Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Jan. 14, 1927, edition 1 / Page 4
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Friday, January 14, 1927. THE PILOT Paffe Four THE PILOT Published every Friday by the PILOT PRINTING COMP AN Y Vass, North Carolina STACY BREWER, Owner Subscription Rates; One Year $2.00 crix Months $1.00 Address all communications to The Pilot Printing Co., Vass, N. C. Advertising Rates on Application Entered at the Postoffice at Vass, N. C., as second-class mail matter. THE RICH MAN AND TAXES. Smith Richardson at the Ki- wanis Club last week gave our people something to think about in the way of taxation. He shows right conclusively that if we are to expect capital to be provided for North Carolina in dustry, capital must have a chance to earn a return on the investment. We have in this State as in most other states, that prejudice against a rich man and a corporation that holds these two up as legitimate prey for any one who can pry a dollar out of the man or the in stitution that has it. But noth ing is more absurd than to think that a man who has money can pay unlimited taxes or unlimited wages, or unlimited assess ments in every direction and thrive. The rich man, the corpora tion, the bank, or any other in stitution that has money invests that money to earn a return. It can earn a return only by doing business, and all the return that is earned is earned from the peo ple who buy its products. That the rich man pays the taxes as sessed against him is plain, pure punk. He pays them with money earned by the things he sells, and if his taxes are high he makes the prices of his goods high to get the money to pay. Now The Pilot is not concerned in the rich man, the corporation, the poor man, the beggar man, the thief, for they adjust their own affairs under the absolute economic laws that none of us can flout. If the rich man and the coloration could get by with high prices to pay high taxes that would be the fine way to get tax money. But they can not, any more than the rest of us, for if the North Carolina man has to pay higher taxes than the New York man or the Pennsylvania man, or any other man in any other states, the North Carolina man can not sell his product. This thing we might as well recognize. The consumer pays the taxes, not the corporation or the rich man. If the consumer refuses to buy go:ds at a high price the corporation that is taxed so it has to sell goods at high prices finds it cannot sell its goods at all. The rival cor poration that is taxed lower in the other state undersells, and the corporati:n taxed higher does not sell. All the sophistry in the world will not change this. If all tax laws in the country were alike we could salivate the rich man and the corporation to the Queen’s taste, and they would willingly pay, for they would get the money back from the buyer. But if our corpora tions and rich men are taxed high and those in other states pay low taxes we simply kill our own industries. The man who buys pays the taxes. If we make our own fac tories pay taxes too high they cannot sell their goods, and we buy the product of factories of other states and in doing it we pay the taxes of those other states. If we make our taxes so our manufacturers can live they sell their stuff to people all over the country and those people pay our taxes. The best exam ple in the world is the tobacco tax. North Carolina pays two hundred million dollars on its to bacco manufactures. But it immediately collect, that money from the buyers of manufactur ed tobacco all over the world, and in doing it enables this State to be the foremost tobac co manufacturer on the globe. If we could keep our taxes low enough so our manufacturers in all lines could produce a little lower than those in other states We would have the world for our market against all competition, and our factories in their sales would collect taxes from all Christendom. But when we at tempt to tax our factories and corporations and rich men be yond their power to pay and carry on we kill them, as seems to be the case now from Mr. Richards-on's statement. His company was driven from the State. His company no longer collects taxes from the whole earth to turn over to North Car olina, and to pay wages in North Carolina and sustain North Car olina industry. His company as far as we are concerned in this State is dead. It is well to get away from some of the prejudices against rich men and corporations, and see that they are the tax collec tors if we let them live and carry on, but they are not tax collec tors for our State if we make their load heavier than they can carry. Our tax laws are archaic, absurd, and impossible and we are not going to thrive much longer if we do not amend them. It is all right to ask the rich man and the corporation to pay the taxes if we allow them to produce and sell something that will permit them to collect money to pay with, but it is a physical impossibility for them to pay unless they are given sufficient freedom to enable them to get the money. Henry Ford, the tobacco com panies and the Standard Oil are the greatest tax payers in the world, but they collect the money from the people who buy, and nobody complains. Other manufacturers would collect taxes the same way if they could, but where one state loads the mill with enormous taxes and another puts taxes low, the state with the low taxes sells the goods, and when the goods sell the money pays the taxes that are assessed, but in mod erate form, and the states that does that gets the most money, for its mills sell the most goods. We must take some radical steps in this State or disaster is ahead of us. We can never spend the money we are spending : without more taxes, and those [taxes must be laid in a different I way or we destroy the sources I of our taxes absolutely. We need I intelligent new tax laws, and honest treatment of the men who invest their capital, not for their welfare but for the wel fare of all of the State. THE PROSPECTS OF THE SUMMER. I The outlook of the season in I this part of the State is partic- jularly promising if we take the I proper view of the field. Pine- I hurst reports the best business lever known by about 20 per cent. Southern Pines has a big ger patronage than ever. The vstores, which are a good index announce increased sales. The i streets are full of cars all the ! time, which may or may not be ' a good sign. Building has been I m progress on a fairly satisfac tory scale. The new hotel is under such headway that a large number of hands are employed, and the amount appropriated by the sponsors of the new work reaches up toward three-quar ters of a million dollars for the task in hand. At present al most a hundred hands are en gaged at one thing or another, and they will be followed short ly by skilled men on all the lines that a big new building will call for. Following the construction of the hotel will come more or less new building of other 4;ypes, for always a lead of this sort arouses others to take a hand in the progress that is begun. So throughout the year 1927 labor will be well employed in the Sandhills and at good wages. Business will go forward with confidence, and mnoey will be reasonably abundant. The farm situation is possibly not as good as it might be, yet the tobacco men have little to complain of, and those who make other things than cotton and peaches have been doing about as well as usual. Cotton had a slump in price, but the cotton money that came to the county was among the biggest totals cotton has brought. Last year was perhaps better, but as this was a big yield of cotton the price was offset to some extent by the quantity. The peach crop was a setback. What peaches and cotton will do this year can not be foretold, but with other industries show ing positive activity the^ sum mer will be a good one, follow ing a good winter. The proper attitude is to be as industrious as possible, frugal in our expen ditures, to pay our debts, keep out of commitments that will in volve money faster than it is earned, and if we do these things we need have little fear of the days that are ahead. The new year in the Sandhills seems one of ample promise. THE WINE AND BEER PLEA. From Washington comes the old story of a demand for light wine and beer through a revis ion of the Volstead law. Why the alcoholic content permitted in wine and beer should be per mitted by a revision of the Vol stead or any other law is hard to understand. The whole ques tion is simply one of alcohol. To get drunk on the present legal beverages means drinking an inordinate amount. To increase the alcohol in the wines and beers would make drunk ^ easier to acquire, and if the alcohol is to be increased no reason is of fered as to why it should not be raised to 40 or 50 per cent and provide stiff whisky right off the b^. The Volstead law is working all right. Whisky drinking is lessening in this section at least, and it is apparent that a little further experience with the pro hibition amendment will see it so firmly established that little opposition to it will be found. Whisky will never rule this countrj^ ag^^in, for the people will not tolerate drunkenness. Whisky in these automobile days would mean a death rate on the road that would substi tute shambles for travel. Whis ky will never be tolerated again on railroad trains, for the peo ple who ride the cars will never permit the trains to be handled by men who are affected by liquor. The high type of ma chinery that has grown up in the last few years will never al low whisky to get its fingers again on manufacturing produc tion. Drunkenness will not be tolerated by any industry now that industry is free from drunkenness, and wine and beer may as well face the fact. Wine is asked for because of its alco hol. Beer without alcohol is punk. Alcohol without beer wuild be a much more popular drink than beer or wine without alcohol, but those who want light wine and beer want the alcohol, not the beer. And alco hol is alcohol, no matter wheth er raw, or in whisky, wine or beer. It is a persistent danger for those who do not drink it, and it is they who will stand against it. Nobody questions any man's right to drink whisky if he would not molest others after he drinks it. But there is the danger. Whisky will never keep to itself. It raises all kinds of devilment, with tho&e who don*t drink as well as those who do, and for that reason it will never again be allowed an open fi*eld. It is* too da*ngerous to those who have nothing to do with it. MANLEY Mr. and Mrs. John Blue and chil dren, of Princeton, are visiting Mrs. Blue’s father, Mr. Kenneth McDonald. Miss Alma Mclnis, of Lakeview, spent last week end with Miss Alice Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Maples, from near Cameron, spent last Friday with Mrs. J. T. Wilson. Misses Mary and Cornelia Phillips had as their guest Sunday little Miss Francos Council, of Southern Pines. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Bass arrived last Saturday from Miami, Fla., to spend some time with Mr. and Mrs. G .W. Bass. The old Yadkin road has been grad ed through from Monley to Knoll- wood. We are glad to know Mrs. Hurti is getting along nicely. She is still at C. C. Hospital, Sanford John Blue and Irman McDonlald spent last Saturday in Greensboro. Miss Mecie Hill, of Cameron, Rt. 2, visited her sister, Mrs. Lacy Mc Donald, last week. Neil McDonald came down from Greensboro last Saturday to visit home folks.* Mrs. A. J. Keith from Route 1, Cameron, visited Mrs. R. E. Patter son last Wednesday. A. B. SALLY Contractor & Builder Pinehurst, N. C. EBtimates Furnished on Request R. G. ROSSER, M. D. Physician and Surgeon Pediatrition * Over Gunter’s Store - VASS, N. C. ANNOUNCING The Engagement of . The ” KING OF MAGICIANS LAURANT In an evening of Magic and Mystery At SOUTHERN PINES Carolina Theatre on ' Monday Night January 17 th 8:20 Laurant is acknowledget to be the equal of Keller and Hermann the Great in his puzzling and mystify ing feats of magic. Reserved Seats now on sale at the Broad Street Pharmacy. Popular Prices Friday, At the] Sabbath fiembly lackson the resid^ «n Thurs At th« 16, Sabi Preaching 11 a. m. 7 p. m. evening The Bi »embly withstand weather,] gation li mon prej They wil »ntil furl M. L.I Practic and the Office K. C. Hours 1:30 to 31 Offices Practic^ S- Laurant 75c and $1.00 BANK OF PINEHURST PINEHURST, N. C. Get acquainted with your bank. It can serve you in many ways. Your bank is your ficnancial institution. Its suc cess and progress is dependent on yours, and yours is dependent on its. A bank is a place to gather the surplus capital of the community. If the bank gathers your surplus that surplus is available always when you need it. When you don’t need it it is available for some other use, which helps to keep things moving in the community. Money that is idle is useless. Money that is at work makes business. The other day a man told an experience of an old neighbor. The neighbor laid away a lot of money. One day his wife gave a junk man a pair of old rubber boots. She did not know that in one of the boots was a roll that contained $700, but that was the fact. An old boot is not a good bank. Do your banking with the— BANK OF PINEHURST n WOl mai Soi « OUR NEW MAMMOTH BUCKEYE INCUBATOR IS NOW Ready For Work CUSTOM HATCHING AT FOUR DOLLARS PER TRAY OF EIGHT DOZEN Capacity—Eight, trays per week. Write for space in ad- vance. Egg’S will be received on Monday of each week This is the time to hatch out early broilers. R. G. HUTCHESON SANDHH^L FARM LIFE SCHOOL Vass, N. C., Route 1. *
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 14, 1927, edition 1
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