Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-08-30
REA Director
Takes Back
His Charges
Daily Dispatch Bureau,
In the Sir Walter Hotel.

Raleigh. Aug. 3U.-1 our RdlelSIl
reporter hopes that he doesn't go too
far in patting himself on the, back:
but il would be just a little beyond
human nature if he wasn't doing just
little bit of gloatng over the state
ment just issued from Washington,
in which Rural Identification Direc-
tor Harry Slattery takes back cate
gorically 4 recent Outburst in which
he accused North Carolina power
companies of obStructing rural cleo
trification in the State.
Under date of August "a, your re-
porter announced exclusively that
Mr.. Slattery would do bit of craW-
fishing. 1t was flatly stated that he
would issue Just such statement as
! was issued
After rs story had appeared in
the Hickory Record, among other
papers served by this bureau, cor
respondent. one Henry M. Hicks, of
Patterson. Caldwell county, wrote a
letter to the Record editor as follows:
"As reader Of your paper l would
: like some information. In the issue Of
August "a, there was a story by d
Henry Averill Inasmuch as he APP
parently is not press association
writer, or a staff writer Of your own,
I would like to know who he is. In
addition. where does he get his i'll
formation? Why does he get his in
formation? Why do you print his
stuff? Are you paid to print it or
do you pay him, if so, why? What is
/, his address? Does he write for other
newspapers, if so, who?
Are you interested in things he
writes about, if so, are you interested
in the truth or Just the things he
tells? If you are interested only in
the truth would you print the other
side of the story as you print his
side?
Il would like to hear the answer
10 these questions, and l think many
more Of your readers would also. You
might do we'll to print the reply in
youl next issue. II not, please send
the answers by mail"
That effuSiOn resulted from this
bureaus prediction that Slattery
would recant and retract.
Whether your reporter told the
truth or not can be quite easily be
determined from the following YER
batim copy Of Mr.. Slattery's state
ment Just issued:
"On August l sent you message
stating that the Carolina Power and
Light Company had constructed
six-mile spite line in Hoke county.
The power company Immediately
protested and denied this. l ordered
immediate and exhaustive inveStl-
CATION, sending special representa-
tive to North Carolina to determine
what the facts were and are.
This investigation disclosed that
my earlier message was not based on
present facts. The Carolina Power
and Light Company has lately fol-
lowed a policy of cooperation with
the financed cooperatives which
l wish all power companies in North
Carolina would adopt. My charges
were unjust to the company.
Needless to say, | greatly regret
that they were made.
Il am issuing this correction to let
the people of North Carolina know
that our earlier bulletin was in error.
MY charges were made on the
basis of reports Of field representa-
tives and appeared to be substantial
ed by an examination Of our files in
Washington. The field reports were
submitted on the basis of very in
complete information, and the files
contain 100 much material of an ear
lier period in which the company did
oppose REA development, and far too