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Want To Sell W1, 11 1 HP •
11 ghany Times
DEVOTED TO THE CIVIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY i
Volume No. 14. GALAX, VA. (Published for Sparta, N. C.) THURSDAY,, MARCH 23, 1939. Number 45.
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Washington, Mar. 25 (AS)—
Just as soon as the income tax
returns for 1938, which wer© fil
ed' with the Treasury on March
15th, can be analyzed so that
officials will know just how the
national income is going and bow
far it will be safe to make changes
(in the present tax laws, Congress
leaders and the Administration
heads expect to get together and
try to work out a complete re
vision of the tax laws.
The purpose is to try to fix it
so that business men, capitalists
and investors will feel assured
that if they make any money it
will not all be taken away from
them in taxes, and that if they
put up cash to finance new enter
prises they will not be punished
if the speculation turns out well.
There is apparently almost com
plete agreement between the
President and his Cabinet, the
majority leaders in Congress and
the members of the minority
party, that it is essential to recov
ery to give private enterprise a
greater chance.
Harry Hopkins was the fore
most Presidential favorite, and is
still high in Mr. Roosevelt’s good
graces. But from the point of
view of some of the others who
feel themselves close to the White
House, Mr. Hopkins has turned
traitor to the principles which
they have insistently urged for
several years.
Instead of “soaking” business
men, now that he is Secretary of
Commerce, he is making friends
with economic royalists, and eam
-estly trying to help them to find
ways to invest their money where
it will create new business and
put more men to work.
Means Business
There is no doubt that Mr. Hop
s means business, and: that he
the President behind him.
Likewise the Secretary of the
Treasury, Mr. Morgenthau, means
business when he says the Treas
ury will not stand* for any ad
ditional taxes and favors read
justment of present taxes.
And these members of the Cabi
net would not be talking as they
are doing unless they felt posi
tive that the President really
meant it when he said he would
not urge any more reforms but
would give his attention to re
covery first.
Therefore the Chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee, Sena
tor Pat Harrison, and the Chair
man of the Ways and Means Com
mittee of the House, Representa
tive Doughton, feel that they are
on solid ground in starting to
work out a tax system which will
be as satisfactory to business in
terests as any taxation can be.
The indications- are that the
new tax program will omit the
undistributed profits tax entirely.
One conflict between the Pres
ident and Congress has been reviv
ed by the Presidential insistence
that the 150 million dollars which
was cut out of the WPA appro
priation be restored. He is not
likely to get it without a fight.
The whole attitude of Congress is
that the faster and deeper the
expenditures for relief can be
cot, the better.
The hope, of course, is that tax
revisions and other factors will
stimulate business so that the un
employment situation will be
speedily improved. At present
the Federal expenditures for re
lief in all forms run to twice as
much money as any other single
item on the budget.
Surplus Food PUn
Washington is awaiting with in
terest the development of Secre
tary Wallace’s newest plan for
the distribution of surplus food
products. Instead of buying up
surpluses and. giving them’away,
they ere to be distributed through
Regular food stores to WPA work
ers as part of their wages.
The scheme works this way: a
WPA worker getting $60 a month
will be offered $20 of it in
tftfehge-colbred stamps, good! for
food purchases in any store any
where. The storekeeper can re
deem them for cash At the post
Affici. Then if the WPA worker
accepts the $20 In orange stamps
hi will be given e bonus of 60
percent, or $10 in blue stamps.
Those, too, art good at shy food
store but only for items which
on the government’s list of
"surplus'* commodities.
The plan is to be tried in A few
counties and cities to see how it
works. Washington observers
think it jbt the sanest plan yet
offered to move surplus farm
commodities.
—night in Europe with a
demand that Lithuania sur
render Baltic Memel to him,
\yhile Great Britain’s efforts
to create a “stop Hitler” alliance
appeared to be bogging down un
der the weight of Europe’s fears
and suspicions.
Reports from Kovno that the
Lithuanian government, warned
by Hitler to surrender Memel
“peacefully and amicably,” al
ready had agreed to restore it to
the Reich occasioned no surprise.
The Britist government had been
resigned to Memel’s restoration to
Germany, from which it was
stripped by the postwar treaty of
Versailles.
Throughout the day, however,
there had been grave apprehension
lest Hitler drive on across Lith
uanian soil after seizing 1,100
square-mile Memel. Reports of
German troops moving toward the
Lithuanian border aggravated
these fears.
Britain called upon France, Sov
iet Russia and Poland to sign a
four-power consultive pact against
Hitler, but replies from the con
tinent indicated that Poland'
would refuse to subscribe to it.
Even the extent of Russia’s ad
herence was doubtful, although
Soviet quarters in London said
Moscow’s reply would be generally
affirmative with “certain modifi
cations” intended to stiffen the
“stop Hitler” pact.
France gave tentative approval
to the four-pact front.
It was announced in Moscow
that Russia still regards her pro
posal of a six-power “stop Hit
ler” conference, bringing together
Britain, France, Russia, Poland,
Rumania and Turkey, as the best
fneans of opposing Hitler’s smash
ing of Europe’s frontiers.
France’s chief
executive and
England’s king
—t« a s t o d Anglo-French
friendship Tuesday night in
Buckingham Palace, in Lon
don, in speeches stressing
mutual “ideals of justice and
freedom” at a brilliant state ban
quet. . ' .... .
The French president and
Madame Lebrun arrived in Lon
don Tuesday on a state visit re
paying that made bo Pam last
'summer by King Geoarge and
Queen Elizabeth. The trip vres
given unusual significance, how
ever, in view of the current Euro
pean crisis.
King George, drinking to tne
health of President and Madame
Lebrun, said: “1 firmly believe
that the co-operation of our two
governments has rendered and,
will continue to render a great,
service to the cause of peace.” ,
President Lebrun in replying
declared that the harmony be
tween Paris and; London “symbo
lizes the friendship of two em
pires whose territories are neigh-,
bors on so many points of the,
world and whose moral frontiers,
blend together.” . j
King George, wearing the full
dress uniform of an admiral of
the fleet, told his guest:
“Thirtyrfive years ago your
country and mine discovered that
as geography, had made them
neighbors, so providence intended
them to be dose friends.
-“United as they are in their
devotion to the rule of law, our
peoples axe also conscious of an
identity of interests making the
welfare of each a common con
cern to both.” ... . j ; ^
President Lebrun, addressing
the king as “Sire,” voiced confi
dence that “English and French
statesmen will helpj the world to
urmeunt the! troubled period
tvhich it in going through.” ,
Queen Elisabeth; who sat next
o President Lebrun; wore a diam
ond tiat»« and .agown «f wMta
satin and lace .trimmed with peing
add goidti The banquet, in the
white and geld bell mom, was ate
tended by 1#6 i guests. . .»<ncu j
T/tteHiin < allrtiilaiT' i AV g ilaMJjt
welcome so viw MPimdi onwis
a %-s f - **
Plans for the
erection of a
large addition
—to the Hanes Hosiery Mills in
Winston-Salem, to take care of
increased production, were an
nounced Tuesday night by James
N. Weeks, president.
Construction of the addition
will be started within the next
few days, Weeks said. The struc
ture is expected to be ready for
the installation of machinery with
in six or eight weeks.
An inspirational
meeting was held
at Glade Valley
—Presbyterian Church , on
Wednesday afternoon,
March 8, at 3:30 o’clock, by
the Women’s Auxiliary of
pf the church, with the auxiliary
president, Mrs. Clay Thompson,
presiding.
The topic of the program for
the month was: “Every Woman
Enlisted for Christ.”
The hymn, “How Firm a
Foundation,” was sung, after
which Mrs. Ellen A. Gu errant
conducted the devotionals, basing
her talk on scripture passages
from Jeremiah and1 Isaiah.
Annual reports from the secre
taries of various causes were
presented by the respective secre
taries,.
A most impressive poen, “An
other Year is Dawning,” was giv
en by Mrs. R. L. Berry.
Mrs. Guerrant, as chairman of
the Nominating Committee, gave
her report, and the president,
secretary and treasurer now serv
ing were reelected for another |
term. Mrs. Ralph Gentry was
elected vice president.
AfteT the offering, > * which
amounted to $20, was taken, Mrs.
Rush Thompson, treasurer, an
nounced that the budget for the
year had been met in full.
Rev. R. L. Berry, pastor of the
church, dismissed the meeting with
a prayer.
i it
—by the government until
private enterprise _ . guaran
tees jobs to the idle/ and
raised new doubts th«t de
mands by business for repeal of
“deterrent” taxes would be met
at this session of Congress.
H^e also went on record at his
bi-weekly press conference against
elimination from the revenue
laws of new deal safeguards
against tax avoidance by the rich.
While he did not officially Jrill
all economy and tax revision pos
sibilities, the president's remarks
left the general impression that
little or nothing in this direction
can be expected immediately. He
went to the unusual extreme of
allowing reporters to quote di
rectly his statement on taxes and
economy which he described as
“a mouthful.”
The discussion was precipitated
by a question projecting the pos
sibility of a five-year tax program
nnder which the total federal
revenues might be reduced for
a year or two and increased later
as business regained confidence j
and was assured of a fixed rate
over a definite period. i
■ The battle for tax changes and
economy went on in the Capitol
despite the president’s glum ob
servations. A hostile House1 ap
propriations subcommittee, fighting
to whittle down the Chief Execu
tive’s demand for an additional
relief appropriation of $150,000/
000, ended hearings without tak
ing a vote. It will meet again
today (Thursday). ' ; itv,. »■,
Speaker William B. Bankhead
and Majority Leader Sam Bay
bum met. with Democratic mem
bers of the group but failed to
convince them that the full $160,
000,000 should be voted. Chair
man Edward T. Taylor (D),.Colo
rado, of the appropriations group,
proposed a compromise figure of
$188,000,000 and found some
support.
The president indicated he
Signs Of Recovery At The Capitol
—i—pp———inwr hii.i.«i.iii '.uiwwj.y-.
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Secretary of the Treasury Henry
Morgenthau, Jr. (left), who has called on all officials of his depart
ment to suggest means of helping business, is shown at his desk
with Under-secretary of the Treasury, John W. Hanes, displaying
one of his “Does It Contribute to Recovery?” placards.
A record spending |
bill was passed
by the Senate
i—Tuesday night in Raleigh,
when the $155,000,000 ap
propriations measure was
ipproved and sent hack to
the House for concurrence in
minor amendments.
Following closely the recom
mendation of its appropriation
committee, the senate authorized
these increases for the biennium;
supreme court departmental ex
pense $3,000; department of pub
lic instruction administrative ex
pense $4,000; historical commis
sion $8,756; libraries. $4,500;
library commissions, $5,000; ad
jutant general, $12,605; commerc
ial fisheries, $6,000; East Caro
lina Teachers College, $8,000; Ap
palachian Teachers College, $10,
000; adult education, $10,000;
Oxford colored orphanage, $3,
500; highway commission adminis
tration, $20,000.
All increases previously voted
by the house also were approved.
An amendment to increase the
appropriation for maintenance of
roads in municipalities from
$500,000 to $1,000,000 was de
feated.
The senators also refused to add
a clause to the bill which would
I have stated that, in the event of
a general fund deficit, a $250,
000 allotment for raises in teach
ers’ pay should be the first item,
to be cut.
Senator Hodman, of Beaufort,
chairman of the appropriations
committee, said that the spending
bill was within one-fifteenth of
one per cent, within balance with
the revenue measure, which al
ready has passed both houses.
After long debate, the senators
killed a proposal by Umstead of
Orange, which would have re
duced the appropriation for free
textbooks in schools, and used the
money to establish a retirement
fund for teachers.
The Chatham
—f r o m Winston-Salem,
where it it now located, to
Elkin, during the latter part
of 1939, it was announced
Monday in Winston-Salem by
Tfeunpond Chatham, president of
the Chatham Manufacturing Com
pany. -
The change, which will be a
gradual process, has been under
consideration for several years,
Chatham said.
Under the present arrangement,
all weaving of blankets and other
products turned opt by the firm,
is rdone at Elkin and the flninsh
ing is done at Winston-Salem.
“This sometimes necessitates a
delay of several days between the
weaving and finishing processes,
and in case of flawi proves .ex
ceedingly costly,** Chatham said.
“It is imperative that the man
ufacturing processes be brought
closer WietheR*
Chatham said one of the major
concerns of the company was the
welfare of the numerous workegs
involved. Notices were posted &
the plant Monday amrata* call
(turn to pate tight, please)
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Fire of undetermined
origin destroyed
—the old frame school building
in Sparta late Friday night, i
March 10. The building and its
entire contents were totally des
troyed, all efforts to save any-1
thing being futile.
Several new sewing machines:
which were in use by the home
economics class were destroyed as
was much other equipment. The
monetary loss of these machines
and the other equipment probab
ly exceeded five hundred dollars
while the loss of the building,
which was old, probably amount
ed to in excess of twenty-five
hundred dollars.
Fortunately there was practical
ly no wind the night of the fir
arid the blaze did not spread al
though the entire school plant
might have been destroyed had
there been a high wind.
National And World
NEWS
At A Glance
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR DIES
Grand Ledge Mich., Mar. 16.
—Governor Frank Dwight Fitz
gerald, 54, whose election last:
November swept Frank Murphy
out of office and the Republican
party back into power in Michi-,
gan, died tonight ,
He succumbed' while apparently
recovering from an attack of in
fluenza suffered on Monday.'
Death came shortly after 9 o'clock
and was due to a heart attack
CHAMBERLAIN HITS HITLER
Birmingham, England, Mar. 17.
1—Prime Minister Neville Cham
berlain tonight bitterly lashed
Chancellor Adolf Hitler as a
breaker of promises and warned
him that Britain would fight if
he continued to seek domination
of Europe by force.
He charged the Reichfuehrer
had taken "the law in his own
hands'' by occupation of Czecho
passenger airplane, built to fly
of appeasement had been “wan
tonly shattered.”
PLANE CRASH KILLS TEN
Alder, Wash., Mar. 18-^A 33
in the substratopheore, 20,000 feet
in the substato sphere, 20,000 feet
above the earth crashed today
while on a test ilight. Ten men
were kiflad. Two of them were
representatives of the Royal
Dutch Airlines.
OIL DISPUTE CLEARING
Mexico City, Mar. 19.—Presi
dent Laz&ro Cardenas announced
today that the oil expropriation
problem was “machine a definite
solution through a plan of co
operation" offered by “the com
panies affected.”
The president spoke to a crowd
of an estimated 85,000 to
persons, gathered in the great
plaza by the presidential palace
in a demonstration celebrating the
expropriation action taken a year
ago yesterday.
l . srtrr—rrmr. to«
LEGISLATION PROPOSING
A SWEEPING REVISION ,tn
—of reorganization procedumf a*
financially distressed railroads ^ps
drafted Sunday by Serufley:
(D., Mont.) and Senator
^measurfh, which they
to introduce Monday, pro
for establishment of a
Ttiopoio reonaniiiiwn courw
Services will be
held at the Sparta
Presbyterian Church
—on Sunday morning, March 26,
at eleven o’clock, by Rev. R. L.
Berry, the pastor. At this time,
a joint communion service, with
members of the Glade Valiey
Presbyterian Church, will be
held.
All the Sparta members are
urged to attend, as special busi
ness is to be transacted.
The U. S. len:
its great moral
force to Britain
—France and Russia Tues
day in their “halt Hitler”
drive, by officially lining up
with fhem in their refusal
to recognize the legality of Ger
many’s military coup in Czecho
slovakia.
The official American view was
expressed by Acting Secretary of
State Sumner Welles in a formal
note to German Charge d’Affaires
Hans Thomsen, made public Tues
day, calling attention to Welles’
statement of last week in which
be branded the Nazi conquest as
“wanton lawlessness” and accus
ed' Hitler of fomenting war.
At his press conference later
President Roosevelt had nothing
to add to Welles’ note but said
that he was not very happy about
the European situation. He de
clined to discuss the matter
further.
In the formal note, drafted
with Mir. Roosevelt’s full approval j
and delivered to Thomsen Mon- j
day. Welles acknowledged a Ger- j
man note of March 17 informing i
this government of the establish
ment of a Nazi protectorate over
the former Czech states of Bo
hemia and Moravia.
But, Welles replied, the “gov- j
emment of the United States does
not recognize that any legal basis I
exists for the status so indicated.” I
He informed the German gov
ernment that last week’s state
ment, attached to the formal note,
expressed the official attitude of
the United States. In it Welles
condemned the “temporary ex
tinguishment” of Czechoslovak
liberties and the “use of arbitrary
force” in achieving German terri
torial gains.
A BILL AFFECTING THIS
COUNTY WAS PASSED
—Thursday, March 9, in the North
Carolina State Senate in Raleigh
and sent to the engrossing, clerk.
. This bill wag introduced by
Representative S. W. Brown, of
Alleghany, and would extend the
term of the Alleghany County
Register of Deeds to four years,
effective on December 1 of next
year.
William Douglas
was named to the
Supreme Court
—of the United States Mon
day in Washington, D. C.,
by President Roosevelt. Wil
li ar. > Orville Douglas, whose
Horatio Alger career carried him
up the ladder from the status of
a farm hand and struggling stu
dent to the post of chief regulat
or of Wall Street, in the event
of his confirmation, which is ex
pected, will probably be the youn
gest Supreme Court justice in
127 years.
Just past /,|') years of age, the
chairman of the securities com
mission will become, if confiirm
ed, the youngest Supreme Court
justice since Joseph Storey of
Massachusetts took his seat on
the tribunal in 1812 at the age
of 32.
There was no doubt Monday
night on Capitol Hill that he
would be confirmed with ease.
Many senators hastened to ex
press their approval. The hardest
thing said about Douglas was that
he was not a western resident.
That section is now unrepresented
on the court and there had been
demands that this situation be
corrected.
Douglas was at his desk in the
S. E. C. building when the nom
ination was announced. Jerome
Frank, a member of the com
mission, informed him of his pro
motion and told him the “Presi
dent couldn’t have done better.”
Douglas, himself, would make no
comment for publication, but he
yielded to the importunings of
cameramen and posed for pictures
at the end of the commission’s
long conference table, once lean
ing far back in his chair with his
feet on the table. He appeared to
enjoy the informality of this pose.
The appointment was rated a
“victory” for the “inner circle”
of more aggressive new dealers.
But it was, in addition, a victory
for men of such viewpoint as
Senator Borah (R), Idaho, who
has differed with the new deal
on many questions.
At one point it was proposed
that due to his western back
ground, Douglas be named as
coming from the West, but Sen
ator Norris (Ind.), Neb., always
in the know and listened to when
Supreme Court appointments are
pending, stepped on that particu
lar strategem. Consequently the
President nominated “William O.
Douglas of Connecticut.” Doug
las came to Washington from
New Haven, where he held a
law professorship at Yale.
On the court he will succeed
Associate Justice Louis D. Bran
deis, who retired February 13.
And with the appointment, Mr«
Roosevelt will have named four
of the eight members of the
tribunal against which he waged
such unremitting warfare two
years ago.
After two years have passed—
Tfte case of tbe assault and murder
of va Brannock may be solved
—Solicitor J. Earle McMichael told the Winston* |
Salem Sentinel Monday, according to a story
published in the Monday issue of the Sentinel
pnder a Sparta date line. The Sentinel’s account of the
case, which has often been referred to as the most
atrocious crime in the annals of Alleghany County, fol
Several books
were purchased for
the Public Library
—here this week and placed on
the shelves.
The books purchased were:
“Make Way For Tomorrow,”
by Josephine Lawrence, the auth
or of “I Have Four Apples”; “The
Heart Has Wings/' a story by
Faith. Baldwin told in her best
manner; “Beauty for Ashes” end
“The Beloved Stranger,” by Grace
Livingston Hill; “Little Girl
Lost,” by Temple Bailey, a love
story of the great Northwest, and
the sort of people who grow there
by Peter B. Kyne—“Kindred of
the Dost”
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