Farmville Continues Its Forward March To Prosperity!
IN THE VANGlARD OF
RECOVERY PROGRAM
Consistent improvement and devel
opment along agricultural and in
dustrial lines, together with the ever
present desire, constantly demon
strated, to cooperate each with iht
other, for the welfare of all, has
placed Hastern North Carolina in tht
vanguard of the nation's progressive
recovery program.
This spirit has lieen forcibly ex
emplified again and again, perhaps
reaching its highest point in the
ready signing of the tobacco and cot
ton contracts and in strict adherence
to the agreements.
Optimism prevails on Eastern
Carolina farms for there are unmis
takable indications that "we are on
the way." To the man behind the
plow, the best indicator is the in
creased prices he receives for his
produce. In the New Deal, the farm
er at present, and for the first time
in history, is holding the ace.
FARMYILLE A BEEHIVE
PRIOR TO OPENING
The motif of the beehive might
well have been used in signification
of Farmville and this section during
July and August, which were mark
ed by great activity among the ware
housemen, farmers and business men.
And the week prior to the opening
en Thursday, August 23, "The Last
Roundup" was made in Farmville;
warehousemen noting personally
whether everything conducive to the
orderly marketing of tobacco, in the
three huge warehouses here, had been
done; that all facilities used in the
handling, weighing, placing and sale
of the golden weed were in perfect
order; farmers were standing in line
daily at the headquarters of the
County Farm Agent to secure their
marketing cards; and the business
men of Farmville were making ex
tensive preparations for extending a
hearty welcome, and making the visit
of customers and visitors to their
establishments pleasant and mutual
ly profitable.
All preparations were speeded up
that week and everything put in
readiness for the flow of tobacco into
this, one of the principal marketing
centers of Eastern North Carolina,
and all indications pointed to the
most satisfactory and successful
opening of many years.
* RECORD IN POUNDS AND *
AVERAGES
Farmville's record in pounds *
* and averages for the past eight *
* years is as follows, attention be- *
* ing called to the fact that 1932 *
* crop was the smallest since 1917. *
* 1925 $26.11 12,122.508 *
* 1926 , 27.91 14,598.880 *
* 1927 21.92 19,329,120 *
* 1928 19.43 21,062,226 *
* 1929 18.06 18,839,572 *
* 1930 12.58 23,205,290 ?
* 1931 9.55 22,253,692 *
* 1932 12.64 12,110,138 *
* 1933 16.54 ' 21,107,372 *
****************
Mayor of Farmville, who was mar
ried in May to Miss Mary Lamar,
dauphter of Mrs. Dunbar ljsmar, of
Beech Island, S. C., and recently "sot
up housokeepinp" in his new homo on
Home Avenue.
JOHN B. LEWIS
FARMVILLE EXTENDS YOl' WELCOME! f
The People ol tin* Town of Farnwille again join Till! y
SPOTLIGHT in extending a WELCOME to all visitors, be
the\ hero on business or pleasure: it is not a new welcome, ?
but the same old-fashioned sincere, heartfelt welcome, just y
couched in new terms.
It would Ik' fine to welcome you, even if our motive was V
entireh selfish; we know that when you come to buv goods
or to sol 1 tobacco, that it means more business for our
merchants and other business houses. !?'.
However, we wish to impress upon you, that if you do
not buy, do not sell tobacco, and do no business with us. we
; are still glad to have had you, thai we will be glad to see X
I; you again; the idea is that we live happilx with each other
:? and our goodwill radiates to all those visiting among u>?;
C we like to see everyone happy and most of all we like to X
make others happy; it makes us happy in turn to do some- ;j;
:? thing for the stranger, make him feel at home when he is
>. not at home, and make hint feel no longer a stranger, even *
i; Ihoueh he is among strange folk. %
;? REMEMBER that, even between editions of THE SPOT- ?>
LIGHT, the people of Farmville are ready to serve her *
I; visitors and share their hospitality with them. *j;
JOHN P., 1.EW1R, Mayor. *
OPENING SALES ON FARMVILLE MARKET
MOST SATISFACTORY IN FIFTEEN YEARS
Thnu.^ands i>f farmer? and their
families relumed to homos from
this market, openinp day, Thursda\.
Aup. 23rd, weary and fatipued in
body from the strain and excessive
heat that made the warehouses al
most unbearable, but happy and
comforted mentally, by the hiph
prices realized from the sale of their
tobacco. Many of them received
more than double, for their offerinp,
what they did on the openinp sale a
year apo.
A heavy break of offerinps from a
wide spread area was experienced on
the Farmville market, the sale of
which was not completed. A storm,
with accompanyinp darkness, caused
the market to close in mid afternoon.
Official fignres for the openinp are:
poundape, 199,366; money paid to
farmers, $56,343.92; averape S2S.28.
Prices Beyond Expectations
Prices went fai beyond expecta
tions and compared favorably with
the record breaking season of 1919.
Business men here joined with far
mers in jubilation over the improve
ment, as the great surge of activity
and liberation of thousands of dol
lars, in tobacco town, brought the
liveliest trade to the business dis
trict that has been experienced for
years on opening day.
First harvested offerings prevail
ing, in which smoking type predomi
nated, seemed to be most desirable
to buying concerns, with bidding be
ing spirited throughout the day.
Prices ranged between 5c and 80c.
One bill noted, of good quality prim
ings, brought from $34.00 to $50.00
per hundred.
The opening was also marked by
the tremendous crowd on hand, the
largest in the history of the market,
which was jubilant and oblivious to
everything except the sales, the not
inp and oomparinp of prices. Fac
tory hands experienced preat diffi
culty in removinp purchases made oy
their respective companies, as no at
tention was paid to roller carriers
and tobacco hooks by the thronfps of
elated people.
By dawn on openinp morninp the
streets were crowded with motors
and people; warehouse driveways
were full of loaded wapons and
trucks thai apparently came in an
endless stream, brinpinp to the mar
ket the first offerinps of the bripht
leaf crop. To the tempo of traffic,
pedestrian and vehicular, was added
a quick step erf anticipation.
Lone rows of tobacco were lined
up on the multi-thousand feet of
floor space of the three huge tobacco
warehouses here for the inspection
and approval of the buyers, the re
maining space, every available foot,
being crowded with farmers and their
families, pulses quickened by excite
ment, as the warehousemen and buy
ers looking at their timepieces
and passing greetings with acquaint
ances in the horde of spectators, mov
ed down the golden weed lined aisles.
Recognized and customary positions
of the warehousemen, assistant sales
managers, auctioneers, ticket mark
ers and buyers were assumed, a nod
from the warehousemen as the nine
o'clock hour was marked, the "sing
song" of the auctioneer began, and
the tobacco season of 1934-35 swung
open in Farmville and the Bright
Leaf Belt.
The Agricultural Adjustment Act,
the Farm Credit Act, the Crop pro
duction Loan Act, the Cattle Pur
chas Act, the drought-relief meas
ures and others were adopted by the
administration to relieve the desper
ate plight of the farmer.
FARMVILLE AGAIN CHOSEN
FOR FEDERAL GRADING
Selecting Farmville as a represent
ative market of the truy Eastern
Carolina type, government officials
met with warehousemen here Mon
day night prior to the opening, for
completing plans for continuing gov
ernment grading on the Farmville
market this year, supported by the
financial assistance of the Agricul
tural Adjustment Administration, the
State Bureau of Markets and the
Federal Bureau of Agricultural Eco
nomics.
Frank B. Wilkinson, in charge of
the Tobacco Standardization and
Grading of the Federal Department
of Agriculture, was present at the
meeting and M. I. Dunn, who is to
be Federal Supervisor of this market,
was in attendance also.
The service, which is to be op
tional as heretofore, will be main
tained here this year, with only a
small charge to growers for grading
the weed.
The middle and old belts will also
have one key market only this year.
Farmer-s are well pleased with
this service, which has steadily drawn
new patrons to the Farmville mar
ket, as they realize the advantage of
expert classification.
Interest in government grading
brought pupils, comprising the agri
culture class of the South Edgecombe
high school, to the Farmville market,
with a load of weed early in October
of the past season, the Young Tar
Heel Farmers, as they term them
selves, learning the value of this
service and being well pleased at the
sales, resulting in prices which went
above the government standard.
Many of the measures taken in
relation to ag-riculture are temporary
but such as prove wise and effective
will be woven into the permanent
program.