Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-11-26
SHOW WINDOW OF w. C. LYNCH SMASHED
AND ROBBED OF $500 WORTH OF JEWELRY

w. B. Drewry Gives Reason
for Existing Conditions a
County Home and Assure
His Cooperation in Rems
dying Same.
Halifax, N. c., Nov. %, 1926
To the Public in General of Hall
fax County:
| noticed in the Roanok
Rapids Herald an account of
visit of some of the ladies from
Roanoke Rapids and a repor
concerning the County Home.
wish to say in behalf of mysel
and the County Commissioners
with regrets, that the Count.
Home is in very poor condition
and l have but one excuse tt
make; and that is, for the las
two years | have been unable tt
get help to keep it in proper
shape, for love or money.
The many easy jobs and the
high prices paid for labor has
made it impossible for me to gel
labor to do the dirty and filthy
work that was offered them t
do. l wish to say also in behalf
of the Commissioners that they
willingly paid for all the labor
that | could get. | have on
several occasions had to do the
cooking for the inmates myself.
l had just bought new mattresses
and clothing for the people at
! that time that the ladies visited
me. | trust they will continue
their efforts to have their stated
plans carried out. | will assure
them that will join them. We
will have to do this a business
way. First to abandon some of
the unneedful Offices and stop
the increasing salaries and all
work together, and not do SO
much talking.
Ask the members of our next
legislature to cut some of the
salaries and not increase any.
Let US help the poor, and let the
strong take care of themselves.
/ will join the move that the
ladies have made and contribute
my share. l have been at the
County Home for twenty-five
years, and until the labor got so
that / could not get it, ] kept the
place In a respectable condition. |
was born poor and raised poor
naturally my feelings are with
the poor. | think that the com.
missioners should have built a
county home long ago and would
have done so, but for the newly
created offices, and increase Of
salaries that they always exhaust
the Treasury and there being no
funds available for this purpose,
and they find the financial con-
dition of the county in no con-
dition to build a County Home.
i know the Commissioners
and the people of the County
would be glad to build a comfor-
table home for the homeless and
the people who are subjects Of
charity, but can we do
this when the county
funds are far behind and
getting worse daily, and the tax
payers groaning under the bur-
dens of taxes now and more being
piled on US, to pay officers high
salaries to do things that could
be well left off. Some of the tax
collectors are receiving SA250.-
90 per year to collect the taxes
in a single township, could cas-
ly do the work in three months,
this is an example of what is
absorbing the taxes and doz-
ems of more cases like 1t ! could
name. The entire taxes of the
County could and should be CO.
lected for what this one man gets
1t costs the County under this
system at least $20,000.00 to
collect the tax in the County, this
and Ii Ike things are depicting the
treasury and | am looking to
hear of more bond issues when
the Legislature meets.
| am glad the ladies of Roanoke
Rapids visited the home and
welcome them. | rendered my re-
signation several months ago to
take effect the 1st Monday in
December, but | promise now to
do as much to help to better con-
ditions as any man In the County,
according to my ability. Until we
cut a number of the useless offices
out that now exist in the County
with salaries ranging from 5000
to pay people to do the same
work Of q few years ago who
were paid from $4,000 to $1,000 :
90. Lets have a cutting frolic in
offices and salaries and pay peo-
pie according to their labors, we
can then build decent places for
tho y,NOr