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THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
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Clear, cold wejather-—-very cold
for Southern Pines, in spots—has
marked the holiday season and
made visitors from the North feel
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at home, except that a little snow
would have made the season seem
a bit more like .-the real thing.
A {gentleman. who keeps his eyes
open discovered a sizeable cake 'of
ice that had formed in some ex
posed place and brought it tri
umpElntly into the Tourist office to
show that the South could, on oc
casions, produce even this com
modity, bat the very fact of its
rarity tells the story. Southern Pines
has a cold snap how and then, but
it is only a fragment broken of!
some blizzard that locks the North,
hand and foot, in its icy grasp.
Southern Pines had a few frozen
pipes Monday morhing, but, in mosi
cases, the noonday sun thawec
them out and cheated the plumber
The mercury fell to 15. or 16 abov«
sm "zsiit
vastly different from 20 or''25 below,
lasting in some cases for*£ week.
Then, however cold the morning
may be, there are‘several hours al
mid-day when the air is not at al]
uncomfortable, and persons who dc
not enjoy extreme cold may spend
a portion of each day out of doors.
Christlnal Sunday was fittingly
observed inwall the churches, good
congregations being present, the
pastors of the several churches oc
cupying^ their * kfam'; pulpits and
preaching sermons appropriate to
the day. " ?
Late Monday afternoon the Tour
ist made a tour of the town and
found every oudjT busy, the shop?
full of eager Buyers and a general
air of good feeling pervading every
thing and ‘dominating' everybody.
It mattered very little what kind of
shop it was, the whole force seemed
tobe on the jump. Arthur J. Thomas
reported that his business just
about equaled that of last year. J.
L. Smith & Son were so busy that
the Tourist maq bad to drop into a
trot and ask his questions while
trying tdup with’ Mr.c Smith
as he‘hurrjed froiu the sugar barrel to
the candy center. “How’s busi
ness?” the grocer. “Well,
how does it look? Been this way all
day. Have not had time since din
ner to get mv overcoat off. ’ ’ The
Tourist caught Flint leaning against
a counter to get his breath. His
word was: * The store has done one
third more business this Christmas
season than last. Mrs. Hayes re
ported herself about even with last
year; possibly a little better. Wells
is doing as well this year as last,
and the final figures may show that
this season has exceeded last. Patch
& Richardson have done a fire
business, certainly equal to, and
they think better than last season.
In answer to the question, “How’s
business?” Mr. Kapitzke replied,
“Fine, couldn’t ask anything bet
ter.
While all the stores were doing
a good business, the News Depot
was, of course, the Mecca of most
shoppers. No matter where else
they went their shopping was not
complete until they had seen what
Hayes had to offer and all the floor
space was crowded almost every
hour of the day. A large force oi
"icierk£> was kept busy frqm early
forenoon until late at ntgni attemi
4ng to the wants of customers. It
was a good natured crowd, as be
htted the season ot good will ana
fine fellowship. The News Depot
never gave its patrons such a large,
varied and well selected stock before
and Mt. Hayes sold as many goods
the “day before” as last year. In
deed, with the exception of a few
days last week, the past month has
shown surprisingly good figures,
fully'equal to other seasons. Eaton’s
dainty parlors were filled with
seekers after the things in which
the shop deals, and all were pleased
with the store, slock and bargain*.
Mrs. Sanderson was offering many
things that make acceptable gifts
and did a good business.
On the whole, the Tourist was"
much pleased and somewhat sur
prised to be led to the conculsion
that the Christmas business had
been at least equal to that of last
year. With some it was better,
with some about the same, with one
or two there may be a slight falling
off, but, on the udiole, those who
have been feeling and talking blue
in regard to the prospects of the
present season will do well to revise
their opinions.
It is doubtful if there are quite
as many people in Southern Pines
as last year at the same time. It
will be remembered that the early
part of last season was the best and
those who are in position to form
reliable judgments believe that the
present season will prove to be one
of the best Southern Pines has
known. The last time Major Gattis,
the popular Traveling Passenger
| Agent of the Seaboard Air Line, j
| was in the Tourist office he volun- j
| tartly expressed his conviction that j
the present season would be an ex
cellent one, a big one, as he put it.
Each year it is harder to get
people to leave their homes until
the holiday joys and family re
unions are over; ready then they are
for a trip to the South,especially if
the weather in the North is of suf
ficient severity to render the milder
climate of the South attractive.
This winter the weather is doing its
full duty by the South, in that
everything seems to indicate that
the North is to have a normal
winter and everybody knows what
that means.
I Just now uie ooum* ^ « «* ...rt - -
j cold as it rarely Buffers, Raleigh
I beating its record for nineteen years
and Southern Pines recording one of
its lowest temperatures, but it will
soon be over, and even while it lasts
the air is dry and lacking in the
penetrating chill that makes cold
weather doubly cold in moist cli
mates.
The holiday shave used the Tourist
very well. A large number of new
subscriptions have been received,
scarcely one old subscription has
dropped out, work has been plenti
ful, the Tourist’s Christmas cards,
late on the market, have had a fine j
sale, and calls for the booklet have'
been steady and large, both at the |
office and by mail. One dealer in |
town has been stocked up three
times since the book was issued. To
all its patrons and friends the
Tourist extends the compliments of
the season .__
The Blue and the Gray
At a recent meeting of the com
mittee of the local Blue and Gray
Executive Committee it was de
cided to hold a second campfire and
reunion this year, and Thursday,
March 28, was selected as the date.
The details are yet to be worked out,
but everybody will be glad that this
popular event is not to be omitted
this season.
SIGNIFICANT CONTRACT
After February 1 next the Amer
ican Bank Note Company will man
uiaciure all United States postage
stamps. Under a contract made
public recently the concern must
deliver 27,000,000 stamps daily six
times a week.
The American Bank Note Com
pany made the first postage stamps
used by the Government and held
the contract up to thirteen years ago.
At that time the Government went
into the business itself by manu- ,
factoring the Columbian issue, and f
down. to this day the Bureau of
Printing and Engraving has turned
out all stamps. According to War- * *
| ren L. Green, president of the Bank
Note Company, the Government
decided to emloy a private institu
tion again because it can do the
work cheaper.
The Government is to pay the
American Bank Note Company
$.055 for each thousand stamps,
which is two mills less than the
estimate ox tuc ».iiuu#< „
and Printing. It will get ten cents
a thousand, however, for special
delivery stamps.
It might be interesting to some
j of our readers to enter into a com
putation, based upon the foregoing
contract, in favor of the American
Bank Note Company. »,
uany output.. 27,000,000
Weekly output__. 162,000,000
Yearly output __ .8,424,000,000.
Government pay? for thisout
put at 5 l/z c. per thousand 4,633,200
Government gets from sale of
these stamps__ 168,480,000
Profit after paying the cost of
tht same to the American
Bank Note Company....- 163,846,800
It might be interesting to know
how this very large fund is distrib
uted resulting in an annnal deficit.
It is a matter of public notority inat
mail transportation is out of all pro
portion to the value of the service
rendered. Ini 865 we paid for such
service $6,246,884. I11 1904 we
paid $69,200,197, which is proof
positive that mail transportation i#
greatly excessive, and the Postolfice
Department is victimized by the
railroads in a manner that is be
coming offensive. The Government
could equip its own trains and run
them for much less money. The
compensation to postmasters in 1904
was $22,273,344. Conciding that to
be normal there should be a profit
of $100,000,000 annually in favor
of the Government,
George H. Locky.