BOOSTERS FOR A GREATER CITY AND COUNTY . ,
I
owan County Herald '
AND THE CAROLINA WATCHMAN . N/v
FOUNDED 1 §32—105TH YEAR SALISBURY, N. C. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1937 VOL. 104 NO. 29 PRICE 2 CENTS
OFFICIALS
REQUESTING
$100,000.00
Rowan Delegation Returns
From Washington After
Conference With WPA
PROSPECTS ARE
ENCOURAGING
Prospects of obtaining in excess
of $11,000 from the WPA to com
plete the Rowan-Iredell drainage
project are very encouraging, ac
cording to the Rowan county of
ficials who returned Thursday
from Washington where they con
ferred with Col. J. C. MeHaffey,
executive assistant to WPA’S chief
engineer.
The delegation from Rowan was
composed of the following offi
cials: R. L. Barnhardt, chairman
of the board of county commission
ers; County Commissioners C. H.
Long and J. T. Graham; W. D.
Kizziah, regist ;r of deeds; Dr. C.
W. Armstrong, county health offi
rer and W. D. Alexander, district
engineer of the state board of
health.
Rowan’s representatives were ac
companied to the WPA headquar
ters by Congressman R. L. Dough
ton who joined in the request for
additional funds to complete the
project. ^
I Following the conference, it was
: felt that n allocation for this
j purpose will be made in the near
I future.
| -
'Employment - —
| Secured for 4,076
| In This District
| Employment has been secured
. for a total of 4,076 workers in the
Salisbury District by the N. C.
State Employment Service since
i July 1, 1936 according to the bien
i nial report compiled in January of
| this number 1,190 jobs were in pri
vate industry and 2,886 on public
! works projects.
! The district of which Salisbury
jis the head ranked seventh in total
! number of placements for this six
; months period. Those ahead in job
placements were the Raleigh, Char
j lotte, Greensboro, Kinston, Wins
; ton-Salem and Asheville Districts,
i The Greensboro District placed
a total of 9,039 and the ch«.lotte
| District 4.998.
; Figures that are even more signi
ficant are those that show the total
j activities of the fifteen districts of
the entire state for past two vears.
Of 234,133 people who have passed
through Employment Offices in
search of work 212,983 secured
jobs. Or, to put it more simply,
for every 100 registrations there
were nearly 84 placements made.
Since June the heavy load of
: choosing persons for works Pro
i gress Administration Projects has
j been taken off the hands of the
| Employment Service and since that
time the personnel of the service
jhas been working over-time to
make the Employment Service a
more professional orgnization whose
main purpose is to serve the em
ployers and employees of private
industry.
E. Spencer First Grade
Studies Farm Life
Miss Leonard’s first grade of
East Spencer school have been
studying about the farm for the
past few weeks. The children have
enjoyed reading nd making stories
of farm life. Many pictures were
brought by the children and
charts were made. They also drew
pictures of various animals and
farm buildings. A little booklet of
the "Farm” was made by each
child.
A minature farm was constructed
on one of the tables which the
children enjoyed arranging every
day.
This study will end this week
with a program and party given
by the children in the room.
PLAN INCREASE
AUTO OUTPUT
Industry Buys Enough
Steel to Produce 5,000,
000 Cars During This
Year.
Before the breathing spell af
iorded by the change-over of mod
els. two leading units advertised
the sale of the millionth car of
their 1936 models. New and used
cars sold during the model year
came to the staggering total of ap
proximately 12,000,000 or one car
for every 10 persons in the United
States. Such is the magnitude of
the used car problem today that
the sale of a new car requires the
sale of nearly two used cars.
It would hardly appear possible
in view of these figures, that the
manufacturers are looking forward
to an even better year. But it is
so true that a prominent maker
recently announced that approxi
mately $4 a car of a large quantity
had been saved by the purchase
of steel in advance of requirements.
It is reported that the industry
as a whole has already bought steel
in sufficient volume to account for
six month’s production at the an
nual rate of 5,000,000 cars—10 per
cent greater than last vear’s and
almost parallel to the all-time rec
ord established in 1929.
.From present appearances, strikes
are likely to interfere with produc
tion programs more than has been
the case in the immediate past. Al
readv several prominent makers of
equipment have suffered interrup
tion of flow of production lines be
cause of "sit-down” strikes.
Therefore, the tendency will un
doubtedly be to build up banks of
assembly parts so that sudden shut
downs from this cause will not
cause undue loss of time and
money.
The profit outlook for automo
bile manufacturers is not as yet
clear. Certain it is that wage in
creases will be necessary; steel
prices are higher after the begin
ning of 1937, which means that
they will affect the latter half of
the model year. Prices of other ma
terials and supplies are firming
noticeably, so that it will be a
struggle for the producers to furth
er increase profit margins and no
little task to hold them to 193$
levels.
C. I. Jones, Jr. Joins
Advertising Staff
Of Herald-Journal
C. I. Jones, Jr., formerly con
nected with the advertising depart
ments of the Washington Post and
the Washington News, has joined
the advertising staffs of the Her
ald-Watchman and the Spencer
Journal.
Mr. Jones, in addition to his ad
vertising work will also assist in
the solicitation of job printing and
sale of office equipment.
Mr. Jones is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. C. I. Jones of West Thomas
Street. He has lived in Salisbury
all of his life with the exception
of the year he spent in Washing
ton and while away at college.
Addition of Mr. Jones to our
advertising staffs is in furtherance
of the expansion program recently
inaugurated by the publisher.
FIND PLATINUM FiELD
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Re
ports of a platinum strike at Giod
News bay on the Bering sea were
brought to Anchorage by Oscar
Winchell, airplane pilot. He said
more than 30 men have staked
claims in the last month within an
area of 20 square miles.
t extile IVj achinery Business Booming
_
Annual Output
Is Stepped Up
Manufacturers’ Inventor
ies Up; Sales Higher,
Employment Increasing.
WASHINGTON — Manufac
turers of textile machinery have
benefitted greatly from the high
production mark cotton textile
mills in the Carolinas and other
centers have attained. Employment
and production have increased
sharply in the industry, according
to a report issued by the Bureau
of the Census.
With the output of mills in 1937
far in excess of the total 193 5
volume, the bureau in its report
gives figures indicating that the
industry will show a larger annual
production this year.
The wage earners employed in
this industry in 193 5 numbered
19,080, an increase of 2.7 per cent
over 18,576 deported for 1933,
and their wages of $21,245,578
exceeded the 193 3 figure by $18,
737,260, or by 13.4 per cent. The
total value (at F. O. B. factory
prices) oftextile machinery, parts,
attachments, and accessories mad<
in the industry in 193 5 amounted
to $64,240,3 50, an increase of 11.0
per cent as compared with $57.
891.952 reported for 1933. The
chief classes of products contribut
ing to the 193 5 total were as fol
lows: fiber-to-fabric machinery
$1 1,500,8 52; fabric machinery,
$14,096,046; parts, attachments
spindles and accessories (including
knockdown machines for export),
$29,031,735.
This industry, as constituted for
census purposes, embraces estab
: lishments engaged wholly or chief
My in the manufacture of machine
! rv for use in the textile industries.
The relatively large volume of
' extra parts attachments, spindles,
and accessories.” nearly half of
j the total value of textile machinery
I and parts, is accounted for by the
j fact that some manufacturers of
. textile machinery ship a consider
; able proportion of their output, es
pecially that destined for export,
i in the form of "knock-down” or
j partly assembled machines. The
I records of these manufacturers do
I not in all cases show the number
of complete machines represented
by such shipments, and, accord
ly, they are necessarily reported as
parts.
;
LEGAL LIQUOR
IN ALABAMA
BY APRIL
Refusing to be halted by the
veto of Governor Bibb Graves, the
Alabama legislature Tuesday pass
ed a prohibition repeal bill and
brought an end to 22 year "bone
drought” in that state. There will
be a special election March 10 and
counties then voting for repeal will
have legal whiskey by about April
1.
This action leaves Kansas the
only bone dry State in the nation.
Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia
and Oklahoma ban hard liquor but
permit beer.
Counties voting against repeal
March 10 will remain under the
stringent prohibition laws enacted
bv the top-heavy drv legislature in
1915.
Alabama’s election system pro
vides for official tabulation of the
state-wide vote 15 days after the
election, and the new repeal law
will become effective in wet coun
Continued on Page Eight
Pritchard Convicted Of Second Degree Murder
Vernice Pritchett, being tried in
the superior court as being one of
two men who brutally murdered
Jasper E. Wilkinson, Kannapolis
taxi driver on the night of August
20, 1936, whose body was left ly
ing beside the highway on the Lan
dis-Five Fork highway, was found
guilty of second degree murder by
a Rowan jury Thursday morning.
The case went to the jury late
Wednesday afternoon after Judge
Pless had reviewed the evidence
and instructed them that they
could return one of three verdicts:
first degree which carries the death
penalty; second degree or find him
not guilty.
The jury was in session for two
hours last night after which they
retired. This morning they came
into the courtroom seeking further
instructions from the judge. Some
members wished to know whether
Pritchett said he was in Kannapolis
on the day of the murder and the
judge told them that on the stand
Pritchett said that he was not in
Kannapolis after August 14, the
murder being committed on the
nieht of the 20.
Shortly thereafter the jury re
tired vrivh their verdict, It being
understood they took 12 ballots.
Judge Pless gave Pritchard a sen
tence of 30 years of hard labor in
the state prison, late this afternoon.
Plan to Replace
Many N. C. Busses
During This Year
11,800 School Busses Will
Be Replaced During
This Year Biennium, Is
Planned.
4,058 OPERATING
Commission of Opinion
Student Drivers Are De
pendable and Efficient
After a great deal of pressure
has been brought to bear upon the
state’s school busses, action has
;ing the state of repair of the
(state’ school busses, action has
i been forthcoming.
, - r
the State school commissia|n re
ported Wednesdey that 1,800
school busses formerly owned by
counties should be replaced during
the coming biennium "in order to
bring the fleet of busses up to
what we consider a safe mechanical
condition.”
The committee, in its report, de
clared that the majority of the
number should be replaced in 1937
38, the first year of the biennium.
A total of 4,038 busses are oper
ated in the state, of which 1,886
were purchased by counties prior
to 193 3, when the state took over
operation of busses, the report
said. Of the number operated, 963
are seven years old.
"A large number of these old
bodies were poorly constructed,”
the report continued, "and the in
ability of the counties, during the;
depression period prior to 1933, to
keep the busses in first-class me-1
chanical condition resulted in nee-1
lect in many instances.”
The committee asserted the aver-!
age age of all busses was 6.2 in
1933. The present average is 4.1
years. All busses bought by the
school commission were steel rein- i
forced. Approximately 30 per centj
of the busses were found to be
making two daily trips to prevent
Continued on Page Eight ’
MarriageJB||k of Child Bride, 9, Denounced
KNOXVILLE, Term. . . . Bitterly assailing the mountain marriage of
9-year-old Eunice Winstead to 22-year-old, 6 ft., Charlie Johns, January
19, Tennessee dub womoj, ministers and Jurists are asking the state
legislature to act to preabnt .such ‘disgraceful unions’ in the future.
Photo-shows S-year-old krMt iftnow). -frith hey n jfwgl mo*-1 tr and
other members of the family, before their, mountain home. The father
and mother 1 ’ “they planned no interference with the children” when
asked if ; ^“’mnlment of the marria~-'
HORSE, 38, NEAR
RECORD IN AGE
A Famous Western
Stockman.
Once Was the Mount of
BURNS, Colo.—Black Kid 38
year-old survivor of the days when
an automobile was a rare things in
Colorado, holds the distinction of
being the oldest horse in the state
and possibly in the country.
Tradition savs that a horse for
merly ridden bv General Custer
lived to the age of 43. A Colorado
horse known as Superior died af
ter reaching 32.
Age has left its stamp o:i Black
Kid. The animal’s hair has long
since fallen out and blown to the
winds with a sort of fur effect,
which nature seems to provide for
a covering, taking its place. Black
Kid loafs peacefully about the
corral in the winter time at the
Benton Land & Livestock Com
pany’s ranch near here and sallies
s'owly forth in summer to gather
whatever sustenance and upkeep
,4 __- c .1
Burns Hole territory. Aged and
decrepit, the horse waits around
the corner with an expectant air
and even attempts at times to per
form an old trick of shaking
hands.
Black Kid gained fame as a tall,
jet-black animal weighing 1,250
pounds three decades ago when ho
was the mount of Frank Benton,
then one of the most widely known
stockman in the West. Black Kid
and Benton in an expensive, white
Stetson sombero made a striking
partnership which never failed to
attract attention. The partnership
ended in 1921 with the death of
Benton.
Benton purchased Black Kid ini
Denver in 1900 after being attach-j
ed by the animal’s gait as he trot-;
ted into the city behind a buggy, j
_
DU PONT HEADS SOARERS '
NEW YORK—Richard C. Du
Pont of Wilmington, Del., was ele
cted president of the Soaring Socie
ty of America. The glider enthau
siasts also elected as vice president
Lieut. Commander Ralph S. Bar
naby of Pensacola, Fla.
Union Changes
Hint Few, Bigger
Strikes
Labor Spends Anxious
Year in Futile Effort to
Settlo Craft-Industrial
Strife. C.I.O. is Formed.
For American business as a whole
the year’s significant labor devolon
nvnt was the increased determina
'mn of industrial unionists to or
ganize mass production workers.
Well-financed, aggressive, experi
■nced. the leaders in the drive in
‘"ad to so change th complexion
of the national organization of la
bor so that the industrial unit ra
rher than the trade union will be
tbe dominating influence in the
future.
If they win, and both economic
and political trends favor their
success, the big question is whe
ther there will be more or less in
lustrial unrest. Tbe answer to far
as one can be given now, is that
there will be fewer strikes—many
jurisdictional and sympathy strikes
•11 i_-i*_* .._i t __ _
vv ill uw vumuiatvu— uui uiuiv avi
ious strikes, involving more workers
and more crippling to production,
when issues between labor and ma
nagement are not soluable by arbi
tration
For organized labor itself the
■ ear was an anxious o.ie. Hailed as
a showdown year for American la
bor. 193 6 fell far short of its ad
• ’nee billings. Events marched ra
*•' • d 1 v but served only to re-empha
dze the grave and fundamental
nature of the problem dividing
union ranks.
This problem—whether workers
in the generally unorganized mass
nroduction industries should be en
listed according to industry or to
trade—is of long standing. It was
brought into the open at the
American Federation of Labor
convention in 1934; it became
'cute at the 193 5 convention, and
the formation of the Committee
cor Industrial organization by in
dustrial proponents within the A.
c. of L. in November, 193 3,
brought the issue to the crsiis
stage—where, more than a year
later, it still remains
Shortage In Food
Will Help
Farmer.
Agricultural Prices Threa
ten to Outstrip Industri
al Levels—Farm Income
78 per cent Since 1932.
Closing the year on an extreme
ly bullish but somewhat discon
certing note, agricultural news for
1936 was replete with high points
and continues to command atten
tion from all consumers in this na
tion and throughout the world.
Despite heroic attempts to sti
mulate production of farm com
modities, several European coun
tries were forced to admit in Dec
ember that they would be forced
to call upon major grain-producing
nations to an extent that threatens
to reduce the carryovers to danger
ously low levels. As a result food
costs threaten to rise alarmingly
throughout the world, and the
farmer promises to be in the as
endcncy for the first time since
1 rices have not yet fully re
flected the shortage, • but judged
from standards of 1929 they are al
ready out-distancing industrial
commodities and causing expression
of concern from representatives of
tne New Deal who only a short
time ago, voiced determination to
lift commodity prices to the "nor
mal” low shows prices of several
of the commodities most affected
in comparison with prices at their
peak in 1929:
July, Dec 21,
1929 1936
Wheat $1.55 $1.39
Corn 1.21 1.08
Oats . 60 .52
Rye - _ 1.17 1.15
Barley _ .84 .93
Lard 12.60 13.50
These commodities all sav prices
from one-forth to one-third of the
1929 levels during the depression,
giving ample justification for the
stand taken by the present Admin
istration (and the one preceding it)
that the agricultural situation need
ed special attention. Agriculture
undoubtedly still needs attention,
and is being given it in the shape
of soil conservation checks total
ing over $400,000,000 now in the
process of distribution. But if
orices such as the above hold at
their present levels for any period,
the industrial population will need
a "breathing spell” to catch up
with the farmer.
Dr. T. W. Andrews
Dr. T. W. Andrews, former
Supt, of the Salisbury city schools
from 1917-1924, and since that
time head of the High Point schools
died Thursday morning in the Bur
rus Memorial hospital of High
Point
Dr. Andrews had been seriously
iii for several weeks and major ope
rations, failing to restore him to
health, he seccumbed after having
been gravely ill for the past few
davs.
Funeral services will be held at
the First Baptist church of High
Point Friday fternoon at 3:30 o’
clock and interment will be in the
Chestnut Hill cemetery.
MEXICO CITY—The enginee
fireman, and two soldiers were
killed as the second section of the
national railways Laredo express
was wrecked near Rodriquez Ta
maulipas.