North Carolina Newspapers

*TSS" DISPATCHES VOLUME XXVII usm OK BILLS RELATING TO CO JNTf FINANCES Bills for County Govern ment Reform Will Be In troduced Latter Part of This Week or Next. SPONSOREDBY ADMINISTRATION Counties May Choose the Form of Government.— Other Bill Will Limit the Amount of Indebtedness. Tribune Bureau Sir Walter Hotel Raleigh, Feb. 1. —Fininshing touches are utiw being put on the bills relating to county government reform, which are expected to be formally introduced in the general assembly either the lat ter part of this week or the first of next week. These bills are sponsored by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and by the ad ministration, and are the result of the investigational work done by the County Government Commission, ap pointed by Governor 'McLean, and of which Dr. JJ. C. Brooks, president off State College is the head. There will be two bills, or rather,, two groups of bills. The first bill or bills will set out several forms of comity government—the commission, the managerial, or some other form of county government, and any county, upon its own volition, may hold an election and adopt any of these forms it desires. But this action is not obligatory, and if it prefers, it may r continue to hold to tis present form of county government. Thus the coun ties are given full and complete auto nomy as to the form of county gov ernment it desires to have. The second group of bills, however, which will be designed to regulate the fiscal affairs of the counties, will be mandatory aud compulsory upon all the conuties, regardless of what form of county government they may have or may choose later, aud are ap plicable to any of these forms. 1. Will limit the amount of indebt edness a county may incur through the issuance of bonds. 2. Will provide that no bonds may he issued /by counties, eve* for neces - WUP tilajfetemcnL., anti! Hie taxpay ers have been given at leat 30 days notice of the intention to issue the bonds, and an opportunity to be heard. And then a referendum vote may be demanded by ten per cent of the taxpayers. Where the improve ments ar enot essntially necessary, a referendum will be required without petition. 3. Will provide for the budgetary system of accounting, so that a record of ail fiscal transactions will be kept at all times. 4. Will prohibit the issuance of short time notes for current expenses and the governing board of the county will / be required to make out a budget es /V timate for the needs of the county for each fiscal year, and then levy a tax rate that will yield the revenue the budget calls for. 5. Will set a limit to the tax rates that may be levied for various pur poses, on both real and intangible property. While these fiscal acts will at first be purely legislative, a provision will be included to have them submitted as constitutional amendments at the next general election, when, if approved, they will become constitutional instead of statutory. No attempt will be made to make the variousf orms of county government constitutional, however. While not much has been heard of the county government reform mea sures as some of the others, a number ar inclined to regard these bills as among the most Important, if not the most important, that will come before this session of the general assembly. First, these acts would install a uni form methods of- accounting, in all the counties of the state, much in the same manner as all the various state departments and institutions have been co-ordinated under the state budget, with a uniform fiscal and accounting system. In other words, these acts are designated to accomplish for the various counties what the budget sys tem has accomplished for the state, sh And, what are these results? Iv First, expenditures would be limited I' to actual needs, and the tax rate de termined by these needs, with'suffici ent taxes levied each yeqr to take cat* 0 of these needs, without piling up a Second, a check would be placed upon the promiscuous issuance of bonds by counties, cities and towns, prohibiting the issuance of bonds even for necessary improvements without giving the taxpayers an opportunity to demand a referendum, and pro hibiting the issuance of any bonds for unnecessary purposes without a vote of the people. Third, through the uniform system of accounting that would be installed, a constant check on the financial con dition of the county could be kept In other words, the counties would all be placed on a “pay as you go" plan, which would mean an eventual saving of millions of dollars to the taxpayers. (H course, those counties which have nlreudy voted large bond issues would . have to continue to levy a ta’x rate that would take care of both the bonds and the current expenses of the coun ty, but these acts would regulate the issuance of any more bonds, and this would tend to curtail the local tax burdens, which in most counties, is increasing yearly. Whether or hot these bill* wll past The Concord Daily Tribune North Carolina’s Leading Small City Daily LfUUETMf DEBITED ATTENTION I TO MINOR MATTERS • Solons for the Most Part ■ Worked on Routine Mat s ters. Two Important Bills Given Thought. NATIONALPARK f QUESTION AGAIN » Brief Sessions Held so Ad dresses by Park Propon- J ents Could Be Heard During Day. State Capitol, Raleigh, Feb. I. The (general Aw»emb!y ground nway i at routine today and acted upon two ■ bills of outstanding importance. . One of these was the Whitemire measure, designed to unite the hands of the state’s delegates at the Demo cratic National Convention and re lieve them of the necessity of sup porting a man aimply because he filed his nomination Iff the state primary. The bill passed, and was sent to the house. In the House. To be Connor’s bill regulating the reward paid for stills to S2O and that only when an operator was convicted with the still, was pass • ed with an amendment making it ap plicable to nearly-half the counties in the state. Both houses adjourned until 11 o’clock tomorrow jn order to clear the slate for the joint session at noon to hear speakers on the proposed estab lishment of a national park in tbe Great Smoky Mountains. The joint committee on courts and judicial districts, meeting today, did not adopt the report of the subcom mittee providing for redistricting the state, but had so many other sug gestions and discussions that ad journment was taken before final ac tion was reached. The sub-commit tee proposed to re-district the state, making three general divisions of nine districts eaeh. Representative McLean suggested a constitutional amendment which would permit the creation of new districts without solicitors If this were neees safj, but this suggestion did not have many followers. • with six emergency judges instead of four. The committee will work out the plans at some future meeting. After much discusion and a motion to report the Smith bill favorably by Representative Gold of Guilford, the joint committee og, roads today voted unanimously to appoint a sub-commit tee to see if it would be possible to iron out the differences existing in the legislature about granting the Highway Commission authority in tbe location of roads. This action was taken on motion of Senator Salmon of Harnett and after a very spirited support of the suggest ion by Representative Connor, of Wil son. one of the authors of the original highway bill. The bouse commission on public wel fare reported unfavorably Miss Mc- Lean's bill to allow private employ ment agencies to charge a registration fee of $1 and to increase the commis sion on the first month’s income from 16 per cent, to 25 per cent. The Mecklenburg representative, orp !y lady legislator of the session, pre viously had her bill finally passed in behalf of the Charlotte Woman’s Club, exempting it from taxes. The bill of Representative Gold to establish a farm colony for women at a cost of SIOO,OOO was reported favor ably and THrected sent to the house appropriations committee. LEXIGNTON LIKELY TO SEEK COLLEGE Chamber of Commerce Committee to Interview Rutherford Head. Lexington, Feb. I.—Lexington may stage a campaign to move Rutherford College to this city, according to Chain , bar of Commerce officials. Secretary C. W. Sturkey reports that a commit tee has been appointed to receive Pres ident M. F. Starnes of the college upon his visit here and to work out a proposition to be submitted to the full board of directors for their ac tion. President Btarnes had expected to come here last Saturday but weather conditions .forced him to postpone the A baa been learned here that the I board of trustees of Rutherford will hold a meeting on February 10th, at which time propositions for the re moval of the college are expected to be received and discussed. Destruc tion of one of the principal buildings recently necessitates a new building ' program, it is stated. i aa now drawn of course cannot be , accurately foretold, and it is likely - some amendments will be added either In committee or when they reach the I floor of the general assembly. But ' judging from tbe trend of legislation I already introduced, much of which has ! been to regulate tbe Issuance of bonds by counties, indications are that the > majority if not all of these bills should I be assured of quick and easy passage. > It is generally adinittod that the ■ two greatest evils in keeping thecoun - ty tax rates at a high level are poor ! fiscal systems, with faulty accounting, ■ and the tendency to issue bonds for c this, that and any cause—end these i two evils, ss well as many lesser ones, • would bs materially remedied by the I county government reform acts. COMHOVER I UPKEEPOF BRIDGE I ENDED IT NETTING t Officials Representing City and Southern Railway t Settle Differences at a ! Conference Monday. BOTH SIDES ARE WELL PLEASED • Southern Will Build Abut ments Over the Trestle | to Prevent Sloughing at, Bridge in Future. An agreement has been reached in . the controversy between the City of i Concord and the Southern Railway Company in regard to tbe repairing j and maintenance of tbs concrete ov i erhead bridge, the approach to the . bridge and the wooden trestle, it was . said today. The agreement was reached at a call meeting of the board of aldermen of Concord held Monday night at . which meeting representatives of the railway company met with the aider men. Both Che city and the railway , company agreed to do certain things that they had not agreed on in the proposals of a settlement that had been made by both sides up to this Time. The board of aldermen in structed Mayor C. H. Barrier and B. E. Harris, clerk and treasurer, to sign the agreement in tbe name of the City. The city agreed: 1. To maintain the approadi lead ing on the west abutment of the con crete bridge, other than said creosoted /bridge over the railway's side track. 2. To provide or have provided by the State highway department neces sary guards or guard rails, as it may deem best, on the extension of West Depot street, leading from its connec tion with West Corbin street and run ning northwestwardly from Irish Buf falo Creek, thence to the west abut ment of Che concrete bridge over the Southern Railway’s right of way. 3. To keep in repair and do ordi nary maintenance required to tbe sur face of the roading constituting the street to the west end of the concrete bridge, across tbe same to the east end thereof, as it would keep qp the surface of its other streets of Cuu * .-■/.»-/ -,m* C.,; varncr-alis.„ , Tbe Southern: Railway Company agreed: 1 1. To pay, on presentation there of, bill of city for half of the cost of paving placed upon the surface of the concrete bridge over and across it. 2. To maintain the concrete struc ture and pay half of the cost of re pairing the surface of the street. 3. To construct and maintain the necessary concrete abutments at the east- end and the west end of the creo soted timber bridge over the side track. 4. To maintain and rebuild when necessary in the future the sub-struc ture including the floor system of the said creosoted timber bridge. 5. To pay half cost of surfacing over the creosoted timber bridge when it should be repaved. 6. To reimburse the city for the amount expended for temporary re pairs made by the city in December, 1926, in the surface of the street ap proach on the west side of the said bridge, due to the sloughing off of the fill for lack of abutments at either end of the creosoted timber bridge. . The agreement was signed by May or Barrier and B. E. Harris for the City of Concord and by H. W. Miller, vice president of the Southern Rail way Company, and W. S. Camp, as sistant secretary and treasurer of the Southern Railway Company, for the railroad. SENT RIGHT CARD TO WRONG SPOUSE Congratulations on Birth of a Child landed Him in Court. Philadelphia, Feb. I.—A card cori gratulating the wrong wife on the birth of a child led to the arrest, of Edward J. Ireland, 27, of Chester, 1 Pa., and his arraignment in court to day. He was faced by both wives, and was held under 2,600 bail for fur ther hearing. Mrs. Ireland who discovered her husband’s dual family life, said she was Miss Willi* Abernathy before she was married to Ireland in Green - ville, N. C., June 8, 1925-. Mrs. Ireland No. 2, to whom tbe baby was born, said she was Miss Su : sie Gay before she and Ireland were : wed at Roanoke Rapjds, N. C., Sep tember 19, 1025. > Ireland maintained homes for both - wives in this city. Both women said i he told them he was an insurance ; agent and had to leave on long trips. He divided the week eually between , both households, they said. Mrs. ' Ireland No. 2 with her baby left the i courtroom on the arm of Mrs. Ireland - No. 1. Coffey Will Plead Guilty. Lancaster, Wie„ Feb. 1. —Wil- i Ham N. Coffey, confessed slayer of his i second wife, Mrs. Hattie Hales, i waived preliminary hearing when ar f raigned today on a charge of murder. I He stated his willingness to plead . guilty. ) A special session of circuit court is - to be held Thursday afternoon at which ‘ Coffey ia expected to plead guilty and i accept sentence. r s Porter Richards, of Caldwell; , Kas., was elected constable on hi* s 21st birthday, when he cast his first nU. . .-- concord, n. c., Tuesday, February i, 1927 Says Reduction Bi Cotton Acreage Will Not Exceed Ten Per Cent The Tribune Bureau Sir Waller Hotel Raleigh, I.—The reduction in the cotton acreage in 1927 will not ' be more than 10 per cent., and the j economic outlook for the South- as a result is not encouraging, at least for those sections that continue to be largely dependent upon cotton. These figures have just been arrived at from a survey of farm conditions made in Washington and were made public to- J day by. Dr. G. W. Forster, agricultur al economist of State College here, just back from Washington where he assisted the government statisticians in making the survey. While the acreage in North Caro lina and some of the eastern cotton states will probably be reduced more than 10 per cent.—and wifi have toi be if the farmers expect to make any thing at all—these reductions will .more than be offset by the. Iprge in . crease in acreage that will be planted in Texas and Oklahoma where the cost of producing cottoft is far Below what it is in North Carolina, where it is not necessary to use fertiliser and where through the use of the “sledding" method of picking cotton ami the use of cotton picking ma chines, it is possible for one man to take care of from 150 to 200 acres of cotton. Thus cotton can be raised at a profit even if it sells for only 12 or 15 cents a pound. All of this in the face pf the {act that there will be a world carry-oyer of approximately 9,000,000 bales of cotton in 1927 does not present a very optimistic outlook, according' to Dr. Forster. But facts are facta and they must be faced—and better now than late*, he says. The cotton crop of 1926 amounted to 18,000,000 bales, according to the last government crop estimate—the largest crop on record. The carry over on August 1, 1926, was 5,760,- 000 bales and the consumption of American cotton in 1927 cannot ex ceed 15,000,000 bales, according to She most reliable estimates. Thus the carry-over of American cotton alone will be at least 9,000,000 bales, the largest on record. With but a 10 per cent, reduction FULL AGREEMENT ON DISARMAMENT QUESTION Negotiations Between Allies and Ger mans Ends in Full Agreement Pud icy. Paris, Feb. I.—CP)—Full agreement on the disarmament question which has been the subject of protract ed negotiations between the alUefe and Germany, was reached today”'* The. JtJHe/1 Coanell of Arabessa/kffv is working out a few remaining de- j tails, bpt all pending differences over: the military control of Germany have 1 been settled, and there are no prob-' lems to be turned over to the league of nations. The inter-allied military control commission now ceases to function, the league taking over the work of seeing that Germany complies with the disarmament provisions of the Versailles treaty. In broad lines the agreement calls for the destruction of fortifications at Kuestrin and Glogau, in Prussia, and 22 fortified works in the vicinity of Koenigsberg. The German govern ment solemnly affirms that no other fortifications exist except those ex pressly recognized by the allies, and engages not to construct others. THE COTTON MARKET Opened Steady at Unchanged Prices to Advance of 2 Points.—May Goes Up to 13 46. New York, Feb. I.—CP)—The cot ton maritet opened steady today at unchanged prices to an advance of 2 points. Trading was quiet. Prices fluctuated within a range of 3 or 4 points during the first hour. May con tracts ruling around 13.46 aud October 13.88, or within a point of yesterday's closing quotation. Private cables reported continental and Bombay buying, with Hedging light in the Liverpool market. Steadines of the English market was one of the sustaining factors locally, but failed to stimulate much buying as traders appeared to be waiting for developments in tbe southern spot markets, or more definite news of com ing crop prospects. Cotton futures opened steady: March 13.25; May 13.46; July 13.68; October 13.91; December 14.04. To Ring Curfew, on Flying Heels at Stroke of 13- High Point, Jan. 31.—A1l public dances in High Point will stop at midnight in the future, according to Mayor H. A. Moffit. The announce ment followed the last of a series of four torpaiuhorean events staged in connection with the futtoltdre exposi tion. The mayor made aq. exception of the four exposition dances in order that the visiting furniture men might be entertained more elaborate ly. The ruling by tbe mayor was made in the form of a new year's resolution in which he declared that prohibition of the post-midnight dances would benefit the young peo ple of the city. The Naur Goodyear Tire Triumphs. You can now buy a balloon tire with a tread that la safe, sure-footed and skidless under all conditions. It is the new Goodyear balloon tire with the new-type all-weather tread. This tire has majiy big advantages which are enumerated in a page ad. In this paper today. In ,thU tire the Goodytar, people advance the tire best suited to the needs and conditions of motoring. Head the ad. and find out aU about it. A San Francisco man seeking a di vorce claims that his wife gossiped him out •( fIT« homos is tight months. in the cotton acreage in 1927, accord ing to Dr. Forster, the 1927 crop will i then amonnt to not less than 14,000,- ; *K)O bales. This amount, plus the ' 0.000.000 bales carried over from l 1926, will give a total visible cotton • supply of 23,000,000 bales in 1927. : Added to this is tfhe fact that the ’ world's consumption of cotton will i likely be less in 1927 t'.ian it was in i 1926, with a corresponding decline in • the demand for cotton. Dr. Fonder f /ays. Further glooin is cast over - the situation by the prediction that I no appreciable increase in the pur i chasing power of either the United States or the lending European na : tjons is expected during 1927. * "Thus the outlook for cotton in / the *mtire eolith is most discourag jj iug," says Dr. Forster. ‘’Therefore •• we must urge that each individual : North Carolina farmer consider the ■ facts that have been presented to us by present conditions. The outlook 1 for southern agriculture in 1927 and , the years immediately ahead is not bright. The fact seems to be that the Smith is on the verge of an im ' pending agricultural revolution, the i effects of which on our social and economic conditions may be far-reaeh -1 ing. “Farmers have not yet generally learned to use the available informa tion on the supply and demand for the various crops they are producing and they act independently in ad justing their production to market de mands," Dr, Forster said, in giving an explanation of some of the reasons for present conditions. There is still : a feeling, too, that if another large crop is produce/I, Congress will step in and furnish relief through legisla tion, Dr. Forster says. When told of Dr. Forster’s state ments and estimates. Frank Parker, of the erop reporting service of the State department of agriculture and of the United States department of agriculture, declared that the federal survey along the same lines had not yet been completed and that hence he could not speak for the federal de triment. However, he said that there was already much in support of Dr. Forster's findings. 27 REBELS IN MEXICO 11 EXECUTED FOR MASSACRE • Paid With Lives For Slaying Small Federal Column on January 12th. \ j Mexico City, Feb. I.—CO—Twenty t seven rebels have been executed by the l military authorities in Oaxaca City rin reprisal for the massacre of a i small federal column which was anni j Uilated by rebels in San ‘Miguel el rWanSe dn -Jhmfary I2fh. + . - - j- The inhabitants of San Miguel re ' veiled and prepared to defend the | town against the federals, who were sent from Oaxaca. When the feder als rushed the rebels’ barricade, how ever, the rebel leaders hoisted a white flag, declaring there had been a mistake, and that they were fervent supporters of the government. The unsuspecting soldiers later were attacked while at rest in their bar racks, forty men being mercilessly butchered, and only one escaping. The lone survivor succeeded in communi cating with Caraca, and a strong mili tary column was sent to San Miguel. Thirty-two ring leaders were taken to Oaxaca and summarily court mnr tialed. All were executed but five who were spared because of their ages, four being sixty and one under 20. PRESIDENT SUPPORTED BY HOUSE COMMITTEE Foreign Relations Committee Approves His Nicaraguan-Mexiean Policy. Washington, Feb. I.—(A>)—By a vote of 0 to 5, the house foreign af fairs committee voted today to report the Fairchild resolution affirming the position taken by President Coolidge in the Xiearagua-Mexican situation. The vote was on party lines except that Representative Connolly, demo crat, Texas, joined with eight repub licans in the affirmative. He said i he was opposed to the resolution and voted as lie did because it would enable him to move to reconsider. He then made a motion that the vote be re considered, an? the committee became involved in a discussion over the rules. The Fairchild resolution would place the house on record as express ing “its full concurrence” with the President’s position. With Oar Advertisers. Read the new ad. today of the E. L. Morrison Lumber Co. All kinds of insurance handled by the Fetzer & Yorke Insurance Agen cy. Cabarrus Savings Bank building. Spring modes newly arrived at Rob inson's. The smartest styles in dress es and millinery. Nothing is left undone to make the service of the Wilkinson Funeral Home perfect. W. A. Overcash has the new spring Knppenheimer suits for your inspec tion. You can get $lO mattresses for on ■ ly $6.90 at the Concord Furniture Co. Two for $13.00. See ad. You will find the first spring styles at Fisher’s. Smartest mid-season hats are specially priced. Frocks and coats too, from $0.75 to $40.50. Extra values in ladles’, men's, boys’ 1 and children’s shoes at Efird’s. 1 Nickels, dimes and quarters soon 1 grow to large amounts if put in the 1 savings department of the Citizens Bank and Trust Company. / i - Myers -Sentenced to Prison. Tampa, Fla., Feb. I.—<A>)—Harvey ‘ Myers, of Covington, Ky., president, ’ of the defunct West Coast Jockey 1 Club, was sentenced to one year in jail by Judge W. Raleigh Pettaway of the criminal court of Hillsborough ■ County today, following his convic -1 tlon on charges of conspiracy to vio - late the state gambling lavra. BUDGET AND REVENUE ; BILLS TO COME OUT ; ALMOSTUNSCATHED ! The Two Bills Will Be Sent Back to the Legislature Almost Like They Were When Introduced. 1 ONLY MINORS CHANGES MADE i I The Twin Bills Seem to Have Been Balanced as They Were Introduced in General Assembly. BY HENRY LESESNE International News Service Staff Correspondent. Raleigh, Feb: I.—The administra tion’s budget appropriations and rev enue bills will find their way out com mittee rooms late this week—unsca thed. The two bills will be sent back to the Legislature looking very much like they did when they were intro duced a few weeks ago. After being subjected to weeks of microscoptic serunity, it is believed that only minor changes, if any at all, will be evident when they are turned back to the General Assembly. At a time when the balls have been before the finanoe and appropriations committees for four weeks, the com mitties have indicated no inclination to seriously alter the original drafts prepared by Governor Angus W. Mc- Lean and his Advisory Budget Com mission. The maintenance measure, trans mitted in the Governor's message, has been torn down and pieced together again by the appropriations commit tee, with no noticeable changes, while the reveuue bill has undergone the exacting study of the finance com mittee. A multiplicity of state department and institution heads, together with other interested parties, has appeared before the committees, clamoring for allowances above those recommended by the Governor and the Budget Com mission. To all of which, the committees have not turned a deaf ear, but all the time, ostensibly, marveled at the liberality of the Chief Executive's recommendations. A One reason why the cothniittees are apparently thinking twice before slash ing or increasing any of the recom mended appropriations is because of the fact that the twin bills are balanc ed so prettily as they stand. To alter one of the bils would upset the balance which the Governor and the Budget Commission took enreful pains, and also considerable time, to make it tally exactly. To boost appropriations would, nec essarily, mean an increase somewhere in one of the tax tables. If, however, the appropriations committee would make some slashes instead of increases, the excess reveuue would go into the “Surplus.’ However, it has been pointed out, the appeals' of the numerous depart ment and institution heads is not so glooomy, after all. It would be pos sible to reduce certain appropriations and increase others without seriously disturbing the balance, and arousing the disfavor of Governor McLean. But, even though the twin bills get to the floor of the General Assembly practically intact, they will have a stormy route to travel before they are enacted, it is regarded as practically certain. Hints of a combat over the equal izing fund already are prevalent. These “Insurgents” would advocate a bigger equalizing fund than the Governor and the Budget Commission have re commended. The amount recommended is ex actly $2,(500,000. The divided report of the Governor’s Education Commis sion pointed out the necessity of a $4,000,000 fund. The 1927 General Assembly now is in its fifth week, with no state-wide bill ready for ratification. However, introductions of bills dur ing the first four weeks of the ses sion have been heavy. In the House, 116 bills have been dropped in the hopper, while the Senate has produced only 43. The House has passed 55 -bills, and the Senate 50. Oarlotte Contractor Ends His Owe, Life in Florida. Fort Meyers, Fla., -lan. 31.—E. O. Little, of Charlotte, N- C., general ■ Contractor, committed suicide today at Naples, by shooting himself with a revolver. A coroner’s jury ueld : that he "took his own life while . temporarily insan.” , Little had been building stations for the Atlantic Coast line at Naples - and other towns along its new ex tensions from Fort Meyers, Rela i tlves here could ascribe no motive i for the act, but business associates [ said it was reported that Little had been in financial difficulties for - some time. , Soya Stole Has 20.000 Mental De fectives. » Kinston, Jan. 31.—There are 20,- 000 mental defectives in North Caro lina, Dr. Harvey Dixon, superintend ent of the Caswell Training School, r estimates. The percentage is not t greater than in other states. “Tlious r ands of these arp on the border line i of feeb’.e-mindedness,” according to t the eugenist. “Many have families, i They are npt troublesome cases as a - rule. There are more mental de - factives among farm tenants than any other class, I believe.” ’ CANTONESE DECLINE TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH THE ©g Negotiations Halted Be-’ cause British Are Now Concentrating Troops at Shanghai. iWANT THE TROOPS MOVEMENT HALTED Eugene Chen, Cantonese Foreign Minister, Op posed to Coming of More British Troops. Hankow, China, Feb. I.—Negotia tions between the Cantonese and Brit ish here for a new agreement to take) the place of the treaties now in effect between China and Great Britain were broken off today by Eugene Chen, Can tonese foreign minister. Chen, who had been negotiating with the British charge d'affaires O’Malley, refused to sign the agree ment proposed by the British as long as armed forces of England are con centrating at Shanghai. CALLES ORDERS PRIEST& MASSED IN MEXICO CITY All Catholic Clerics in Rebel Area of Ten States Must Report in Capital in 30 Days, Thereafter to Be Kept Watch of Dally. v Mexico City, Feb. I.—On pain of being classed as rebels, all Catholic priests in the ten' states which com prise the revolutionary area in Mex ico must report in person within thirty days to the authorities in Mexico City. Thereafter a daily record of their pres ence will be kept by the government. The Calles government justifies this -unprecedented action by chargiug the priests are involved in Rene Capistran Garza's Catholic rebellion and are in citing their flocks to revolt. Pjiests have been found among the dead after battles with insurgents, the war of fice reports, and the government fee's it must keep all priests under sur veillance. The Catholic Episcopate denies the charges and retorts that the new order is another instance of government per secution. There now are in Mexico several hundred priests who have heen called here by the Episcopate to pro tect them from molestation. Most of the bishops long since have come to the capital. BROWNING DENIES ALL CHARGES BY “PEACHES” Says He Did Not Strike Her or Do Things to Make Life “Unbearable for Her.” White Plains, N. Y„ Feb. I.—(A s ) Flat denials of his wife's charges of cruelty with embroiderings of his kind ness, affection and prodigal generosity toward her featured the appearance today on the witness stand of Ed ward W. Browning, the New York realtor, in his separation suit against the former Frances “Peaches” Heen an. *T certainly did not strike Peaches at any time, or at any place,” he de clared. “I bought her everything she want ed." he said. At no time, he declared, d'd ho ever “jump about the floor ike a monkey” ! or make strange noises, s . off alarm clocks at his wife's bedside o in other ways make life “unbear: b e for her.” SULLIVAN CLAIMS HE HAS CONQUERED CHANNEL Says He Swam From Santa Catalina Islands to Long Beach, California. Long Beach, Calif., Feb. I.—C4 5 ) — the municipal observer on Pine Ave nue Pier, here stated that Henry F. Sullivan, of Lowell, Mass., landed on the pier here about 8 o'clock this morning, declaring that he had swam the San Pedro channel from Santa Catalina Island in 22 hours and 45 minutes. Sullivan disappeared in the direction of his hotel after climbing onto the pier. Sullivan, who .conquered the Eng lish Channel several years ago, but failed in the recent island- marathon race, won by George Young, of To ronto, had been quietly training here for the last fortnight in preparation for another attempt at the Channel . crossing. Duke University Honors Joseph G. Brown. Durham, Jan. 31. —With the cam pus flag floating at half mast, and with the community saddened by a loss which seems in many ways a very personal one, Duke university today paid silent tribute to the mem ory of Joseph G. Brown, president of the Duke board of trustees, who died at his home in Raleigh yesterday. President Few with other officials and many members of the faculty and student body, attended the fun eral this afternoon, and many floral tributes were sent from the univer sity. Mr. Brown entered Trinity college in 1871, became a member of the board of trustees in 1903, and lmd served as president of the board since 1917. Marlborough Joins Catholic Chareh. London, Feb. 1.-— VP) —The Duke -of Marlborough, whose marriage to > the former Oonsueio Vanderbilt was . recently annulled by the Pope, was i received into the Catholic Church to ■ day. Tfye ceremony was held in the i Chapel of the Archbishop’s house at Westminster. THE TRIBUNE PRINTS 1 TODAY’S NEWS TODAW NO. 21 AMERICANS FLEEINf FROM DANGER ZONES INTERIOR CHINA ! Many Missionaries Are Jitr •I eluded in the Scores if 1 Americans Seeking Out Places of Safety. NAVAL FORCES ARB. MOVING NEARER i American Forces After F<% sitions That Will Maks Them Effective in Ren dering Assistance. Washington, Feb. I.—(/P)—Ajneri . can refugees including many mission ) aries are fleeing in increasing uqm bers from the danger zones of interW China to the seacoast cities, and Dilip ed States naval forces are moving er to the theatre of war to ajford them any protection that might be Admiral. C. W. Williams, oommajUfr er of the Asiatic fleet, has reported: m the navy department that many Aqntjp’ iean citizens acting on t'ae advice American Minister MacMprray ft Peking have begun an evacuation of interior Chinese provinces because of movements of Cantonese forces, while Shanghai dispatches report a general missionary exodus from almost evefy province under nationalist control, dhe to anti-foreign agitation and hostile student mobs and soldiery. Meanwhile two American destroy ers are en route to Shanghai for nag; sible emergency use. t The fourth regiment of marine* ft full war strength also is preparing |§| what appeal's to be an early departure from San Diego for a Far Easidm destination. It will be under JM"' command of Col. Charles E. HHL-Ju Some of the Chinese cities which Americans are hurrying places of safety are Chung Kfang, Chang Sha, Szechwan and FoocMSR . At Hankow and Nanking, American consuls have warned Americans to leave. Those in Amoy, Swatow and Canton have been concentrated at places which could be evacuated on a moment's notice. The United States ship Monocacy which is standing by at Szechwan dur ing that city's evacuation, has report ed that 104 Americans and 165 Ilrit i fidi are unaccounted for by American consular and nnval authorities seeking to send them out of the interior of China. Fifty-one Americans and thirty-four British have left Szechwau while forty Americans and 170 British are expect ed to arrive at Chungkiiang, another ■ evacuation center, within ten days. , DETAILS OF WILD RIDE COME TO THE LIQRf Exciting Pursuit of Supposed Rum Runners Described; Car Wrecked. Charlotte, Jan. 31. —Details of a wild ride through the hills al'ohg the North Carolina-Virginia border, in cluding the deliberate Nvreeking of. one automobile by an alleged rum-runner, abandonment of another while running at high speed when a prohibition of ficer leaped onto the running board were disclosed here today with 'issu ance of a seizure warrant for the two automobiles. The cars '-.ere seized January 22, when Fred Breen of Greensboro was arrested in the hills north of Leaks ville and released under S3OO bond. John S. Funk prohibition agent, and two assistants lay in wait on tfee Martinsville, Va., road near the State line. Two cars came aloug. The dff agents gave chase. They overtook tlia second car and Funk leaped to thp running board, according to the stalky told here. The man in the car leaped out leaving it to run wild. Funk matt aged to stop the car and then BOVS chase with his own machine to the other. As the dry agent was about to over take the second car the driver 1b al leged to have deliberately run it oy» an 80 foot embankment and wreeggg it. Breen was arrested soon af]s)» ward. William P. Parsons Dead. , Wadesboi-o, Jan. 31.—Williams P. Parsons. Mayor of Wadesboro und president of the First National bank of IVadosboro, died Monday morning about 3:30 o’clock. Mr. Parsons, suf fered a serious heart attack last summer and was critically ill. Ho r& covered sufficiently to attend to bis affairs but his. health remained precarious, and about 10 days ago ha I was again stricken. ‘ Pl«h Colored Hose With Wort Socks, Asheville, Feb. I— (lNS) — L est they be forgotten while girl students , of the school are attracting no much I attention by the donning of colored hose with wool socks on top, , the Hall Fletcher High School boys . have adopted a fad too. Swathing, every boy’s neck or dangling from hi* ■’ I high pocket Is, to be seen a gay' Sfegii . danna handkerchief, displaying to tty* fullest effect its brilliant red or blm( , background with figures in yellow lift; i “As long as the girls wsar Solti- I we are going to wear the boys declared with no uncertain inephasis. » WEATHER FORECAST. • s Increasing cloudiness, probably I- lowed by occasional rain in e t : on tonight and Wednesday ;, HIE temperature. Variable winds beeoife ing moderate south. '3M