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The Camilla Enterprise. VOLUME XXIV. UNITED MOVEMENT TO SPEED PAVING COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MILL CO-OPERATE WITH TRADE BODIES IN MOVEMENT. As a result of an understanding reached here Tuesday, when represen¬ tative of the chambers of commerce of Baconton, Albany, Pelham and Ca¬ milla appeared before the board of County Commissioners of Mitchell county, concerted action will be taken right away to secure the completion of the paving on the Dixie Highway from a point near Flint to the Dough¬ erty county .line at the earliest possi¬ ble date. The completion of this gap will assure an unbroken stretch of paving and hard surfaced road on the Dixie Highway extending from the northern line of Sumter county to Thomasville, a distance of approxi¬ mately one hundred miles. The delegations came here Tuesday to meet with the County Commission¬ ers at the regular monthly session of that body. Invitations had been sent to all of the towns between Albany and Tomasville to send representa¬ tives. Baconton sent the largest dele¬ gation, headed by Mr. H. U. Jackson, and among the others coming down from Baconton were: Dr. R. P. Jack son, R. M. Tiller, John R. Pinson, E. B. Mullins, G. P. Jackson and T. S. Jackson. Albany was represented by Mayor E. H. Kalmon, J. M. Patter¬ son, J. S. Etheridge and W. B. Haley. The Pelham Business Men’s Club was represented by H. L. McDonald and L. D. Hand. The Camilla Chamber of Commerce was represented by F. A. Brown, president; E. M. Davis, P. E. Bailey and J. D. Gardner. Col. Davis opened the discussion by stating the object of the meeting. He praised the County Commissioners for the progressive policy and efficient business methods which have charac¬ terized their work in handling the paving projects in this county and for the very favorable contract entered into between the county and the State Highway Deparratnet for the comple¬ tion of the paving in this county by January 1st, 1929. Col. Davi3 stated that he was not willing ot see the commissioners sacrifice the advantage they have gained by reason of this contract but that conditions have aris¬ en since that contract was entered in¬ to which make it imperative that this stretch of paving be completed at an earlier date if possible, and that the business organizations along the high¬ way in this immedia vieticnitd|.A8Wtt way in this immediate vicinity wish to tender their services in helping to speed up this work. Mayor Kalmon, of Albany, stated that his delegation had not come to this county to offer any advice in the matter of road improvement; that Mitchell county’s record in this res¬ pect is so much ahead of many other counties that no suggestions along this line were needed. He said that the Albany Chamber of Commerce would co-operate in any way possible to help secure the completion of this important stretch of paving. Mr. Kal tisticians land booms come only once won remarked that according to sta¬ in a life-time: that a very decided boom seems to be headed toward Southwest Georgia and it is up to us to make the best of it or let the op¬ portunity pass. Mr. H. U. Jackson pointed to the necessity of taking every advantage of the present movement toward South Georgia which is certain to bring many new citizens and a great deal of money to be invested in our lands. Good roads, he said, is one of the most important factors in attract¬ ing these people to Mitchell county and the completion of this short stretch of paving is a vital matter. Dr. R. P. Jackson, Mr. H. L. Mc¬ Donald, Mr. J. M. Patterson and oth¬ ers spoke along the same line and all seemed to think that this project can be put through with the aid of the State Highway Department if the proper amount of interest is shown by the people of this section. The County Commissioners were unanimous in their approval of the plan and promised co-operation of the official board. The board decided to constitute itself a committee of the whole to appear before the State Highway Commission with represen¬ tatives of the various trade bodies of this section and urge the completion of the road. It is planned to arrange for a meet¬ ing with the Highway Commission at G. C. Singleton Hurt By A Falling Limb Mr. G. C. Singleton was painfully injured Wednesday afternoon when he was struck by a falling limb which rendered him unconscious for a time and inflicted a severe scalp wound. Mr. Singleton, with several other men. was engaged in cutting timber stock for the Dison & Hudson saw mill about eight miles west of Camil¬ la. One of the trees in falling had broken loose a large limb which hung in the top of another tree. The men did not notice the limb and a few min¬ utes later it fell, striking Mr. Single ton on top of the head. The injured man was brought to Camilla for med¬ ical attention. Dr. Luke stated after attending him that he did not think his injuries of a serious nature. P. A. GRAYKILLED BY FALL FROM WAGON WELL KNOWN FARMER OF GREENWOOD MET DEATH WHEN MULES RAN AWAY. Mr. P. A. Gray, a well known farm¬ er of Greenwood community was fa¬ tally injured Wednesday afternoon about five o'clock and died about two hours later, as a result of a fall from a wagon when a team of mules ran away. Mr. Gray’s neck was broken and his skull fractured by the fall, according to the physician who was called to attend his injuries, but in spite of these injuries he lived about two hours. The accident occurred at the home of a son-in-law, Mr. G. C. Smith. Mr. Gray and his youngest son, Willie, hud gone over to Mr. Smith’s to get a hog. After loading the hog in the wagon Mr. Gray took his seat on the back of the wagon and his son was driving. In some way one of the lines gave way and the team of mules broke to run. After young Mr. Gray bad made several attempts to regain the line and stop the team and had headwhich he did, but fell and struck on his head. The mules ran only a .short distance and stopped. When the injured man was picked up it was found that he was seriously injured and a hurry call was sent to Camilla for a physician. The messen¬ ger had some trouble in locating a physician' and when one finally ar¬ rived Mr. Gray was dead. The accident has saddened a whole community and many friends through¬ out the county deeply sympathize with the bereaved family. The de¬ ceased had lived in Mitchell county for about fifty years and was highly regarded as a citizen. Mr. Gray would have been 70 years old next March. He was born in Dougherty county and moved here when a young man. He married Miss Sallie Gaulden, a member of a promi¬ nent Mitchell county family, who sur¬ vives him. They raised a family of ten children, all of whom reside in Mitchell county, as follows: Mrs. Offie Howell, of Sale City; Mrs. Pierce Crosson, Mrs. Zach Worsham, Mrs. G. C. Smith, and Messrs. Cleveland, Earl, Tom, Paul, Dewey and Willie Gray. The funeral services were held at Hopeful Thursday afternoon at three o’clock, Rev. J. I. D. Miller, pastor and old friend of the deceased, conducting the services. Camilla City Court In One-Day Session The regular December term of the City Court of Camilla convened Mon¬ day morning and was in session only one day. The necessary absence of three members of the local bar nec¬ essitated the passing over of a num¬ ber of cases that might have been tried. As it was several cases were disposed of, default judgments and non-litigated matters constituting the majority. Mr. I. Maples Is Quite Seriously 111 As The Enterprise goes to press Mr. I. Maples is lying desperately ill at his home in this city and the fam¬ ily entertain the gravest fears as to the outcome. The relatives have the sympathy of many friends in their anxiety. an early date and it is expected that a large delegation will attend this meeting. CAMILLA, GA., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 3925. FLOYD GANG CAMPS FLAYED BY SPENCE COMMITTEE OF LEGISLATORS FIND BAD CONDITIONS IN NORTH GEORGIA. Dr. J. M. Spence, one of Mitchell County’s representatives in the leg¬ islature, recently returned from North Georgia where as a member of a leg¬ islative committee he visited several counties in that section of the state inspecting conditions in the county convict camps. Among the counties visited was Floyd, of which Rome is the county seat, and the Tribune of that city carried a story about the committee’s visit and a lengthy inter¬ view with Dr. Spence, in which the Mitchell county representative des¬ cribed the camp in that county as “the dirtiest I have ever seen in my life,” and “not fit for a hound dog to sleep in.” Judging from ;Dr. Spence’s outspok¬ en attack on conditions as found in Floyd county, they must be eception ally bad, for having served as county convict physician for a number of years the Mitchell county representa¬ tive is naturally not expected to be as easily shocked as would the aver¬ age citizen who has never seen inside a prison stockade. County authori¬ ties are not required or expected to provide first-class hotel entertain¬ ment for prisoners sent to the gang but there are certain standards set up by the law requiring humane treatment, sanitary quarters and wholesome food which even a convict is entitled to. It seems that even the limited requirements of the prison law were not lived up to in Floyd county and the committee scatchingly denounced the officials responsible for the conditions found there. The Rome Tribune quotes Dr. Spence as follows: “Unless steps are taken immediately to remedy the un¬ sanitary conditions at the Floyd coun¬ ty ehaingang camp, I will recommend to the Prison Commissioners of Geor¬ gia that all state prisoners be remov¬ ed to other counties. I am surprised that your prisoners have not all died of cholera. In all my experience as a physician I have never set tny foot in as unsanitary place as that where you keep your prisoners. I wouldn’t let a hound dog sleep on the mat¬ tresses you provide for your men pris¬ oners to sleep on. “They have nothing to sleep in and nothing to sleep on. There is not a single night shirt or pair of pajamas in the place, no sheets and you don’t know what a pillow ease is. The stench is awful and you house 15 to 17 men, human beings, in hese steel cages, with the only protection from the weather a board fence built around it and a bit of canvass.” The above is only a part of what the Doctor said. According to the Rome paper, Dr. Spence was talking to a representative of the paper and the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. It seems that no per¬ manent sleeping quarters are provid¬ ed for the convicts in Floyd county, as is the case in a number of other counties and it is impossible, to prop¬ erly take care of the prisoners in the cages used for sleeping quarters. The officials of Floyd county assured the committee that steps would be taken immediately to remedy conditions there by building a stockade. This improvement had been neglected, the officials stated, because the county is in debt something like $125,000. The legislative committees which have been touring the state investi¬ gating conditions in convict camps have found deplorable situations in several counties, and quite a scandal has come to light through the discov¬ ery that in several counties methods smacking of the old Spanish Inquisi¬ tion have been employed in punishing prisoners, in lieu of the lash which is now forbidden by law. So far as known no such conditions have been found in this section of the state. The committee that visited Mitchell county had only commenda¬ tion for the officers here and the sit¬ uation they found in the three con¬ vict camps in this county. Pine Bloom School To Give Box Supper There will be a box supper at Pine Bloom school Friday night, December 11th. The proceeds will go for the benefit of the school. Everybody is invited to attend and help out in this worthy movement. PECAN CRACKERY OPENS IN CAMILLA MILLER BROS. OF BACONTON, TO OPERATE PLANT. EMPLOYS 100 COLORED WOMEN. Messrs. J. R. & J. B. Miller, of Ba¬ conton, who are among the largest dealers in pecans in the South, have established a nut cracking plant in Camilla and began operating on a small scale Thursday. The plant is located in the old printing office build¬ ing on Scott street, next to Taylor’s Garage. A lease on the building was secured several days ago and the shelling company began moving in equipment this week. The plant will employ about 100 colored women and be operated at full capacity if a full force of hands can be secured. Mr. O. L. Williams, manager of the Miller crackery at Baconton, will also be in charge of the business here. He expects to employ a white woman to superintend the plant here and look after the business during his absence. Mr. Williams was here Wednesday looking after the installation of the plant and stated that in all probability he would be ready to begin cracking nuts the next day. Mr. Williams is advertising for 100 colored women to begin work at once. The women will work on the piece¬ work basis and their earnings will de¬ pend upon their aptness and energy. Mr. Williams states that a good wor¬ ker can easily make from $1.50 to $1.75. Beginners will not make so much at the start but will quickly learn the business and their earnihgs will increase in proportion to their efficiency, Mr. Williams states that he expects to crack from 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of nuts a week in the plant here. For the present, at least ,he will not buy nuts here but will ship cracking stock down from Baconton. The company is pretty well stocked up with nuts at present, according to Mr. Williams, having in storage in Baconton be¬ tween 400,000 and 500,000 pounds. The nut crackery will afford a big payroll which will be felt by local business concerns and the working people of this place. It is hoped that the Millers will at an early date es¬ tablish a regular cash market for pe¬ cans here so as to take care of the nuts grown in this section. The many large pecan groves around Camilla are just beginning to come into full bearing and in a few years the pecan market will be an important factor in the business life of the community. Cox Receives Good Committee Places In the assignment of committee places to new congressmen, Hon. E. E. Cox, the new representative of the Second congressional district of Geor¬ gia, appears to have fared about as well as could have been expected for a new member. According to press reports he will be a member of the following committees: Public build¬ ings and grounds, flood control and re¬ vision of laws. The Albany Herald in commenting upon the assignments thinks that no new congressman could hope to fare better than did Judge Cox. Regarding the priority method followed in making committee assign¬ ments, The Herald says: “The rank of members of the im¬ portant House and Senate committees is determined almost invariably by their periods of service. The older members hold the most desirable po¬ sitions—the positions of influence and opportunity for service. Should the Democrats gain control of the next Congress, as now seems to be not impossible, members of the Georgia delegation will be in line for some highly important committee places— probably for a chairmanship or two. It is in the committees that the con¬ structive work of Congress is done, and a member’s opportunity to serve his immediate constituency and the country as a whole is largely deter¬ mined by his committee influence. Small Fire At The Davis Commissary The fire department was called to the J. B. Davis Co. commissary Thursday morning about eight o’clock to put out a small blaze. The stove pipe from the heater set fire to the wall of the building. The fire was put out before any damage to speak of was done. School Closes Dec. 18 For Christmas Camilla Public Schools are now rounding up their last days before the holiday vacation begins. Announce¬ ment has already been made that the schools will close a week from today, December 18, and the boys and girls are highly elated over getting out a whole week before Christmas day, which may account for any undue dili¬ gence in dispensing with school work for the next few days. The school plays Monday night, “1750-1926” and “Coats and Petticoats,” will mark the close of school and later in the week grade celebrations and festivities in every department will wind up the fall term of school. GEORGIAB APTISTS MEET IN SAVANNAH DR. J. D. MELL, AGAIN PRESI¬ DENT. MODERNISM IS SCOR¬ ED IN OPENING ADDRESS. The Georgia Baptist Convention opened its one hundred and third an¬ nual convention in Savannah Wednes¬ day morning with more than 500 pres¬ ent at the opening session. The key¬ note address at the opening was de¬ livered by Dr. William Russell Owen, pastor of tbe First Baptist church, of Macon, giving a strong appeal for en¬ deavor among Baptists of the state toward the great work that needs to be done. Rev. John D. Mell, D. D., of Athens, was for the 14th consecutive term re-elected to preside over the body. Rev. Arch C. Cree Executive Secre¬ tary, gave a review of the year’s work. The convention sermon was delivered by Rev. W. A. Hogan, D. D., Lin colnton. In his annual address, Dr. Mell scored the prevalent evolution topic, the discussion starting, he said, after the Southern Baptist Convention’s adoption last May at Memphis, of a statement of faith; that the conven¬ tion had no right to make creeds or issue statements of faith. Discus¬ sing modernism and evolution, he said, “I will believe the Bible if it makes every laboratory in the land a liar,” and stating that he did not want anything modern in his religion, that he would reject anything less than 1900 years old. He made a strong appeal for Christian homes. The work of enrollment and organ¬ ization was perfected and reports from committees heard, and other prelimi¬ nary work of the session disposed of. Rev. J. G. Graham, pastor of the First Baptist church, left Monday for Savannah to be present at the open¬ ing of the convention Wednesday morning, and will remain throughout its sessions. Highway Paving Is Being Laid Rapidly The Davis Construction Co., the concern which is laying the concrete paving on the Dixie Highway north of Camilla, chalked* up one of the biggest records last week that has been made since the work was begun in this county. Something over three-quarters of a mile of paving was laid from Monday morning until Saturday at noon, according to one of the workmen. At this rate, with continued fair weather, the contrac¬ tors will finish this job in about four weeks more. As the paving is laid toward Camilla the distance materials have to be hauled is lessened and the work proceeds with greater speed. Something like a dozen trucks are used in hauling the materials to the mixers. These heavy machines have played havoc with what used to be a good sand-clay road. Practically all other traffic has been shut off this stretch of road and the trucks are having it all to themselves. One More Week In Which To Pay Taxes A very serious obstacle between many of us and a merry Christmas is the necessity of paying state afod county taxes. The tax books will close on the 20th, which is little more than a week off. After that date those who have failed to pay their taxes will be subject to 15. fa. costs. Our information is that the number of people paying taxes probably exceeds that of previous years, but there is still a great many who have not yet paid. NUMBER 35 COMMISSIONERS IN SESSION TUESDAY BOARD FIXES SALARIES FOE THE YEAR. SETTLES WITH THE TAX COLLECTOR. The regular monthly meeting of the County Commissioners was held last Tuesday, with a full board present. After hearing from a delegation which appeared before the board in reference to the early completion of the paving on the Dixie Highway, an account of which will be found in an¬ other column, the board settled down to routine business. An application for a new road in the northern part of the county, ex¬ tending from the Dixie Highway in an easterly direction to the Albany and Sale City road, was presented to the hoard. The following names ap¬ peared on the petition: Chas. W. Ward, James Ward, Rupert Irvin, J. E. Hatcher, J. H. Crosby, H. F. Wil¬ liams, S. K. Richardson, L. R. Jen¬ kins, H. B. Taylor, Illinois-Georgia Pecan Co., G. M. Bacon Pecan Groves. The road will come into the Dixie Highway near DeWitt. The Commis¬ sioners agreed to open the road as soon as reviewers had made a report and the matter has been advertised. The board went into executive ses¬ sion to discuss the question of salaries for 1926. The minutes show the fol¬ lowing scale agreed upon, which is practically the same as the present salary scale. The salaries are as fol¬ lows: County Warden, $175.00 per month; Clerk of the Board, $140.00 per month;' County Convict Physician, $1.00 per man per month with the understanding that the physician fur¬ nish a regular substitute to act in his absence; County Physician, $100.00 per annum; Deputy Wardens, $75.00 per month; Foreman of Trac¬ tor Gang, $75.00 per month; Night Watchmen and Guards, $40.00 to $50.00 per month. County Warden A. A. Maples was authorized by resolution to consoli¬ date all of the men and equipment of the county in one squad to be worked wherever necessary, but work to be distributed in various districts of the county according to the spirit of a previous resolution dividing the men and equipment in three groups. Ap¬ parently it is the idea of the board that with the new tractors recently purchased and other improved road machinery that the road work can be handled more efficiently by grouping the forces and working as one unit. The work will he apportioned out ac¬ cording to an agreement reached some time ago and which is supposed to give each commissioner the work he is entitled to in his district. The basis of this apportionment is the same as was followed in apportioning men to the three camps in the county. A settlement was made by the board with County Tax Collector W. H. Taylor, for 1924 taxes. Mr. Tay¬ lor’s report shows $3,086.69 insolvent taxes for the state and county for last year. This amount was divided as follows: State $1,020.13; County $2, 066.56. The following statement was submitted to the board covering tax collections for 1924, the statement covering only the county's part and does not include taxes collected for the state: General tax on Digest $5,- 712,836. at 18 mills____$102331.05 Service Corporations, $697,277. at 18 mills____ 12350.98 N. O. D. Collections__i____ 1,150.73 Interest _______________ 416.95 $116349.71 Insolvent Tax ft. fas______$ 1,705.14 Errors and Relief--______ 361.42 Paid to Jonah Palmer, - Treasurer _____________113,139.39 Stamps and Post Cards-- 50.22 Tax Collector’s Commis¬ sion ________ 1,693.54 $116,949.71 The Jloard passed a resolution rec¬ ommending Ed Wise, a white convict serving time in this county, to the State Prison Board for clemeney. Wise has served five years in this county and has made a model prison¬ er, according to the officers, and the board took this action, in recognition of his good record in this county. Mr. Emory W. Cochran returned borne the latter part of last week from Chicago, 111., where he has been spending the past several months at work. He stopped in Virginia to vis¬ it relatives for a few days before coming on home.