a
h ifiglflaniia iflarntrian
LIBERAL WDEPEJVDEJVT
PROGRESSIVE
VOL. XLIX, NO. 39
FRANKLIN, N. C THURSDAY, SEPT. 27, 1934
$150 PER YEAR
W tO OIM MOT
MMmwi
450 ON RELIEF
ROLLS DROPPED
Emergency Work Ordered
Discontinued in
Rural Areas
All emergency relief projects in
the rural districts of North Caro
lina are to be discontinued imme
diately, according to an announce
ment received from the office in
Raleigh of Mrs. Thomas vO'Berry,
state relief administrator.
The announcement i said this ac
tion was prompted by the fact that
hundreds of calls for farm labor
were being received daily and it
was felt that emergency relief was
no longer necessary, at least during
the harvest season.
Drop 450 in Macon
This order means the dropping
from emergency relief lists in Ma
con county, it was stated at local
relief headquarters, of approximate
ly 450 persons and the discontin
uance of relief funds amounting to
approximately $4,000 a month. All
relief projects, includmgjhe sewing
room recently established for the
employment of women, are to be
dropped. No direct relief, it was
Stated, will be given those listed as
"employable." Less than 20 per
sons on the Macon county relief
list are classified as "unemployable,"
or unable to work. Relief for
them will continue as hitherto, it
was stated, unless there is some
one in their family who can take
care of them adequately. 1
Removal from relief rolls in the
state of all farm workers classified
as "employables" was ordered by
Mrs. O'Berry to take effect not lat
er than Sept. 26.
Work Now Available
"During the height of the har
vesting season," the state admin
istrator said, "when the need for
additional farm workers is so' ur
gent, the need for work projects
and direct relief to care for unem
ployed people is reduced to the
minimum.
"With few exceptions, we are
suspending all work projects in the
rural areas (Macon county is class
ed as rural) and removing farm
laborers from relief rolls in order
that farmers and others offering
private employment may be as
sured adequate help during the har
vest season."
Work projects to be excepted, it
was stated, are those dealing with
the handling of the 100,000 cattle
brought into the state from the
drought-stricken areas of the Mid
West and the canning projects.
Mrs. O'Berry said discontinuance
of work projects and removal of
employable people from relief rolls
was in line with the administra
tion's general policy of rehabilita
tion. "We make every effort," she add
ed, "to see that our relief clients
return to private employment where
they may continue in the work in
which they have been trained, or
work which they have been ac
customed to do, when the employ
ment is available. We believe that
employment is now available to the
large majority of farm workers on
our rolls."
Browning To Speak
At 2 Meetings Saturday
Vance Browning of Bryson City,
Democratic nominee for state sen
ator in the 33rd senatorial district,
is scheduled to speak at two meet
ings in Macon county Saturday.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon he
is to be the principal speaker at a
meeting sponsored by the Young
Democratic clubs of the county in
the courthouse. There also will-be
other speakers.
At 8 o'clock Saturday night Mr.
Browning will speak again at a
meeting of the Iotla Young Demo
cratic club in the Iotla school.
Vanct Fouts, president of the Iotla
club, said arrangements had been
made for a program of string
music.
Inspect Streams
Biologists Making Fish
Purvey of County
A party of four biologists of the
federal bureau of fisheries started
a survey of Macon county streams
this week to determine how many
fish each stream can accommodate
and what species of fish is most
adaptable for each body of water.
Robert B. Burrows is. chief of
the party and his associates are A.
D. Holloway, E. J. Dinzler and Er
nest Welch.
One of the first streams examin
ed was the Cullasaja river. A mem
ber of the party said - it was one
of the finest trout streams he had
seen in the Nantahala forest. The
upper reaches, he said, are best
suited for brook trout, while below
the Highlmands dam the water is'doned; 15,460 acres less severely
more suitable for rain tow trout.
He recommended small mouth bass
for the lower end of the river.
The party will spend two weeks
in this county, making Franklin us I
headquarters. It plans to make a!
study of all the principal streams
in the Nantahala forest area in Ma-
con county. A similar survey oi
the streams on the eastern slopes
of the forest was recently com
pleted. Parish Supper
Episcopalians Discuss
Plans for Winter
With 40 persons present, a parish
supper for the congregation of St.
Agnes Episcopal church was held
Tuesday night at) Trimont Tn.
Elans for the church's activities
during the coming winter were dis
cussed. Reports were made by the rector,
the Rev. Frank Bloxham, the
church treasurer, Mrs. W. H. Sell
ers, and by the president of the
Woman's Auxiliary. Mrs. J. W.
Cantey Johnson.
The congregation approved plans
for holding morning services at 11
a. m. the first three Sundays of
the month and evening services on
the last Sunday of each month at 8
p. m. Morning services will be
held at Highlands at 11 a. m. the
last Sunday of each month, and af
ternoon services on other Sundays.
Mr. Bloxham will conduct a Bible
class at St. Agnes each Wednesday
night and the Young People's Ser
vice League of k the church is to
meet each Sunday night.
Albert Made Supervisor
Of Ocala Forest
Frank A. Albert, for the past
year assistant supervisor of the
Nantahala National Forest, has
been tranasferred to Lake City,
Fla., where he will serve as super
visor of the Ocala National Forest.
Mr. Albert was with the Ocala for
est before coming to Franklin.
"Bob" Barnett Dies
At Home Near Aquone
Robert L. Barnett, 52, prominent
farmer of the Aquone section, died
at 8 o'clock Monday morning at
his home after an illness of several
months.
The body was taken to Bull
Creek cemetery, near Mars Hill in
Madison county, for burial. Mr.
Barnett formerly lived in Madison
county. Surviving are his widow
and several brothers.
Mr. Barnett, known to many sim-1
ply as "Bob" Barnett, had a wide
circle of friends. He had the repu
tation of being a good fisherman
and guide and sportsmen frequent
ly visited his home in the Aquone
section.
Longest Police Beet
The longest beat in Britain ex
tends over the 93,000 acres of the
New Forest, and is patroled by two
leaf-green coated policemen, who
report all transgressors of the for
est laws to the 1,000-year old Court
of Swainmote.
Macon County Land Badly
Damaged by Soil Erosion,
Report by Expert Reveals
Many thousands of acres of land
in Macon county have been se
riously damaged by erosion, accord
ing to a report just made public
by the Soil Erosion Service of the
United States Department of In
terior following a survey of soil
conditions in the 10 westernmost
counties of North Carlina by W.
D. Lee, soil specialist.
Out of a total area in this coun
ty of 332,800 cres, mostly in forest
land, 25,400 acres were reported
seriously eroded; 9,680 acres aban-
eroded, and 7,140 acres eroded to
nly a slight degree.
Mr. Lee said the section most se
riously damaged by erosion is the
valley of the Little Tennessee river,
The report indicates that erosion
in the 10 western counties investi-
8ated by Mr. Lee is worse than ex-
pected. Out of a total area of
upwards of 2,800,000 acres, about
215,000 acres are reported very se
riously eroded with gullies, and an
additional 210,000 acres of formerly
productive land are abandoned due
to excessive erosion.
Around 60,000 acres in Buncombe
county are severely eroded with
tM EXPECTED
AT RALLY HERE
Both Reynolds and Hoey
Accept Invitations
To Speak
Clyde R. Hoey, of Shelby, regard
ed as a likely candidate for gover
nor two years hence, and Senator
Robert R. Reynolds have definitely
accepted invitations to speak at a
Democratic rally and barbecue to
be held here Saturday, October 6,
under the sponsorship of the
Young People's Democratic clubs
of the eleventh congressional dis-
trict.
Congressraan Zeb Weaver,
Democratic nominee for reelection,
also is expected to be present to
address the gathering.
John W. Edwards, chairman of
the Young Democratic organization
in the district and in charge of
plans for the barbecue, said plans
were being made to accommodate a
crowd of 2,500 persons. The bar
becue will be held back of the
Franklin school. Barbecued beef,
mutton and pork will be served.
Juniors To Hold
Memorial Service Oct. 14
A memorial service for members
of the Junior Order of the Unitel
American Mechanics who have died
in the past year will be conducted
by the various Macon county coun
cils of the order at the Sugar
Fork Baptist church on Sunday,
October 14.
Arrangements for the service are
being handled by a committee com
posed of J. L. Higdon, of the Hig-
donville council; B. W. Justice, of
j the Mill Shoals council, and Jack
Stribling of the Franklin council.
An all-day program is planned,
Mr. Stribling said, and those at
tending are requested to bring pic
nic luinches. The program is open
to the public.
Rev. J. L. Moore Holds
Service Here
The Rev. J. L. Moore, a native of
this county but who has been
liviner at Lake Wales. Fla., for
o - '
some years, came to Franklin last
week for a visit with friends and
relatives.
Besides being a Baptist minister,
Rev. Mr. Moore is an orange grow-
deep gullies; Haywood county is
second with 33,500 acres, and Ma
con county third with 25,000 acres.
Buncombe county also leads in
area of land abandoned, having 28,
000 acres of untenable land. Jack
son county follows Buncombe with
17,500 acres, and Cherokee county
comes third with 16,385 acres aban
doned. The survey is part of a state
wide survey being made to deter
mine the general land condition in
North Carolina. A similar study is
being made in every state by the
Department of the Interior, and on
completion a report will be prepar
ed for presentation to congress this
winter.
In addition to the severity of
erosion and wasteland the report
brings out areas of cultivated, idle
tillable, open pasture, and forest
land, and the topography, according
to Dr. T. H. Stallings. regional
director of the Soil Erosion Ser
vice with headquarters in High
Point, N. C.
The 10 mountain counties in
cluded in this report are Macon.
Rnnrombe. Transvlvania, Clay,
Swain. Jackson. Henderson. Chero
kee. Graham, and Haywood.
2 ORDERED HELD
IN NORTON CASE
No Bond Allowed Pending
Trial of Bradshaw
And Howard
Herbert Bradsjiaw and Edgar
Howard were ordered held without
bond for trial, at the November
term of Macon county superior
court on a charge of murder at
the conclusion of a preliminary
hearing Saturday morning before
Magistrate Sam Murray. The two
men had been arrested September
10 by Sheriff Slagle and Deputy
John Dills in connection with the
mysterious death of Thomas
"Brack" Norton, whose body was
found early in the morning of Aug
ust 21 sprawled on the concrete
paving of highway No. 285 near the
Blackbird filling station.
The courtroom was crowded to
capacity for the hearing. Both de
fendants pled not guilty.
The principal witness was Sam
Howard, who testified he saw two
men carry Norton's body to the
highway and leave it there. Mr.
iiuiViiui, oil mine ui i ,ui;di J.11UW- i c Arifl e
r . t t j . ..'discount of $3,490, meaning a prof
ard, one of the defendants, said .x , . . .. ,
' .. . , . ' . . it of that much to the county,
some roasting ears had been stolen i . . " Jr..
t l- r u v j Total assets of the county wer
from his cornfield bordering the'. ' , . . . ,.
. . . , . .... ... r I listed as $267,127.20 and total h
highway and he had hidden in the ...... . ,L,rrftr i .i
field in an effort to catch thieves
A chicken roast was in progress at
the house of Howard several hun
dred yards distant. The chicken
roast broke up about midnight, Sam
tr a ituA u " -s.-..a
... 1 . i tt
na nar vuices ai ine piace. nc
heard blows struck, he added, and
then heard someone cry out,
"Don't, Ed, don't." A little later,
he said, he recognized Ed Howard's
voice calling, "Don't leave me."
Howard said he recognized one of
the men carrying Norton's body as
Bradshaw.
Sheriff Slagle told of finding
blood stains at the house where the
chicken roast was held.
The defendants were represented
at the hearing by Jones and Jones,
R. D. Sisk and J. Horner Stockton.
J. Frank Ray and George Patton
represented the prosecution.
er and has a large orchard at Lake
Wales.
Last Sunday he preached at the
First Baptist church of Franklin in
the absence of the pastor, the Rev.
E. R. Eller, who is in a hospital at
Winston-Salem.
BOND DEFAULTS
TOTAL
County Has Book Surplus
Despite Debt Service
Arrearages
A default of $70,260 on county
and township bonds as of June 30,
last, is reported in an audit of the
county's books made public this
week. The audit was made by R.
C. Birmingham, certified public ac
countant of Charlotte, for the past
fiscal year.
This default, the audit reveals,
exists in spite of the fact that the
books show a "fund surplus" of
$166,47125. This "fund surplus,"
one discovers after close examina
tion, is a book estimate of what
the county's clear and unincumber
ed assets would be if it could col
lect all the taxes, notes and other
accounts due it.
Tax Delinquencies
Delinquent taxes comprise the
largest item listed in the county's
assets, and these date back to 1925.
Mr. Birmingham's report lists
these delinquent taxes precisely as
follows :
1925 $2,261.39; 1926 - $16,328.96;
1927 $8,198.61 ; 1828, 1929 and 1930
-$88,224.32; 1931-$28,981.60; 1932
$1,357.46; sundry taxes Franklin
township $656.02; sundry taxes El
lijay township $339.70; making a
total of $149,348.06.
Besides this the county is due
$35,882.62 on land sale certificates
for the years 1925, 1926, 1927 and
1932. No land sale certificates are
listed for the years between 1927
and 1932 because there has been
no sale of land for delinquent taxes
for those years, amounting to
$117,205.92.
Certificates Missing
The audit also discloses that some
of the land sale certificates for
1925 and 1927 are missing. These
are listed as "not on file unlocat
ed" and amount to a total of
$5,465.17.
Unpaid taxes for 1933 were listed
as "current" and totaled $42,625.94.
After setting up a reserve fund of
$36,087.96, contingent upon adjust
ments in final settlement of delin
quent taxes, the auditor reported
that the total amount due for taxes
was $191,768.66.
Tax notes receivable were listed
at $5,072.70; sinking fund invest
ment at $6,629.57; and notes held
by the county in connection with
liquidation of its deposit in the
Bank of Franklin, as $31,955.27.
Profit for County
The audit also disclosed that
during the year the county com
missioners had retired $9,000 in
bonds which were not yet doc.
These bonds were bought at a
abilities at $100,655.95, leaving the
estimated "fund surplus" of $166,
471.25. The county remained within its
budget for 1933-34, closing the year
with a total operating and budget
surplus of $1,942.78. On Tune 30
.. . , , , . .
the treasury showed a cash balance
of $10,711.
In concluding his report, Mr.
Birmingham commented :
"The affairs of the county under
the present administration have
been very ably, efficiently and
economically carried out: especially
is this true under the present day
economic conditions prevailing
throughout the country.
"All books and records of the
funds audited were excellently
maintained throughout the year."
Box Sunoer Planned at
Lower Tesenta School
A box and novelty supper is to
be held at the school house on low
er Tesenta at 8 o'clock Friday
night, Ocotber 5. Good music will
be a feature of the occasion. Every
one is invited to attend.
$70260