Cueing Some. SqkM
W tinne(i from Page Six*
|(.°" the labors of some of the
#5 i ladies, but in broadening:,
^fo,dnlLees and- extending its
15 re of usefulness. He was sur
,er.e ,;nlSPif v.then the board, of
irised -loners of which he was a
C aoproved his suggestion,
ffthe county contribute $1,000 to
f'at Jhrarv for the purchase of
.nd' for the extension of the
v of the library to all- the
'•Si«St»«-efSablished in the
wpral communities of little Lee,
jtiie books made accessible to
!the people of the county. Though
library possessed but 4,000
k. vvben this extension work be
REPRESENTATIVE R, L. HARRIS
Former Speaker.
[an, the first four months. sa.w 6,000.
bus of books made.
So well known is Mr. Crabtree
for his interest in the library work
tat it was only a short while ago
felt the Dunn coterie of ladies in
vested in developing the same
end of library service in hiarnett
tat Lee has secured Lee’s youth
al legislator to make a speech
lown here in the interest of the
'rogram.
C. H. Crabtree, known among his.
riends as “Ty,” majored in phar
macy at the University, studying
ader that prince of teachers E. "V.
bwell. As his father is a drug
sf Ty hadn’t the trouble of most,
i the fellows coming out of col
WRKSENTATIVE vv. l. lumjpkin
of Franklin.
<ln* author with Representative Me
ef a substitute for the
sales tax.
111 re;,e»t years looking for a
J ~~^r‘ naturally entered the busi
e::j 'v'di his father. But he seen??
1 ldve a geius for politics and*
1]Hs°ni(‘ and genial as he is,
■ (|!"le a distance in that direction
‘tl!n die next forty years.
J. Le^ Moody,
wham, in the. perspp of, Sena
I' • 1 ’■ 1 Iorton, has one of- the
J>t experienced legislators in th|?
■e>ent session of the General As
^ Her representative is a
'lce- V\ e published Lee Moody’s
picture ip, tills paper last fall. He
te no, handsome fellow, but never-,
theirs a young lawyer of parts.
Asked the other day whether he had
introduced, any bill or would intro
duce ope, Lee said we already have
laws enough, I suggested that he
introduee a bijl to repeal some of
the excess, But I believe Lee
Moody has little, desire to magnify
himself but may be as well trusted
as any man in the legislature to cast
his ballots for whatever measures
he conceives to be for the interest of
the people of the State.
The Townsend Plan -
An Unreasonable One.
vjia-age pensions is a most de
sirable and an equally practicable
thing, but not on the Dr. Town
send' plan. When pensions are
paid the aged, it is assumable that
the total consumption of the coun
try will1 be increased and that
there will be room for more work
ers. The Townsend plan would
deplete the supply of workers im
mensely. With $400 a month com
ing to this writer and1 his wife, it
would be possible for them to take
care of the families of the three
married- children and the unmar
ried daughter* and not one of the
bunch strike a lick. Every old ne
gro receiving such a pension could
take care of at least ten or twelve
of hia race.
Few above sixty would continue
to work if working meant forego
ing a $200 a month pension. The
world is full of work needing be
ing done, but puffing millions out
of employment is not the way to
d© it.
'A reasonable pension, sufficient to
sustain th,e decrepit ip comfort and
to, supplant the income of the more
active would be a fine thing. If the
Townsend plan has any merits at
all, it would lose none of them by
fixing the monthly pension at $40
or $50. The ‘must-spend-it” con
dition could still apply. When the
pension payment is reduced to a
reasonable sum, the Townsend plan
is simply an old-age pension plan
something that is destined to come
in the near' future.
Y,et perhaps, nothing is doing
more to hasten the day of a reason
able old-age pension than the agita
tion of the Townsend plan.
Governor Can Choose
Better Than the People.
Dr. Burrus, Guilford senator, has
introduced bills to make the corn
missioner of revenue and the chair
man of tl»e highway commission
elective. The writer hopes these
bills will npt become law. The peo
ple ha.ve too little chance to deter
mine the fitness of a man for such
a position to be given any such re
sponsibility. It is as much as the
average voter can do to understand
the characters and platforms of
presidential and gubernatoiial can
didates. Try getting your qualifica
tions for a minor position before the
people during a gubernatorial; and
presidential campaign if you think
the people will give any attention
to the qualifications of candidates
for other jobs.
Instead- of increasing, the number
of elective officers, the number
should be decreased. If the people
decide wisely with respect to the
governor, they can afford to trust
him to choose the best men available
for the responsible, tasks. And
‘there are no two positions, more ifi?
portant from, the- standpoint of the
people thm, thht of revenue com
missioner and; chairman- of the mgn
vvay commission. The- gift of gab,
a hail-fellow-well-met disposition,
and a gfit for getting votes do not
necessarily qualify one for either oi
those exceedingly important jobs.
The gubernatorial appointments.
hav^ figem with only one or two ex
ceptions, very happy during the last
13 years. Only when Watts was
appointed, instead- of was
too little regard to the interests o£
the people given by; any governor in.
the appointment of the Head of a
department since our return to the.
State in. 19L7. In fact, the voters
have almost universally confirmed
the gubernatorial) appointments to.
elective positions, and there would
have been, little doubt about their
confirming the. appointment of Max
well and Jeffress. Yet either of
those two men might have been,
beaten, in a primary before their
ability was recognized, by fhe gov
ernors and proved by their services.
The same thing will probably soon
be true of Waynick. What, for in
stance, did the people know about
the qualifications of Charles John
son als treasurer?
Seeikng tp Keep, Down
Tobacco Acreage.
Governor Ehtinghaus led a depu
tation of those* interested? in tobacco
growing, to Washington to seek to
prevent the proposed increase in
acreage this year. The tobacco
growers, have- thoroughly learned
the lesson that a small crop pays
better than a large one. However,
keep the acreage down as much as
possible, it is unlikely that North.
Caroling tobacco, growers will agajp
have such a picnic as that of last
year. If the dollar should go, back
to par, in terms of gold, those for
eign manufacturers wouldn’t be
able to force the American manu
facturers to pay such prices as they
did last year.
Tfh%t $3,000,000 Expenditure
QoesJn't Represent a Loss.
The fact that three million dol
lars are needed to put the roads and;
bridges in good shape doesn’t imply
that that sum has been wasted in
allowing them thus to deteriorate.
It would probably have required as
much or more to prevent the de
terioration, and some of the earlier
repairs would soon be calling for
other repairs. The roads should be
in better condition when this $3,
000,000 has been spent than if that
sum had been spent during the past
two years.
Wha^ M Governojc’s Mansions,
Were as Numerous as Schools?
It is an interesting, contrast we
hud “A Citizen” of Hoke county
drawing in the Raefprd paper be
tween the household and personal
expense allotments to the Governor
and, to the whole bunch of schools
in Hoke county. Like the writer of
tha,t article, this writer is not dis
posed to be over-critical of the ex"
pense funds allowed; the governor,
for North Carolina’s chief execu
tive should live in some dignity;
nevertheless, the. contrast is enlight
ening. Here it is:
“We have no criticism of Gover
nor Ehringhaus whatever, but we
feel that the residents of the county
would be interested to know that it
cost $9,700- last year to maintain
the executive domicile and that it is
understood $17,000 will be asked
for the same purpose for 1935 and
that all that could be secured for
Hoke county, schools tor me saipe
period was $2,199.00. Janitors,
$725.00; £uel, $1,130.00.; water,
light, and' power $220,00 apd tele
phone $24. ' There are six janitors
getting from $10.00 to $30 per
month. The housekeeper of the
governor’s man^ipn is to get $1,
/ 035.00 a year wihile the highest paid
teacher receives slightly more than
hglf that amount.
“The schpola, get $33^-93 per
tijuck for transportation per year
for driver, gas and oil, and repairs.
The governor is. to get $500.00 fer
gas and, oil. Xet there axe those
who think that trucks can be op
erated to everybody's house and;
that men drivers, should; be em
ployed all for only $335.93 per
truck per year. It can not be
done.” ’.. ... .
What a Silver Dollar
Means In China.
Those wiseacres who suppose
that a coin, op bill of currency has
its buying, power fixed by the ptec
iousuess of the metaL of- which, it is
made or which is backing it, my
study the following item, from
China A silver dollop will. buy.
here nothing like the amount it, will?
in China; yet it is silver and wopth
34 cents in gold in bpth countries.
If the-difference .in the purchasing
value does not,.% in the difference,
in the numbers of dollars, circulat
ing, per capita, in. the two countries,
where does it fie?
Again, liow can China, wbpSO
supply! of currency and prices of
goods and services ape in accord in
its own territory afford to buy
American goods whep the earning
of a dollar over there requires sev
eral times the""amount, of capital* or
labor as, earning-ong. oyer here.
It is clear, or seemingly should
be, that the- very same kind' of
money’has different values in dif
ferent countries, and all because of
the number of units in circulation
per .capita. Tip devalpatipn of; the
American dolW, reduced its value
in relation to foreign currencies,,
but that devaluation ha£. had 119 ef
fect upon thp.; buying power ojE a
dpllar in this country, except
through th,e increased; competition
of foreign countries for American
products:—tobacco the most notable
example. The increase'in prices, of
products not in demand in other
countries is due. not to the devalua
tion of the dollar but to the hun
dred' things, done to increase buying
power and; to - decrease supplies or
the cost of goods.
But here is . the little dispatch
from. China, showing what 34 cents
in, China means in rent. Figure out
ho>v China can.buy from us or how
it can, afford to if it could., And
don’t w'onder at America’s, losing
her trade in any country just so
soon as it can manage to produce
under almost any handicap its own
supply or invent a substitute. The
difference in the values of curren
cies, a difference attributable to per
capita circulation and not to kind
of money, is the greatest hindrance
to a revival of foreign trade.
l&Mise Bpnts for One Silver Dollar.
T'singtao, China. — Several hun
dred “model” homes for working
men, have been built in a suDurD oi
Tsingtao as the city’s contribution
to a “better homes” movement.
They rent for one silver dollar,
equivalent to 34 cents, a month.
$3,800 a week for clerks, pages,
doorkeepers, janitors, etc. for the
legislature is an inexcusable ex
travagance. Harnett is getting a
liberal share of-the nigh-graft.
The number of lawyers present
at Judge Clifford’s funeral was in
dicative of the high esteem in
which he was held by his profes
sional brethren. There must have
been sixty to seventy-five lawyers
here.
We are on. the anniversary of that
coldest of all cold spells in our mem
ory, beginning with snow on Feb
ruary 14th and 15th of 1899 and
reaching its climax with a blizzard
from the northwest on Monday the
fgth, I always feel a fear of the
worst winter weather of the year
till this anniversary period is passed
depresenjtatiye' Fred Thomas 'is
doing a good* ' part in helping
through a bill to rid, the State of
the slot machine nuisance.
We ljote ire. the" Raleigh news
that Senator FrA. hee i&. no* only
personallv opposed to the Hjill li
quor bid bqt also states that the
people of FljaaietV jujigihg by the
number of letters and pehtions
from those opposing the HiH bill,
are in the Qo.Q^ ...