.CAPITAL REPORTER
(Continued From Page 4)
boys on their toes, and believes
he i* cutting out graft—petty or
otherwise. He pays for his own
meals at prisons. He has notified
all hands that anyone caught
“borrowing” a ham or otherwise
helping themselves to prison
goods or. equipment will be prose
cuted. And he constantly makes
surprise personal checks on
camps to see how they are ope
rated.
Apparently, the former Win
ston-Salem police chief is the
man for the job.
Drafting of doctors in North
Carolina apparently is hitting
hardest where doctors are most
needed. From reports across the
State, the first call seemed to hit
the rural sections or small towns
where they had only one or two
doctors.
Any doctor who get his train
ing at government expense should
be ready and willing to repay his
country by entering the service.
But there has been a dearth of
“country doctors” for a long
time. It seems ironical that the
young men who entered general
practice where they were most
heeded should be the first to get
the nod.
While on the medical subject,
let's toss a few orchids to the
doctors for the plan to give a
half-million dollars to aid in
training of more doctors. It’s a
shame they didn't use their mil
lion-dollar anti-socialized medi
cine propaganda campaign money
for the same purpose.
While ' opposing socialized medi
cine, several Tar Heel doctors
have told me that they realize
the problem of providing medical
attention is becoming acute. And
they admit that it’s up to the
medical profession to do some
thing about it.
It comes back to the same
thing. If you don’t want the gov
ernment stepping: in on the job,
you have to do it yourself—and
you can always do it better and
cheaper. The sooner everyone
realizes this and quits sticking:
their hands out to Uncle Sam and
to State government, the better
off we’ll all be.
The telephone companies are
doing all right in the raise-get
ting field. Recently the Utilities
Commission has granted a num
ber of boosts. Last week, for ex
ample, the Western Carolina Tel
ephone Co. of Franklin was al
lowed an $8,000-a-year boost in
gross income. The Norfolk and
Carolina Telephone & Telegraph
Company of Elizabeth City got a
raise of $52,000 gross income,
which will add $25,000 a year' to
its net take—and raise rates in
Elizabeth City, Hertford, Eden
ton and Manteo.
And by the time you read this
Southern Bell and Carolina Tele
phone company both will have
been allowed boosts. Southern
Bell asked $3,000,000 but will not
get more than 76 per cent of that,
if that much. Carolina wanted
another million and a quarter, but
that was lowered.
The boosts are being granted
on the basis of added investments
in the companies. They are just
ified on the basis of the company
getting a certain percentage re
turn on its total investment.
Not being a wizard in high fi
nance. it doesn’t make sense to
me.
For example, and this is a hy
pothetical case:
It seems to me that if you’re
getting a return of one dollar
each per telephone that you’ll get
the same rate of return no mat
ter whether you add to your in
vestment by adding 1,000 more
telephones or not.
In other words, if the company
is valued at $1,000,000 and has
10,000 phones, the rate is set so
that these brine in a return of
around six and one*half per rent.
If you spend another $100,000 and
add another 1,000 phones, it would
seem that the same rate on these
additional telephones wouldTflffft
in the same percentage.
But, of course, dumb me didn’t
add in all the “depreciation,” the
“lower value of the dollar,” and
all the other gimmicks that a big
corporation can dream up to clip
the customers.
In the past, the Utilrfies^Com
mission granted a rasi<* and for
got about it until the company
asked for another boost. With
the expanded personnel, it now
hopes - to tlreck at the end of each
year and see whether or not the
companies are imking the ‘‘■‘small
profit” they claim or not.
One road-building contractor
got caught trying to put down
a road that didn't meet specifi
cations recently. He was resur
facing a strip on one of the more
widely - traveled eastwest high
ways. He didn’t see fit to put as
thick a coating on it as he was
supposed to, but a sharp-eyed
Highway Department inspector
eaught him. He had to go back
and put down another layer. Est
imated cost -— out of his own
pocket—because he didn't do It
right the first time varies from
$60,000 to $100,000.
An then, this same contractor
was reported as saying that he
had "been getting by with It” for
the past 10 years.
Maybe the Highway pepart
meat needs a few more sharp
eyed inspectors.
Big corporations are expecting
the excess profits tax and are do
ing something about it There’s
a flood of applications for new
corporations going through Sec
retary of State Thad Eure’s of
fice these days. Many of them
have identical names on them. In
other words, one big corporation
would have to pay a big excess
tax. But if it divides into three
small ones, splitting profits, it
will pay smaller excess taxes—if
any. The individual taxpayer
still is hooked, though.
nfY\4AMj. (SJk^bwu&l
The kissing branch is hanging high,
The mantel’s banked ioith pine;
And clear against the frosted pane
, The Christmas candles shine.
Far off the church bells bless the air
^ With wind-blown, silv’ry chime;
May Joy and Peace be with ds all
This happy Christmastime!
MAUREEN MURDOCH
(CAROLINA POWER *T7gHT COMPANYj
CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
Once again sweet memories of
the Christ-Child,
Bom so long ago in Bethlehem,
Fill the hearts and minds of those
who lore Him,'
As' they think what all this
means to them.
Once again we hear the angel’s
message
To a lowly maiden, meek and
mild,
“Mary, thou shalt bear a son,
called Jesus,
For the Savior shall He be, this
precious child.
Once again we see the caravan
winding
Down the crowded streets of
Bethlehem town.
No more places for two* weary
pilgrims, «
Only stable cold to lay them
down.
There, amid the straw, that
night, in darxness,
Mary brought her first-born into
being.
But He was the Savior, all di
vine.
Then we hear some other angels
singing,
“Peace on earth, good will to
every one.”
And the memories come a-throng
ing, sweet and tender,
Of the Baby born that night,
God’s only Son.
So we think again today of all
its meaning.
Rich and precious, beautiful and
rare.
Some day we shall see Him, nqt
a baby,
But a King, and He will reign
here, everywhere.
And we look with eyes of faith
toward our redemption.
Drawing nearer as the Christmas
comes again;
Manger lowly, Babe so helpless
but remember.
He is King, and we adore and
worship him.—Amen.
—Blanche S. Doming.
Purchase Union Label gifts
and make it a very Merry Christ
WOULD BAN RUSSIAN
MAOE GOODS IN U. S.
LAFAYETTE, IND — Backing:
up the action -taken by the 194?
international convention of the
Retail Clerks International As
i
sociation AFL, barring Commun
ists or any other subversive ele
ments from membership or of
ficial position in the RCIA-AFL,
James A. Suffridge, secretary
treasurer, has denounced the1
continued importation of Rua-!
sian-made goods, including mer
chandise and commodities froor
Red-dominated satellites.
Your economic security dunnsc
your working years depend*
upon your buying only from firm*
which display the Union Label,
Shop Card and Union Button.
Service Distributing Co.
Incorporated
\
J. R. Heldermon, President
Distributors of
Gasoline, Kerosene, Fuel Oil
and Motor Oil
MAIN OFFICE
Phone 1T80
Albemarle, North Carolina
Ailubin, N. C.
Concord, N. C.
Iwlmtow, N. c.
LA-ill^ U
Wt V*
Nifh Point, N. C
Vwlw® V*Vt9| rl«
Hickory, N. C.
Groontboto, N. C.
Statesville, N. C.
Salisbury, N. C
RandWmaa, N. C.
Tray, N. C
Wodatboro, N. C
Cfcarlatta, N. C<
TbowsrWIa, N. C
ianaiisnlMs k| #»
■ vJWWtNI9| n» v«
Paratf City, N. C
Winston-Salem. N. C
9
I jWia
mj
to ImU a um&L
says
famous movio star and wife of
director John Farrow
Pkotoeropfctd kit Moy I VOGUC*
“The* are my children Michael, Patrick, Maria, John, Prudence, and Stephanie**
In tome homes, children say their
prayers at their mother’s bedside. In
our home, my mother said her prayers
at my bedside. She was a deeply re
ligious woman. She took rae to church
every' Sunday. And she never tired of
teilmg rae that the happiest of all
• women is the one who has discovered
the Kingdom within. Certainly nay
mother’s lovingncss’ and firm sweet
ness showed she had discovered the
Kingdom within. She had strength
and peace of heart that made her
glow with happiness. Even strangers
quickly saw it. And she used to say:
‘If you know right from wrong ... if
you learn to taste the joy—and the
discipline—of knowing God, you will
know love and happiness all your life.’
“This it what we ate trying to give
our children--almost from the time
they are able to walk. So when our
friends say they are thinking of not
sending their children to church until
they are old enough to understand
and make up their own minds, John
and 1 cannot agree with them.
“How else will a growing child
acquire the strong sense of moral right
and wrong that will lead him to happi
ness ?Only our churches can teach him.
“John and I honestly feel that even
with our strong religious backgrounds,
there are still many questions of right
and wrong that perplex us; (And as
every parent knows, there are many—
not only those that arise in the home,
but also from neighbors, schools,
dubs.) And especially with moral
values fluctuating as they are doing
in the world today, we want our chil
dren to have the guidance and forti
tude that only the Church can give
them. We know it ourselves. And
how incalculably it has helped us!**
ifiJu tjou/i jyi&lhiiiA'tc Cluuick, i!uj t'xJc
Wj®L0H4 iccwi ihm, ihtACl