VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NUMBER
Is a Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
Address all communications to
the pilot printing company. VASS. N. C.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9,1925
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
CHESTER O. BELL
Chester O. Bell, County Audi-
} tor, was unanimously elected
I Commander of the Carthage Post
I of the American Legion at the
j last meeting.
I Mr. Bell served with distinc>
{ tion throughout the World War
and the trouble with Mexico, pre
vious to the “Big Time.” He went
to the Mexican Border as a pri
vate and returned from France
as a First Lieutenant. He had
the remarltable distinction of be
ing the only lieutenant in the
30th Division to be recommended
for appointment to an infantry
school of arms for training as
^ divisional instructor, this honor
) having been conferred upon no
j one under the rank of major be-
j fore that time.
j Mr. Bell is also secretary of
the Carthage Masonic Lodge and
secretary of the Sandhill Shrine
Club. He is an alumnus of Wake
Forest College and Georgie Insti
tute of Technology.
Mr. Bell’s service record fol
lows:
He was a member of the Na
tional Guard, and was called into
service June, 1916, as private.
Company “G,” second N. C. In
fantry; transfered to Company
“A,” 2nd N. C. Infantry July,
1916, with rank of Sergeant; ser
ved on Mexican border as 1st
Sergeant, Company “A,” 2nd N.
C. Infantry. On outbreak of
war with Germany, stood exam^
ination and was commissioned
2nd Lieutenant and assigned to
119th Infantry, Machine Gun
Company; served with Machine
Gun Company of 119th Infantry
throughout the entire war, being
i promoted to 1st Lieutenant be-
j fore going to France, and serv-
j ing as Company Commander af-
I ter reaching France until wound-
j ed in action in September, 1918.
j Was detailed t o Infantry
j School of Arms, Ft. Sill, Okla.,
( 1917, and after completing
j course was awarded certificate of
I Divisional Machine Gun Instruc-
I tor.
Mr. Bell is better known in this
j county through his work as coun-
I
I ty auditor. His success in estab-
I lishing Moore county on a
! tematic financial basis and
sys-
the
» savmgs he has made the county
I since he came to Carthage have
j made him one of the mo«t promi-
j nent among the official force at
I Carthage... Under the direction
j of the board of commissioners h*?
j expects to accomplish still more
I in simplyfying county financial
j aflfairs and he will be heard from
I frequently as the days go by.
I The auditor’s office at Carthage
j has an open door, information for
j everybody and the utmost cordi-
I ality for every visitor.
LOW AnENDANCE
RATE IN SCHOOLS
Moore County Children Make
an Inexcusable
Record
o
American Federation at El Paso
tas fight on to oust carpenters* union
350,000 members from the fed
eration.
The turpentine and rosin output for
1923-24 was $36,718,745, and for 1921-
p only $24,5»6,360. Part of this
^crease was due to improved meth
ods of turpentining trees, introduced
U. S. Forest Pi6d«et» IfibiwaJtoiT*,»
The Pilot:—
There is nothing connected with the
Government of our county that is as
important or as expensive as our
schools. All our people are interest
ed in the amount of taxes we pay, but
as a business proposition what we get
;'or what we pay is more important
:han what we pay. Everyone inter
ested in the progress of our county
should be interested in our schools,
because we believe that intelligence
makes for progress.
Now, what we get from the taxes
we pay for schools depends on two
things—efficiency of the schools and
the attendance of the children of the
county on these schools. The most
of us, by showing our interest and
helping wherever it is possible,
can improve the efficiency of the
schools of the county, and we can
certainly improve the attendance, and
we are writing this because we want
to appeal to those interested in the
advancement of the county and in
terested in getting value received for
the money we spend for schools to
use their influence in improving the
attendance.
There are 5,172 white children and
2,950 colored children, according to
the census for the school year 1923-24,
entitled to attend the public schools
of Moore county. Because of the fact
that some of these are in other schools
or colleges, some have quit school for
good, and others because the children
themselves or their parents are not
sufficiently interested to see that they
even started to school, we had only
3,053 white children and 1,922 colored
children enrolled. As stated above,
there were quite a number of these
children who were in school elsewhere,
some of them married, and some of
them because of their health unable to
attend, but we are forced to believe
that of this number—3,147— that die
not even attend school for one day,
there were a good many that should
have been and might have been in
school regularly.
But this condition is hardly as bad
as the one we want to call to your
attention next, for while there were 3,-
053 white children enrolled, the aver
age daily attendance was only 2,148,
or about 70 per cent of the enrollment
and with 1,922 colored children enroll
ed in our schools, the average daily
attendance was only 1,229, or about
64 per cent of the enrollment. We
think it is fair to call attention to
the fact that there was an unusual
amount of sickness in our county
last year, which made these figrures
worse than an average, but we know
that there is not a big difference in
the percentage averaged for last year
and for years in the past. In com
parison with the one hundred coun
ties of the state, Moore stands sixty-
first as to the attendance of her
white children and sixty-seventh as
to the attendance of her colored chil
dren, and when a small, water-logged
county like Dare can have an atten
dance of 87.6 per cent for her white
children and 80 per cent for her col
ored children, this is not a very envi
able position for the county to occupy.
This is the reason we have employ
ed an attendance officer, and this is
the reason that we would appeal to
our intelligent citizenship to take an
interest in improving these conditions.
An old philosopher once said that it
did not make so much difference
where we stood as which way we
were going—and let’s everybody help
—the children, parents, teachers and
welfare officer, in the year 1925 to
place Moore county nearer the top in
the school attendance reports.
The afbove refers to all the schools
in the county, but the state superinten
dent of schools gives the figures for
the fifteen smallest special charter
schools in our state—and it' h«ppens
that our county has three out of the
fifteen small special charter schools—
SEEING THE PEOPLE
(BION H. BUTLER)
Brewer and I went over to the county seat Monday. This
seems to be a habit that is growing on us. Everybody we run
afoul of over there told us Happy New Year. But not a mother’s
son of them said anything about a cork screw. Carthage is fun
ny in some things. However at the present time they are not
thinking so much about the makings of a Happy New Year as they
are about Governor Morrison’s conversion. Just to illustrate
we went in to the commissioners’ office and the one thing that
seemed to be on foot there was the problem of how to make the
income spread out thin enough to cover the demands made on it
in all directions. Pro bono publico and citizen and those fellows
were trying to show the commissioners where money should be
applied to various things and the commissioners were listening
and Mose McDonald had that winsome smile at work and John
Wilcox was following it up with another one, while foxy Dan Mc-
Lauchlin was keeping his eye on an old moss back from out the
road, recognized by everybody as Taxpayer.
I don’t mind telling you that old Mr. Taxpayer was getting
a lot of attention. And where ever any new proposition came
before the commissioners old Taxpayer raised his long bony fing
er and the commissioners noted the movement and the citizens
sitting around nodded their heads in approval. Taxpayer met a
good many of his friends Monday at Carthage. The road com
mission was in session up on the third floor. They also had some
visitors. Seemed to be about the same family type. Citizen,
Pro Bono, Vot«r. You know them. But over along side the
door was old Taxpayer, and every time anybody proposed a new
road with trimmings out in Hoophole township or Possum walk,
old Taxpayer bil; down on his tobacco, and the commissioners look
ed at each other, and everyone of them directed the attention of
Citizen and Pro Bono to old Mr. Taxpayer, whose chilly influence
was felt there as well as down stairs.
Down in the office of the school superintendent the venerable
Mr. Lawhon, John McQueen and the others were struggling with
the job of helping the children of Moore county to a better chance,
and old Taxpayer sat like a spectre at the head of the table, a
kill joy here, the same as in the other places. Over in Bell’s of
fice the auditor seemed to be the only man who had a hip lock
on Taxpayer. Evidently Bell is not much worried by the old
geezer, for in that department he has to step up with his toes to
the mark. Mr. Bell is looking after the taxes, and trying to see
that every man who should pay taxes pays his share so that those
who are willing to pay are not obliged to pay more than their
share. He is also endeavoring* to see on the other hand that
Taxpayer gets value for the money he pays and that none of it
is lost or wasted. We talked with a good many people over at
Carthage, Monday, and no matter what the theme we started with
we didn’t go very far until this question of taxes was the main
topic. The sentiment seemed to be that when Grovemor Morrison
stepped on the reverse gear of his flivver he just about set the
woods afire. And it looks to me as if old Taxpayer is going to
have the floor this year and insist that before we go much farther
in raising taxes or bonded debt we take stock of the situation and
see just where we are headed. If the rest of the state is like
Moore county the coming session of the legislature is going to
make a big hit if it goes mighty slow about going ahead. The
people we talked with want to know where they are before they
turn on the gas again. And when they start again they want
to know they are started right.
ICANNER ADVISES
YELLOW PEACHES
Dur
Varieties Too Soft
Market He
Says
For
STORE COMPANY
MAKES ADDITION
Little River Cnmpany Takes
Lakeview Store and Lake-
view Mills
The Little River Store Company
announces this week an addition to
its chain of stores by taking in the
Lakeview store at Lakeview. This
gives the company now three stores,
one at Vass, one at Lakeview and onrj
at Southern Pines. This adds mate
rially to the strength of the organi
zation, although in the recent past
they have been working together, as
the owners of Lakeview store v/ere
stockholders in the Little River com
pany. And the management of the
two concerns has been the same. This
also brings the Lakeview Mills prac
tically into the organization of the
Little River Store Company, as the
stockholders here again are of the
two concerns.
The Lakeview mills will continue
to manufacture their specialties of
whole wheat flour and water ground
corn meal in which two products they
are building up a business that ex
tends over a wide territory. The
mills will be operated under their
old name, doing entirely a manu
facturing and wholesale distributing
business. They handle several lines
of flour and feed and have built up
a big trade.
The Little River Store had become
one of the strongest mercantile insti
tutions of the Sandhills although or-
oaly « months aigo.
With the thiee stores they are handl
ing such a volume of trade that they
have the advantage of buying in car
load lots, which not only gives the
bes possible p.ices, but it very large-
' ly reduces the work of handling tha
I is a feature where stores buy in
. smaller quantity. Mr. McCrimmon,
' who is manager of the stores says
the business has been gratifying from
the time the company was formed
and that plans are on foot for broad-
To The Pilot:—The past peach
season has forcibly directed public at-
ention in the Sandhills to the large
3art that peach growing holds in the
welfare of this region. Also, we see
a limit to the amount of peaches that
can be shipped. Accordingly, when
we consider the many acres bearing
in Georgia and coming into bearing
in North Carolina, we wonder and
wonder—and decide wisely to refrain
;:rom planting more shipping peaches.
Is our development then at an end?
J^o, we hope; but where are we to
turn? “Can them, preserve them,
make ice cream, England wider mar
kets,” we hear. Investigation shows a
limited market and a sufficient sup
ply for each above suggested, disposal
of our present varieties.
Canned peaches offer an immense
market for Yellow Cling varieties, but
not for free-stone varieties. The
market demands the best appearing
peach in a can just as it demands the
best appearing peach sold fresh. In
view of this, Sandhill residents must
no longer delude themselves that pres
ent varieties can be sold extensively
canned. Our fresh peach is a beauty;
our canned peach must be a beauty.
Such calls for the yellow color and
firmness found in Clings only.
Yellow Cling peaches must be plant
ed. For them canned, there is a- year
round and an unsurpassed wide mar
ket. Recently, the California Packing
Corporation let a contract for the
erection of a cannery building 360 feet
wide and 790 feet long. California
will have a wider market for Clings.
50,000 acres of Cling peaches in Cali
fornia; 5,000 free-stones peaches heue.
California has Elbertas, but finds
Clings better; therefore, the Yellow
Clings and Yellow Clings in Californ
ia. We must start on Yellow Clings.
The grower with Clings is fortu
nate. They are late in ripening and
can be shipped after the market has
recovered from Georgia’s crop. Clings
are yellow and will command a good
price; yellow Slappers sold high last
spring when there was a broken mar
ket for white peaches. The whole
South has no peaches when Clings
ripen and it" markets are open. Cling
trees are very vigorous and in some
districts average 500 bushels to the
acre. Cling peaches do not become
soft as quickly as free-stone peaches.
The market cannot fall so low as the
f^'ee-'tone market, since the cannery
?ssures a minimum price, which prob-
pbly will be as high as the average
price of shipping peaches in the fu
ture.
Orders have already been placed
with the Cumberland Nursery for some
Clings. More are expected. Indica
tions point to a price of $2.00 a bushel
ening out further this year. The
standing of the men who compose the | ^
organization gives it a high hating
with the people.
JUDGE McIVER AS A POET
J. Alton Mclver, clerk of the court
and judge of the juvenile court, has
published a little collection of poems
on Christmas. Anybody who knows
the genial official, who is far more of
a Santa Claus himself in a quiet way
than his official status would indicate,
will realize that the Judge was liable
to break into poetry. His verse is
wholly Christmas. It doesn’t reach
very far out to cover the universe or
attempt the impossible. It just ap
peals in a neighborly fashion to those
who are his friends, and whose friend
he would be. The Pilot has.. known
Judge Mclver a good while. It is per
fectly willing to add this new occupa’-
tion of poet to his virtues, for the
only way he could be a po^ wx)uld
be along a Christmas line, a friendly
sentiment for somebody—
“An ancient judge dispensing good.”
Road between Smithfield and Sel
ma^ ta btt pK?ed‘.
kets when free-stones in the heavy
season sell for $1.00 lower. The first
200 acres put mto Clings ought to be
extremely profitable. With Clings,
the cannery will he in a position to
block glutted markets.
North Carolina wants home canned
peaches. HoweveT*, when a can is cut
open, a yellow Cling is expei-ted.
Phillips, Tuscan, Walton Orange,
Levy, Peaks, Pelora, Cling varieties
must be planted. Fruits vTown on the
eastern coast of the Unitx^d States
seem to be better flavored than fruits
grown on the western coast. We have
an opportunity to see 50,0(M) a :res of
peaches in the Sandhills instead of 5,-
000; but they must be Clings for can
ning.
1
! The country north of us has too
short a season to grow Clings. Our
hills produce better fruit than does
Gfeorgia. We have developed shipping
peaches. Now, we must try Clings
$40,000,000 is the value of the canned
peaches sent from California each
year. Are we going to bring part o€
that here? Yes, talk Clings,
Clings. We must try Clings.
Wm. M. KETCHAM,
Ciwralinft Cftiming CSt.