Page Two
THE PILOT, a Paper With Character, Aberdeen, North Carolina
Friday, July 3^
1S31.
THE PILOT
r
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
valued at thirty cents, wheat ^t
I three dollars, tobacco like cotton.
Today wheat is fifty cents, cot
ton nine. The man, if any, who
has held his thirty-five cent cot
ton to get a higher price for it,
has paid on it in that time more
money in taxes than he can sell
it for today. Even gold coin it
self was worth ten per cent in
the rush of speculation a couple
I of years ago, and now one per
Subscription Rates: I cent is about as high as folks
One Year 1 ...$2.00 i pay for Very much money.
Six Months $1.00 Prices are merly opinions. They
Three Months 50 become of value when two men
agree on a price and make a
sale, but a sale does not fix
prices, for the next sale will be
governed by the two men who
make it. Each new transaction
is at the command of the two
men who make it. In the main
the buyer fixes the price. If he
does not buy there is no price.
That is why the country is load
ed up with an army of sellers all
Address all communications to The
Pilot, Inc., Aberdeen, N. C.
Entered at the Postoffice at Aber
deen, N. C., as second-class mail mat
ter.
THE CREPE
ON THE DOOR
DEBTS AND
PROSPERITY
That helpless little flurry
which had for its purpose to
buy now and help business along
died down about as quick as it
wealthy philanthropist can find
no better means of doing some
thing for humanity than by en
dowing a student loan fund, says
an editorial in the Houston
versity and the results speak MRS. MAKY COX Thomas
well for the students who must
borrow against their future
earning power to obtain an edu
cation.
The loan fund of the Univer-
DIES IN HER 8,ST YEar
Who has been in declining iJeaTth ^
Mrs. Mary Cox Thomas, of
_ he:
some time, passed away last Satu
for
;u
3i
debts’and enable people to' getj^e Moore County Educational olences make educational in 1869. He pieceeded
(Texas) Post-Dispatch The Pi-
was DroDoseT“and" cleared" the I lot hastens to endorse the senti- ‘ sity of Oklahoma, established day in her eighty-first year. She
rky for something S more i ment. It has been much interest- five years ago by Lew Wentz, ed the Methodist Church at the a
likely, which is to pay your j ed in the developmnt locally of' illustrates just how^ such benev- happily married
r-
join-
age of
to
The climax hovers over us
this week in the appeals brought | the time trying to persuade peo-
before the commissioners con-<P^® never with an
few years has been sending
worthy young Sandhills students
off to college, boys and girls who
would otherwise have been un
able to continue promising edu
cational careers.
The laical foundation finds
that loans of from $150 to $250
will frequently mean the differ
ence between a boy or girl go
ing to some advanced institution
cerning tax values as laid by the
present group of assessors. The
difficulty is that we are all hug
ging the delusion that lands ac
tually have values. They do not.
They have ratios that are in
some indefinite degree compara
tive but not a foot of ground in
North Carolina, or probably in
army of buyers trying to urge
people to sell. One of our bur
dens of living is the big force of
sellers trying to unload on us
all the time all manner of contri
vances we do not want.
The truth about this whole
business of valuations is that it
is a necessary step^ in gathering
money to pay the interest, debt
all the world, has a definite, fix-'and operations of our govern-,national and everything, we are
ed value, positive in its terms, j ment, and it whittles down to I going to sit with our feet in the
Were such the case these con-'an effort to arrange a basis from | tar barrel,
tinual reassessments would not which each of us will pay a fair
be necessary. The only time two j portion of the amount called for.
men positively agree on the val-: These portions will be as equita-
ue of any piece of property is ble as the men assigned the job
when one buys and the other can make them, but if anybody
sells the article at an agreed val- : thinks accurate values have been
ue. Many men will put a value on: fixed on anything another guess
property who would not pay the | is coming. Ask any dozen men
su mfixed to obtain it, or who separately to put a valuation on
would not take the price propos- anything, and see how near they
ed and sell it. In making compar- agree. Then take their valuations
ative values of property all the. and go to different banks to
varying factors enter into the i borrow money and see how near
valuation, and is a right price to- ! the banks agree with each other
day may be wholly wild tomor- and with the various assess-
row. Several reasons govern. Ajments, unless they agree that
man will be willing to pay a dol-, they will not lend anything on
lar for a dinner if he has not had any of the values.
dinner, but he would not give ]
five cents for dinner after he has
dined. Or if there are five men
and only one dinner those five
would be willing to pay more
than a dollar for the dinner. One
might be willing to pay ten dol
lars for it. But that still does
not fix a price for dinners.
accounts squared and ready for Foundation, which^ for the past
further business activity. There
is mighty little danger of over
production of anything in this
world if we have money to buy,
for the average man or woman
will buy a sawdust pile or a
right-of-way in the middle of
the ocean if the money is avail
able and a good salesman puts
up a plausible scheme about it.
Our great trouble now is that
we have bought too much that
we didn’t pay for, and that we
have to use our money paying
what we owe before folks who
have things to sell will sell us
any more except for cash. If we
step softly for a time until we
can clean up our debts, paying
what we owe that others can
with the money pay what they
owe, people will have money to
start industry again ,banks will
be safe in loaning money again
to those who will pay it back,
and business will get on its feet.
But until we do clean our credit
slate, individual, county, state.
tages available
students were
to
worthy her to the grave twelve years ago
aided without a Mrs. Thomas was a devoted moth
single student’s note being ^ true friend, and kind neighbor
charged off the books as uncol- ' leaves the following children to nm ^
her loss. Mrs. Ab. Thomas, Miss
me Thomas, Melvin Thomas of c
eron and John Thomas of Raleu'
She is also survived by twenty
children and eight great-grand cliit
dren Funeral services were conducted
the home, by the Rev. .vir. BaU
lectable.
During the last school year,
for instance, loans of $50,922 and John Thomas of
were extended to 207 students,
who otherwise would have been
deprived of the opportunity to
continue their studies.
The value of the student loan Methodist minister of Aberdeen as
which will"mean much to’Mm* or . fund, as illustrated by the Wentz listed by the Rev. M. d. McXeiu of
her in later life, and going to' fund in Oklahoma, lies, m the the Presbyterian church of Camerra
work straight from high school,, fact that it assists those who Many friends were present and the
poorly equipped for advance- are worthy and conscientious. Ao'al offerings were beautiful, h.
What bank can boast a record temient was in the Cameron ceme.
as good as that of the Wentz
fund, with 723 loans and not a
ment and success in bu«iness or
profession. Unfortunately, the
local foundation also finds that
it is financially unable to send
off to colleges each year any
single default? That remarkable henry maples, former
record indicates that the stu-
TAXING THE
PINE TREE
This country has sunk into a
moratorium, not deliberately,
but negligently, and it has to
climb out before the wheels will
go round again. No people can
thrive on their debts. The man
who has saved his money and
stayed out of debt is the man
who is welcomed with a glad
smile any place where he wants
anything. And he is the man
who has flour in the barrel and
money to buy more. The man
who buys today and depends on
paying tomorrow is courting the
undertaker, for tomorrow brings
I its own responsibilities and does
I not very often care to bury the
■ dead of the days that are gone.
'Just as fast as we get back to
j the basis of getting our cake be
fore we eat it we will return to
where near the number of appli- i dents aided are honorable young
cants for these student loans,
applicants approved by the foun
dation directors as worthy of
aid. It lacks the funds which
should be forthcoming if those
able to provide capital realized
the “big dividends” paid by the
‘'comparatively small invest
ment.”
Let us continue the editorial in
the Houston paper:
Such a fund is in operation in
practically every American uni
men and women, with a realiza
tion of their obligations far
above that of the average citi
zen.
In these days of widespread
credit dealings, when nation-
county resident, dies
Henry Maples, aged around 80
years, died suddenly at his home in
Durham last Friday night. Mr. Maples
lived for many years in Moore county
near Cameron, moving to Durham
about ten years ago. His wife, who
was a Miss Munroe, proceeded him to
the grave a few years ago. After fun-
GRAINS OF" SAND
wide organizations are needed to
prevent abuse pf credit pnvi-1 eral services in DurhamlheTntem^^^^
leges, it is encouraging to learn ' was at the old Kitchen graveyard
that American college students ' Cameron. Mr. Maples is surviv-
are so faithful in meeting their i several sons and daughters and
, i other relatives,
obligations.
The State Association of Cor.ntv
Commissioners will meet at Asheville
j August 11-13. Moore county will ser.d
one of its members.
Apparently the life of miniature
golf was decidedly miniature.
We can’t find anything wrong with
the moratorium except that it won’t
fit into headlines.
The second largest craft of its kind
ever constructed in the United States,
the new Diesel yacht Caroline, was
launched at Bath, Maine last week.
The local interest is that the yacht
was built for Eldridge R. Johnson
of Moorestown, N. J. and the Sand
hills, North Carolina. Little Caroline
Fenimore Fitler, 6-year old daughter
leased the Mrs. H. A. Page, Jr., house
on Indiania avenue. Southern Pines.
Dr. and Mrs. A. C. Flint of Millbrook,
N. Y,, have leased the Pushee house
#
now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Ed
mund Pavenstedt, who plan to move
soon to their new home, formerly the
Herring house, on Morganton Road.
Both Southern Pines and Pinehurst
realtors report considerable early ac
tivity in the rental field. And many
reservations for stabling horses are
being made.
PUNCTUAUTT
PROMPTNESS
PRECISION
Dr. A. H. McLeod hit a basic j prosperity, but the more we at-
theme when he said it is a crime | tempt to eat our vittles before
to tax a pine tree. Fine trees we get them the more we will eat
havp Tin mnnpv vpIiia in fViiQ bitter ashes of Dead Sea ap- i of and Mrs. Nathan M. Fitler of
wv, .-u . - -- H ? 7: pies of disappointment and trib- ' Philadelphia, christened the boat.
When the township assessors ^lon of the county, for they are ' u^tion. <
had fixed values a protest came decorative rather than utilitar- | 1
that one township is lower than ian. Take as an example that
another. When the counties paid tract of pine the doctor owns
state taxes on values we always down near Drowning Creek. To
had the complaint that some cut that stuff for lumber would
counties were lower than others, be to destroy more value that i.s
And the basic protest is in the not monetary than all the money
individual assessments that that could be thought about in
;-o e are lower and some higher connection with the pines. In-
th: 11 others. The whole thing is stead of the charming drive
(in.. of "-ompari.-ons. No two men through the woods on Horse’s
compare alike. And the reason Creek a desolate desert would
is because there are no absolute disgust the people who come into
vahj^<. reovL-r nothing has a the Sandhills to find a delightful
Special Low
Round Trip Coach Fares
August 7th, 1931
The population of Carthage increas- ,
ed in equal proportion to the decrease ^ FROM ABERDEEN TO
Atlantic City SIO.OO
Philadelphia 9.50
WORTH LOOKING ,
INTO THOROUGHLY |
George Ross, w^ho was dow^n i
from Raleigh a few days ago, |
stopped at The Pilot office long '
enough to talk a little about a
scheme he has in min dto estab-
lishg a fixed trust havin!
for its aim the accumulation of
North Carolina securities and'
their sale to the people of the ■
st^te in the form of trust certi-1
ficates. The underlying thought i
is to afford an investment for
‘^niail investors who want to i
save their money, but who do |
not have enoug hto buy exten-!
siveJt of shares in North Caro- ■
lina industry, or the experience
>our buckets with water you Weymouth hills, or around Pine- , determine what to buy.
take from hi msomething he has i burst, or around Verner Reed’s i ^ proposition that i
paid for. On the farm in the I house, or on the Callery lot on i immense value to
country you go to the well or Rockfish Creek. | state, both in an industrial
the spring and fill your barrels It would be fully as logical to ^ investment way, if it can
all day and folks laugh if you levy an assessment on the shrub-1 organized. The main thing
ask how much is the price. i bery the Daughters of the Con- | ^ corporation that will be com-
Air is the most valuable thing federacy are planting along thei^^^f^ some of the leading
we use, and no one worries about I Route 50, or that the Kiwanis i ^^smess men, which
the price of it except the man i Club has been encouraging be-1 ^
down in the mines, where it has | tween Aberdeen and Southern
to be pumped in to him all the ; Pines, or the plants on the dou-
time. The little boy with his yel- !ble road between Pinehurst and
low fice dog would not trade the Southern Pines, or the embellish-
We didn’t look far enough along in
our copy of the August Scribner’s
when we announced last w’eek that it
contained an article by Struthers
Burt. If we’d kept on going we’d have
found one also by James Boyd, of
Southern Pines. His contribution was
of particular interest. Titled ‘‘Blood
hound,” it was based on an actual ex
perience of running down a nesrro
thief through “Jimtown.” Good story,
too.
Aberdeen Tuesday. Only those whose
property assessments had been loTver
ed remained in their home towns.
Webster Knight 2d, who has trans
formed the old Walter Maples place
on Bethesda Road into one of the
most attractive estates in the Sand
hills, is now adding a swimming pool
to his equipment. Incidentally, Mrs.
Knight’s picture, taken with her fath
er, Vice President Curtis, appeared
in the rotogravure section of last
Sunday’s New York Tribune.
Pittsburgh 12.50
New York City 11.50
Tickets sold" for all Trains.
Limited August 10th
For Information See Ticket Agent
H. E. PLEASANTS, D. P.
Raleigh, N. C,
A.
Seaboaid
LIWE RAILWAY
def ni+^ value. Gold itself has no
positfixed value. The gold
dollar is an arbitrary, shifting
yar l s'tick of financial value, and
no more dependable than a buck
et of water. If you go to the
house of a man in town and fill
r lace to live. To cut a thousand
dollars’ worth of timber from
Lr. McLeod’s place would dam
age the Johnson farm close by
ten times as many thousands. To
cut a pine tree is a sin. Imagine
utting the round pine on the
The Lenoir News-Topic was awar:;- 11:
ed the annual trophy as the “best :
weekly paper in North Carolina” by : ^
the publishers at their convention at | ♦♦
Morehead City last week. Darn us i H
* I
anyway. We forgot to send in our ; ♦♦
exhibit. ! H
! Xi
- I ^
- ♦♦
I ♦♦
Sign of the approaching winter: I
Paul Bamum putting in his supply of j ♦♦
coal this week. Gosh, w'e’d forgotten ‘ S
there’s such a thing as coal. I §
little mutt for all the dogs of
the Moore county hunt club, and
the hunt club would not tolerate
the little boy’s dog on the hunt
property, but owns dogs it would
not sell for all the fice dogs in
the United States. Values are
proportionate, which is the cause
of all our trouble in taxation. A
sale does not fix a price. The
beneficient government, impell
ed by the idea of politicau gain,
and by somewhat of a desire to
help the fanner, established land
banks, which only succeeded in
tying millstones about his neck,
and where they sowed a dream
of help the country is now reap-
mg a harvest of abject desola
tion and ruin. That error in val
uations has wrecked the farmer,
broken the banker, disarranged
business, and overthrown the es
tablished financial order in the
most comprehensive manner.
Land banks loaned money on
lands at valuations that today
provoke a smile along with the
heartache that contemplates the
figures.
A few years ago cotton was
ments on May street, or any
other of the magnificent things
the folks are doing in all the vil
lages. The attractiveness of the
Sandhills is what brings people
here and what will make this
community the enjoyable section
it is certain to become if it is
further beautified.
In lieu of the tax on pine trees
The Pilot suggests to levy a tax
on every acre of ground that is
not planted with at least a few
pine trees along the roads, and
to put a tax on every pine tree
cut for lumber unless a capable
landscape architect says the loss
of the tree will in no way affect
the appearance o fthe place
where it is cut. This part of
Moore is no longer a lumber re
gion. The only value pine trees
have in the vicinity of the resort
country is that of beautification,
and that value is not to be meas
ured by money. Frank Buchan
years ago insisted that an acre
of pine trees is worth more than
an acre of peach trees. It is a
pity we did not leam that long
before now.
careful management of it. The
state has a lot*of good industries
and will have more. The secur-'
ities of these industries are safe i
and profitable investments if un- |
der the counsel of a board of i
managers, and such a field forj
small investors would open the |
way. to much more saving and
investment than is available to
the small financier at the pres
ent. It would supplement the
building and loan associations as
the field for the worker and the
individual of prudent inclination
and not very big income, and in
the long run it would attract a
lot of money to North Carolina
industry, and broaden the econ
omic habit of many people. Of
course management is a vital
factor in such a project, but that
can be arranged by the leaders
in financial and industrial af
fairs .With intelligent conserva
tism such a thing would pay its
opei^tmg costs and be a power-
lul help in holding North Caro
lina on a sound financial basis.
Other signs of the nearing season , ♦♦
are reports of rentals. Mrs. Myers ^ H
Hoyt of New* York, we hear, has again I ♦♦
I ^
■'" • ♦♦
i ^
\
n
MANLY
I^UDENT LOAN
FUNDS
In seeking a benefaction which
will pay big dividends on a com
paratively small investment, the
Mr. and Mrs. Robert James Hester,
Sr., have announced the marriage of
their daughter, Anne Lorena, to Wil
liam Paul Phillips, on Saturday, July
25th at Elizabethtown. The young
couple will be at home after August
1st at Fairmont. Mr. and Mrs. W. C.
Ferguson and Miss Cornelia Phillips,
attended the marriage of their broth
er in Elizabethtown, Saturday, and
were guests at the wedding luncheon.
Miss Mary Cameron and Crawson
Cameron attended the anniversary
services held at Cypress Church Sun
day.
Miss Hall of Raeford is visiting her
sister, Mrs. P. D. Sessoms this week.
Miss Margaret Cameron, Mabel Wil
son and Leland Pearson went to Rae
ford Sunday.
Mrs. Patterson and daughters, Sar- j
ah and Rebecca attended the Centen
nial services at Cypress Church Sun
day.
W. L. McDonald and family are
visiting relatives near Carthage.
Mrs. Walter Blue and Mrs. Dorn of
Southern Pines were guests ots Mrs.
L. L. Wooley Monday.
Mrs. Lizzie Wilson and James Wil
son were visitors in Cameron Sunday
evening.
::
tt
If
3
n
♦♦
GOLF
The Graystone Inn
AT
ROARING GAP
i NOW OPEN
§
I Golf where it’s cool. Ride where it’s
a cool. Swim where it’s cool. Dance where it’s
I cool.
I PINEHURST INCORPORATED MANAGEMENT
u