(Advertisers Wm Fad Oar Coi
ns a Latchkey to Over Sixteen
H—fced Martin County Homes
VOLUME XXXII—NUMBER 99
ROBERSONVILLE
VITAL STATISTICS
FOR PAST YEAR
■+
* Fifty-nine Deaths and 161
Births Reported In That
Township Last Year
DROP IN DEATH RATE
♦ ■ ■
Both the Death and Birth Rate for
The Townahip Are Below
Stale Average
•
There were 161 births and 59 deaths
in Robersonville township during the
past year, according to records filed
in the register of deeds office here
last week, a decrease in deaths of
about 27 per cent and an increase in
Mrtht of about sixteen and one-half
per cent in birth*.
While the statistics show that there
has been a gradual decline in the per
centage of deaths in the township,
tfcay ahow an irregular trend in births.
According to birth statistics recorded
for 1928 there were 168 births that
year in the district. In 1929, the num
ber of births dropped to 135. The num
ber of births last year was one grater
than the number recorded in 1928. In
three years time, the number of deaths
ia the township has been lessened by
more than half, there being only 59
last year as compared with 124 in
1928. There were 81 deaths there in
1929.
Illegitimate births, numbering 21 and
all colored, were two greater than the
1929 number Twelve of the such births
were reported in the country; seven
in the town of Kobersonville and two
in Partnele.
A close study of the statistics re-1
Veals many interesting tacts, among
them being the ages at death. While 1
there have been very few records filed, I
it is hardly |>ossible that the age re- j
cord reported for Lucy Briley, colored
of the district, will be surpassed. She
was 95 year* old at her death last
_ September, the records show.
From a health standpoint, Rober
sonville Township commands a very
favorable position, that is judging
health by the State and township death ,
rate. The township rate, 87 per thou
•And population, less by nearly four.
Prom a prolific standpoint, the par-j
tlcular township lags behind the State !
aVerage, the township average being
1J.84 births per thousand population,
ihd that of the State being 25.9.
The report for the town of Rober
sonville, township, and Parmele, is
listed separately, in detail, as follows:
Town of Robersonville
White Colored White Colored
6 3 20 13
Town of Parmele
White Colored White Colored
13 5 7
Outaide of Two Towna
Deatha Birth a
White Colored White Colored
20 26 41 75 j
Very few of the vital statistics taken
in the various townships have been i
filed with the office of the register of.
. deeds, but they are expected this week.'
•
/. L. Swain Dies at Home j
In Cross Roads District
J. L. Swain, farmer of Cross Roads
township, died at his home there last
Saturday morning of pueumonia. He
had been sick about a week.
The son of the late John R. Swain
and wife, Mr. Swain was about 40
years old and had farmed practically
all his life. In early manhood he mar
ried Miss Vesse Biggs, of this coun
ty, who with two children, survives.
Funeral services were held at the
home Sunday afternoon by Louis T.
Holliday. Interment was made in the (
Mobley graveyard, near Bear Grass. |
•Farmers To Meet Again
At Cooper's Thursday
■ ■ *
A meeting of fanners in the James
ville section wilt meet in the Cooper's
school house Thnraday evening of this
week, it waa announced yesterday by
Professor W. T. Overby, leader of the
discussions brought before the meet
ings. The importance of a good pasture
will be the theme for discussion, Mr.
Overby stated. -
These been held re
gularly during the past several weeks,
and are now looked upon a part of the
farm program in that part of the
county.
—a
Scouts Inspecting Fire
House When Call Comes
Williamstoo's fire fighting appara
tus, call signala and alarm were dem
onstrated to the local Boy Scout*
last Friday evening. Chief Harriaon
and the Scouts were basily engaged
looking over the, mechanism of the
aqaipment when a call was phoned in.
The chief answered the call, told the
boys aboat the fire and demonstrated
the n*e of the alarm buttons. Lining
■a to one aide, the youths watched
the volunteers file into the engine
room, one, two and thrpe at a time.
A small grass fire wa* burning
back of the new school building, aad
fearing that it might spread, near-by
THE ENTERPRISE
Manslaughter Case Against
W.W. Breazil
WAS ACCUSED OF
KILLING SCHLON
ON RIVER FILL
*—
Found Guilty of Driving a
Car Drunk Early Part
Of December
I •
SENTENCED TO ROADS
Given 12 Months on Roads To Be
Discharged Upon Payment of
Costs and 9500. Fine
9
j The manslaughter charge preferred
against W. \V. Breazil, sewing ma
| chine salesman, of Columbus county,
; N. C., and resulting from the death of
'a scissors grinder whose name was bc-
Jlieved to have been Chas. Schlo*. on
the river fill near here early in Dec
ember, was no! prossed in the Bertie
Superior court in Windsor yesterday.
Breazil, however, was found guilty of
driving an automobile while he was
under the influence of whiskey, and
Judge Cranmer sentenced him to the
roads for a period of twelve months to
be discharged upon the payment of the
costs and a five hundred dollar fine,
i In the advent Breazil pays the fine,
he is not to drive an automobile in
North Carolina during (he jiext twelve
months.
Shortly after dark, the evening of
December 6, last year the scissors
grinder was found fatally injured on
the highway fill, one mile from the
river bridge. He was rushed here for
| medical attention, but died a few
I minters after his arrival. His body was
I buried in Potter's field several days
j later after autohrities failed in their
; diligent efforts to locate relatives of
| the man.
Breazil was arrested three miles
from here on the Washington road
when he ran his truck into a Sunday
school bus. Facts established by a
Bertie County jury connected him with
the fatal accident and he was placed
|in the Bertie County jail. Bond was
' arranged at a preliminary hearing in
Windsor, and he was given temporary
I freedom a few days later.
J At the trial yesterday, Breazil stated
that he could remember no accident on ■
the river fill, that he did not run over
the man with the push cart. He said i
that the hole in his car radiator was (
made when he ran into a lightning i
rod protruding from a truck in Rocky
a few days before he came
here. Glass found at the spot where
Schlon was fatally injured was not
compared with that found on Breazil's
car. it was stated by those attending
the trial yesterday.
Several witnesses front this county
were summoned in the case and offer
led testimony during the trial proce
dure. ,
ROBBERS ENTER
FILLING STATION
i •
Arrest Made In Connection
With Robber of W. L.
Taylor's Store
»
Robbers, bursting through a door,
entered the filling station store of Mr.
iW. L. Taylor, on the Washington road 1
near here last Friday night and car- 1
ried off goods valued at about $25.'
Very few articles of food were remov- j
ed, the robber centering hands ( on
snuff, cigarettes, socks and overalls.
I Will Worley, recently from the
' Edgecombe roads, was arrested early ,
'yesterday morning by Sheriff Roebuck
I in connection with the robbery and i» •
now being held in jail here. Worley
was playing the role 'of peddler last
Saturday, offering snuff and socks at
bargain prices to residents in the
neighborhood, Investigating the mer
chandise told, .Mr. Taylor and officers
learned that it compared with articles |
missed from the store. Worley denied
entering the store, explaining that he
gained possession of the goods when j
'he found them along the highway. Se
veral of the stolen articles had not
been recovered late yesterday.
I
Officers Arrest Two Men
At Liquor Still Near Here
•
John Fenner Bonds, Jr. and Johu
Beacham, young white boys, were ar
rested at a liquor still in Williamston
'township near the county home last
: Friday afternoon by Deputy S. H.
Grime* and- Chief W. B. Daniel. Four
j other white boys, Mervin Bonds, Dal
las Price, Bob Price, Jr., and Archie
Carraway, were arrested yesterday by
Deputy Grimes for connection with
the still. The four were at the still
when the officers made the raid but
i escaped.
In jail here the case was investigated,
and there was very little operating
equipment used in turning out the poi
son liquor.
The case is scheduled for hearing be
fore Judge Bailey in recorder's cottrt
today.
Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 10,1931
JAMESVILLE BOY
PRIZE WINNER IN
A CORN CONTEST
•
Earl Tetterton Wins $lO in
"Gold; Boys Attend Big
Banquet in Kinston
THREE IN CONTEST
♦
Earl Tetterton Raises More Than
Three Timei Aa Much Corn Per
Acre Than Average Farmer
•
| Competing iu the corn growing con
test conducted by the division of vo
cational agriculture of the State De
partment of Public Instruction, far
mers and farm boys from all over
Eastern Carolina met in Kinston last
j Friday when prizes were announced
! and when the young farmers were
'; guests at a luncheon in the new Kins-
I ton hotel.
\
j Many prizes were offered and there
I were many contestants competing for
those prizes, Earl Tetterton, Of the
Jamesville agriculture class, walking
off with second prize, $lO iu gold
offered by the Chilean Nitrate Bureau.
Arthur Marlow, Columbus county boy,
won the first prize.
Entering the contest last summer,
the boys set out to make three bushels
of corn grow where one had grown
before. That was the first requirement
Ito even rate in the contest. Earl c Tet-
I terton, Charles Martin and Sherwood
| Davis, under the direction of Profes
sor \V. T. Overby were off to a good
start. For a while Young Davis, of
near Dardens, was leading the group,
I but dry weather burned his crop, but
even then he raised 232 bushels of
corn on his three-acre plot, or more
I than three times the average yield for
the county. His cost was $lO4, that
amount including labor and all other
items.
Tetterton, planting on a soil offer
ing greater resistance to dry weather,
| forged ahead, and lie raised 287 bu
!.-liels on three acres at a cost of
,$13.1.54. Dry weather, however, limit-1
i'd his yield. The young farmer used j
i fertilizer at planting time, and nude
two applications of nitrate of soda dur-;
ing the season. He cultivated the crop
extensively,
j Martin, with the smallest cost, $Bl.,
raised 210 bushels on his three acres.
MARTIN NATIVE
DIES IN ILLINOIS
•
George Ollie Roberson Is
Laid To Final Rest In
Arlington Cemetery
George Ollie Roberson, a native of
this county, died last Friday in the
United States Army hospital at Fort
Sherridan, Illinois, of peritonitis. I
The son of the late George L. Ro
berson and wife, Mr. Roberson was
Iborn in 1895 near Robersonville. He
| attended the schools of the county, 1
I and was a student in the VVilliamston
| high school for'some time. In 1918
'he joined the air service and was given
! his first training at Rockwell Field,
I California. At the time the Armistice
was signed he was preparing to leave
: for service overseas. After the war
he continued in the service, and re
ceived training at Kelly Field, Texas
,and Luke Field, Honolula before going
to Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois,
where he died.
I Mr. Roberson is survived by his
widow, who was before her marriage
'Miss Hazel Dail, of Kansas City, one
daughter, Miss Ollie Marie Roberson,
a student at North Carolina College
for Women, and his mother, two bro
thers, C. A. and W. H. Roberson, of
. Bnlifrmnvilly, and one sister. Mrs,
Theodore Roberson, of Williamston.
i The funeral services were held in
Washington City yesterday, interment
following in Arlington Cemetery there.
•
Interesting Programs at
the Watts All This Week
•
"The Man Who Came Back", play
ing tonight at the Watts theatre, was
declared this morning by those who
have witnessed the picture to be the
best they had seen in months. Janet
fGaynor and Charles Farrell, star fa
vorites of many theatre goers, hav
leading parts, and play them well,
j The "Watts continues throughout thi
week with a splendid program. To
morrow night and Thursday, Oar;
Bow appears in "Her Weddini
Night." Friday, "Madonna of th
'Streets," is booked for that day Only
•
Kiwanians In Regular
Meet Here Tomorrow
•
The Kiwanis Club will meet at iti
usual hour tomorrow at the Woman'.'
Club. ' ;' *
The President Mr. W. H. Carstar
phen, is anxious that a large member
ship be present.
LOCAL SCOUTS
, OBSERVE 21ST
ANNIVERSARY
—•—
Twenty-seven Young Boys
Attend Service In the
Baptist Church
UNION SERVICE HELD
i
"Where Can Youth Find God" Serm
on Topic of Rev. John Barclay
At Sunday Evening Service
, •
j The twenty-first anniversary of the,
, .Boy Scout movement in America was!
fittingly observed by Williamston
j Troop No. 27 last Sunday evening at a
special service held in the Baptist
. church here, all other denominations 1
. suspending worship in their own edi-j
. fices to join in the celebration. The i
. service, centered around twenty- j
r seven young boys, grouped for the oc
t J casion, was an impressive one. Scout
j master Wheeler Martin and Assistant
e Scoutmaster Hallmau took part in the
. service, Mr. Martin accepting the char*!
| ter for the local troop from the Ki
e | wants club, which organization is j
r sponsoring the movement here. The
e Kiwanians were represented by VV. H.j
f Carstarphen, president of the club. 1
1 Coming here from Wilson, Rev. 1
John Barclay, scoutmaster of that
town, preached to the boys and their
friends assembled for the evening
worship. "Where Can You Find God?" (
s the sermon subject, was answered the
, minister telling of five places to seek
, the Divine. He explained to the boysf
. and their friends that the difference be-
I tween youth and old age was only a
. jfew years, that in every period from
I I job on down, the old folks extolled
[ .the virtues of the youth of their age
and found fault with the youth of the
age. However, in every age,
[ I man lias had the quest of. finding God.
, Some people, the Wilson pastor and
, : scout leader, find God in their inteliec-
Itual pursuits. Einstein and James,
. great scientists found God as they toil
| ed in the laboratory. Their minute dis- 1
, 1 eoveries leading to great revelations
|only proved to them that back of it alii
I there was an eternal mind controlling
f the mechanism, I
I "Through our emotions we find
fjod," the minister continued, ex
plaining that though some failed to
! find God there, others found Him 1
every turn and everyday. And then
in the sense of the esthetic many find
God. Mentioning Wordsworth and 1
Shelley, Rev. Barclay told of the beau- '
ty resting in the landscape just as the '
day comes to a close, but even there
some fail to see the power behind it 1
all. 1
| As a fourth place, the preacher '
| stated that youth could find God in 1
imagination, that therein lies one of 1
J the main sources where the young boy
or girl might find the Divine. "Imagine
| what it would mean if "Thy kingdom '
come on earth as it is in Heaven" '
were in effect in your town," he con
tinued.
! "And lastly, we can find God in our !
Wills, for mpn who have willed to
serve God even if they die, always
found Him. The man who„. loves soul
'above body always find God," Mr.'
Barclay declared.
In conclusion, Rev. Barclay urged
the boys to always be true to the
principles of their organization, to be
good, true and helpful to all people, j 1
i —•— >:
Schoolmasters' Club Hold j
1 Regular Meet Tomorrow \
»
| The Martin County Schoolmasters' •
I club will hold its fifth monthly meet-
ing' of the current school term with 1 \
tomorrow evening, it was announced t
Principal A. E. Mercer at Farm Life ' ]
yesterday. As the meetings are open c
to informal discussions, no definite |
program was announced. j\
Practically all the male teachers at- (
tend_th«l_eluh meetings monthly. „and,!.
many interestings phases of school ;
work are placed before the body for ,
discussion at each gathering. Principal
Mercer is expecting a representative ,
attendance at the meeting tomorrow (
evening. t
« :
ANSWER BOX I'
Q. What is the area of Martin
county in square miles?
A. 438 square miles.
I Q. How many incorporated towns in
Martin county? ~ j 1
I A. Ten. Bear Grass, 131; Everetts, .
270; Oak City, 481; Hamilton, 508; I
ttassell, .169; Jamesville, 344; Gold i
.Point, 121; Parmetc, 341; Roberson-
ville, 1,181; Williamston, 2,731; Gold i
Point, 121. '
| Q. What is the population of Martin
Jtounty according to the 1930 census? i
A. 23,400. i
> Q. How many miles long it the Roa
noke River?
i A. 240 miles.
i . Q. How many rivers are there in I
Martin county?
A. None. Th« Bertie county boun
• dary line reaches to the river's edge
on the llartin side.
V I
Interest Centers Around Road
Bill In Raleigh This Week
JOHN M. BOWEN
DIES SATURDAY
IN WASHINGTON
a
Funeral Held at Home On
Main Street Here Sun
day Afternoon 2:30
PROMINENT CITIZEN
Burial Took Place In the Family
Cemetery on the Old Home
Farm, Near Here
-
j John M. Bow en, one of Martin coun
ity's most substantial citizens, died in a
I Washington hospital last Saturday
afternoon at 2 o'clock of peritinitis fol
lowing an illness of about two weeks.
Prior to an attack of appendicitis about
two weeks ago, Mr. Bo wen had en
-1 joyed good health, attending daily to
j his farms and mercantile business here.
I Fifty-two years old the fourth of
| this month, Mr. Bowen was l>orn in
i \\ illiamston township, five miles from
here, the son of Molotha and Fannie
Bowen. Reared on a farm, he tilled the
Msoil within his own labor until a few
years ago when he moved here
and built a home, later entering the
1 mercantile business with liis brother,
Mr. James Bowen. Since that time he
supervised his farm work
ami directed the Bowen Brothers mer
cantile establishment on Washington
Street here. In addition ti> his farm
anil mercantile connections, he was
elected a member of the Williamston
l'ownship Road Commission, serving
there until he fell ill.
Noted for his quiet and unassuming
manner, Mr, Bowen made many
friends in his home community, the
number greatly increasing when he
established himself in the mercantile
business here. In his community, he
was a recognized leader, undertaking
and "promoting any measure that
promised advancement.
He IS survived by his widow, Miss
Minnie L. I'eef* before marriage, and
three children, two sons, Herman and
James I)., and one daughter, Frances,
all of Williamston. He also leases
two brothers, Mr. James (JoWeti, of |
Williamston, and Mr. Willie Bowen, of i
near here; and two sisters, Mrs. R. I
S. Price, and Mrs. Lida Rogerson, j
both of near here.
Funeral service* were conducted at j
the honie on Main Street Sunday after
noon at 2JO by his life-long friend i
and spiritual advisor, Klder Bv S."j
Cowin, assisted by Filler John N. Ro- j
gerson, of Hear Grass, and Rev. Chas. j
11. Dickey, of the local Baptist church.
Burial took place in the family ceme- '
tery on the old home farm, five miles 1
from here.
TEACHERS MEET
HERE SATURDAY
Commissioner Griffin Tells
of Financial Condition
In Martin County
•
Holding their regular monthly meet
ing of the term here last Saturday j
afternoon, Martin county's teachers
were warned by Commissioner T. C. 1
Griffin to exercise economy as far as
it was possible for them to do so as 1
there might be a delay in making
settlements next month. Mr.
Griffin told the teachers that funds
were available for salaries this month,
that settlements would be effected
Friday of this week. ".We are making 1
every effort to meet our obligations,
but we are not sure that we can, and
we want to advise you to that end
now, the commissioner said. Volun
salary reductions -were not-mentioned.
Rev. W. B. Harrington opened the
meeting with devotional worship, and
Miss Sleeper appeared before the
group in liehalf of-garden contests and
gardening in general. She referred the
teachers to certain pamphlets, and as
sured them her assistance.
The meeting was the fifth of the
1930-31 trem.
'• ' 1
Twenty Cases On Court's j
Docket Here This Morning
—• l
In session here for the first time this
month, the county recorder's court had
20 cases on its docket for trial today-,
the largest number facing the courf
in several weeks. One-fourth of the'
cases prefer charges of larceny and (
eight others have to do with assaults
with deadly
The court was handling the cases
rapidly this morning, but the number
of cases made, afternoon work neces
sary. *
Judge Bailey was out of town last
Tuesday, the number of cases accumu
lating. However, a majority was doc
keted since that time. Several impor
tant causes are before the body, at
tracting larger crowds to the spec
tator boxes|
I;,. •... f ;
CORN BREAD AND
HERRINGS SOON
TO BE POPULAR
I Grist Mills Operating Day
and Night; Herrings
Begin To Run
* * '
j Present indications are that the diet, j
corn bread and herrings, so popular in
Martin county during the spring ami
part of the summer months last year,
will be even more popular during the
same months of this spring and sum-;
mer. The few catches of herrings have '
turned the attention of many to the
biblical story "two fishes and loaf of"
bread " There have been hardly more
' than a dozen-of the herring caught in
the Roanoke so far this >car, but they '
j will be multiplied many thousand!
times within the next f,ew weeks,-
As for the cornbread, it now looks
I I as if-there'll be more corn bread than i
j herrings, and those who have been |
| limited to smajl rations are hopeful
I that there l>c ample supplies of each.
[ Jamesville opened a new grist mill last
| week, and it is believed that that town
| will be one of the main food centers j
: for hundreds of Martin County people
| during the next few months. The 1
i ltardison mill hits been operating its
I two heavy stones, turning out corn
meal day and night practically every,
since the rains fell a few weeks ago.
The Mobley or Everett mill is under
stood to be operating steadily, and ■
numerous other gasoline turned grists
are in operation in various parts of
the countv, all contributing to furnish
„ ■ . **
j the meal supply which has been great
ly increased during the past few
j months. The owner of the old Daniel
land Staton mill met. with adverse
play, but lite installation oi a gasoline'
'unit is Inmig considered, and in the
advent .that the mfit is installed, the
supply of corn meal will be added to.
i ..Few fishermen arejjkintmiug on the
Roanoke at the present time, but there
are a sufficient number to spread the
news telling of the arrival of the lier-|
shad and later the rock
INTERCROPPING
LIMITS YIELDS
Tests Disprove the System
Practiced By Most Good
Farmers In the Past
Tests made by G. M. Garen, cereal
I agronomist of the North Carolina Fx !
periment Station, at the mountain and
J coastal plain branch station farms last
Iseason indicate that intercroppoing
corn with soybeans depresses the yield
of corn and cuts the yield oj soybeans '
las compared with yields secured whenj
either of the two crops jj grown alone, j '
Mr. Garrett reports that this is a
rather startling statement to makci*
since most good farmers have prac- j 1
'ticed the intercroppoing of Cowpeas '
or-soylieans with corn but lie presents!
facts to hack up his statement.
| In. making the tests oil the two 1
( farms last year, Mr. Garrcn measured '
his land into one-tenth acre plots. In 1
I the first, he planted lorn alone; in the
second, he planted soybeans between '
the hilfs of com; in the thirds he '
planted a row of soybeans alternately '
with the rows of ,corn; and in the '
fourth, lie planted soybeans alone. 1
I Results secured on the mountain 1
farm will give a fair example of what 1
yields were secured. Taking round fi
gures, he secureil a yield of 56 bushels '
jof corn per acre when the corn was
planted alone. Where soybeans were 1
ptaTVted bTeween--thr fritK he~harvrrtrd »
50 bushels of corn au acre and where 1
the soybeans were planted in alternate
rows, he harvested 37 bushels of corn \
au acre. j I
I Where the soybeans were grown i
alone, he harvested 30>humbels of the ' t
beans an acre; where the beans were ( t
planted between the hills of corn, he t
harvested only 7.5 bushels au acre and j
I where the soybeans were planted in al- c
jtetnate rows, he harvested 26.6 bushels 1 r
of the beam an acre. ji
| In this test, of course, no account t
was taken of the soil improving quali- }
•ties of the soybeans nor of the value of |
the value of the beans as compared t
-with the corn yield that was cut down. t
1 • |
"Spiced Banana Receipt"
Offered by C. G. Morris '
-—•- i;
In this issue of the Enterprise the «
C. G. Morris and Company, fruit and '
Produce dealers of Washington are '
running a novel advertisement, asking]
that cooks and house wives interested
in cooking write them for receipts fori
spiced bitianas. 11
Mr. Morris, says these receipts will i
be mailed at their ekpense and every I
subscriber of the Enterprise that ask |
for a receipt will receive one by mail, j i
Watch the Label On Your
Paper Aa It Carries the Date
Whan Your Subscription Expires
ESTABLISHED 1898
THE GOVERNOR
MAKES APPEAL
TO THE PEOPLE
L ♦—
Little Hope For Relief If
Measure Fails, Governor
Declares in Radio Talk
$8,000,000.00 INVOLVED
Road Machinery Men Oppose Bill
Because It Will Limit Yearly
Sales Now About $1,000,000
1 lie outstanding matter before the
general assembly this week is undoubt
edly going tn lie the administration t
road bill, which provides-for the state
ito take over the entire maintenance of
all county roads and lor a reorganiza
jtion of the State Highway commission
nil a state-wide basis instead of a dis
trict basis.
Ihe first public hearing on the ad
ministration hill was held this mor
ning at before the house roads
committee. The Kirkpatrick-Hill
Murphy-Fountain coalition against the
;Ml ' s expected to continue its fight
against the bill to the bitter end, al
-1 though the general consensus of
opinion here is that Governor O Vlax
Gardner has strong support back of
liini in both' houses for th'e bill
"It this measure is not enacted, with
its assurance of genuine tax relief to'
eerv taxpayer in North Carolina, then
there i> little hope for any tax relief of
any sort from the general assembly,"
..Governor Gardner said today. "For
this measure not only provides for re
moving more than $8,000,001) in taxes
from property at one time, but also
provides the machinery for taking care
of what additional revenue is needed
for the state to maintain the roads."
One of the principal objections be
ing raised to the bill by those oppos
ing it is that it will center too much'
power in the Highway commission in
Raleigh, but instead of centralizing
pAwer, jt tends rather to diffuse au
thority back through t'le counties, ac
cording to the advocates of the meas
ure. For under this bill, the entire
Highway commission is authorized to
sit in the various counties to hear
complaints or petitions, while under
the present system delegations must
either go "before their district com
missioner or come to Raleigh to ap
pear before the Highway commission.
"There could not l>e a more auto
cratic or absolute highway - system
than now exists, with every highway
commissioner being virtually absolute
and all-powerful in his district, so
that the surest way for any county to
defeat its purpose is to go over the
head of the district highway Commis-'
sioiier aiid appeal to the entire com
mission in Kaleigli." said Represen
tative K. It. Jeffress of . Guilford
county. "Hut under the new system
set up in this new bill, any amah from
any county may come to Raleigh and
take his case or complaint either to
the chairman of the Highway com- .
mission or to the governor and be as
sured of an unprejudiced hearing and
of fair consideration.
"The bill further provides that the
Highway commission shall sit in the
various counties and hear the requests
of these counties. And if the' Highway
commission does not maintain the
roads as the people in the counties
think they should be, they can de
mand and get an immediate hearing.
The law further stipulates that no
road in any county shall be changed
or abandoned by the State Highway
commission without the consent and
of the boiirtl of county coni*"
mittsioners in any county."
In case iuy county is not satisfied
with the adjustment of any question
between itself and the Highway com
mission, it may, through its board of
county commissioners, appeal directly
to the governor of the state to adjust
the differehce, the act stipulates.
There is no doubt that the principal
opposition to the bill is coming from
road machinery manufacturers and
dealers, who are maintaining one of
the largest lobbies ever seen here.
Several senators have said that they
have been approached by members of
this road machinery lobby, while Rep
resenatative Ed Flannagan of Pitt
has announced that If they
keep on worrying him anymore he is
going to start calling some names.
Other members of the house say they
have never seen such an insistent
lobby such as that working against
this bill.
Ojie of the reasons the road machin
ery men are opposing the bill so bit
erly is that it prohibits counties from
purchasing any additional road ma
chinery and for the past several years
the counties have been buying more
than worth of new road ma
chinery every year,
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