The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, January 30, 1931, Image 3
Nobody's Business
Written for The Chronicle by Gee
McGee, Copyright, 1936.
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Night Clubbing A
Nothing would do Cousin Bill unless
1 drive out in the country to
KIs house end go ipoeeum hunting
noine night. 1 arm sure I had more
sense than to undertake such a fool
thing, but my wife said?"You must
be getting old, don't want to enjoy
little sport." That waa the straw.
.
I ohoae last Saturday night for
that hunt. It seemed to be mighty
fine poseum weather. The keen,
biting wind wag from the east, and
the North Star, was as bright as
the Farrm Board, and the Milky Way
had practically turned to clabber, and
that foretold good possum news.
They dearly love to ramble about on
nights like that. .
I got to Cousin ?iife house about
(3 o'clock, and sat around, thinking,
of course, that supper would soon
be ready. A/bout 7:30, Cousin Bill
belched a few times and said: "Them
ham and eggs and sausages I had
for suprper aii/t setting well with
me." I asked him What time he ate
supper: he said?"We allere eat supper
before sunset." That made me
sick all over.
After I was just about ready to
go to sleep (10:30 p. m.), Cousin
Bill made the statement that it was
about time for possums to begin to
prowl around for simmons ansoforth,
and suggested' that we light out. He
called bis 3 old dogs, and out we
lit. I. asked him if he wassent going
part of the way in the car, and
he said?"No, old fogy, come on."
We walkod down through his 199acre
pasture, crossed 6 wire fences,
entered a corn .field and then en-"
tered a cotton field and then turned
to the left. I asked Cousin Bill w
wait a minute till I tied my 2 shoes
and pulled some briars and thorns
out of my legs and hips. *'.But he
strutted right on at about 45 miles
per hour. 1 hollered1 at him and
asked him if there weren't some possuips
in his own state? (We were
28 miles from his home by midnight.)
About 3:30 'Sabbath morning, after
we had roamed through 7 different
townships, jumped 876 gullies,
waded through 56 big swamps,
been bit in. the face by 9,999 saplings
that Cousin (Bill had turned
loose, and torn two-thirds of my
clothes off, old Towser barked; and
Cousin 'Bill shot towards that bark
like a bullet and left me in the dark.
I finally found him and the other
3 dogs.?It was a polecat. We did dent
see him, but that's what she
was. We hunted on till I ought to
have been getting ready for church.
We failed to shine any possum eyes,
or even strike his scent. I had lost
221- pounds, and had worn-out my
''best clothes and shoes. 'My tongue
*V4 v
was hanging out and I diddent care
whether I lived or tlied. I got home
at last and wen^to bed, and woke
up in time to go to Work Monday
morning. Half of the fools of our
country are in the ? asyluim and the
other half is off somewheres bunting
ppssums "for sport." I insulted
every customer we had that beautiful
Monday.
As He Thinketh, So Are The Times
While up town a few minutes yesterday
afternoon, we found it convenient
to interview a few fel'lowa
,w>Ko were all loafing. Our question'
to each person approached was the
same: "How's everything?"
Mr. Brown, The Shoe Man: "Well,
it can't be this way all the time.,
Most everybody has worn out his
shoes and folks are too proud to go
barefooted. I lock for a little bit
less riding and somewhat more thinking
for now on. But something's got
to be done about taxes."
Mr. Green, the Farmer: "Us farmers
have just about got useter having
our stuff took away from us.
There ain't much difference at our
house. We have pinched and skimped
all our 'Hves, and expect to keep it
up. 1 intend to .work as hard as
ever, cut nvy fertilizer bill 50 per
cent, and shoot'every kind of agent
thnt conw9 in sight of my house.
Lookit this suit one of them sold
me in December."
Uncle Jack, the Hedge-Trimmer:
"Yasar, boss-4'ee all right. We has
a mighty good preacher now. Glad
to see this putty atmshiney weather.
My ole oman has almost got well
of her roomy-tigm and ndw wasfce*
for 4 famblies. I cuts hedges and
rake# off leaves. Mr. Gee, pleaae
give de old nigger a chaw-terbacker,
or a dime or some thin."
Mre. Gray, the House-Keeper:
"Everything fa pretty good with ?a.
r -rst
The boys have gone buck to college.
Hob thinks business will pick up soon.
We are letting our car ait under the
shed?we cant run it and .pay for
educating our children at the name
time, so we decided to walk, as they
are more important. % Folks will have
to come down, that's all. Groceries
are cheaper, (but Hob ia worried to
death about high taxes, and say's ouf
county could get along on half as
! much as they aire now spending."
Mr. Redd, the Filling station Man:
! "Yep, there's a right smart of riding
going on yet. The young folks can't
quit. Just swapped TO gallons of
gas for that basket of eggs and that
I bag of sugar. . Gas is bearing a
heavy load: 6 cents tax, or about 40
,per cent on the dollar, but folks never
growl about the gas taxes?it's the
house and farm tax. We have only
54 bad cheeks on hand now. Drop
around and let us fill your installment
plan some time."
Mr. Blue, the Bench-Warmer:
"Well, this old country is gone to
the dogs, and Hoover done it. They
are stealing the farmers cotton and
corn. I look for. a revolution if
things don't get better. Five of
my younguns is norw out of a job,
and we simply can't stand it. The
state will soon /xwn all th<? land,
and "wo folks will be - slaves. Gott^r
match?"
VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE
Report of Blaney and Dentaville High
Schools For the Hut Season
The vocational agriculture departments
of the iBlaney and Dentaville
high schools enrolled 14 all-day boys,
12 part-time boys and 16 evening
ekes men at Blaney and 8 all-day and
20 evening class Imen at Dentsvilie,
a total of 70 for the past year, as
announced by P. B. Waters, teacher
of agriculture in these two schools.
All-day boys lane the boye who attend
high school and take agriculture.
i'art tiii?t- tibya are boys between
14 und 21 years of age on the
farm who for some reason have had
to drop out of school. : .Special classes
are arranged for them by the teacher
of agriculture. Evening class 'men
are the adult farmers of the community
with whom the teacher of agriculture
has night meetings to make
a study of such problems as controlling
the boll weevil, home-mixing
of fertilizer, etc.
The all-day and ipart-time boys
carry .projects and their course of
study is based on what they have
as projects. The all-day boys in the
two schools had the following projects:
Cotton 17 acres; com 15 ac
Ill .1 ill ' " >^-=
sweet potatoes'3 acres; rye }
acres, peanuts 6-8 acres; brood sows
2; bens 6; calves 2; baby chicks 700. I
The part-time boys had the follow- j
ing projects: <V>tton 32H acres,
com 21 acres. The evening class men |
had the following acreages planted^
Cotton 036 acres; corn 1203 acres.
The labor income for 1020-30 from
the all-day boys' proje^s .was $1,276.30.
The labor ^ncourhe from the I
part-time boys' projects was $841.36. I
The value of the improved practices
from the evening classes was as fol- '
lows; '{
Valpe of cover craps planted
(vetch), $272.60; amount saved by
home-mixing fertilizer, $010.00; value
of cotton made by poisoning, $2,111.63;
value of- increased amounts
of side dressing, $1,060.00. Total,
$4,044.03. This gives a total from
all classes of $7,061.74.
Carl Smith Ferguson, who was killed
near Blythewood while' hitch-diking
from Aiken to his home in Chester
to see his parents, was the son of
Mr. amf Mrs. Geojjge VV. Ferguson
and 33 years old. The signs around
! where his decapitated body was found
indicated that he had tried do board
a Southern railroad train and fell
under the wheels. Mr. Ferguson was
a nephew of Mrs. J. M. Ferguson,
of Yorkville.
L i
ggg V!The
tlowef house of congress is
working on the seventh of the large j
general appropriation bills that of <
the w*D -^department, which must be
passed before March 4th if an extra
session is to be avoided. The senate ,
is not so fast and is puttering along
now in the interior department supply
bill with its $25,000,(MM) amendment
for the Red tCross. Two senators
talked five hours about Indian
affairs on Tuesday. Notice was giv- J
en Tuesday that night sessions wou'J
be held Wednesday night.
1 - - n "
, ?
JRosb Sterling, BB, whose' personal
fortune is stated ua fc>oi ng $40,000,300,
h^came governor cf Texas" on
ruesday1 at a salary of $4,000 a year.
He started out as a farm hand and
made ihis millions in oil.
.
' i
A crowd of hungry men and women
raided a grocery store in Oklahoma
lOity, Okla., Tuesday and carried
away a good part of the stock
after making demands at the city hall
for food and work. Twenty-six <peraohs
w?',a arrested,
& - ' ?
Residence For Sale
j
Desirable residence in good part of the city. >
Eight rooms wirh two baths. Lot fronts lv00
feet and runs back to a depth of 5 7 5 feet. j
Will be sold at a bargain price. If interested j
see H. D. Niles at, tK.
CAMDEN CHRONICLE OFFICE 1
Camden, S. C.
$70,915,815.
$49,838,302.
?28.481.215.
AS5E$JA\ENT5 \
I Peal and Personal Properf l
I Eitfhf of Soufh Carolina's Leading Classes 1
? - \ of Tax PaHers?- - - 1930 J
120163.198. -
*5.303,016.
H2?*An
I EXTILE PLANTS
RAILROAD PROPERTIES
Merchants. Sundrq Kfr's. 1
WitrMfMArPMs Ibknt.Ifletali ferliWUs (MIH
V I / I , ,
fi I
South Carolina's Cotton Mills I
As Tax Payers
. ' o i * ' , *
' . . * * ' ... I
A statement of the relative proportion of the State's income which is derived directly from the taxes paid by ^ ?
the textile plants; presented not to discredit other classes of taxpayers, but rather in appreciation of the impor- ' I
tant part they are all playing in financing the costs of government, Whilp thp tovrile* nwi hir fnv thn inr?r,i ,.ruttu ? 1
tnvpnyeiN, thoro arc othci classifications Whjch are od great importance to the welfare of the state. Figures
herein quoted are from the S. C. Tax Comvmisfwon, from the 1020 report of the Comptroller General, and from in- I
quiry directed to the (mills themselves. . . . '
? d \ ' * -u * . > *
The comparative picture above shows .the relative importanceof the textile industry as a tax payer. As-a class it is the largest I
individual taxpayer orf our state. Whether in real estate, personal property, income, corporation license, or whatever the type of
tax, the cotton mills iwill be found on the frent -row, doing more than their share totward financing government, schools, rdads, or ' I
. other progressive measures essential to the state's welfare.
(i \ Tax Statistics South Carolina Cotton Mills j
? ? ? t? Assesments greater than all other industries combined. I
? . ~ ' * |
Assessments greater than all Railroads and Public Utilities combined.
. r # r-.i.
Pay an average of over half the taxes in textile counties. __ *, _... ?-1
Paid in to state, county, school district and city treasuries in 1,930?
t *
* ' I
Approximately Five Million Dollars
A I
These figures include only payment? made directly by the mills as corporations. Without the taxes paid directly by the
mills, South Carolina's present appropriation bill would be impossible, as would be the huge expenditures of the state, counties,
school districts' and municipalities towards education, roads, streets and general governmental costs. I
I
From a competitive standpoint, it is apparent that South Carolnia has just about lost its favorable advantageous position <
in the textile world.
This great truth, as stairtling as it may sound, is further tested ami proven by the fact that South Carolina has received
only a very small proportion of the large number of new industries that have com? south during recent years. They h&ve
largely gone to other southern states?THERE ES A VERY LOGUCLVL REASON. Ef South Carolinians generally are bene- I
fitted by the investment of capital in cotton mills in the state, they should exert every effort to prevent further increase? in the
tax burden, and if possible effect decreases in high taxes which result from excessive governmental expenditures.
& *rr I
A recent incomplete investigation, conducted among all the cotton mills ot Sotith Carolina, brobght I
reports from 118 of 160 South Carolina Mill*, with a total of 4,535,821 spindles, paying in 1929 a total of
$3,715,948.72 in taxes. p
Compared with all records available, this is a higher tax per -sipindle than any other textile state in
America in 1929. ? ' I
_ s " *. "> " *
& *-*- *$? t - r* . C ^ 1
T- i], * _
i | v The 118 Cottdn Mills in South Carolina Reporting^ Showed An ^
' A^wnent ?
- ' ? ' v. ' ! " .
: Spindle $11.41
I-."'''" e
r of
south ^
^apolimaj
"A? InduMry Pl|^? IV??i Tht P*api?~
Average Tax Paid Per I
Spindle 82 7-10 Cents I
Tax Par Spindle Eliminating Extras I