Newspapers / Marion Progress (Marion, N.C.) / Oct. 27, 1949, edition 1 / Page 2
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I . THE MARION PROGRESS PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE Mcdowell publishing co. MARION, N. C. TELEPHONE 64 S. E. WHITTEN, Editor and Publisher ELIZABETH WHITTEN, News Editor Entered at the Postoffice at Marion, N. C., as second class matter SUBSCRIPTION RATE One year , $2.00 Strictly in Advance LOOKING BACK TO 1929 Something happened in the United States just twenty years ago that will not be forgot ten by those who went through the stock mar ket crash that makes many of our former panics look like imitations of a depression. A month before the crash, the Dow-Jones average reached the all-time 381.17 high. Speculators, however, "Were still hopeful. The market moved irregularly downward to 325 on October 4th but bounded up again to 353 and, to the optimists, seemed really to reach a new peak. On October 12th, two decades ago, U. S. Steel was quoted at 230, General Electric at 373, American Tel. and Tel. at 301. President Hoover was in the White House, Andrew Mel lon was Secretary of the Treasury and the na tional debt had been reduced to $16,000,000, 000. Interestingly, on the theory that tax reduc tion would help business, there had been gen erous cuts in 1926, in 1928 and again in 1929. Everything looked good. Business was hap py. Organized labor was weak, the only awk ward factor was the difficulty being experi enced in farming areas. For this, Congress, of fered higher tariff rates, having raised them in 1921, in 1922, in 1924 and in 1926. The:| were some signs of a recession in the automo bile industry, in construction and in steel and ■copper production. Nevertheless, most people were optimistic and ready to buy on credit. In stallment purchases and farm mortgages were nearly as high as stock prices. The crash that came in mid-October, how ever, following the all-time peak in Septem ber reached its peak on October 29th. The catastrophe was complete. Liquidation con vulsed the market. In less than thirty days prices declined forty per cent. In the course of the next three years, the prices of fifty lead ing industrial stocks fell from an average of 252 to 61. It might be well to bear in mind the facts connected with the disastrous crash; Not that the signs of the present times indicate another experience. While nobody knows what the fu ture will bring, the course of the stockmarket, in the past few years, and under the regula tions of the Securities and Exchange Commis sion, has not been spectacular. There has been 310 great surge of stock prices upward. Admit tedly, the country is in a better economic con dition than it was before the 1929 collapse. Pespite this, however, it is just as well not to forget the experience of October, 1929. CARELESS SHOOTING A New Hampshire college senior was re cently fined $95 and given a sixty-day sus pended sentence for firing four rifle shots which hit a professor's home. The student did not deliberately open fire on the house of his tutor, but he was target shooting on the Connecticut River. The bullet from his .22 caliber rifle carried into the resi dence. It is quite probable that the college student ■was amazed at the consequences of his target practice. He probably never dreamed that the bullets might ricochet and go further than he expected. Nevertheless, when individuals as sume the right to utilize dangerous instru mentalities, they must be held responsible foi the consequences. We call attention to this comparatively minor news item because of the fact that there may be target shooters in McDowell county, Let them be certain that their firing is without hazard to innocent individuals. After all, if a person is killed by a stray bullet, the surprise and sorrow of the careless does the victim no good. Just try to remember to drive carefully and you might make your automobile journeys more enjoyable. There is no objection to federal spending where the money is being spent. NO NEED FOR "UNIVERSAL CHURCH" The proposal of more^than one hundred Unitarian ministers of New England for the establishment of a "universal church where theists, humanists, Christians, Jews and all re ligious truth-seekers" might meet has aroused considerable interest. The proposal will not get far, in this coun try or anywhere else. Neither Christians, Jews nor members of other religious organizations are ready to subordinate the principal tenets of their faith to a generalized expression of re ligious truth. While we are not of the opinion that any particular religious faith possesses all virtue and all truth, we see no great merit in the purported proposal. The troubles of humanity, which some be lieve can be solved exclusively by religion, are not insoluble because of the professed relig ious beliefs of the world. They multiply rath er because of the failure of the individuals of the world to live according to the best teach ings of their particular religion. It is perfectly natural for human beings, at the present stage of their development, to be ilieve implicity in the religion which they hap pen to espouse. • This includes, of course, the rejection of the beliefs of those who champion other religious views. Such beliefs, if sincere ly held by individuals, on the basis of their ex perience and intelligence, can direct and in fluence the lives of honest and conscientious believers. It is right and proper that they | should. ! This does not mean, however, that anyone |should attempt to pass judgment upon the re ligious beliefs of other people. Tolerance does not include the making of obeisance to strange gods, or perfunctofy expression of the belief i in the equality of all religions. All that is re i quired of men of good will is that they chari tably recognize the rights of all others to fol low the dictates of their consciences wherever this leads them. I Jf SOCIAL SECURITY WINS The House of Representatives, by a vote of 333 to 14, recently passed a bill greatly ex jpanding the nation's social security program. The House bill would extend coverage to 11,000,000 additional persons, including 4, j S^O^OOO non-farm, self-employed workers, and bring total coverage to 46,000,000 indi viduals. In addition, benefits to 2,600,000 now | receiving them would be increased by about ] seventy per cent and coverage is widened to 'protect workers against permanent and total ! disability. i There may be some basis for objections to I the social security scheme but it should be noted that when the- Members of the House voted, only two Democrats and twelve Repub licans were recorded in the negative. Two | hundred three Democrats and one hundred thirty Republicans favored passage of the bill. The measure, now cleared by the House, goes to the Senate but will hardly be taken up for consideration before the session next year. MORE FIRE PREVENTION WEEKS This year's observance of Fire Prevention Week ran from October 6th to the 15th. It will be tragic if the lessons learned during the week are immediately forgotten. Careless in dividual habits are responsible for all but a small minority of fires. Fire prevention must be practiced for 52 weeks of the year—not just for one. During the first eight months of 1949, our fire waste totaled nearly $450,000,000. This marked a decline as compared with the same period last year, but most of the drop was probably due to slightly lower commodity and construction costs. Our fire record is the worst in the world, and it cannot adequately be measured in more financial terms. It can be seen in the death and maiming and disfigure ment of thousands upon thousands of human beings annually, many of them children—in the destruction of great forests and other in valuable natural resources—in lost jobs, in piles of ashes that once were homes, in ruined factories. What makes this all the more disgraceful is that most fires can be easily prevented. The major causes of fire are "little things"— care lessness with matches and cigarettes, run down stoves and heating systems, improperly stored paints and solvents and other such flamables, out-of-i;epair electrical equipment, and so on down the list. Aj little thought, a lit tle effort, could eliminate most of those haz ards. If, as individuals, we make every week a fire prevention week, we will win the war against this great destroyer. The farmers, it appears, will be regipiented again next year with ninety per cent parity if two-thirds of them, agree upon the control program. Wealth, in itself, is not wrong but there are differences of opinion about how far a man can go in getting it. OUR DEMOCRACY byM* WHERE PEOPLE HAVE THE "SAY-SO" Where people enjoy freedom of choice,as in this country, IT IS NECESSARY TO COMPETE FOR. THglR, FAVOR. Competition is found in goods, in services, in ideas, IN POLITICS — IN EVER.Y FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR.. There is competition for. spending and competition FOR SAVING—COMPETITION THAT STEMS DIRECTLY FROM THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. THAT IS WHY WE FIND OVER. 500 LIFE INSURANCE COMPANUES IN THIS COUNTRY, COMPETING FOR PUBLIC FAVOR. IN SERVING THE NEED OF THE PEOPLE FOR. FAMILY PROTECTION. ★★★★★★★★★★★★*★★★★★★★★★★★★★ I ARMY NEWS * I BY SGT. JOHN HALL, * I 4 £ Recruiting Officer J ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ARMY REQUIREMENTS "Just what are the requirements for enlistment in the Army or Air Force?" is a question I am asked many times daily. Every applicant accepted for en listment in the Army or Air Force must meet certain requirements in regard to age, citizenship, educa tional level, character, physical standards, and dependents. The age requirements for enlist ments for enlistment are 17 through 34 inclusive. However, men 35 and over but less than 55 years of age who have had a minimum of three years prior service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (three months of which must have been Army or Air Force Service) may be enlisted pro vided their age at the time of ap plication is not greater than 35 plus previous service. For example, a man with five years previous ser vice can be enlisted if he is 40 years old. A former Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard without prior Army or Air Force Service who is 36 years of age or older cannot be enlisted in the regular Army or Air Force. Every applicant from civilian life who is under 21 pears of age must present a birth certificate before enlistment can be accomplished. An applicant who is 17 years of age but has not reached his 18th birthday is required to furnish writ ten consent of his parents or guard ian before he can be accepted for enlistment. I An applicant who is otherwise qualified may be entitled if he is a citizen of the United States, or an alien who can present written evi dence that he has made legal declar ation of his intention to become a . citizen of the United States. J Each applicant, before being ac cepted for enlistment, is required to pass a written examination. These examinations are standard tests is : sued by the department of the Army, and are administered locally by recruiting sergeants and at the recruiting main station where ac tual enlistment is accomplished. Before an applicant can be ac cepted for enlistment he is requir ed to furnish three letters of recom mendation from reputable citizens of the community. Further, the re cruiting serv\£e checks the back ground of each applicant with the Police Departments in each town where the applicant has resided for a period of six months or longer in the past three years. Applicants who meet all other re quirements for enlistments are giv en a thorough physical examination at recruiting main stations. In brief, normal eyesight, normal hear ing, serviceable teeth, and general good health are required. An appli cant dependents, and who has no prior service in any of the armed forces is not eligible for enlistment, j Men with prior service and who are qualified for enlistment in grade four or higher may be enlist ed in the regular army only, regard less of number of dependents. Grade four is the rank popularly known as "Buck Sergeant." Generally speaking, me not qual ified for enlistments in grade four or higher and who have dependents More than meets the eye Cpf. Stagg sets his sights for a successful career as lab technician Cpl. John C. Stagg of Blakely, Georgia is Medical Lab Technician of Ft. McPherson Hospital. He qualified for this Important as signment on graduation from the Laboratory Technician School, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. His experi ence is a good illustration: that "there Is more to the Army than meets the eye." The U. S. Army offers ambitious young men many things—chance for more educa tion and to learn a trade, good pay, good living conditions, retire ment benefits, and opportunities for advancement. U. S. ARMY AND U. S. AIR FORCE RECRUITING SERVICE Marion Post Office, Marion, N. C. Old Newspapers for sale at The Progress office at 5c bundle are not eligible for enlistment in the regular Army. Applicants with dependents, and who desire enlistment in the U. S. Air Force only must be eligible for enlistment in one of the first three grades (Staff Sergeant or higher), except that an airman last discharg ed in grade four who has completed six years or more of active federal service may be reenlisted without regard to number of dependents, provided reenlistment is accom plished within 90 days from date of discharge. Further information on indi vidual questions and ^problems con cerning enlistment may be obtain ed by contesting the Recruiting Sergeant at Post Building, Marion. Newspapers Show An Increase In Circulation Thirty-six per cent more people i are reading county weekly newspa jpers now than before the war, ac cording to information received here from C. Parker Persons, reg ionaal director of the U. S. Depart ment of Commerce in Atlanta. The Bureau of the Census has just announced results of its census of manufacturers for 1949, Mr. Persons said, which shows that county weeklies in Alabama, Flor ida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina,- South Carolina and Ten nessee had a total circulation of 1,254.868 compared with 921,982 |in 1939 when the last previous such census was taken. In the daily newspaper publish ing field, a 37 per cent increase in : circulation took place during the 1 eight years, Mr. Persons stated. The i aggregate circulation per issue of daily papers in seven southeastern States in 1947 was 7,251,309, which 1 was approximately 2 million more 'than that of 1939. » ! CONSERVATION NEWS I By L. B. HAIRR I i ■■ ■ —— ■ J | P. A. Gray of Nebo reports that he has some good Kudzu hay that he cut this fall. "Six years ago that was a poor washed away field," Mr. Gray pointed out and recently, "Now the erosion has been checked and that is where. I cut the Kudzu hay." This is a good example of using the land for what it is best suited and treating it according to its needs. t W. F. Justice of Marion route 1, is pleased with the Kudzu that was planted on his farm last spring. He says many runners are 25 to 30 feet iong. This Kudzu was fertiliz ed when planted and worked during ;the summer. Mr. Justice, with the assistance of the Veteran Agricul ; tural Instructor and the local Soil 1 Conservation Service personnel*, planted the Kudzu along the steep gully west of his home. "Terraces with broad bases are what I like," C. J. Sigmon of Pin nacle Church community recently pointed out. In addition to terrac jing his land he is practicing strip crop farming. "This is the best way I have found to check the erosion : and build up the fertility of my cropland," Mr. Sigmon explained. i UNEMPLOYED STRIKERS j Two million workers will be un employed if the steel strike con itinus until Nov. 1, and 5,000,000 if it goes to December 1st, accord j ing to Commerce Secretary Saw i yer. CRIME During the first half of this year, the nation's crime rate rose 2.7 per cent in the cities and 7.6 per cent in rural areas, as compar ed with the same period of 1948, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. j Read The Progress for local and I current events. Smokey Says: Itmose boy scouts sure W KNOW THEIR FOREST iWjrevomoN! Never leave your fire unless it's out—DEAD OUT!
Marion Progress (Marion, N.C.)
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Oct. 27, 1949, edition 1
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