Hickory daily record., 1922-10-05

Hickory, n. c., Oct. 3.-The erection
Of the municipal building here may be
said to the the high water mark OF
Hiclory's faith and progress 1t is
rare that a city of Hickory's popula-
ton invests SO much money in muni-
cipal building. 1t shows that the peo-
pie are confident Of both their pres
ent and their future. 1t may be said
to be the hallmark Of development
that has just reached the stage Of en-
largement based upon industrial pros
perity, for Hickory boasts (no, that is
not the correct word-it claims and
does not boast) Of eighty manufactur-
ing plants, ranging from new toy
factory recently put in operation to the
nearly year-old Howard Hickory
nursery, furnishing employment to
thousands in :lnsss out of town. with the
largest creamery in the South, hand
ling dairy and poultry products to the
annual value Of 100000.
It's industries are varied It does not
depend alone, or chiefly, as in the early
days when the late Gather Hall was
manufacturing the Piedmont wagon
which had reputation far and near, or
on the big production Of it's cotton mills
established mainly by the late Abel A.
Shuford, whose mantle has fallen on
his son, A. A. Shuford, or other indus
tries that give large employment. All
its industries began on a small scale
and have grown steadily. Most of them
are operated by local people-one plant
following another. Thanks to the diver
sification of industries, the general
depression was not felt much here. If
one line was hit, another was moving
along. Wealth is fairly we'll distrib-
uted-few millionaires and few de-
pendents. was particularly interested
that Hickory has established fac !
tory for the manufacture of toys. Now
that is a new kind Of industry for
North Carolina. A hundred years ago
our children made their own toys. Par
ants will buy toys at Christmas even |
If they have to economlZe on meat.
Where do they get them from? Until
1914 more of them came from Ger
many That country had almost a mon
opoly on the manufacture Of toys. War
necessity compelled us to try to man
ufacture toys in America. We found
out we could do it, and make most toys
as we'll as they were made in Ger
It was by-product of war
one of the compensations, so to speak.
1t is singular thing how long we
accepted the propaganda that "Made
in Germany" was better than "Made
in America" To be sure, there are
some things that Germans make bet
ter than Americans. They have de-
voted themselves for generations to
certain things that require proficiency
just as other peoples have in other
manufacturing. But as to most things,
such as making toys and guns, it has
been shown that there is no special or
exclusive genius and talent possessed
by Germans. Even if so, if the talent
is a racial possession, the large strain
of German blood in this country would
enable Catawba folks to turn out as
good toys as they produce in Nurem-
burg. But American skill, when turned
in that direction, is as capable OF MAX
ING toys as German skill. Moreover,
here at home if our minds are put to
it, we can make toys to suit American
children better than they can be man
ufactured anywhere else in the world.
The war taught us that soldiers could
be trained just as we'll in America as
in Germany, and that it does not re-
quire three years in the goose-step
to make soldier.
North Carolina has made great
strides in industry, but we have spe-.
cialized too much on cotton goods and
furniture. We should keep our lead
there and 60 forward in making finer
fabric and finer furniture. There is
much development in both as also in
our other big industry, the manufac-
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