WMEMMSIOmm GAZETTE
) -
PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY.
VOUJXXDL MX if.
GASTONIA, N. C. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. JANUARY 30, 1918.
92.00 A YEAR EC ADVAXCTI.
t v.
TO PROSEGU TEHOARDERS
. -fcco . ' raisTfuuioH is active
State Food Administrator Pace
Writes County Administrator,
Armstrong That Violators of 'the
. Law Will be Prosecuted Vlgorous-
' ly Unless They- Heed Timely Warn
log Here Given to Betorn Surplus
f of Foodstuff to Firms From Which
They Purchased.
; County Food Administrator C. B.
Armstrong received " the following
.letter under date of the 24th from
V Mr. J. P. Lucas executive secretary
of the North Carolina division of the
United States Food Administration,
which explains Itself. The attention
of. State. Food Administrator Page
" -was called to hoarding of foodstuffs
- In Gastonia by the exposure of these
t violators of the law as made by The
Gazette last week.
Following 1b the letter:
Purchases of larger quantities of
foodstuffs than are required for a
reasonable period is a violation or
the food control law which was en
-acted August 10th, 1917, and which
provides a penalty of $5,000 One or
. two years Imprisonment or both, in
addition to the confiscation of the
; hoarded products; so, regardless or
our recent ruling that anything a
bove one barrel would be regarded as
boarding, these men have violated
the law.
In counties where hoarding has
been practiced we are requesting
-county food administrators to re
. quire merchants to furnish them a
list ot consumers who have purchas
ed flour or - sugar in excess of a bar
rel of flour or 25 pounds of sugar;
and to require the purchasers or
these excessive quantities to return
: all above their reasonable require
ments to the merchants the mer
chants being required of course to
refund cost. We gather from your
. letter that you already have the
names of a number of families wno
have purchased in large quantities.
We want to urge you to take hold
of this matter with a firm hand ana
let it be known without equivocation
that' the food administration means
"business. Such a practice, If allow
ed to continue, would be absolutely
disastrous to the program of the
food administration and would re
sult in the actual starvation of thou
sands of women and children-and
ojd men In Europe, because the food
administration Is not releasing food
stuffs for export faster than they are
available for export above the re
quirements of our own people.
We would suggest further that you
secure as much publicity as possible
in this matter to the end that farm
ers who have made large purchases
Innocently may have an opportunity
to return their purchases. Later, ar
ter ample opportunity has been giv
en, the food administration proposes
to indict and prosecute every hoard
er we can find through secret service
or other agencies.
We are enclosing you a copy of the
Food Control Act and beg to call
your attention particularly to Sees.
4 and 6.
Very truly yours, U. S. Food Ad
ministration, JOHN PAUL LUCAS.
Executive Secretary.
Following are the sections referred
to in the above letter:
Sec. 4. That It is hereby made un
. .lawful for .any person willfully to de
stroy any necessaries for the pur
pose of enhancing the price or re
. strlctlng the supply thereof; know
ingly to commit waste or willfully to
permit preventable deterioration of
any necessaries In or in connection
with their production, manufacture,
or distribution; to hoard, as defined
- in section six of this Act, any neces-
.sarles; to monopolize or attempt to
monopolize, either locally or gener-
ally any necessaries; to engage in
. . any discriminatory and unfair, or
any deceptive or wasteful practice or
device, or to make any unjust or un
reasonable rate or charge, in hand
" - ling or dealing in or with any neces
. sarles; to conspire, combine, agree,
v or arrange with any other person,
(a) to limit the facilities for trans
, porting, producing, harvesting, man
ufacturing, supplying, storing or
dealing in any necessaries; (b) to
restrict the supply of any necessaries;
'(c) to restrict distribution ot any
" necessaries; (d) to prevent, . limito
tlon of any necessaries In order , to
enhance the price thereof, or (e) to
; exact excessive prices for any neces-
. ; sarles; or to aid or abet the doing
of any act made unlawful by . this
.. section. v ?"
Sec 6.' That any person who wili
er fully hoards any necessaries shall
, upon conviction thereof be fined nor
exceeding 5,000 or be imprisoned for
- not more , than two years, or both.
" . Necessaries shall be deemed to be
; hoarded within the meaning of this
, Act, when either (a) held, contract
ed for, or arranged for by any per
son In a quantity in excess of' his
reasonable requirements for use or
consumption by himself . and . dependents-
for a reasonable time; (d)
held, contracted for. or arranged for
' : by any manufacturer, wholesaler, re
taller, or other dealer In a quantity
in excess of the reasonable requrre-
-menta of his business for nse or sale
. by him for a reasonable time, or
reasonably required to furnish neces-
sarles produced In surplus ' quanti
ties seasonally throughout the period
of scant or no production; or (c)
withheld, whether by possesson or
under any ocntract or . arrangement,
from the market by any person for
the purpose of .-unreasonably in
creasing or diminishing the price:
PROVIDED, That this section shall
not Include or relate to transactions
on any exchange, board of trade, or
similar institution or place of busi
ness as described in section thirteen
of this Act that may be permitted by
the President under the authority
conferred upon him by said section
thirteen: PROVIDED, however. That
any accumulating or withholding by
any farmer or gardener, co-operative
association of farmers or gardeners,
including live-stock farmers, or any
other person, of the products or any
farm, garden, or other land owned,
leased, or cultivated by him shall not
be deemed to be hoarding within the
meaning of this Act.
County Food Administrator C. B.
Armstrong has been instructed by
State' Food Administrator Henry A.
Page to take prompj and vigorous
acting to the end that all purchasers
of excessive quantities of foodstuffs,
particularly flour, In this county
shall return their, surplus above one
barrel to the dealers without delay.
Mr. Page evidently means business
and Col. Armstrong means business
too, for he announces that the State
Food Administrator's lntsructions
will be carried out to the letter. Mr.
Page's letter is of the straight-from-
the-shoulder tpye that is chaacterls
tic of the man. He demands action
and action right away. In writing
to the County Food Administrator
Mr. Page instructs him as follows:
"(1), That you demand of each
retailer in your county a complete
list of consumers who have pur
chased flour in excess of one barrel
during the past three months.
"(2). That you immediately noti
fy the purchasers whose names are
submitted- to you or whose names
you can secure that they must re
turn all flour In their possession in
excess of one barrel to the dealers
from "whom they purchased, those
dealers being required to take it
back at the price they received for
it.
" ( 3 ) . That you take every means
within your command to remedy this
situation just as promptly as possi
ble. "(4). That you submit to us
promptly for Indictment and prose
cution the names of any merchants
who wlthold information and ant
consumers who retain In their pos
session more' than" one barrel of flour
after they have-Been given an oppor
tunity to return1 it to dealers."
RUSSMROIGIAHIA
AGREE ON PEACE TERMS
(By International News Service.)
COPENHAGEN, Jan. 30. In sep
arate peace negotiations between
Roumania and the Central empires
Roumanla is said to have agreed to
return Doberja to Bulgaria and to
annex Bessarabia, a Russian prov
ince. It Is also reported that the
Roumanian cabinet has resigned and
that a revolution has broken out a-
mong the -Bolshevik!. . A Finnish
deputation; It is said, has arrived
here to ask for armed Intervention
by Sweden against Russia's attacK
on the Finnish republic.
PUNS FOR HOUSING
(By International News Service.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. Cen
tral plants for housing workers at
shipbuilding yards and cantonments
have been formulated by Secretaries
Daniels and Baker, Chairman Hur
ley and the shipping board and Sec
retary of 'Labor Wilson. The Imme
diate passage of a $50,000,000 ap
propriation for housing plants at
the shipyards will be urged and fur
ther legislation will be recommend
ed later.
VIOLATED FOOD
LOSES ITS LICENSE
(By International New Service.)
WASHINGTON. Jan. 30Y The
license of the Clio Oil A Fertilizer
Company, of Clio. S. C, his been re
voked by the U. 8. Food Administra
tion and the concern has been order
ed to close up its affairs not later
than February 6. Speculation and
hoarding of cotton seed was the
charge upon which the Ann's license
was revoked. . - . ,
PEACE PARLEY RENfcWED." , .-
(By International Newa Service!)
COPENHAGEN. Jan 0 p k
BrestrLltvosk peace parleys will he
resumed this afternoon- with nnnt
Crernln present. -
Subscribe to The Gazette.
Must Return Flour In Three Days
Gastonia, Jan. 80, 1018.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
Every person living in Gaston county who has more than
one hundred and ninety-eight (108) pounds of floor in his posses
sion will return it to the merchant from Vhom he bought it with
in the next three days. The fine for not complying with the above
request is $5,000 or two yea rs imprisonment. I have no discre
tion in this matter; every person must comply with this law.
C. B. ARMSTRONG, Food Administrator for Gaston County.
NO EXCEPTIONS
C B. Armstrong,
v Food Administrator,
Gastonia. N. C.
Notify all merchants through your local papers that no ex
ceptions can be made to the new Food Administration ruling
forbidding the sale of Hoar except in combination with an equal
amount of other cereals Including corn meal, hominy, grits, oat
meal, rice, barley flour, aim shorts or middlings, corn flour, cor
n starch and soy bean flour.
HENRY A. PAGE, State Food Administrator.
NEW JERSEY SENATOR
PASSED AWAY TODAY
(By International News service.)
TRENTON, N. J., Jan. 30. Unit
ed States Senator William Hughes
dided here today.
Senator Hughes, whose home was
in Paterson, N. J., was born In 1872
and, was a lawyer. He served in the
Second New Jersey Volunteers in
the Spanish-American War In 1898.
He was married to Miss Margaret
Hughes on July 16, 1898. Was e-
lected on the Democratic ticket to
the Fifty-Sixth, Sixtieth, Sixty-First
and Sixty-Second Congresses as rep
resentative of his district. He re
ceived a majority of the vote cast In
the primary for United States Sena
tor, and was elected to the Senate hy
the legislature on January 28, 1913.
His term of service would have ex
pired on March. 3, 1919. He was
chairman of the .Senate committee
on pensions and member of the
rostomce, f inance ana otner im
portant committees.
ARMY AND. NAVY
SHIPPING CO-ORDINATED
(By International News Service.)
WASHINGTON, Jan., 30. Co-ordination
of army and navy shipping
became a reality today when the
War Department announced that It
would turn over 2,000,000 tons of
shipping to the navy which was
heretofore under the direction or
the quartermaster's department. Civ
ilian captains and crews will be dis
placed by naval men but the vessels
will continue to work for the army.
21-
use more corn
use more fish & beans
use Just enough
(Q) tic e syrups
-and serve
' - US. FDOD.ADMINISTRATION;
TO BE MADE
Raleigh, N. C, Jan. 2, 1018.
FLOODS IN OHIO
CAUSE $2,000,000 DAMAGE
(By International News Service.)
CINCINNATI, Jan. 30. Damage
estimated at $2,000,000 has already
been done by the Ohio river floods.
Ice gorges and floods are sweeping
everything before them from Pitts
burg to Evansvllle. Scores of barges
have been crushed in the Ice and
sunk. Many towns and railroads
are under water.
HIGH DEATH RATE
AT NEW ORLEANS
(By International News Service.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. New
Orleans leads all cities in the death
rate for the week ending January 26
with 26.7 per cent. Seattle, Wash.,
is the lowest with 6.5 per cent.
WILL ADD OOO.OOO TO ARMY.
(By International News Service.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29. Quick
action in drafting all men who have
become 21 since June 6th was prom
ised by the Senate military commit
tee today. This measure Is expected
to add half a million men to the
army.
PARIS ON BREAD RATIONS.
(By International News Service.)
PARIS, Jan. 29. Paris went on
bread rations today. Each person Is
allowed 10 ounces daily. The sys
tem will be gradually extended to
other parts of the country.
CAIJT nADEUPLOSTTIME
- - ' . F ; - ...
HILLS MOST OBSERVE FUEL ORDER
Fuel Administrator Robinson Re
ceives Instructions that Cotton
Mills Cannot Run Saturday After
noon and Night to Make Up for
Time Lost on Monday Holidays
Iiist of Questions and Answers
Which Explain Fuel-Saving Order
In Detail.
At least one cotton mill in Gaston
county has been reported to County
Fuel Administrator J. Lee Robinson
as violating the order of National
Fuel Administrator Garfield by run
ning Saturday afternoon and night
in order to make up for time lost on
the Monday holiday. Administrator
Robinson received orders this morn
ing from State Administrator McAl
lister Instructing him to enforce the
order and see that such violations as
the above are stopped at once. There
may be other mills which have been
violating this order. If so they should
see to It that the order is strictly
kepi In the future.
- Following is a list of questions
and answers just sent out by the
fuel administration which should be
read and studied by every person, as
It contains practically all the infor
mation that one could desire on the
subject:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
1. Question: Do plants operat
ing by water or hydro-electric power
have to close on Mondays specified 7
Answer: Yes. It has been ruled
from Washington that for such
plants to use fuel for heating suffio
lent to run would be in excess of that
needed to prevent damage from frees
ing and to safeguard fire protection.
and, therefore a violation. The rea
son for this ruling Is that the U. S.
Fuel Administration wishes to close
down all manufacturing plants on
specified Mondays not specifically ex
empted, in order that freight conges
tion may be relieved.
2. Question: Are plants using
fuel In the production and distribu
tion of food exempted?
Answer: Yes.
3. Question: May wholesale and
retail stores selling food remain open
after noon on specified MondaysT
Answer: No. Unless in some ex
treme case the Local Food Adminis
trator should recommend It as nec
essary. 4. Question: May wholesale and
retail stores ' selling food remain
open after noon on Mondays If they
use no fuel?
Answer: Yes.
5. Question: May wholesale and
retail stores selling food sell other
articles other than food on Mondays
Answer: No.
6. Question: May drug stores
on Mondays sell other articles than
drugs?
Answer: No.
7. Question: How may mills
working on government contracts se
cure exemption? 1
Answer: Only upon the recommen
dation of the War or Navy Depart
ments, unless exempted specifically
or under some general order. The
U. S. Fuel Administration will grant
exemptions when recommended by
War and Navy Department.
8. Question: What is Included in
the term fuel.
Answer: Coal, coke, 'wood, oil.
and gas are all fuels.
9. Question: Are laundries, fer
tilizer factories and cotton seed
mills exempt?
Answer: Yes.
10. Question: May plants that
necessarily must be continuously op
erated seven days each week use fuel
on Mondays?
Answer: Yes, such quantity or
fuel as is necessary to prevent seri
ous Injury to the plant or Its con
tents, 11. Question: Does the rder
appfy to printing establishments, in
cluding weekly newspapers?
Answer: Yes, except such estab
lishments may burn fuel to such an
extent as is necessary to Issue cur
rent numbers of magazines and otn
er publications periodically issued.
12. Question: Does Fuel Order
apply to barber shops, plumbing es
tablishments, blacksmith shops, gar
ages, and other miscellaneous places
of business? '
Answer: Yes, unless specifically
exempted, as they all come under
the general term of "business hous-
13. Question: Does the Fuel Or
der require theatres, moving picture
houses, bowling alleys, billiard
rooms, private or public dance halls
and other places of public amuse
ment to close on Tuesdays?
Answer: Yes., The original or
der provided that they should use no
fuel on Mondays, but the amended
order provides that they should use
neither fuel nor lights on Tuesdays,
and, therefore, they must close on
Tuesdays. ' ; '
14. Question:' . Does Fuel Order
apply to hotels, restaurants or other
places where meals are served? .
- Answer: No. .
15. Question: Does Fuel Order
apply to companies in the wood, oil
or coal business? ; . ' . ;.? ;r
Answer: No. . The order does not
-PPly to rooms, offices or such ppr
tlons of buildings as are used In con-
(Continued on page .8) : ; -
1
i-J
Every Gaston County Man in tae
Army Camps to Be Supplied With
a Rook Government to Furnish
High Class Entertainment at Lib-
trey Theatres- Committee tor Lo
cal Campaign
Organized Teeter
day.
"Smlleage. Books" for' Gaston
county's boys in camp at home and
overseas will be purchased by cltl
xens of the county in a drive planned
for the next week or so. At a meet
ing held yesterday , afternoon . the
campaign was thoroughly explained'
by David Clark and J, P. Quarles, of
Charlotte. Gaston county's quota la
$800 worth of books.
Uncle Sam Is erecting Liberty the
atres at the big camps and the best
plays la the country as well at Chau
tauqua, feature movies and other at
tractions of high-class will be shown
In these theatres. Klaw and Erlan
ger and others are providing the at
tractions at bare cost, many of the
best known men and women of the
stage serving for nothing. High-class
plays will cast the Sammle only 15
cents. .'
However, a soldier's pay doesn't go
so very far, especially when he Is ear.
rylng insurance and sending . some
back home, aa the majority are. And
time hangs heavy on his hands when
a hard day's work is over. So the
Liberty theater will give him a good
clean place of amusement to go to.
The Smileage books contain twen-tyflve-cent
coupons and sell for a
dollar apiece. It is planned to place
one in the hands of every Gaston
county man. The campaign is nation-wide.
Plans for disposing ' of
the county's quota will be made at
a meeting to be held Thursday.
W. T. Rankin was named chair
man of the meeting Tuesday, John K.
Rankin treasurer and Fred M. Allen
secretary. A committee consisting
of J. H. Separk, J. O. White and
Fred M. Allen was named to ar
ranged for publicity.
- X
GETTIIIG l!0I LAKD
FOR ARTILLERY IO
W. T. Rankin of the special Cham-
ber of Commerce committee is today
closing arrangements for the balance
of the land needed fay the artillery
range. General Dickman's report
will then go forward in full to the
Secretary of War for final action, it o
Is now understood that when author- ;
itV la fflvAII tnr th rvrnrvnari Im.
provements at Camp Greene the lo
cal range win oe inciuoea. oj. tne
ItrlTIA thA waathor ! If !
lieved by the artillery officers that
all will be in readiness to begin wont
on the range.
EFIRD'S VISITED BY
BURGLAR MONDAY NIGLIT
A burglar entered the Eflrd de- :
partment store Monday night, be- .
tween dark and 1 1 o'clock, and got
away with a good suit of clothes,
three pairs of shoes valued at $22,
50, a good suit case, several pairs of
box and $20 in cash. The latter no
took from the change stand In the
office, that amount having been Left -there
from Saturday night.
The burglar changed his clothing
while In the store and left his old
clothes on the floor. It was througn
this means that the police depart
ment was able to state yesterday
that the burglary was probably com
mitted by Avery Giles, a young white
man who in December completed a
chaingang for store-breaking in Gas-
tonia last fall. The superintendent .
of the chaingang today positively
identified the clothing as that worn ""
weeks ago. One article was a heavy
striped sweater.
Entrance was gained through a
small window in the light shaft be
tween the Eflrd building and ' the
Duyce-r bus ouiiamg adjoining. Ar- ,
ter getting what he wanted and
changing his clothes, the thief walk- .
ed out the back door, leaving it open.
The policeman on his rounds found "
the door open at 11 o'clock.
It was stated at the police depart-,
ment this morning that the depart- -ment
was on the trail of Giles and
expects ta land him. He has been
seen in Gastonia frequently since he '
got off of the gang, though his home '
was in Kings Mountain.
QGHT GERIIAII PLAINS '
WERE SHOT C7.:i
(By International News Service. )
LONDON, Jan. : 0.' Heavy
aerial fighting along the , British
front, in which eight German ma
chines' were' shot down and . three
British planes are missing, was re
ported in the official statement of the
War Office today. The Germans at
tempted to raid trenches south of th
Scarp river, but were driten cT.
PLEASURE FOR SOLDIER