North Carolina Newspapers

THE CHATHAM RECORD H. A. London editor And proprietor Terms of Subscription $1.50 PER YEAR Strictly in Advance THE CHATHAM RECORD Rates of Advertising One Square, one insertion - - $1.00 One Square, two insertions - $1.50 One Square, one month - - $2.50 For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts will be made. VOL. XXXVIII. pfTTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, JANUARY 26, 1916. NO. 25. IMPORTANT NEWS THE WORLD 'OVER Happenings of This and Other Nations For Seven Days Are Given. ,7S OF THE SOUTH VVnat is Taking Place in the South land Will Be Found in Brief Paragraphs. Foreign Twenty-three persons were killed near Pueblo, Mexico, recently, when a passenger train was blown'up, sup posedly by Zapata adherents. Premier Antonio Salandra of Italy in sn address at Florence said that Italy had thought the war would be short and easy, but had awakened from any such conception. However hard the burden may fall on Italy Italians will fight to the end, was the gist of his speech. The German government" has balk ed over the plans for the settlement of the Lusitania controversy. The imperial government will not admit that the submarine commander did wrong. General Carranza has notified the Mexican embassy at Washington, D C., that he has formally proclaimed Francisco Villa, Pablo Lopez and Ra fael Castro outlaws, and has empow ered any Mexican citizen to arrest and execute them without any for mality of law. It is contended in Teutonic circles that the recent assurances regarding the conduct of submarine warfare in the Mediterranean, where, because no blockade exists, no reprisals are nec essary from the German point of view, Paris announces that the wireless news of the surrender of the Monte negrin army appears somewhat prema ture, and that in reality Montenegro has refused to accept the terms of recapitulation. One hundred and twenty-five, parcel post packages containing sheet rub ber consigned to Gothenburg, were taken from the Danish liner Frederik VIII at Kirkwall by the British Dr. Edward W. Ryan of the Ameri can Red Cross, who has arrived in Rome, Italy, after a trip in Montene gro and Alabama, says that 260 per sons were drowned by the sinking of the Italian steamship Brindisi. The bodies of Jose Rodriguez and Miguel Baca-Valles, executed Villa leaders, were placed on exhibition at Juarez, Mexico, as evidence that the de facto government is determined to exterminate all bandits and outlaws in the confines of Mexico. Their bod ies were then sent to. Chihuahua City, where they will be shown as public examples of what will happen to oth er? who engage in such dastardly ex peditions. Washington Austria's statement that no' Austri an submarine was concerned in the sinking of the liner Persia probably means that there will be no diplomat ic controversy between the Teutonic powers and the United States over that tragedy. It has been made plain that affidavits of survivors of the Per sia failed to prove conclusively how the ship was destroyed. The house agreed to the emergency appropriation of $300,000 to be used in fighting the citrus canker. The work will be started in Florida. The campaign will be made by the depart ment qf agriculture and more funds will be provided as needed Death to Americans in Mexico and destruction of their property as' well as war to a finish against Carranza was determined upon, it became known in Washington, at a formal convention of Mexican revolutionary leaders in November at a ranch near Cordoba. President Wilson is planning to as sume personal leadership in the fight for a stronger army and navy. So many reports have reached him of confusion over the issue before con gress and of the uncertainty of the outcome, that he has determined not only to go before the country in pub lis addresses, but to confer further on the subject with leaders of the !enate and house. Representative Hay and Represen tative Padgett, chairmen of the house military and naval committees, re spectively, have Informed Mr. Wilson that it will be from six weeks to two months before the committee will be ready to report the army and navy appropriation bills. According to information in Wash ington the new blockade of the allies contemplates an extension of the blockade to the European neutrals by rigid application of the "ultimate des tination" doctrine, precedent for which is pointed to as having origi nated in the Civil war' when the Unit ed States applied such' blockade to all countries that attempted to ship sup Plies to the Confederate states. Some state department officials are of the opinion that an internal explosion probably caused the sink 'Eg of the Persia, or else she prob ably struck a mine. The Supreme court dismissed for want of jurisdiction the appeal of Rob ert Kitchens, a Georgia negro, from the action of the federal court of the southern district of Georgia on refus "ig to hold invalid his conviction and sentence to death for the murder of a white man named Brantley. The supreme court was asked to act on the ground that -negroes were not al iased to cervo the jury. Domestic Escorted by police at -Cleveland. Ohio,- through dense crowds, which yelled for vengeance, Louis Bianchet- ti, who confessed to strangling to death Dolores Evans, was taken from a New York train and placed in the county jail, where he collapsed. Five negroes, charged with assassi nating Sheriff Moreland of Worth county, Georgia, were lynched in Lee county of the same state. The cor oner's jury returned a verdict of "death by strangulation and gunshot wounds at the hands of unknown par ties." Brig. Gen. Isaac Swarthwood Catlin, U. S. A.,' retired, died of apoplexy at his home in Brooklyn. He was 81 years old. He was awarded the con gressional medal of honor during the Civil war for distinguished gallantry at the battle of Petersburg, where be lost a leg. The Irwin county (Georgia) grand jury has returned an indictment against E. A. Tapp, former cashier of the First National Bank of Ocilla charging him with forgery. Stock holders of the bank have been asked to pay in one-third of the capital stock to make good Tapp's alleged short age. The bank is capitalized at 125,000. Eight Japanese fishermen are re ported to have drifted across the Pa cific ocean in a small fishing boat, landing after twenty-four days of hard ships on the British Columbia shore. They were caught off the Japanese shore in a storm, which carried their vessel's mainmast and rudder away, and they were driven eastward by ocean currents helpless and, towards the end of their trip, half starved. Incomplete returns indicate that the Alabama state bond issue was defeat ed by a small majority. The cities and larger towns, except Birming ham, gave the bond issue majorities, but the rural districts voted against it. ' ' By a vote of 71 to 18 the lower house of South Carolina's general as sembly passed a bill prescribing chain gang sentences for violations of the prohibition law. Thirty-three passengers and train men were injured when an Illinois Central train, northbound, left the rails between Gaza and Pringhar, Iowa., and plunged twenty feet down an embankment into a creek. The in jured were taken to Cherokee and placed in hospitals. Every one of the six cars left the track, and all turned over with the exception of a sleeper. European War The Austro-Hungarian government has informed Frederick C. Penfield, United States ambassador at Vienna, that no Austro-Hungarian submarine was concerned in the sinking of the Peninsular and Oriental Line steam er Persia. The Russians have won a great victory over the Turks in the Cauca sus. The Turks have been driven on a wide front with very heavy loss es, and are seeking shelter under the forts of Erzerum. The Russians have captured from the Turks the town of Sultanbad, in Persia. In Austro-Hungarian circles it is stated that owing to heavy casualties, the Russians have ceased their at tacks against the Austro-Hungarians near the Bessarabian frontier. There have been small engagements in Russia around Pinsk and in the region of Czartorysk. Artillery and miningoperations are reported in France and Belgium. In the Austro-tlalian theater of the war artillery duels and occasional in fantry attacks are reported. A Vancouver, .B. C, dispatch re ports that fifty-three citizens of the United States, recruited for the Ninety-seventh Canadian regiment, which is to be composed entirely of citizens of the United States, entrained there for Toronto, where they will embark for Europe. The Russian offensive launched against the Austro-Hungarians in east Galicia and along the Bessarabian frontier Christmas Eve came to an end January 15, says the Austro-Hun garian war office, with the Teutons holding all their lines on the 80-mile front, and with an estimated Russian loss of 70,000 men, killed or wound ed, and 6,000 captured. Advices from Kiev say the Germans are evacuating Lutsk, one of the tri angle fortresses in Volhynia. Russian reinforcements are being thrown into eastern Galicia. The surrender of Montenegro was no surprise in English circles. It had been conceded for" days that the situation of Montenegro was critical. Already the capital had fallen and many of its most important towns had fallen into the hands of the Austro-Hungarians, and the invaders had practically encompassed its chief sea port, Aritivari. It has been thought in European military circles that the big Russian drive was undertaken with the pur pose of lessening the strain in the Balkans, and possibly of causing Rou- mania to enter the war on the side of the allies. The parliamentary under-secretary for war announced in the British house of commons that the total Ger man casualties to date were 2,535,768. The figures embrace the whole Ger man army. Beset on the north, east and west by Austro-Hungarian arms and with all lines of retreat cut off, except Al bania, where hostile tribesmen must be faced, Mpntengro has asked Austria-Hungary for peace, and her re quest has been granted. The uncondi tional laying down of arms by Monte negro was made the basis of peace negotiations, which was accepted. AEROPLANES MAKE 10 SUNDAY VISITS HOSTILE AIRCRAFT DROPS MANY BOMBS ON BRITISH COASTS. ONE KILLED; TWO WOUNDED t No Naval or Military Damage Done, But Some Private Property De stroyed. Some Fires Started. London. The east coast of Kent was raided early Sunday morning by a hostile aeroplane, which dropped nine bombs. One person was killed and six were injured. -A second attack, this time, by two hostile seaplanes, was made on the Kent coast early in the afternoon. No casualties have been reported. The raiders escaped. An official account of the first raid, given out here, follows: O'The war office announces that, taking advantage of the bright moon light, a hostile aeroplane visited" the east coast of Ken at 1 o'clock in the morning. After dropping nine bombs in rapid succession, it made off sea ward. "No naval or military damage was done, but there was some damage to private property. Incendiary bombs caused fires, which were extinguished by 2 a. m. "The following casualties occurred: "One man killed; two men, one wo man and three children slightly in jured." The war office announcement con cerning the second attack says: "Following the aerial attack on tne east coast of Lent early in the morn ing hostile seaplanes made a second attack upon the same locality shortly after noon. "After coming under a heavy fire the raiders disappeared, pursued by our naval and military machines. "No casualties have been reported." MURDERERS ARE EXECUTED. Duran Brothers Died, Cursing Ameri cans, in Cemetery. El Paso, Texas. Bernardo and Fed rico Duran, the Mexican cattle thieves, condemned to die by the Carranza authorities for the killing of Bert Akers at San Lorenzo, a few miles below the international bound ary, were executed in the cemetery at Juarez. The Duran brothers died cursing Americans. Bernardo appealed for mercy on behalf of his brother, Fed rico. "It is unjust to kill two of us for one American," he said. "It is giv ing two eyes for one tooth. I am willing to die, because I killed the gringo, but my brother ought to be allowed to live." The bullets of the firing squad kill ed Fedrico, but Bernardo was still conscious after he fell and the offi cers commanding the firing squad gave him the "mercy shot" through the head. ( The bodies of 'both Mexicans were buried immediately. Secretary Lane's Horses Ran. Washington. Secretary Lane of the department of interior and Mrs. Lane were severely shaken up when the horses to a carriage in which they were riding smashed into a lamp post and dragged it half a block down a sidewalk. The runaway end ed when the horses became entangled in the harness and fell. Steamer Sunk. Halifax, N. S. The British freight steamer Pollentia which has been re ported in distress about 700 miles off Cape Race foundered according to a wireless message received here. All on board were rescued. Miss Wilson Leaves Hospital. Philadelphia. Miss Margaret Wil son, daughter of the president, left the hospital here where on January 13 she underwent an operation for the removal of adenoids and both tonsils. " Goethals on Way Home. Panama. Gov. George W. Goethals of the Canal Zone and Brig. Gen. Clarence R. Edwards, commanding the United States troops in the zone, left Panama on Monday for Washington. Governor Goethals will appear before the appropriation committees of con gress relative to the Panama Canal appropriations while General Edwards will call before the military commit tees presumably regarding the Pana ma canal troops in connection with the general army reorganization plan. Truce a Ruse to Get Time. Rome. Premier Miouchkocitch of Montenegro who said King Nicholas had prepared documents justifying the conduct of himself and his min isters in regard to the peace negotia tions with Austria, is quoted in a dis patch from Brindisi to the Stefni News Agency as saying that Monte negro arranged a truce with Austria as a ruse to enable hervto gain time. After the capture of Mount Lovcen y the Austrians, the Premier is re ported to have said, this gave the lontenegrins a week's time. GAS GENERATED BY E PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE EXPLOSION ON THE SUB MARINE E-2. BLAMES STORAGE BATTERY Board of Inquiry Appointed, to Make Thorough Inquiry Into Disaster Which Cost Five Lives. Washington. Gas generated by the new Edison storage battery and ignit ed by a spark of unknown origin is held responsible for the explosion on the submarine E-2 at the New York Navy Yard Saturday in a report to Secretary Daniels by the board of in quiry. This investigation was pre liminary to that now being conducted by the naval court of inquiry to de termine the cause of the disaster in which five men lost their lives and nine were seriously injured. As only one of the survivors was in a condition to testify the report is regarded by the Secretary as in conclusive. The findings 6f the .board were made public as follows: "1. The board concludes the ex plosion was due to an excessive amount of gas, namely, hydrogen, generated from the storage batteries, forming with the air a highly ex plosive mixture. That there were two pockets of this mixture, one at the end of the after battery and another at the forward end of the forward battery; and it appears that the in itial explosion occurred at the after end of the atfer battery. "2. That the ignition was caused by a spark, the origin of which the board -is -unable to determine. "3. The exact conditions existing in battery compartments at the mo ment of the explositon cannot be de termined, as Chief Electrician Miles, U. S. N., who was in charge at the time and the other enlisted men in the compartment at the time are too seriously injured to be questioned. "4. The condition of the batteries at the low voltage and amperage, 82 and 940, respectively, at about 12:25 p. m., would probably cause a reversal of voltage in some of the cells, and. in the opinion of the board, this caus ed the generation of an excessive amount of hydrogen gas." CHEAPER ARMOR PLATE. If Five-Year-Building Plan is Adopted Price Will Be Lower. Washington. Substantial reduction in the price of armor-plate was prom ised the senate naval committee by L, G. Grace,- president of the Bethlehem Steel Company, if congress would adopt the administration's proposed five-year naval building program. Mr. Grace was testifying at a hearing on Senator Tillman's bill to provide for a government armor factory. "We are now selling armor plate to one purchaser, the government of the United States, and that purchaser without a policy," said he. "Adopt a policy and we will meet with this com mittee or authorized government off! cials and make a price which I am sure, you will admit is fair. We are willing to take almost any price to pre vent the government from erecting its own plant and making us throw away the $7,100,000 we have invested In this highly specialized business." Wilson Plans Preparedness Fight. Washington. President Wilson is planning to assume personal leader ship in the fight for a stronger army and navy. So many reports have reached him of confusion over the Is sue before congress, and of the un certainty of the outcome that he has determined not only to go before the country in public addresses but to con fer further on the subject with lead vers of the senate and Bouse. Increase in Farm Livestock. Washington.-r-The department of agriculture's annual estimate of farm cattle in the country January 1, shows 21,988,000 milk cows, an increase of 3 per cent over 1915. 39,453,000 other Cf.ttle, an increase of 6.4 per cent. No German Submarine'. , Washington. Secretary Lansing an nounced that Berlin had reported that all German submarines in the Mediter ranean have reported and that none was concerned in the destruction of the British liner Persia. - State-Wide In Maryland. Annapolis, Md A statewide pro hibition bill, prepared by the Anti-Sa loon League ,was introduced in the legislature. It provides for a vote throughout the entire state on the Wuor traffic question. German Spy Escapes. New York. Ignatius T. Trebich Lincoln, a former member of the British Parliament, and a self-confess ed German spy, and who was being fcld ftere pending extradition to Eng land, escaped from a United States deput) marshal a few days ago, it was- learned, and has not been seen since. The United States marshal here has notified the secret service and' a nation-wide serach has been ordered. It is thought in some quar ters that Lincoln boarded an outgoing steamer shortly after his escane. ST0RA6 PREPARE FOR WAR IN TIME OF PEACE NO .TIME TO PREPARE AFTER THE CONFLICT HAS ACTUAL LY STARTED. STATEMENT BY GEN. CARTER Retsred Major General Carter Recites 'Possibilities Before Senate Mili tary Committee. Washington. Any military policy adequate to the nation's needs must recognize the . fact that wars come suddenly and there must be instant readiness to meet them," said Maj. Gen. William H. Carter, recently re tired, in a statement before the Sen ate Military Committee. "War is a condition which may be forced upon us any day through dip lomatic notes," he said, "without ac tion by Congress." Great Britain's declaration of war against Germany and the Japanese attack upon Russia were cited as illustrating the possi bilities. General Carter laid before'the com mittee a report submitted by him to the Secretary of War last April be fore his retirement and while he was commander of the Department of Hawaii. It was prepared at the sec retary's request for his views as to a proper military policy for the United States and it seemed evident, he said, that it formed the basis for the con tinental army scheme, even to the name, TKhich Mr. Garrison has propos ed. General Carter recommended in creasing the standing army to 131, 500 men in the United States; that the 'Federal volunteers be organized and trained on the basis of an infan try regiment to each congressional district and that additional appro priation be made for the militia. Instead of a period of intensive training for Federal volunteers he proposed that a colonel for, each vol unteer regiment be appointed from the regular army and also a non commissioned staff. If the troops were enlisted for two years and train ed in such ways as might be found practicable in each district he said, about the same amount of instruction could be given as in six months of Intensive training. GEN. VILLA IS CAPTURED. Reported That Bandit Chief Has Been Taken by Carranza Officials. El Paso, Tex. Francisco Villa has been captured at Hacienda San Ger onimo by Carranza forces under Gen eral Cavazos, according to a private telegrah from Chihuahua City receiv ed here. Mexican Consul Andreas Garcia con firmed the capture of General Villa. His advices stated that the capture was effected by Maximiano - Marquez, who recently also captured Gen. Jose Rodriguez, one of Villa's generals. A message announcing Villa's capture also has been received at the office of the American Smelting & Refining Co. Messages from Chihuahua tllty, confirming reports of the capture of Villa stated that a number of bandits who participated in the Santa Ysabel massacre, were also captured and are being brought to Chihuahua City 'for execution. Veterans To Meet In Birmingham New Orleans. The 26th annual re union of the United States Confeder ate Veterans will be held in Birming ham, Ala., on May 16, 17 and 18, next. Official announcement of the date and place of the reunion was made here by William E. Mickle, adjutant gen eral of the veterans organization. , Explosion At Hopewell. Hopewell, Va. A 150,000-gallon acid tank fell and exploded in the Dupont Powder Company's plant here, result ing in a $100,000 property loss and the injury of a workman who was burned by the acid. The accident was caused by the supports on which tje tank stood giving way. Bid Floods In Arizona. , Phoenix, Ariz. Flood conditions, produced by recent heavy rains were declared to be the worst in the his tory of the state. Four persons drowned when the Gila River over flowed the lower portion of Winkel man, Ariz., according to advices re ceived here. Seven are reported missing. Fifteen others marooned on an island formed by the flood waters around Winkelman, had -not been res cued. Rescue parties throughout the day in this section removed persons from trees. President Plans Trip. Washington. President Wilson plans to speak in Pittsburg, Cleveland, Chicago, St Louis, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Des Moines and Davenport on the first trip he will take to lay his national defense program before the country. He expects to leave Wash ington January 28 and remain away one week. Preliminary plana for the second trip, to be made about the aiiddle of next month, already are be ing considered. This journey prob ably will take the president as far West as Denver VILLA OUTSIDE THE PALE OF LAW CARRANZA PROCLAIMS HIM OUT- LAW, TOGETHER WITH TWO OTHERS. EXTREMITY OF MEASURES Any Citizen of Mexico May Execute the Outlaws Without Formality, Says Carranza. Washington. General Carranza notified tlje Mexican Embassy here that he had formally proclaimed Fran cisco Villa, Pablo Lopez and Rafael Castro outlaws because of the massa cre of American citizens at Santa Ysabel. Under the decree any citizen of the Republic is' authorized to exe cute the outlaws without formality. It says : "In view of the frequency with which outrageous crimes are being committed by bands of outlaws scat tered in various parts of the Republic, even after the annihilation of the armies of the reactionaries by. the Constitutionalist .forces I believe that the situation thus created calls for the extremity of energetic measures of suppression in order that such crimes shall be met by severest pun ishment to those who are responsible for them. "In view of the recent attack on a railway train at a point distant eight kilometers from Santa Ysabel in the State of Chihuahua by bandits led by Rafael Castro and Pablo Popez, mem bers of the forces commanded by Francisco Villa, under whose or ders they were operating and in ac cordance with the precedent establish ed by the constitutionalist govern ment in similar cases oecurring in the past, I have seen fit to issue the fol lowing decree: "Article I. The reactionary leader and ex-Gen. Francisco Villa is here by declared to be outside the pale of the law. "Article II. The reactionary, lead ers, ex-Gen. Rafael Castro and ex Col. Pablo Lopez, are hereby declar ed to be outside the pale of the law. "Article III. Any citizen of Mex ico is empowered hereby to arrest the leaders, Francisco Villa, Rafael Costro and Pablo Lopez and to execute them without any formaility of the law, But the citizen performing such func tion shall make a record in writing describing in detail the occurrence and setting forth the proofs of the Identity of the outlaws and the proof of the execution." U. S. COAST LINE OPEN. Gen. Wood Says Our Fortification Are no Serious Barrier. Washington. Major General- Leon ard Wood told the Senate Military Committee that the coast line of the United States was open to attack by any well organized foreign army, de spite its equipment of forts, mines and submarines, and that the oceans formed no serious barrier to invasion. He declared that in the country's pres ent state of utter unpreparedness for war a trained force of 150,000 men could .inflict incalculable damage be fore an army could be assembled to meet it. Events of the European war clear ly demonstrated, the General said, that the sea was the best medium for the movement of troops and he point ed out that a force of 125,000 men fully equipped had been landed at Gallipoli from a single expedition of 98 ships against submarine, mines and an underwater screen of barbed- wire that fringed - every available landing place. Emphasizing his con viction that troops cannot be improv- ished to meet regulars, General Wood declared the fundametal basis of any policy of adequate national defense must be the principle that with suff rage goes an obligation for military service. Such a policy had been ad vocated by George Washington, he said, and if It had been adopted Can ada would have become , part of the United States in the war of 1812. Total Casulties 2,535,768. London. Harold J. Tenant, parlia mentary under secretary for war, an nounced in the house of commons that the total German casualties as pub lished in the Berlin casualty lists to date total 2,535,768. Of this number, he said 588,986 were killed. To Fight Citrus Canker. Washington. The urgent deficiency appropriation bill, reported favorably to the house, carries an appropria tion of 1300,000 for eradication of the cirtus canker. Good Supply Crab Meat. Washington. More than 20,000,000 pounds of crabs were caught in Vir ginia waters last year and sold for $981,807, according to a statistical bul letin issued by the - Bureau of Fish eries. The Maryland and Virginia total was 50,343,263 pounds. Compar ed with 1908 when the last statistics were gathered, Maryland shows- an increase of 10,000 pounds and Virginia a decrease of 5,000 pounds. Virginia's output consisted of 18,765,148 pounds of hard crabs and 1,484,238 pounds of soft crabs. TUFTS HEW HEAD FAIR ASSOCIATION PROMINENT CAPITALIST OF PINE- HURST ACCEPTS THE PRESIDENCY. LOVING CUP FOR PARRISH Special Committee Named to Con sider Bond Issue. Grounds to Be Greatly Improved. Raleigh. Leonard Tufts of Pine hurst accepts the presidency of the North' Carolina State fair to which he was elected by the executive com mittee of the North Carolina Agricul tural Society In session h3re. Mr. Tufts was nominated by R. O. Ever ett of Durham and Benehan Cameron, Col. Fred A. Olds and R. O. Everett were appointed a committee to notify Mr. Tufts. 1 E. J. Parrish, retiring president, was presented with a handsome lov ing cup, the presentation being by Col. J. S. Cunningham. A special committee composed of Chief Justice Walter Clark, R. O. Everett, Col. Benehan Cameron, B. F. Montague, Carey J. Hunter, Leon ard Tufts, Maj. W. A. Graham, J. E. Pogue and Dr. B. W. Kilgore, was appointed to negotiate the sale of $50,000 - first-mortgage bonds author ized by the last legis'ature for the bet ter equipment of ' the state fair grounds. Dr. D. H. Hill urged the advisabil ity of selling the present fair grounds and establishing a new one to the northward. Judge R. W. Winston opposed this and advocated selling about 20 acres of the present site and extending the grounds northward with a big main boulevard from Hillsboro street. A special committee, headed by Col. Benehan Cameron, was appoint ed to investigate and make report on the condition and the needs of the fair grounds. The reports as to the outcome of the 1915 fair showed a net revenue of $7,318, the gross receipts having been $31,533. New Mills for Lea ksvi lie-Spray. Reidsville. A wave of prosperity seems to have struck Leaksville-Spray as is evidenced by the improvements being made and contemplated in the way of building. On" every hand one can see extensions being made, exca vations for buildings of various kinds, and the new year seems to have start ed off with renewed vigor. The textile plants are-making vast improvements. Marshall Field & Co., it is reported, will spend $1,000,000 this year in building additions and new mills at Leaksville-Spray and Draper. A large knitting mill at Leaksville is a part of the plans'. A contract has 'recently been let for the erection of 50 dwelling houses, which contract is in addition to the 40 now nearing completion. Elizabeth City May Have Cannery. Elizabeth City. A movement is on foot to establish a canning factory in Elizabeth City. Messrs. Foreman and Derrlckson of the Foreman-Der-rickson Veneer Company are behind the movement which means that if definitely undertaken the plan will be put through.. These gentlemen state that they are ready to erect a can nery if the farmers of Pasquotank county will co-operate with them by undertaking small experiments in tomato culture this year. If, for in stance, 125 farmers will agree to plant an acre in tomatoes, the matter of erecting a cannery will be begun at once. Good Sale of Seals. Wilmington. The sale of Red Cross seals nearly reached the 100,000 mark, according to announcement made at the meeting of the Red Cross Society of this city. The exact fig ures were 95,440, or 3,000 more than last year's total. ; The ladies of the Red Cross Society expects this to be the largest sale for the past yeai in any city in the state. Tobacco Wilt Causes Worry. . Durham. Col. John S. Cunningham, tobacco crop forecaster for North Carolina, in an interview recently, stated that tobacco wilt in Durham and Granville counties is causing farm ers deep concern. The wilt, accord ing to the colonel, comes from lack of crop rotation, long cultivation of soil with fertilizer. The only method of getting rid of the bacteria In the soil, according to the forecaster, is to ro tate crops and leave off for the time being the raising of tobacco. Reduce Cost of Electricity. High Point. The city council voted to reduce the price of electricity to consumers in the city from eight to six cents the kilowatt, which is said to be the cheapest electricity in the state. This action was taken because it was believed that the Increased number of consumers ' would more than offset the reduction in prices. A number of stores and business houses had either changed or were contem, plating changing from the use ol electricity to gas for lighting pur - - s the reduction.