Hickory daily record., 1922-12-22
PE ANS
D|5CU55EDA|I'T[
MEETING

It'll. HvO
Secretary Harry Link and Director
w. ). Shuford of the Hickory Cham
Der of Commerce and Senator Mark
Squlres and Representative Frank
: Grist of Lenoir attended the meeting
IN Charlotte last night to present to
Col: Benehan Cameron and his special
legislative committee propositions for
the state to build railroads into the
mountain counties. Richard N. Hack
ett OF North Wilkesboro was the prin-
clpal speaker. The Observers account
OF the meeting includes:
Urging that Colonel Benehan Cam
eron and A. J. Draper recommend
that the general assembly take such
steps as is necessary to provide for
the linking of the so-called "Lost
Provinces" with the rest of North
Carolina by railroad, motion made
by Heriot Clarkson at meeting last
night at the Chamber of Commerce
and seconded by DR.. John @. Meyers,
a native of Wilkes county, was unani-
mously adopted.
Colonel Cameron and Mr.. Draper
are members OF a committee ap-
pointed by Governor Morrison upon
recommendation Of the last general
assembly, to investigate the needs
for and potential benefits of a rail-
road connecting Avery, Watauga,
Ashe and Allegheny counties with
the rest Of the state.
! Former Congressman r. N. Hack
EFT. Of North Wilkesboro, was the
principal speaker at the meeting and
Mr.. Hackett outlined the steps that
had been taken thus far, speaking
familiarly and impartially of the va
rlous routes into the counties and
outlining the steps that have been
taken.
What They Want
Speaker after speaker arose and de-
clared that the 'citizens Of the four
counties are tired of being referred to
as belonging to the Lost Provinces
stating emphatically that they are ma
tive born Tar Heels and desire to be
known as such.
"We are not in favor of the general
assembly showing any favors to few
counties Of the state but. if it is found
that this will be step that will bene-
! fit the entire state. we wish a railroad
| into that section as. many as five
speakers asserted.
''This road will benefit the entire
state, both by providing shorter and
more direct route to the coal fields and
| by giving the citizens of those coun
ties a gateway into their state" the
speakers further declared.
Route a Secondary Matter
AS to the route, they avered that
| it did not matter. Any route that
was found by a state engineer to be
feasible and to be the best route,
would be entirely satisfactory to them.
'The problem is not one of route.
We dent want road that will be OF
purely personal benefit to any one per-
son, or to the citizens of the four
lccunties, they stated. "But, what the
citizens Of the section are soildly IN
favor of is such action as will provide
an outlet to those four counties, Civ
ling them the advantage of the mar
ket they deserve, and giving the state
| the benefits of their trade and short
or. direct route into the coal fields. 1t
| is not a question of direction but one
! of action"
After the address of Mr.. Hackett.
| in which he confined himself entirely
| to the facts in the case. the distances.
grades, conditions of~the country. the
problems that the constructors OF the
road would meet and some OF the ad-
vantages of such road. former Sher-
| iff Preslv E. Brown. Of Wilkesboro;
W. J. Shufofd and H. w. Link, of Hick-
orv: Frank D. Grist. representative OF
Caldwell county; Mark Squircs. SEN
ator from Caldwell county, and DR..
T.. 3. Moss. of Henderson county, made
short addresses.
Agreed Upon Route
At the close of the meeting, Mr..
Hackett and former Sheriff Brown
presented proposition to the other
representatives upon which they all
agreed, providing for route connect
inp Hickory with Grandin, Elk river
and the Yadkin river branch OF the
Southern railroad. and extending to
Boone. from which point it could
he connected with the Carolina rail
road leading north and the lines at
RutIer and Appalachia, Tenn, leading
west. -.
This line. it is stated, will require
b1+. 60 miles of grading and construc-
| tlOn anu Will pIOVIuc ASAo't, =.
boro, Boone, jefferson and HICKORY
with lines leading in all four directions.
The Chamber of Commerce and the
board of commissioners are to examine
the proposition thoroughly and report
to the general assembly. -,
Other members of the committee
APPOINTED by Governor Morrison are
Major w. C. Heath, of Monroe; T. G.
Bowie, of jefferson, and c. D. Brad
Iham, Of New Bern. The committee
was nmed by the governor to inyes-
|tigate the proposition and report upon
the advisability of the states selling
it's stock in the North Carolina rail
lroad to defray the expenses Of build
ing the proposed road.
Among the statements made at the
meeting were the estimates that such
a route would shorten the hauling dis
tance of coal into the cities of approx
imately 145 miles and that it would
lsava the consumers practically $1OO In