North Carolina Newspapers

Late News' THE MARKET Cotton . .. (5.fi5 to 7r Cotton najoii seed, tn StO It. Cloudy And Colder. Today's North Carolina Weather! Report: Cloudy and eolder tonight preeeded by rain. Tuesday rlondy and colder. Debate On Sale Of Light Plant \ Still Town Talk i • Controversy Involving Special Elec- 1 tion Becomes More Heated Here. The light plant argument in Shel by almost reached the boiling point 0‘ er the week-end. Reports scattered about that ald-r manic statements given out by the board appeared favorable to the sale and would be followed by the call ing of an election likely caused re newed interest in a topic already of city-wide interest. Opponents of the ale express much concern over the statements made “for the benefit of the pub lic,'’ contending that >t is unusual that all the data in the statements are favorable 16 the sale. “Are there not some people in the.se other S. P TT. towns and cities not ’tickled to death’ with rates and service?’ they ask. “If there are such, and surely there are, why is this infor mation not also handed id the pub lic to help citizens make up their minds as the board proposes?” Supporters of the sale argue on the other hand that the informa tion published is lair Information in that it shows that the S. P. U. would be popular here because of popular ity elsewhere. Pew new facts were introduced ui (he controversy over the week-end, but the discussion was wiore heated than ever before and promises to increase in warmth. Rumors of new offers, one of a million and one half dollars, for the plant have been heard but not authentically produc ed The formal and official status of the proposition is where it has been for weeks, viz: The S. P. U, has offered $1,100,000 for the city tight and power plant and the city board is debating whether to call or not call an election to let citi zens vote for or against the sale. Increasing heat in groups discuss ing the matter continue to indicate that If brought to an election it will be one of the most hitter elec tions ever ever held in the city. Petitions Out On Light Plant Matter Citizens Asked to Sign, Asking Council Nok to Call Election On Sale i - ! Several petitions were put in cir culation Saturday asking the mayor and city council not to call an elec lion at this time on the proposed sale of the municipally-owned light Diant to the Southern Public Uth ities company. The S. P. U. company submitted an offer of a million one hundred nousand dollars for the cit-’s. plant and a franchise to operate in ihe city but not an exclusive fran chise. The council have been mak ing an Investigation since the prop osition was submitted and issued several reports on their findings to tire tax pavers and citizens, but opposition is strong against the • ale. In order to register thgir sentiments on the proposed sale, the petitions are now in circulation at a number of gathering place; md will be presented to the maya and board later. No sale can be made without a majority vote by the registered voters and those who oppose the sale do not wish an election called on the matter. Blood Poison Feared For Mr. Will King Mr. Will King is threatened with blood poison as a result cf a cut on his hand from a Coca cola bottle. He was loading a Coca Cola truck at Cherryville last Friday when he re ceived a cut on the finger from a broken bottle. The wound has caus ed him considerable pain and his arm Is swollen, so a test is being made at the Shelby hospital to de termine whether he has blood poi son or not. Stored Potatoes Grow Second Crop The mild winter has caused po tatoes to make a second crop H. G. Clark, new owner of the Farm ers Hardware Co., moved his tam , lly to Shelby last week from Mount Holly. When he went to the base ment of his Jdount Holly home to move his Trial’ potatoes from There they had been stored, he found they had produced a second crop. Some of the second crop po 'wfc*' are as larec as a man's fist. I 4- vY ifi Is PAGES i %i Jl I TODAY VOL. XXXVIII, No. 17 B\, N. C. MONDAY, FKB. 8. 1932 Published Monday, VVednseday and Friday Afternoons. By Mail, per year, un advance) - .»».» Carrier, per year, un advance) *3 Smith Willing To Be' Candidate This Year Will Make No Drive Before Meeting 1932 Presidential Candidate Will Take Nomination It Of fered Him. Democrat!# ranks here and throughout the country are some what perplexed by the 1932 outlook as the result of an announcement today by Alfred E. Smith, 1932 pres idential candidate, saying that he is willing to carry the party stand ard into the election again this year. Smith expressed his willingness in a 144-word statement yesterday, but he will make no pre-convention campaign: The statement in full follows: “So many inquiries have come to me from friends throughout the country who worked for and be lieve in me, as to my attitude in the present political situation, that I feci that I owe it to my friends and to the millions of men and women who supported mc >;o loy ally in 1928 to make my position clear. “If the Democratic nations! •in vention after careful consideration should decide that it wants me to lead, I will make the fight: but 1 will not make a pre-convention campaign to secure the support of delegates. “By action of the Democratic national convention of 1928 I am the leader of my party in the na tion. With a full sense of the re sponsibility thereby imposed. I shall not in advance of the con vention either support of oppose the candidacy of any aspirant for the nomination.” The 1928 standard bea-er handed the statement to 46 newspaper men late Saturday afternoon in his office on the thirty-second floor o' a Fifth avenue skyscraper. “Here you are boys, but remem ber it’s not to be published until Monday morning, ' he said with s grain. “Does this permit your friends to enter your name in various state primaries at which convention delegates will be elected?” Smith was asked. "I will answer that by repeating •CONTINUED ON PACK 8TX > The Shelby tennis club, an or ganization of tennis players in the city, has just been formed for the advancement of the game in Shel by. Courts of the club, two at pres ent, are located on the former site of the Peter Pan miniature golf course on South Washington street, just behind the Victor hotel. Officers of the club are Chas. R. Eskridge president and Gecrge Wray, secretary-treasurer. Present members are: Dr. Thois. B. Gold Prof. Horace Grigg, George Wash bum, Everette Houser, Charlie Coble, Russell Laughridge. Charles R. Eskridge, Whitelaw Kendall, Decker Gardfier, George W. Wrav, Dr. H. S. Plaster, Jesse White. Firemen Blistered In Fighting Blaze Three members of the Shelby fire department were still undergoing treatment this week for minor burns and blisters suffered Friday of last week in preventing a b'aze, which destroyed one home in west Shelby, from burning nearby residences Ernest Johnson was blistered about the head and face and Boyce Del linger about the hands and arms. Tennis Cl r Contests Little Comment On Smith Stand Heard In Shelby \ Some Criticise Move, Others Favor Al. While Majority Remain Quiet. Political leaders of Cleveland county, one of the few counties in Piedmont and Western North Caro-1 lina, to give' Al Smith a majority in 1828, are having very little to say today about the somewhat surpris ing announcement by Al Smith that he is willing to be a candidate again this year. Opinion is very much divided, and ; very sharply in two classes. Quite a number who supported Smith in 1828 were inclined to criti cise him today for protruding him i self into the 1832 picture. "His move will have a tendency," they said, ‘‘to bring a new rift in party circles just | when everything indicated that har mony in the party would send a Democrat into the White House." At the fame time ardent Smith men of 1828 were expressing their elation over the Smith statement. They still believe he is the most ca pable man in either party to handle the presidency. A third group looks at the matter in another light. One says ‘‘I do not think the statement means anything and I baso that view on Al’s declar ation that he will no; make any campaign prior to the convention to secure convention votes for the nomination. That does not mean leosrriNUED on pagk six Mrs. Sheppard Died Sunday Afternoon; i burial In Georgia i Had Been In 111 Health For Several Months. Husband. Children Sonin. Mn. Helen B. Shepatci. wife of B. T. Shepard, died yesterday after noon about 1:30 in her home in the Weathers Apartments on Soutli La Fayette street. She had been in ill health for around three months, but had been seriously ill only for a short time. The deceased, who was years of age, was a native of southwestern Georgia but had been living with her family in Shelby for three years ana was well known and popular here. She was a member of the Central Methodist church here, but the re . mains will be taken to her native j State for interment, funeral ar rangements not yet being complete awaiting the arrival of Mr. Shepard who is out of the city. Surviving in addition to the hus band are three children, James, a popular graduate of Central high school: Eck and Martha Earl lybrand In Extreme Condition Earl Lybrand. better known as “Heavy” Lybrand Is in serious con dition at the Arcade Rooming House on West Marion street where he and his ffimily live. Earl has been suffering with diabetes for a year or more and has been gradually de clining in health. He took his be' again last Wednesday snd it was feared last night that he would not survive the night. Earl formerly op erated "Heavy's Cafe” here. Cleveland County Has Paid Over Third Of 15-Cent N. C. School Tax $22,000 Of *57,750 For Stale-Wide School Support Already Paid Here. (Special to The Star.) Raleigh, Feb. 8.—Cleveland coun ty had paid into the state treas ury $22,000 of the total 193 tax levy of 1ST cents on the $100 valuation, amounting to $57,750 on the assess ed valuation of $38,500,014 up to Saturday, it is announced by Treas urer John Stedman. Treasurer Stedman reported that up to Saturday $1,975,880.66 of the $4,461.591 estimated to' come from the 100 counties as a part of the state school fund had been receiv ed vhtch leads him to believe that half the fund will be collect* i within the next few days Collec tions are believed to be slow in the counties, but many of them have collected more than half of the 1931 taxes. Counties are requir ed under the law to forward *o the state treasury the amounts collect ed twice a month, designated as the 1st and 15th. Avery county, with an assessed valuation of slightly more than $o, 500,000, was the only one of the 100 counties that had made no return on the 15 cent ad valorem tax, while numbers of others had sent in only small parts of the taxes believed to. have been collected Treasurer Stedman said. Every effort is being made to get the countries to forward the col lections promptly so the state can meet its six months school term costs, largely in teachers' salaries. Mr. Stedman said. I Hundreds Given Help By Charity Bureau In City 1,500 Days, Of Work ' For Unemployed Home-Owners Urged To Clean l'p Premises For Summer Health Aid. In a period of two montlw the central charity organization of Shel by has given 1,500 days of work to unemployed heads of Shelby fam ilies In addition to supplying food clothing, fuel and medicine to needy people where work was un available. In doing this needed work leas than *1.000 has been rpent slate December 1, according to J. D. Liae berger, who is supervising the handling of the charity appeals an^ the distribution of aid. • • 'ft. Schools Help. A total of 13,125 articles of cloth ing, canned goods, etc., v as contrib uted to the work by the schools of the city and county and private in dividuals. Cash pledges of *4.15915 have been made and a total of *2, 185.42 collected. Total cash expendi tures of $877.18 have been made, not Including the January tills. The weak given unemployed men and women, a big portion of the supporters of families, has done a#, mgeh as anything else fc help the charity organization get through two months of the winter. Most of the work has been supplied by the city in using idle men fer cleaning city streets and property but quite a number of citizens have worked men and women in cleaning Jobs about their homes. Offers Plan. ‘‘The people of Shelby, whfr are able to do no. can do much to help us get through the remainder of the winter,” Mr. Lineberger said, "if they will call us and give little jobs of work about their homes and I propert y for deserving men we have I listed. This idea has been suggested fBecause wf the ntild winter flues are ; expected to be worse tills summer | than in many years. Every breed ing place about the home and yard is dangerous and should be removed and cleaned up. The charity bureau can supply good labor at $1 per day and in getting your premises clean ed up you know- that your $1 is go ing into a home where it is abso lutely needed for food, fuel, etc. The people have been liberal in answer ing all requests and calls, and if they will help us provide jobs, even half day job6. about, their homes during February, it will mean very much.” At present the charity bureau has 306 negro families, or 1 404 people, entirely dependent upon charity, and 49 white families, of 252 peo ple, also upon straight charity. The number of appeals, it is said, are on the increase, but. due to the mild weather the demands for help are not as great. Clean Now. In addition to providing a plan to care for the unemployed at least enough to provide food and absolute necessities of life the clly work has cleaned the city as it never has been cleaned Streets and back alleys are being kept in spick-and-span order and many citizens are cooperating to the extent of using the unem ployed ln» beautifying their lot. sod ding their yards and driveways, painting and repairing fences and outbuildings. Tryouts Tonight For Community Players The director and play readers of the Community Players of Shelby will hold tryouts tonight at 7:45 at the Star office to determine the cast of players for "Love In A Mistr the sparkling comedy drama select ed for production in March. Inci dentally, “Love In A Mist" was the successful stage comedy introduced to the New York stage with Sidney Blackmer and Madge Kennedy in the leading roles. The play is an excellent piece tor amateur production. It calls for seven characters—four women and 3 men—and each has important work to do in every act. It is well bal anced, for there are no minor roles or heavy leads. Every character figures prominently in all the comic situations and goes in foi his part of the refreshing dialogue The tryouts tonight will include several new members who came in to the club last week. So in all probability, there will be some new faces and new talent appearing in the second public performance of the Community Players of Shelby. Miss Isabel Hoey was appointed to direct ‘Love In A Mist.” The players maintain works)-,01 quarters over the city hall. Where New Crisis Looms in China ■HHOk- - - i .. —'ll ...... .»r ~arrr V i«~T*‘v .an I:! • ' —-' -- - -:- - .I ' - 11 lUljg Interest in the tar Kast crisis is switched, for the moment, from Shanghai to Harbin, scene of Japan's latest conquest The occupation of the city hy Japanese troops Is said have aroused tremedou. re scntment in Soviet Russia, which < oontry has Mg interest. In the city. Harbin was one of the Jap ob jectives In the Rusao^.pane*- of l»Ofi. and history may repeat itself and once more make the city a bone of between the two nations. Red troops are reported to be massing in force at Vladll vostock, within striking distance of Harbin, and martial law ha. be,n proclaimed. Above photos show two views of the city. Upper Is *he Chinese section, easily identified as sod. by the Chinese sign*, ar chitecture and rickshaws. Lower is the Russian section with iu distinctive atmosphere. Note the Roc sian droshky in the ^ground. Inset is funeral .Hr„ Tamon, who is commanding the Japanese army of occupation in Harbin. The rot y of the Jap troops into the city was unopposed. Japs In Attack On Key To Port \ Hope To Drive Chinesr Out Of Key To Port Of Shanghai Snow* storm Sunday Shanghai, Feb. 8.—A snowstorm Sunday that handicapped the Japa nese attack on the Woosun Chinese controlled forts failed to stop a new Jap offensive early this morning which was aimed at dislodging the Chinese from the forts along the | Wrangpoo river which arc consid i ered a key to the Shanghai harbor. With the guns of the Jap fight ing ships laying down a barrage the Chinese defenders were pushed back on the Wooeung front last night ! to pave the way for the drive today along the Wrangpoo. The Japanese formations are or ganized at a point near Woosung, eight miles from main Shanghai. It is from this point that the Jap troops, led by 3,000 marine shock troops, began their move forward on the key for to Shanghai while the bigger cruisers moved up with the destroyers to hammer the defend ers with heavy artillery fire. A number of foreigners were said to have been endangered during the drive in the two sections of Chapel and Woosung, Peace Views. Washington, Feb. 8.—New propos als to halt the Chinese-Japanese fighting at Shanghai are rot barred by the State Department’s new “waiting policy," it was learned yes terday. The waiting Is necessary because no one here yet knows how many soldiers Japan is going to send to Shanghai, or what use she is to make of them aside from the local fighting. Mr. Tom Fowler Of Eastside Is Dead Succumbs This .Morning With Heart Dropsy. Funeral Vt Buffalo Tuesday Mi*. Tom L. Fowler, a trusted employee of the Eastside Mill died this morning at 3 o’clock in the Eastside mill village, following a decline in health extending over a period of two years. Mr. Fowler was a victim of heart dropsy He was 49 years of age and twice married. Surviving are his second wife who was Miss Laura McKee before marriage, one son, Flay Fowler, by his first wife, four children oy nis second wife, Maudie, Jack, Louise and Margaret Fowler. Also surviv ing are one sister, Mrs. Ralph Green, of Polkville, and two broth ers, J. W. Fowler of Chattanooga, Tenn and George Fowler of Gas tonia. Deceased was bofn in No, 8 township of this county Funeral services will he held Tuesday afternoon by Re- H. E. Waldrop and interment will be at Buffalo church four miles east of ,etby, Attack Made On Boy Scout Group By Communists; Propaganda Says Scouts Are Tools Of Capitalism “Yunna Pioneers” Rival Kt-d Or ganization To Scoot*. P*m phlets Her*. Vfc,.;..'" - A pamphlet, Issued by the “Young Pioneers of America,” making an I attack upon the Boy Scout organ ization as a tool of the capitalists has reached the hands of Shelby scout officials. Peculiarly enough the pamphlets seems to be in cir culation during the observance of National Boy Scout Week. The four-page pamphlet makes a lengthy series of charges agains the scout organization and ends Its propaganda by urging the children of the working people join the Young Pioneers. All the charges are very similar in tone to the propaganda put out in textile cen ters of the two Carolinas bv the Communists, or Reds. a couple years back. The title of the pamphlet Is ‘‘Smash the Boy Scouts! Join ihej Young Pioneers.” The pamphlet, professes to be a prelude to a cam- i paign “to expose to the workers’ j children the bosses’ plan for p new war and for militarizing the work ers’ children. "Excerpts from the numerous charges follow: “The Boy Scout organization j glorifies the wars of the bosses. Its real aim and object is to prepare the workers’ children for good sol diers in the armies of the bosses. Even the very oath of the scout pledges him to do his duty to God and to his country—which means to fight, without questioning, for the wars in the interests of the bosses and against the workers. “The bosses are feverishly pre paring for wars. Just consider the “good-will” trip of Hoover, the plan for building an American navy ’second to none,' the building | of IS more cruisers—what are these ; but proof of the bosses’ prepara jtions for war? At the same time the capitalists mumble a few phrases about peace, such as tiv Kellogg Pact, to pu| tl>e worker: off guard so they should forget about the war preparations. "They are trying to trap tb: young workers and students into the Citizens Military Training Camps and into the Reserve Offi cers Training Corps, where they are trained for the ooming war. ‘Tor militarizing Die children the bosses have a special instru ment! That is the Boy Scout* of America! This is the real purpose of the Boy Scout movement! This is the real meaning of the cele brations planned for Boy Scout week! Attack Schools "The schools, which carry the (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX > Ten Killed By Cars In County In Year 1931 (Star News Bureau.) Raleigh, Feb. 8.—Cleveland county had 10 fatalities from automobile accidents during the year 1931, records In the office of Director L. S. Hfflhis, of the Motor Vehicle bureau, show During the year automobiles were responsible for 763 deaths in the state, IS less than in 1930, but injuries were suffer ed by 5,075 persons, establish ing a new high record. Guilford led in deaths with 41, Mecklenburg and Wake tie lng for second place with 38 each. Durham had 31 deaths, Forsyth 26 and Wayne 22, the records show. Boy Scouts Observe Opening Of | Anniversary Week Here Sunday Scouts Of Shelby And County Gather At Fresbylerian Church, Hear McDiarmid National anniversary week of the Boy Scout organization in America was observed Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock in a service held at the Shelby Presbyterian church and conducted by Rev. H. N. McDiar mid, pastor. Scouts from all sections of Cleve land county and Shelby gathered for the'service which marks the beginning of the week honoring the incorporation of the organization on February 8 1910. Today it ts one of the strongest and most highly respected builders of young man hood In the world. Rev. Mr,v McDiarmid's talk to representatives of troops over ine county and city together with scout officials and leaders was or the subject "Be strong and show thy self a man." The service was opened with an explanation of anniversary week by Supt. B. L. Smith, of the city schools, who is vice president of the Piedmont scout council for this area. This was followed by the scout oath led by Scoutmaster Al vin Propst, who also explained the scout laws, code? etc. 4 With troops organised. In many communities over the county and with a number of troops function ing m Shelby, Cleveland county is now among the leading counties in scout work in the Piedmont coun ty.. Farmers Discuss Five-Year Plan For This County Gathering Held Here On Saturday Farm Board To Consider Increase in Grain And Hay Acrearc, Cut In Cotton. An 11-point, program lor • per iod of five years in Cleveland coun ty for Improving general agricul tural conditions was inaugurated at a meeting of between 150 and U00 farmers and farm women he’d at the court house here Saturday. No definite program was adopt ed at the meeting, but a session of the county board of agriculture us to be called soon for discussing the program and malting plans for another general meeting. Features Attract Among the features of the pro posed program which interested the meeting Saturday were those calling for increased grain and hay crop acreage, better yields and se lected varieties of sweet potatoes, and continued boosting of better cattle and poultry flocks Speakers Here Two district extension workers addressed the meeting. They were John W. Goodwin, district farm agent, who spoke on general farm ing conditions and the cotton sit uation; and Miss Ruth Current, home economics agent, who dis cussed food and clothing require ments and shortages In certain lines. Five-Year Plan The eleven basic points of the proposed five-year plan, which will be considered by the county agri cultural board with the likely ad dition of sub-divisions under th* 111 heads, follow: I. Not over 50 percent of crop land In rammer rultivatable crops. I 2. Reduce cotton acreage. 3. Increase small grains at ’ least to 1-3 of cultlvatablc land. 4. Increase hay. seed and soil buildings crops to 1-3 of cultlraiable land. 5. Increase acreage and pro duction of pasture to supple of livestock. 6. Increase only Porto Rico and Nancy Hall varieties and increase yields of Judicial use of fertilisers and soil practices. 7. Increase the raising of pigs to supply home needs and for markets where feeds are avail able. #. Continue the practice of the nee of pure bred baHs to he used. Increase the number of milking cows to supply the heme needs and for the sale or milk and cream on farms suitable ter this purpose. j 9. Continue the use of pure bred poultry and doable the number of laying hens. 10. Protect our wood land by using the crippled trees for lire wood. Preserve the good trees for lumber on repairs of farm building and for sale if any surplus. II. Cooperation with the Cleveland Farmers Mutual Ex change In marketing poultry and other farm commodities. Club Boy Grows Unusual Porker Poland China Hof* Weighs SU Pounds When Killed. Vied Club Feeding Plan. Leo Hamrick, of the Boihr.g Springs section, is a 4-H club bov who has a real story to tell fellow club members. Some time ago young Hamrick, son of Ed Hamrick, purchased a registered Poland China pig as his club project. For months he fed hit pig along the feeding plan suggest ed in the 4-H club advisory wcr* and then killed the porker last week at the age of 17 months. The hog delghed 815 pounds and was such a hefty one that for a day U became a show in the entire Boil ing Springs community. The Hamrick incident is only one of several of successful projects carried on by 4-H club boys and girls in Cleveland county. Annual Meeting Of Mill* On Tuesday The annual meetings of the stockholders ol the Dover Eastsid* and Ora cotton mills will be heir Tnesda" morning in the directors room o* the First National bank It is not known whether all of these mills are paying dividends from their oast year’s operations