^ •• • WEATHER n>g ht Here a liijHt rains. ©hp (Ttntt'it - Js^utjs Largest Daily Circulation of Any Newspaper in North Carolina in Proportion to Population GOOD AFTERNOON MmIUou m«||Ud oat of P»l« mb, Crnkdlorikk, in ■■■■ tiaM ItbU m !oW ud bmni|< «•. Skoda pop? * VOL. 57—No. 293 HENDERSONVILLE, N. CM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1938 SINGLE COPIES, FIVE CENTS REVAMPING u. s ¥ * * * * * * |City Debt Cut Nearly One Million In 8 Years c HI REDUCED OVER U PCT. SAME PERIOD ICity Lives Within Budget 5 Years But For One Equipment Purchase all of interest PAYMENTS ARE MET By J. T. FAIN, Jr. Hendersonville's financial sit uation. seemingly hopeless a few years itjro, has shown very defi nite improvement in the past eight years. I Whiie the city lacks a good cul of being out of the financial veils. there is some cause for x'oicmg the part of the city .'if: tin Is who have worried over :.if situation on many a sleepless n:>fht. In fact, these people might ■rell plan a sort of informal Christmas celebration at some time between now and December _>5. Enough cancelled bonas arc on hand to make a sizeable bonfire, and certain it is that Mayor A. V . ■ Edwards. City Clerk R. R. Ar ledge, J. Harvey Riggan. fund Icustodian. J. II. Lampley, who' j presides in the water department, and J. A. Woodward, who has wrestled over many a statement. z$tt br cheered by the ch>w ef i nice pile of cancelled obliga tions. The reason for such a celebra-, tion: A reduction of $1)72,084.55 j in outstanding obligations of the city and water department since 1930. not including several hun-i died thousand dollars of interest paid or cancelled in the process of the debt settlement. MUCH ACCOMPLISHED IN DEPRESSION YEARS While manv people are aware of the fact that things have rock ci along at the city hall and cred-, are not in charge, we doubt i more than a verv few know mt nus actually been accom-. >hed in the past eight years, a period of financial depression. To e«> back to 1930. we find the city and water commis sion owed the sum of $3,584, *69.33. Broken into component parts, this sum was as follows: Water, commission. $1,342,000. Out-; standing city bonds for general purp<- *s -uch as streets, city hall building, incinerator, and other Ra, $1,540,000. School dis-1 trict bonds. $362,000. Tax anti cipation notes, $376,769.33. Between 1930 and the time *hen a debt settlement was made ti'.a >um was increased by several thousand dollars of defaulted in terest, and city officials estimate '"^t at the peak the city and wa-1 ter department debt exceeded 13,700,000. To contract this situation with I '■> situation as of July 1, 1938, ■s encouraging, to further con tact it with the situation that Till prevail on January 1, 1939, J still more encouraging. As of July 1 of this year, the *ater department's outstanding wbt was $1,047,000; the city's ^funding bonds outstanding, Counted to $1,353,711.78; and' the city school district bonds had teen reduced to $294,000. [WITHER REDUCTIONS MADE SINCE JULY Since July 1, however, still fur ™?*r reductions have been made. •* iitv has purchased for re (Continued on page four) ALSATIAN STUDENT DEMONSTRATION FOR COLONIES IS STAGED | STRASBOURG. France, Dec.! *• (LP)—Alsatian students par-: wed through the streets of this, f ranco-Cerman frontier city yes-; terday answering Italy's colonial j em*nn to spend the holidays ' h her parents, Mr. and Mis. C urne. I IMPEACHMENT THREAT IS MADE AGAINST PERKINS FOR STAND IN EFFORT TO DEPORT BRIDGES /2v j Wife of Justice Called Smuggler A federal smuggling investiga tion led to the indictment of Mrs. Elma N. Lauer, above, wife of Supreme Court Justice Edgar J. Lauer, and the questioning of Several noted motion picture and radio personalities. ELKS TO MEET FRIDAY NIGHT First Regular Meeting De ferred to Then Because of Legion Dinner Tonight Theh first regular meeting of the B.P.O. Elks lodge No. 161(5, of Hendersonville, will be held in the W.O.W. hall on Friday even ing at 7:30 o'clock. Due to the American Legion dinner on this evening, the Elks Club meeting was postponed. This is the first meeting fol lowing the institution which was held December 2, and' all the members and offciers are being urgently requested to attend as there is quite a bit of business to transact. MASONIC LODGE TO CONFER 3RD DEGREE On Friday evening, December 9th, at 7:30 o'clock, Kedron Lodge, No. 387, A. F. & A. M., will meet in Special Communica tion for the purpose of conferring the Third Degree. All officers and members urged to be present. A large attendance is expected as delegations are expected from the Asheville, Biltmore, Brevard and Waynesville Lodges are expected to be present as well as a num ber of other visting Masons who may be in the city. Comes Following Further Charges of Communism at Un-American Quiz WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. (UP) Rep. J. Parnell Thomas, R., In. J., a member of the house committee investigating un-American activi ties, yesterday threatened to ask congress to impeach Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins for her at titude toward attempts to deport Harry Bridges, west coast mari time leader. He uttered the threat after the house committee had heard Capt. John Keegan, Portland, Ore., po lice official brand the Australian born Bridges and Canadian-born Harold Pritechett, head of the Timber and Sawmill Workers union, as communists working for the ovei throw of the government. "1 am convinced that Bridges is the blonde-haired boy of the labor department and I'm sick of it." Thomas said. "Unless appropriate action is taken immediately, I'm going to take the necessary steps in the next congress." lie explained to newspaper re porters afterward that by the "necessary steps" he meant he would offer an impeachment reso lution directed against Madam j Perkins. He said he would offer it. "Strecker case or no Strecker case" unless the labor department acted at once. , J he StrecKer case, now oeiuie the supreme court, was chosen by the labor department as an accu-i rate test" case of the right of this t government to deport an alien solely on the grounds that he joined the Communist party. Ac tion in the Bridges case has been withheld pending the high court's j ruling. Stephen F. Chadwick, national commander of the American Le gion, criticized Madam Perkins'j inaction in the bridges case but f did not agree with Thomas that. ' she had violated her oath of of fice. In reply to such an inquiry, he told the committee: "No, the difference that exists between the American Legion and the secretary of labor is a differ ence in judgment as to interpreta tion of the law." He explained that the Legion is not satisfied "that the hearings on deportation cases should be held up by decisions as doubtful as to theory, finality or entire applica bility as the Strecker case." The Legionnaire praised the committee's disclosures as "serious j and important" and its work as "splendid and courageous." He | demanded that congress provide additional funds in order that the task may be carried to its conclu sion. Keegan accused Pritchett and Bridgei, whose unions are affiliat ed with the Congress of Industrial Organizations, of seeking to carry out communist objectives "under the guise of labor leaders." He said the communist movement on the west coast is becoming a "very dangerous condition to our govern ment" and invited the committee to hold hearings there. "You'll get information that will stagger and shock the coun try," he said. John E. Ferguson, also of Port land and a former official of the Pacific Coast Marine Firemen. Oil- j (Continued on Page 7) j Sees New Deal In Final Desperate Bid For Absolute Political Power Industrial Conference Head Says Change to 'interna tional Emergency" Like "All Dictatorship Drives" NEW YORK, Dec. 8. (UP)— The nation's leading industrialists yesterday heard Virgil Jordan, president of the National Indus trial Conference board, compare the United States to Nazi Ger many and assert that the New Deal is preparing "a final desper ate bid in the name of patriotism for absolute political power over enterprise, property and personal lil>erty." As in all drives toward "state dictatorship," Jordan told the con vention of the National Associa tion of Manufacturers, "this do mestic economic emergency has now been replaced by an inter national political emergency." "As a slogan," he continued, "we are now substituting 'the more abundant strife' for the 'more abundant life.' Military pre paredness has now succeeded eco nomic depression as a basis both for further inflationary stimula tion of business and for its fur ther absorption into the state." | The convention previously had heard Charles R. Hook, associa tion president, assert that govern ment participation in and compe tition with industry cannot reduce unemployment or hasten recov ery. He urged cooperation of bus iness, labor, government and ag riculture. Dr. George W. Gallup, director of the American Institute of Pub lic Opinion, expressed doubt thai; President Roosevelt could be elected to a third term. "Our interest in the underpriv- j ileged classes at home has been expanded to concern for the op- , pressed abroad," Jordan said. "In ] its very nature, as well as by , force of the actual facts of the j foreign situation, the emotional i and financial seduction of this new theme song of the fourth ,• New Deal, is irresistible. "No political party or econom (Continued on page four) < ITALIANS MASS TROOPS ALONG TUNIS BORDER 'U 250,000 French And Fas cist Troops Face Each Other in Africa MOVE COMES" WHILE' DISPUTE RAGES TUNIS, Dec. 8. (UP)—French mounted police today were called out to curb several hunched French students who marked to ward the Italian business section shouting against Italy. The demonstration lasted nn hour, after which police dispersed the students. An hour later 14 French bomb ers circled the city. The demon stration was the fourth in five days. The outbreak began Sun day when windows of Italian of fices were smashed. Later French and Italian students had fist fights and stones. Bottles of ink were thrown on the walls of the Italian consulate. Marshal Italo Balbo, governor of Italian Libya, last night was reported to have moved up troop reinforcements and motorized ar tillery to the outposts of Tripoli tan ia facing France's "desei't maginot line" on the Tunisian frontier. Military secrecy amounting to virtual censorship and the closing of military zones on both sides of the border prevailed as Ihe French colony of Tuni$ with native Arab and Berber re sentment against Fascist territor ial demands, although the Arabs desire to shake off French rule. French authorites here took elaborate police precautions to prevent new outbreaks of anti Italian demonstrations. heavy reinforcement of Italian military posts at Nalut, Sinauet and Gadames and it was estimat ed that nearly 250,000 Italian and French troops were facing each other across the sandy j stretch of border, backed up for> 100 miles on either side by mod-1 ern war equipment. Italy, with both tanks and motorized artillery, has her fa-! mous desert cavalry, the Mehari tribesmen on swift camels, sev-1 sral battalions of Askari infant ry trained in Eritrea and harden- ' ?d in the Ethiopian campaign. j Facing these Italian forces are some of the best battalions of France's famous Foreign Legion and several division of colonial infantry seasoned by long cam paigns in Morocco against the Riffs. At the southernmost pointed tip of Tunisia the French have reinforced their positions opposite Gadames while in the north colo nial troops and Foreign Legion naires are at full strength along the entire new "desert maginot line" extending from Gabes. The line of fortifications, despite its name, does not resemble the 5400,000,000 maginot line along the Franco-German frontier be cause there are no permanent *teel and concrete fortifications jut there are a succession of con crete pill-boxes and gun place- j ments extending on either side of ;he Ksour Mountains. French authorities said that Tunisia's well developed agricul ;ure and industry give the French irmy an important advantage aver Balbo's forces, which look sack on hundreds of miles of ?andy waste. The French army, in excess of 100,000 men, could live off the and, but it was contended that 3albo's forces must carry all their food and water to the border. Tunisia's highways permit the French to use motorized equip nent with ease while Balbo, al (Continued on Page 7) Italy Is Massing Troops To Help Spanish Rebels TOULOUSE, France, Italy, Dec. | I. (UP)—Italy is massing troops n the Pyrenees frontier section >f Spain. It is believed that the novement presages a new maier Irive by insurgents with Italian lid in a final effort to overwhelm he loyalists. It is understood that Italians ire to be oi^ranized with Spanish ;roops into formations to be named the Green Arrows and :omrnanded by Italian officers, | U. S., BRITAIN AND FRANCE SHOULD ACCEPT OPEN DOOR POLICY CHANGE, SAYS JAPAN . .t Preacher Killed by Wayward Son Old-time melodrama in Bain bridge, 0. Robert Bready, top, is charged with first degree murder, after admitting slaying of his father, the Rev. Russell Bready, lower, who spent 20 years attempting reform of his habitual drunkard eon. Associational B.T.U. Will Meet In City Sunday Rev. Y. C. Elliott Coming; j Session Will Be at Calvary Church The Rev. Yancey C. Elliott, re gional director, will be the chief ; speaker at a meeting of the Asso ciational B. T. U. to be held Sun day at Calvary Baptist church. The program as announced by Miss Ethen Pressley, associational director, follows: 2:30 p. m.—Song service—Jun ius Huggins. Associational choris ter in charge. 2:40 p. m.—Devotional—Rev. George Pennell. 2:50 p. m.—Special music; East Hendersonville quartet. 2:55—Roll call of churches. 3:05 p. m.—Special music— saxaphone solo—Junius Huggins. I 3:10 p. m.—"The Best B. T. U.l President I Know"—Miss Annie Bell Raines. 3:15 p. m.—Special music—' Star Bethel colored church. 3:20 p. m.—Address by Rev.' Yancey C. Elliott, regional B. T. i U. director. 3:55 p m.—Special music— East Flat Rock B. T. U. I G. W. TIDD, 3 FORMER STUDENTS LISTED IN "MEN OF SCIENCE" G. W. Tidd, city electrical in spector, is listed in the 1938 pub lication of "American Men of Science," as a sort of Who's Who in this field of endeavor. The 1038 publication is the sixth edition of the reference book, and Mr. Tidd has been list-) ed in all editions since the sec ond, published in 1910. The first edition was published in 1906. Mr. Tidd stated that he was gratifed to note that three of his 1 former students at Kansas State i Teachexs college were not listed! in the publication. Indications Increase That Tokyo Would Make Chi na Part of Asiatic Bloc TOKYO, Dec. 8. (UP)—Japan today informed the United States and Great Britain that they should accopt as inevitable the re vision of the open door policy in China, the usually well-informed newspaper Asahi stated. The American and British am bassadors, Joseph C. Grew and Sir Robert Craigie, attended a conference with Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita, at the latter's in vitation, and it was at this meet ing that Arita was said to have conveyed Japan's view of the "out-moded nine-power treaty" to the ambassadors. The newspaper Nichi Nichi, in conncction with parliamentary de bates, asserted that Japan would not tolerate British efforts to. block "the new far-eastern or-! der." The Japanese press generally j is asserting that third bowers can- j not expect continuation of special I privileges in China, which here after must be regarded as inde pendent instead of having a "semi-colonial" status. Both the United States and Britain, and France as well, have protested to Japan against clos ing China's great waterways to their ships, asserting that free commerce was guaranteed by the nine-power treaty affirming the open door principle. Japan's reply was that the rivers were not safe asd that military necessity caused their closing to foreign ships. There are increasing indica tions, however, especially in view of most recent developments, that Japan does not intend to allow the economic activities of western powers to interfere with Japan's, plans to make China a member of her East Asia bloc, economically, and militarily. BAPTIST REVIVAL MAKING PROGRESS Tt was stated today that fine I progress is being made in the Fellowship Revival in progress this week at the First Baptist church. Attendance last evening j was double any previous meeting. | Two more evenings are to be de- j voted to this work. Tonight, Rev., Mr. B. E. Wall announced, spec ial emphasis will be placed on the , Sunday school, and leaders hope that every member of the Sun day school will be present. The concluding session, Friday evening, will be featured by fam ily night. All these services open I at 7:30 o'clock. BASKETBALL BILL SET AT EDNEYVILLE A doubleheader basketball game has been announced between Ed-| neyville and Fletcher boys' and girls' teams for Friday night at 7:30 o'clock. It will be played at the Edneyville gymnasium. Youth Indicted on Spy Charge Held in Los Angeles, Karl Ilrummond is charged with try ing tu sell secrets rf new U. S. lighting planes to the Japanese. NO SURRENDER OF COLONIES, IS BRITISH STAND Nazi Germany Held to Be Unfit to Govern V"Backward Peoples1' LONDON, 'Dec. 8. (UP)—The house of commons last night re jected, by a vote of 252 to 127, the arbitrary surrender of any Pritish colonies or mandated ter ritories to Nazi Germany which was described as "a nation unfit to govern backward peoples." The overwhelming vote, cast in favor of a conservative amend ment to a laborite motion oppos ing such territorial concessions as the price of European appease ment, followed an announcement by Colonial and Dominions Secre tary Malcolm MacDonald reject ing Adolf Hitler's colonial de mands. Great Britain, he said, is "not disposed at present" to forfeit a single acre of her far-flung em pire to Hitler. The 127 votes cast against the motion constituted merely a par tisan gesture because the conser-; vative amendment deleted a la. borite proposal that all "back ward" British colonies be placed under an international mandate perhaps under the League of Na tions, to protect them from ag gression. The debate before the vote was marked by violent attacks on the Nazi drive against Jews who, la borites said, had been driven infer "slavery more fearful than the world has known since the Ro man galleys." 3 BURNED TO DEATH COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 8. (UP)—Fire swent through a pri vate rest home here last night, burning to death three elderly persons and injuring seven, two io critically that they may die. Bar Association Expected To Favor Reestablishment Of Recorder's Court Recommendation For Step Through Legislative Act Anticipated, With Resident Judge Naming Recorder The Henderson County Bar as sociation, when a meeting is held for such a purpose, is expected to favor the re-establishment of the Henderson county recorder's court, it was indicated today. A meeting of the association will be held on Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock, but what matters this meeting will consider were not learned today. The bar may or may not consider the matter of re-establishment of the court at this meeting. However, a special committee, named some time ago to consider the court quesiton, has not been asked to be prepared to report tomorrow. While the bar is expected to favor re-establishment of the court, is is expected to be oppos ed to restablishment of the tri bunal through resolution of the county commissioners. Indications are that, if approv al of the court is given by the bar, the association will recom mend that the court be re-estao lished through legislative act, probably with the power of ap pointment vested in the resident judge of the 18th judicial district who is Judge J. Will Pless, Jr., of Marion. The bar, however, will prob ably go as far as recommending certain men to fill the court po sitions. In all probability, the special committee appointed to study the couit question, when it reports to the Bar association, will not make specific recommendations but will content itself with a comparison of the volume of work done by the recorder's court and the mat ter of costs to the county in try ing cases in recorder and super ior courts. Indications are that some mem bers of the Bar association will be opposed to the re-establish ment of the court under any con ditions, but these members are expcctcd to be in the minority. ISOLATION FOR OCCIDENT IS GROWING NEED Hull Hat Cordial Confer* ence With Argentine . Minister at lima OPEN PANlMERICAN SESSION ON FRIDAY BERLIN, Dec. 8. (UP)—Tha United Steles embaiijr today de livered a note to the foreign of* fice asking assurance that Moa* day's economic decrees against Jews would not affect America* Jews* WORLD CHANGES BRING REVIEW OF POSITION WASHINGTON, Dm. 8/(UP> In conference* with Ifadiag American ambassadors to Europe and state department official* President Rooserelt today appear ed to be revamping America f lor* eign policy oa the basis of ImJi* tion for the western heaii»£h(fta behind aa impeaetrable Wfil si defensive armameat. A high administration effU|#l said the rapidly changing pall ft* cat scene and power balaaoM i> Europe forced the Uaited State* to review her position in WsrU affairs. JOHNSON TO REPORT ON ASIA'S AFFAIRS CHUNGKING, Chin*, Dec. 8* (UP)—United States Ambasst* dor Nelson Johnson will depart Monday for Washington to re port to President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Hull on the China situation. Meantime, Chi* nese military officials announced the opening of a general offen sive in Kwangfung province in an effort to recapture the great Can ton commercial area of South China from the Japanese. Dis patcher said about 600,000 Chi* nese troops are participating in the offensive. HULL CONFERS WITH ARGENTINE MINISTER Br HOBART C. MONTEE ' United Prau Staff Correspondent LIMA, Peru, Dec. 8. (UP)— Secretary of State Cordell Hull, heading the United States delega tion to the eighth Pan American Conference which opens here Fri day, following his arrival here yesterday immediately began a series of informal talks deeigned to line up New World democra cies in a common front against totalitarianism. Hall will speak Saturday af ternoon at the first plenary ses sion of the conference and it was believed that he would uti lize the opportunity to emphasise the freedom and liberties enjoyed in the New World under Demo cratic government as opposed to the oppressions prevailing in the dictator states of Europe. It was said he might even go so far as to specifically name tiie Nazis in denunciatory terms. He was not expected to dwell in detail, at least in his firvt (Continued on page four) | A Shopping Days inTTill Christmas d-o-o >s Coaotor/Mo-Wit \w£Q£ nou'fie eow! // —. C&SSo&iD R/mj? eQAlM. *AD AMfcftCANS (?Co36Y#»" T OOKINO BACK TO CHBIHV MAS 14 TfAU AGO— fhe new crossword puzzle craz* had American* groggy. . . ■ Photos were being transmitted across Atlantic for first time. . . . Chicago gangsters lavished lead and lilies on gang leado? Dion O'Banion. . . . Jazz op eras end jazz ballets were pop ular in the east. . . . Salaried people were burning over pub lication of income tax lists. . . Death of Sam Oomptri marred holiday merriment.