BOOSTERS FOR A GREATER CITY AND COUNTY
Ri >wa County Herald /
AND THE CAROLINA WATCHMAN /
FOUNDED 1$32—105TH YEAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1937 VOL. 104 NO. 28 PRICE S CENTS
i SEEK PAY BOOST
Over Million
Employes Will
Make Demand
20 Per Cent Raise Will Be
Requested Sometime
This Spring, Accord
ing To Plans
DETAILS BEING
WORKED OUT
Washington.—While the labor
dispute is raging, in the automobile
industry, the ground work is being
laid for labor issue in the railroad
world.
A million or more railroad em
ployes are soon to demand increases
in wages, with the expectation that
railroads will stoutly resist putting
any more pay in the envelope. All
the major railroads that operate in
North Carolina are involved, in
th- demand that is to be made in
the early spring, and which may
call for long negotiations and study
by government agencies.
For more than five months the
21 brotherhoods and employes’ or
ganizations affiliated with the Rail
way Labor Executives association
have prepared the program of de
mands, and others are working out
the details of what they will ask.
The latter programs have been
held back to await decisions on the
amount to be sought by the five
train-operating unions, including
the engineers, firemen and engine———
men, conductors, trainmen and
switchmen.
The five now have called for a
20 per cent increase. Executives of
the Eastern railroad are reported to
have decided on a united front in
opposition to the boost, and their
example is expected to be followed
by the rest of the roads.
Vehemence with which both
sides advance their arguments indi
cates the controversy will be a pro
tracted one.
The last tjjg railway wage dis
pute came in 1934 and was long
deadlocked, the deadlock even in
cluding rejection of a plea from
President Roosevelt. The confer
ences here with the managers drag
ged for weeks. Finally President
Roosevelt took a hand and asked
that the reduction agreement be
extended for "at least six months.”
The union men refused this plea
also. Finally, on April 26, an
agreement was reached across the
conference table by the union men
and road executives. It provided
that two and one-half per cent
would be restored on July 1, 1934,
the same amount on January, 193 5,
and the remaining five per cent on
April 1, 1935. The pay has re
mained unchanged since the latter
date.
I he labor men contended that
actually they were working under
the 1928 basic pay, no general up
ward adjustment having taken
place since that time. They de- .
clare the roads are about to enter
a period of unparalleled prosperity,
that the roads have cut expenses
"to the bone” and that each slight
increase in business means a con
siderable increase in net operating
revenue.
On the other hand, the roads
submit that they have just lost
some $120,000,000 yearly revenue
by reason of the Interstate Com
merce commission’s refusal to ex
tend the emergency freight rates,
and they cite also last summer’s
order by the ICC reducing passeng
er fares to two cents a mile for
coach service, and removal of the
surcharge for Pullman travel.
They point, also to the unions’
threatened drive backward by bills
already in Congress, for a six-hour
day, a reform which it is estimated
would cost the roads almost $700,
000,000 a year in added wages.
Spencer Established 41 Years Ago
Deed For Land
Was Executed
February 8,1898
Other Tracts Purchased
Later By Southern
Railway Company
RAPID GROWTH
MARKS HISTORY
(By w. D. Kizziah, Register of
Deeds of Rowan County
The first deed conveying the
land where the town of Spencer is
now situated, was made on Febru
ary 8th, 1896 when Robert Partee,
colored, deeded 101 acres to John
S. Flenderson, who in turn made a
deed to the Southern Railway
Company. Other tracts were pur
chased from John S. (Flenderson
and others and the price was from J
$2 5.00 to $30.00 per acre. All ofj
the land or most of it was wood I
land and where the Spencer park is;
now located was in 1896 a forest j
with a dirt road leading out from!
the main line of the railroad
through the park and towards)
Gobbel’s Mill. |
The Southern originally intended'
that the shops should be built at I
Charlotte, but one of the officials j
who had studied the locations along:
the line decided that Spencer was^
the half-way point between Atlanta!
and Washington and that the shops
should be located at this point. |
On March 23, 1896, a large body ■
of laborers were marched out into!
a field three miles north of Sails- ]
bury and began clearing off the
land and grading on a huge scale.
The Southern Railway company on
this date began the construction of
one of the largest railway shops in
the south and soon the woods and
fields were transformed int a huge
industrial plant that was to put
over a million dollars per year into|
circulation in Rowan county.
The erection of the Southern
shops at this point meant a new
day in the industrial life of Rowan
county which had shown only a
reasonable development since the
Civil war. Streets were laid off
and new homes sprang up in the
village that was soon to become
the source of the largest pay roll in
the history of the county and pro
bably the largest in the state. The
new town was given the name of
Spencer, after the president of the
Southern Railway company, Sam
uel Spencer.
i • i • j .1_
VV 1 LIU 11 lilt ptnw **
years the size of the shops and the
entire plant were increased; many
additional men were employed and
hundreds of road men living at
other points moved their families
to the new railroad town and built
homes. Most of the employes own
their homes and take great pride in
keeping the premises clean and at
tractive. The town has always
beeg well managed and the citizens
are law-abiding in the highest sense.
The people of Spencer point with
pride to the neighborly spirit of
the citizens. Among the first cit
izens were the late W. P. Young
whose children still live in the
town; A. J. Burch, C. P. Gary, W.
A. Kizziah, D. J Miller, John Hat
ley, D. C. Eagle, B. F. Vun Can
non, T. E. Swicegood and many
others, some of whom have passed
away.
Another important factor in the
commercial life of Spencer and the
community is the gigantic transfer
business done at the Transfer shed.
It is a policy of every railroad
company to locate their transfer
sheds at stragic points on the sys
tem so that they will be in close
proximity to the largest freight
classification yards. In this way,
cars loaded for all points in the
country can be placed in through
trains aod sent on their destination
with little delay. A transfer station
must be a place not only for the
consolidation of business for com
(Continued on page five)
House Passes Local Option Liquor Bill
Wet Leaders Act
Swiftly Before Dry
Forces Can Rally
Refuse 58-56, to Consider
Referendu mMeasure
‘Railroaded’, Drys Say
Raleigh, The House of Repre
sentatives ignoring vitriolic pro
tests from drys, voted on the third
and final roll call 67-43 Wednes
day to allow county option on the
liquor question.
As the Hr use cleared its major
hurdle of the session and the Gen
eral Assembly continued at its rec
ord-breaking clip, which, leaders
said, presaged early adjournment,
the Senate passed the almost equal
ly controversial tobacco compact
bill, which will beome law tomor- J
row.
j A vote on the county option bill
came after the wets had won a vic
1 tory by the scant margin of two
j votes in refusing to consider the
j Hutchins prohibition proposal,
which came before it on a minority
report and provided for a State
wide referendum to ban the manu
facture and sale of intoxicants.
Fifty-six representatives favored
consideration of the bone-dry meas
ure, and 58 opposed it.
Dr. J. E. Stokes Dies
At Salisbury Home
Dr. J. Ernest Stokes, prominent
as a surgeon throughout the south,
died at his home in Salisbury Mon
day afternoon at 5:30 o’clock. Fu
neral services were conducted Wed
nesdey afterono at 3 o’nclock from
St. Luke’s Episcopal church, of
i which he was for year an official
| member.
| He had not been in good health
[ for several voars and had not been
j very active in his profession for
I two years or more,
j Surviving are his wife, the for
1 mer Miss Rebecca Marsh, and one
daughter, Miss Rebecca Stokes.
Dr. Stokes came to Salisbury as
a young man from John Hopkins
where he had been ssistant to the
eminent surgeon, Dr. Howard A.
Kelly. With Dr. John Whitehead
he established the Whitehead
Stokes sanatorium which for many
years was a leadig hospital. H!e
was a member of the Southern
Surgical association and the Ameri
can College of Surgeons.
N. C. STREAMS RISE
Raleigh—Eastern North Caroli
na streams, already swollen, con
tinued to rise but no damge was
caused by moderate inundations.
400,000 Homeless In Nation’s
Flood Zone Along Great Rivers
News Pictures of flood scenes, Pittsburg to New
Orleans, down the Ohio and Mississippi river basins,
all tell the same story of record flood peaks, loss of
lives and great property damage. Fires, started from
toppling and bursting oil tanks in Cincinnati but ad
ded new horrors and losses. Top photo showsftaging
fires, caused by oil and gas spreading over the flood
water from bursted tanks there. Second to top a crew
of a Coast Guard unit leaving Chicago for flood duty.
800 Coast Guards, 200 boats. 12 airplanes, and 24
portable communication outfits were sent into flood
territories, the biggest mobilization of Coast Guard
for flood relief in history. Third from top, a thrilling
rescue of a critically ill citizen from flooded home.
Lower photo, scene as in all flooded towns as citizens
flee to the hills for safety.
Will Rid Town
Of Stray Dogs
From the Spencer Journal
Mayor Fowler requests everyone,
who sees a stray dog gallivanting
around town, to get in touch with
the city office as he is desirous of
ridding the town of these creatures.
It would also be a good idea for the
citizens of Spencer to keep close
check on their dogs as it was re
ported that a mad dog was killed
in East Spener after having bit
several other dogs in that neighbor
hood.
Will Present Play
From the Spencer Journal
The high school will present a
play "Glad Rags” sometime in the
near future. A coach from the Tri
angle Production Co. of Greensboro
will come here to coach the cast.
Local tlent will be used and a good
prodution is in the offing.
At 2 p. m. Tuesday in the audi
torium, Clemens, the Puppet Mas
ter will present his famous Marion
ettes in "King Cole,” a comedy in
3 acts.
Cotton Mills Slowed By
Floods And Labor Rows
4—
Week’s Report
Shows Decline
Activity Slows Down To
Mild Te^mpo Despite
Large Number Of
Unfilled Orders
Washington, Despite the large
number of unfilled orders on their
books, activity in cotton textile
mills in the Carolinas and other
centers throttled down to a slower
usually wide mill margins apparent
earlier weeks this, month. The bu
reau of agricultural economics re
ported that thpre is a scarcity in
goods available for immediate de
livery.
The industry was hampered by
floods and labor troubles in some
sections. The volume of sales of un
finished cloth was about equal to
the volume of the previous week,
with mill prices unchanged. The
reported voluJne of retail sales was
above that of< a year ago, but pro
bably smaller thanTast week, the
bureau said.
i uicnascb ui spot cotton oy ao
mestic mills although small were
about equal to the moderate value
of the previous week. Inquiries
were more numerous than in 'the
preceding week, but the scarcity in
offerings of needed qualities re
stricted buying according to re
ports. Indications are that pur
chases included a wide range of
grades and staples.
The lower grades of good char
acter apparently moved more freely
than in recent weeks. The rate of
domestic mill activity was reduced
somewhat from the unusually high
levels reached earlier in the month.
The seasonally adjusted index of
domestic mill activity was 134 per
cent of estimated normal for the
week ended January 23, against
‘4! ner cent in the previous week
and 109 per cent a year ago. The
volume of unfilled orders accumu
lated by domestic mills continued
unusually large and there is still a
scarcity of goods reported available
for immediate delivery, according
to the bureau’s report.
Unfinished cotton cloth sales
were again restricted to a moderate
volume in the New York wholesale
market, according to reports. The
total volume of sales was apparent
ly below mill output for most
kinds of goods. Selling was report
ed to be confined largely to goods
in second hands which are not di
rectly from mill stocks. Prices of
these goods declined during the
week but mill prices for cloth were
mostly uncnangea.
Advances in prices of important
finished cotton goods items, nota
bly outing, flannel, knit goods, and
work clothing, during recent weeks
have accompanied increased buying
according to trade reports. The un
tempo this week as compared with
ly narrowed a little, particularly
for unfinished goods. Retail sales
continued above a year ago although
the total volume was apparently a
little smaller than in the previous
week.
NEW POST OFFICE
FOR NEWTON
Newton—Mark Ervin, United
States District Attorney, announced
completion of negotiation for the
sale of the St. Hubert Inn lot to
the postoffice department for the
location of a $60,000 building.
! Bids will be asked immediately, he
said.
Plan To Restore
Appomattox Soon
Will Create Natianal Park
With Monuments To
Figures In Surrender
Work will begin soon upon the
restoration of one of the most
significant shrines to be found on
American soil, the village of Ap
pomattox, Virginia, the scene of
Lee’s surrender to Grant in 186J.
A national park will be estab
lished at Appomattox which will
comprise about a thousand acres. In
addition to bringing the village
back to its pre-war condition and
erecting suitable markers and mon
uments, the park will become a
natural beauty spot filled with
trees and flowers.
A fifty-acre lake will be made
by building a dam below the ford
ii4 the Appomattox River, which
flows through the park arear.
Appomattox presents a striking
contrast to what it was when the
soldiers wearing the Blue and Gray
entered it* oirecincts at the i-lose
of the war. It was then a flourish
ing, attractive village; it is now,
for the most part, crumbling into
decay, a victim of the elements of
nature and a prey of vandals.
Among the buildings to be fea
tured in the restoration program
will be the old court house, which
stood in the center of the village
but was later destroyed by fire; the
ancient brick tavern, which was a
stage-coach stop in bygone days,
and the McLean house in which
Lee and Grant met to arrange the
papers of surrender.
The Confederate cemetery in the
'rea contains the grave of one
Union soldier, and it receives the
same care and attention as those of
the Southern dead. Each Memorial
Day all the graves and decorated
with flags and flowers and appro
's' iate exercises are he!t.
A granite marker stands on the
, site of the old court house' and
bears the following inscription:
"Lfere Sunday, April 9th, 1865,
after four years of heroic struggle
in defense of the principles believ
ed to be fundamental to the exist
ence of our government, Lee sur
rendered 9,000 men, the remnant
of an army still unconquered in
spirit, to 118,000 men under
Grant.”
U. N. C. STUDENT MISSING
Chapel Hill—Allen Robert Bar
bano, 23. of Oneida, N. Y., student
at the University of North Caroli
na, has been missing since January
15, when he went to New Y irk
i for a basket ball game.
Huffman Resumes Practice
Of Law Here: Declines Post
With Social Security Board
E. W. G. Huffman this week
resumes the practice of law in
Salisbury, after serving four years
as Clerk of the Ways and Means
Committee in Washington. His of
fices are located in the Wachovia
Bank and Trust Company build
ing
The Social Security Board re
cently tendered Huffman a posi
tion as attorney with the b">ard in
j Washington but because of his de
i sire to remain in Salisbury and
| promotion of other interests, he de
i clincd the offer.
HiSfman began the practice of
law in Salisbury in 1924 and fol
lowed his profession until 1933
when he accepted the position as
Clerk of the Ways and Means
Committee, moving to Washing
ton at the time of his appointment.
He resigned as Clerk last Novem
ber.
In addition to the practice of
law, Huffman will also continue to
direct the publication of the Ro
wan County Herald-Wathman,
The Spencer Journal, the Davie
County Independent and the other
oublications printed under contract
by The Independent Press Publish
ing Company.
i