“OPPORTUNITIES IN JOHNSTON COUNTY” EDITION
Johnston_County^* Oldest and B e sj_ Newspaper
- Establish'
1882
46TH YEAR
SMITHFIEL1), NORTH CAROLINA
Sell Your
Tobacco in
Smithfield
PRICE 10c
North Carolina Rich In Natural Resources
County-Seat Of Johnston
Center Fine Fanning Lauds
-*- *---:
' Smithfield’s History Dates
Back to 1775; Town Has
Had No Mushroom Growth
But A Substantial Develop
ment
SPLENDID CIVIC SP1K11
Johnston County, ranking
high in North Carolina and
ranking thirty-seven among
the counties of the United
States in value of agricultur
al products, is on the map and
Smithfield, the oldest and
largest town in the county, is
proud to be the county-seat,
Situated un the banks ot' the
Neuse River with quite a number
of its one time famous old elm
tiees still surviving, Sn.lthfield
impresses the tourist approaching
from Raleigh, only twenty-eight
Monies distant, with its happy lo
cation, and as the tourist drives
on and passes perhaps the finest
courthouse he has seen in North
Carolina erected in 11*21 at a cost
of $462,000, he is further impress
ed with the prdgressive spirit
which made such a building pos
me grow in ot amimneid, now
ever, has been slow. Incorporated
and granted its charter by the
General Assembly that met in
New Bern August 25, 1775, the
town has not had a mushroom
growth, for after 153 years the
population has only reached ap
proximately 3,000 people. Natur
ally the town received its name
from “the original John Smith,”
who is alleged by Mrs. George W.
Woodard of Brevard to have mov
ed to Johnston county from Vir
ginia in 1742. The land upon which
the Johnston county courthouse
now stands was donated by him
and in his honor the town was
named. Descendants of the Smith
family still reside in the town, who
^ point with justifiable pride to the
fact that their ancestor served as
the first representative of the
county in the colonial assembly of
1746 and continued to serve there
after until his death in 1773.
However, all the historic lore of
the town does not center in the
man who gave it its name. Smith
field has the distinction of having
had the General Assembly of North
p Carolina to meet here in 1779. One
of our townsman, Mr. J. H. Wood
all, has in his possession a five
dollar bill which was authorized
by the Assembly in session here
on the fifth of May, 1779. Daniel
Webster, too, once spent a while
in Smi-thfield, and is said to have
made a speech from the upper
balcony of the hotel long since
rp7OI] tn .rrmitwl pml P.pnoi-jlc
Joseph E. Johnston, Bragg, and
Wade Hampton spent a short while
in the village before and after the
battle of Bentonville, which was
fought in the lower part of the
county in March, 1865.
One of the traditions handed
down is one lamenting the fact
^ that Smithfield lacked only one vote
of becoming the state capital. Ac
cording to the poet, the saddest
words in any language are: “It
might have been.” Also one vote
decided the location of the South
ern Railway at Selma instead of
Smithfield, another reason for the
town to be downcast. And when
another blow was suffered in the
abandonment of the proposed
Goldsboro-Salisbury railway pro
ject, even after the tracks were
laid from Goldsboro to Smithfield,
it was enough to put a damper
upon the growth of any town.
In 1889, however, the Atlantic
Coast Line was located by Smith
field, and railroad facilities were
at last available. The old town be
gan to revive, and when nine years
later a tobacco market was es
tablished, Smithfield might be
said to begin to boom. Farmers
in Johnston county began to learn
how to raise tobacco and twenty
. TURN TO RAGE 3, PLEASE
Says, Diversify
li. C. WILLETT
Banker Discusses
Need Of Johnston
R. I'. Gillette Thinks Diversi
fication of Crops County’s
Greatest Need; Farmers
Must Raise Food and Feed
Stuff
tty It. GILLEm
(President Farmers Hank & Trust
Company, Smithfield, S'. C.
The greatest need of Johnston
county is diversification of crops.
All things change and it is now
impossible to raise cotton and to
bacco at a profit if one buys feed,
meats, or any other supplies that
can h eproduced on the farm. A
farm was made to live on and get
a living from. The farm owner
living in town has no chance for
living or fair returns on his farm
investment.
The farmer who raises cotton
and tobacco without giving atten
tion to corn and meat is bound to
lose out. If you want to borrow
money from a farmer, the surest
place to find it is to find one who
has a crib full of corn.
Eighty per cent of Johnston
county farms are mortgaged for
seventy-five per cent of today’s
value, and the percentage of mort
gaged farms is increasing. There
fore, farming as now done is go
ing backwards. But any farmer
that will produce milk and hogs
to sell and then small crops of
cotton and tobacco will find his
yearly income is much larger and
his net profits several times larg
Diversification means work 12
months in the year with twelve
'months income, instead of six
months of work with cotton and
tobacco and two months income.
ASKS CONGRESS TO SET
AN "AGRICULTURAL DAY”
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28.—(Au
tocaster)—Farm interests have
asked Congress to designate a na
tional ‘‘Agricultural Day” to en
courage consideration of the basic
relationship of farming and agri
culture to the well-being of the
Nation. It is sought to establish
“Agricultural Day” as a legal hol
iday and the Senate has already
passed a resolution requesting the
President to designate the first
Thursday in October of each
year.
53 PER CENT PEOPLE IRISH
FREE STATE ARE FARMERS
DUBLIN, Aug. 28.— (Autocast
er)—Fifty-three per cent of the
population fo the Irish Free State
is engaged in agricultural pur
suits. However, less than 13 per
cent of the land is cultivated and
the industry is mainly pastoral.
The average annual import of
wheat, and flour is 522,783 tons.
The country itself produces only
30,000 tons of wheat on an av
erage in a year.
Kiwanis Ideals
Practiced Here
Business and Professional
to Its Motto: "We Build":
Objects of Kiwanis Inter
national
111 lilt. tv. .1. it. ORlt.
President Smithlield Kiwanis Club
Tiie Siiiithfield Kiwanis Club is
one of the clubs of Kiwanis Inter
national which has a membership
of 100,000 men. There are 1735
Kiwanis clubs in the United
States and Canada and three
fourths of them are in small towns.
The Kiwanis motto is, “We Build.’’
Kiwanis has made progress in the
selection of a motto or slogan as
well as in what a motto should
anti does stand for in Kiwanis.
The objects of Kiwanis Inter
national are:
To give primacy to the human
and spiritual rather than to the
material values of life.
To encourage the daily living of
the Golden Rule in all human re
lationships.
To promote the adoption and
the application of higher social,
business, and professional stand
To develop, by precept and ex
ample, a more intelligent, aggres
sive, and serviceable citizenship.
To provide through K i w a n i s
clubs, a practical means to form,
enduring friendships, >to render
altruistic service, and to build bet
ter communities.
To cooperate in creating and
maintaining that sound public
opinion and high idealism which
make possible the increase of
righteousness, justice, patriotism,
and good will.
The Kiwanis Club is one of the
large civic organizations with lo
cal clubs in all the principal cities
in the United States and Canada
carrying out their motto “VVc
Build”. The membership consists
of representative leaders from ev
ery walk of life and is limited to
not more than two from any one
profession or business.
The Smithlield Kiwanis Club
lias done much in Smithtield in
carrying out its motto, “We Build.’
This club sponsored the hospital
drive which resulted in the erec
tion of the Johnston County Hos
pital. Every year the Smithfield
Kiwanis Club boosts the tobacco
market, and this club is constant
ly assisting the under-privileged
child; in fact it is behind every
constructive measure that is for
the advancement of Bmithfield
and, Johnston County. The local
club was organized in 1922 with
Kiwanian W. N. Holt as first pres
ident. Its average membership is
.‘30, representing the finest type of
men who are leaders of the best
business ami professional life of
I>K. W. J. B. OHIt
this community. In the absence
of a Chamber of Commerce the
local Kiwanis club has functioned
as a chamber of commerce as well
as a civic club. This club wel
comes the organization of a Lions
Club in Smithfield and will be very
glad to cooperate with the Lions
Club, the Woman’s Club, the Bus
iness and Professional Women's
Club, various societies, and the
city and county officials in putting
over any constructive program.
TURN TO PAGE 7, PLEASE
GOVERNOR AN(il’S W. Me LEAN
Old North State Takes
Forward Stride; Roads
And Crops Big Factors
Evidences of Growth Development Phenom
enal, Chief Executive Declares—Substan
tial Citizenship Keenly Alive to Opportun
ities Industrial Development is Striking
Agriculture Forging Ahead
Il> \Nl; 1'.' \\. MoLEAN
Governor of North Carolina
Xorth Carolinians have wry right to foci proud of the
progress and development made by their State during the
past lew years. National business leaders, mtropolitan
newspaper, trade publications and speeial writers have foe
used the attention of the people of the United States on the
achievements of this State, particularly with reference to
our great highway development, our expanding industry and
our agricultural progress to such an extent that thousands
■ I people who knew North Carolina a decade ago can dis
cuss her progress with varying degrees of enlightenment to
ciuy.
Most of the statements on the
development of North Carolina in
clude refen neos to the almost ov
ernight awakening of the people
ot the State and a fortfincr ahead
that smacxs of the spectacular. It
is true; that the evidences of this
growth are somewhat phenome
nal, and are surprising-, even to
the citizens of our Slat;’. How
ever, the Inundation for this prog
r«*..s has been in the making fcr
many years, and may he attribut
ed to an evolutionary process,
with a basis of sound and sub
stantial citizenship, coupled with
the natural advantages the State
ol North Carolina has within her
borders.
buring the- past six years fully
$100,000,000 has been-expended by
the State and by her cities, towns
and counties in construction of
highways and streets, erection of
institutional additions, public build
Wigs and schoolhouses. Approxi
mately $150,000,000 of this
amount has gone into developing
b.e State’s highway system, giv
ing ready intercourse between the
citizenship of the wide expanse of
the State. This highway develop
ment has also been largely respon
sible for the expenditure of ap
proximately $100,000,000 in erec
tion of thousands of modem
schoolhouses all over the State, in
that the good roads permitted the
program of consolidating schools
ami transporting pupils, which
has made remarkable progress
during ti e pa.:t four years. An
ether $*:T>.000,000 has been used
TURN TO PAGE TWO
Citizens Proud
Of Pythian Home
Two Buildings Located on 18.*}
Acre Farm Provide Home
For 52 Orphan Children
1 ho Pythian Homo located at
Clayu.r is an institution of which
Johnston covn-ty citizens as well as
the Pythians of North Carolina,
are justly proud. -\t this Home
fitty-two orphan childix-:. who oth
erwise might not have the oppor
tunity to develop into fine splendid
citizens are cared for and given
the sort of training that will make
thtmi an asset to their community
and state.
The Home is situated on 183
acres of fine land on the edge of
Clayton. Forty and one-half acres
ot this tract in 1901) were convey
ed to the Grand Lodge of the
Knights of Pythias of North Car
olina by A. J. Barbour and wife,
Annie Barbour, and I). W. Barbour
and wife, Lena Barbour, of Clay
ton. Twenty acres of this was do
nated by A. J. Barbour and I). W.
Barbour. Later other adjacent
lands were purchased. On this
farm, two splendid buildings which
have a capacity of seventy-five or
eighty occijpants have been erect
ed, besides buildings which house
the laundry and other conveni
TURN TO PAGE 3, PLEASE,
Great Service Is Rendered by
Banks of Johnston County
Organization Of
Business Womei
Local Organization Lives I j
Women's Club Enters Ijiii
Life of City During l our
Years of Existence
Hv MKS. jot; DAVIS
“As we come together
May Thy blessings rest
On our meeting Father
On each welcome guest.
Oive us joy in service,
-Grant that we may see
As we help each other
We are serving Thee."
Standing around a bountifu
table, a body of young women lis
ten with intent faces to the voict
"f the speaker of tile invocation.
A few moments of silence and
then a burst of conversation arid
laughter and tin* Smithficld Busi
ness and Professional Women are
in the midst of their regular meet
ing. Neither financce nor politi
cal aspirations are discussed at
those meetings but SERYICL,
first to each other, to their city, to
their State and Country. The task
of making BETTER BUSINESS
WOMEN FOR A BETTER BUS
INESS WORLD is to them a
pleasant duty, though at times a
little difficult, yet each individual
member gives of herself in such
a way as to enlarge the slogan
from BETTER BUSINESS WOM
EN FOR A BETTER BUSINESS
WORLD to include SERVICE and
COOPERATION.
The State Federation program
is divided as follows: Educo
tional, Reaseareh, Membership.
Civic. Health and Program, none
of which have not been neglected
hv the Smithfield club.
Beginning with the organiza
tion on March 18, li>24 with Miss
Cora Belle Ives, as it first Presi
dent, the club has pushed it pro
gram of education in many ways.
Its contributions to the Elsie Rid
dick Loan fund which assists in
advancing the education of worthy
girls throughout the State h a s
gradually grown from its first
contributions of $5 in 1924 to $15
the present year. In September,
1924 the Smithfield Business
School through one of the Club’s
members established a Scholar
ship and one girl has enjoyed its
benefits. This same year without
regard1 to class or color, $5 was
contributed' towards the expenses
of a worthy colored1 girl who was
training for nursing and $10 to
r
Bub.
/■IHKi’iiBmiBnrffl'ii ’ffl
am*.
MRS. JOE DAVIS
wards defraying the expense in
curred by a High School girl in
her senior year. Two girls, who
live near Micro, were sent to Bre
vard Institute in 11)25. They were
not forgotten at Christmas time.
Magazines and books were pro
vided for several county girls up
on request. This educational work
is one of our greatest opportuni
ties for service and justifies our
existence.
TURN TO PACE 7, PLEASE
Banks Perform Many Services Without Ade
quate Compensation; Have A Part in Al
most Every Business Undertaking; Mistak
en Impression That a Bank’s Work Is Done
Between The Hours of Nine and Three
Prominent Banker
It. I*. HOLDING
Neuse River Clay
Good For Pottery
Unique Business For This
Section Is Started On High
way 22 Near River Bridge
The Hillside Pottery is a new
institution that promises to sup
ply this section as well as tour
ists traveling on highway number
22 and even northern markets with
various and sundry pieces of pot
tery. Just across the river bridge
towards Four Oaks is the location
of a kiln which turns out two
burnings a week. Clay near Neuse
River has been tested and found
suitable for the making of pot
tery. A shop erected by the road
side has on display many pieces
of pottery in natural finish or in
lovely shades of browns, blues,
reds, and greens.
The pottery here is one of sever
al in which Mrs. Graham of Pine
hurst and New York is interest
ed, and Mrs. Graham who was
here several weeks ago has plac
ed orders for quite a lot of pot
tery to be sold in northern gift
shops. Associated with Mrs. Gra
Pottery is Mr. II. C. ('ole, who
comes from Moore county. Mr.
Cole comes from a line of pot
ters dating at least six genera
tions back. His great great great
grandfather came from England
and settled in Lincoln county. Mem
hers of this family later moved to
Radolph county and later others
moved to Moore. Associated with
Mr. Cole is a potter of lifelong
experience who operates the pot
ter’s wheel, designing lovely urns,
vases, and bric-a-brac. Mr. Cole
looks after the tinting and burn
ing. About one hundred pieces can
be burned at one time.
CHILDREN CROW SLOWLY,
COMPARED WITH ANIMALS
KANSAS CITY, Aug. 28.— (Au
tocaster)—Charts comparing the
growth of children with that of
farmyard animals have been work
ed out by Dr. Samuel Brody of the
Missouri Agricultural Experimen
tal Station.
I>r. Brody shows that a child
between four and fourteen years
grows at the rate of only 10 per
i cent a year, whereas young farm
animals grow at the rate of 1,000
per cent in a year. This means that
in less than four days the young
animal gains as much as the child
[gains in a year.
By K. I*. HOLDING,
Vice President, First and Citizens
National Bank of Smithfield
A great many people in the
community, including many who
! keep deposits in banks do not rea
lize the service rendered by the
banks of the country, and especial
ly the amount of service rendered
! without any compensation. It has
been said, and it is probably true,
that a bank does more work for
\ nothing than any other business
institution.
A bank occupies a very useful
place in every community and has
a part in almost every business
undertaking. Every one should
really be interested in and appre
ciate banking as a business which
mobilizes the financial strength of
the community and focuses ft on
the tasks which should be done. A
bank is really a reservoir for the
accumulation of the wealth of the
community in the form of money
available for credit, and in that
sense really belongs to the people.
A banker is frequently a much
misunderstood individual. The
money he has to handle belongs
almost entirely to other people and
in many cases belongs to many
different people.
Handling of Money
First, we have the money paid
in by the stockholders. Then we
have whatever profits or surplus
we have accumulated, and after
that we have to invest with great
care, as it is vital that we protect
and preserve the interests of our
depositors whose money we hold
in sacred trust. Many people have
the idea that a bank is a rich
man’s institution, which is errone
ous as the money in a bank is large
ly made up of the savings of peo
ple of moderate means.
A bank performs many services
for which it is not adequately
compensated. We handle checks
set over drafts, notes, or any oth
er form of exchange drawn on any
point in the U. S. or foreign coun
tries. giving credit in mapy in
stances upon receipt of the items.
We keep your bank accounts
straight, permitting you to check
as often as you please. Many
people have no idea of the enor
mous volume of bookkeeping that
is created in a bank by the thous
and-- of checks that are drawn by
the depositors.
in aauiuon, expensive equip
ment, mechanical equipment, etc.,
are furnished to securely protect
the money of the depositors and to
carry on the volume of bookkeep
ing and detail work. A large
force of efficient bookkeepers and
other help is necessary, in addi
tion to a competent staff of offi
cers. All this creates a heavy ov
erhead expense and is furnished
for the profitable accounts as well
as the unprofitable accounts that
a bank has to handle.
Kender Valuable Service
Another valuable service ren
dered by banks is the adviue and
counsel freely given by the offi
cers, who are usually men of ex
perience and good judgment, and
they are called upon by all classes
of people for their time and ad
vice, which is uniformly rendered
cheerfully and without any thought
of compensation.
We appreciate our telephones,
our electric lights, automobiles
and every other convenience, over
looking the fact that the methods
of handling checks and moneys by
hanks are just as wonderful and
just as necessary and convenient.
If we could just follow the
check we draw as it goes to some
other town, then to the bank there
and back through the mails, we
TURN TO PAGE SIX, PLEASE
i