The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-10

based on the amount of increase in post
office receipts. No town or city had lar
ger increase than 5000 and Rocky Mount
was among the fourteen, the salary paid
being $1,000, which is the same paid at
Wilson and Kinston. / mention the last
two cities, two of the best in the eastern
part of the State, because it seems to be
the general opinion among people else
where with whom I have talked that
Rocky Mount does not compare with
those two well advertised and growing
cities
While the town, IN common with other
important tobacco towns, has suffered the
year just passed from the low price OF that
article, taking review OF the years re-
suits as a whole, the town has made ma
terial progress in a number OF things and
has much to be thankful for A great deal
of building has been done. Messrs. Hales
& dwards and Matthews, Weeks & Co.,
our two wholesale grocery firms, have
built large brick establishment to ac-
commodate their growing business. A
number of stores have been built and resi-
dences galore, some of them very hand
some and costly, among the handsomest
being residences for Mr.. J. G. Braswell, j.
A. Taylor land Dan Cuthrell The town
built large and we'll arranged municipal
building, containing quarters for the city
market, fire company and municipal off
GERS. The Rocky Mount Savings & Trust
Company also erected a building in which
to start business. This new institution
gives the town three banks, well differed
by good business men, who have patriot
ic interest in the towns welfare. The I'M
peria Tobacco Company erected $4,000
plant here, one of the finest they have
eercted nthe State, which shows what
they thing of the town as a tobacco mar
ket. uMch other building of minor i'm
portance was erected during the year just
passed.
Speaking to an auctioneer on another
market, he remarked that Rocky Mount
was the highest priced tobacco market in
the eastern section of the State. While
any one of intelligence knows there can
not be an ygreat difference between the
four bi gtobacco markets in the east, it
is fact that Rocky Mount made higher
average for the crop sold in the season
ending nthe spring of the past year than
any of the other markets in the east A
large amount of shipped tobacco is sold
here, the shipped tobacco amounting to
several million pounds alone.
There are almost innumerable things
that could be cited to sho what this
town is one of the States most progress
sive communities The fact that it is as
large is it is shows that for ten years ago
there was only a small village.
Looking forward to the future our peo-
pie have every reason to take an ortimis
tic view. 1 understand that the Coast
Line will soon greatly add to their shops
here giving employment to a large num-
Der of people. Their pay roll at this point
is now very considerable, amounting, it is
said, in the neighborhood of $35 900
month. Also 1 failed to mention among
the new buildings a handsome depot, be-
ing the costliest, with one exception, in
the State. Human nature is pretty much
the same mad 1 don't guess Rocky Mount
is the only place that has good people, but
our people are united in feeling for the
towns welfare, and imbued with the spirit
of progress, and stand ready to aid, take
advantage of any proposition that look to
the towns advancement, and this spirit is
going to make itself manifest in the
towns material advancement.
]. H. HERBERT