North Carolina Newspapers

City Donnolke Dearon VOL. 35 PLYMOUTH, N. DECEMBER 7, 1923. NO. 16 WILL MAKE DASH FOB NORTH POLE BOARD OF OFFICERS ARE AP. POINTED TO MAKE DETAILED PLAN. BARTLETT MADE PROPOSAL Explorer Accompanying Admiral Pen ry to Pole Again Wishes to Make Trip. Washington.—A dash by air for the north pole will be launched by the navy department during the coming / sinj^er. Secretary Denby announced that President Coolidge had given his specific approval to the project as ‘‘of ■ great practical value.” The route, date, and method of pro cedure for the trip, however, are still to be decided, a special board of na val officers lfe«ded by Rear Admiral William A. Moffitt, chief of naval aeronautics, having been appointed by Secretary Denby to prepare a detailed plan. The project grew out of the desire of Robert A. Bartlett, the explorer, who sailed with Rear Admiral Robert E. Perry in the steamer Roosevelt - on the expedition of 1908-1909 which saw the star3 and stripes raised over the north pol?, again to make that journey. Mr. Bartlett proposed to t. Secretary Denby some months ago that the Roosevelt, now in commer cial service, be repurchased and equipped for polar work. Discussion of the possibilities of a new polar -expedition was immediate ly began in the navy department. It was pointed out by naval air craft ex perts, however, that if a new "drift ing” expedition were organized by the najfcy, other, perhaps under another flag, might attempt and complete a journey to the pole by air before the Roosevelt party could make half the distance. The decision to employ naval aircraft followed. Mr. Bartlett, who is a lieutenant commander in the naval reserve force, for the purpose of the polar expedi tion has already been called to active service in that rank and appointed to the special planning heard of which he also will €onsider.|Fther members of the board are Commander William R. Furlong, Lieutenant-Commander Ezra Gj, Long, and Lieutenant-Com mander Fitzhugh Green and Gilbert Grosvener, president of the National Geographic society. Find White House is Unsafe. ■Washington.—The White House has been declared unsafe. Conditions there are such as to require that im mediate remedial measures be taken to prevent a possible calamity. These disclosures were made by Major General Lansing H. Beach, chief of engineers of the Army, in his annual report to the Secretary of War. Congress is asked for $400,000 for the work of reconstructing the interior portion of the famous building, to make it secure. "A preliminary study of the situ Ution in the itnerior upper portion-of the Execeutive Mansion has indicated a condition which renders the build ing unsafe, both from the standpoint of security in the structural features and the fire hazard present,” said Ma jor General Beach. “•The conditions are such as to re quire that immediate remedial meas ures be taken to prevent a possible calamity. These conditions have been called to the attention of the Presi dent, with his authority for the inclu sion of the item submitted here, with ($400,000) has been requested. While such approval has not yet been secur ed, the item is tentatively included herein. Mew York crime wave crowing. New York.—New York crime wave, which has ebbed and flowed for a month, assumed more menacing pro portions soon after the police announc ment that criminal activities had subsided to such an extent that there t was no longer need of extraordinary precautions. The activities included four safe robberies, an attempted lynching, a daylight holdup and a street shooting. Also three gangsters were arrested charged with the theft of $16,000 worth of whiskey. Reed Company's Plant is Destroyed. High Point.—Fire here destroyed the plant of the North Carolina Reed com pany, manufacturers of loom reeds. The loss was estimated at $50,000, partially covered by insurance. The Reed company occupied the sec ond floor of a two-story building in tha down-town business district. TWO KILLED WHEN TRUCK ROLLS DOWN EMBANKMENT. Spencer. — John H. Barnhardt, aged 55, and Charles R. Otterburg, aged 32, both salesmen for the Orange? Crush Company, of Spen cer, are dead as a result of one of the worst motor accidents in this section, which occurred when a large truck owned by the company and driven by Mr. Barnhardt went down a six-foot embankment an the state highway at the northern lim its of Spencer, while returning from a trip to several country villages near town. ' Eye witnesses state that the truck was making fast time and the driver apparently lost control as he rounded a curve. The truck rolled over twice and mangled both men almost beyond identification. HAS THE SAME COMPOENTS — SEVEN-DAY PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS IN GERMANY IS TERMINATED. Party Anything But Firmly Co-Ordi nated 3-Party Bloc; Stresemann Foreign Minister. Berlin.—The seven day parliament ary crisis, which was chiefly devoted to inter-party bickerings and barter ings and an abortive attempt definite ly to do away with socialistic influence in national politics through the cera tion of a bourgoles bloc, terminated in a three-party compromise, by virture of which a minority coalition, compris ing'members of the clerical, the Ger man people’s and the democratic par ties will succeed the deposed Strese mann government, which was consti tuted with the same component parts. Dr. Wilhelm Marx, the clerical lead er, will head the new cabinent as chancellor, while the other portfolios will be by men who were in the last government. As at present constituted the gov ernment will be: Chancellor: Dr. WilhGlm Marx. Minister of the interior: Dr. Jarres. Minister of defense: Dr. Otto Oessler. Minister of food: Dr. Hans Luther. Minister of posts. Dr. Anton Hoefle. Minister without portfolio: Rodulph Oeser. Dr. Stresemann is reported as to have accepted the post of foreign minister. • Aside from being a pronounced minority cabinet, the present revamp ed coalition is anything but a firmly co-ordinated three-party bloc within its own ranks and it also will be call ed upon to assimilate much of the animosity and partisan acerbities which it inherits from the seven-day crisis, both with respect to the antag onism waiting it from the German nationals as well as the yet wholly problematical attitude of the united socialists. Although Dr. Marx announced he would select his cabinet members ir respective of their party allegiance, he nevertheless heads an outspoken partisan ministry which seemingly once again is wholly dependen upon the charity of the social democrats. To this extent the present crisis ran true to traditional form, although pre vious parliamentaly ructions rarfly consumed an entire week in the pro cess of their liquidation, President Ebert used up four chancellor candi dates in his efforts to construct a party line-up which would constitute a workable coalition. Five Are Killed in Storm. Houma, La.—Five persons lost their lives, five were injured and heavy property damage resulted from a storm which swept the little Baillou Bayou section, 16 miles south of here. The family of Ralph Guidry was wiped out, Mr. Gidry, his wife, 10-year old son and 12-year-old daughter hav ing been killed when their home was wrecked. The fifth death was that of Katherine Burnet, the 12-year-old daughter of a man named Brunet, who was drowned when a houseboat in which the family made its home over turned. The parents escaped. Approximately 25 houses were wrecked, including the $25,000 Lacashe schoolhouse. Capture One Killer of Duel. Columbiana, Ala.—Dewey Lucas, who is alleged to have shot and fa tally wounded D. P. Walker at Monte vallo at which time Walker is said to have balin Allen Mahan n a three-cornered fight, was cap ured at his home and lodged in jail iere. Lucas and Mahan are said to have started trouble when they enter ad Walker’s restaurant and all three pulled guns and began firing. 600 ARE DEAD AS' RESULT OF FLOOD THREE VILLAGES ARE DESTROY ED IN ITALIAN LAKE DISASTER. NOW A BOGGY GRAVEYARD Irresistable Force of Water Sweeps Hills and Valleys For Fifteen Miles. Bergamo, Italy.—Six hundred dead< three villages destroyed, and 50 square miles maCe desolte. This was the toll of the flood from Gleno lake, when the dike guarding it collapsed, releas ing the irresistable force of the water, which bursting forth in mad fury, car ried all before it. It swept over the hills and down into the valleyes for a distance of 15 miles to Lake Iseo, which checked the momentum of the vast stream, arresting its course. Bergamo valley is nothing hut a barren waste of mud and water^-a veritable lake in which it is dangerous to venture, for in some plase it is over a man’s head. In this soggy mass, the bodies of the victims lie tangled among fallen trees, telegraph poles, buildings and bridges. Here and there portions of broken walls project as mute evidence of the tremendous might with which the waters engulfed the region. The homeless are counted in the thousands, most of whom arc mourning for lost relatives or search ing for their bodies. Relief patries from Milan and Bres cia are on the scene, while all avail able troops have been mustered to aid the shelterless. The bishop of Ber gamo receive da teelgraphic donation from the Pope for the purpose of un dertaking immediately extensive re lief. There is great fear among the sur vlvcrs of other dams breaking, espec ially as is the. Feast of St. Bibbiana, on which, according to popular super stitions if it rains it will rain for forty days and forty nights. The village almost completely de stroyed were Dezzo, Corna and Bueg go. Of the 500 inhabitants of Dezzp only three survived. The disaster threatens to be one of the greatest of its kind because of the vast amount of water let loose on the countryside. It destroyed hundreds of homes, where families perished with out even realizing the tragedy which overwhelmed them. Ranks High As Revenue Maker. Washington.—An abstract of the an nual report of David H. Blair, commis sioner of internal revenue, was made public, and it shows that the total in ternal revenue receipts for North Car olina for the year ending June 30, 1923, were $140,347.18. Other states exceeding her are New York, Penn sylvania, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. She exceeds Massachusetts by about a million dollars. Tobacco manufactures gives North Carolina her high position. She pays more than twice as much as any other state on that manufactured product, her total being $118,370,326 84. The income and profits tax total led $18,184,734.76 and miscellaneous taxes, $122,163,631.42. Automobile Death Toll For Country. Washington.—Deaths from automo biles accidents numbered 11,666 last year in the census registration area of the United States which contains S5 per cent of the total population, an increase of 1,498 fatalities over the previous year. The total number of killed, as shown in census bureau figures, represents a death rate of 12 5 per population, an increase of 1, for every 100,000 com pared with 1921 when the rate was 11.5, and 1917 when the rate was 9.0 per cent 100,000. California had the highest rate of the 37 states in the registration area, its total representing 26.0 per 100,000 population. New York had the second highest rate with 16.7, New Jersey third with 16.4, and Colorado with 16.3. Mississippi had the lowest rate with 3.4 per 100,000. The largest increase was shown in Vermont, with 11.1 per 100.000 or 4 6 above 1921. Decreases occurred in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana. Virginia and Washington, with Wash ington showing the largest reduction from 14.5 to 12.3, or 2.2 per 100,000. Los Angeles had the highest rate in the 67 cities reporting showing 29.5 per 100,000. Camden, N. J. was sec ond with 27.9, Memphis third with 25 0 and Atlanta fourth with 24.7. Sixteen of the 67 cities had rates of 20 or more per 100,000. Memphis had the largest increase of the cities with 9.9 over 1921. THIRTEEN DRY AGENTS KILLED IN LIIIT OF DUTY. i Washington.—In the 15 months j ending with the month of Septem J her, 13 prohibition enforcement 1 agents were killed and 58 injured in. the line of duty. Prohibition Com missioner Haynes said in a eum mary of the bureau activities. Property destroyed, in the way of illicit stills, liquors and compounds was worth $4,121,000. There also was seized, but not destroyed, prop erty valued at $9,059,000, some of which is awaiting court action while the balance ie represented by auto mobiles, motor boats, and various other materials. .WHOLESALE IRAilE if _ LARGER THE FIRST INCREASE TO BE RE CORDED IN SEVERAL MONTHS. Federal Reserve Report Indicates a Three Per Cent Growth in Production. Washington.—An increase of three per cent in production of basic commo dities—the first increase to be record ed in four months—featured business conditions during October and the first half of November, according to a re view issued by the federal reserve board. While principally due to re sumption of anthracite mining, the in : crease was declared also to reflect I augmented activity in textile, lumber, j sugar and most of the other indus I tries included in the board’s index list. Volume of freight shipments and wholesale trade continued above nor mal, the review showed, while whole sale prices and employment were sub stantially unchanged. Contracts awarded for new build ings increased 25 per c^pt over Sep tember, and throughout the country were “considerably more than is usual at this season,’’ the residential pro ! jects forming a larger proportion than 1 in any previous month of the current ! year. “Heavy movement of miscellaneous ! fhei^iarHlise and livestock,'’ the board said, “resulted in October in the lar gest railroad shipments of any month on record. Wholesale trade was 12 per cent larger than a year ago and sales in all lealding lines except shoes showed increases. Department store sales were 13 per cent larger than last October and sales of mail-order houses were the largest of any month since 1919. “Wholesale prices declined less than one per cent in October, according ,to the index of the bureau of labor sta tistics and stood approximately at the level of a year ago. The principal changes of the month were declines in the prices of fuel, clothing, metals and animal products, while wholesale prices of crop, particularly cotton, in creased. During the first half of No vember the prices of wheat, hogs, pig irons and hides receded, and prices of cotton and cottongoods, cement and copper advanced. “Since the middle of October there has been a slight decline in demand for credit for commercial and agricul tural purposes at member banks in leading cities. Considerable decreas es in borrowings for these purposes in the New York and Chicago districts were partially offset by increases in other districts. Loans secured by stocks and bonds increased somewhat, ! while investments continued to decline and reached the low point for the year. Sheriff Holds Three Brothers. Bushnell, Fla.—Three men, believed by the sheriff to be the d’Autremont brothers, Roy, Ray and Hugh, wanted in connection with the holdup and rob bery of Southern Pacific passenger train Number 13, in the Siskiyou Moun tains on the California-Oregon state line October 11, last, are being held in the county jail here, it became known. Although the sheriff would not go into details of their capture he ad | nutted that the three suspects were taken into custody near here late last j I week and that Western authorities had been requested to furnish photo graphs and more detailed descrip tions of the persons wanted. Hold Macon Youth on Extortion. Philadelphia—A youth, who gave his name as Arthur R. Hampton and his address as Macon, Ga., is under arrest here charged with attempted extortion under threat of death. Mrs. J. Howard Fell, of this city, received a leter threatening her life and that of her three-year-old daughter unless she paid over $2,000 to a man who would call at her home with a note sent by the writer of the letter. Pos tal inspectors set a trap and arrested Hampton when he called at the house with the note. BANNER YEAR IN NORTH CAROLINA FEDERAL RESERVE REPORTS MORE CROP MONEY THAN EVER BEFORE. BUILDING BREAKS RECORD Asserts Second Largest Cotton Crop Producing State; Cotton Up $25 a Bale During Month. Richmond, Va.—Business in the Fifth Federal reserve district during October was fully up to seasonal aver age and in some lines much of the September dullness disappeared, ac cording to the monthly review of the Federal Reserve bank of Richmond issued here. According to the review the oustanding development during the month was the increase in the price of cotton which advanced ap proximtely $25 a bale between the middle of October and the middle of November. This price was six cents above the price of the product as of November 15, 1922, according to the figures of the report. The increase in the size of the crop is set at 31 per cent, amounting to 420,000 bales. As a result of this improvement in the condition of the cotton produce's throughout the district the general conditions have improved and the in creased prosperity is noted*in the in crease of bank deposits. Business failures in the district dur ing October while showing an increas ing over September were fewer in proportion than in the nation as a whole. Labor, according to the re port, continues fully employed at high wages and enough labor is available for all purposes except dairying and a few minor industries of th£ section. Building permits, the report indicat es, broke all previous records in the 25 leading cities. North Carolina, according to the report, has had a, banner year and conditions which developed during OctbWer, when crop reports were is sued, developed that more money will pour into the producers’s pockets by reason of the crops, than ever before. North Carolina, auction warehouses sold 68,617,235 pounds of tobacco for producers during October at an aver age price of 21.52 cents a pound. While the average price last season was approximately eight cents higher, the sales were less by more than six million pounds. The yield per acre of tobacco this season in North Caro lina is approximately 110 pounds great er than last year though the quality is not as good. Wilson, N. C., led all the tobacco markets of the state with sales of 14,478,2^0 pounds but the high est average price was obtained at Farmville, that being $25,07 per hun dred pounds. In the three states where the Co-operative Tobacco Mar keting association operates, Virginia, North and South Carolina, the total deliveries of tobacco up through No vember 10 Was 72,352,178 pounds of which more than 40,000,000 was deliv ered in North Carolina. North Carolina, says the report quoting the department qf agriculture, has become the set/md larges cotton producing state of the union with an estimated yield of 1,010,000 bales this season against 852,000 last season, which was a record crop to that time. Discuss Action On Expose of Eureau. Washington.—Possible action by the Department of Justice on charges of irregualarity developed during the Senate Veterans’ Bureau investigation was discussed with President Coolidge by Senator Reed of Pennsylvania, and Oddie, of Navada, Republican mem bers of the investigating committee and Frank T. Hines, director of the Bureau. Senator Reed is understood already to have taken fhe subject up with Attorney General Daugherty. A suggestion made to the commit tee that Chambers of Commerce over the country be requested by the Presi dent to keep in touch with rehabilitat ed veterans and see that they Kave continuous employment also was laid before the Executive. Wants Bureau To Enforce Dry Law. Washington.—A proposal that a separate bureau be created in the treasury department to take care of prohibition enforcement was taken up with President Coolidge by Repres entative Cramton, Republican, Michi gan, who plans to introduce a bill for that purpose at t'.e coming session of congress. Mr. Crampton told the prosidcfnt that the internal revenue bureau, which now has general jurisdiction over the prohibition enforcement unit, was too much occupied with other duties to properly administer the dry laws. WILL BUILD BIS t.LEACHERY Delaware Concern Buys *ig Tract of Land at Old Fort *>>r New Plant. Asheville.—Purchase of nearly 600 acres of land by representatives of the John Bancroft and Sons Company, of Wilmington, Del., from property owners at Old Fort has been complet ed according to G. W. Sandlin, who said upwards of $78,000 was paid for the land. Mr. Sandlin said he had seen plans of the Bancroft Company and they call for construction of a huge breach ery plant covering 42 acres and involv ing the outlay of several million dol lars. Sidewalks will be laid imme diately into the property and gangs will be placed at work clearing the land, after which actual construction upon the factory buildings and 500 residences will be started, he said. The contemplated plant is to employ 2,000 persons, with a pay roll of $45:000 weekly, he said. The bleachery will be of sufficient size to take care of the output of about 50 Southern cotton mills. Dis patches from Wilmington verified the fact that the Bancroft Company is buying the land and contemplates the improvement, but did not indicate the extent of the project contemplated. Want Permit to Bridge Cape Fear. Wilmington.—Within the next two weeks a hearing will be held before the Corps of Engineers at this point, seeking permission for the erection of a suspension bridge to span the Cdpe Fear River at Dock street, this city, linking Wilmington with the Char lotte-Asheville highway. The propos ed bridge will be 125 feet above water level. It will be one of the highest in the country, being exceeded in height only by the Brooklyn Bridge, which is 135 feet above water level. It is proposed to finance the bridge through bond issues. Sentiment among all of the commercial organi zations and service clubs in Wilming ton is unanimously in favor of same so as to connect Wilmington with the outside world. Tobacco Receipts leavy av Kinston. Kinston.—Five to ten million pounds of tobacco femala to be marketed here during the hext few weeks. Decem ber sales will break all records for that month on this market. Most conservative estimates place the un marketed part of the 1923 crop in this territory at 5,000,000 pounds, while many other guesses are for several million pounds above ,that figure. Breaks exceeding 600,000 pounds at Thanksgiving time are unusual on this market, but the total for the first two days of this week exceeded 1,250,000 pounds. Writes History of Association. Henderson.—Baptists here and in other parts of the district are very much interested in and are proud of the history of the Tar River Baptist Association, which has just been pub lished in book form by Rev. T. J. Tay lor, pastor of thp Baptist church at Warrenton, and one of the oldest Bap tist preachers in the whole state. Tribute is paid to Rev. E. R. Nelson, of this city, together with a number of other leading ministers and lay men of the association, who in past years have served as president, and pictures of them are included. Pro fessor J. T. Alderman, of this city, is also a past president of the associa tion. Select Wilson For Repair Shops. Wilson.—The selection of Wilson by the Standard Oil Company as the place for the location of its motor repair shops in this district has been follow ed by the purchase of a suitable build ing which is being well equipped with a modern machine shop and repair works. Tills plant will be in continu ous operation working with two shifts. In addition to helners, fourteen ex pert mechanics will be employed. The Wil3on shop will take care of the upkeep and repair of all Standard Oil Company motor vehicles. Western District Court Postponed. Oreensboro.—Federal ditrict court here, an annual fall criminal term, has been postponed from Monday. Decem ber 3, to January 28. Over 100 defend ants were scheduled to be tried, Judge James E. Boyd to presids. The reason for the postponement Is that Judge Boyd has been taking medical treat ment and the strain of such a big docket might have had an ill effect upon him. A big number of liquor cases ara on file for the court when it starts ou January 28. One in Hospital, One in Jail. New Bern.—Clifton Brite, 17-year old Vanceboro youth, is in Craven jail on three counts and H. B. Willis is in a local hospital suffering from cut about the face and sca\p as the result of an automobile smash on Middle '♦"•et in front of the Methodist church. -yt