THE CHATHAM RECORD
rU’.IJSHED SEPTEMBER 19, 1878.
msCLSSiON Ur
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
| u . lto Student of the Tui
vt.rsi(v Makes Study of
foutily Administration
. Carolina counties have been
in all three phases of coun
:V^ce, that is, taxing, collecting
impending, according to a study
l bv Paul W. Wager, of Hector,
v a graduate student in the
e rdty and a research assistant
biology, "ho told of the de
‘ e les in a paper just read be
l'^e North Carolina club. The
I comprises University students
Icially interested in studying the
tf ’ s needs andremedfcis.
r assessing property the state is
••further away from a standard
nation than ever before” despite
Revelation act passed by x the Le
ature in 1919; Mr. Wager said,
explained that as a result of this
v e a value of all proper
m from $1,099,000,000 to $3,-
000,000 or an increase of nearly
. . it and there were added to
T ‘ iX boo ks more than one million
! ! -f land that had previously
iped taxation.
however, that j
this revaluation was 1
'tiring a period inflation
I rfrgr the slump there had to be j
P'-.'iuit.r.ent which was left by j
Armature in the hands of the I
L .chanties with the result |
t we are now further away from
tarind valuation than ever be-;
he delinquent taxpayer was dis-
w i rext . Mr. Wager’s study re
ea -bat the usual procedure of
E(r his property for sa e was lit
jjoit of a farce. In actual prac
;ie said, no bona fide sale is
.uctecl, I* irst, nobody wants to
b ase (i annoyance involved
eaini' a valid title, and the coun- ,
g,: a ls won’t buy for fear of the I
elf or.. Thus the unpaid
j stand against the land, and j
a new set of county officials
iin who don’t cure to be made j
ipv.lar by trying to collect old i
5 and th: slate is wiped clean, j
Wager found that in some j
ties the loss from unco 1
. due to tax methods, was as
kas 10 or 15 percent,
ten, too, he found the cost of
*ting taxes unnecessarily high
i result of paying the sheriff on
immission basis, that official be
paid five percent on the first |
DOO collected and two and one- j
percent on the balance. With
s averaging $280,000 per toun
le thought that is a pretty lucre
commissi- n. Mr. Wager referred
be treasurer as another unneces
-1 county expense, which office
flur.tics have already abolished
»vor of banks which handle the
S without cost.
>e other main source of waste
ound to be in the expenditure of
’ 1922 there were only 14 coun
’whost current expenditure were
%i SIOO,OOO, while there were
a that spent over $500,000,” he
"Strange as it may seem, only
l or four of these counties have
matk business-like methods of 1
these funds. No business
no complete audit, and no 1
l °dical bookkeeping. Most of the •
a k are elected because they are
fellows and need the office.”
• Hager cited a long list of ac- '
recently brought to light
3 the state which illustrated
binis of waste, inefficiency, and
bnal fraud:
county it was discovered
a carload <of flour had been
to a merchant. If the flour
h ’ er returned there was no re
t° show for
r/! ’iff had collected about $2,000
u ‘ e reports had teen sent in
e editor. In Lenoir county an
; ave(i the county about $30,000, ■
; ue auditor- did not charge any
With i.r ntional wrong-doir.g
l aresu 1 . of laxity in the keep
tly- records.
county the sheriff was ,
J short. Yet the voters re
lated him. He later withdrew
aß| ldacy. i n another county
of the court misappropri
ate $27,000 before finally he
ight.
15 a common thign to begin
collections for the new Y ear
L he books are closed for the
llls year." Mr. Wager said. “In
this way shortages may be conceal- 1
ed for years. In the county the
commissioners had not had a settle
ment with the sheriff in four years.
‘‘ln our national government we
have a chief executive who appionts
the heads of the departments. In a
city either the mayor or city mana
ger has the appointive power. But
in the county there is no chief exe
cutive and no gradation of authority.
Even the county commissioners have
no effective control over the separ
ate offices. They simply audit the
books for payment after the debt
has been contracted. If the bill is
reasonable they pay it, if it is un
reasonable they fume a little and
then pay it.”
Mr. Wager mentioned the princi
ples of business efficiency in oounty
administration which it was said
"would help to lessen the waste of
public funds:
1. Lust all property at a uniform
rate of valuation.
2. Attach a heavy penalty to the
willful concealment of taxable
wealth.
3. Abolish township assessors and
all other township officers.
4. Abolish the office of. county
treasurer.
5. Collect all unpaid taxes from
personal propeity if possible. Land
should be sold as a last resort and
I then it should be a bona fide* sale.
6. Except in the poorest counties,
put all officers on a salary basis;
every fee and commission to be col
lected and accounted for.
! 7. Devise and install a simple
and uniform accounting system in
every county, with a manual of in
structions.
8. Secure adequate appropriations
to provide the state auditor with a
competent set of field agents so the
manager to execute the orders of
the board, act as purchasing agent,
audit the bills as presented, and pre
pare the annual budget.
10. Establish a budget system hi
every county and publish each year
an intelligible report of the finances.
9. Provide a full-time business
annual audits may be completed.
o
A Hallowe’en Party
Carbonton, Nov. 3. —On Friday
evening, October 31, at the home of 1
Mr. and Mis. J. M. Dismukes, a de- ,
lightful Hallowe’en party was given
Lighted pumpkins greeted the guests '
at the door, where they were receiv
ed by the hostess, Miss Ethel Dis
mukes. The guests were then shown
intto the weird parlor which was dim
ly lighted and at every corner and
window could be seen the spooks of
Hallowe’en.
This home was beautfiully decor
ated with long-leaf pine, and jack
o’lanterns hanging here and there
profusion of Hallowe’en decorations,
including black cats, owls, and bats.
All the guests were invited to fish
among the- ghosts, witches, and a
in the pond, where they caught bag’s
of chocolate candy with walnutts in
it. Next they were asked to have a
peanut in which they found their for
tune, each one being required to read
his aloud. Among the other games
was the pining of a pipe in the man’s
mouth. Each guest was blindfold? 1
and asked to pin the pipe in the man’s
mouth. Mr. Bill Tyson, being the
lucky one, received the prize. The
guests were then invited into the din
ning room, which was beautifully de
corated with autummn leaves, pot
plants, and chrysanthemums. Each
one found his place by means of a
small pumpkin on it. Hot chocolate
and sandwiches were served.
SANDFORD’S NEW FURNITURE
STORE
With a third great furniture store
opened, Sanford would seem to be
prepared to do a great part of the
house-furnishing business of this
great section of central North Caro
lina. The new concern is the Cen
tral Carolina Furniture Co., with lo
cation on Steele Street. The com
pany is a corporation, but in its man
agement and sales force it has a
strong personal appeal to Chatham
folk. Mr. C. L. Gunter, of that for- ;
mer part of Chatham lying near
Moncure, is the genial and efficient
manager, which Mrs. Gunter is a
right-hand man in the institution.
As salesman Chatham folk will
recognize Mr. Fred Rpy, who was
reard near Pittsboro.
The new store had its big opening
last Saturday, as announced in its
page advertisement in last week s
Record.
l gg= SEE YOUR LABEL AEi
PITTSBORO, N. C., CHATHAM COUNTY, THURSDAY’, NOVEMBER 13, 1924
THE CAROLINA PLAYMAKERS COMING
Pittsboro to Have Amateur Dramatic Group
of University Next Wednesday Evening
The Carolina Playmakers, of the
University of North Carolina, will
present three plays at the School
Auditorium in Pittsboro on Wednes
day, November 19th, at 8:15 p. m.
These plays are based on the folk
lore of this State. They are written
and produced by students of the Uni
versity.
The productions of the Carolina
Playmakers compare favorably with
the best plays presented in the first
class theaters of the largest cities of
the country. Everywhere they have
shown, they have received the high
est praise from the press and the pub
lic. In fact, these plays are of such
merit that the Carolina Playmakers
BROWN’S CHAPEL ITEMS
Mr. William Mann, of Carrboro,
spent Sunday with Mrs. J. T. Mann.
The Brown’s Chapel school oopened
Monday, October 27, with Mrs. Earl j
Dark as teacher.
Mr. and Mrs. Issac Durham are
planning to move too Carrboro, N.
C.
Miss Annie Mann returned Fri
day after spending a week with Mr.
Osbqrne Mann, of Gibsonville.
The bark of the o’pposum dog and |
the toot of the hunter’s horn is i
heard now alirtost every night. The j
little shy animals are right plentiful ;
this fall. j
Mrs. C. B. Way and daughters
Mildred, and Louise, and Mr. Obra
Thomas, spent last week with their
mother, Mrs. J. J. Thomas.
Nearly everybody is opposed to j
child labor and a good many to man ;
labor.
Mr. A.. Dark has just completed a 1
nice five-room bungalow on Roscoe
Route.
Mr. J. J. Thomas and son, Jessie, !
and Mr. Arthur Thomas and Alvis
Thomas, of Saxaphaw, spent Satur
day in Durham, at Watt’s hospital
with their brother, Mr. Murphy
Thomas, who was seriously hurt last
week at a cotton gin in Orange !
county. Mr. Thomas' had his arm j
torn off.
Rev. C. B. Way, of Lexington,
formerly a newspaper man, now a
minister of the Methoodist Protest
ant church, is going to Shelby by
order of appoointment of the con
ference just closed at Reidsville.
Mr. Way is Mr. J. J. Thomas’s son
in-law.
There will be all day services at
Brown’s Chapel, November 16. Rally
day exercises in the morning, din
ner on the groound, and speaking
in the afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Thomas and
children, Josie, Verdie, and Rosa, and
Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Thomas at
tended the birthday dinner of Mr.
J. W. Bailey Sunday at Burlingtoon.
FEAST AT COUNTY HOME
The old folk at the County home
were given a picnic Friday afternoon
by the good ladies of the Woman’s
Club, assisted by generous contribu
tions froin other good folk. It was
a real feast, and was thoroughly en
joyed by the inmates of the home,
who had the grounds as clean as a
whiffle and were all-expectancy of
the long-promised treat.
The affair was given under the
auspices of the health committee of
the club, of which committee Mrs.
Hayes is chairman, and who here
with thanks all contributors and help
ers for their assistance in making
the occasion the great success it was.
» <1 -
McCall’s Magazine For 5o Cents
McCall’s Magazine sells for SI.OO j
a year, but the Record has received a
rate that will allow us to give it to , t
subscribers in connection with a year’s
subscription for 50 cents. $2 pays
for Record and great monthly maga
zine. This offer is good for only the
balance of November and December.
McCall’s publishes several novels a
year and scores of fine short stories.
The fashion pages ar4 a treat to the
women folk. Send $2 to the Record
and get 52 copies of your county pa
per and 12 copies of a ten-cent maga
zine.
were requested by one of the leading
theatrical producers of New York
City to play in that city.
The Playmakers are now on a tour
of the principal cities and towns of
North Carolina.
Pittsboro and Chatham County are
indeed fortunate to have the oppor
tunity of seeing a theatrical produc
tion of real merit. There are six
teen people, young ladies and men,
in the company. They carry their
own scenery and stage equipment.
We hope that our citizens will show
their appreciation of an entertainment
of this kind by giving them a large
house.
The prices es admission are:
Adults, 50 cents; children 25 cents.
MONCURE NEWS
♦
l ‘ *
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Benaly and
Mrs. L. L. Boone, of Rockingham,
j spent last Sunday with Mr. A, B.
! Womble. ’
Mr .and Mrs. Jesse Boone, of
Pittsboro, spent the week-end with
Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Womble.
Mrs. Louise Marks, of Carrboro,
has been spending sometime with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Womble.
Mrs. Ida Watson, is visiting her
daughter, Mrs. H. D. Gunter, of
| Pittsboro.
1 Rev. G. F. Johnson will preach at
New clam church next fourth Sun
day morning at 11 o’clock and at
Hawks Chapel church in the after
noon, at 2:30 o’clock. He is making
this change on account of conference.
Mrs. S. V. Holt, spent last Sun
! day with Mrs. J. J. Reynolds near
: Merry Oaks.
Mrs. Daisy Moore and s6n, Allen,
motored to Durham last Thursday, j
Miss Annie Hershey, of Pennsyl
vania is’ spending this week with her
uncle, Capt. J. H. Wissler.
Misses Zula Patterson and Daisy
Lee North cutt, spent last week-end j
at Franklinville .with the formers
parents.
Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Self, Mrs. Roy
Walls, and Misses Alice Weber and !
Hilda Wilkie attended the teachers’ |
meeting last Saturday at Pittsboro. :
We hate to see the people leave
eth Phoenix Camp as they finish up
their work. Mr. and Mrs. J. N.
Lilly and little daughter, Ruth, who
boarded at Mrs. E. F. Watkins, have
moved to Oakboro. Messrs. George
Spittle and W. L. Snoodgrass, and
Sam L. Robbins, who were stopping
Wickers’ boarding house, left last
Friday evening for their home at
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Miss ssther Womble, of Peace In
stitute, Raleigh, spent last week-end
with her mother, Mrs. B. G. Woorn
ble>
Mrs. Emma Churchill, who has oc
cupied the railroads company’s house
on Main street for several years,
moved last Monday with Mr. and
Mrs. J. J. Hackney, Jr., where s)ie
has rented rooms, on,Manning street.
Mr. John Upchurch and family will
move into the house vacated by Mrs.
Churchill. Mr. Upchurch is the sec
tion foreman on the main Seaboard
line.
Rev. J. J. Boone, preached his last
sermon at Moncure church last Sun
day morning at 11 o’clock. It was
an exceptionally good sermon on
“The World is Growing Better. and
Not Worse.” He left Tuesday
morning for Wilmington, where the
North Carolina Conference is being
held this week. We hate that this
is his last year with us for he has
been with us four years. We feel
that he has done much good oon this
circuit and has proclaimed the. true
gospel, picturing and holding up
Jesus Christ in all his glory and
completeness of personality. He is
a consecrated minister and in wat
ever field he shall be sent his life
and sermons will live among his
poeple in Chatham county. May
God’s blessings go with him aild
family to their new work.
Messrs. C. C. Thomas and B. J.
Weathers are spending this week
visiting Jacksonville, Tampa, and
oth4r pooints ip Florida.
Mrs. J. C. Sowers and baby
spent last week-end with her sister,
Mrs. J. E. Cathill. .
• i .L.
COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS
The commissiooners met in regu
lar session Monday, November 3,
and approved the following bills:
Salaries for commissiooners, coun
ty officers,., county home superinten
dent and others as usual.
Martha Snipes, washing county
home, $ll.OO.
Ad. Pendergrass, hay for county
home, $31.25.
Maggie Brown, Cook, sl6.
Mrs. W. F. Beard, apples, $6.35.
Carson Melvin, hauling hay, $5.00.
J. M. Hammock,, horse shoes, $2.10
C. T. Desem, summoning witnesses,
$3.50.
C. C. Poe, extra work on tar books,
$300.00.
Dewey Doorsett, court services,
$12.00.
Stamps for October, $213.
Goldsboro Hospital for insane,
Clothes for Robert Gattis, $2.25.
Oscar Oakley, transportation,
clothing, etc., $19.02.
C. C. Poe, postage, $7.50.
C. T. Desem, complete still, $20.00.
S. J. Johnson, two stills, $20.00.
Income Tax Index, E. & Brough
toon, $15.14.
Mrs. J. T. Henderson, supplies,
$11.45.
People’s Sanitary Supply Co.,
floor oil, $30.00.
Connell & Johnson, supplies, $91.-
55.
Connell & Johnson, supplies for
! court house, $4.45.
i H. L. Bryan Co., supplies for
i sheriff’s office, $7.10.
Dr. R. W. Palmer, two days work
j a s building committee, SIO.OO,
Rob. Brown, labor at county home
j $25.00.
Dock Gunter, auto hire, burial of
I Tom Green, $3.50.
j Dock Gunter, auto hire, burial cf
Tom Green, $3.50.
Mrs. J. Vv\ Johnson, sewing, $9.50.
i Coroner Brooks, inquest Hattie
| Andrews, $15.00.
Jurors for Hattie Andrews inqlest.!
j $15.00. • j
A. M. Webser, still and worn, sls.
! TV ork on jail sewerage, Virgil
Davis, 50c.
Meat Market supplies for county
house, $28.92.
G. H. Lagnley, burial Mary Thom
as, $21.00.
B. A. Phillips, burial __aney Meedv,
SIO.OO. %
! A. J. Johnson, services to grand
jury, $12.50.
Johns Burns, jail Tees for October,
! $170.80.
T. M. Bland Co., suplies, $44.25.
Connell & Johnson, sl3.
G. R. Pilkington Pharmacy, sup
plies for home and jail, $6.60.
J. T. Mills, six days as registrar,
$19.83.
Telephone Co., phone rent, $28.05.
Hartford Bros, for'bridge work,
$750.00.
Ot. and Minnie Bivens, children of
.Frank Bivens, were placed in county
home and Hattie Bivens in home of
W. H. Ward till their father is re
leased.
mn n
RED CROSS ROLL CALL
The Annual Roll Call for member
ships in Pittsboro will be made dur
ing the period , between Armistice
Day and Thanksgiving Day. That
is, Nov. 11-27. The Chairman of Roll
Call, Rev. R. G. Shannonhouse states
that he has already received several
memberships without solicitation, and
he hopes there will be others given
voluntarily. On the 18th of Novem-
North Carolina, for divorce and the
however, by the Red Cross Represen
tative from Ft. Bragg and the local
chairman. The annual membership
fee is ONE DOLLAR. And fifty
cents out of every dollar will be giv
en to thq Red Cross organization in
Chatham County. Os every Five Dol
lar contribution four and a half dol
lars goes to the local organization.
Don’t forget the Red Cross. It is
the national organization for Human
itarian work. And it is always
ready.
IN HARD LUCK
Young Edwin Johnson was taken
to Watts Hospital at Durham Sun
day for treatment for a stomach
trouble. The young man seems to
be having bad luck. It will be re
membered that some time last year
Young Edwin fell off a mule and his
leg was broken. He as taken to Watts
Hospital and lay there for several
months before he was able to return
home.
SEE YOUR LABEL
1 L,
CORINTH ITEMS
Mr. and Mrs. M. I.Ellis, of Mt.
Ve.rno Springs, spent Sunday
| Mrs. Ellis’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. S.
W. Harrington.
Miss Fannie Tutor, of Sanford was
j the Sunday guest of Miss Carrie Lee
! Cross.
Miss Clifford, of Wendell 1 was the
week-end guest of Mrs.. W. W. Hor
ton. She, with Mr. and Mrs. Horton
spent Sunday with their homefolks
at Duncan.
Mr. R. S. Ashworth and family, of
iFuquay Springs, spent Sunday with
Mrs. Ashworth’s parents, Mr. and
Mrs. T. H. Buchanan.
The Methodist Epwqpth League of
Broadway will put on a one-night
play this week at Corinth school
house. The title of the play is “Out
in the Streets.” It is a good, clean
play, very amusing, and wil 1 hold
your attention from first to last.
Among those taking a part is Mr.
Chandler, who in the the past has
has been very loyal to us in the plays
that Corinth has presented at Broad
way.
It has been sometime since there has
been “anything doing” at Corinth
school. Let’s all come out and give
’ them a full house. Our school will
get 20 per cent of the proceeds. Ad
• mission will be 15c and 25c.
We would like to urge all the
school patrons who are on the
“wood list” this time to get their sup
ply at the school house right away so
we can have it sawed and stored
away.
Again the stork has called in our
communtiy—twice ,this time on the
same day, November 6th, first at the
home of Mr. dnd Mrs. A. A. Mims, at
Corinth, and then just a little later
he aroplaned back to Buckhorn and
called at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
N. M. Thomas. Two little girls, both
j doing nicely. Norris says that his
j has sure got a good pair of lungs,
that she can make more racket in a
I minute that he ever made in a week.
Wake county commissioners seem
|to be very “able” men. In fact they
seem to be “able” to “carry on” in
spite of their “meddlesome” grand
jurors and “haughty” superior court
judges.
We have heard three people say
that one reason why they voted
j against the Port Terminal hhi ->vns be
cause Gov. Morrison was for it. Any
way, if it is ready the thing to do
some near future governor will get
behind it again and put it over.
Yesterday the Sandhill Power Co.
system was peivnanenttly connected
with the main transmisson system of
the Carolina Power and Light Co.
So now Siler City, Bonlee, Goldston,
etc., are no longer dependant alone
upon the little steam and water pow
er plants of that system, but have
the benefit of service from any of the
plants on the Carolina-Yadkin sys
tems.
There still remains a great deal of
work to be done tto bring tthe trans
mission and distribution lines of the
old Sandhill system up tto the stand
ard of the Carolina properties. Bad
weathter may still sause these old
lines to fail now and them until they
can be improved.
JUSTICE BLAIR’S COURT
Messrs. Ed. Avent and Lonnie
Cooper fought it out for several
hours before Justice Blair as to the
terms of a cedar contract on Satur
day, Nov. 1. Attorney V. R. John
son appeared for Avent and Wade
Barber for Cooper. His honor set
tled it 50-50, whatever it was all
about.
On Nov. 8 Joe Alston was fined
$5 and costs for reckless driving and
later was hailed before the ’Squire
again for driving a car without li
cense and was let off with coasts.
The license, of course, to be forth
coming.
Attention, Baptists
I *
Rev. Mr. Stukenbroke, who is visit
ing the churches of the Sandy Creek
Baptist Association in behalf of a
successful closing of the 75 Million
Campaign, and the inauguration of
the 1925 program, with Mrs. Stuken
broke, will visit Pittsboro Friday.
Mrs. Stukenbroke will speak to the
ladies of the Pittsboro church at 2:3<>
p. m., while he will speak to botth
men and women that evening at 6:30,
the hour being fixed so early to pre
vent conflict with the services at the
Presbyterian church. All the mem
bers are urged to be present as welt
as the public in general.
BUILD A TTr »M£ NOW! "
NUMBER 23