BOOSTERS FOR A GREATER CITY AND COUNTY
owa County Herald
oldest Paper Published in Rowan County Successors to the Carolina Watchman f
FOUNDhO U ;:-1Q)TH YEAR SALISBURY, N. C. FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1937 VOL. 104NO. 34 F /FTcENTS
RAIL PENSION PLAN ADOPTED
Railroads and
Unions Agree
On Payroll Tax
Retirement Pension Sys
tem Calls for Five Per
Cent Payroll Tax
MILLION AND HALF
WORKERS AFFECTED
Washington — The railroads
and the major rail labor unions
this week agreed upon a 5 per
cent pay roll tax to finance a re
tirement pension system for ap
proximately 1.500,000 workers.
Half the tax bill will be paid by
the railroads; half by the em
ployes.
It will replace a similarly divi
ded 7 per cent tax provided by
the present railway tax act, which]
the railroads blocked by a court
test of its constitutionality.
George ?\f. Harrison, chairman
of the Railway Labor Execu
tives’ association, and J. J. Pel
ley, president of the Association
of American Railroads, joined
in announcing complete agree
ment upon the retirement sys
tem.
The announcement came as a
clamax to long negotiations
which resulted from an appeal
from President Roosevelt, sug
gesting that the railway labor
unions and managements confer
in an effort to develop a mutu
ally satisfactory pension arrange
ment.
t r—:„
new plan represents an agreement
there is little likelihood of a
court challenge of its constitu- 1
tionality.
Action by Congress will be
necessary to put the system into
effect. The announcement said
ike present railroad retirement
act would have to be amended
and the new tax substituted for
the present one.
Provisions of the plan, in ad
dition to the tax provisions, were
outlined as follows in the joint
announcement.
'1. All annuities are to be
paid out of the United States
Treasury.
“2. Plan is to be administered
to the railway retirement board
as now provided.
“.3 Method of computing
amount of annuity to be paid re
tired employes is the same un
der the plan as now incorpora
ted in the railroad retirement
act.
“4. An employe is eligible to
retire voluntarily upon attaining
the age of 65 years, but may re
tire at 60 years of age after com
pleting 30 years of service w ith
a reduction in the annuity at the
rate of one- fifteenth for each
year he is under 65.
"5. An employe can continue
to work after attaining 65 years
of age but must continue to pay
the tax, although he will not be
credited with any service earned
by such employment after |uly
1, 1937.
‘'6. Plan permits retirement ot
employes because of physical or
mental disability after 30 years
of service with full annuity pri
vileges.
‘‘7. Present pension rolls of
the railroads are taken over un
der the plan.
“8. No annuity will be paid
to any employe who retires and
engages in "regular gainful em
ployment" in some other line of
work.
“9. Provides for death bene
fits for a deceased employe’s es
tate.
“10. '1 he plan effects approxi
mately 1,500,000 employes of
railroads, express companies, and
't'Heir subsidiaries. Employes of
: . railroad associations and of rail
road labor organizations, are al
so included.
Harrison and Pelley emphasiz
ed that the agreement provides
for voluntary retirement at 65
at the election of the employe.
“Persons who are totally dis
abled are eligible to retire if they
(Continued on page 8)
Cotton Textile Mills Are Now At Full Blast
Carolinas To Get Federal Road Funds
Resigns Air Post
r~—
* .— -W, JjjglL ..:v<r.v.y f
WASHINGTON . . Refusmg to
resign for more tlian a year, Eu
gene L. Vidal (above), has now
vacated the post of Director of
the Bureau of Air Commerce be
cause of criticism heaped upon the
Bureau as result of recent airline
crashes.
Million Heir Z3
BOSTON . . . Andrew Auld, 48
•ear-old shipyard worker here be
lieves he may be able to establish
:laim to a $20,000,000 estate left
by a 19th century relative^ in
Aberdeen, Scotland. Mr. Auld is
very busy studying bis family
tree.
Under The Dome
W ashington—The dark cloud
which hovers over Washington
is the continuing problem of un
employment. It is the most diffi
cjilt of all Governmental pro
blems because it presents so
nany phases, none of which is
rapable of solution by itself. L'n
;mploytnent has to be tackled as
t whole, and viewed as a whole
it is like an enveloping fog, in
which being at all certain that
:hev are going in the right direc
tion.
One thing which befogs the
unemployment problem is the
absence of facts and figures up
on which everybody concerned
can agree. Nobody knows how
many persons are actually un
employed, or wrhy. Estimates run
from six to seven millions up to
ten or eleven millions. No Feder
al census of the unemployed has
been taken since 1930, and the
basis of that count is not regar
ded as presenting a true picture
of the situation even as it was
then. Such a census has been re
peatedly urged, but no agreement
has been reached., even on the
primary definition of "unem
ployed.” Is every person to be
listed as "unemployed” who hap
pens not to be at wrork on the
day the count is made, tnougn
he or she was working last week
and can go back to the same or
another job next week? That
and such questions as how to di
vide the employables from the
unemployables are points upon
which there are as many opin
ions, almost as there are students
of the question.
All that Washington really
knows about unemployment is
that there is still a very large
number totalling several millions
who are being supported out of
public funds, either working on
W. P. A. and P. W. A. projects
or on direct relief administered
by staie and local authorities
with assistance from Federal
funds. That a very large commer
cial workers who were unemplo
yed one. two or three years ago
have now been re-employed is
admitted by everyone. The Na
tional Industrial Conference Boa
rd reports that employment in
industry today is almost up to
the peak of 1929 and is increas
ing. But offsetting this is the in
crease in the number of those
who have never been employed,
young people who have reached
the age of normal self support in
the past few years and have not
been absorbed into industry and
trade. About 600,000 a year is
the normal increase in this group
but again nobody knows how
many of them there are.
Public Works Program
The latest and perhaps the
nost carefully—considered pro
posal is a program for Federal
uiblic works which has been put
forth by a group of sixteen in
fluential members of Congress,
who say that 125 others have al
ready assented to it. It is really
i declaration of principles in
:ended to govern future legis- :
iation, and is based upon the as
sertion that useful and neces
sary work must be substituted
for private charity and govern
ment doles. Slum clearance, soil
and water conservation, refores
tation, flood and drought con
trol, power developments and saf
ety work are listed as examples
of useful work of permanent va
lue.
Ten principles should govern
this approach to the unemploy
nent problem the sponsors say.
They are:
1. Work for all who are able
and willing to work and
cannot find private employ
ment.
2. The work to be useful, pro
ductive and efficient as any
work anywhere.
3. People to be hired for go
vernment works, not be
cause they are ‘on relief’
but because they need a job
and are able to do it effici
ently.
4. Facts about the amount of
unemployment and the op
portunities for employment
in private industry to be
collected, and the govern
ment work program to be
enlarged when private in
dustry lays people off and;
to be cut down when pri-l
vate industry hires them
back.
5. No waste, no made-work,
but evert' project to be plan-,
ned so it will create a dol-j
lar’s worth of wealth and
permanent social value for
every dollar spent. This re-j
quires that there must be;
enough money appropriatedj
to allow a reasonable ex
penditure for materials and,
equipment, as well as forj
wages.
6. Government work to be
planned so it will enable the!
people it employs to deve-|
lop and maintain the kinds
of skill and ability which;
are most likely to be in de- j
mand in private industry.:
7. Government projects to be
definitely planned to stim
ulate all industry and open'
new opportunities for Am-:
erieans. Conserving soils
and developing new fertile
lands will do this. Low
cost housing will do it.
Cheaper power will do it.
So will other projects.
8. The recreation, theatre,
! States to Get
| Over 7 Million
Movement of Finished
Goods at High for Year;
Unfinished Cloth Sales
Large
The sum of $7,662,261 of Fe
deral highway funds has been ap
portioned North Carolina and
! South Carolina for the fiscal
year beginning July 1, C. W. Ro
berts president of the Carolina
Motor club, announces.
This total is made up of re
gular Federal-aid funds plus ap
portionments for secondary or
feeder roads and for elimination
of railroad hazards on highways.
“This money,” Mr. Roberts
said, “represents the Carolinas’
share of $200,000,000 that is be
ing made available by the Fe
deral government to the States,
the District of Columbia. Puerto
Rico, and Hawaii for highwa r
purposes.
KAf ! i . . 1 C*1 Af* AAA AAA
'/i. me it/uu i _ i>
to be appropriated as regular Fe
deral-aid, 25,000 000 for const
ruction of secondary or feeder
roads, and $50,000,000 for eli
nination of rail hazards.
“All of the funds made avail
ible to the Carolinas will lie ex
pended in accordance with the
general plan used in previous Fe
ieral-aid highway work. Projects
For improvement will be selected
py our State highway depart-- :
ments, which also will prepare ‘
plans, let contracts and super
rise construction—all subject to ,
Federal approval.
“Improvement of secondary '
roads and elimination of rail ha
zards with Federal funds were .
The apportionments of funds for
first initiated as an emergency
measure to relieve unemployment
these purposes during the next
fiscal year are the first to be
made as a part of the regular
Federal program. Regulations
under which the two new funds
will be administered are now be
ing prepared by the Bureau of
Public Roads.
“Each State is required to
match the funds for improve
ment of the Federal-aid system
and for secondary roads, but it
is not required to match the gra
de crossing funds.”
North Carolina has been awa
rded $4,842,707 in Federal High
way funds for the coming year.
21 r. Roberts said.
education and fine arts pro-;
jects to be continued and
improved with a view to
developing the hidden crea-,
tive talents of all groups of:
citizens in America.
9. The program must be a
Federal program, since un
employment is a national
problem and most of our
needed public works are!
if interstate character, It,
will have to be largely fin
anced with Federal funds,
with local sponsors’ contri-i
butions based on their abil
ity to make such contribu
tions.
10. By and iarge, the pro
gram should not be finan
red by borrowing, but by
equitable taxation on the
basis of ability to pay and
benefits received.
The following members of the
House signed the statement:
John Lueke, Maury Maverick,;
Frank \V. Fries, Vv. D. McFar-;
lane, H. Jerry Voorhis, Robert
G. Allen, Knute Hill, Walter M.j
Fierce, Ed. V. Izac, Jerry T O’-,
Connell, John M. Coffee, John!
R. Murdock, Clyde Garrett,!
Charles J. Golden, Mrs. Caroline
O’Day, Charles R. Eckert.
; Editorial Staff of Scarsdale Eagle News
SCARSDALE, N. Y. . . . Carl Lirnhacher, Jr., 12 years old, is editor
and publisher of the Scarsdale Eagle News, published monthly and
on a paying basis for the last year. Peter Ccnese (standing left) is
the compositor; James Duff, right, handles sports and writes a column.
The plant’s headquarters takes up most of the basement of the Lim
bacher home.
Two Historical Churches
Two of the oldest churches
n Piedmont North Carolina are
vowerstcne, or Grace Church,
vhich is a Reform church and
'rgan Church which is Lutheran
Hie two churches are located
ibout a mile apart near Rock
veil and from the beginning
heir history has been, if not in
erwined at least parallel.
Tradition states that in the
larly days the Lutheran and Re
form congregations originally
worshiped in a union church and
hat a quarrel arose resulting in
he construction of Lowerstone
Church large enought to receive
)rgan Church. However, this
dory has been discredited al
■ hough the fact remains that the
former was built so that the lat
er would fit into it. The truth
>eems to be that both congre
gations did worship in the same
thurch but only because there
were, in the beginning, so few
Lutherans in the community and
:hey had no paster. Later, when
:heir number increased they de
eded to build a church of their
vwn and when it was heoiin
:heir Reform neighbors determi
ned to do likewise, but it was
only a spirit of friendly rivalry
that prompted them to erect
heir church large enough to
rontain that of the other congre
gation. Of course, the fact that
:he Lutherans boasted the only
organ in North Carolina, built
Oy John Steigerwalt who had
earned his art as a boy in Ger
many, may have had something
:o de with the desire to erect
the larger edifice.
Lowerstone dates back to 17
50. Th present building occupied
oy the Grace Congragation was
ouilt in 1795 but for forty years
oreceeding its errection a log
rhurch had been used. This first
rhurch was built in 1854 or 17
55 and was called Hickory'
Church.
As time went on and the
rongregation increased in size
olans were made for a iarger and
more substantial building. A
sixteen acre tract of land was
purchased fro mLorentz Lingle
for the sum of five pounds, pro
rlamation money of the province
of Noirth Carolina. This land
was a part of a large tract gran
ted to Lingle by the Eearl of
Granville. The deed was made
in February 1774.
The present church is built
of rough stones which were pro
bably quarried from some vein
or ridge nearby. The church it
self is 40 by 50 feet, with walls
twenty-seven feet high and twel
ve foot gables. Almost twenty
years were required for its com
pletion, possibly because the Re
volutionary War occurred during
that period. The building was de
dicated in November 1811 and
the sermon on that oceassion was
preached by Rev. Andrew Lore
tz.
The architectural style is cha
racteristic of that period. The
original floor of smooth stones
remained in place until 1871.
There are galleries on three
sides of the building. The pulpit
was the usual wineglass shape
jivith an overhead sounding board.
Later this was replaced by one
of modern design. A belfery and
bell were added at a still later
date.
Over each o f the doors is en
scribed a verse in German that
translated into English reads:
Ovr the South door.
To the glory of God has been
built,
The church which you here
behold,
By a people who God confess,
And name themselves after
Jesus Christ;
Who are also incorporated with
Him,
And they call themselves ‘The
; Reformed.
,1795, Grace Church. The end.
Over the west door.
“Let thy Word in Zion resound,
Go with each one, out and in;
And when, in throngs, we tread
Where the service of God is
held,
Oh, do Thou bless us, Lord;
Grant also faithful Ministers,
Who thy word pure with profit
teach,
And the world to thee convert.
Grace Church.”
Over the north door.
“We go into our house of God
IWith heartfelt jo n.y dnai Dml
With heartfelt joy, in and out,
God permits us still to find
The precious treasure, the Word
(Continued on page 8)
C. W. Roberts Announces
Total to Be Given for
Fiscal Year Beginning
July 1
Washington—Cotton mills in
the Carolinas and other centers
turned on full steam this week to
meet increasing demands in retail
and wholesale channels for un
finished and finished goods.
With cloth prices steadily in
creasing, the Bureau of Agricul
tural Economics reports in its
weekly review that the rate of
movement of finished goods in
trade channels increased sharply
to new highs for the year. Large
sales of unfinished cotton cloth
were reported for the week.
Mills, however, were faced
with rising cotton prices as the
market this week rose to the high
est level since 1930, and the cot
ton price average of 14.15 cents
on Friday, was 42 cents higher
than a week earlier.
In a general review of null
operations, the bureau said dom
estic mills apparently increased
their unusually high rate of acti
vity early in March, and the daily
rate for February was slightly
above that for the previous mon
th. Indications are that mill buy
ing of spot cotton increased dur
ing the week with, inquiries for
white strict low middling and
middling staple lengths of one
inch and 1 1-32 inches more nu
merous than in any other recent
.week. For the week ended March
6, a seasonally adjusted index
for domestic mill activity was
136 per cent of estimated normal
against 131 per cent in the pre
vious week and 102 per cent a
year ago.
L>omestic mill consumption for
February exceeded that for any
other February of record. The
644.000 bales consumed in Feb
ruary, as reported by the Bureau
of the Census, compared with
678.000 bales in January and
516.000 bales in February a year
ago, and with an average for
February of 510,000 bales for the
10-year period ended 1935. The
daily rate of consumption in
February averaged 33,600 bales,
against 32,700 bales in January,
33.000 in December, and 25,000
bales in February 1936.
Total consumption of 4,513,
000 bales during the first seven
months of the 1936-37 season
was 22 per cent more than the
corresponding period in 1935-36
and 11 per cent more than in the
first seven months of 1926-27
when total consumption amount
ed to ”',190,000 bales, the largest
of record. Stocks of 2,056,000
Tales in consuming establish
ments on February 28 compared
with 1,373,000 bales on the cor
responding date a year ago and
an average of 1,434,000 bales for
the five years ended with 1935.
LIQUOR IMPORTS
GAIN
Washington — The Treasury
reported that distilled liquor im
jports totaled 1,280,400 gallons
jin January, compared with 2
:498,199 gallons in December and
'775,805 gallons in January, 1936
For the first seven months of this
fiscal year, imports totaled 10,
196,708 igallons, compared with
5,3c38,850 gallons in the corres
ponding period a year ago.
KENTUCKY S. O.
LISTS PROFITS
Louisville, Ky. — Net earn
ings during 1936 of the Standard
Oil Company of Kentucky, be
fore deducting Federal income
taxes, amounted to $4,435,450 as
compared to $2,467,808 in 19.15,
President W. E- Smith revealed
in the annual report to stockhol
ders,
i