The Carolina Wat< man i~h=
FOUNDED 1832—103RD YEAR SALISBURY, FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 3, 1934. YOL. 103 NO. T. ~ PRICE 2 CENTS
WAtHIN^m
| Facts About Popula
j lion »
Prizes for Large
Families?
Cause of Decline
This time of year used to be
called the "silly season” in Washing
ton, because nothing of importance
over happened in August and the
news correspondents had to enter
tain their readers and earn their
own wages by writing trifling gos
sip about nothing in particular.
Times have changed in that respect.
Nothing very new and startling is
happening, with the President on
his vacation and Congress back
home mending its political fences,
but we have got so used to discuss
ing serious and important things
that it seems to have become a
habit. Even in the "silly season”
we find it hard to be frivolous.
For example, somebody asked the
ever-present question: "Who is go
ing to pay off all this new debt
the Government is piling up?” at
the National Press Club the other
day. The usual answer was given,
"Our grandchildren, of course.”
mvjuoivuv, lvi w rtau t
satisfied with that answer. How
many grandchildren are there going
to be, thirty or forty years from
now'? He-wanted to know. So he
put in a lot of time studying the
records of the Census Office and
his conclusions are so startling and,
in the long outlook, so important,
that some Administration officials
have begun to take notice of them
and w'ondec whether in some ways
there has not been too much bank
ing upon a future that does not
seem likely to be realized.
The plain fact seems to be that
the population of the United States
is rapidly approaching the station
ary point. By 1950, and probably
sooner than that, there w'ill no long
er be an annual increase in the
number of people in this country.
Before the war we added about 1,
800,000 .people a year to the popu
lation, by birth and immigration.
That was the average over a long
period of years. Assuming that
they* earned and spent a thousand
dollars a year each, which is about
the right figure, that made nearly
two billion dollars a year of new
business for American industry and
trade, to say nothing of the de
mand for half a million new homes
every year to house this increase.
And, from the Government’s
point of view, that rate of popula
tion growth meant a corresponding
increase in the number of persons
who could be taxed, directly or in
directly, thus enabling the nation
to increase its governmental expen
ditures every year and pile up a
growing load of interest-bearing
debt without really bothering any
body very much.
s But—this is what the Census fig
ures show. About 1924 the rate of
population increase began to de
cline sharply. In 1910 the experts
estimated that the Census of 1930
would show a population of 150,
000,000. Instead, the count was
only 126,000,000. And in the past
ten years it has dropped so rapidly
that the estimates of the Census
Bureau—among the most reliable
of Government statistics—show a
growth of only 800,000 in the past
7" *
At that rate of decline in the an
nual growth of population, it will
only be about 1945 when deaths
will balance births, emigration bal
ance immigration and, perhaps,
from then on, there will be an act
ual decline in the number of inha
bitants of this country. It is pos
sible to imagine the Administration
of whoever is elected President in
1944 demanding of Congress auth
ority of offer prizes for larger fam
ilies, as is done in France, Italy and
some other European countries.
The reasons for the decline in
the growth of population are two
fold. First is the restriction of im
migration, which began to take its
present drastic form in 1924. Se
cond is the decline in the domestic
birthrate. American parents are
not reproducing their kind in
numbers enough to replace the
deaths. The figures here in Wash
ington show that the average wo
man gives birth to less than one
prospective future mother. And
that condition is causing consider
able concern among the socially
minded members of the Adminis
tration—of whom there are plenty.
They see their vision of a brave
(Continued on page four.)
■' -
>
Big Pickup In
Employment
Is Reported
Number of Stores Show
Small Decrease; Cost
Of Operation Larger
A gain of 29 per cent in retail
employment in Worth Carolina
during 1933 was reported in the
census of American business made
public yesterday by William L.
Austin, Director of the Census.
The increase in retail employ
ment in North Carolina last year
was a distinct surprise, according
to Austin, who reported:
lhe increase in employment in
North Carolina between April and
December, as shown by the 1929 i
retail census, was 8 per cent. It
was 19 per cent in 1933. This in
crease, when compared with the in
crease' shown for the April-Decem
ber period for 1929 indicated that
the gain shown throughout the
State was substantially more than
seasonal.”
Part-time employment, however,
was at its lowest during the first
three months in 1933 in North
Carolina, it was reported. A
gradual increase was noted during
the latter part of the year, how
ever.
The number of stores decreased
by 4- per cent since 1929 but an
increase in the cost of operation
was noted. This is partly account
ed for by the inflexibilty of many
expenses, such as rents, taxes, in
surance and depreciation, it was
explained.
Many Counties In
Debt to State For
Old 15-Cent Levy
Although the State of North
Carolina collected $1,460,000 in
back taxes in 1933-34 from the old
15-cent ad valorem taxes for 1931
and 1932 about $261,000 more
than was set up as probable collect
ions, the 100 counties are still due
the State $1,651,911.72 in that old
and unmourned tax, figures in the
office of State Treasurer Charles M.
Johnson show.
The State made a special enort
to get as much of that old property
tax levied in 9131 for two years
as possible during the past fiscal
year, and sent a man to visit sev
eral of the more delinquent coun
ties, resulting in good collections.
Many of the counties are about
paid up—as far as their collections
have been made, but some are far
behind in remitting taxes already
collected, although the law re
quires them to remit that and the
poll tax each''15 days.
The levy was $8,923,382.00 for
the two years, of which $7,271,
470.28 has been remitted to the
State, leaving the $1,651,911.72
yet to be paid by the counties. Of
the levy, 81.49 per cent has been
paid, leaving 18.51 per cent yet
to be sent in by the counties, some
of it due from delinquent tax
payers.
Taxes To Be
Advertised
Next Week
The Watchman will on next
Friday carry the annual list of de
linquent tax payers of the county.
This list will contain the names of
all the property owners of the coun
ty who have not paid their taxes
for the year 1933.
TOO FAR DOWN
William: "How did you break
your leg?”
Bill: "I threw a cigarette in a
manhole and stepped on it.’’
.NEW*: FRANKLINtANA — Almost unno
ticed for a century and a half this statue of
Benjamiiv Franklin, ■
dating back to his so- ^
journ at the court of; f|g
Louis XVI, has been
discovered. A. Atwa* ||s
Iter Kent presented it: |a|
to the, Franklin Insti
tute in Phila. Here it? H
is with the original:
Franklin printing
press, in the Graphic jffij
Arts section of the In- ||f
stitute^, H
* «. . mmmmaeBsmm
VETERAN BARTEN
||DER Addresses Amb;
"■tious Rookies — Hans
Newmann, "mixer” at
the McAlpin Bar,. N. Y.,
Sadvises men preparing
for "bar examinations":
"NEVER stir a highball
hwith a spoon! It de
stroys the ZIP which is
|*:3jthe soul of any carbon
ated drink. Use self-stir
ring Billy Baxter Club
H Soda. Its EXTRA bub
Rbles do all the neces
CLEAN SWEEP —
These shapely damsels
showed excellent form
—And forms — in a
brown sweeping contest
I for college girl vaca
tionists held at a south
ern beach recently.^-- ,
< <lP>\
-1 ~— ii sm^j—MM1IB
SIS — Melvin Purvi*,
youthful head of the
Chicago Department of
JiKtice.
MAN AND MOTOR
Conquer Mountain
— Driver Al Miller
credits Bohn Alu
mlnum cylinder
head of Hudson
coupe for all-time
record climb of Mt.
Washington in 13
minutes and 20 sec
onds. “Aluminum
head increased
compression and
power without
knocking,” Miller
said, his equipped
stock car breaking
even racing car
record.
REAL FREAK—This calf photographed at »rem
wood, England, has five legs, six feet and a tail
that is slin^tlv curled. It.is in perfect health.
"HOTEL GOTHAM IN NEW YORK has fir-staff Trans
port bulletin board—permanent airplane schedules
are displayed on the board, erected in the hotel lobby
as celebrities of 4ie aviation world cheered. General
Kincaid (left) President, American Hotels Corpora
tion, originated the idea and will place a board in
each hotel. Eddie Rickenhacker, World War ace hails
this proaressive step in aviation.
Many Small Fish
Put In Rivers Of
N.C. In Past
More than 3,000,000 little fishes
were placed in the streams of North
Carolina during the fiscal year
1933-1934, or about one for every
person in the State, John D. Chalk,
game and fish commissioner, states.
The 3,154,901 distributed were
almost 100,000 more than the 3,
078,786 distributed from the
hatcheries the year before. Most of
them were trout, while 200,000
were bass and 75,000 bream, the
latter two warm water fish having
been produced at the Frank Sted
man Hatchery, Fayetteville, and the
'Pete” Murphy hatchery at Marion.
Distributions were made by the
various hatcheries, as follows:
Morrison hatchery, Waynesville,
1,105,15 5; Roaring Gap hatchery,
Roaring Gap, 588,400; "Pete”
Murphy hatchery, 385,050; Frank
Stedman hatchery, 145,296; Boone
hatchery, Boone 1,021,000.
HIGH POWERED
First Lodge Member. "Tonight
sve’re going to hold insulation of
officers.”
Second Lodge Member: "Installa
tion, you mean-—not insulation.”
First Lodge Member: "Mebbe so,
but these are live-wire officers.”
Tag Sales
On Increase
The motor vehicle bureau of the
state department of revenue has al
ready sold 3,286 more automobile
and truck license plates so far this
year than during all of last year,
according to figures made public
by Director L. S. Harris. Total
sales mounted to 412,381 license
plates as compared with a total of
409,095 for all of last year. With
more than five months still to go,
Director Harris is hoping that sales
will eventually amount to at least
425,000 for this year. Sales so far
this year are more numerous than
since 1929.
Up to the corresponding date a
year ago only 251,509 plates had
been sold as compared with 412,
381 sold so far this year. This is a
'gain of 160,872 so far this year to
the same date last year, Mr. Harris
pointed out.
SUCCEEDS LATE DOLLFUSS
A new Austrian cabinet was ap
pointed Sunday night, with Dr.
Kurt Schpschnigg, an ardent anti
Nazi, succeeding the late Engel
bert Dollfuss as federal chancellor.
The new regime hopes to restore
peace in Austria, at the same time
determined in their efforts to main
tain independency of the little na
tion. Opposition is organizing to
resist (Nazi foes in the event -of
further disturbances or attacks.
Successor To
O’Neal Of The
HOLC Is Named
With instructions to put new
life into the federal Home Owners
Loan corporation in North Carolina
even if he had to use a pulmotor, C.
Stott Noble of Winston-Salem, Re
presentative Frank Hancock’s can
didate for state manager to succeed
Alan S. O’Neal, has arrived in Sal
isbury with his commission, as
manager. He took over the job
here where he has been stationed
since February in the capacity of
special represntative of the whole
sale department of the corporation.
Noble has been engaged in the
real estate and mortgage loan field
in Winston-Salem for the last 20
years and was named to the $6,000
a year job over a large field of ap
plicants.
Mr. O’Neal, who was formerly
attorney for the federal Home Loan
bank board in Winston-Salem had
been at the head of the HOLC
since it started. He was under fire
for several months owing to the
alleged tardiness in securing action
on applications for loans. Mr.
Noble has made no statement as
to his plans other than that he
would try and give distressed home
owners satisfaction in handling
their cases. \ 1
NEWS
BRIEFS
LEAPS TO DEATH
James Probasco, seventeenth
victim of the crime Frankenstein
fashioned by John Dillinger, leap
ed to his death from the nineteenth
floor of a Chicago skyscraper.
Samuel P. Crawley, acting chief
of the Chicago bureau of the de
partment of justice, had just ques
tioned him regarding the use of his
home as a makeshift infirmary
where a plastic surgeon altered the
features of Dillinger and Hornet
Van Meter. He denied being im
plicated, and when justice agent
loft the room, he leaped through a
window.
LEA, JR., PAROLED
Luke Lea, Jr., who with his
father, former Tennessee newspa
per publisher and U. S. Senator, is
serving a sentence in (North Car
olina penitentiary for violating the
state banking laws, was paroled on
Saturday because of his physical
condition. He was serving a term
of from two to four years.
FOUR MULES BURNED TO
DEATH
Four mules burned to death at
Rutherfordton when lightning
struck the barn of Con. H. Bostic
The mules declined to be toftecf ou'
of the burning barn and perished
CHILD KILLED BY TRAIN
The 20-month old daughter o:
Charles Ashworth of Rockinghan
i wandered from home and wa:
crushed, under the wheels of :
freight train when the engineei
failed to see her.
PLAN ROAD CELEBRATION
The 18-mile length of road be
tween North Wilkesboro and
Laurel Springs on highway No. 18
is nearing completion and plans
for a celebration in September are
being formulated.
LEADER OF YOUNG
DEMOCRATS
Doyle Alley, Waynesville attor
ney, was elected at Asheville Satur
day as president of the Young De
mocratic clubs of North Carolina,
to succeed Mrs. May Thompson
Evans of High Point, retiring
president.
CHARGED WITH FORGERY
M. A. E. Thomas of High Point
has been arrested on three separ
ate warrants charging forgery. He
used the name of J. E. Gibson on
checks, it is alleged, and there are
other cases in which he is said to be
implicated.
MOUNT AIRY MAN
SLASHED
Holland Puckett, 35, warehouse
bookkeeper at Mt. Airy, was cut
to death near there Saturday night.
Roy Hemmings, 29, is charged
with the slaying, held without bail.
A poker game and drinking form
ed a background for the tragedy.
MARIE DRESSLER IS DEAD
Marie Dressier, veteran actress
of the screen and stage, died Sat
urday after a lingering illness of
cancer. She was 62 years of age,
and her last years were the most
active and successful of her long
career, and when her physical con
dition called for much bravery on
her part to go on. She died at the
C. W. G. Billings estate at Santa
Barbara, Cal., where her last days
of retirement and illness were
spent.
SOLD AT HIGH
Angelina: "And now that our
engagement is ended, you will be
good enough to return my letters.”
Edward: "Sorry, but when waste
paper went to $5 a hundred pounds
I felt that I couldn’t afford to keep
them any longer.”
Election Is
Called For
August 19 th
War Time Leader Passed
Away Thursday
NATIONS MOURN
Germany’s war time leader dur
ing the recent World War died at
his country mansion at Neudeck,
East Prussia, Thursday at 9 a. m.
He was in his 87th year. His death
had been expected momentarily for
the past few days, and his passing
had been expected by all official
Germany.
He was a Field Marshall under
the former Kiser Wilhelm during
the Great World war, and has been
looked upon as a Savior of the Ger
man nation. He commanded the
seven million men of the German
army.
While the former Chancellor
Adolf Hitler is now the leader of
the German people, succeeding the
former Field Marshal. He has call
ed for an election to be held on
August 19th for the purpose of
naming a president for Germany,
the office to which it is presumed
that he will make a desperate ef
fort to capture. Fie also was a
lance corporal and led a squad of
four including himself.
President Von Hindenburg was
: born in Posen, in East Prussia, on
| October 2, 1847, the son of a Prus
, sian Junker land-owner who had a
long lineage but not too many
, worldly goods. He was given the
somewhat cumbersome name of
Paul Luther Hans Anton vori
Beneckendorff and von Hinden
burg, and from his earliest infancy
was destined for the army.
Beloved Man
Dies At Home
Here Thursday
Passing away quietly in his sleep
at his home here on North Jjckson
street, at an early '• our Thursday
morning, another one of the city’s
oldest and most prominent and be
loved citizen, James Edward Hen
nesse died of hear failure, he hav
ing suffered sever.. 1 prior attacks,
but for last few months had been
on the upgrade, and his death came
as somewhat of a surprise to this
entire section. .;
Mr. Hennessee came to Salisbury
some forty years ago, and was em
ployed at that time by the Union
News company as manager of their
place which was located in the old
Southern passenger station, and he
has been connected with this busi
ness ever since, and he was known
to literally thousands of people who
have arrived at this station during
1 • 1 1 _
ms umt) auu w aj ivuw w a man
of pleasing personality and always
had a smile of kind word for every
one. He is also known as one of the
oldest business men of the town.
Surviving are his widow, one son,
W. E. Hennessee, a brother, W. A.
Hennessee, of Milford Hills, two
grandchildren, W. E., and Betty
Hennessee.
Funeral services will be held this
afternoon at 3 o’clock at the First
Presbyterian church, of which he
had was a member and former of
ficer of long and devoted standing.
Old Court House
Bell Rings Again
After silence of several years, the
bell which for years hung in the
belfry »f the old court house, and
called the people, to court, and
also served as a time piece, has again
been resurrected, and is now located
at the rear of the new county court
house, and was used again Thursday
morning in announcing the conven
ing of the county court.