THE FILOT, a Paper With Character, Aberde^^^gth_Car^to
Page Two
TiTe pilot
Published every Friday by
THE PILOT, Incorporated.
Aberdeen, North Carolina
NELSON C. HYDE, General Manager
BION H. BUTLER, Editor
JAMES BOYD STRUTHERS BURT
RALPH PAGE
-Contributing Editors
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Address all communications to The
Pilot, Inc., Aberdeen, N. C.
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ter.
WHO DOES
THE KILLING?
A statement of fatalities at
railroad crossings tells that au
tomobile collisions with trains
result in a large proportion of
the deaths and injuries that
highway travel 'has-added to hu
man dangers. While the rail
roads are sued and usually made
to pay damages for such acci
dents any man who thinks twice
about the subject knows that no
body was ever killed at a cross
ing who used even ordinary pre
caution in looking to see if a
train approached. No automobile
is in danger of accident at a
crossing if the automobile does
liot go on the track w!hen a train
is coming, and any man can dis
cover when a train is coming if
he will take the trouble tp find
out. If he prefers to take the
chance of death rather than to
make sure the way is clear he
is entirely at fault for his negli
gence or indifference. Every
driver on the roads knows that
he will encounter railroads and
trains. He knows the danger of
trains. He knows that if he stops
to make sure no train is coming
he is safe_ and that if he does not
make sure he is in danger.
There is the point of respon
sibility. The cocksure individual
who goes ahead with the con
ceit that he will have an open
road invites all that he gets. No
excuse can possibly be found for
his carelessness. The only time
a railroad crossing is safe for the
automobile is when no train is
moving over the crossing, or at
such distance that it can not
reach the crossing before a car
can drive across. Nothing justi
fies driving on the track until it
is certain no train is near enough
to hit the car. No excuse of neg
ligence on the part of the rail
road is of the slightest help, for
all the railroad precautions tliat
could ever be devised cannot off
set the negligence of the driver
who goes on the track without
knowing that he has a clear pas
sage with perfect safety.
The railroad crossing can be
made absolutely safe for car
drivers by dvery driver knowing
that he has a clear track before
he tries to go across. If the driv
ers will do their share the rail
road will kill no more people at
the crossings.
Friday, November 14, 1930.
THE EUREKA
COUNTY STUDY
Now that the elections are
past it is to be hoped that the
study of county government as
taken up a few weeks ago by the
people of the Eureka neighbor
hood will go forward, for there
at that farming center a move
ment was inaugurated that is
important enough to carry on
until the people of the whole
county are far more familiar
with their community affairs
than most of us are now. In the
work the meetings have done so
far they 'have dug up some lines
on government not suspected and
they have given new slants to
some things. But only a begin
ning has been made. Those fel-
lo\^ over at Eureka are in earn
est in their study. Their gath
erings are worth attending by
more people, and by neighbors
from other districts. If a perma
nent community study club can
be built up on the start that has
been made no better job could
be undertaken, for this whole
big world is undergoing all the
time fresh transformations, and
the more men group together to
study those things the sooner we
will hold our gait along with
modern progress.'
The Pilot will be glad to lend
any hand it can to any of these
gatherings. If the secretary will
few days in advance of meet-
®^.^d an announcement to
the office at Aberdeen it will be
printed in the paper that more
lolks may be apprised of the
gathering, and if the subjects
are made public and the names
if possible of persons who will
take part in the discussion of the
themes, it may help to attract a
larger attendance. But a thing
has been started that should not
be permitted to stop now. We
should not get it into our heads
that politics end with elections,
or that politics can be separated
from economics or social rela
tions. The Eureka farmers start
ed to talk about methods of lo
cal government, and that rurs at
once into politics, but that is one
of the uses of politics, and poli
tics must always be the servant
of the people. Taxation has not
been threshed out to the chaff
yet. The fact is that only a com
mencement has been made. No
,place so suitable for these com
munity affairs to be discussed
as among neighbors who are
sincere in their desire to know
the truth concerning the econo
mic laws that govern men in
their relation and contact with
each other Then candid discus
sion of any subject is enlighten
ing and stimulating to nev/
thought and wider knowledge.
Eureka has started a good work,
and should go ahead on it vig
orously.
SURVEYING THE
POLITICAL FIELD
With the political engagement
concluded and the results tabu
lated it is time to take stock of
the situation. Moore county
seems to have surprised itself
by giving to the Democratic tick
et a majority that is well
up among the big ones, and while
the general impression seemed to
be that the election would be
(dose it was rather the other
way. Yet out of the conflict 'has
come the satisfaction that the
campaign was one of decency,
study of the situation, effort to
secure the best possible in the
way of government and mighty
little acrimony has been engen
dered. As a big group of neigh
bors we have no funerals to at
tend, and no serious wounds to
heal. It is doubtful if ever a
campaign saw more appreciation
of the integrity of purpose of
all the campaigners on either
side than this one. Few dead and
wounded remain to gather up.
We are nearly a harmonious com
munity than is usually the case
after a fall election.
Now we go forward to days
of work and appreciation. The
Pilot has always been an advo
cate of the administration. When
we elect men to office the first
thing to do is to remember that
the best results are to be obtain
ed by standing by them. It is
folly to hire a man to carry on
a responsible job and then be
gin by complaining of every
thing he does. To profit by his
administration he must be given
the utmost of help and encour
agement every day of his man
agement of the job. So let us
join with the men we have set
in 'high place. Stand by to the
limit. Then we can expect re
sults. The county has had a good
government. It will have a good
government. The men who have
been selected are in most cases
men of experience men of in
tegrity, and they are entitled
to our commendation now and
not to a course of complaint.
And, on the other hand, they
have a task on their shoulders,
for the people are becoming bet
ter informed as to county ad
ministration, and will be more
positive in asking for wise pol
icies. The people will check up
more closely on government
from now on^ as they have found
themselves taking more inter
est in the detail of county gov
ernment, which is a wise atti
tude. They will be more vigor
ously with the administration in
the future than in the past, for
the people have not taken the
interest in county government
that they should. But they
seem to have arrived at a new
point in this matter, and hence
forth they may be expected to
look into affairs and to know
more about what is going on,
and intelligently.
Altogether it looks like a good
job, this selection of a county
administration, and both people”
and officials will be responsible
if it should turn out otherwise,
for never yet was government a
failure unless the people pri^
marily made poor government
possibly by tiieir indifference.
COMMON SENSE AND
THE RAILROADS
Last week the papers told of
a conference of business men in
New York to plan some scheme
that would help the Seaboard
! Air Line road to improve its fi
nances. Since the Florida flare
the Seaboard has been skating
on thin ice, and the recent finan
cial condition over the country
have 'helped none to improve the
situation. It transpires that the
road has been unable to meet its
interest payments and a consid
erable funded debt is due next
year with the road’s income
dropping, and without much
prospect of favorable change.
In consultation were the rep
resentatives of some big insur
ance companies and banks which
hold the road’s securities. Quick
action is essential to meet some
millions due in February, and
other problems for keeping the
road’s head above water had to
be discussed, and positive plans
offered for finding money.
With these things big men
must deal. But we in the Sand
hills can look at the problem long
enough to see that the Seaboard
Air Line Railroad is one of the
vital agencies in the life of this
neighborhood. Suppose the Sea
board should find its financial
condition such that it would-be
obliged to lessen its passenger
service, or to limit its freight
service, or to offer service of an
inferior type! Suppose that the
road should fail to keep up the
high efficiency it has maintain
ed here for years in steadily in
creasing degree! Suppose the
road should not be able next
summer to move the peach crop
expeditiously, or that in any way
it should fail its territory!
What would this community
be without it? It is a cheap and
easy way to attract public at
tention for the demagogue to be
rate the railroads, and to talk
about watered stock and big sal
aries for tyie officials. But when
the income of a road is not big
enough to pay interest on its
bonds or meet its maturing se
curities it is immaferial if its
stock is watered until it is a
thousand times the value of the
property, for if the company
earns nothing for its stockhold
ers it certainly takes no more
from its patrons than if it had no
stock wlhatever. And as for the
salaries of the officials no road
in the world that does any bus
iness pays its officiate as much
in salaries as one or two day’s
income would amount to. The
plight of the railroad that serves
any community is the plight df
the railroad that serves any
community is the plight of the
community. The Seaboard needs
a little business more than it
needs the gratuitous damnation
of the people along its line. It
needs more business and less de
mands on its treasury for taxes,
street assessments, or outlays of
any kind that do not increase its
traffic and its income, and we
might as well recognize that, for
it is our salvation .
OF" SAND
The people of NortTi Carolina spend
$1.40 for certain luxuries—^tobacco,
soft drinks, ice cream, candy, chew
ing gnm, theatres and movies, jew
elry, perfumes, cosmietics, 'fepoirting
goods and toys—^io every $1.00 spent
for public schools, according to a re
cent study made by the Research Di
vision of the National Education As
sociation, it is learned today from
the State ' Department of Public In
struction.
The annual bill for certain luxur
ies for this State in 1928 was, ac
cording to the result of this investi-
gaticii, $65,936,995, while the cost of
public elementary and secondary
schools and colleges was $47,047,191.
This luxury bill is divided as follows:
For tobacco, $22,054,566; for soft
drinks, ice cream, candy, and chew
ing gum, $19,057,472; for theatres,
movies, and similar amusement, $11,-
152,737; for jewelry, perfumes and
cosmetics, $8,525,722; and for sport
ing goods, toys, etc., $5,146,498.
We gather from speeches at the
Kiwanis luncheon on Wednesday that
there is only one thing the matter
with the Kiwanis Club of Aberdeen. It
hasn’t enough golfers. Richard Tufts
alone had to carry the load of repre
sentation in the golf tournament held
during the convention at Raleigh. It
isn’t quality the local Kiwanians lack,
for Richard won the medal in the
tournament, but the club here was
supposed to have a whole team in the
field.
These Kiwanians are honest folk.
The Rev. Murdoch McLeod displayed
a handsome overcoat at the meeting,
found in the old Community House
at Pinehurst after a Kiwanis meeting
some time Jlago. Despite the hard
times and the oncoming winter, no
one claimed it. “Thanks,” said the
Rev. Murdoch.
OPEN
NOW AND EVERY DAY
TO SERVE YOU
THe Nu-Way
Southern Pines,
North Carolina
GAMMACK & COMPANY
Members
New York Stock Exchange
Pittsburgh Stock Exchange
Main Office
39 Broadway, New York City
SOUTHERN PINES—NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE
TelejJlhones: Southern Pines 6751—^Pinehurst 3821
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CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK
^ An Interesting Collection of Books
For Young America
Ready For Your Selection
SANDHILLS BOOK koP
SOUTHERN PINES, N. C.
North Carolina spend 4.38 per
cent of the annual income of its citi
zens for schools, according to the bul
letin issued by the National Educa
tion Association. The $65,936,995 spent
for certain luxuries, on the other
hand, represents 6.14 per cent of the
annual estimated income of $1,073,-
028.000 for 1928.
'In the nation, as a whole, $2,61 is
spent for candy, chewing gum, thea
tres, and similar items, for every $1.00
spent for schools. We expend $6,401,-
650.000 for the limited list of arti
cles and amusements given above,
v/hile all the public schools are al
lotted $2,448,633,561.
Frances Folley is the pilot of The
Pilot’s little Austin automobile you’ve
seen dashing about the Sandhills. We
discovered a dent in the car the other
day and she said she had run into a
bird. It almost stopped the car, but
the bird flew away.
The story goes that one of these
cars completely disappeared in an
open manhole in Washington the other
day, but we don’t believe it.
If your life is pestered by young
women pounding you for subscriptions
to The Pilot the next few weeks, take
it gracefully. It’s all in a good cause.
The more readers we have the better
we can serve the community.
THE PAGE TRUST COMPANY,
ABERDEEN, N. C.
Much has been heard about saving money, but not
a great deal about how to save money safely.
For small weekly or monthly amount building and
loan associations and savings banks offer the best
method.
For larger sums sound securities like State bonds,
or other well-selected county or municipal obligations.
Keep your securities in safety, have a deposit box at
the bank.
Give yourself a Christmas gift by accumulating
some money in your bank for this Christmas and for
every other one ahead of you. Money in the bank is
always a Christmas gift when you need one.
Your business is invited by—
THE PAGE TRUST COMPANY,
ABERDEEN, N. C.
ii
Meanwhile don’t forget to join the
Red Cross^
Pilot .A.dvertising F^ays
Let Your Hat For
Winter be a
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Hart, Schaffner & Marx Suits
BRIDGES-BOONE COMPANY
Aberdeen,
North Carolina
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Lumber, Millwork & Builders Supplies
Aberdeen, N. C. Phone 129
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Telephone 5341
1 East Connecticut Avenue Southern Pines, N. C*
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