COTTON CONDITION
THROUGHOUT SOUTH
Harry P. Stevens Gives Com
prehensive Report Based on
Personal Observation, Tele
grams and Letters
BELOW NORMAL IN TEXAS
There is no more interesting topic
to farmers and business men alike
than the condition and prospects of
the cotton crop. Mr. Harry P. Ste
vens of this city has furnished us
with information i'n regard to the
condition of the cotton crop as of
May 25, based upon his personal in
vestigation following a trip through
several southern states. His report
is as follows:
North Carolina.
The Coastal Plain region shows an
increase in acreage of 3 percent.
Planting completed, and 16 percent of
the acreage replanted. Weather has
been unfavorable, too cold, causing
poor germination. Greatly delaying
the crop especially in the heavier
lands from Wilson North East. No
Weevil reported this area. Condition
79 percent.
Eastern Piedmont region shows an
increase acreage of 2 percent. Plan
ing completed. Temperatures have
been low, causing poor germination.
15 percent the acreage has been re
planted. Rainfall has been sufficient
this belt, except Anson, Union, Meck
lenburg, Gaston and Cleveland coun
ties. Condition 77 percent.
South Carolina.
Eastern half of state, South from
McColl via Hartsville, Columbia and
Aiken, shows 4 peree'nt increase in
acreage. Planting completed and 14
percent acreage replanted. Weather
has been favorable. Crop about 5 days
early. Sufficient rains. Weevil appear
ing over wide territory. Condition 80
percent.
Western section state shows 5 per
cent increase in acreage. Planting
completed. 77 percent crop replanted.
Weather favorable. Sufficient rains.
No weevil as yet. Condition 80 per
cent.
Georgia.
North Georgia, acreage increased
6 percent. Planting completed. Very
little replanted. Weather favorable
except in Eastern part this belt,
where it is exceedingly dry a'nd in
festation of weevil becoming heavy.
Condition 80 percent. *
Central Georgia, acreage increased
5 percent. Planting completed. Lack
of moisture caused poor germination,
result fifteen percent replanted. Crop
10 days late. Weevil appearing wide
area. Condition seventy.
South .Georgia, acreage increased
20 percent. Crop 10 days early. Rains
light, some sections germination poor.
Weevil appearing wide area. Condition
78 percent.
Alabama.
Eastern Alabama shows 6 percent
increase in acreage. Crop 10 days
early. Sufficient rains. Each report
shows appearance weevil. Condition
77 percent.
No report Western Alabama.
HARRY P. STEVENS.
Telegrams and letters from big
growers and exporters in other sou
thern states give further light on the
condition of the cotton crop.
Vicksburg, Miss., May 27: “Cotton
crop prospects throughout our section
exceedingly favorable. Stand is good,
crop clean, well advanced.”
Dallas, Tex., May 28: “All sections
Texas progressing satisfactorily, al
though cool nights north Texas re
tarding growth slightly. Except south
central, southwest and south Texas
where rain is badly needed, crop go
ing backward and unless rain soon
considerable acreage will have to be
replanted. Rio Grande valley pro
gressing fine. Corpus Christi section
needs rain badly. Temperature ris
ing.”
Waco, Tex., May 27: “Texas crop
very spotted. Is fair to good condition*
as to grass, weeds and cultivation. To
the inexperienced observer it looks
good. To the practical grower it is
very unfavorable, because of lack of
moisture, no general rains since Sep
tember fifteenth last. Continued daily
very low humidity, air very dry and
moisture evaporating very rapidly.
Unless Texas gets excess of rains
(Turn to page four, please)
WM. J. RAMSEY
IKffii ...
Mr. Ramsey will have charge
of the choir during- the Ham
Ramsey revival which begins
here tomorrow night.
JOHNSTON COUNTY
HOSPITAL ASSURED
County Commissioners Sub
scribe Eight Thousand Dol
lars To Provide County
Ward
DR. RANKIN BEFORE BOARD
The Johnston County Hospital is
now an assured thing. The County
Board of Commissioners did the mag
nanimous thing yesterday and voted
a subscription to the amount of eight
thousand dollars for this most wor
thy project. This money will pro
1 vide a ward in the hospital which
shall take care of the poor who look
to the county for their support, and
the contribution may ultimately mean
help from the Duke Foundation in
caring for other indigent patients.
Dr. W. S. Rankin, who until yester
day has been secretary of the State
Board of Health for about 16 years,
put in his first day in charge of the
Duke Hospital fund, with far-reach
ing results to Johnston Coulnty. Dr.
Rankin, representing the State Health
Department, was instrumental some
time ago in securing for the county
a whole-time health officer, and the
people are due to thank him again
for speaking another word in behalf
of life and health to the commission
: ers in session here yesterday. His
words, as he told of medical progress
as only a part of general progress, as
he pointed out how hospitals are ne
cessary to up-to-date practice of
medicine, as he recited the economic
value of such an institution located
between Wilson and Fayetteville and
Goldsboro and Raleigh, were convinc
ing, so convincing that the commis
sioners could not do less than take
a part in this humane undertaking.
The chairman of the county board will
ex officio be a member of the board
of directors of the Hospital.
Dr. W. J. B. Orr introduced Dr.
Rankin and others who spoke in be
half of the proposition. After Dr.
Rankin’s speech, were: Mr. R. C. Gil
lette, Mr. Will Upchurch, a former
member of the county board, Mr. Ho
■ cutt and Mr. Jones, members of the
present board.
The hospital fund of $60,000 is now
within fiver or six thousand dollars of
completion, nad the committee will
now push forward to sign up every
cent necessary for a modern building
The blue prints are being made, and
bids will soon be advertised to let the
contract.
Negro Arrested Near Clayton
Andrew Sanders, colored, was ar
rested and three other negroes put
to flight Sunday afternoon when Mes
srs. C. Q. Stephenson and J. J. Bat
|ten and Mr. Franks, deputy marshal,
appeared on the scene where whis
key was in evidence. The negroes
were found near the home of Mr.
Dock Hill, a few miles south of Clay
ton. It is said that these men had
been under suspicion some time and
when a search was made a quart of
whiskey was found intheir posses
sion. Sanders was brought to, jail
here, where he will remain'until the
the case is tried inRecorder’s Court.,
Three colored men who were with*
Sanders at th time of the arrest made
j their escape.
■
Two Tragic
Events Near
Bentonville
Negro Seriously Injured By Gun!
Shot and Baby Badly
Hurt in Automobile v
Accident
THREE NEGROES IN JAIL
Bentonville township was the scene
of two tragic events on Sunday, May
31, both of which came near resulting
in the death of some of the parties
connected with them.
There was a vocal union—all day
song service at Pauline Baptist church
which attracted an attendance of
some two thousand people; and at
the same time there was a Sunday
school celebration in session at the
Disciple church for the colored peo
ple at Bentonsville. The two churches
are about two miles apart.
About one p. m. a disturbance of
an unknown origin started between
some negroes at the negro churc}i.
According to statements made by
some attendants of this celebration,
o'ne Amos Bronson, while in an infuri
ated frame of mind, rushed to his car,
got out his shot gun and fired twice
at John Roberts Kornegay, both loads
taking effect in the right arm near
the shoulder. The wounded man was
immediately rushed to Newton Grove
for medical attention, but so grave
was the condition of the wound that
Dr. Wilso'n advised immediate re
moval to the hospital. When Bron
son was advanced upon by some of
Kornegay’s friends, he leveled his
gun on his assailants and calmly de
fied any interference. He made his
escape but was arrested later in the
afternoon by Deputy Sheriff Edgar
Powell and others, who took him to
Sinithfield where he was lodged in
jail.
The shooting affray at Bentonsville
seems to have caused a commotion
among the negroes present. Some
two hours later a Ford car driven by
one negro and occupied by two oth
ers, passed Pauline Baptist church
where the white people were holding
their vocal union. The car belonged
to a negro by the name of Lezar Wil
son, who resides at Newton Grove in
Sampson County. The car was driv
en by Dalmon White, another negro
of Newton Grove. Eye witnesses to
this accident stated that White was
driving past the badly crowded
church yard at a rapid rate, and that
at the same time a car drive'n by Mr.
Robert Justice collided with the car
upon which the negroes vrere riding,
breaking the radius rod in the ne
groes’ car, and driving it into anoth
er car which was occupied by a Mrs.
Carl Register, of Meadow township.
Both Mrs. Register and her baby re
ceived a severe shock and the baby
received injuries which necessitated
medical attention. Dr. J. H. Stanley,
of Four Oaks, attended the baby, and
reports indicate that no permanent
injury will result. Immediately after
this unfortunate collision, the occu
pants of the car driven by the negro,
Dalmon White, were arrested. They
were found to be partly intoxicated
and one was carrying a pistol con
cealed about his person. They were
brought to Smithfield a few hours
afterwards and lodged in jail.
Reputable citizens of the county
have stated that it is of common oc
currence to see negroes in this sec
tion going to the places of worship
on Sundays with shot guns in their
cars. There is usually enough whis
key in the hands of this type of ne
groes to create a disturbance, and it
is not surprising to learn of such af
frays as this one.
DEAN GILGORE RESIGNS
Dr. B. W. Kilgore, dean of State
College, submitted his resignation at
a recent meeting of the board of trus
tees, which was accepted. Some sort
of disagreement <§ptween Dean Kil
gore and President E. C. Brooks is
aid t have caused the resignation.
No statements, however, in regard to
it wrere given out.
COUNTY LOAN FOR
ROAD HELD VOID
Attorney General Gives Opinion
at Request of Highway Com
missioner On Advances To
Counties
ADVANCES TO 43 COUNTIES
An article published in Saturday’s
News and Observer will be of inter
est to Johnston County citizens in
that it gives the ruling of the Attor
ney General which affects the con
tract recently made between this
county and the State Highway Com
mission. The contract called for a
hard-surfaced road through this
county north and south, the county to
lend $500,000 to the Highway Com
mission to be paid back by the State
from future appropriations for roads.
The article referred to is in part as
f ol lows:
“All loans by counties to the State
Highway Commission to be repaid
out of subsequent road bo'nd issues
are illegal and void, according to an
opinion rendered yesterday by At
torney-General Dennis G. Brummitt
in response to a resolution asking his
opinion on the question passed at the
meeting of the State Highway Com
mission here on Wednesday.
The matter of county loans has
been attracting considerable interest
recently due to pending loans of $1,
500,000 by Halifax County a!nd $850,
000 by Wake County which were op
posed by Commissioner John Sprunt
Hill, of the Fourth District, on the
grounds that the commission would
be unable to repay the counties out
of the next bond issue. He stated
that it would require a $100,000,000
bond issue to repay Halifax County.
Advocates of county loans have held
that with many counties expecting to
be repaid large bond issues would be
voted by sessions of the General As
sembly.
forty-three counties have already
advanced $10,608,944 to the Highway
Commission for road construction
work, according to figures of the com
mission compiled as of May 30. All
of these co unties have not made
‘loans’ to the commission, some of
them donating sums for use inside
their borders. The majority of cas
es, however, are ‘loans’, it was stated.
A few of the county advances include
roads already built and turned over
to the commission later. The major
ity of the advances were made un
der contracts with the commission
whereby the county was to be repaid
out of its share in subsequent bond
issues.
“Even if the money is a gift from
the county to the Highway Commis
sion the Attoney-General declares
that “In accepting and using money
so advanced by a county, the Commis
sion should be careful not to abdi
cate its discretion or to fail to exer
cise the powers conferred upon it by
the law. A failure to exercise pow
ers conferred would be as contrary to
public policy as the exercise of au
thority not given. It is for the Com
mission in the exercise of its reason
able discretion to determine the or
der in which roads should be built,
the rapidity -with which contraction
should proceed, and the type of road
to place n any particular link f the
State system.”
“State Highway Commissioner
Frank Page yesterday refused to be
quoted on his reaction to the opinion.
“Mr. Brummitt in his opinio'n holds
that the powers of the Highway Com
mission are limited to those given in
the act creating it and amendatory
acts. He does not believe that this
power was granted in any of these
acts. He holds that the contracts be
tween the counties and the commis
sion are beyond the authority of the
commission to bind itself and the
State and are therefore “ultra vires
and illegal.”
“ In the light of Mr. Brummitt’s
oipnion, it would appear that not on
ly future contracts but contracts al
ready entered into and acted upon
are illegal and void.”
Circle No. 4 To Meet
Circle No. 4 of the Methodist Mis
sionary Society will’ meet Thursday
afternoon at four o’clock with Mrs.
S. R. Brady. All members are urged
to be present.
S. S. Holt Is Killed
by Raleigh Officer
WILL TEST LEGALITY OF
LOANS
In order to test the validity of
the ruling of Attorney-General
prummitt made last week that all
loans by counties to the State
pighway Commission for the con
struction of roads are illegal, Mr.
|T. C. Young, of this city, will
bring suit before Judge Frank
paniels in the Wake County Supe
rior Court, in an action to re
strain the Johnston County com
missioners from paying to the
pighway Commission any part of
the loan of §500,000 made by this
bounty. The loan on which the suit
is based was entered into by high
way and county authorities sev
eral weeks ago, the loan being the
amount of $500,000 to be used for
paving route 22 passing north and
south through the county. The
suit will be brought before Judge
Daniels today and will be sent im
mediately to the Supreme Court for
final determination. The suit is
a friendly suit, brought purely for
the purpose of testing the ruling.
GRADUATING CLASS
HEARS DR. BAGBY
Delivers Fine Discourse on “The
Finished Product of Manhood
and Womanhood.’’
ANTHEMS BY UNION CHOIR
The commencement exercises prop
er began Sunday evening with the
baccalaureate sermon in the high
school auditorium preached by Dr.
A. Paul Bagby, of Wake Forest.
The service was opened with the
Doxology, immediately after the thir
ty-three graduates had filed into the
auditorium and taken their places.
Rev. Chester Alexander, pastor of
the Presbyterian church, offered
prayer and then Dr. Bagby read the
Scripture Lesson. The choir com
posed of singers from the various
churches sang two lovely anthems:
“Seek Ye The Lord”, and “Hark,
Hark! My Soul”. Miss Frances
White and Mr. A. M. Calais sang the
solo parts. The closing prayer was
offered by Rev. S. L. Morgan, pastor
of the Baptist church.
The preacher was introduced by
Supt. Franks, who commended his
wide-awake church in Wake Forest,
one of the reasons for inviting him
to Smithfield. Dr. Bagby announced
his text, Col. 2:10, “Ye are complete
in Him,” and then proceeded to pic
ture to the graduating class an ideal,
well-rounded life. “The Finished
Product of Malnhood and Womanhood”
is what he called his subject, and be
fore he was through he made his au
dience realize that there is something
in every individual that is infinitely
great.
In discussing what is a finished pro- j
duct, he used the negative style of
proving his point. “The finished pro
duct,” said Mr. Bagby, “is not phy
sique, whether of brawn or of beau
ty.” That which is finished must last.
The finished product is not brain. Phy
sique is good, knowledge is good, but
they do not constitute the finished
product. Neither is the finished pro
duct a matter of morality. The de
vil forged his brag lie when he whis
pered that a young man must sow
his wild oats. Dr. Bagby believes in
morality, but it alone does not make
the finished product.
“The finished product,” stated the
preacher, “is a matter of religion.”
It is a matter of vital union with God.
It is a matter of service, a matter of
eternity. He closed his discourse
with the story of Alice McKinley,
niece of President McKinley, who
chose as she graduated from Welles
ley, to spend her life as a mission
ary rather than become the adopted
daughter of the White House.
Watch the date on your label and
don’t your subscription expire.
Smithfield Shocked When News
of the Awful Tragedy
W as Heard.
A tragedy that shocked all
Smithfield occurred yesterday af
ternoon on the Raleigh-Smith
field road not far outside of Ral
eigh, when a plainclothes man,
Jesse Wyatt shot at an automo
bile and killed almost instantly
Stephen S. Holt, of this city.
..According to the best information
at this writing, th echief of police of
Raleigh together with Wyatt, a detec
tive in plainclothes, were riding out
of Raleigh. As they neared the Wal
nut Creek bridge they saw the cars
stopped by the roadside one of which
was the car in which Mr. Holt, Mr.
Dock Woodard, of Boon Hill and two
other men, were in. One of the officers
remarked to the other that they look
ed like cars that transferred whiskey
into Raleigh. Passing on several yards
they stopped a'nd started back to the
parked cars. About this time Mr.
Woodard’s car moved off. Mr. Wyatt
signeled the car to stop. Instead of
stopping, the driver speeded up, the
officer fired at the auto and a shot
struck Mr. Holt at the base of his
brain causing almost instant death.
The cars were searched but no evi
dence of any whiskey was found.
The men started back to Raleigh with
the injured man but he died before
the hospital was reached. The body
was taken to Brown’s Undertaking
Shop.
Mr. Holt left Smithfield early yester
day morning going to Raleigh to rep
resent some clients in Federal Court.
Court had adjourned for the day, and
he was returning home when the ac
cident occurred.
Funeral arrangements have not
been made at this writing, but it is
expected that the funeral will be this
afternoon.
The deceased was a prominent
lawyer in this city being the senior
member of the firm Ward & Holt.
He leaves a wife, three daughters,
Mrs. Nat Pierson of Enfield, Mrs.
Roscoe Bass and Miss Tama Holt of
this city. He also leaves an aged
mother, Mrs. E. J. Holt, a sister,
Mrs. H. D. Ellington, and two broth
ers, Messrs R. R. and W. N. Holt.
The sympathy of the community
goes out to the family in their hour
of bereavement
YEARLING JUMPS INTO CAR
Mr. Leonard L. Ennis had a unique
experience Sunday afternoon on the
Raleigh road near Wright’s farm. It
seems # yearling belonging to Mr.
Wright had broken out of the pasture
and Mr. Wright had set the dogs on
him.. The yearling in his efforts to
escape the dogs, landed in the back
seat of Mr. Ennis’ touring car as he
was passing by. Some slight damage
was done to the car, and the yearling
suffered a hard blow on the pave
ment.
STATE BUILDING CONTRACTS
MUST BE SUBMITTED TO GOV.
Raleigh, Junel.—Governor McLean
requests the heads of State institu
tions to submit all building contracts
to him before taking final action. This
is in harmony with the budget law
which contains a provision that “each
State institution receiving appropri
ations for permanent improvements
under the Act of 1925, shall budget
their requirements and present same
to the director of the budget before
any of such appropriations shall be
come available”.
Necessary estimate forms have been
forwarded to department and insti
tutional heads with requets for per
manent improvement estimates.
Around four million dollars in bonds
was authorized by the Legislature for
permanent improvements and will be
available on the first of July.
Deserved The Job
Employer: What can you do, boy?
Boy: Anything, sir.
Employer: Ca nyou whee la bar
row full of smoke?
Boy: Certainly, sir, if you will fill
it.—Good Hardware.