Edgefield advertiser. (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, March 30, 1921, Page SIX, Image 7
Reduction in Wages.
Recently an article appeared in the
INews and Courier written by Mr. A.
- 3E. Ninestein of Barnwall, in which
the writer stated that the trucking
.business in Barnwell County has been
discontinued for all practical pur
poses on account of high transporta
tion rates. Formerly several thousand
acres were planted in vegetables of
one kind and another, and the early
vegetables from the truck farms were
shipped to Northern cities where they
.commanded good prices and were a
' .source of profit to the raisers. These
vegetables, it is stated, may be sold
crt good prices still, but the express
and freight charges, on account of
.increased rates in recent years, are
so high as to take up the entire pro
fits of the business, making it not
worth pursuing.
Like complaints come from Flori
nda and from other points where crops
of this kind are grown.
In this connection it is interesting
to note that the railroads are de
manding that they be allowed to de
crease the wages paid to their em
ployees,, whose wages reached peak
prices in war times, where they still
are, in order that freight rates may
be decreased. It is stated that by re
ducing wages as proposed a saving of
some six hundred millions of dollars
5s to be made in a stated period, a
?".year we believe it is, arid that this
saving is to be passed on the people
?who pay the freight.
In making this request and in prom
ising to reduce freight charges to the
?xtent of the reduction in wages, the
railroads are not contending that
they will be doing any charity busi
ness. On the other hand, they ac
"inowledge that it will pay them to do
so, because they say that it will pro
mote business. The Pennsylvania rail
Toad says that it now has eighty-five
thousand freight cars standing idle
?for the reason that business is at a
standstill because shippers can not
. pay the freight charges now demand
ed and live. A great many former
shippers are in the same condition as
the shippers of truck from this sec
tion-the charges are so heavy that
they consume the entire selling price,
and there is, therefore, no incentive
to produce and ship these articles
which formerly made up the loads of
the carriers.
That such is the case, we may well
believe. The carrying charges on all
commodities are far higher than in
the pre-war period. The freight rate
?on coal into Abbeville from the
Clinchfield mines is now $3.19 as
against $2.05 before the war period.
The difference in this freight rate is
largely paid to the same laborers who
before the war were paid from $2.05
per ton charged for hauling coal.
/Coal is a necessity and must be haul
ed, but it will be evident from these
;?gures that no more will be hauled
than is absolutely necessary.
Under these circumstances, we are
?of the opinion that there must be a
revision in the prices paid labor on
*the railroads. There may be some
men who are not overpaid in the em
ploy of the railroads. We think there
are a good many men in the employ
of the railroads, who on account of
the skill required and the hazards of
their employment, are entitled to the
interest of ths public. And the pres
ent wages, perhaps to more than they
now receive. But everybody who has
made the slightest inquiry into such :
matters knows that there is much la- 1
ibor employed by the railroads which <
:fi6 paid a great deal more than the 1
.-same kind of labor is paid in other i
. employment. There is an artificial i
standard of pay on the railroads <
which is not justified, and the stand- 1
ard must be revised. On the other ?
hand it is charged that there is waste 1
by the officers and owners of the rail- ]
^xoads, that high and unnecessary sal- i
aries are paid to certain officers, and
.other moneys paid out which should i
:not be paid out. We are prepared to ?
believe that in many cases this is c
true. I
Ai! of these overcharges, if we may t
call them such must be wiped out and I
public should learn that this eternal 1
-contest alleged to be between capital t
and labor is not in fact a contest be- 1
tween capital and labor, but a con- i
test between labor on the one hand r
and the public on the other, or be- c
'tireen capital on the one hand and -v
'.the public on the other. The public
i pays the freight. We found out in 1
tlhe constant increases which were im- i
rposed in the matter of freight rates s
in "the war period that we, the people, r
pay. Both capital and labor are in a i
receptive state of mind. We are, 1
therefore, in favor of such supervis- i
. ion of the railroads as, while allow- (
mg every railroad to manage its own
.affairs, will guarantee that the public 1
fis not exploited by capital, and while i
allowing labor the greatest freedom \
.in either accepting or rejecting em- ]
ployment by the railroads, shall guar- I
antee that it is paid what it is worth I
and nothing more. The public has an
interest in seeing that there are no
.artificial rules to get pay not earned,
.?and no employment of unnecessary
-' '?'.>! t'.-.r-\'Vi f- \ .'?rV . :.-?;>'j?5' '
labor, when the public in the end
does they paying. Labor is worthy of
its hire, but the hire is worthy of the
i labor which the public pays for.
And in this labor matter, so far as
the railroads are concerned, we are
of the opinion that the right minded
people who assist in operating the
railroads should court an investiga
tion and seek a revision of present
schedules of pay. The people are not
unmindful that during the war period
when the young men of the country
were going down to battle the rail
road employees, as a kind of necessa
rily privileged class, remained at
home. They did not serve the govern
ment at a fraction of what their earn
ing power was worth, but they con
stantly demanded higher pay, and
they received it. Only last July, we
believe it was, they demanded higher
pay in order that they might meet
the ever mounting costs of living..
When they had gotten the higher pay,
they immediately commenced an as
sault on the high cost of living. They
may not have thought about it, but
their fight was on the farming classes
of our people. The high cost of living
which they wished knocked into a
cocked hat was the prices which the
farmer in the South was receiving for
his cotton and cotton products, the
price which the Western farmer was
getting for the meat produced in the
West, the wool grown by the sheep
raisers and the leather turned in by
the cattle raisers. The railroad em
ployees were not wiling that these
people should continue to receive the
high rewards brought them for their
labor during war times. They de
manded that it be reduced. And it so
happened that an administration
which, to say the least, was more than
partial always to the railroad broth
erhoods so shaped the financial af
fairs of the country that the farmers
have lost the accumulations of the
whole war period.
Having done that, we say that the
railroad' workers should now reduce
the high cost of living for the farm
ers. The farmer pays the freight on'
the fertilizers which goes on his land,
he pays the freight on the cotton
which the railroads haul, he pays the
freight on the wool, the hides, the
hogs, the beef and other things he
raises. When we have high freight
rates it means the net amount to him
less, it means the high cost of living
is still with him. What is true of the
farmer is true of every man who
ships. By reason of the deflation the
merchants have lost fifty per cent, of
their inventories, and every business
man has had his income cut to the
quick, if in fact he has not suffered
serious financial losses.
Under these circumstances, and
when everybody else, and everything
else is going back to pre-war prices,
we say that the labor on the railroads
should do the same thing to the end
that freight rates may be reduced,
and the public generally be given a
fair deal. We say that the payment of
enormous salaries to railroad officials
should be discontinued for the same
reason. If the high cost of living must
be reduced for one class, it should be
reduced for every class.-Abbeville
Press and Banner.
To Get Figures on World
on Cotton and Leather.
Washington, March 25.-Plans for
a survey of world production and con
sumption together with the gathering
of figures on visible stocks of all
commodities are under consideration
by federal officials, an effort already
is under way by the department of
commerce to obtain the figures on .
cotton and leather. The progress has [
been approved by Pr?sidant Harding ',
is a result of representations made '.
jy cotton producers and has beer
passed on to Secretary Hoover to de- '
felop. . 1
The motive behind the movement
s to supply American commerce and
igriculture with facts and figures ^
:oncerning the world markets of the
>resent and future. Mr. Hoover said .
oriight. In order to provide a sound
tasia for producing and trading Mr. j
Toover declared it was important
hat world conditions be definitely
cnown. He added that statistics on ^
American production and stocks are
tot sufficiently complete but they
?ffer a foundation from which to
vork.
Cotton interests are understood to '
lave claimed that a reduction in J
icreage was inevitable next year, *
ihould the world stocks of that com- '
nodity be anywhere near as great '
is indicated. This situation, Mr. 1
?oover stated, showed the necessity 1
:or gathering the facts about that j
:ommodity as well as others. '
It is not the intention, however, '
;o launch into a program of obtain
ng statistics on all commodities at .
:his time. Although Mr. Hoover said
lie believed the need was apparent,
tie added that his department was
handicapped by lack of personnel and
5ther facilities.
For the present it is purposed to
gather the data through American di
plomatic officers. But Mr. Hover said
these facilities were necessarily lim
ited and meant slow work. He expects
however, through a system of com
mittees now being organized to great
ly facilitate the work.
His Mission.
He was a dapper little negro, evi
dently "educated" and a glib talker,
and as polite as a pie, who came to
The Observer office Thursday and
stuck his head in the little window of
the editor's office, underneath the lit
tle red-painted George Washington
hatchet, the sign manual of the sanc
tum.
"Are you the*editor," he inquired
in his most insinuating style.
"Yes," replied the editor, some
what gruffly; for, to be frank, he .had
not been favorably impressed with
the dapper little man at the window;
there was too much of smirk and
smile, as if he had come on a mission
-as it proved he had. You can gen
erally tell wh?n tile stranger, with a
smile on his face and new store
clothes on, insinuates himself into a
newspaper office, whether black or
blue or white or yellew ,if he has
something he wants to put over.
He, insinuatingly and smilingly,
drew forth a package of neatly-folded
newspaper-"joumals"h e would call
them, and laid a couple of them on
the desk within the window.
The neatly-folded "journals" had
a flaming headline about "Blue
Laws." So the editor spotted him at
once-a silly negro preacher who had
sold out, either for money or vanity,
to the liquor gang.
"I would be glad to leave these
with you to read," he smilingly said.
"You are working against the blue
laws, eh?"the editor asked.
"Yes, sir; they are taking our lib
erties away from us and we want to
stop it."
"Anybody trying to take your lib
erty away?"
"Well," said he, stumbling along
like any common negro caught in a
lie-"they are taking away our rights
-the rights of the people, sir."
"Don't allow you to preach to your
people, eh?-You are a preacher, I
presume."
"Yes, sir-a Seventh Day Advent
ist preacher, sir; and some people
well, some people don't like my doc
trine, sir."
"Anybody trying to keep you from
preaching it?"
"Er, no, sir; nobody don't try to
keep me from preaching it"-losing
his hold entirely on his beautiful
grammar and his confidennt style
"bul, day don't like my doctrine."
Then the editor said:
Let me tell you something: There
is lots and cords of freedom in this
country, even for Seventh Day Ad
ventist negro preachers. I want to
tell you another thing: You are sell
ing your soul to the liquor gang and
going round the country distributing
this pernicious stuff. You have hii'ed
yourself to the devil and his agents
to stir up your people against the law
against liquor-a law that, if proper
ly enforced, has more protection in it
for your people than all the "person
al rights" you could enumerate from
now till doomsday. "Blue Laws"
means prohibition; that's all it means
in this country, where the National
Liquor Dealers association, cheap
politicians, bootleggers and blind ti
gers are going around beefing about
"personal liberty" and "our rights,"
encouraging poor negroes and silly
white men to break the law, and try
ing to bring about a condition of the
public mind that will "demand" the
repeal of the "BLUE LAWS"-alias
prohibition. But they will never suc
ceed, and all that negro preachers like
you can accomplish in this devilish
propaganda is to lead some of your
people to violate the law by making
md selilng mean liquor to stir up the
passions of the lawless to, crime of
;he basest sort.
"Take those vile sheets out of here,
md go find some decent, honest work
wherein you can help your people to
ead sober and decent lives."
He left.
Let the Newberry county Negroes
repudiate such "wolves in sheep's
?lothing."-Newberry Observer.
NOTICE.
Certificate of Deposit No. 131 issued
>y the Bank of Western Carolina,
lohnston, S. C., to Minty Stafford for
P300.00 with interest from date at
he rate of five per centum per an
lum, having been lost in the mails,
lotice is hereby given that I will ap
ply to the Bank of Western Carolina,
rohnston, S. C., to April 29th, 1921,
for a new certificate in like amount.
MINTY STAFFORD.
J. S. BYRD
Dental Surgeon
Office Over Store of
Quarles & Ti mm er man
Office Phone No. 3
i
Residence Phone 87
Writes Harris About U. S.
Farm Loan Bank.
Washington,March 27.-To clear
up doubt and misinformation about
the bonds cf the-Federal Land Banks,
since the farm loan act was declared
constitutional by the Supreme Court,
a letter has been written to Senator
William J. Harris by Acting Secre
tary W. H. Joyce, of the Federal
Farm Loan Board here. Inquiries
reaching Senator Harris' office show
ed a belief that the War Finance Cor
poration had been empowered to buy
the bonds, and other people thought
the Treasury could purchase allott
ments.
, "There is no provision whereby the
War Finance ' Corporation is em
powered to purchase bonds of the
Federal Land ?anks, neither is the
Treasury authorized to purchase these
bonds, legislation to that end, as you
are aware, having failed during" the
'closing days of the last congress,"
writes Secretary Joyce.
"A bond selling campaign is now
being arranged which is successful,
will provide funds for the resumption
of loaning operations through the
several Federal Land Banks.
A statement by the board here giv
en Senator Harris says "April 15th is
the earliest date upon which delivery
of bonds can safely be anticipated
and indicates May 1st as the approx
imate date when the banks will begin
closing loans," in discussing the de
lays in preparing and engraving the
bonds. The statement continues:
"This offering of bonds will be
made through the Federal Land
Banks, Farm Loan Associations and
the group of distributing houses
which have hertofore rendered such
efficient service in our several bond
offerings. The widest publicity will
be given to the offering and individ
uals will be permitted to purchase
from any source they ch oose. The
bonds will bear 5 per cent interest,
will mature in twenty years, callable
at the option of the bank in ten years
after the date of issue. The amount
of the issue will be determined by the
demand as it shall develop in the
meantime for loans and by market
conditions as they shall appear at the
time of the offering."
She States It Mildly.
While suffering with a severe at
tack of the grip and threatened with
pneumonia, Mrs. Annie H. Cooley,
of Middlefield; Conn., began using
Chamberlain's Cough Remedy and
was very much benefitted by its use.
The pains in the chest soon disappear
ed, the cough became loose, expecto
ration easy and in a short time' she
was as well as ever. Mrs. Copley says
she cannot speak too highly in praise
of this remedy.
OLD Af 30 OR
Y0UMGAT60?
The choice is largely up
to you. If your blood lacks
red corpuscles, you're go
ing to be fagged and drag
ged out, you're going to
lack "pep," to look sallow
and unhealthy, to grow old
before your time.
DR. MILES' TOIC
actually increases the num
ber or red corpuscles in the
blopd. It niakes the cheeks
plump and rosy, stilmulates
the digestive organs, cre
ates a healthy appetite, and
leads to increased vigor
and vitality.. First bottle
guaranteed to help you or
money refunded.
ASK YOUR DRUGGIST
Eggs For Hatching.
Wycoff and Barron Strain White
Leghorns, $1.5o per setting. $1.75
if by parcel post.
Mrs. GEO. F. MIMS.
2- 23-tf
FOR SALE: Towers, Tanks, Wind
mills, Motors, Pumps and Jacks. See
C. N. WEATHERS.
3- 16-3tpd.
WANTED: Men or women to
take orders among friends and neigh
bors for the genuine guaranteed ho
siery, full line for men, women and
children. Eliminates darning. We
pay 75 cents an hour spare time or
$36.00 a week for full time. Expe
rience unnecessary. Write
International Stocking Mills,
CARDUI HELPED
REGAIN STRENGTH
Alabama Lady Was Sick For Three
Years, Suffering Pain, Nervous
and Depressed-Read Her
Own Story of Recovery.
Paint Rock, Ala.-Mrs. C. M. Stegall,
of near here, recently related the fol
lowing Interesting account of her re
covery: "I was in a 'weakened con
dition. I was sick three years in bed,
suffering a great deal of pain, weak,
nervous, depressed. I was so weak,
I couldn't walk across the floor; Just
bad to lay and my little ones do the
work. I was almost dead. I tried
every thing I heard of, and a number of
doctors. Still I didn't get any relief.
I couldn't eat, and slept poorly. I
believe if I hadn't heard of and taken
Cardui ][ would have died. I bought
six bottles, after a neighbor told me
what it did for her.
"I began to eat and sleep, began to
gain my strength and am now well
and strong. I haven't had any trou
ble since ... I sure can testify to the
good that Cardui did me. I. don't
think there is a better tonic made
and I believe it saved my life."
For over 40 years, thousands of wo?
men have used Cardui successfully,
in the treatment of many womanly
ailments.
If you suffer as these women did,
take Cardui. It may help you, too.
At All druggists. E 85 j
Extraordina
-i
LOW ?
ARE NOW OFFERING
For Men, Women and
Children from . . ;
Come and look them over.
UNUSUAI
A. J. DAI
Trentoi
Phone
Large i.
Jewelry to 1
We invite our Edgefield
when in Augusta. We 1
DIAMONDS
WATCHES
CLOCKS
JEWELRY
CUT
of all kinds that we have ever sho\
you through our stock. Every dep
with the newest designs.
We call especial attention to ou:
every improvement. Your watch
Work ready for delivery in a short
g 980 Broad St
Don't}
that we have a large and well as3orl
PIPE, VALVES, FITTINGS, IF.OI*
and HANGERS, BOLTS, NUTS a
you may need in the way of machin
TRY
Columbia Sup
823 West Gervais Street
YOU TAKE N(
Raa
Gm
For Se
EDGEFiELD MERC?
Farmers Can Borrow
Money Now
The Federal Loan Act has heen
declared constitutional.. The Federal
Land Bank at Columbia will begin
business soon. We have been author
ized by the secretary of the local as
sociation to take applications from
farmers for loans oh real estate. All
farmers who wish to borrow money
can procure application blanks at our
office. Avail yourself at once of this
opportunity.
N. G. EVANS.
C. T. BURNETT.
Garden Seed
We want the people to know that
we sell Landreth's old reliable seed,
both for garden and field. Buy your
seed in bulk and save money. Lan
dreth's seed are true to name and
germinate, well.
W. E. LYNCH & CO.
Eyes scientifically examined and
glasses properly fitted.
GEO. F. MIMS,
Optometrist-Optician,
Edgefield, S. C.
?LEN'S ,S1 -
,ry Bargains
N
SHOES
WONDERFUL VALUES
98c. T0 $6.98
You will'find them all
, VALUES
r.
THE
LEADING STORE
n$ S? C?
No. S
?tock of
Select From
! friends to visit our store
lave the largest stock of
GLASS
AND SILVERWARE
vn. It will be a pleasure to show
artment is constantly replenished
r repairing department, which has
or clock made as good as new.
time.
Renkl
Augusta, Ga.
8
Forget
?ed stock of all kinds of BELTING,
r, STEEL, SHAFTING, PULLEYS
nd WASHERS, and anything else
ery supplies at present low pri?es.
US
ply Company
Columbia, S. C.
O CHANCES!
sors are
iranteed for Life
ie by
LNTILE COMPANY