VOLUME 39
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 1920.
Number 41
TREAT COTTON RIGHT
IT WILL HONOR YOU
Farmers Have Been Losing on Cotton
Without Realizing to What Extent.
The Law on the Warehouse Propo
sition—Johnston County to Have
Storage Warehouse.
(By A. M. Johnson.)
On my trips in different sections of
Johnston County 1 find that there are
a good many folks who do not know
too much about our cotton storage
warehouse organization here. Then
too I find that some have an incorrect
lot of stuff that never was a part of
the warehouse act that has been hand
ed out by some person who is “agin”
everything progressive. But I am not
disheartened because I know that I
am working for the best corporation or
enterprise, The Farmers Cotton Ware
house, Inc., that I know of anywhere,
and because it is fundamental to us
all.
First, there is a reason for this cot
ton warehouse business. We have not
been getting all we could out of our
cotton, that’s it, and we have no one
to blame but ourselves; and when we
get more vve will have to get it our
selves, combined, together, hand in
hand.
This is nothing new at all. Two
thousand years ago old King Pharoh
and his hired man Joseph stored all
the corn in the land in big stone hous
es till the people needed it; ^nd they
cameTrom far and near to get it, later
between crops. All peoples do it to-,
day except the cotton producer it
seems. The wheat grower does, the
fruit grower does and the rest. Yes,
the cotton is stored and money is
made on it in storing but the producer
doesn’t do it or get it. And that’s why
we are building cotton warehouses, so
we can do it and get it. If it is a good
proposition for the middleman why
not for the producer? “Go thou and
do likewise.”
All these years we had no idea tne
amount of money we were losing on
our cotton crop after harvesting in
North Carolina till the Department of
Agriculture investigated and told us
it was at least five million dollars; a
half million in Johnston County alone.
So the State Assembly passed a bill
entitled, “An Act to Provide Improved
Marketing Facilities for Cotton,”
which is as follows: Section 1: That
in order to protect the financial inter
ests of North Carolina by stimulating
the development of an adequate ware
house system for our great staple
crop, cotton, in order to enable grow
ers of cotton more successfully to
withstand and remedy periods of de
pressed prices, in order to provide a
modern system whereby cotton may
be more profitably and more scientif
ically marketed, and in order to give
this important crop the standing to
which it is justly entitled as collateral
in the commercial world, a cotton
warehouse system for the State of
North Carolina is hereby established1
as herein after provided,” and so on
in detailed rules and regulations. Then
in Section 5 we read, “That in order
to provide a sufficient idemnifying
fund to cover any loss not covered by
the bonds hereinbefore mentioned, in
order to provide the financial backing
which is essential in order to make
the warehouse receipts universally ac
ceptable as collateral and in order to
provide that a State warehouse sys
tem intended to benefit all cotton
growers in North Carolina shall be
supported by the class it is designed
to benefit, it is hereby declared:
“That on each bale of cotton ginned
in North Carolina in the two years
ending June thirty 1921, twenty five
(25) cents shall be collected through
the ginner of the bale and paid into
the State Treasury, to be held there
as a special guarantee or indemnify
ing fund to safeguard the State ware
house system against any losses not
otherwise covered. The State Tax
Commission shall provide and enforce
the machineiy for the collection of
the tax, which shall be held in the
State Treasury to the credit of the
State warehouse system . . .”, and
so in detail.
So you will s6e that our State Rep
resentatives have seen fit to give us
a start in the cotton storing business.
They fixed it so that we could get mon
ey on our cotton in the warehouse
when we ran short of mules to bor
row on. They gave us a start in the
right direction and expect us to do the
rest; build warehouses.
This is how the cotton warehouse1
system is working in other counties
and states and will work in Johnston
County beginning this October. The
cotton producer will take his cotton
direct from the gin to the warehouse
where the official grader will grade it
and give him a state warehouse re
ceipt on which will be the number of
the bale, its weight, grade and staple,
in fifteen minutes time and go ..ack
home and go tc. work and forget about
his cotton for a few months or till the
manager notifies him that he has been
offered so and so for it in car lots mid
dling, from the spinner in New Eng
land or an exporter. If in the mean
time the producer needs money before
he sells the cotton he can take his
warehouse receipt and go to the local
bank and borrow 75 per cent the value
of the cotton on it. This service will
cost him 50 cents per month per bale,
that is the grading, storing, insurance,
selling and warehouse’ receipt. The
producer will gain what he has be£li
losing per bale; $5.00 in grading, $10
from being out in the weather or in
open shelters where the wind drys it
out, and $15.00 by selling direct to
the spinner, total $30.00 more than
without the warehouse system. That
is what the Spartanburg County, S.
C., cotton producers got last year ov
er the year before when handled in
the old way. The spinners will prefer
warehouse cotton because they can
depend on the grade and because it
has not been out in the weather and
because it can be had in car lots di
dect from the warehouse by letter
or telegraph instead of sending a man
to grade it and buy in small lots over
the state and counties. They say this
themselves. The county warehouse
will be under supervision of the state
warehouse superintendent to whom
monthly reports will be sent regards
operations. The state auditor will ex
amine the books of the warehouses at
unexpected times’. Dr. B. W. Kilgore,
State Director of Agricultural Exten
sion of North Carolina is the guiding
hand in the warehouse business here.
The Johnston County Cotton Ware
house will be run to declare a 12 to
15 per cent dividend on the stock
holder’s money. It is not a get-rich
quick proposition but is a sure under
taking. And it means more to the
county than any other one thing. It
is a home proposition and deserves
the attention and support of us all.
We are not fearful that it will be
come to naught because we now raise
5Q»000 bales of cotton annually and
will be raising 100,000 bales soon be
cause we have a monoply on the crop
by virtue of our location and climate.
We need not fear the boll worm or
weevil because we are at the extreme
northern limit of its area arid because
the department of agriculture can con
trol it as easily as it can the hog chol
era or the Texas fever tick. We can
demand the best prices because we are
nearest the mills and the export ports
and on the main lines of the railroads.
The warehouse system will revolu
tionize the marketing of cotton. We
will soon be growing a uniform varie
ty of cotton in each community or
county, a uniform length of staple, a
uniform form of bale all of which will
demand a higher price as other uni
form products do. We will have more
respect for a bale of our cotton when
it is worth $250.00 and the mills and
consumers will have more respect for
us. Cotton drove us into economic
slavery and cotton will and must lift
us out of it, with the warehouse sys
tem. Prosperity, our prodigal son,
and wanderer for 50 years, has return
ed; let us kill the fatted calf and re
joice here in the Southland. Nature
being our guide and action our motto
we cannot fail.
Miss Helen Taft to Wed.
Ex-President and Mrs. Taft have
announced the engagement of their
daughter, Miss Helen, to Frederick
Johnson Manning, an instructor in
history at Yale University. The mar
riage will take place in Canada in
July.
President Not to Pay Income Tax.
It was decided by the Supreme
Court Tuesday that the War Revenue
Act requiring the President and all
Federal Judges to pay an income tax
on their salaries, was unconstitution
al. Under the act the President paid
on his salary of $75,000 a year ap
proximately $16,000 in taxes. Reve
nues already collected under this act
will, under the Court’s decision, be
refunded by the Treasury.
FINAL EXERCISES
AT SCHOOL TONIGHT
—
Mr. J. M. Broughton, Jr., to Deliver
The Address Before Graduating
( lass in School Auditorium. Class
Numbers Only Eight This Year.
Tonight at the school auditorium
will mark the close of one of the most
successful years in the history of the
Turlington Graded School when the
diplomas are given to the members of
the Senior Class.
The.class roll is as follows: Ethel
Vivian Coates, Solon Russell Cotton,
Lela Thelma Creech, Lillie Belle
Johnson, Lyndon Kirkman Jordan,
George \roung Ragsdale, Willis Ever
ett Thornton, Lillie Eva Wrenn.
The commencement address will be
delivered tonight at the school audi
torium by Hon. J. M. Broughton, Jr.,
a prominent attorney of the Wake
county bar. Mr. Broughton is recog
nized as one of the leading speakers
among the younger men of the State.
He is in great demand to speak be
fore Chambers of Commerce, social
and educational bodies.
Dr. Frank Crane, the well known
magazine writer and lecturer of New
York had been invited several weeks
ago to make the addresst this year.
Tuesday the Chairman of the School
Board received a telegram from Dr.
Crane stating that it was impossible
for him to fill the engagement much
to his regret.
The exercises will open at 8:15.
The total enrollment in the school
this year is 681. This is by far the
greatest enrollment in the history of
the school.
CLAYTON NEWS
Clayton, June 2.—Mr. and Mrs. O.
G. Smith returned Monday from a
visit to relatives at Franklinton.
Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Ellis came home
this week from Baltimore where they
have been for two weeks visiting their
daughter, Mrs. A. J. Parker.
Mrs. Miller White and daughter,
Susan, visited relatives in Goldsboro
for the week end.
Miss Alice Hockaday of Durham is
here visiting friends for a few days.
Mr. C. B. Turley of Raleigh spent
last Sunday here with his family.
Mr. A. V. Gulley is in Smithfield
today on business.
Miss Sulon McCullers will leave to
morrow for a ten days trip to Ashe
ville.
Miss Alma Hall spent Monday in
Raleigh shopping.
Mr. and Mrs. Vick Austin visited
their daughter Mrs. Jesse McLamb
at Benson this week.
Miss Eloise Turley will leave to
morrow for a visit to friends at Four
Oaks.
Work on the new Baptist church is
getting on nicely. It is nearing com
pletion and it is hoped services can
be held in it before so very much
longer.
The Y. W. A. held its regular meet
ing on Tuesday afternoon at four o’
clock with Miss Eugenia Thomas.
While several of the members were
absent those present enjoyed a de
lightful program after which refresh
ments were served by Miss Thomas.
Quite a number of the young peo
ple of the town will enjoy the moon
light picnic at Hood’s pond this after
noon complimentary to Miss Alice
Hockaday of Durham.
Miss Juanita Jeffreys of near Sel
ma spent last week here with her sis
ter, Mrs. Luther Rose.
Not Quite A Corpse.
A New York City watchman, Peter
Keenan, arrived at his home Monday
night to find preparations for his,fun
eral under way. A few hours previ
ous, two of his nieces had identified
the body of a man who had dropped
dead on the street as being their un
!o. His bi’^bfr cnofimied *h" identi
fication and went to inform the wid
ow. Peter, how'ever, arrived at home
in time to call off his own funeral.
Medals to Mothers of Large Families.
—r~—
France is giving medals to French
mothers of large families. To a
mother having five children the
youngest being not less than five
years, a bronze medal is presented.
The mother of eight children receives
a silver medal, while one who has ten
children, is awarded a gold medal.
PUN BETTER PAY
FOR POSTAL FOLKS
Proposed Schedule Will Require $33,
000,000 for First Year—Postmast
ers Getting $5,000 a Year Not Af
fected.
Increased salaries for postal em
ployes amounting to approximately
$33,000,000 for the first year, effective
July 1, were recommended in a report
to Congress Monday by a joint Con
gressional commission. Increases of
from $150 to $250 annually for postal
clerks and letter carriers, with $400
for supervisory officers, were recom
mended. No increases for first class
postmasters receiving above $5,000 a
year were proposed, however.
Estimates by the commission place
the increase of the postal pay roll at
about $38,000,000 for the second year
and $43,000,000 for the third and
fourth years. For rural delivery car
riers, me commission recommended
$1,800 for a twenty-four mile route
and an additional $30 for each mile
in excess of that distance. Motor
route earners covering 50 miles or
more would receive not in excess of
v'^jfiOO. I he pay of village delivery
carriers would be from $1,000 to $1,
200.
THE LOCAL, PAPER AND ITS
CORRESPONDENTS.
The value of a live local paper to
a town or county is hard to over es
timate. It stands for the progress of
its town and county and publishes
many articles of value to the town
in which it has its home that are of
ten passed by by the home folks as
just a matter of ordinary moment,
without stopping to think what it
means to the community to be kept
hefoifip' the public in a complimentary
manner. Oh, they say that’s what the
local paper’s for. True, that is one of
the reasons for its existence, and ev
ery local paper gives value received
along this line alone. But that is not
all it stands for. It is a community
builder and often a loader in the
movements which mean much for the
community.
But there’s another work of the lo
cal paper, and that is to give the
news of the town and county in which
it is published. But how to get the
news always is the problem that con
fronts many a local newspaper. The
people as a general rule seem to have
an idea that the editor should know
all the news. They forget that he
has only two ways to get the news:
one is to be on hand when a thing
happens and tell 'about it; the other
is te have some one else tell him
about it.
The local paper generally expects
the people here and there over the
county to send him in the news. Well,
this can not always be depended
on. There is a better way, and
that is to have regular correspond
ents in every section of the county.
However, this is a problem. Some
times a good correspondent may be
had who will write pretty fair letters
for awhile and then stop. Others will
WTite and when the editor sees fit to
cut out a paragraph or two this cor
respondent quits. There is a better
way and that is to see that the cor
respondent shall have some compensa
tion for his or her trouble. It does
not take much to repay them, but it
should be done.
The editors of The Herald want to
get a good live correspondent in every
community of the county where it has
not already one and are willing to
see that they do not lose anything
for their trouble. To this end begin
ning June 1, we are going to keep a
record of all matter sent in by our
correspondents and see to it that they
are in some way rewarded for their
trouble.
Clayton Commencement.
Friday evening, the closing exer
cises of the Clayton school took place,
when the graduates received their di
plomas. There were ten members of
the graduating class, three receiving
diplomas in music.
The commencement address was de
libered by Hon. Robert N. Page, one
of the»democratic candidates for nomi
nation for Governor. Mr. Page, how
ever, made no effort to introduce pol- j
itics into his.speech, but confined him
self to a discussion of the educational
and material resources of the state.
CHEVROLET RIDES TO VICTORY
Wins Great Automobile Race in the
Presence of Great Crowd at Indian
apolis.
In the most spectacular tinish ever
witnessed on the Indianapolis Speed
way, Gaston Chevrolet, driving1 a car
of American design, rode to victory in
the eighth ranewal of the 500-mile au
tomobile race Monday before a record
breaking crowd of 125,000 persons.
Chevrolet’s time was* 5:40:16.14, an
average of 88.16 miles an hour, the
second best time in the history of the
event. '
In addition to winning the $20,000
first prize, Chevrolet also won approx
imately $5,500 more in lap prize com
petition and cash prizes offered by ac
cessory firms. Rene Thomas thun
dered across the finish in second place
having covered the distance in 5:4.'!:
02.2!). His average was 87.45 miles
an hour. Tommy Milton pulled up in
third place and Jimmy Murphy, win
ner of the Santa Monica road race,
finished fourth.
All of the thrills came in the last
thirty miles of the race, when Ralph
DePalma, the favorite, with a lead of
ten miles to his credit, seemed certain
of winning. But with victory within
grr.rp, DePalma’s car burst into flames
on the north turn of the two and a
half mile course, and a few minutes
later the car driven by Joe Boyer,
who led during the first 250 miles,
skidded, overturned and crashed into
a brick retaining wall within a few
feet of the spot where DePalina's car
caught fire. Neither Boyer nor his
mechanician were seriously injured.
Five Shortcomings of Southern
Farming.
On a trip half-way across the South
by one route and back again by an
other route recently, five notable
shortcomings in our Southern farm
ing were almost everywhere in evi
dence:
1. We need more paint. At the
Montgomery Cotton Meeting, Mr.
Sapiro said, “One sees more unpaint
ed houses in a day or two here than
he sees in California in a whole year.”
With lumber as high as it is, painting
is no longer a luxury but real econo
my. Cannot every farmer resolve
now to put aside enough money this
fall to paint at least the farm resi
dence, if it has not been painted ?
2. We need more fences. Now
that the lioll weevil practically covers
the Cotton Belt and will soon cover
it absolutely, diversified farming and
more livestock are necessities. And
livestock cannot properly utilize
special crops and the waste feeds on
the farm, unless we have fences. In
South Carolina last year thp county
agents conducted a state-wide “Fenc
ing Campaign. They urged the far
mer to buy fencing material and then
ordered such material cooperatively
in carload lots. Why cannot every
state in the South have such a fenc
ing campaign this fall ?
3. We must use the harrow more—
and more wisely. A cloddy field is in
no better shape to furnish food for
plants than a lumpy biscuit, mixed
with clods of soda, salt and raw flour,
is fit to nourish the human body. Ev
en where our folks use the harrow,
too many of them lose half the value
of their labor by using it too late. Let
the harrow fallow right behind the
breaking plow, has been the constant
advice of The Progressive Farmer.
4. Our forest fires are a disgrace
to our intelligence. We must learn to
think of timber as a crop just as corn
or cotton or tobacco, even if it does
take a. little longer to mature. Yet
men who would almost worry them
selves to death if someone should
burn up a field of com shocks will
pay almost no attention to it when
some scoundrel carelessly destroys
$1,000 worth of potential timber val
ues.
5. Wo must make better use of our
bottom lands. All over the South
one sees farmers wearing themselves
out trying to make cotton on worn
out one-third-bale-per-acre uplands
while rich bale-per-acre bottom land
just below is growing weeds, briers
and brush, only a little clearing and
drainage being necessary to put all
this wasting fertility to wmrk in the
farmer’s behalf.—Progressive Farm
er.
The suffrage amendment by the
Delaware Legislature was defeated
Wednesday when it adjourned without
furthei action.
FORGING AHEAD ON
' SEWER EXTENSION
Some of the Ditches are Already Cut
h or the Water and Sewerage Lines.
Extension Will He 8,.r>00 Feet for
Sewer and 11,500 Feet For Water
Lines.
The work on the sewer and water
extension lines for Smithfield is being
pushed rapidly forward this week.
The W. Z. Williams Construction
( ompany of Macon, Georgia, has the
contract. The man in charge of the
work here is Mr. T. J. Christian, of
Macon, Ga.
Mr. J. C. Stancil is digging the
sewer and water ditches. There are
8,500 feet of sewer line and 11,500
feet water line. This extension will
carry the water to the depot and that
part of the town South of Market
street down to Spring branch and the
section near the Veneer Plant on near
the fair grounds, thence west .to the
road and thence to Mr. Walter My
att’s home near the graded school.
The work is to be pushed rapidly to
completion. The company doing the
work is hoping to have the job com
pleted in a few weeks.
NEWS FROM ME A FOW.
Last Tuesday afternoon the music
students of Meadow with their par
ents met at the school building' and
organized The Meadow Music Club.
The following officers were elected:
President, Mr. Eli Lee.
Secretary-treasurer, Miss Myrtle
Lee.
General Manager, Mr. W. P. Lee.
Assistant Manager, Miss Hilda
Smith.
Finance Committee, Mr. J. L. Lee.
The object of this organization is
by various plans and efforts on the
part of the music students to raise
funds to be used for the benefit of
the music department of Meadow,
that is, to help pay the teacher’s sal
ary and for any other purpose in be
half of the music department. One
plan that they have adopted is to sell
ice cream at public occasions in the
community and at Peacock’s Cross
Roads on Saturday afternoons. The
club is hoping to have the hearty co
operation of the whole community in
its undertaking.
Miss Eloise Lee from near Four
Oaks is visiting relatives in this sec
tion.
Miss Helen Denning of Newton
Grove spent last Sunday night at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Godwin.
Mr. Enoch Godwin and Miss Lure
tha Godwin spent last week end in
Sampson county, the guests of Miss
Myrtle Bass.
Mr. P. L. Lee and family from near
Four Oaks visited relatives in our
section last week end.
Miss Mabel Johnson was the guest
of Miss- Irene Johnson in lower John
ston last week end.
Miss Mamie Sue Jones met sever
al of our ladies out at the school
building last Friday afternoon and
demonstrated making hats.
Miss Bertha Johnson very delight
fu^£ entertained a number of her
flW(ls at her home last Saturday ev
ening. Interesting games and re
freshments were the features of the
occasion.
Master Newel West Dunn and sis
ter, little Miss Rabel, of Sampson
wore the guests of Master J. R. Lee
and Misses Anna, Margaret and Re
becca Lee last week end.
A number of our young folks met
at the school building last Friday
afternoon and gave the auditorium a
general clean-up. We are confident
that no community can boast of a
more thorough progressive spirit
among the young people than Mead
ow.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Holland of
Kenly and Mr. and Mrs. Sills of Ire
dell Scott, visited Mr. and Mrs. A. G.
Parker last Sunday.
Preaching services were held at
Hickory Grove last Tuesday, conduct
ed by Elder Strickland.
Much enthusiasm is being shown by
the members of the Sunday school at
Trinity for an A-l Sunday school,
and rapid development toward that
aim has already been realized.
Benson, June 2, R. F. D. 2.
Friendship that flows from the
heart cannot be frozen by adversity,
as the water that flows from the
spring cannot be congealed in winter.
—J. F. Cooper.