Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / Jan. 18, 1934, edition 1 / Page 4
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. ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS j . ' I *T|ie end of 1933, so far as harness % Is concerned, waa characterized by < marked improvement in .'come basic lines, smaller improvement in others, and retrogression jh only a few. The business indexes severing the year present a strange, confusing picture. When the summer upward surge started, in direct opposition to usual seasonal tendencies, ,ii was hoped and ’ believed that it would continue. An! unlooked-for fall drop, which also j opposed to the seasonal experience of other years, followed. Gloom was deepest at that tinrfp. Then business strated up again, arid December was a good month. Early? Reports indicate that department store sales shot up' beyond expectations.'Commodity pri ces were strong. Consumers’ goods industries, especially, ,were active. In brief, 1933 did pot see the pro gress that was hoped for. The emer gency relief measures have been something of a disappointment to even their creators. The Agricultural Adjustment Act has heen particular ly unsuccessful. But during the year a Start toward recovery was made, and the public morale strengthened a strengthening which has never been more evident than it ipnow, with 1934 opening. ! * Notes cn business follow: Commodity Prices In January the commodity price index stood at 61. By July, it had moved up to 68. The advance has continued without a major break. Domestic Trade Every effort of the- ^ministration' since March has been Lgiven to mov ing more goods into tjfife hands of the consumers. It has b|e«n moderately successful, in the face of definite consumer-opposition td^higher prices. Of late, trade in uifcan areas has been less satisfactory than in the major agricultural centers. Most str iking advances in safes have been made by mail-orded houses. Employment Here is where the greatest achieve ment of the year has been made. Every month has witnessed definite advances in both worWers employed and compensation receded. Factory employment was 20 p£| cent higher this October than last ^-pay-rolls 33 and one-third per cenJSigher. In the non-manufacturing industries, em ployment. gains wereJt.reported for 11 cut out of 16 industries reviewed. Only in the bituminouifcoal industry has there been a significant late drop, and that was largely due to labor difficulties, wi'yi attendant strikes and lookouts. Finance ; Generally speaking, excellent work has been done in strengthening the banking structure. Banks which were Closed before the moratorium have been opened by the Hundreds, mil lions in frozen assets have been thaw ed out. Excess reserves of Federal Reserve banks recently reached an unprecedented total of dose to $900, 000,,000. Government credit has been sly Strong, w4th issues _as soon ^announced. ide Lately United States foreign trade « las expanded .ahajrply both in volume I ind balance. Exports have incfeased 11 jver imports, leaving us with a size^< ible ballance of trade. The' -recogni-! ■ tion of Russia, recently effected', is < expected to produce a considerable nflation of our export business. Real Estate In October, for which complete figures have been issued, construc tion contracts awarded were, with1 a single exception,,' the best for any rhoftth since' November, 1931. The in- 1 dustry had a bad year, but improve-1 ment is setting in, C, * ' ■ j Railroads. 1932 brought many railroads to the '< verge of bankruptcy, endangered others. In 1933 business was better, profits were up. Most encouraging of all to the railroad managements is the friendly attitude of the! Ad ministration. Utilities Here ^the experience was not as favorable as was hoped. Sale of power in many localities has risen. 'But profits have dwindled, due to tax and /* legislative policies which increased costs, made it impossible | to meet them by raising the price of power to the public. Still another threat is government competition. Agriculture The farmer was cheered by the A. A. A. when it was passed. Then he was drastically, violently disappoint ed. Strikes and disorder followed. A few months ago agricultural income, when adjusted to living costs, wa3 lower than ever. Now improvement pas started in many fields, more op timism is evident both in Adminis tration and farm circles. iC Lumber No important industry experienced so sharp an advance in prices as lum ber—and none was more at sea over what to do. Generally speaking, the price advance was closed to 50 per cent during the year. Orders have likewise Jbeen good for the most part but not as good as was hoped. Cost of operation has materially risen. Steels Here is another, industry which hit -tahe top, bounoed back to the bottom, then started up again, during the year. Last svummer it reached the best peak in a long time-then started steadily down. In the second week of November it as around 2G er cent of capacity. Heavy industries, hich are the only important steel buyers, have been purchasing lightly. bacR-to-the-land MOVEMENT Back-to-the-land movement, spon sored by the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the P. W. A. under Secre tary Ickes of the Interior Depart ment, is making satisfactory progress it is noted from reports. The qiigration of 200 Jewish needle .workers ip the clothing trades from the squalor of their crowded tene ments in lower New York City to a garden-plan settlecentm in Mon r., ia regarded as most remarkable. ■ Due to their love for communal1 ife and their neighbors, it is difff :ult to persuade old exvfsjj..workers, iving even amidst the deplorable :onditions in East SSidfe-Kf^w' :o seek new environment. To them \ t is a real sacrifice but they were moved to do so for their children’s sake, it is claimed. Their new homes, including a house and one ac^e^fi-j ground »o eael£ family wil| cos£ )O0, lin||iced* by th§, F^deril GoVe?ri-* ment. A factory, including building and equipment, will be erected by private interests to furnish employ ment to the workers. * Financed by the Government, and now in operation, is a community of 125 miners’ families in West Virginia. These homesteaders, selected for their farming ability, character and gene-, ral intelligence, each have an income 1 of $16 per week. The men build their homes, the expenses and maintjenanqff of which is to be paid back to the Government over a period of twenty years. Compared with many hopeless and despondent person^ who1 hdVe- ho chance to work in the over-crowded cities, these mine workers’ lives will be enriched by social interests and an economis support from their plot of ground r Opportunity for those ski lled in handicraft such as carving, weaving, carpentering, etc., is stres sed. . ' An experiment in the establish ment of a subsistence^ homestead community was launched recently at Decatur, lnd.( ah, industrialrcity. of 5,500 people. The project there will be managed by a subsidiary corpora tion of the Federal Subsistence- frorffe steads Corporation, to which the Government will loan $125,000. an 80-acrc farm adjoining the Decatur city limits will be divided into 40 to 48 homestead parcels of ground. The homesteads will range from.$2,000 to $2,600, including land, a . small ■ low cost house with modern conveniences and soil adapted for gardening. -The occupants will be selected from a mong workers ordinarily engaged in a variety of occupations, some of | whom are employed on part-time bases, some full-time and some who are not now employed, the intention being that they represent a fair cross section of the , low-income‘Workiiig class. M. L. Wilson, Director of Subsis tence Homesteads Division of the P. W. A., stated that the Decatur pro ject will furnish “a test and demon stration of the opportunities of work ers in small cities with some farming experience, to increase their standerd of living by reducing their complete dependence on pay envelopes to ac hieve a satisfactory livelihood/’. “De catur is,” he continued “typical of the samll industrial city of from. .4,000 to 15,000, many Workers of which, with their incomes sharply reduced I during the depression, have been un able to mpet' rental chares jyhicK i have been, in many instances, above normal. Stimulated by the allotment of Homesteads Division of the Interior Department, plans for a $50,000,000 non-profit-making corporation were recently .discussed by a meeting of 3ver,’Si0Or ^ews representing 270 Jew ish organizations in the East and Middle West. *The details of the pro posed corporation which would fin ance Jewish cooperative farm settle ments in the United States, will be [ worked out by an executive commit tee of 50, it isr said. * A loan of $1,000,000 recently made to £lje Penderlea Homesteads Corpor atid# by the Federal Subsistence Ho mesteads Corporation will be used in 1 establishing a subsistence hometsead community in Pender County, N. C. The project is'.intended to provide low-cost homes for 300 to 400 fam ilies selected from the ranks of far mers, many of whom have been at tempting to eke out an existence on isolated submarginal farm land, and w^h are on relief rolls. The purpose of Qqis agricultural experiment is to demonstrate: (a) the possibilities of diversified subsistence farming in con trast with single crop and cash farm ing, (b) the eionomic and social value of community settlements as against isolated \ farm settlements, (c) the possibilities of a much higher standard of living on small North Carolina farm vflaere the soil is pro ductive, rather than on an isolated submarginal farm. The tract of land cn which this experiment will be carried out consists of 4,500 acres, It is expected that small industries jbe developed in this area, thus making it possible for the home steaders to earn their living from farming and industry. CODES PAY WAY In this day of, vast expenditures in government we are informed by the NRA that the taxpayers will not hgye to pay a cent of the salaries of..^e federal representatives who sit on code authorities of the various jjtnduglries. About 200 code authorities have been established and it is esti mated that there Will be 800 or more Vhen all the industries have been organized. One to three government representatives for each code would create a big payroll, the salaries of which will come from sums paid by e%cj|jy»codified industry into the Fed eral Treasury, which, in effect, is i3. special excise tax on each industry. The industries will have nothing to say with respect to the selection or pay of the representatives set to watch public interests on the indus trial boards. These representatives will thus be responsible to the Gov ernment qnly. MANY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES Exclusive of those being paid from emergency funds, the federal work in's now total over 588,035, which is near the peak of 597,482, reached at the end of July,'^9<2lJ. The total em ■ployees in Washington’ November 30 was 73;131, and 514,904 in tilfi. fielcL Estimating the population of the Un ited States at 120,000,000, this figure shows one federal employee to about 205 people, an average cost' to each person of $6.50. ■;jl She tnumber of temporary employ e^ jr^ Washington as of November 30th was 7,301. There was a total in crease of about 2,000 during the nonth of December, with separations amounting to about 800. The temporary workers in the field totaled about 55,000. FTJTLDING and LOAN INSURANCE* Federal .Home Loan Bank Board an no&’i&’k' 'that a study is being made of an insurance plan for building and loan associations, saving banks and other home financing institutions, along lines similar to those provided for commercial banks by the Federal Bank Deposit Insurance Corporation. “The overwhelming success repre sented by the establishment of the Federal ^Deposit Insurance Corpora tloA foI*>"the greater protection of deposits in commercial banks,” said chairman John H. Fahey of the Fed eral Home Loan Bank Board, "has aroused widespread interest in the possibility of devoloping an insur ance plan adapted to the peculiar need3 of building and loan associa tion^, cooperative banks and mutual savings banks.” Chairman Fahey points out that since the home financing associa tion:; are primarily investment in stitutions with long-term savings of millions of our people, the insurance problem is different from that pre sented by commercial banks, “in which cash deposits are subject to imjjjndiE^tjw withdrawals.” The invest ments represented by these institu tions are *af>proximately $12,000,000, 000, about $8,000,000,000 of which is in building associations and $4,000, 000,000 in mutual cavings banks. The establishment of the Federal Home Loan Bank system, of which the Government is the largest stock holder, has* widened and strenghten ?d a great Reservoir of capital which enables the home financing institu tions, the repositories of this capital, to render a much greater service to the customers as well as afford greater protection to the depositors’ interest, the chairman said. The nii tiative of the Government in this rgsnec^ has -extended this system of th'YTnrmnd home financing into every county in the United States, he said. With the purpose of futhering the confidence in these institutions, the Board^Ijopes to announce in the near rfiHu$o recommendations of an insur ance plan patterned after that of the ‘Federal* Bah It, deposit Insurance Cor * % : . ’ ' V poration. HOUSING SITUATION BAD According to Dr. Edith E. Wood, consultant for the new Federal Hous ing Corporation, about 9,000,000 Am srican families are living in the hou ses unfit for human habitation. Is It any wonder, it is asked, when it is considered that 44 per cent of the louses in rural districts, small, towns ind villages are valued at less than $1,000. Here in these localities, where the air in the surrounding areas is pure and healthful, are houses with open cesspools, with polluted water supplies and without sufficient pro tection from the cold. This condition breeds sickness, premature death and :rime, which Dr. Wood declares cost the country $15,000,000,000 annually. It is maintained by economists that it was the expansion of the auto in dustry which brought about the re vival of business in 1920. They tell us that the country can be brought back to economic security if the peo ple can be made as enthusiaitic a bout their places of habitation as theyy were and are about automo biles. Of course, the economists point out that it will be necessary to set up a revolving fund of at least $2, 000,000,000 to finance home improve ments. The socially minded declare that if such a plan is put into effect it will not only revivi business but lift the general tone of the peaople, geep many millions off the charity roll and increase taxable values from which funds may be had for the va rious public service. We spent $42,000,000,000 for war and would have gone on spending had the war not ended when it did. Spending for housing will advance civilization rather than destroy it, they say. METHODIST CHURCH NEWS (C. W. Russell, Pastor) The:e will be regular service Sun day at Gentry Memorial at 11:00 A. *\I. and at Walnut Branch at 2:30 P. M. Subject of Sermon, "Patching Old Clothes.” The pastor and family were indeed gratified with the three splendid poundings given us recently by the churches: Sparta, Cox’s Chapel, and Shiloh. This week and next we plan to grade and beautify the parsonage grounds, and any of the members who wish to help will be appreciated. We will need teams and scoops to do the work. We will also need a number j of loads of litter, as the ground is by no means fertile. If members of the various churches will. furnish teams and litter, I will be happy to do the work. We are anxious to do the job now that we may get the' yard in gr-a§S—by_ March. Bring the litter any time. I wish to thank all who contributed produce for the Children’s Home, Pea Roast and Cutlets OUNDS peculiar, doesn’t it. to write about a pea roast ; id w pea cutlets, just as if peas could be cut up like a meat ani mal. You’ll find that the recipes we mean are not peculiar, but peculiarly good, though we’ll have to adrhit that the first one is just a trifle nutty. It is Pea and Walnut Roast: Mix lightly together one and one-half cups pea pulp, one cup soft nread crumbs, one-half cup chopped wal nuts, one-fourth cup butter, two thirds cup canned tomato soup, one beaten egg, salt, popper an 1 onion juice Put into a bP-'re 1 baking dish or loaf pan. and bake | in a moderate oven. 350 degrees, I for from thirty to fdrty-flvevmin- , : . utee, or mntil set an& brown. Serve with hot canned tomato - soup, undiluted. Thfs serves eight. These Cutlets Are Cute Tomato and Pea Cutlets: Com bine one cup drained canned- peas, one-half cup very thick white sauce and two slightly-beaten"*egg yolks. Drop by spoonfuls into hot,*" v buttered skillet and try brown, turning over once. Dip eight slices ripe tomato In flour, and sprinkle with salt and pdpper. Sautd in the fat in which the cut sets -cooked. Serve a cutlet on each slice of tomato. .This recipe. serves eight,* • - % which was carried to the home last i week. Bro. Woosely gave us credit | for $35.00 on our 10% apportionment. I am happy over the fine spirit in which the six churches responded. This is part of ones religion, We, especially thank Mr. Will Pugh for Voluntcerly offering his truck for transporting the produce to the Chil dren’s Home. THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “COUNT THAT DAY LOST WHOSE LOW DESCENDING SUN, VIEWS FROM THY HANDS NO WORTHY ACTION DONE.” Governor Ehringhaus is the patient victim of a State-wide lambasting for his refusa to extend the period of time for the purchase of automobile licenese tags, or rather to overstep his authority by allowing cars to con tinue to operate after the licensed, period has elapsed. Obviously His Ex-! cellency is receiving unjust criticism. J Automobile owners had due and time- J ly warning and were repeatedly ad vised by all agencies of publicity to meet the requirements of the law be fore the end of December. Recalling past laxities, the motorists in great numbers stuCk to their blue tags, and: hte Governor is merely fulfilling his1 promises in requiring payment. Taxes of any kind are unpopular when pay day comes: tax receipts galore are left in the books because' property | owners have found the pressure will not' be - applied'and Governor Ehr inghaus is taking a "step in the* right! direction when he demands payment. The people themselves receive the benefit for the money they pay"sfii taxes, and a movement tb dujstf*'them to again figure their' dut^to^thelr government along with the' budgdtetf household expenses would bode a hap* pier dayy. " EditoriaP in Watauga Democrat. • - - t * •* •. I *V 1934 Tips For Driven * **; • As 1933 ends, early reports- jpi<5G cate that threr was an increase In 4 motor vehicle fatalities and irijuriei over 1932 in spite of the fact' that fewer cars were operating during the year. The last quarter iVas especial* ly bad. ‘"a Predictions are that, fatalities will* approach 30,000 and injuries/l'.OOO,-' 000. This is a record ■ that certainly should not be repeated. A set of New Year’s resofiitidha for the motorist, prepared by the Na-" tional Bureau of Casualty land Surety Underwriters, is a good starting point for a safe 1934: a 1. Drive at speeds suited to. traf fic conditions-: Slowly, in “’the city, moderately, on the open highway. 2. Use better judgement in passing Wait until there is 500 feiet of clear distance ahead before., attempting' to maneuver. . ..... • *v, '' - 3.. Slow down at intersections. 4. Obey traffice signals. 5. Watch out for pedestraina.“'>',* ^ % These are the five most' neglected rules of the road. Obedience to them would have saved a majority of the ives and limbs lost during" 1933. ' Remember them in 1934. ’ POPCORN THAT POPS! 'T'HESE are crisp, crackling days when the sound of corn popping is a sure sign of the season and pleasant to our ears. But it is not so pleasant.if some of the kernels decline to pop, and emit only a dejected fizz. That means that there was too much water in them, and that you will find hard, unpopped kernels or “old maids” in your popper that will have to be sorted out. That is the reason why you should always get your popcorn in cans. Put up in that fashion, it is first shelled and then dried to the point where, it contains exactly enough water to turn into steam, when heated, and promptly turn each kernel inside out with a re sonant pop. Having taken this precaution, you can make all sorts of goodies with it to pop into your mouth without fear of hard un popped kernels, or to hang on your Christmas tree to which the snowy flakes form a most decora tive addition. So here are some recipes guar anteed to be successful if you use the proper kind of popcorn: Fruit Popcorn Balls Lemon Popcorn Balls: To make these you will need two and a half quarts of popped corn, or about half the contents of a 10-ounce can. Put the corn in a large pan so there will be plenty of room to stir it while pouring over the syrup. Boil one cup sugar, one half cup canned light corn syrup and one half cup water to 2G0 de grees or a hard ball. Add one tablespoon butter, one teaspoon vinegar, one teaspoon lemon ex tract and a few grains of salt, and pour over the corn, mixing well. Butter hands and then form the corn into balls, using as little pres sure as possible, to prevent crush ing the corn and making balls hard and compact. This makes about sixteen medium balls. Honey-Raisin Popcorn Balls: To make these you will need three quarts of popped corn, or three quarters of the contents of a 10 ounce can. Wash one cup of raisins, and steam them for ten minutes. Combine three fourths cup canned honey and one and one-fourth cups canned light corn syrup, and boil to 250 de grees, or a medium hard ball. Add one tablespoon butter, one tea spoon vinegar, one-half teaspoon salt and the raisins, pour over the corn and mix well. Butter hands and form into small balls, using as little pressure as possible. This will make about twenty-four med ium sized balls. Molasses Mixtures Molasses Popcorn Balls: To make these you need three quarts of popped corn, or three-fourths of the contents of a 10-ounce can. < Boil one cup canned molasses and ' one cup canned corn syrup to 250 < degrees, or a medium hard ball. Add one tablespoon vinegar, three i tablespoons butter and a few grains of salt, and continue boil- < ing to 2G0 degrees, or a hard ball. ! Add one-half teaspoon lemon ex- ] tract, and pour over corn. Butter j bands and form into balls, using ! as little pressure as possible. This 1 makes from sixteen to eighteen ' medium sized balls. Popcorn Brittle: To make this you need one and a half quarts of ■ popped corn, or one-third of a 10 ounce can. ■ Boil one cup brown ' sugar, one-half cup canned mo lasses and one-fourth cup water ; to 270 degrees, or a hard ball. Add one-half tablespoon vinegar', one tablespoon butter and one fourth teaspoon salt. Also 'add , two cups shelled peanuts which,, have been browned in the ♦ en. Pour over the corn and mix well, then press into small oblong pans ■’ about three by five or four by five inches. Press very lightly so as iiot to break the corn. This makes from six to ten cakes, depending on the size of the pans. And Here’s a Surprise Popcorn Surprise Balls:- Com bine two cups sugar, two -table spoons light corn syrup and one ;up water in a sauce pan and mix well. Wipe down sides with a wet cloth, and codk without stir -ing to 240 degrees, or a soft ball. Pour out, without scraping down side of pan, onto a cold, wet slab >r platter, and cool to lukewarm, rheu beat with spatula, from 'dges to center, until creamy. Flavor and color this fondant as lesired, and then knead with' lands until smooth and creamy. Pover with dump cloth for half an lour. Form into balls and roll In lopcorn, covering completely ’ress corn very lightly into the ondaut in order not to break the kernels.*
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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Jan. 18, 1934, edition 1
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