Watauga Democrat. [volume], March 09, 1933, Image 1

About Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current

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Siftings From
the Legislature j
By M. R. MJNNAGAX
Special Writer for The Democrat
- . Raleigh, N. C.—Although the im
portant appropriations and revenue
biils, before the joint committee of
House and Senate for three or four
weeks, were promised and expected
the past week, they did not actually
appear, all of which causes prophets
to change their estimates of the time
the 1933 General Assembly will ad
journ. They are not able to see how
the work can be ended and adjourn
ment reached before March has
passed, although the 60 days for
which the $lO a day is figured, end
ed Saturday. The legislators are now
without pay, if they drew the money
as due, as most of them did.
While the appropriations measure
was not actually reported last week,
it was ready and copies Were distrib
uted to the legislators. As prepared,
the measure calls for appropriations
‘of $83,164,593 for the next two years
about equally divided between the
years. This amount is about $20,000,-
000 less than appropriations used du
ring the present biennium, but is al
most $5,000,000 more than the bud
get bureau’s recommendations of
$78,264,413 for the two years.
The bill includes an appropriation
of $13,370,000 a year for schools,
but on the six-month basis, and $3,-
300,000 less than the allotment for
the present biennium, of which $2,-
325,000 comes from the six-month
term, $900,000 from the extended
term, and $75,000 from the emer
gency fund. The committee adopted
the budget bureau’s figures for the
schools, which includes a 15 per cent,
cut in teachers salaries and 25 per
cent reductions for superintendents.
Efforts to cut the total to $10,000,-
000, as well as to provide for eight
months, were defeated.
The general fund appropriation is
fixed at $24,728,770 and $25,326,-
105 for each of the next two years,
while the highways would receive
$16,209,310 and $16,428,488 for the
two years, all figures being nearly a
million dollars a year higher than the
budget recommendations. The Great
er University would get $832,240 for
each year, $76,000 more than the
budget bureau recommended, but far
below the amounts requested by the
combined institutions. Other adjust
ments were made in the amounts the
budget bureau fixed, usually in
creases.
And the finance committees will
have to find the money to meet these
appropriations, unless other adjust
ments are made after that body’s re
port is received. The appropriations
report is expected to be formally pre
sented Monday night, and the reve
nue measure then or soon after. If
any of the legislators sees away out
without a sales tax he has not dis
closed it, even though great pressure
is being brought to bear against any |
new or additional taxes. Chief of
these was the mass meeting Thurs
day7, sponsored by the Grange, the
merchants and the Economy League,
attended by probably 2,000 people.
The 15-cent ad valorem tax on
property, bringing' some less than
$4,000,000 last year, will undoubted
ly be removed, and with all of the
cuts, it is not yet seen how funds for
debt service, the six months school
term and the State’s general activi
ties, even at reduced cost, can be
carried on without taxes from some
other source. However, the two bod
ies may further cut the appropria
tions recommended and get them
down so low that present tax sched
ules may be enough. However, that
would mean a very drastic cut, and
may not be resorted to.
A flurry was caused in both houses
Friday when the bill giving the Com
missioner of Banks authority to de
clare holidays for State banks ask
ing it was thrown into the hopper.
It was passed by the House, then
by the Senate, and ratified within an
hour of its introduction, a record of
speed. Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus
and Commissioner of Banks Gurney
P. Hood issued a statement saying no
legal bank holiday would be declared,
the bill applying only to those banks
asking it, and in which conditions,
in the opinion of Mr. .Hood, justified
it. It was explained that since num
bers of other states had declared hol
idays in banks, big depositors having
money in. banks in many states were
drawing it out of North Carolina
banks to such an extent, while it was
tied up in others, that some such
step was necessary. Few banks are
asking for a holiday.
Indications are that a convention
may yet be called to consider changes
in the State Constitution. Also, it
appears that one will also be called
to pass on repeal or retention of the
18th Amendment. In both cases the
convention would be composed of
120 members, elected as are members
of the House. A bill by A. D. Mac-
Lean calls for the 18th amendment
convention, while the Constitutional
Amendments Committee suggests the
convention on the constitutional
changes. Numbers of measures are
still in process, their fate being un
certain. '
Calendars in both Senate and
(Continued on page 7.)
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
A Non-Partisan Newspaper, Devoted to the Best Interests of Northwest North Carolina
VOLUME XLIV, NUMBER 36
MANY ATTEND THE
FIRST SESSION OF
RECORDER’S COURT
Heavy Docket Came Up for Trial at
First Setting of New Tribunal.
Fine* and Suspended Sentences
Comprise Most of the Verdicts.
Walter Bumgarner Given Road
Sentence on Whiskey Charge.
Judge G. M. Suddreth had a busy
day Tuesday when his recorder’s
court met for the first time, and he
and Solicitor Charles T. Zimmerman
made rapid headway toward clearing
up the criminal docket for this week’s
term. An unusually large crowd was|
present to see the new court go into I
action, and following are the verdicts I
rendered:
Roby South, possession, $lO and
cost; six month’s suspended sentence.
John Snyder, possession and carry
ing weapons, $lO in each case and
the cost; 2 month suspended sen
tence.
A. L. Dotson, possession, dismissed.
Burton Church, possession, not
guilty.
Everett Story, possession, 6 months
suspended sentence; assessed with
the costs.
Walter Bumgarner, possession, 60
days on road.
Roger Ashley, possession, 4 months
suspended on payment of costs.
Ira Cornell and Arnold Ford, lar
ceny, $lO each and costs.
William Furr and Lee Thompson,
larceny. Action witheld pending in
formation from West Virginia, where
they are said to be wanted.
FUTURE OF SCHOOL
SYSTEM DEPENDS
ON THE GRADUATES
Educational Problems Facing North
Carolina Discussed at Boone Meet
ing. Dean Rankin and Dr. B. B.
Dougherty Speak Briefly. Econom
ic Conditions Bring People Face to
Face With Problem.
Initiating the first of a series of
“Get-Acquainted” meetings between
the Juniors and Seniors and the fac
ulty at Appalachian State College.
President Dougherty and Dean J. D.
Rankin spoke briefly Thursday night
in Lovell Auditorium on present ed
ucational conditions.
“The future of the teachers’ col
leges in the State depends upon the
product they turn out,” said Dr.
Dougherty. “Present economic con
ditions have brought us face to face
with a great problem. We must ei
ther solve that problem or justify
the existence of this special type
of institution—the teachers’ college
—or then it must go.
“The president of Columbia Uni
versity lists three requisites for a
college degree. Character cule culture
and scholarship. To that I should
like to add a fourth, ranking above
scholarship in importance—skill. To
me, those four qualify the student
of a teachers’ college for a degree.
To three of them the ordinary col
lege is favorable. It is only in a
teachers’ college, by means of the
demonstration school system, that
skill, this fourth requisite, is ac
quired.”
Dean Rankin spoke more in de
tail of the present economic crisis.
“The generation before me,” said
Dr. Rankin, “were faced with the
gigantic task, of reconstruction. They
suffered greatly and sacrificed much
in order to make conditions better
for us. Today that structure for
which they slaved has again tottered.
You of today, as the leaders of a
new generation, are again faced with
the back-breaking and heart-rending
task of rebuilding that which has fal
len. It is a difficult task. The post
war generation must face, first of
all, the immediate problem of ad
justment. And it is you, as teachers
of the State, who must bear a great
share of that responsibility for ad
justment.”
Two Make Good their
Escape from Bastile
Two prisoners in the Watauga
jail, Clyde Combs and one Parlier,
held on charges of immoral conduct
and larceny respectively, made good
their escape from the bastile Friday
night, by sawing a bar from a win
dow. Outside aid is thought to have
been furnished, and apparently, the
steel was softened by heating with a
blow torch and a hack saw used to
finish the job. The sheriff’s office
says that no clues are available as to
the whereabouts of the fugitives and
I it is believed their escape has been
perfected.
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 193;
Budget Director I
| Representative L. W. Douglas of
I Arizona is the new director of the
[ Budget in the Roosevelt adminis-
I tration. Announcmeent of his ap
pointment was received with favor
in Washington.
SHERIFF’S OF TWO
COUNTIES PROBE
DEATH OF HIGGINS
Funeral Services for Lenoir Man
Held Saturday. Died from Skull
Fracture When He Was Alleged
to Have Fallen Down Stairway in
Boone. Local People Believed to
Be Clear of Complicity.
James H. Higgins, Lenoir man,
died in a hospital in that city Friday
where he had been a patient fpr six
weeks, following cerebral injuries re
ceived when he is said to have fallen
down a stairway at an apartment
house in Boone, where a former, wife
and son reside. Funeral services were
conducted Saturday.
-Sheriffs Tolbert of Caldwell and
Howell of Watauga spent most of
the time Monday and Tuesday con
ducting an investigation into the af
fair, but have received no evidence
sufficient to warrant an arrest- The
party which accompanied Higgins to
Boone on the night in question con
sisted of five persons, three couples
in all, and information is that they
vvere inebriated. The most direct evi
dence given came from a'woman,
who testified that she accompanied
Higgins to the apartment where he
wished to see his son, and there being
no answer to his knock at the door,
they approached the head of the
stairs, where, she alleges, Higgins lost
his balance and fell headlong down
the flight. Testimony of doctors,
however, ran contrary. They express
ed the belief that his injuries had
not resulted from such a fall, as
there was an absence of body bruises
which would likely have resulted. Ihe
skull fracture, they believed, came
from a blow with a black jack, sand
bag or some blunt instrument.
The investigation continues in
Caldwell, says Sheriff Howell, who
adds that some members of the par
ty will likely be held for grand jury
action. At the same time, it was of
ficially said, nothing has developed
which would imflicat(3 any Boone
citizen.
REV. AND MRS. BRENDALL
ENTERTAIN BOARD STEWARDS
The Rev. and Mrs. J. H. Brendall
Jr. entertained members of the board
of stewards of the Boone Methodist
Church at a four-course turkey din
ner Thursday night in the dining
room of the Caro-Jean Inn.
Those attending were: Dr. J. D.
Rankin, E. C. Hahn, Fred McDade,
Tracy Councill, Luther Clay, Austin
South, R. L. Bingham, James Coun
cill, Brantley Duncan, Paul Coffey,
Dr. J. M. Gaither and the Rev. and
Mrs. Brendall. e
LEES-McRAE DEBATERS DEFEAT
WINGATE RUTHERFORD
Banner Elk.—Lees-Mcßae College
debaters defeated the Wingate and
Rutherford College teams in their
meeting here Thursday night, the de
cision being by a unanimous vote of
the judges in each instance.
The question of debate was: Re
solved, that the United States should
agree to cancel all inter-allied war
debts, the Banner Elk teams arguing
the negative. Melvin Sumpter and
John Forbes argued for Lees-Mcßae
against Rutherford, and Fate Beal
and Alex Arledge against Wingate.
At the same time two Lees-Mcßae
affirmative teams traveled to Ruth
erford and Wingate to meet the op
posing affirmative teams.
Catawba County sweet potato
growers are selling their crops at SO
to 40 cents a bushel at the curing
house doors. This is a low price, but
in line with other farm prices, says
the growers.
GOVERNMENT NOW
READY TO MAKE
LOANSTOFARMERS
Funds for Purchase of Seed and Fer
tilizer Available, Says D. M. Hale,
Field Inspector. Loans Rangs from
$25 to S3OO. Register cf Deeds and
Clerk Reduce Fees. Applications to
Be Filed in Office of S. C. Eggers.
Applications for securing loans
from the Secretary of Agriculture for
the purchase of seed and fertilizer
are now ready, according to an
nouncement made this morning by
Mr. D. M. Hale, field inspector of the
Crop Production Loan office.
There is very little change in the
regulations governing loans from last
year excepting that the maximum
loan is S3OO and the minimum is
$25.00.
The borrower this year will be re
quired to pay the recording
fees, but through the co-operation of
Miss Helen Underdown, Register of;
Deeds, and A. E. South, Clerk of the I
Court, this has been reduced so that!
the total expense to the borrower in
this county will be only SI.OO. Mr.
Hale took occasion to express his ap
preciation to these officers for then
kindly assistance in this matter. ]
Applications will be filled out in i
the office of Mr-. S. C. Eggers and |
bor-rowers will be taken care of just
as promptly as possible. They should
know what croijs they raised last
year, the yield, the crops they ex
pect to plant this year, the names of
the adjoining land owners, and be
able to give this information prompt
ly so as not to delay the writing of
their application.
DOUGHTON TO GET
IMPORTANT PLACE
____ i
Selection of Rainey as Speaker As
sures Eighth District Congress
man Chairmanship of the
Ways and Means.
Tlfe election Thursday night of
Henry T. Rainey as Speaker of the
National House of Representatives, to
succeed Vice-President Gamer, is of
Special interest to the people of the
Ninth North Carolina District, for the
reason that it means the elevation
of Congressman Robert L. Dough
ton to the chairmanship of the Ways
and Means Committee. This commit
tee is the most important of all tax
and tariff legislation, and the Norch
j Carolina member, well known locally,
will be a big factor in the Roosevelt
administration from the beginning.
The chairmanship of the Ways and
Means was held by the late Claude
Kitchen for a number of years.
The Ways and Means Committee
will meet Thursday, and the election
of Mr. Doughton will doubtless fol-j
low promptly.
AVERY MAN FINDS MARKET
GARDEN PAYS GOOD INCOME
Some North Carolina gardeners are
finding that it pays to plant a good
acreage to vegetables for sale in
nearby markets.
J. B. Taylor of Newland, Avery
County, cashed in on this idea last
year when he sold the produce from
a two-acre garden to tourists and
hotel keepers in the amount of S4OO.
In addition he canned some 400
quarts of surplus vegetables for win
ter use and kept his own family sup
plied with fresh vegetables during
the growing season. He says he gave
away about sls worth of vegetables
to neighbors and others.
“We know that the home garden
from one-half to one acre in size will
supply a farm family with all the
vegetables needed during the year
if the plot is given the proper at
tention,” says H. R. Niswonger, ex
tension horticulturist at State Col
lege. “There are special conditions,
however, where one might enlarge
his garden area and become a mar
ket gardener. Mr. Taylor did this
last year and he knows exactly the
results of his operations because he
kept an itemized account of all ex
penses and sales. He sold S4OO worth
of vegetables to nearby tourist ho
tels and boarding houses; gave away
about sls worth and canned 400
quarts for winter use. His cost for
seed and fertilizer amounted to
$20.80 which leaves rather a good
labor income.”
Mr. Taylor sold these things from
his garden: English peas, head let
tuce, onions, beets, carrots, spinach,
turnips, cauliflower, cabbage, lima
beans, sweet corn, snap beans and
squash.
In addition, he had a small acreage
of irish potatoes, red raspberries and
ever-bearing strawberries from which
he sold the surplus. No itemized ac
count of these sales was kept, Nis
wonger says.
Chicago May Dies
& s
S’’
ANTON J. CERMAK
Miami, Fla.—A bullet intended
for President Roosevelt brought
death to Mayor Anton J. Cermak
of Chicago in a hospital here Mon
day. He had been suffering for 19
days from the wound and its com
j plications. Giuseppe Zangara, the
| assassin, will go on trial for his
| life Thursday.
BANNER ELK MEETS
FINANCIAL CRISIS
WITH‘TRADE DAYS’
System of Barter Inaugurated by
Lees-Mcßae College. To Accept
Farm Produce in Exchange for
Tuition, Board and Other Com
modities. President Tufts Believes
System Will Be of Great Aid.
Banner Elk.—A weekly “trade
day,” beginning next Saturday,
March 11th, will be the answer of
Lees-Mcßae College to the present
financial crisis, Edgar H. Tufts, pres
j ident of the college, announced Wed
nesday. “All debtors of the school or
of other departments of the Edgar
Tufts Memorial Association of which
the college is one division, are cor
dially invited to meet at the college
exchange next Saturday and swap
goods and comntodities with each
other or with us,” said Mr. Tufts.
“We hope and expect that in this
way, regardless of what the banks
my do, nearly all our friends who
owe us money can square accounts
with us.
Grandfather Orphans Home and
Grace Hospital are the other depart
ments of the association which ena
ble it to use a great deal of food
stuffs and other commodities, said
Mr. Tufts. With Carl Silver, mana
ger of the association farms, he gave
as a list of commodities acceptable
on “trade day,” corn, wheat, oats,
buckwheat, potatoes, pigs and other
| livestock, hay and straw, eggs and
| chickens, turkey hens, hams, beans,
canned goods, maple sugar or syrup,
I and household goods which might be
of service to the college, either dur
ing the school term or the summer,
when the students operate the build
ings as a summer resort hotel. Vis
itors on “trade day” are invited to
bring any and all commodities to
barter. Those having nothing they
wish to trade are invited to work
out their debts, sepecially by team
labor.
Lees-Mcßae College has for some
time been largely on a barter ba
sis and is fairly well prepared for
a situation like the present, Mr. Tufts
believes.
Plans Under Way for
Beautifying Highways
It has been planned by highway
officials to observe Arbor Day, March
17th, by co-operative planting of
trees and evergreens along the
roadways leading out from Boone,
according to announcement from
Resident Engineer James Couneill.
Mr. Councill is anxious to have the
co-operation of civic clubs and citi
zens in this movement, and wishes
those interested to get in touch with
him. He states that on that day high
way forces will aid in the planting
if desired.
21-OUNCE PIECE OF GOLD IS
FOUND AT MINE IN CABARRUS
I
Concord.—A 21-ounce piece of
gold, valued at about $350 was found
1 at the famous Reed mine last week
by a Mr. Honeycutt who resides on
the farm where the mine is located.
Many.folks developed the “gold fe
ver” when the 21-ounce piece was
. found and with shovel and pick went
i in search of the hidden treasure.
The first gold discovered in North
i Carolina was at the Reed mine in
1799 when Conrad Reed, a boy of
i 12 and son of John Reed, proprietor
■ of the property, found a “shining”
• substance in Meadow Creek, on the
mine property.
$1.50 PER YEAR
BANK HOLIDAY IS
MODIFIED; LOCAL
FOLKS CONFIDENT
All Bankin Institutions of State and
Nation Closed Till Thursday to
Meet Emergencies Resulting from
Withdrawals. Local Business Moves
on and People Express Confidence
and Courage.
Pursuant to the proclamation of
President Roosevelt, supported by the
action of individual commonwealths,
all banks of the State and Nation
were ordered closed Monday, effec
tive until Thursday. The emergency
movement came as the new adminis
tration took over the reins of gov
ernment and heavy withdrawals of
gold and currency over the country
which had been going on for several
weeks necessitated drastic action.
Meantime President Roosevelt,
working through Sunday, prepared a
banking program to deal with the
situation which will be presented to
a special session of Congress Thurs
day, and which is assured immediate
passage. The guarantee of small de-
posits, and the payment of regular
percentages of old accounts is be
lieved to be in prospect, and confi
dence in the solution of the problem
speedily, comes from high up sources
in the national financial system.
Modification
In North Carolina Wednesday the
holiday order was modified to resume
certain functions as may be neces
sary to meet community needs for
food, other necsesities of life, for the
payment of salaries and wages to
maintain employment and for other
essential purposes. This, however, ap
plies to those banks which had not
been operating under restrictions
when the holiday became effective.
Local People Confident
In Boone the business people were
unterrified by the temporary closing
of the banks, the feeling was ex
pressed on every hand that it was
done for the best interests of all,
and business all along the street is
proceeding, sales on Monday in many
retail places having been described
as good.
Enrollment at A. S. T. C.
Is the Highest in History
The highest enrollment in the his
tory of Appalachian State Teach,-
ers College was reached here last
week with 1,082 students registered
for the year at the beginning of the
I spring quarter. The phenomenal
growth in the student body of an
institution that has been a standard
four-year college only since 1930 is
being watched with keen interest by
educators all over the nation. Dr. B.
B. Dougherty, president, member of
the State Equalization Board, and
sometimes termed the “financial wiz
ard of the State,” is educating his
i students on less than a third the
State appropriations per capita for
, other State institutions in many cas
• es. Last year, out of 58 graduates,
■ 41 were placed in teaching positions
i over the State and elsewhere.
I
DEATHS FROM PELLAGRA
IN NORTH CAR. NUMBER 465
Raleigh.—North Carolina deaths
from pellagra, after reaching a peak
of 1015 in 1930, from 953 in 1929,
decreased to 696 in 1931 and dropped
to 465 in 1932, the latter figures be
ing provisional, the State Board of
Health, in the March Health Bulle
tin, reports.
Wayne county led the State in
numbers of deaths from pellagra last
year, with 59, or almost twice the
33 in Mecklenburg. Burke had 26,
Guilford 20, Forsyth 19, Wake 23,
Durham 17, Buncombe and Gaston
15 each, and Henderson 11.
Watauga County’s record of death
from pellagra for the past four years
is as follows: 1929, 0; 1930, 0; 1931,
1, and 1932, 2.
THE WEATHER
Weather bureau for week ending
March 4, 1933, as compiled by the
Co-operative Station at State Teach
ers College:
Average maximum temperature| 44
degrees.
Average minimum temperature, 24
degrees.
Average temperature, 34 degrees.
Average daily range in tempera
ture, 20 degrees.
Greatest daily range in tempera
ture, 41 degrees; date, Feb. 28th.
Average temperature at 6 p. m.
(time of observation), 33 degrees.
Highest temperature reached, 64
degrees; date, Feb. 27th.
Lowest temperature reached, 17
degrees; date, Feb. 28th.
Number of days with 0.01 inch or
more precipitation, none.
Number of clear days, 5.
Number of cloudy days, 2.
Dates of high winds, February 26,
March Ist, 2nd.