well function
ing Chamber of Commerce is an asset
to any city and is as necessary as is
schools, churches, firp and police de
partments, libraries and other agen
cies. The hearty co-operation of all
citizens, however, is necessary for the
accomplishment of the greatest good
and this to the 100 per cent mark :s
to be asked of Salisburians during
the coming months. '
Harvey Wilson of Kansas City
couldn’t find a place to park his car
—so he gave it awayT
Aids Town by Running One-Man Rank
Edward Groth, former messenger and teller for the Hammond,
(Ind.), National Bank, when the last of the seven local banks closed up,,
decided to open a bank of his own. He accepts deposits from workers and
merchants in the. form of checks for collection and acts as a clearing house
in the settlement of local debts. No laws are said to exist for the governance
of the Groth institution.
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