MR. MARROW GIVES
HIS VIEWOF TAXES
Smithfield, N. C., Jan. 24, 1921.
To the Editors of The Smithfiedl
Herald:
Under the caption “Have Your
Taxes Increased” in the last several
issues of your paper you have pub
lished quite a few instances in which
the taxes have greatly increased. It
stands to reason that those persons
who are paying less taxes are satis
fied and therefore have paid no at
tention to your invitation to send in
the amount their taxes have decreas
ed. It seems to me the only way to
get at an accurate and fair estimate
of this situation, which I know you
want to present to the readers of
your paper, is to consult the tax
books of the sheriff, which are pub
lic property.
For your convenience in present
ing this question fairly I have com
piled from the Smithfield Township
tax books the following list of per
sons who will pay less tax in 1920
than they did in 1919. This list goes
through the first three letters of the
alphabet and then includes a few oth
er names through the remainder of
the list which are representative tax
payers—some large and some small.
I think you will agree with me
that the only way to answer the ques
tion which you have raised in your
paper is by a consideration not of a
few tax payers but of all the tax
payers. It is interesting to note by
reference to the tax books fully fifty
per cent of the individuals paying
taxes are paying less tax this year
than they did last year. And if we
include in the list those whose taxes
have not increased more than ten per
cent, the, increase allowed by the
Machinery Act, more than sixty per
cent of the tax payers would fall in
this class.
H.
Name
Abell & Gray_
Allsbrook, W. H.__
Aycock, R. N.„ admr.
Anderson, W. L._
Avera, W. J._
Avera, John T._
Allen, R. B. _
Alford, R. H._
Austin, W. H. _
Austin-Stephenson
Company __1
Austin-Long Mule Co
Adams, J. W. _
Adams, L. E._
Adams, W, N.__
Adams, D. E._
Adams, H. B._
Adams, W. 0._
Adams, C. F._;_
Atkinson, T. H._
Barnes, Percy L. __
Barnes, J. W._
Bailey, Mrs. J. R. __
Bailey, Florida _
Barbour, C. J._
Barbour, W. O._
Barbour, M. T._
Barbour, R. R._
Barbour, I. A._
Barbour, J. D._
Baker, A. P._
Baker, J. P._
Baker, Mrs. Ella_
Beasley, Fletcher
Beaty & Lassiter __
Boykin, B. B. _
Bradley, J. A._
Blackman, W. M.
Blackman, J. P._
Branch, W. J._
Brinkley, J. S. _
Benson, W. Z._
Blandy; Mrs. M. H.
Brooks, F. H. (guard)
Brooks, Mrs. Lelia P.
Brady, S. R. _
Brady, Geo. A.
Brady, J. H._
Brown, Paul V._
Brown, Sam D'._
Brown, Lawrence __
Booker, J. E._
Byrd, W. H. _
Byrd, Mrs. W. H. __
Boyette, Mrs. J. D. _
Broadhurst, F. K.
(Trustee) _
Bryant, Oscar_
Batten, Jesse_
Baucom, H. W._
Barnette, Louise H. _
Capps, Uzzell _
Capps, W. L._
Capps, J. R. _
Capps, J. J. _
Creech, R. A._
Creech, D. A._
Creech, W. S. & J.A.
Creech, A. S._
Creech, T. D. _
Creech, J. C. _
Creech, W. D._
Creech, Jas. R._
Creech, W. S._
Coats, J. H._
Coats, R. L. _
Coats, J. A._
Coats, J. B. _
Cole, W. W._
Cole, H. _
B. MARROW.
1919 1920
148.06 $139.72
19.84
58.56
5.92
14.70
23.77
8.96
10.43
397.70
85.51
20.48
7.62
23.20
5.70
13.04
9.80
17.79
12.43
28.04
66.78
7.63
94.08
63.66
46.55
26.56
23.33
43.33
17.74
10.80
6.84
26.76
88.57
4.71
15.78
45.15
2.10
3.42
20.33
6.89
8.69
331.80
,000.02
266.07
8.82
14.53
16.80
12.57
8.97
6.41
10.66
16.52
3.72
24.51
45.35
6.32
10.08
11.65
9.58
4.87
3.49
17.18
16.40
21.37
60.65
5.11
103.31
13.60
4.77
5.64
13.94
18.64
17.02
11.22
312.24
27.15
26.70
14.40
16.9£
14.85
17.59
18.15
11.48
31.43
10.94
61.72
103.19
875.01
174.44
5.11
7.19
8.42
10.40
5.05
3.05
4.42
6.12
2.65
19.44
34.99
4.82
6.05
6.54
4.05
4.68
.17
10.79
4.49
14.72
24.90
2.49
80.51
9.95
2.49
3.32
12.73
6.50
13.66
10.55
157.70
12.45
15.57
7.77
12.37
8.64
13.84
9.90
" 5.59
18.33
3.71
57.54
63.41
34.03
13.28
.19
13.55
4.98
5.89
4.09
5.75
9.59
16.28
44.99
3.98
78.72
61.48
41.67
20.41
21.09
37.21
8.78
4.45
2.49
19.08
27.20
4.15
CORINTH NEWS
Rev. C. H. Cashwell filled his regu
lar appointment at Corinth Saturday
and Sunday.
Misses Verona and Lillie and Iva
Hocutt attended church at Bethany
Saturday.
Miss Jessie Narron of Dixie sp^nt
Saturday night with Miss Christine
Oneal.
Misses Maybelle and Lounette Price
of Hales Chapel section spent the
week-end with Miss Flonnie Liles.
Miss Viola Bass, of Goldsboro, is
spending sometime with Miss Chris
tine Oneal.
Rev. R. L. Hocutt and son, Costa,
motored to Zebulon Saturday on busi
ness.
The little son of Mr. and Mrs. J.
T. Davis was very badly burned last
Monday.
Miss Verona Hocutt is spending this
week with her sister, Mrs. Carmel
Creech, in the Bethany section.
Mr. Bud Thomasson and family of
near Hepsibah church have recently
moved back to this community. We
gladly welcome them back.
Mr. and Mrs. P. V. Griswold of
Selma have recently moved to our
community.
Mr. W. H Oneal made a business
trip to Middlesex one day last week.
Mrs. Nellie Oneal recently caught
a big hawk which measured 4 feet
2 inches from tip to tip.
Mr. Emmett Stancil, of near Kenly
visited at Mr. Z. T. Bissett’s Sunday
afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Narron, of Ant
ioch section visited at Mr. C. W. Ho
cutt’s Sunday.
Among the sick we note this week
are Mr. G. A. Briggs and little Sadie
Mae Hocutt. We hope they will soon
be out again.
Several people from Wendell at
tended church at Corinth Sunday.
Messrs Paul Hocutt, Osmond Wil
der and Coy Hinton of the Emit sec
tion visited at Mr. Bud Thomasson’s
Saturday night.
Outdoor Window Boxes in Winter
Window boxes are a joy in summer
and why not make them a joy for win
ter as well ? Of course you cannot
have them brilliant with red gerani
ums, but you can have them filled with
branches of white pine and sumac
boughs. The mission of a window box
may just as well be perennial as an
nual, using perennials through the
year. Naturally nothing can be culti
vated in these boxes in winter, but
they can be filled with more or less
permanent evergreen branches and
dried flowers.
The boxes should be filled with damp
sand into which stick masses of white
pin, box holly, cedar, laurel or hem
lock. These will always furnish the
main mass of the box and with some
of them as a background it is possible
to build up a large number of outdoor
effects that will take spectators far
afield the moment they look out of the
window.—Christian Science Monitor.
Two Million Dolar Fire
A two million dollar fire which
wiped out a block and a half of t’.ie
business district of Athens, Ga., rag
ed for hours, the fire beginning at
midnight Monday night. The origin of
the fire is a matter of mystery. Fire
apparatus and firemen were rushed
from Atlanta on a special train.
Childers, G. H. 5.37 2.99
Caudell, A. R._ 58.60 46.14
Crocker, Waldo_ 7.65 3.68
Crump, E. F._ 73.09 64.37
Cotton, S. A._ 10.33 9.18
Campbell, J. A. 30.37 27.09
Ennis. J. C._ 28.79 15.58
Ellington, H. D. 47.44 32.70
Edmondson, E. S._ 152.72 136.43
Grantham Miss Alice 41.18 21.85
Grimes, W. F._ 172.72 116.70
Hill, C. T. .. 138.33 129.05
Holt, S. S. .. 92.31 90.32
Powell, H. S._ 41.64 38.98
Pou, James H._ 73.00 64.98
Patterson, L. G._ 116.59 61.80
Pollard, Henry _ 6.00 4.32
Sanders, W. M._ 2859.95 2074.17
Sanders Motor Co. - 525.27 355.70
J. D. Dickens & Co. 402.73 239.43
Grantham, W. M._ 90.95 62.94
Hamilton, B. N. 57.48 53.95
Jordan, T. C._ 347.24 236.57
Parrish, F. H._ 789.92 415.13
Peedin & Peterson _ 116.76 84.60
Gordon, W. J._ 30.83 20.40
Lane, W. T.91 .63
Parker, J. D._ 136.71 126.04
Stephenson, A. G. __ 24.16 20.75
MISS EDITH POWELL
NOW IN CIVIL SERVICE
Since our postoffice went into sec
ond class on July 1, 1920, the employ
ees are to go into civil service. Miss
Edith Powell, by virtue of her exper
ience in the office, has beei} given a
classified status and is now entitled
to all the rights and privileges con
ferred upon classified employees. It
was the judgment of the commission
that one of the clerks should be a man
so there will be an examination held
sometime in the near future to fill
that place, and also to get others on
the eligible register to fill any vacancy
which might occur in the future.
This position starts with a salary
of $1400 per year and goes up $100
each year with satisfactory service
until it reaches $1800 per year. They
work eight hours per day, six days to
the week, these eight hours to come
within a ten-hour period. This salary
with itsi ^privileges, shouBd atfira^t
some of our best young men. Persons
frohi eighteen to forty-five (I think is
the age limit) are eligible. Civil ser
vice employees get 15 days holiday
with pay and ten days per year sick
leave with pay if needed.
There is also another attractive
feature to civil service positions. The
employees are retired with a life
time annuity if they remain in the
service until they reach the retirement
age. They can be transferred from
one department of srvice to another,
eveh from one town or city to another
if desired. This examination will be
cpen to both men and women for
position as clerk.
The village carriers we now have
by virtue of their experience, have
passed into civil service. But there
will also be an examination to place
others on the eligible register to fill
any vacancy which may occur.
We expect in the not very tar iu
ture to have another village route, and
if our corporate limits are extended
we will very probably have two more
carriers. We trust that we will have
a number of applicants so that these
worthy positions may be filled by per
sons who will add dignity
to the service and to our town.
Sarah A. Lunceford, P. M.
More About Taxes
Editors Smithfield Herald:—
I see in The HERALD a notice giv
en for everybody who thinks their
tax is too high to give notice in the
HERALD, so I will take this occas
sion to complain. I think land taxes
are outrageous, although I had about
decided to say nothing thinking may
be the government wanted to take
the land in hand, and I have made up
my mind not to care how soon for
the sooner the better for a great
many hard working farmers who are
trying honestly to support their fam
ilies and make the money it is now
taking to pay these outrageous Land
Taxes. No sensible man that tills
the earth would have ever thought
of such*taxation on land. I have a
little home but I am very sorry that
I didn’t get rid of it last year. I feel
like I want to speak of something
that has come under my observation
right lately. It was but a week ago
I saw a poor widow woman and her
little girl blundering around in the
woods trying to get up something to
bum anfi to cook with. The girls of a
poor woman who had no son and did
not have money to get a pair of shoes
apiece for her little girl and pay her
taxes. Then going up the road went
a stout burly negro with a fairly good
education road free, in fact taxed free
in every respect with a cigar stuck
in his mouth and the smoke rolling
now I am bound to say there is bound
to be something wrong to make igno
rant girls pay taxes to educate such
characters and to feed them in the
almshouse. My tax was $50.00 in
1919 and for 1920 they are $108.86.
Yours resptfully,
J. E. WINSTON,
Zebulon, N. C., R. No. 1.
Hold Up in Smithfield
Smith: Did you hear of the hold
up here yesterday? .
Jones: Why, no, tthat about it?
Smith: Two clothes pins held up
a shirt on the main Clothes line.
COTTON ACREAGE
MEETINGJANUARY 31
January 31st, is “Cotton Acreage
Reduction Day” in North Carolina.
There will be a meeting at the court
house at Smithfield at 2 p. m., on that
day, Monday 31st for that purpose
and to further the Cotton Export
Corporation.
This is a whole cotton South re
duction camjpaign. We have 5000
pledges to be signed in Johnston coun
ty. The pledge calls for one-third
of your land in cotton. So you see
that many farmers will not have to
reduce but it is necessary that you
sign the pledge anyway because the
more we have signed up the more at
tention the cotton price makers will
give us and raise the price of cotton
as a consequence. It must be done
or we will be worse off next season.
These pledges are going to be sign
ed up from now till after planting
time. Then after planting time we
are going to have a committee in each
township to call on those who did
not sign up or reduce. This is going
to be done in the whole South too.
So you see we mean business this
time. These are rules and instruc
tions adopted at the state convention
and national convention by our re
presentatives from every community
in the South.
Come to the meeting the 31st, and
help do this most important thing
up right and in a hurry. If you do
nothing' now ,you have no right to
complain later; because you have a
chance to do something now for your
self and your neighbor. I am at your
service if you will help for twenty
five cen cotton next fall.
A. M. JOHNSON,
Secretary-Treasury American Cot
ton Association Johnston county.
Defends Welfare Work
Mrs. Ckrence Johnson, director of
Child Welfare in the State, in an ar
ticle in a recent News and Ob
server, defends the Welfare Wlork
which the Nash bill proposes to abol
ish. She mention specifically one
worker who receives $1200 and an al
lowance of $25 for expenses per year.
In commenting on the situation,
Mrs. Johnson says:
“This superintendent is paid less
than most convict gue/rds receive,
yet she has handled 82 delinquent and
neglected children. Will the time ever
come when county commissioners can
be educated to the fact that the most
economical work is the preventive
work done for children? We will never
stop paying convict guards and tak
ing care of convicts and building jails
and paying for keepers until we be
gin to deal with the delinquent child
ren in a constructive way and sen
sible way.
“From this county during the past
year two boys were sent to the Jack
son training school and one girl to
Samarcand. It costs the county noth
ing to send these children to State
institutions from which they will
eventually come to take their place in
society as good citizens, instead of
costing the county hundreds of dollars
in the future as convicts and a prosti
tute.
“Are we fallen upon such hard
times in North Carolina that the
children of our State have to be sac
rificed to the petty economy of county
commissioners who see in $1,200 a
year more tlian the welfare of 82
children given preventive and remed
ial care.”
The record of the superintendent
in question as given by Mrs. Johnson
is as follows: There were 82 children
handled, 54 white and 28 colored, al
delinquents except 11 who were de
pendents. One child was placed in ar
orphanage, one girl sent to Samar
cand,one child adopted,two books sent
to Jackson Training School, four chil
dren sent to the School for the Deaf
two patients sent to the Hospital foi
the Insane, nine children were refus
ed admission to institutions on ac
count of lack of room.
Harding Invited to Charlotte
An invitation has been extended tc
President-elect Harding to speak in
Charlotte on May*20. The invitation
wes extepded on behalf of all the
citizens of the state. Mr. Harding
has not accepted yet.
A law requiring that all shoes be
made of leather might help some to
relieve the paper shortage.
NEWS FROM BENSON
Benson, aJn. 27.—Mr. R. F. Smith
was in Smithfield Tuesday.
Miss Clara Woodall returned Mon
day night from Jonesboro where she
has been attending a week-end house
party given by one of her school
mates.
Messrs J. R. Barbour, H. A. Parker
and George Holland spdht Monday
in Fayetteville.
Mr. Donnie Johnson has moved his
family to Rocky Mount where he has
accepted a position in a drug store.
Miss Velma Goodrich spent a few
days in Rosemary recently.
Mr. H. V. Rose, county Supervisor
of Public Welfare was in town last
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hall, of Fayette
ville spent the week-end with Mr.
and Mrs. J. H. Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Denning and
Mrs. I. P. Roberts went to Raleigh
Tuesday.
Miss Vermelle High spent the week
end with her parents in Wilson.
Mr. Almond Parker went to Rich
mond last Thursday.
Mr. Preston Woodall was in Ral
eigh Tuesday on business.
Mr. Alton Hall is teaching at Mea
dow school.
Miss Lois Carter visited in Fayette
ville the past week-end.
Mr. L. A. Hodges made a business
trip to Richmond last week.
Mr. Oneal Brady, who has a govern
ment position in Wilmington, visited
his parents here recently.
Mr. William Woodall was in Raleigh
Tuesday.
Miss Annette Gordan of Hamlet is
visiting her sister, Mrs. J. B. Bar
bour.
Mr. W. H. Royall was in Fayette
ville Saturday on business.
Mr. J. H. Boone went to Raleigh
Sunday.
Mr. Ernest Johnson of Fayetteville
was in town a few days recently.
The Benson High school basketball
team added two victories to its list
within the past few days. They played
Fayetteville Friday, the score being
33 to 10 in favor of eBnson and Dunn
Tuesday, beating them 35 to 20. This
was the second victory they have
won from Dunn this season.
Mrs. E. M. Hall was the charming
hostess to the John Cahrles McNeil
Boob Club at her home on Church
street Thursday afternoon at three
o’clock. The subject for study being
a continuation of Southern Short
gram was heartily enjoyed: “Writers
of Cracker and Creole Life,” a paper
by Mrs. A. T. Lassiter; a story by
Kate Chopin illustrating Creole life,
by Mrs. M. T. Britt; Piano solo “Waltz
in D Major” by Carol M. Beecher
played by Miss Ethel Hall; and a
story illustrating Cracker Life by
Mrs. A. S. Oliver. Supt. T. L. Wells
was present tojliscuss with the club
conditions upotPfcrhich the club medal
is to be given and other school matters
in which the club is interested. A
check was given him by the treasurer
for twenty-five dollars for the labo
ratory equipment. Mrs. Hall assist
ed by Mrs. I. P. Roberts served a de
lightful salad course with hot coffee.
Two Royal Weddings
The approaching marriage of prin
ces and princesses of the Greek and
Rumanian royal families will be the
first weddings of members of Euro
pean reigning houses since the world
war began. According to a recent an
nouncement the Rumanian Crown
Prince Carol and Princess Helen, the
oldest daughter of Constantine of
Greece, will be married at Athens the
last of this month, and the Duke of
Sparta, Constantine’s oldest son, and
Princess Elizabeth of Rumania will be
wed at Bucharest early in February.
The beginning of both of these ro
mances dates back to the early days
of the war—the wedding of the Duke
of Sparta and Princess Elizabeth was
announced for the spring of 1915.
That the marriages are at last to take
place is due in a large measure to
the restoration of Constantine to the
Greek throne.—New York Herald.
Chatham Woman Burned
Mrs. G. W. Riggsbee, of Colon,
Chatham county, was fatally burned
last week, when she fell in a fainting
spell, close enough to the fire for her
clothes to catch. She gave the alarm
and her husband put out the flames,
but until she had received fatal in
juries.
He that goes a borrowing, goes a
sorrowing.—Franklin.
N. C. GETS $2350,000
ROAD APPROPRIATION
Washington, Jan. 25—North Caro
lina will receive nearly $2,500,000 in
federal aid for road building under
a bill reported favorably by the
House public roads committee this
morning.
The bill carries an appropriation of
$100,000,000 for Federal aid for the
various states in 1922 .Apportionment
is made on three basis, population of
the various states, their area and their
mileage of post roads. Under the 1920
census, North Carolina’s share of the
$100,000,000 would be $2,350,000, but
if the 1920 census figures are used,
the quota will be several thousand
dollars greater, by reason of the large
population gain North Carolina show
ed in 1920.
Representative Doughton of the
Highth North Carolina district, a
minority member of the roads com
mittee, has assurances from the ma
jority leaders that the bill will be ex
pedited. The present plan is to call
it up on the first calendar suspension
day, which will be February 7, and
rush it through. Should there be a jam
in the Senate during the closing hours
of the session, as there is certain to
be, then it is the plan of those who
are urging this extension of Federal
aid to tack the bill on to one of the
annual department appropriation bills
and get it through. It was in this man
ner that the original appropriation
for Federal aid for roads was made,
an appropriation of $200,000,000 to
be expended during a period of three
years being attached to the annual
postoffice bill three or four years ago.
Under this appropriation of which
one-third was expended annually,
North Carolina was appropriated al
together slightly more than $6,000,
000, so that an increase in the road
work is contemplated in the present
bill. In addition, Western North
Carolina will get some of the benefits
from an appropriation of $3,000,000
for forest road and trail construction.
Some of this money will be expended
in the national forests in the vicinity
of Asheville.—Joe L. Baker in News
and Observer.
Paying and Waiting
One of the things that has saved
the country from a financial panic is
the fairly common practice of facing
the situation with sufficient philo
sophy to consider the other fellows’s
position. Those who are trying to
make collections have used much dis
cretion in dealing with those who owe
them, and those who owe have been
doing reasonably well in trying to
pay. But all have recognized that to
show undue pressure in collections
will only force that pressure along
the line to others and in turn put the
same force on the whole business
world. That would have brought a
collapse of the entire structure.
On the other hand an effort to pay
has been general. Those who could
pay have been trying to clear their
accounts, and their willingness has
helped very materially in keeping the
financial sky as clear as it is. It is
true that some who could have done
better have been backward with their
bills, but the mistake is largely their
own, for at some later date when they
want credit they will be remembered.
This is a time for all men to help in
the common cause as far as they can,
and to that extent everybody can help
some. While everybody who ean con
tinue to extend credit is doing it,
those who can pay a little or much
have on their hands the duty of doing
it as fully as those who have accounts
due are expected to be as lenient as
they can and keep within bounds of
safe business methods.—News and
Observer.
Will Grow Fastest
Oxford is another community which
believes in scohols. Some time ago it
decided on an investment of $75,000
in more buildings and Tuesday it vot
ed $50,000 additional for a high school
and in the future the communities
like Greens'>oro, High Point and Ox
ford make thorough provisions for
schools are the communities which,
other things being equal, are going
to grow the fastest and be the great
est force in the life of the state.—
Raleigh News and Observer.
It is hard for an empty bag to
stand upright.—Franklin.