VOLUME
THE PILOT
NUMBER
Devoted to the Upbuilding of Vass and Its Surrounding Country
SUBSCRIPnON $2.00
VASS, N. €., FRIDAY, DECEMBER-2, 1921
PRICE FIVE CENTS
THAT BLACKAT BATTERY
Mr. L. F. Hartsell, of Cameron, was
in to see us this week and gave The
Pilot an order for advertising mat
ter, stationery, etc., for the Blackat
Battery Co., a company recently or
ganized at Cameron. Mr. Hartsell is
well fitted to be president and general
manager of this company, being a
pioneer in the automobile business in
the county. He was the first man in
the county to own a motorcycle and
the fifth to own an automobile. At
that time no garage was nearer than
Raleigh; Mr. Hartsell began then the
study of cars. For several years he
has been proprietor of Hartsell’s Ga
rage at Cameron; for some time he
has been doing battery repair work,
and noting the different defects in
batteries he conceived the idea of
building a battery that he believes
will have no superior, which will be
known as the Blackat battery. How
much longer the Blackat battery will
live he does not know, but with each
one he will give a guarantee that will
take a year and a half to wear out
the ninth life of that Blackat, and
the best material and best workman
ship will be used in building it. Mr.
Crissman, of Kansas City, with good
recommendations from automobile and
battery companies, will be one of the
workman with the company. The
Blackat Battery Co. is the second
company in the state building batteries
and has promise of being one of our
county’s leading industries. They
will repair all kind of batteries, have
anything needed for any kind or
make of battery.
McLEAN-SMITH
On Wednesday afternoon at 5:00
o’clock, in the presence of a few in
timate friends and relatives a quiet
but attractive ceremony was solemniz
ed at the home of the bride’s parents
when Miss Lillian Smith became the
bride of Mr. Neill N. McLean. Rev.
M. D. McNeill, pastor of the Presby
terian church, officiated.
The parlor was decorated with
pines, yellow chrysanthemums and
potted ferns.
The bride was dressed in a travel
ing suit of blue tricotine with ac*
cessories to match.
Following the ceremony a buffet
supper was served after which the
bridal couple boarded the train at
Cameron for a wedding trip to Char
lotte and other points On their re
turn they will make their home in
Vass.
Miss Smith is the oldest daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. T. J Smith. Mr.
McLean is the nephew of Mr. and
Mrs. A. Cameron, all of this place.
Our idea of an optimist is the man
''^ho spends all his money for gaso
line and then believes the Lord will
take care of the grocery bills.
Residents of Zion City, 111., contend
that the earth is fiat. Yes—it's just
^ut flat on its back.
Court House Talk
Next week the people will be look
ing toward the court house to see
what the conunissioners propose to
do with the new court house measure.
The Pilot has made no effort to probe
very far into the scheme, but it is
not possible to miss the talk that
comes along concerning the matter.
So far as have been heard from the
majority of the people of the county,
and apparently a big majority, are
not favorable to the proposed big bond
issue. • That large amount seems to
be the first object of opposition. It
is intimated to The Pilot that a ten
tative proposal to buy the bonds to
the extent of $150,000 has already
been made, with encouragement that
the proposal may be acceptable if no
other is offered that is better. The
Pilot has not taken pains to verify
this rumor, but it does no harm to
tell it as a rumor, although as nothing
more. It is told because the people
of the county have the right to know
of the talk that is abroad, for they
have the right to say whether they
want to spend $150,000 for a new
building.
This is the main feature of the
talk of a new court house as it reaches
The Pilot. When it gets to the next
question that becomes one of whether
to repair the old building or build a
new one that will cost not more than
$75,000. Not so much antagonism is
heard to a less expensive building, but
a certain proportion of the people are
of the opinion that to repair the old
building is the wise step. It is to be
said that the proposition to repair
is meeting with considerable opposi
tion, but a sentiment seenis to be de
veloping that a plain office building,
such as would be put up by a busi
ness concern for business purposes is
the thing to undertake. One man
who knows right well what he is talk
ing about, said to The Pilot that he
would favor a structure about three
stories high, with ample vault room
in the basement, and such other things
there as would serve the building,
with offices for the officials in the
second floor, or the floor immediately
above the basement, with court room
on whichever floor should be suitable,
and with offices for the lawyers in the
building, that all court work should
be gathered under one roof, and in
close touch with the main purpose of
the building. Such a building he said
woMld not cost half of the proposed
$150,000 bond issue, and instead of
being a continual cost to the county
would bring a rental from the offices
of the lawyers and help to care for
itself. This man said he could see no
reason why a substantial building
such as any private builder would put
up for similiar needs would not be
the best kind for the county to con
struct. He was not much in sympa
thy with the elaborate building created
chiefly for show, that has been advo
cated by some of the proponents of a
big new court house, but insisted that
it is a question of getting what the
county needs and at a price that the
people can pay, rather than some
showy thing it does not need at a
price that will be a burden on the
county for a life time of the present
generation.
Then another class of people are
standing on the ground that they are
in doubt as to what should be done,
but that it should not be done, what
ever it is, until the people have more
of a knowledge of what is involved.
This class is a right numerous one,
and shows signs of having something
to say unless the matter *is considered
fully before action Is taken.
Another thing that results in the
court house discussion is the end of
that joke about a new court house at
Aberdeen with a new county. Nobody
ever took that idea seriously, for right
at Aberdeen would be pronounced op
position to such a measure, and a
new county would be killed by the
Aberdeen vote if the question could
ever get up. Aberdeen men ridicule
the thought of the Sandhills wanting
to keep down costs because of want
ing a new court house down that way,
but they insist that they want to keep
down expenditures that the money
paid in taxes may bring something
worth more to the county than an ex
pensive iniblic building.
Some talk of political mussing up
is heard along with the rest, although
the leaders of this line of thought do
not act as though they intended to let
it go far enough to stir up much that
is aside from the main topic of dis
cussion. But some of the prophets
say it will not take much to make
the pot boil a bit. Talk of this sort
is of a general character, but is signif
icant coming from some of the sources
it does.
Nearing The Goal
For the next three weeks we hope
to have men over the county soliciting
your co-operation in tibe Tobacco As
sociation. Already Moore county
about 70 per cent of tl*e ti bacco^sii^-
;?d up and wo hope t ) >nnke it jjer
cent. I wai;i to urgi every raen^W
of the association to assist in |his
movement and get “one oth^'^ to
join with us. Within a short' time
we will haVe“ to elect a director Ai«i if
that director comes from Moore coun
ty we will have to get more members
to put it across.
‘It is encouraging to note the pro-
gr^'s of the Burley tobacco growers.
Already more than 42,000 have signed
land there are more than 35/)00 in
Virginia and North Carolina. With
this in view it is an assured fact that
there will “be something doing an
other yeixV! We need your help and
THE STATE HIGHWAY
For some little time The Pilot has
been keeping up with the road work
in the ^neighborhood, and has inci
dentally presented the proposition that
an overhead crossing of the railroad
at Vass and a location on the east
side of the railroad from Vass to
Southern Pines is the likely scheme
of the immediate future. As survey
ors are working on the prospective
new line the question has been put to
them as to what is in sight. Nothing
definite could be obtained until Frank
Page was approached, and he says
that it is his desire to cross at Vass
and go down the east side of the rail
road to Southern Pines and there
cross again at the cut below Southern
Pines and thus do away with all the
grade crossing between Cameron and
Aberdeen.
What particular point in Vass will
be used as the overhead crossing will
not be known until the work of the
engineers is passed before the board
in Raleigh, but a careful study of the
whole situation will be made, and
when the result is reached Mr. Page
says it will be because the engineers
have found the best place to build
the road.
An effort will also be made to get
rid of the bad dip down into the hal
low and out again just beyond Lake-
view on the road to Southern Pines.
Just where a survey will say to re
locate that bit of road has not yet
been shown, but Mr. Page says it
needs no survey to tell that it should
not be where it is in that bad dip,
with its attendant bad curve, and he
expects to try to better the present
location.
The desire to get a good location
for a great road, for this highway, is
to be one of the foremost roads of the
United States, and it is not the inten
tion to make of it any calf path, but
a big, direct and servicable route that
will carry the increasing traffic in the
best possible shape, and serve the
whole country, as well as the state
and the communities along the line.
Prohibition commissioners say it
will require $100,000,000 to enforce
the dry laws. The stuff comes high
both ways—buying it or barring it.
The potato has again come into its
own. The price is now where a Vass
grocer can afford to stick one on the
spout of a kerosene can.
Food won the war. That’s been
three years ago, and it’s still stuck up
about it.
suggestions before this market closes
and it’s up to you to help get the few
remaining tobacco growers yc^ have
not yet signed.
We hope to call a meeting of the
members soon and discuss the details.
A lot of negotiations have got to be
made and with a 100 per cent mem
bership we ^an handle them much
easier. M. W. WALL,
Acting. Sec'y-Treas.