Number 3
?
BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA, JANLARY IS, 1931
& /
VOLUME XXXVI
Bank Situation Far From
/ Any Practical Settlement
NEW BANK MAY OPEN
OR BREVARD DANK
MAY BE RE -OPE?
In Plans for New Bank
May Avert Its Final
Organization
SENTIMENT SEEMS TO
LEAN TO OLD BANK
Support of New Bank With
drawn Because of Injec
tion of Question
In again, out again, gone again!
Such, in short, could well describe
the situation in Brevard concerning
the banking business.
One time it is a new bank that is to
do business here. Next, the Brevard
Bankng company is to re-open, and
resume business. Then, the Pisgah
Industrial Bank is to be converted in
to a commercial institution, and fill
the town's needs, and this is followed
immediately with assertion that a na
tional bank is the one certain bet.
Charter has been issued to the
Transylvania Banking company, by
the North Carolina Corporation com- '
mission, and this charter is said to be
in Brevard now. Some reports are to
the eflxct that this organization will
begin business at once. No confirma
tion of this report has been made,
however, to the press.
Many conferences are said to have
been held, seeking basis upon which
the Brevard Banking company can be ,
re-opened, as many of . the closed
banks in other towns and cities arc
doing. This plan has the support of
some of the leading business men of |
the community, and its advocates i
seem to outnumber by far the number j
of people who favor the establishment
of the new bank.
A week ago it was different, as j
sentiment seemed almost solid for j
establishment of a new bank, to be a j
real.*Wmmuri%~i^?*trtion, with j
banking as its only purpose. This sen- ?
timent seems to have been crystalized
at the mass meeting held in the coun
ty court house Friday evening Decern- : '
ber 19. At this meeting Oliver H.
Orr was named to appoint a commit- ;
tee for the purpose of organizing the .
bank and obtaining applications for j
stock in the institution. Mr. Orr
named J. H. Pickelsimer, C. R. Me- i
Neely, Frank D. Clement, W. W.
Croushorn, J. W. Glazener, H. A. ;
Plummer and Roy Long as constitu- |
ting the committee. I
In the progress of the work of this
(Continued on page five)
SERVICE MEN WANT~
CASH SETTLEMENT
More Than 100 Men In County
Would Draw Thi? Much
Needed Money
Word has been received in North
Carolina that members of congress
from North Carolina unqualifiedly
favor cash payment of veterans ad
justed compensation.
The statements issued by the two
senators and eight of the ten mem- 1
hers of the house of representatives .
come on the heels of a resolution ask
ing congress to enact legislation pro
viding for the immediate payment in
cash of former soldiers' adjusted com
pensation certificates and addressed
to the North Carolina congressmen by
the Charlotte Hornets' Nest post of
American Legion Chat has taken the
initiative among Carolina Legion
posts in a campaign for the enact
'ti&k of the resolution in the state
Ittyhture. j
Ex-service men in Transylvania
county are said to be unanimously in
favor of the cash plan of settlement
now for all adjusted compensation
certificates held by the men who were
in the war. Officers of the Monroe
Ailsnn Post, of the American Legion,
most emphatic in their advocacy
Wvi the proposed cash settlement plan.
There are 52 members of the Legion
in this county, and the officers could
speak only for those who are mem
bers. They did not hesitate, however,
in asserting that they knew, through
conversation with ex-service men not
affiliated with the Legion, that all
these are in favor of the cash settle
ment. There are more than one hun
dred ex-service men in the county.
Officers of the Legion here assert
that Jhe plan would not only relieve j
the terrible situation confronting i
many ex-service men, but would go j
farther and do more in relieving gen
eral business depression than any oth- ]
, er plan known. These certificates 1
must be paid by the government with- ;
in the next few years, anyway, it is !
.pointed out, and the payment now
would mean ' so much more than it
?-could ever mean in the future. The
-money would be scattered in every
t (Continued from page one)
CHARTER ISSUED
TO NEW BANK HERE
Transylvania Banking Co. Is1
Name ot New Brevard
Corporation
i j retard News Bureau
Raleigh, Jan. lb.
Itaicifjh, .lan. 12. ? The Transyl
vania tanking Co., of Brevard was
issued a charter of incorporation by
Secretary of State J. A. Hartness on
January 9, with an authorized cap- j
ilal of f 100,000 and permitted to be
gin business when $25,000 or 250 of \
the shares of stock, par value $100, ;
has been paid in.
The certificate of incorporation
was executed by W. W. Croushorn,
before W. E. Breese, notary public,
and was examined and approved by
the N. C. Corporation Commision, as
indicated by the certificate of R. O.
Self, clerk.
The incorporators, all of Brevard, I
with the number of shares of stock of
each, follow: J. S. Silversteen, 60
shares; R. W. Everett, 30 shares; J ;
M. Allison, 60 shares; Henry N. Car- 1
rier, 20 shares; N. J. Schain, 40;
shares; W. W. Croushorn, 20 shares; ^
Daisy H. Macky, 20 shares.
The Transylvania Banking Co. is ,
authorized, under the banking laws
of North Carolina, to do a general ,
commercial and savings banking
business. The corporate existance is
fixed at sixty years.
MAYOR SAYS HE IS
BLAMELESS IN THE
CITY FUND MATTER
Asserts Duty of Protecting All
Funds Was Upon Fi
nance Committee
Mayor T. W. Whitmire issued a
statement Wednesday concerning the
finances of the town of Brevard, on
deposit at the time of the closing of
the Brevard Banking company, and '
for which the town held no colalteral.
The mayor's statement is in refuta- !
tion of charges that have been made ; -
3f his official acts, and makes plain j
that the duties of looking after the f
finances of the town are placed in |
the hands of the finance committee of i
the board of aldermen.
Mayor Whitmire declares that he
discharged his duties to the letter,
and cannot be held responsible for
the failure of another member of the
official family to perform his duty. |
The mayor's statement follows:
'Editor Brevard News:
"Following up some remarks made
about me in regard to the town's
money, which was unsecured when
the bank closed, will say I want the
public to know just what the duties i
jf the mayor are, in a town under j
the aldermanic form of government. !
" 'It shall be the duty of the mayor :
to preside at all meetings. It shall be
the duty of the mayor to appoint a
finance committee, one of whom shall
be elected chairman, to look after the
finances of the town, to approve all
settlements of the treasurer and to
look after the finances of the town.'
"Said finance committee was duly ,
appointed and chairman elected. I
presided over the meeting in which
Mr. Shipman promised to put up the
:ollateral for the town's deposit,
which was drawn up in writing and
said agreement was published in your
last week's News.
"I want to state frankly that I car
ried out my part of the transaction
to the letter and I have no apology to
make to anyone. I make this state
ment because I have been told by a
friend of mine that he heard a re
mark made a few days ago on the
street, stating that if Mayor Whit
mire had taken more interest in the
town's deposits and less interest in
the public dance halls that the town
would have been better off, financial
ly. As stated above, I discharged my
duties to the letter as to the town's
deposit ? I discharged my duties to
the letter as to the public dance halls,
which are a violation of the city ord
inances ? and so long as said ordin
ances remain on the books and I am
mayor of the town, there will be no
public dance hall inside the incorpor
ation of the Town of Brevard."
LOCAL BILLS ON TWO
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Brevard News Bureau
Raleigh, Jan. H.
The General Assembly, as is the
custom and to me?t the requirement
that it convene daily, will hold brief
sessions each Saturday, when only
locarl- bills -hoH be wtrcrduceit S!?d v nft;
stnta-wide mepmres will be consider
ed, and on Monday nights, thus per
mitting the legislators to spend w<k>1:
iendi at home.
istron(} mmt
ni? tit
Vx li?HsV1LtllWii
URGES ECONOMIES
Calls for Lower Taxes on Real
Estate and Higher on
Gasoline |
10 PER CENT CUT IN
SALARIES OF OFFICERS)
i
Consolidation of Counties One
Question of Interest to
Small Counties
Brevard, News Bureau I
Raleigh, Jan. H.
A reduction of 10 per ccnt in the
salaries, wages and fees of all em
ployes of the state and its divisions,
the counties and the cities and the in- 1
stitutions maintained by them, ap- !
Paving to all who have not been cut
that much since December 1929, and
exclusive of those receiving less than j
!t>?>0 a month, effective July 1, 1931,
and for two years only, was asked by
Governor Gardner in his message to
the Legislature Friday last.
Governor Gardner pointed out that ?
practically all citizens are now on
i educed incomes, that the employes
o t the state and its units get their
pay regularly and that 85 cents will
buy as much now as did $1 in 1928.
He estimates that $4,000,000 annu- !
ally will be saved and demands that
this saving be reflected in the taxpay
ers bill.
Some new and important changes,
others expected, are included in the
Recommendations made by Governor
Gardner. Some of the important ones
follow:
Abolishing the present Highway '
Commission as constituted by dis"
tricts, making it a state-wide body of j
a chairman and four commisisoners
at large.
Increasing the gasoline tax to six
cents, two cents of which, with an
additional $500,000 a year, to be de
voted to county roads, which the
state commission should take over
for maintenance.
Erection of a new Central Prison
on Cary Farm, near Raleigh, increas
ing agricultural and industrial ac
tivities among prisoners, taking over I
county prison camps and handling j
all prisoners in the state system. 1
Authorizing no additional bonds
lor permanent improvements this
session.
Reduction of taxes on property to]
reflect the appropriations made to '
the counties by the state.
Remove the tax free gasoline ex- i
emptions, requiring tax from all us
ers of gasoline, including counties,
which will receive their pro rata por- |
tion of the refund in maintenance of
county roads.
Establish a central purchasing
agency for all state departments, in
stitutions and agencies, saving he
predicts, $400,000 a year.
Consolidation of administration of i
three higher institutions of learning,
University, State College and "N. C. i
College for Women into a State Uni
versity.
Introduction of "short ballot" to
apply to all offices created by statute, '
thus leaving the Governor, I-ieuten- ;
ant Governor, Secretary of State, ?
Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney General
and Superintendent of Public In
struction to be elected by the people. I
Concentration of county authority \
in one responsible agency, board of :
county commissioners, proper super- J
vision by the state of public money,
accounting methods and settlements
of officers handling public funds.
Mandatory consolidation of some of
the 100 counties and an act permit
ting counties to consolidate in oper- j
ation of common jails, county homes, I
health departments and convict I
camps. I
Enact the bill drawn by the Educa
tional Commission, providing for a
uniform eight months school term,1
eliminating expensive and arbitrary (
district lines and decreasing spending '
(Continued cm page five)
HIGfcWAY
nn (\\n\ir
i uuvai^u i>voii io
THE COMMUNITY
Many Men Employed by State
Highway Commission In
This County
$30,000 TO BE SPENT
FOR LABOR IN FOREST
Horseshoe Project Employing :
Many Men ? New Bridge
Under Construction
Highway construction in this im
mediate section is proving a great
boon to the laboring people, this work
being carred on at present on all [
sides of the town.
The State Highway forces, under
Ernest Webb, are making fine prog
ress on 284, where sixty men are em
ployed in quarry and on road work, j
This work is on the eastern division ;
of 284, with the project of hardsur
facing this highway from the South j
Carolina line to Brevard. i
The Federal government is plan
ning the employment of several men
on road work and building trails :
through Pisgah National Forest. C.
S. Dunn, forest ranger, in charge of !l
the government's activities under Mr.
Mattoon, Asheville, has announced
that $30,000 will be spent for labor,
alone on these projects. R. L. Cans- '
ler is in charge of the road work,
and announces the government's pol
icy of employing only married men or '
men wit^i dependents, providing cap- '
able help of this kind is available. '
The wage rate is 25 cents the hour,
minimum, eight hours a day. The pol- 1
icy of the government in giving pref- ;
erence to men with families in em- I
ploying labor has brought forth much
favorable comment here.
Down at Horsheshoe bend, the
State Highway forces are at work,
rebuilding a portion of the highway I
and building a new bridge far below |
the present structuce. The work there |
will result in elimination of a bad j
curve leading onto the bridge on the I
Hendersonville side. About seventy
five men and several teams and j
trucks are employed on that job.
Then to the south of Brevard, on ,
Highway 28, work has been going on
for some time, relocating the highway
in maViy places, and hardsurfacing
the entire stretch from the Jackson
county line toward Cashiers. Large
forces it is said will soon be given !
employment on that work.
The Carr Lumber company, run- ;
ning five days a week, eight hours a
day. is maintaining its large force;1
that went to work the first of No-!1
vember, after a complete shut-down.'!
Men are employed both in the mills, I ?
yards and in the woods.
The tanneries here and at RosmanjJ
are giving part time employment to ; (
a number of men.
The cotton mill is still idle, al- ,
though plans have been in the mak
ing for the past two weeks for re- ,
opening that plant. Work at the (
mill would result in great relief to
the unemployment situation here, as
the plant has been down more than a j
year now, the employes, unable to
find work elsewhere, have endured
the hardest part of the period of de
pression. If present plans are vcaT- j
ized, the cotton mill will soon be in,(
operation.
Work on the highways, however, is ,
proving the real boon now, because it I
is giving employment to men who j 1
had no work at all in other lines of j"
industry. ij
PROGRAM ARRANGED FOR
LEE-JA CKSON CELEBRA T I OS '
( 1
Lee-Jackson Day will be observed <
next Monday with a most appropriate '
program, to be presented at the High I
School building. The public is invit- <
od to attend. Exercises will start ati!
10:15 o'clock Monday morning. !
Members of the U. D. C. are request- ;
ed to meet at the school building at 1
10 o'clock. 1 1
Mass Meeting Called for Tuesday
Night by Ministers of the Town
Brevard Ministerial association is- 1
sued a call Wednesday for a mass .
meeting to be held in the county J
court house Tuesday night of next
week, at 7 o'clock, for the purpose of
discussing plans for adoption of "The
Golden Rule Debt Paying Plan." By
request of the association, Mayor
Whitmire attended the session, and(
was asked to preside at the meeting
next Tuesday, evening. Rev. J. H. ?
West, Rev. R. L. Alexander, Rev.
Paul Hartsell, Mayor Whitmire and
James F. Barxett were named on the
program committee to arrange de-J
tails of the mass meeting.
The purpose of "The Golden Rule
Debt Paying Plan" is to enable the
people of Transylvania county to
pay one another and each other ac
counts due in checks that are not to
be deposited until a certain numbev
of endorsements appear on the check,
and is not to be usrd for any other
:pu i | >? a n- ? payjng debts.
Or towns and cities "are using?
thi.- and similar methods, and resiilt=
obtained have been nost satisfacfni-u.
Hemlevsonville has lon<r been usii^;
this plan, which was made necessary i
through closing of all the banks in j
the sister city. The committee on ar- 1
rangements for the mass meeting here |
Tuesday will have men \yho are fa- ?
miliar with the plan on tfte program i
to explain its workings. i]
Roger Babson.. statistician and noted j
writer, was the originator of the (
idea, which has been adopted through
out the country. Babson declares the ;
present crisis appeals to the spiritual, j1
inasmuch as anything that causes '
human suffering is a matter calling1
for the best efforts of the church.];
Hence the fact that the call for this :
mass meeting here is at direction of
the Ministerial association.
All people of. the county are urged
to attend the mass meeting, and it is
especially desire<r that each commun
ity in the county have representatives
at the gathering here next Tuesday
evening.
It is believed that great relief can
be Qbtained t5y-qug)j adoption of "TJie
'Golden Rule *D(?bt . Rsr-'ng PJaji;" |
Very besffrtiuS'it and suppofi^if ?
[interested crtizehs should be "given to
the movement. . J
General County Court Is
Abolished By Legislature
COURT ABOiiSMD
ON LAST SATURDAY
Rep. W. M. Henry Present ;
Bill to Kill the General
County Court
Brevard News Bureau
Raleigh, Jan. li.
Transylvania county's general,
county court was abolished in sh<5r;
order by the North Carolina Genera'
Assembly Saturday morning, n i
more than an hour having elapse.:
from the time Representative W. M
Henry, of Brevard, introduced the '
bill in the House before it became a
law, enacted by both houses and
reached the enrolling office.
It is considered likely that other
county courts, particularly the one in
Buncombe county, which, in 1928,
was placed under the general act
permitting county commissioners to
create county courts, will be abolish
ed by this General Assembly. The
Buiifombc court, although apparent
ly functioning satisfactorily, was
provided by including Buncomba !
county under the general act by Re
put lican legislators, while the county'
waii in charge of Republican com
missioners and the officials named
were Republicane.
Representative Ed S. Loven, of Av
ery, introduced a bill which repeals
Ouper 376, Public Local Laws of
192?, the new bill preventing the
Avery board of education from leas
ing sc!:ool property, which the pre
vious act permitted.
TAMPERING WITH
FIRE TRUCK SAID
TO BE DANGEROUS
i
Some One Exposed Town to
Great Danger by Malicious
Damage to Engine
Tampering with the fire truck by
some one some time last Saturday
night or Sunday morning, which re
sulted in putting Brevard's big de
fense completely out of business for
more than an hour, has caused much
speculation among fire company offi
cials, town officials and the public.
Dan W. Merrill, who has charge of
the truck, goes by the station twice
?ach day, starts the motor in the
truck and tests it out, as a precau
tion, so he will know that the big fel
low is always ready to go when the
alarm is sounded.
Last Sunday morning Mr. Merrill
tvent to the station, as was his cus
tom, and tried the truck. There was
nothing doing. Mr. Merrill began a
search for the trouble, resulting in
finding that the gas had been re- ?
moved from the tank, wires discon- !
lected in the engine and the rotary I
irm taken from the distributor. It
look the popular foreman more thai!
in hour to locate the trouble and
make repairs.
One theory is that some property ;
mner intended to have himself a firs'. I
:lass fire. The Brevard Fire Depart
ment has a habit of extinguishing
fires in rapid manner. This man
.vanted his fire to be a real fire, un
molested by the activities of the Bre
vard bunch of fire-fighters, hence.
;he thing to do was to cripple the
:ruck and make it impossible for the
fighting boys to reach the fire until its
:onsuming flames had made his in
surance policy a thing certain and
sure.
Firemen and many citizens have
been heard to express the belief that
this act is the most dangerous and
malicious thing ever done in Brevard.
With recent high winds half the bus
iness section of the town could have
been destroyed before the engine
could have been put in commission
for fighting the flames.
W. W. WOODLEY. JR.,
LIQUIDATING AGENT
Mr. W. W. Woodley, Jr., of Eliza
beth City, has been named as liquidat
ing agent for the Brevard Banking
company, and arrived in Brevard
Tuesday, entering upon his new du
ties Wednesday morning. Mr. Wood
ley iB a man of wide experience in
financial affairs, of pleasing appear- 1
ance, and possessed of peculiar abil
ity to handle the aggravating situa
tion now facing him.
It is likely that Mr. Woodley will J
move his family to Brevard. He is at J
present living at Pierce-Moore Hotel.
There is but little work that Mr. j
Woodley can do until the report of ,
the bank examiners has been submit
ted to officials at Raleigh, inspected ?
there and returned to the agont here,
'.phis report-is c pec ted to.be com |
pfeted- "within-.* row days, and submit- ;
ted to the authorities at Raleigh. A '
ropy of the report, it is v,*:!! hy |
filed with the clfcrk of t!:e court.
LOCAL TRIBUNAL
TOSSED ABOUT BY
VARIOUS FORCES
Climax Is Reached Wednesday
When Judge Declared the
< Act Unconstitutional
ADJOURNED TO MEET
UPON CALL OF JUDGE
Was Campaign Issue, Abol
ished by New Board,
Now by Law
uenerai county cuurt of 1 ransyl
^ania county is abolished, says Rep
resentative Henry, now in the legis
lature from this county.
The county court cannot be abol
ished by special local legislative en
actment, says Judge English, without
violation of Article 2, Section 29, of
the State Constitution.
The court, which has been the
most widely discussed phase of coun
ty activity since its creation on July
1, 1929, was a major issue in the re
cent political campaign, and was oik
of the first objects of attack by the
new county commisisoncrs when the
board assumed power on December
first, 1930. The county commission
ers abolished the county court by res
olution, to become effective on Janu
ary 1, 1931. Then, at the same meet
ing, the commissioners, again by res
olution, set the salary of the judge
pf the county court and the solicitor
it S5 a month, effective January 1,
1931.
Again it was abolished by legisla
tive enactment, as above stated, on
last Saturday.
Yet Judge English adjourned court'
Wednesday morning, subject to the
?all of the judge when, and if, sucb
:all is made, the jurors then serving
must return for jury duty.
The attorney general of North
Carolina assisted Representative Hen
ry in drawing the bill that" was to
ibolish the court, according to word
?eceived here from Wm. E. Breese.
This act would of course preclude
settlement of the matter by opinion
rrom the attorney general, since it is
relieved that the Supreme court of
tforth Carolina will finally say wheth
:r or not the county court is abol
shed.
County courts are created under
itate law providing for such courts.
Many counties in the state have long
iad these and similar county courts.
The old board of county oommission
?rs created the court under the law of
( Continued on page five)
BARREL SYSTEM IS
ADOPTED BY BOARD
Many People Suffering ? Ail
Churches to Help In
Great Work
Rev. R. L. Alexander, of The As
sociated Charities, announces that
;he organization, assisted by the
churches and other groups, are plan
ning to place barrels about the town
for the purpose of receiving what
?ver articles of fond and clothing any
>nc will donate for the relief of the
lecdy of town and county. This plu:i
s bringing splendid results in other
towns and cities, and it is believed
ivill result in great benefit to this
immunity.
Need for immediate action is great,
for there is acute suffering among
:he poor just now. It is believed that
nany people of the town and county
would make donations of food and
Nothing if they knew just where to
place such articles. This plan of plac
ng barrels about the town solves this
problem, as well as b.ing constant
reminders of the need felt in the town
ind county.
Mr. Bob KilpatHck is preparing vhe
carrels, which will be placed at the
grocery stores and meat markets of
:he town. Placards will be ccked to
;he barrels, urging people while mak
ng purchases to buy some article o<
food for the poor and place same ia
the barrel. Mayor Whitmire has an
lounced that the town forces will
jather the food from the barrels, and
take it to the central point at the
Chamber of Commerce rooms, from
which place distribution will be made
;o the needy.
The Ministerial Association, in ses
sion Wednesday, voted hearty approv
al of the plan, pledging fullest meas
ure of co-operation of the churches.
All ministers o fthe town will explain
the dire need of liastV action in their
Sunday messages to their congrega
tions. %
Not only is food needed, but thero
is great demand for clothing, shoes
and bed clothing. These articles are
to be assembled at the Chamber of
Commerce rooms. ? and distribattd
from thfH: placb';'aS is the case with
the food; Distribution will be made
(Continued iru jnujt five)