AND STAR-TIMES
The NEWS established February 18, IMS—
The TIMES, 1925 and The STAB, 1589.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
At Sparta, N. C.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 1947
ED M. ANDERSON -Publisher
MRS. ED M. ANDERSON—*-Associate
NANCY KENNICKELL .News Editor
SUBSCRIPTION RATES PER YEAR
In County, 52.99 -Outside County, $2.50
The News to (lad to publish letters, not
too long, on matters of general interest. But
such communications must be accompanied
by the real name ot the writer, even when
they are to be published 'under a nom de
plume.
Entered as second-class matter at the post
office at Sparta, North Carolina, under the
Act of March 3, 1879.
“If the choice were left to me whether to
have a free press or a free government, 1
would choose a free press.”—Thomas Jef
ferson.
School Lunchrooms
Most of the school lunchrooms opened
this week, which means that hundreds of
county children will have an opportunity
to be served hot lunch at little expense.
The lunchrooms will mean bettter health
and more successful students.
The fact that, through necessity, the
lunches are slightly higher than last year
should not discourage a single student
from patronizing them. Food costs are up
and lunchrooms are receiving less assis
tance from the govemirfent, But even with
the slight increase in prices, children will
receive a nutritious lunch at much less
than a comparable meal could possibly be
purchased elsewhere.
Let’s support the lunchroom program
and keep it going. This program is one of
the school’s greatest health building assets.
Keeping Europe Warm
Amercian coal is a vital instrument of
world recovery. The figures tell the story.
Before the war, Europe was able to pro
duce all the coal it needed, and none was
bought from this country. Now European
production is in the doldrums. Great Bri
tain’s mines used to produce close to 4,
500,000. tons of coal a week—now they pro
duce slightly more than 3,600,000. The Ger
man Ruhr once mined more than 10,000,
000 tons a month—now it is down to less
than 6,000,000. Only the United States can
make up the loss.
As a result, our soft coal industry ex
ported 30,000-,000 tons, not including Can
adian purchases of 20,000,000 tons, during
fee year which ended June 30. During
the current fiscal year, which will end
June 30, 1948, the. total is expected to
reach 50,000,000 tons. That is about 8 per
«cent of our total output, and the unusual
export demand will probably last several
Tears. ,
Coal is secqnd only to food as an aid
to, ravaged Europe. Without an adequate
supply, it will be impossible to revitalize
European industry, maintain employment,
and- achieve social stability. A modern
oisrilization cannot exist without coal—
and coal, consequently, is at the heart of
Europe’s economic problem.
_nOn-_J_
Eliminate Fire Hazards
Summer and early fall are the times
for preparing homes for winter—with es
pecial attention paid to the elimination of
fire: hazards.
One of the major causes of home fires
is deteetfVft heating units, ranging all the
way from oil stoves to central heating sys
tems. Evwi the best of appliances become
worm. Hues and chimneys become filled
with soot During the war, it was often
impossible to adequately maintain heating
plants due to shortages of parts and labor.
There are still shortages, but not as severe
as in the immediate past. The money
spent will pay tremendous dividends in
safety and security.
Faulty electric wiring is still a major
destroyer of homes. Important repairs
should be made’by a qualified electrician.
BCayed cords should be replaced. Then,
our electrical equipment is subject
ie heaviest use, it will safely carry
the load.
Lastly, during the pleasant weather.
■■■ s
homeowners should carry on a rigorous
campaign to rid their property of junk.
Thousands of fires have originated in attics
and cellars and closets filled with old
clothes, furniture, magazines, etc. Many
fires have resulted from improper storage
of paint, gasoline and other inflammables.
A clean and orderly house offers fire few
opportunities.
--0O0-■'
Schools And Health
Now that our schools are underway,
we must become more conscious of health
problems as related to the children of
school age. It has long been recognized that
children must be healthy and happy if
they are* to make the most of their oppor-.
tunities offered by the schools.
In considering the health problems, it
is well to remember that the N. C. School
Health Coordinating Service is an ad
ministrative unit of the State Department
of Public Instruction and the State Board
of Health and is designed to promote the
development and execution of a program
of health education and health service
in the State’s public schools.
The health service phase of the pro
gram has been organized to achieve three
objectives: (1) To find school children
with health problems and arrange for their
correction. (2) To establish as healthful an
environment as possible to protect the
health of the school population. (3) To
promote the use of health services as
teaching aids in health education.
The health education activities are di
rected toward the establishment of-ade
quate health and physical education in
struction of school children so that they
will develop the habits, attitudes and un
derstanding necessary to avoid the more
important lifetime health hazards and to
maintain themselves at a high level of
general physical and mental health.
The use in every way possible of mod
ern methods in teaching health is stres
sed. It is felt that the most effective health
teaching is done by means of educational
experiences such as are provided by ade
quate health service. For this latter reason
teacher participation in as many health
services as possible is urged as an integral
part of health instruction.
The School-Health Coordinating
vice carries out the above program by
consultation with school and health de
partment personnel, and by service train
ing courses and summer schools for teach
ers.
Local health units and teachers should
avail themselves of the help offered by this
coordinating service. Let’s do all possible
to keep children healthy. A stitch in time
often saves nine in the health of a child.
-1-0O0—;
Taxing Motorists
The amount of gasoline consumed by
private and commercial vehicles runs a
round 20 billion gallons a year. Sales taxes
and class taxation is costing motor vehicle
owners more than $1,600,000,000 annually,
as well as all the general taxes for the pur
pose of raising revenue to build roads. The
sales taxes were npt so high in the first
twenty-five years, but they have kept on
growing and growing until today every
state has a tax per gallon ranging from 3
1 cents in seven states up to as high as 6
and 7 cents a gallon in 41 states. Now is
that fair?
The roads are built for public use: Am
ple provision has been made by the U. S.
government and the States to share in the
expense of constructing highways. The
owners of automobiles and motor vehicles
are being subjected to special class taxa
tion. A recent petition presented to Con
gress and backed by more than four hund
red organizations of highway workers
of the United States asked for various laws
imposing special Federal excise taxes
upon motor vehicles and trailers, gasoline
and lubricating oil—and other special
“breeds” of taxation on different parts of
automobiles, including tires.
The American Petroluem Institute
made a long and forceful fight against this
unjust tax upon automobile owners- The
Institute has 5000 members, and represents
hundreds of different organizations that
have petitioned Congress to repeal the un
just laws which exist at the present time.
Taxation imposed in the good old days
when horses and buggies traveled oven dirt
I
Talkin’ to an Onslow County
farmer who spent the past week
on the State College campus as
one of the 5,000 visitors to the
40th Annual Farm and. Home
Week, I said:
“George, looks to me like this
farmer’s and homemakers’ own
week is just agricultural exten
sion in reverse!”
Wh« do you mean by that,
Cousin?” he asks..
“Well;” 1 says, “for a year now
all the specialists of the Exten
sion Service here at the college
have been hitting the road, carry
ing the message of Extension’s
various phases with them right
up to your door ... "
George admitted this was so.
“And this week, you farmers
and your wives are travelling
the same roads to the college, to
get that information for your
selves. That’s why I call Farm
and Home Week agricultural ex
tension in reverse.”
There was evidence on all sides
that North Carolina farm folks
are seeking ‘the latest develop
ments in poultry, livestock pro
duction, agronomy, beekeeping,
forestry, agricultural engineer
ing, and all the many enterprises
that center around a typical Tar
Heel farm. The women wanted
to know about canning, about
new fabrics, end even got a few
pointers on how to raise their
children just a little bit better.
Officials anticipated the live
liest, most interesting, and biggest
event of forty years, and their
anticipations weie certainly full
filled!
. . Vi. *■
■i.ftn l.i III mu am i. i'.iii—
, . vs . w rvri ^
Farm With
The City Cousin
If you’ve never seen fifteen
hundred farm boys and girls in
one crowd at one place, and at
the same time, then you missed
a lot by not observing the Fif
teenth Annual State 4-H Club
Week on the State college cam
pus, recently.
They’re a happy , fun-loving
bunch—these Club kids, and
while city youngsters may feel
they have things just a little bit
nicer than their country cousins,
you couldn’t have found a curly
headed girl or a shirt-sleeved boy
with an inferiority complex!
You wouldn’t have seen them
constitutes North Carolina’s only
Land-Grant college.
The College Cafeteria served
three meals a day to the youth
ful guests who find that sleeping
in college dormitories and attend
ing lectures and demonstrations
in college halls gives them a
pretty good first-hand look at
what college life must be like.
From the smallest of the state’s
1,955 4-H clubs to .the largest,
these boys and girls came with
a common interest in the soil oi
North Carolina, the things it pro
duces, and the farm homesteads.
Through this common footing,
tliey were, as on? big community
club as they sang their own songs
and participated is the week’s
varied program of activities.
Coming as sort of an “earned
vacation” for the youth who at
tended, State 4-H Club Week was
little work and plenty of play.
You can be sure they kept their
dorm rooms neat as a tack—but
aside from this, they spent most
of their busy day taking part in
demonstrations, watching their
fellow club members in action as
officers, as demonstrators, and
learning about such things as
room improvement, family rela
tionships, plant diseases, home
beautification, and virtually a''
phases of farming and homemak
ing.
Extension Serv:ce specialist
like the beekeeper, the horticul
urist, the forester, the agronomi
st, the clothing specialist—al'
nembers of the staff of “oldsters’
vho know their respective fields
ike a well-read book—were or.
iand to coach the clpb kids.
And when it comes to recrea
tion they know just as much a
bout how to have a good time
as any group o& kids you’ll fine
anywhere. The college swimmin
pool cooled them off after
^weltering clay, and to give boy
and girls just the right amdun
nf exercise there were plenty o:
ehances to take part in a friendly
game of softball or volleyball.
Whojan the biggest rural show
of the year? Well you wouldn’t
say that adyone RAN it, exactly.
L. R. Harrill, State 4-H Club-lead
er for the Extension Service, am
his staff of assistants just kinda
kept it moving along. Eleanor
Barber, Jesse James, and Ned
Wood worked for a year with
the officers elected by the dub
members themselves to make this
year’s event a most memorable
one. \ :
•?' You may rest assured t^at each
Uneasy Relaxation
f Wfrl]
Secretary Anderson is a close
second to Attorney General Clark
when he comes to making sum
mer tours and talks. Whether or
not he wants to become head of
the Democratic national com
mittee, he does not hesitate to
inform one and all of the work
that his agricultural department
has done.
His latest, in California was:
“The challenge before us is to
develop policies and programs
that will give us the continuing1
opportunity to (meet problems asi
they arise. The house committee
developed in the'near future. I
have expressed to the committee
my opinion that we have no al
ternative but to set the goal of
organized, sustained and realistic
abundance.”
• • •
The percentage increase in
prices received by farmers and
prices paid by farmers for com- j
modifies and wages, from 1939 to i
1947, are based on the prive in
dex of the U. S. bureau of agri
cultural economics.
A significant feature also.
6 the advance in farm wages
since 1939. Another, is the j
increase in prices received, as
well as prices paid by farmers
for various commodities.
Farm . wage rates increased
more than eight times as fast as
the increase in the price of farm
machinery, for example, which
is one of the reasons why farmers
are seeking to obtain more time
and labor saving equipment.
While prices
sharply increased, the advance
in machinery prices, according
to the bureau’s index, is only 26
per cent, notwithstanding the
sharp advance in labor and ma
terial costs incurred by the man
ufacturers of farm equipment,
since prewar days.
The index does not attempt to;
evaluate the improvements in the
quality and efficiency value of
present day equipment compared
with prewar machines.
The Everyday
Counselor
, Rev. Herbert Spaugh, D. D.
Pride is one of the greatest
stumbling blocks to happiness and
inward peace. We are accustom
ed to think of the proud man as
one who boastfully displays him
self and his possessions. He exists,
and we all see him, but he has
a brother whom very few of us
notice. He is a quite soul, self
effacing to such an extent fhat
he, does not want anyone to do
a thing for him. He is inwardly
proud of the fact he is dependent
on no one. He thinks this sense
of independence gives him satis
faction, but the opposite is true;
down deep in his heart he is
miserable.
Those who outwardly or in
wardly boast of their indepen
dence of others, condemn therti
selves to a life of unhappiness
and march towards the grave in
creasingly friendless and alone.
“No man liveth to himself; and
[no man dieth to himself.” These I
'< words of St Paul are indisput-j
ble, unless you can take up a
position like 'that of Robinson
Crusoe, before Friday joined him.
Your life, no matter how uniip
portant you may think it is, af
fects someone; so will your death,
If it only be the funeral director
and the one who has to pay burial
expenses. So stop “thumping the
of the 1,608 delegates who spent
five days and nights on the State
College campus returned to their
•• if- ;
tub” about your independence.
You would have a terrible time
in this world if everybody left
you completely alone. Just stop
and think about that for, a mom
ent. y
The quotation from St. Pdul
quoted above was incomplete;
there is another sentence. “For
whether we live, we live unto
the Lord; or whether we die, we
die unto the Lord; whether we
live therefore, or die. we we the
Lord’s.” The Apostle addresses
these lines particularly to those
who have accepted Christ as
their Lord and Saviour, but they
apply as well in another way to
unbelievers.
We live in a world ordered by
Almighty God. We can accept
His rule, walk with Him here and
hereafter. Likewise, we may re
ject Him here, and so determine
the verdice we receive when we
stand before Him on Judgment
Day. Don’t start talking about a
God of love being too good to
condemn anyone te punishment
either here or hereafter. He simp
ly pronounces sentence. Every
man is a one-man jusy, who will
bring in the verdict on his own
life.
The worst form of pride is that
which causes a man to defend his
own sinful conduct He
Timely Hints
„ Patching will prove only a tem
porary remedy/for many cracks
in plastered walls, Architectural
engineers of the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture advise.
Sooner or later cracks may ap
pear again if the underlying
cause has not been remedied.
Cracks are often a sign that foun
dations are settling, supporting
posts are rotting, or timbers are
shrinking. Much future trouble
can be avoided if repairs aTe
made to framework or foundation
as soon as' definite cracks show
up.
To discover where repairs are
needed, go over the house and
notice whre floors ar no longer
S ort doors sag, or windows
it fit tightly. It may be that
part of th# hodSe needs
ig up for repairs in the
foundation underneath.
If ceilings are badly cracked,
the joists that support them may
be too light to prevent sagging.
New plaster will not help unless
the joists are strengthened first.
Cracks often appear in plaster
around chimneys that pass
through the house. They occur at
the joining between masonry
and wood framing, because wood
shrinks and swells with weather
but masonry does hot. Once the
cause of cracks has been cured,
cracks may be filled in perman
ently and successfully. When do
ing this job, first remove all loose
material and dirt and open the
crack wide enough so that plaster
ing. material can be forced into
the full depth of the crack.
Spackling compound, which
comes as a powder to mix with
water, is easy to use and satis
factory for small cracks. For
wide cracks and larger broken
places, fibred plaster or patching
plaster is recommended.
words of the venerable Apostle,
St. Peter, “Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand
of God, that He may exalt you
in due time."
Uncle Sam Says
»••••*<..
Want la know one of (to tost (tits
:er Mother? Security! It’s the kind
if *!ft which make* every day
'^other’s Day—methe'u’ days free
rom financial worry, and Ailed with
onfldence at the ability to inert sud
dea emergencies or achieve farelly
uabttloaa. Where da you buy thia
lift? That’s aa simple as ABC.
United States “ ‘
aw ’ sale at
For II*. W you can 1
security 10 yearn 1
ter way is there 0