McCormick messenger. (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current, November 13, 1930, Image 2
^Thursday, November 13, 1930
MeCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK. South Carotin*
*
Page IN umber r *
McCORMICK MESSENGER
Published Every Thursday
Established June 5, 1902
edmond j. McCracken,
Editor and Owner
Entered at the Post Office at Mc
Cormick, S. C., as mail matter of
the second class.
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IS HERE TO STAY
A professor in one of the large
universities of our country has laid
<lown a severe indictment of the
automobile. It takes the high
school and college student from
the home group and makes him an
enemy of society, the professor
says.
Perhaps the auto is a disturbing
element in society, but never for
get that it takes two to make a
v bargain. The auto is a temptation
leading to evil ways that some
young people can’t resist, and it
becomes the duty of those who are
guiding boys and girls to build up
a resistance against it.
Complaining about the bad in
fluence of the automobile does not
remove it as a factor to be dealt
with in the rearing of children. It
is a real problem, the more so be
cause it can’t be autocratically
removed.
The family car, though it may
liave flattened the family purse,
has broadened the viewpoint and
increased the knowledge of count
less persons. It has enabled peo
ple of small means to get a liberal
education through travel.. It has
taken people into the fresh air,
where they have found their first
contact with outdoor things. It
has changed the courses of many
.lives by cultivating outdoor habits
«nd an appreciation of nature and
mil its beauties.
The automobile is here to. stay.
It can’t be driven out as the open
saloon was, because it has eco
nomic and. social values, that far
pntweigh the evils that are laid at
Its door. ■ . r
Regardless of what may . be said
regarding the bad habits, it is
teaching people, young and* old
alike, the automobile has had ; a
beneficent influence on many
homes.
X
gasoline Taxes For
General Purposes
(The Newberry Observer.),
* Quite naturally the sight of
abundant revenues pouring into
state treasuries from gasoline taxes
has suggested the idea that this
source of revenue should be used
in part for general state purposes.
The idea has been expressed in
many states. The protest raised
against the proposal to use part of
the gas taxes for general purposes
overlooks the very nature of taxes.
A tax is a contribution made to
the support of the government
without any reference to the indi
vidual payer’s receiving personally
any direct benefit in return. A fee
on the other hand is a payment
made by the person who is to re
ceive the particular benefit, al
though even here the general wel
fare is also conserved.
Those who object to the idea
.gas taxes being used in part fo-
general state expenses seem to re
gard these taxes as not tax^r "
all, but a voluntary con f .Hs- /: o-
of motorists with a string tied to
the contribution. The idea is un
tenable. When soft
were imposed, were r ''
ceeds specifically limited to any
rsrvice connected with soft J *'
dealers or the convenience of t’i'i
•customers? Docs the land tax "
in any direct way to the land own
er, or the timber tax to a service
specifically devoted to preventing
forest fires? That is not the na
ture of taxes.
The absurdity of the situation in
to which spme of the states with
high gas taxes have entered is as
tonishing. South Carolina, for
instance, spends about $11,000,000
a year for all purposes of the state
government combined, derived un
der great strain from a great var
iety of general and special taxes.
She puts at the disposal of high
way building a sum of about $13,-
000,000. At the same time, the rev
enues for the general purpose of
government, which are less than
the sum for this one purpose, are
insufficient to meet the expenses
of government.
South Carolina last year cut by
ten per cent the appropriations for
institutions of higher learning, not
withstanding we are one of the
most backward states in the Union
in education, and notwithstanding
the fact that few states are in
more need of educaion.
South Carolina is in natural re
sources a poor state. That means
that our prosperity must depend
upon the highly intelligent and
technically trained development of
what resources we have, and the
upbuilding of such industries as
manufacturing and hydro-electric
power. For those purposes educa
tion is the prime essential.
Let us take the example of New
England. She* is poorer than South
Carolina in natural resources. Yet
by intensive application of trained
intellect, she made herself the
richest region of the nation, and
still, in the face of every diffi
culty, problem, and change retains
the same sort of position.
South Carolina has fallen into
the control .of a group that see one
thing so large that it is willing to
sacrifice far more important and
necessary ends for this one end.
One way to prevent the decline of
the essential services on which
permanent progress rests is to real
ize that the state must use its to
tal revenues for the most needed
purposes in proportion to their
importance and their returns in
general welfare, and not to go on
any such idea that soft drink tax
es must go for soft drink services
alone, land taxes for soil service
alone, railroad taxes for improving
grade crossings alone, fines and
mortgage taxes for supporting the
courts alone, and gasoline taxes for
roads alone.
Taxes are taxes, and should be
derived from the justest and most
productive sources, and should be
spent for the most essential and
beneficial 'ends, irrespective of
their source.
X
Railroads To
The Rescue
(A. C. L. Ry., Bulletin)
That the reduced rates establish
ed by the railroads for forage and
feed stuff? for the drought-strick
en areas constitute a form of re
lief that is tangible and effective
is shown by a statement issued by
the Department of Agriculture on
October 27th, which quotes Dr. C.
W. Warburton, secretary of the
Federal drought relief committee,
as saying, “The decision by many
railroads to extend from October
31 to November 30 the time for
making emergency shipments of
feed and livestock at reduced rates
was the most encouraging develop
ment in the drought relief program
during the last week.
“The reduced rate ranges from
one-half to two-thirds of the regu
lar rates, Dr. Warburton explained
and has meant large savings to
farmers. Already farmers of Ten
nessee have bought 1,000 cars of
feed, on which the savings in
freight rates amounted to $50 a
car, and one county in Virginia has
reported an estimated saving of
$55,000. The 58 Virginia counties
that have reported show a saving
of about $630,000.”
These figures give some idea of
the extent to which the railroads
have been willing to sacrifice their
revenues in order to give immed
iate help to farmers in the strick
en areas. Since 1,016 counties are
receving the benefits of the reduc
ed rates the total amount contrib
uted by the railroads to drought
~e 7 ief will probably be by far the
largest contribution made by any
agency.
Asking the railroads for help in
j -iich emergencies has gotten to be
i habit, many observers comment.
“Once again,” says the Cuya
hoga Falls (Ohio) News, “the rail
1,
roads have been called on to as
sist in what amounts to a national
emergency by making substantial
reductions in freight rates on farm
products in the drought-stricken
area. They have readily enough
assented to the plea for reduced
rates. So far no request has been
made of commercial motor truck
lines, which are taking a large part
of the railway freight business, to
do likewise.
“There seems to be developing
an idea that for the railroads it is
always ‘more blessed to give than
to receive.’ Railroad security own
ers, already affected by the tre
mendous shrinkage of over 33 per
cent in net railroad operating in
come, for the first six months of
1930, cannot but note how the rail
lines are called upon to make fur
ther sacrifices, and how their truck
line competitors are allowed to
skim the cream from the transpor
tation business without being call
ed upon to make emergency rates
in times of stress.
“In 1929 the railroads were asked
to reduce freight rates on wheat
flour designed for export, on the
theory that this would relieve con
gestion in the wheat markets. Poli
ticians got the benefit of passing a
‘farm relief’ measure, even though
it was impractical, and. the rail
road stockholders lost considerable
revenue. Immediately after the
stock market crash railroad execu
tives were the first called to Wash
ington, where they pledged them
selves to maintain their budgets
for expenditures to sustain wages
and employment as far as possible.
“For the first six months of 1930
railroad earnings were at the an
nual rate of only 3.61 per cent as
compared with a possible 5 3-4 per
cent which the Transportation Act
permits them but which they have
never been able to earn.
“No means of transportation has
yet been found which is a substi
tute for the railroads. It would
be well for the public to realize that
it is the real loser in any policy,
state or national, which tends to
discourage railroad development.”
tXt
A Call For Aid
With an estimated 5,000,000 per
sons threatened with idleness this
winter, and approximately 20,000,-
000 likely to need aid during the
cold weather, the co-operation of
every citizen and civic organiza
tion is going to be necessary to
cope with the nation-wide suffer
ing arising through unemploy
ment.
The National Emergency Com
mittee for Employment appointed
by President Hoover is promoting
an extensive campaign to alleviate
the' situation. Units are being or
ganized in every community to
meet local problems. The appeal
for aid has been sent forth to all.
The replies have been fairly num
erous. Large industries have prom
ised to employ as much labor as
possible. One small loan corpora
tion has made available a special
fund of $100,000 to local welfare
bodies in oyer 200 cities of the
country for the purpose of helping
as many families as possible. This
is to be distributed in amounts of
$10 to $50 per family to be paid
back in small monthly payments,
without interest or other charges,
when the breadwinner of the fam
ily finds employment. Individuals
have made contributions to various
funds. Yet the response has not
been sufficient to meet the need.
To a person who has always been
fortunate enough to have an in
come that assured a home and
plenty to eat, the realization of
what it means to be without these
does not come very easily. Some
day in the near future take a little
time off and visit a mission or
municipal lodging house where
those without the price of a meal
or bed seek their food and lodg
ing. Watch that group of men
as they line up and file by to re
ceive their portion of food; see
how eagerly they grasp the bread
and bowl of stew; with what diffi
culty they restrain their hunger
and wait their turn. One glimpse
of those tired hungry faces, stamp
ed with a mixture of misery and
hope, longing and despair, wir
stimulate anyone possessed with r
spark of human sympathy with the
I desire to do something to lessen
the number of those in that un
fortunate position. The call to aid
those that are poor and cannot
find work is one that no citizen
can well ignore.
tXt
Burglars Are Active—Headline.
Did anyone ever see an inactive
t burglar?
- $25.00 - FREE
Every Saturday for
remainder this year
First award $10.00; second, $5.00; third, $5.00 and fourth, $5.00.
Ask undersigned merchants and business men for particulars.
i
Carolina-Georgia Service Co.
CORLEY BROTHERS. ,
D. M. BULLOCK.
DIXIE STORES, No. 16.
E. F. CREIGHTON, Service Station
Gulf Service Station, J. T. Faulkner.
H. DRUCKER.
J. O. WILLIAMS’ Service Station.
J. T. MARTIN.
J. BUTLER BLACKWELL.
J. S. STROM.
J. R. CORLEY.
J. C. TALBERT.
J. B. HARMON & CO.
M. L. GIBERT.
N. G. BROWN & SON.
NEW YORK BARGAIN STORE.
McCORMICK MESSENGER.
M. M. MAJOR.
PIPKIN’S STORE.
PATTERSON CLOTHING CO.
STROMS’ DRUG STORE.
STANDARD SERVICE STATION.
SMITH’S 5 & 10c STORE.
T. M. DORN.
T. Howard Smith’s Meat Market.
T. CARLTON FAULKNER.
WHITE HARDWARE CO.
W. G. HUGULEY.
- THIS IS THE TIME -
Any subscriber who is in arrears with THE MES
SENGER is urged to come forward now and make
payment of same.
raH MESSENGER
McCORMICK, S. C.