MOORE COUNTY’S
LEADING
NEWS-WEEKLY
THTT
J. JlIJCt
A Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding
VOL. 13, NO. 49.
Jr sjk >^ahthaoe
SPRINCS
9^ ^i>KEview
MAHLKV
JACK SOM
SPRIMOS
PINES
ASHt.Gy
PIMEBUiFF
PILOT
FIRST IN NEWS,
CIRCULATION &
ADVERTISING
of the Sandhill Territory^;:^ North Carolina
Aberdeen and Southern Pines, North Carolina, Friday November 3, 1933.
^fliy ^ho..
What Purpose is Served
by Annual Sale of Land
of Delinquent Taxpayers?
Who Owns the Land Bid in by
County, and What’s It
All About Anyway?
WHEN ’n’ WHERE ’n’ WHY?
What purpose is served by Moore
county’s annual sale of property of
delinquent taxpaj’crs?
Who owns the property bid in by
the county at these tax sales?
These are questions asked of The
Pilot at this time each year. The,
Pilot frankly admits it can answer
them but vaguely.
Let us pick at random a name on
this year’s delinquent tax list. Trac
ing this name back we find that it has
appeared on the list each year since
1927. This person’s property has
been sold by the county five times,
has been bid in by the county five
times, will be sold by the county again
this year and again bid in by the
county. But it continues to be taxed
each year in the name of the person
originally advertised. Whose property
is it? It is annually sold, but is it
bought? The county gets a tax sale
certificate for it each year, but con
tinues to tax the original owner.
The Poor DoRRie
There is upwards of $100,000 due
on back taxes, property on which the
county has tax sale certificates, pro
perty taxed and re-taxed year after
year, property which is producing no
revenue to the county. In many in
stances the accrued taxes now exceed
the value of the property. W^ho is
ever going to reinstate this land to
« tax-producing banis ? And what’s
going to become of the county even
tually if it isn’t reinstated. The list
grows each year. More and more land
is sold—but not bought—and becomes
non-revenue pr(Klucing. Some time in
the sweet bye and bye, if more and
more fail to pay their taxes, the
county’s little cupboard is going to
take on a very close resemblance to
Mother Hubbard’s.
Of course there’s always the State
Legi.slature. Last session the solons at
Raleigh voted to cancel all taxes un
collected prior to 1927. That was a
big help to Mr. and Mrs. Delinquent,
but it ditin’t bring anything in to Mr.
County Treasurer. AnJ Mr. Prompt
Taxpayer has to shoulder the burden
of the Delinquent family, for expen
ses go on just the same whether
.somebody’s hundred acres becomes
non-revenue proilucing or not. Some
body has to make up the difference.
The bigger tne Delinquent family be
comes—and its growing all the time
■—the greater the load for those who
pay up w'hen they get their little pos
tal cards from the Collector.
Sold Out Six Times
Lots of people are going to be ad
vertised and sold out this year for
the sixth successive time. It would be
more but for the nice thing the Legis
lators did for them last session. Oh
yes, most of these people still live on
the land they’ve been sold out of five
times. That doesn’t matter. The
county only sold them out. It didn’t
really buy anything. They still get
tax bills each year so it must still be
their land. Or if it isn’t, nobody knows
whose it is.
And then ^he advertising costs are
added each year too, so that piles up
along with the i.axes. There are some
2,500 names on the delinquent tax
list this year. They are going to be
advertised next week, for the next
four weeks in fact, and the advertis
ing cost is tacked on to their bills.
Those who don’t pay their taxes even
after seeing their names in the paper
naturally don’t pay their share of
the advertising, either, so the county
has to pay that. And the county is the
Taxpayer who does pay up, of course.
In other words, it’s YOU.
We don’t know just how many
property owners there are in the
county but we’ll venture to estimate
that those 2,500 on the delinquent list
at least one-third of the total.
Which lea\cs two-thirds to pay all.
And how long it will be before two-
thirds becomes half, and so on ad
infinitum, we will leave to better
statisticians than we are.
It’s just as we said in the beginn
ing. We are a bit vague on the.se mat
ters. We’d appreciate enlightenment.
Black Ink
County in Good Shape Finan
cially, Meeting All Pay
ments Due, Says Currie
The most encouraging court
house news of recent months is
that the county is in good shape
financially. It has not had to de
fault in a single case, being able
to take care of its interest and
I'oncs. A few weeks ago it seemed
that it would be necessary to se
cure a loan of a couple of thous
and dollars in anticipation of tax
collections, but this has not been
necessary, due to the fine response
of the people. And as Wilbur H.
Currie, chairman of the Board of
Commissioners, gave out this in
formation, his smile came near
reaching the proportions of a grin.
“We hear so much of the bad
news,” he said, “that I think we
should let the people know the
good.”
WEEK OF APRIL 9
SET FOR DOGWOOD
FESTIVAL HERE
Proposal To Stage Big Event
Greeted With Enthusiasm
in Community
The week of April 9th has been set
for the Dogwood Festival to be held
in the Spring in Southern Pines.
A hurried meeting of the com
mittee in charge was called last Fri
day morning on word from Seaboard
Air Line official.^ that certain adver
tising matter which should contain
the definite date was about to go to
press. Town officials and Chamber of
Commerce directors assembled, voted
to definitely stage the festival next
year, and set the date. The Seaboard
was immediately notified and will use
its best efforts to interest northerners
in including thi*’ e' ent in their iti
nerary when com ng north from
Florida and other southern resorts in
April.
Robert Lee Hart is general chair
man of the Festival committee and
plans to call a meeting in the near
future when plans for the affair will
be discussed. As reported in The
Pilot last week, special days will be
•set aside for feature events, such as
New England Day, Old Slave Day,
Military Day, etc. Sub-committees
(Continued on Page 7)
McKee To Rest Here
After Mayoralty Fight
New York Candidate and Party
to Spend Ten Days at
Pinehurst
Joseph V. McKee, whose three-
cornered fight for Mayor of New
York City will end with Tuesday’s
election, is coming to Pinehurst when
it’s all over—either to celebrate or to
forget.
Sam A. Scribner, retired New
York theatrical producer, has been
down this week supervising the open
ing of the Bronx Club at Pinehurst.
Sam is goipg to dash up to New York
Monday night, cast his vote Tuesday
and come right back down. Mr. Mc
Kee and his party, including Edward
T. Flynn, Bronx Democratic leader
and possibly Postmaster General
James A. Farley, will leave New
York on Thursday night, the 9th, and
be here for ten days of rest and
golf. Others in the party will be Har
ry M. Durning, collector of the port
of New York and McKee’s campaign
manager: Justice Joseph M. Calla
han, J. J. Duffy, George Fennell, Leo
J. Ehrhardt and John Kudel.
McKee is bucking the Tammany
candidate. Mayor O’Brien, and the
Fusion-Republican candidate, Fior-
ella II. LaGuardia, former congress
man.
WET-DRY FORCES
ACTIVE AS VOTE
ON REPEAL NEARS
Issue Goes to Voters Tuesday
After Whirlwind Wind-Up
of Campaign
RESULT IN N. C. UN'JERTAIN
Mass Meeting Called in Pinehurst
to Vote on Proposed Civic Council
Of
FIVE CENTS
Ar
Orjianizution Plan and Hy-Laws
To Be Discussed Next Thurs
day Night
Tennis Champion
The repeal campaign, petting off to
a late and dragging start, now gives, . , _
promise of running through its last "f'-
A mass meeting has been called for
citizens of Pinehurst and community
next Thursday night, November 9th
at 8 o’clock when the proposal of a
J 'oup of representative residents of
the village to organize a Pinehurst
Civic Council is expected to be rati-
week with a vituality that apparent-;
ly could not have been imagined two,
i>f action taken by a committee com
prising L. L. Biddle, II, Thomas R.
weJksago, and the'ac^ivit^mids Jtill' T; H. Crai^, Raymond Johnson,,
more uncertainty as to the outcome' i,-/ ’ Smith Richard
in North Carolina on November 7. i
Thurs<iay atternoon in Mr. Denny s;
office. The movement originated with
the Sandhills Brotherhood of Pine- j
hurst. I
The above committee was unani- j
nious in recommending to the coming
Some weeks ago the general ini-j
pi'ession was that North Carolina
would without doubt follow the lead j
of the 33 states that have so far voted i
and go for repeal of the 18th amend-1
mont. The anti-repeal folks then got' . , ... ,
so busy that those who had seen thisi ^hat a^ organization be per-;
stated in the repeal column began to |
question their former belief. Now the
repeal forces have shown some life
with a counter offensive, even though
a sort of one-man war, which causes j
prophets to tend towards earlier pre
dictions.
Clyde R. Hoey and Judge E. Yates
Webb, two of the “Shelby triumvi
rate” have been active on the plat
form. Cameron Morrison, former
(xovernor and Senator, last week
w'ent on the air and will speak in
other places this week against re
peal. Three leading Republicans,
Jake F. Newell, Charlotte, Senatorial
candidate; Clifford Frazier, Greens-j
boro, candidate for Governor, and j
Charles A. Jones, Lincolnton, former
congressman and now national com
mitteeman, have joined the “dry”
forces, despite the record of their
party for several generations. Cale
K. Burgess, Raleigh, dry leader. Dr.
W'illiam Louis Poteat, president eme
ritus of W'ake Forest College, Dr.
Henry Louis Smith, and numbers of
fected in Pinehurst to bo known as
the Pinehurst Civic Council, that
such organization have a member
ship open to resident and non-resi-
i dent persons, both men and women,
who have sufficient interest in Pine-
I hurst to make application and to pay
I small annual dues.
I The committee further recommen
ded that the Pinehurst Civic Council
! be governed by a Board of Councilors
I to be el‘'cted by the
' m Rate
of School Debt
Service Asked
Board of Education Recommends
Load Be Equally Distributed
Rather Than Districted
ASKS $200,000 U. S. LOAN
HERBERT I). VAIL
(Continued on Page 7)
Lambeth To Vote
For Repeal, He Says
such councilors to become chairmen of
whatever committees the mass meet
ing may designated and which fur
ther experience of the board and sub
sequent semi-annual meetings of the
council may designate.
The final and principal recommen-
! dation of the committee to the mass
i meeeting was that the meeting desig-
} nate a committee to draw an organi-
I zaion plan and by-laws, that such or-
i ganization be as flexible as the people
I of thf» uominiiniVy tlesiro to make it,
I and that the mass meeting to open
for the free expression or opinion as
to the type of organization desired
and the proper functions it shall pur
sue.
Herbert D. Vail of Pinehurst is the
1933 tennis champion of Moore |
county. Vail won 'ihe .'.ingles tourna- i
ment on the Southern Pines courts I
last Friday, defeat.ng Richard Sugg
of Soiit'.ern Pines 6-0, 6-1, G-2. That
membership, | Vail and his partner. Cole,
lo.st in LI e doubles finals to Edward
J. Burns, Carthage and Ten Flow'ers.
Rockingham, after a hard fight-set
match ’!or the doub'e.s championship,
1-6, fi-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Vail, paired
with his sister, Mrf' Richard Tufts,
won the m’xed doub'e.^’ from C. Mon-
tesanti week. Thirl;,' players took
part 'n ihe various events.
JUDGE HU>TRER ILL
ill
In addition to recommending to the
Board of County Commissioners that
$200,000 be borrowed from the feder
al government for a new school build
ing piogram, the County Board of
Education at a meeting Monday night
went on record as favoring the county
taking over the school debt service
and spreading the load equally over
the entire county. At present each dis
trict pays in jiroportion to the debts
against that distric.
It is estimated that the uniform rate
for this debt service' based on a
$20,000,000 valuation, 'uld be ap
proximately 38 cents. This would
mean a great easing of the tax bur
den for a number of districts now
paying heavy special taxes, while for
others it would mean an increase.
At present the general county-wide
rate for school debts is seven and one
half cents. Many of the districts pay
much more. Carthage has the high
est rate of any district in the county
with 87'2 cents Cameron follows with
a rate of 82>-2 cents; West End,
71’2: Aberdeen, 72%, Vass-Lakeview,
67 Va. So it is clearly seen that these
districts would profit much by a uni
form rate of approximately 38 cents.
On the other hand, the Pinehurst
rate is 36*/^ cents, Southern Pines
29%, Eureka and Hallison 17^^.
These districts w'ould suffer an in
crease.
The Board of Education passed a
I resolution recommending to the Coun-
1 ty Commissioners that loans be se-
I cured from .he Federal Government
I on the 30 per cent rebate plan to be
building program as fol-
Congressman Joins Senators
Bailey and Rej^volds Against
Retention of IStli Amendment
Judge George H. Humber was
on Monday of this week and unable to
meet his weekly appointment with ;
law breakers. S. R. Hoyle, vice-record-1 jows:
er, had charge of the court. | nine rooms and an
_ ______ I auditorium . $20,000
Branch Chairmen Named for 1933 w
Carthage, colored, eight rooms
and auditorium 20,000
County Roll Call of the Red Cross
Before leaving Washington for his
home in Thomasville this week Con
gressman Walter Lambeth of this
district announced that he would cast
his vote for repeal at the North Caro
lina election on Tuesday. Mr. Lam
beth has had dry leanings until re
cently but has been won over to the
belief that national prohibition has
been a failure and that something
else must be tried.
Thus far, Senators Reynolds and
Bailey and Congressmen Doughton
and Lambeth are among those who
have come out openly for repeal.
Membership Quotas Allotted
Various Sections; Share of
Funds for Local Use
By 1). C. Phillips
Every person is familiar with the
activities of the Red Cross, and most
of us realize and appreciate just what
it has nit?ant to this county. But look
ing over its national activities within
a period of nine weeks in March,
April find May, Red Cross relief
workers were engaged in 26 disaster
relief operations. Lives lost in those
few weeks numbered 420 and 40,000
families were directly affected. Dur-
Postmaster General James A. Farleyjj^^, the American Red
will speak at Raleigh today, Friday, into the homes of
urging the voters of North Carolina families. In Moere county
to stand by the national Democratic ^een aided
.A the Red Cross.
The Red Cross is a voluntary or-
amendment. It is expected that the
entire house delegation will go to Ra
leigh to greet Farley.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL PLAYS
LOCAL (JOLF COURSES
Vote Tuesday
*olling Places Open for Repeal
Referendum from Sun-up
to Sun-down
Polling places throughout the
county V ill be open on Tuesday
from sun-up to sundown. If you
are on the lists, vote. If not, you
can’t. The ballots present two
propositions: one, for or against
tlie holding of a State convention
on repealing the 18th amendment;
two, candidates to the State con
vention if No. 1 proposition passes.
Those favoring repeal will cast
their ballots for Bruce II. Lewis of
Southern Pines; those against for
S. H. Miller of Carthage.
ganization, and when you join you responsibility of raising the niem
do so because you want to, and when Lership quota is given.
I Academy Heights, Pinehurst
I colored, auditorium 6,000
' Pinehur: t, white, improvements
i to old building 6,000
j V’ass-Lakeview, general
improvements 5,000
I High Falls, twelve rooms and
I auditorium 30,000
j Hemp graded school, four
I rooms additional 8,000
I W'est End, six rooms
{ additional 12,000
Eagle Springs, six rooms
and auditorium 12,500
Spies or Sign Board, ten rooms
and auditorium ... 28,000
Aberdeen colored, twelve
rooms and auditorium 23,000
Aberdeen, white, general
improvements 5,000
New Furniture to be distributed
where needed 13,000
Central bus garage 5,000
Total expenditures not to
exceed . ....$200,000
The State is setting up the require-
Attorney General Homer S. Cum
mings of President Roosevelt’s cabi
net has been enjoying a vacation at
The Magnolia in Pinehurst during the
past week, much of it spent on the
golf Courses of Pinehurst and South
ern Pines. A number of his aides in
the Department of Justice were here
you give relief you give because you
want to and not because it is a habit
or because you are forced to do so.
Keep the spirit of gi^ving willing.
With the direction of National
: ment that all counties having housing
At a recent meeting of the branch provision for all busses, so the central
chairmen of the chapter, which con- 1 bus garage allotment of $.5,000 is for
stitutes the executive committee, it' a proposed building in Carthage
wa.s ordered that only fifty cents of i where all trucks could be assembled
each membership, whether of one dol-
Headquarters, R. E. Denny, Acting or the higher membershii)s of con-
during the four months vacation for
repairs and protection against the
Chaii'man of Moore County Chapter, 1 tributing and sustaining members, is | weather. The plan includes a repair
announces the following membership | cftained by the chapter ti'easurer; the
quota branch chairmen for the com- chapter treasurer will, as soon as the
munities of the county: Mrs. Frank
Shamburger, Aberdeen, 150; Miss
with him. They spent one afternoon Addor, Addor, 5; Lucile Lov-
at the Southern Pines Country Club
and spoke in high praise of this
course as well as those they play
ed at Pinehurst.
BOARD ASKED TO POSTPONE
ACTION ON SCHOOL LOAN
The Kiwanis Club of .Mjerdeen, in
a resolution passed at Wei.iiesday’s
meeting held in the Pinehurst Com
munity Church, asked that the Board
of County Commissioners defer ac-
ing, Cameron, 25; Mrs. R. L. Sugg,
Carthage, 100; Mrs. George H. Maur
ice, Eagle Springs, 25; Mrs. W. MacC.
Blue, Eureka, 2."); Mrs. Edgar Brown,
roll call is copied, immediately remit
to the branch chairman the local
(luota of funds raised in the terri
tory of such branch chairman, to be
expended in the territory of such
branch.
This ruling w'ill require that any
Hemp, 7->; Rev. D. G. Mathepsim, funds expended by the chapter as such
Jackson Springs, 25; Mrs. John Me-j must be raised from other sources.
Queen, Lakeview, 25; Mrs. L. L. (jj, offers a great opportunity for
Wooley, Manly, 15; Mrs. C. L. Dutton.; every community to raise an excel-
Niagara, 10; Mrs. Harold Pa'^e, Pine- i i,>„t fund for its own local activities.
bluff, 25; Mrs. Leonard Tufts, Pine- ; .
hurst, 200; Mrs. J. S. Milliken, South-1 (JRAHAM \PPOI\TEI)
ern Pines, 250; Mrs. R. L. Oldham,! fQ COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Vass, 25; Mrs. M. C. McDonald, West
Knd, 25; Mrs. ,^da Tabbit, Samar- W. B. Graham of Vass has been ap-
tion on the proposal to borrow $20,
000,000 for new schools in Mooi'e i cand Manor, 25. Ilighfalls, Glendon pi iiit(‘d by the I>emocratic Executive
county for one month, and insturcted | and Spies are under Hemp. 1 Committee to fill out the unexpired
the club’s Public Affairs committee to j In many of the above h.anches, the j term of C. C. Jones of Cameron, re
investigate the proposal and report | Lrnnch chairmen have appointed spec-j s'gned, as a member of the county
at a future meeting. I ial roll call chairmen and to these' school board.
shop to be built according to State
specifications, in connection with the
storage feature.
None for Southern Pines
The explanation of the fact that no
recommendation in regard to the
Southern Pines school is included in
the list is that Southern Pines has
been set us as a separate administra
tive unit. As no requests have come in
from this school, the county board has
assumed that it prefers not to parti
cipate in this program.
County Superintendent H. Lee
Thomas, who has gone into the matter
thoroughly, is of the opinion that the
approximate rate of 38 cents would
be reduced two and a half cents each
year as the debt would become
smaller.
Under the proposed plan, it would
not be necessary to begin making
(Continued on Page 7)