PACE TWO ?"
h i i ' ? 1 ?Ml
THE STATE PORT PILOT
Southport, N. C.
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
JAMES M. HARPER, JR., Editor
stored as second-clsss matter April 26, 1828, a
toa Post Office at Southport, N. C., under
the act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription Rates
ON* TEAR 31.8
DC MONTHS , 1.0
THREE MONTHS , .7
NATIONAL EDITORIAL|Q4^*45SOGAIION
Wednesday, March 1", 1941
By-Products
There are certain by-products of i
possible national defense developmen
here for which, if we could pet, we wouh
gladly settle.
One is a hotel.
There is little doubt but that the in
flux of workers for a defense project
or officer personnel for an army, nav:
or marine camp would bring about an
immediate crisis in the way of adequati
respectable housing accommodations. J
modern hotel would be the only answe;
to this problem, and for those who be
lieve so firmly in the coming of a majoi
project here, there can be no sounde'
place to start than with a hotel.
Another is to pave the river road.
To outline again the strategy of thi:
? j nf national defense, o
rumi in ujv ?
in connection with aiding development o
the Cape Fear River front is to be re
dundant. But here, again, is a projec
that development would make essential
so why not anticipate necessity's need.
Improved housing facilities are needed
One quarrel with locating a major pro
ject in or near a small town is its in
ability to immediately make room fo:
new inhabitants. Our town affords ver:
1r? little elasticity for new-comers who migh
desire comfortable living conditions, an<
one way in which we could begin now t<
prepare for the future is to arrangi
modem apartments, repair and remode
extra rooms, etc., in private homes an<
in renting property.
r The beauty of this program, you see
* is that we'll be ready for things if the;
: do happen suddenly; and if they don'
"yrc will have broken down the threi
principal barriers that have retarded th<
fullest development of Southport as ;
paradise for tourists and vacationists.
r 'o Lay Days
Elsewhere today is an article in whicl
Representative J. W. Ruark of Brum
wick county is quoted as saying tha
Brunswick and Columbus counties wil
be exempted from the lay day bill intrc
duced recently by Representative Bridge
of Bladen, allowing quail hunting on onl;
three days per week next season.
The men in this county who do th
" ',0 ' ! nvn AllW OIltllAvifir -fnv fV(
\{iuui jiuxituxg ciic VUA *iuniviii,? JLVX bu
fact that this bill was not needed. The;
say that there were more birds in thi
county this season than at any other tim
I in 10 years. These hunters, many o
f whom went through this season withou
kr going out very much, said that next yea
they planned to start out the season an
hunt every open day; but with thi
^^changed law they'd likely do more hunl
ing than ever before simply because thei
attention was being called to it by law.
Another point that was made by th
hunters in objecting to the law is thai
in permitting hunting every other day, i
would be possible for men and dogs t
cover the same territory over and ove
again, every open day, until all the bird
had been wiped out. Between each la
day there would be a lay day in whic
the scattered covies could get back t<
gether. Under the old plan, and th
plan that will still be in effect, this is n<
possible.
We are mighty glad that our count
has not been included in this plan. W
believe in the conservation of game, bi
we believe that this particular effort wi
destined to defeat the very purpose f<
Which it was intended.
The Weakness Of
Democracy
To their irksome impatience and c
minishing indulgence the American pe
pie have seen Senator Burton K. Whe<
er, of Montana, effectively wield the oi
weapon at his command to forestall ai
delay action on the Lease-Lend bill no
pending before Congress. That weapon
his inalienable right of unlimited debai
or if carried on in the extreme, common
known as filibuster.
? The Charlotte (Observer in a time
- i am rr
and apt editorial comment, sizes up the
situation precisely:
"'It is the strength of the democratic
" process that it permits every citizen to
speak anywhere and on any issue of con4
troversy.
"Jt is the weakness of the same demo
cratic process that it has no way of stop0
ping him, even when the public interest
0 is endangered by the grant of such gen5
erous rights to an individual.
"The principle is illustrated in the case
of Senator Wheeler.
"In the Senate, during the lend-lease
bill discussion, he has enjoyed unbridled,
unlimited opportunity to speak, as was
his undeniable right as a sovereign
American citizen and representative of
the people of his State in the Senate.
"He has resented any intimations from
any source that he should put a limitat
tion upon his remarks.
t "Indeed, he has openly declared that
, in his judgment a filibuster would be justified.
"In other words, the same process of
_ democracy that gives him the right to
expose his views would, in his interpretation,
give him also the right, singlehandedly,
if physically possible, to defeat
j the views of others equally invested with
^ the same right of opinion and speech.
r "A filibuster which Wheeler justifies
is not a hand-maiden of this democratic
p process. It is the negation of it.
r "A filibuster is a dictatorship of the
minority, the questionable method permitted
by the democratic technique to
s enable a minority to have its will as
r against that of the majority, even though
f the minority be one and the majority one
Itnti/lrorl
_ jiuiivii vvii
t "There is an element of absurdity
about that.
"Conceivably, Senator Wheeler as a
possible filibusterer could become much
^ more than a Senator from a small and
relatively unimportant state: he could
r make himself a Supreme Court: he could
, turn himself into the absolute boss of the
t Senate: he could even dictate the terms
I of the nation's foreign policy if his dilat3
ory tactics could be prolonged to the point
e of designed achievement.
I "In the immediate case, Senator Wheelj
er has been succeeding in defeating not
only action by the majority of the members
of the Senate, but obstructing the
^ clear will of the vast preponderance of
t the American people.
e "That's more power than he should
be allowed to exercise, considering all
a of the circumstances.
"It means that this one man, representing
a voting population in Montana in the
November election of only 247,000, only
a majority of which he received, has
been able, under this democratic process,
lto block the will of tens of millions of
'"'the American people whom the other
Senators represent.
"He has rung the changes on the "dangers
to democracy" inherent in the lend1
lease bill. Is there anything more danger^
ous to democracy than such abuse of its
privileges as he has perpetrated?
e "He is afraid of making Roosevelt a
e dictator, but he seems to gloat in his own
^ Dower to make one of himself."
s ~
0 I ^
' Shears Ana Paste
it L
r
d FOR BANKS OR STUDENTS?
s (Raleigh News and Observer)
In effect opponents of the bill to turn
r abandoned bank accounts over to the Greater
University under the escheats provision of the
e Constitution propose that the banks be given
^ the money to which they have no claims.
The bill was drawn merely to effectuate
0 the long-standing constitutional provision that
1^ escheats go to the University. No depositor
|s can possibly be harmed. He may be benefity
ted, because if the money stays in the bank
jj it may be reduced or dissipated by service
j_ charges. If the University receives it any
e owner or heir may reclaim the money at
j|- any time.
The bill was drafted at the request of the
y University trustees and has the approval of
re the State Commissioner of Banks and of the
legislative committee of the North Carolina
ls Bankers* Association. It is so drawn as to
)r apply to both state and national banks. It is
being opposed by individual bankers, who have
sought to influence legislators by letters and
telegram Si
On President Graham's recommendation,
the funds which escheat to the University are
used for student loan funds at State College
In Raleigh, Woman's College in Greensboro,
and the University at Chapel Hill.
The real issue, in practical results, is
no
whether the money shall be held in perpetuity
|W for the real owners by the University, and
js at the same time be used as loan funds for
_e needy students, or whether It shall become
i ' potentially the property of the banks against
the intent of the Constitution of North Caro:ly_
THE STATE PORT Pit
1
Legislature
A Brief Review Of What
Is Going On In Raleigh I
At The Present Time.
Hie eighth legislative week,
interrupted by a junket to Elizabeth
City on February 26, came J
and went with the Appropriations,
bill still in committee, and saw
most hopes of adjournment by
March 8th go glimmering; but
the legislative hopper was kept
busy by the introduction of 204
bills, a new high for the session.
Of especial interest to local
governmental units are bills
which would allow the governing
body of any city or town of
[10,000 or more population by the
last census to extend or decrease
its corporate units by ordinance
annexing or detaching territory;
permit municipalities to own and
operate parking lots within the
city limits; authorize municipalities
to furnish fire protection to
areas within twelve miles of the
city limits; require motor freight
carriers to use state highways
or truck lanes through cities and
towns; exempt from taxation and
listing requirements for four
years realty acquired by counties,
cities, townships and school districts
in foreclosure of tax liens;
authorize county commissioners to
defer revaluations of realty until
1943; modify the law relating to
issuance of school district funding
and refunding bonds; renew
the power of counties, cities and
other municipalities to issue revenue
bonds to acquire, consturct
and operate revenue-producing undertakings;
make the expenses
of the board of viewers in setting
up drainage districts a lien, second
only to state and county
taxes, on the lands assessed: re
strict debt service approtionment
between counties and cities in
certain particulars.
Most important item on the
education front seems to be the
proposed amendments to the 1939
School Machinery Act, which includes
several changes in the
present practice relating to election
of teachers, principals and
superintendents, and the hiring
of teachers. Other bills would
authorize $50,000 improvements
in Appalachian Teachers' College
power plant; extend free tuition
in state educational institutions
to children of fathers who died
from World War injuries, regardless
of the time of the father's
death; and make certain changes
in the supervision of business
schools and in the custody of
funds for vocational education.
Latest administrative reorganization
is that proposed by a bill
to adolish the office of utilities
commissioner and set up a util[
ities commission of three full-time
I members, with staggered terms.
The members would be appointed
by the Governor, with the
consent of the Senate.
Highways, motor vehicles and
related problems were not forgotten.
Bills were proposed to
enlarge the motor fuel tax definition
and to levy a road use
tax on persons operating vehicles
propelled by products not within
the present definition of motor
fuels; to reduce the license fees
for private vehicles; to exempt
vehicle operators from liability
to guests for death or injury ex
cept when caused by the operator's
gross negligence; and to
remove the present gross weight
limitations of 10 tons for 2-axled
vehicles and 20 tons for vehicles
with 3 or more axles.
Of interest to farmers and middlemen
is a bill to authorize a
"Tar Heel" trade-mark to be used
under regulations of the Department
of Agriculture, to identify
standardized North Carolina farm
products. Other bills would revise
the present methods of preparing
agricultural statistics and increase
the powers of the Commissioner
of Agriculture to prevent
violations of the laws relating to
sales of stock and poultry tonics.
A standard, optional form of
agricultural lien and chattel mortgage
is proposed, while two other
bills would Increase the tonnage
tax and alter the marking, grading
and inspection requirements
for fertilizer, and regulate the
manufacture, sale and distribution
of agricultural limes and land
plaster. Irish potato farmers
would benefit by passage of a
bill to require vendors of seed
potatoes, fertilizer or other supplies
to give growers a written
guarantee of at least S5.00 return
per bag of seed potatoes
planted.
Re-enactment of the substance
of the 1937 law setting up a commission
to license and regulate
real estate brokers (held unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court
as it was formerly drawn) headed
the list of bills to regulate
various commercial activities.
Three bills would: (a) require
jewelry and silverware auctioneers
to prove their citizenship by
affidavits from certain county officials;
(b) provide for revocation
of their licenses by the Insurance
Commissioner on specified
grounds; (e) regulate auctions of
articles with "latent values". Another
bill would require proper
tagging and branding of secondhand
watches. Otter bills would
reduce the fees for renewal licenses
of plumbing and heating
contractors, allow mutual associations
to gay a $10 privilege
,QT. SOUTHPORT, W. C.
WASHINGTON j
LETTER
WASHINGTON, March 11? ;
| Millions of citizens were sharply ,
reminded this week that the nai
tional defense program is no ab- '
starct matter, but a vital factor ,
in their lives. Talk in Congress
about billions for this and that
was brought into focus by the 101
percent defense tax item in per-:
j sonal income tax returns. While
the levy is small, it is generally'
I recognized that next year the
rate will probably be boosted considerably
and extended to lower
incomes to provide necessary government
revenue. The Treasury's
latest drive to sell defense bonds
will be a whooping affair to highlight
the government's need for
money.
Piled on the docks and in warehouses
are enormous quantities of
war supplies awaiting the enactment
of the lease-lend bill. It
is predicted that one of the first
moves of the Administration will
be to make shipping facilities
available. The report persists that
the government will take over
some of the shipping now laid up
I at anchorage in our ports and
[ owned by countries conquered by
j Germany. What financial arrangement
will be invoked to take these
! foreign-registered boats over is
| not definitely known. The urg|
ency is such that observers bel
lieve the President will find a
j way to utilize these water-carriers
under the new powers pending
legislation will confer on him.
Some shipping experts anticipate
| that American vessels will be
[Used, at first, to carry essential
I materials from Latin - American
| countries to Canadian ports on
j the Atlantic for easy transshipment
to British vessels. Of course,
if Congress provides a blank
check which permits convoys with
American warships, these delays
inloading and unloading at transfer
points will be eliminated. i
The fact that Mr. Roosevelt
?-t~~ v?;? i
j uctuicu uir tunic umc ui ma
| last press conference to the sub- 1
ject of labor settlements is taken
as a hopeful sign that something
will be done in this direction.
The government's' methods of
dealing with labor disputes will
shortly be stressed. John L.
Lewis, the militant leader, comes
out of relative obscurity this week
to participate in negotiations for
new wage agreements between
the soft coal operators and the
miners' union. Mr. Lewis has been
ill and had plenty of time to
meditate on his course of action.
What he has to say during the
next few weeks will claim the
attention of the politicians and'
industrial leaders alike. Failure
of the miners to work out a deal
with their employers would precipitate
a nation-wide strike at a
time when factories engaged on
defense orders demanding fuel. In
addition, the railroads are already
hard-pressed to move munitions
with a normal coal supply
for their locomotives. An interruption
in the form of a strike
might paralyze the transportation
systems. With Federal agencies
blowing hot and cold on labor
policies, Congress may soon take
a hand.
To all appearances the Senate
is completely absorbed in debating
the war aid bill. On the contrary,
Senators are going about
their routine duties, particularly,
in the morning when committee
meetings require their attention.
Many huge appropriation bills,
which in other times would be
subjected to oratorical attacks In
the Senate chamber, are passed
license tax in lieu of a corporate
franchise tax, and re-define and
limit the powers of the Building
Code Council. The powers of the
Southport Port Commission would
be materially increased by a proposed
act, and ticket-scalping at
athletic contests would be rendered
profitless by a bill to prevent
re-sale of any athletic ticket at
a price in excess of the price
written or printed on the ticket.
Much-needed reforms in the
law of adoption in North Carolina
are promised by a bill to simplify
the process of adoption and to
make it more binding on the parties
concerned. Other welfare
measures proposed would liberalize
the rules as to eligibility for
j old age assistance and aid to dependant
children, and authorize
the Board of Charities and Welfare
to set up a merit system.
Several public health measures
were introduced. Among these
were bills to prohibit the manufacture
and sale of filled milk,
to require certain reports to the
Department of Agriculture by
milk distributors and processors,
to provide for filing of delayed
birth reports, and to include radiology,
with certain limitations,
as a part of the "practice of
medicine."
Bills affecting labor would preserve
unemployment benefit
rights for employees called into
military service; prohibit employment
of any person for longer
than six consecutive hours without
at least half an hour for
lunch, and require that persons
on an hourly basis of wages be
paid twice a month.
"Certain Irresponsible Persons"
' would be severely penalized by a
bill to prevent setting free poisonous
snakes or reptiles before
audiences or bringing them into
dwelling houses when other people
are present. The offender
would be chargeable with murder
, if such a snake bites and kills
i any person in such a situation.
^ Ill 111 I
" r I '
- NOT mc
Robert Marlowe, who has been In the grocery
business here for the last two years moves to
Wilmington this week to go to work with a hardware
concern. Robert often writes articles for
the paper and his writings are always timely and
well expressed. We're losing one of our most
popular young men when he leaves and it's Wil- I
mington's gain. Backed up by a good brain and
plenty of ambition, he looks like a cinch.
After two months of incessant squabbling the
ASCAP and BMI have been ordered by the courts
to settle their dispute and the courts have also
ruled that no person or persons and no corpo- j
ration may legally contract any composers music I
in such a way as to prevent public performance.
Compromises are being made now, tho it i..ay
be a month or more before the music under discussion
will be heard over the airlanes again.
The new agreement will be a pay-in-proportion
proposition. The radio concerns will pay only for
the music they use and not .'or the right to use
all whenever they please. This looks like we'll be
able to hear our favorites again and this will
probably be the last news of the affair. At least
we hope so. . . . Jimmy Johnson, an occasional
visitor to Southport, has written a song that has
been not only published but also plugged by the
famous Bob Crosby orchestra. The title is "Wistful
Interlude." . . . The phonograph record business
here is looking up. Lots of people have lately
acquired record players and are in the market
for records. The collections of Lib Watson and
Lois Jane are very good ....
within a few minutes. Not so in formerly receive
the House where the represents- farm. This cope
tives thresh out the various items, to all rural de
They consider themselves closer is the hope of t
to the people than the Senators, they can reloca
The Agriculture Department Ap- losing their hor
propriation bill carrying author- pressure. Near a
izations for ?890,000,000, a few in Missouri, for
days ago had a stormy passage, some possibility
Attempts to increase the parity ily-size farms a
payments on five basic farm of optioning larj
crops were defeated. It is likely for subdivision,
that only a handful of Senators says, "more the
from predominantly farm areas all form leases ;
will harangue about this mea- than an oral
sure when it comes before their effect is "such
body. nesslike arrange
Believe it or not, there are now to disagreement
crowded conditions on the farms, trust, and freq
A few days ago the Farm Secur- tenants from o
ity Administration reported that other". Meanwhi
the location of defense plants in ities are plague
* ? ? * *- - * ???? wAtfamonf
some rural areas is pusnuig uic ivijr ?i.vim.v...
farmers out. Some displaced ru- areas.
ral workers are finding employ
ment in construction projects. COST OF HO>
This Federal agency stated "other LAMP BF
tenant farmers in the surround- Poultry is a
ing territory are being forced to period" farm e
move because workers are offer- increased demai
ing to pay higher rent for farm- and eggs. C. F
houses within commuting dist- sion poultry sp
ance of the plant than owners'State College, si
I
?
Have You Shopped In 7
I
c
Get The Classi
t
^ 1 ' B
. WEPNESOAV, mla, B.,
Elmer Davis, colored fisherman, kiT^NK
a Cafe and we can bear witness thv
cooking is swell . . . MOVIES; The wat, HP
make their first appearance here in
(but make up for their long ahsenJ ' * *^Bt'
WEST." Anyone who can sit through
hilarious laughter will earn the 1
.^Kii
"sour puss."
Don Bestor and his band play p., ,
mington, and if the boys are one-half m!
as they were the last time we hear.; t>
the radio they'll afford the best ^
feature we've had access to this season
visitors were amazed at the si2e of
pound ox Goldie Lewis had in his p^.,. jU>'
here Monday, Dut they missed the real 7VK
Goldle unloaded the gentleman for
stration, and when he got ready t0
again the animal stepped up int0 the
his pick-up truck just as nonchalantly a, ,
step out of a stall.
The daffodil crop at Orton is later tk;. B5
than in recent seasons, but prices being a
early shipments are very good. They're
ping camellias, and (Free Adv. Dept.. a ./^Hu
corsage from Orton is a very good
the Northern market for Easter, judg,r?,. JR
early demands . . . The old time country
had nothing on Dr. R. P. Huffman. WiljZ^^B1
veterinarian, when it comes to overcoming
culties of travel Thursday the good doctor
tered a boat and made a high-tide trip to
Head Island to attend a sick cow. Hjg
d for the entire family whoformMdTTaisriTh^Bt
lition is common chicks with hens will find 8 ,.^Ht
fense areas". It made lamp brooder an ecc^^^V'
he F. S. A. that iCal device for expanding
te farm families duction '
nes by defense r
proving grounds e approximate cost of
instance, there is ing a home-made lamp
of acquiring fam- vnr|P9 from ss on to stsa ...hi
nd no possibility ' "
*e tracts of land accommodate 50 (o 60 (Uk^^K
The government It is of simple constructior.
in 80 percent of to operate, and is heated br
are nothing more to three lamps, depending
agreement". The the severity of the weather |B
slipshod, unbusi- Parrish invites farm people
ments often lead write to the Extension Pan^H
s, mutural dis- Office at N. C. State Colieg^H
uent shifting of Raleigh, for a copy of Bite PnB|
ne farm to an- No. 46, which gives detailed
ile, other local- rections for building i ii^Hj
d as the migra- brooder. Most county farm.
is felt in farm home agents of the Extera^H
Service also have copies of tk^H
blueprint on file in their
IE-MADE The blueprints ate free. fx^H
IOODER IS LOW either source. 3H
good ."defense- > Hi
nterprise due to Two thousand children oft^H
id for chickens Rand in South Afiica were tu^H
. Parrish, Exten- in special trains to vantige H
ecialist of N. C. to view the eclipse of the ne
tys that the farm October. SB
'he Classified Ads Today 9
e ' 9Bh
i
fied Ad Habit ! 1
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