The Hearne Democrat from Hearne, Texas • Page 12

BRIEF TEXAS NEWS FLOOD CONTROL FOR SABINE AND NECHES RIVERS A bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Sheppard and Connally to authorize the creation of an authority for a preliminary survey for flood control on the Sabine and Neches rivers, in Texas, and their tributaries. BUCK DEER HORNS LOCKED IN DEATH DUEL Two buck deer, with horns locked in a death truggle, were found on the Gus Schreiner ranch near Kerrville. At time of discovery one of the bucks was dead and the other dying slowly. The horns were locked in such a manner that neither animal could disengage his horns. HONEY BEE FESTIVAL Uvalde's contribution to the Texas Centennial was in the form of a Honey Bee Festival, lasting two days.

Climax of the festival was the crowning of the "Queen Bee," a beautiful girl. OLD AGE PENSION APPLICANTS 160,000 Approximately 160,000 applications for old age assistance have been received by the State commission. The new law "will be interpreted as liberally as possible, according to the commission. DUST STORM 400 MILES WIDE A storm curtain of heavy dust rolled over Texas in April for a width of 400 miles, bringing one of the worst dust storms in the history of the State. Most of the dust came from the high plains of New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

1,191 in OIL INDUSTRY REPRESENTS MANY MILLIONS In Texas there are 46 counties which the oil-producing industry represents more than a million dollars of income in each county. Gregg county is the heaviest oil producing county of the State. There are a total of 113 counties in Texas in which oil is produced in commercial quantities. HIGHEST AND LOWEST TAXED COUNTIES Fisher county has the highest tax rate in the State, which is $2.32 a hundred. Roberts county is the lowest, with a rate of 25c a hundred.

Four other low counties are Caldwell, 40c; Austin, 42c; Kendall, 42c; and Fayette, 43c. Four other high counties are Cottle, Liberty, $192; Duval, $1.90, and Delta, $1.80. BORGER WANTS A CHANCE The Chamber of Commerce and newspaper of Borger, Texas, are broadcasting to the world that it is no longer a "boom town," or a town controlled by the lawless element. Instead, its 7,000 population is just like folk in hundreds of other Texas towns that want a chance to make good. Ten years ago Borger was a cow pasture, but now is a thriving city of progressive people.

RIVER BOARD APPOINTMENTS Appointments to two river boards have been made by Governor Allred, on recommendations of the State Board of Water Engineers. A. A. Morrison, of Graham, was named director of the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation District to succeed the late Frank Oltorf, of Marlin. Andrew F.

Smyth, of Uvalde, and Jas. A. Miller, of Rocksprings, were named on the Nueces River Conservation and Reclamation District. Board to fill vacancies. SOIL CONSERVATION BREAKS ALL RECORDS The Extension Department of College Station announces that terracing and erosion control demonstrations were conducted by county agricultu a 1 agents on 9,791 farms involving 702,152 acres in 191 Texas counties in 1935.

The estimated total amount done by county agricultural agents, vocational teachers, farmers and others in the State amounted to 1,176,642 acres on which terraces or contour lines were run during 1935, involving 19,040 farms in 202 counties, an all-time record. PARENT-TEACHERS ELECT AND INSTALL OFFICERS The State Federation of 12th district of Parent-Teachers Association elected officers for the ensuing year at their annual meeting in Corsicana as follows: President, Mrs. G. D. McClain, of Crock- HARRISON COUNTY GETS NEGRO COLONY The government has accepted options on 8,500 acres of land in Harrison county for a rehabilitation colony for ne- groes, in the sutheastern portion of the county.

An appropriation of $750,000 has been made for the project. CANAL TAX FUND REFUNDED Tax Collector John Bourland, of Tarrant county, refunded funds collected for the Trinity River Canal and Conservation District. Before refunding, the tax collector of Dallas county awaited a decision from the State Supreme Court. PREDATORY ANIMALS TRAPPED During the month of March 1,191 predatory animals were trapped in Texas, divided as follows Bobcats, 165 coyotes, 974; wolves, 48, and mountain lions, 4. Webb county reported 153 covotes and 22 bobcats killed.

FROM OVER THE STATE WILD FLOWERS GET POLICE PROTECTION Rio Grande Valley -residents have set Texas' official the bluebon- aside a day in May to celebrate, with net, and other wild flowers, have had a mighty pageant, the opening of the police protection in different parts of new deep water port near Brownsville, the State this spring. Lapt. w. The port is expected to open up far- Mayr, of the Texas Highway Patrol, an- flung markets for the products of that tourists large valley. BROWNSVILLE COMMEMORATES PORT OPENING DEEP WELL MAY OPEN NEW OIL OIL FIELD What is believed to be another great oil field, in Southeast Texas, was opened up when a deep wildcat test well in the S.

Barrow survey, Cotton Lake area, in Chambers county, showed 750 feet of 37.6 gravity oil. The well is 6,680 feet deep and has a gas pressure of 125 pounds. MOSQUITO CONTROL PROJECT A new mosquito control and drainage project, costing $27,000 and employing 100 WPA workers at Port Acres, near Port Arthur, has started. It calls for levee construction and floodgate installations to protect the area from the invasion of tidewater through the bayous. WOOL AND WOOL PRODUCTS EXHIBIT An exhibit of wool and wool products has been placed in the Austin City Library.

It consists of samples of Texas wool before and after weaving. It shows grease wool, cleaned wool, woolen thread and several yards of woolen cloth; also samples of lanolin, a wool fat, which is a by-product of wool scouring. TEXAS COLLEGE OF MINES TO HAVE DORMITORIES Although 20 years old, Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy, at El Paso, a branch of the University of Texas, has never had student dormitories. Through a Federal loan and grant, money has been made available for two buildings, one to house 60 boys and the other to house 42 girls. They will be ready for the fall semester.

BIRTHS EXCEED DEATHS ALMOST 100 PER CENT During 1934 births exceeded deaths in Texas almost 100 per cent. There were 116,603 live births compared to 59,731 deaths. Heart disease led with 8,569 deaths; cancer, 4,002 deaths; nephritis, 3,504 deaths, and tuberculosis, 3,020 deaths. Accidents caused 4,495 deaths. IN Great Sons of Texas BIG OYSTERS WERE ONCE BIG BEND Petrified oysters, 30 inches in diameter, have been found near Boquillas, on the American side of the Rio Grande, in the Big Bend, where the new State park is to be located.

It is said a dozen of them would weight a ton or more. These gigantic oysters, scientists say, existed thousands of years ago when Texas was submerged by a vast inland sea. MEXICANS JOIN TEXANS IN CENTENNIAL PROGRAM The friendly relations of Mexico and the United States is further augmented by the fact that many Mexicans are joining in Centennial festivities. At San Antonio the Mexican vice counsel took active interest in the program, naming leading Mexican citizens as participants. All Mexican roles in the pageant were played by Mexicans.

ONE-ACT PLAY AWARDS In the Texas Junior College one-act play contest, held at Hillsboro last month, the Hillsboro Junior College took first place with "The Gallows Gate." Second place went to Amarillo Junior College with and Wesley College took third honors with "The Jig." Janie Stephens, of San Angelo. was named best actress and Billy of Amarillo, best actor. Contest is sponsored by the Speech Arts Association of junior colleges. TEXAS CHEESE PLANTS Cheese plants are helping much to develop the dairy industry in Texas. One firm now has five such plants and its purchase of whole milk daily from Texas farmers total 150,000 pounds, Texas cheese plants are producing a superior grade of cheese, the annual output of which is about 8,000,000 pounds.

The trench silo has been a big factor in increasing the milk supply from Texas cows. numbers of bluebonnets along the highways. He placed highway patrolmen under orders to arrest persons caught picking wild flowers or destroying trees and shrubs along highways. A State law prohibits picking wild flowers along highways or private property. YOUNG ELM TREES FOR SECOND CENTENNIAL Nacogdoches county has already begun preparation for Texas' second Centennial by planting 1,000 young elm trees along the highways of the county.

Some of the trees have been set out in the old town of Douglas, named for Kelsey H. Douglas, Secretary of the Texas Republic. The town was once a favorite over-night stopping place for General Sam Houston and other famous Texans. Many of the young trees are on Highway 21, (or King's Road), famed Spanish highway. FORTITUDE OF GEN.

SAM HOUSTON'S TROOPS Gen. Sam Houston's official report of the Battle of San Jacinto contains the following significant paragraph: "For several days previous to the action, our troops were engaged in forward marches, exposed to excessive rains, and the additional inconvenience of extremely bad roads, illy supplied with rations and clothing, yet, amid every difficulty, they bore up with cheerfulness and fortitude, and performed their marches with spirit and was no murmuring." One of these "forward marches," of Houston's troops, was a hurried 55- mile hike through mud, ankle deep, without sleep or food to Harrisburg, which brought the Texas army within striking distance of the Mexican army under Santa Anna. Harrisburg, east of Houston, is about 8 miles from the San Jacinto battle ground. DAVID G. BURNETT David G.

Burnett, first. President of the Republic of Texas, was born in Newark, N. April 4, 1788. His father, William Burnett, surgeon in the army of George Washington. After graduating from college, 3'oung Burnett studied and practiced law in New Jersey, later moving to Natchitoches, he resumed the practice of law.

While in Natchitoches he developed symtoms of tuberculosis, and on the advice of physicians came to Texas, in 18213, to live two years among the Comanche Indians, on the upper Brazos river. He is credited with having- built the first steam sawmill in Texas. In 1883 he was elected a delegate to the Convention at Sun Felipe, convened for the MAIL CARRIER DASHES THROUGH SWARM OF BEES Roscoe Reeves, rural mail carrier on Route 2, out of Gorman in Eastland county, had a unique experience with bees. While coasting his car on a smooth road, 50 miles an hour, he dashed through a swarm of bees. All car windows were open, and he estimates that he gathered in about a pint of bees with such force that most of them were killed by the impact.

He was not stung. 12 LARGEST ANTIMONY SMELTER LOCATES IN TEXAS The largest antimony smelter in America has been located at Laredo, Texas, employing 170 men. Ore is shipped to the smelter from Mexico and Western United States. The commercial use of antimony is chiefly as an alloy to give strength to type metal, machinery bearings and storage battery plates. Formerly 80 per cent of all antimnnv used in the Unite States purpose of petitioning Mexico to make Texas fmm PlVL, a separate State from Coahuila, of which Tex- tion are eighteen forest patrolmen and as was then a part.

sixteen emergency pati'olmen. Location In 1834 he was appointed Judge the i xt een 100- Municipahty of Austin, discharging the duties FOREST FIRE UNIT FOR COUNTIES A new government unit of forest fire protection has been established in Northeast and East Texas to protect 3,500,000 acres of valuable timber land in twelve counties. The protected territory embraces all or part of Red River, Bowie, Morris Titus, Camp, Upshur, Cass, Marion, Harrison, Gregg, Rusk and Panola counties. M. E.

Brashear has been placed in charge of fire protection work in this area, with headquarters at Marshall. Under his direc- was exported from China. DEVELOPMENT OF DIET The contribution of Texas State College for Women (C. I. Denton, to the Texas Centennial is an exhibit 4-4-' tllC J.

i iti JO i4ii LJ Ji 11 J.w.1 t- ett; vice-presidents Mrs. W. L. Getting, ing the development of diet from Jacksonville; Mrs. John B.

Davis, Cor- fc Sicana; Mrs. P. 0. French, Fairfield; Mrs, Frank Bussey, Timpson; Mrs. Herman Jacobs, Beckville; Mrs.

Kent Steel, Trinity; and Mrs. W. B. Hargis, Hemphill. Recording secretary, Mrs.

W. F. Hubbard, Henderson. Jacksonville was selected as the 1937 meeting place. a historical standpoint.

The exhibit, to be housed in the Federal Building, will be divided into three groups. The first booth will show the historical kitchen; second, the historical development of the diet in relation to the life of the people, and third, adequate diets at different cost levels. GEN. SAM HOUSTON'S SIGNATURE ON LAND DEED A deed to 320 acres of land, bearing the signature of Gen. Sam Houston, is owned by Postmaster J.

E. McClain, of Roscoe. The instrument has been in the McClain family since 1885, when it was presented to Postmaster McClain's father as part of abstract proceedings when he purchased the land, nineteen miles west of Waco, on Elm creek, McLennan county. Gen. Houston conveyed the land to one, John Leach, February 26, 1860, while Governor of Texas.

'Leach had filed a pre-emption certificate on the tract in 1856. LIVED 80 YEARS ON SAME FARM Kossuth Barry, age 86, of Walnut Springs, oldest settler of Bosque county, has lived for 80 years on the same farm, his present home. His father surveyed the land in 1845. For 54 years Kossuth has lived in the same house. His parents moved to this farm from Navarro county and the family's neighbors, at that time, consisted of a band of Indians who were friendly until going on the warpath in 1858.

The TRACING TEXAS' FIRST TOURISTS Hardeman county (West Texas) had the honor of a visit from Texas' first tourists, according to Dr. Robt. S. Hill, historian, in tracing Coronado's journey through Texas in 1542. He says the Spanish explorer through Hardeman county twice, first when following Red river and afterward when traveling from San Clements to Dodge City, Kansas.

Coronado, at the time, was seeking in Texas the fabeled "Seven Cities of Cibola" (seven cities of gold) instead he found seven poor Indian villages built of grass huts. LOANS AND INTEREST RATES OF FCA Texas farmers saved more than $3,500,000 a year on interest alone by refinancing debts with the Farm Credit Administration, since its organization in May, 1933, according to an analysis made bv the administration. The farmers of Texas refinanced $138,790,000 of farm debt, carrying an average interest rate of 7 per cent a year, with long term Federal Land Bank and Land Bank loans bearing interest with marked ability. When Texas finally rebelled against the oppressive acts of Mexico, Judge Burnett took an early and active in favor of the colonists and independence. He was delegate to the convention at Washington-on-the Brazos, March 1, 1836, where the Texas declaration of independence was written, adopted and signed.

Judge Burnett helped in the writing of the declaration. At this convention he was elected President, ad interim, of the Republic of Texas. In 1838 he was elected Vice-President of the State of Texas, serving three years. At the termination of the vice-presidency he lived for many years in the quiet seclusion of his home, near the San Jacinto river. In 18-113 he was Secretary of State, holding the office until the close' of the Henderson administration.

He was elected United States Senator from Texas, in 1866, under the President Johnson's plan of reconstruction, but Congress rejected the plan and he was not admitted to. a seat in the Senate. Judge Burnett was one of the Great Sons of Texas, a fluent writer and an eloquent orator. He dud at Galveston, December, 1870. foot steel lookout towers.

These towers will be connected by a system of telephone lines and will be so placed that the view commanded from them over the surrounding territory will aid in the quick and accurate location of forest fires. The addition'of the new area to that already protected brings the area under organized fire protection in East Texas up to 10,444,550 acres, according to the Texas Forest Service. BEES DWELL IN NAVARRO COUNTY COURTHOUSE For ten years a colony of honey bees have made their home in the cornice of the Navarro county courthouse, in Corsicana. A standing offer by the county authorities to anyone who would rob the bees for half of the honey has never been accepted. The bees are peaceful and disturb no one.

STUDENTS CHORUSES RECEIVE TRAINING Mass singing of young people is receiving the special attention of Texas educators. At Abilene, Taylor county, 32 county schools have participated with 1000 student voices. This chorus, one TRIBUTE TO SAN JACINTO BATTLE SOLDIERS A magnificent tribute was accorded the soldiers under Gen. Sam Houston, who won the Battle of San Jacinto, when 75,000 persons gathered upon the battlefield April 21st, 1936, to commemorate, by fitting ceremonies, the one hundredth anniversary of the battle. The San Jacinto battle began at 4 p.

April 21st, 1836, and by 4:30 p. m. the Mexicans were routed and had fled in disorder and defeat. Eight Texans were killed and seventeen wounded. Gen.

Houston was wounded in the leg by a musket ball. The Mexican loss was 630 killed, 208 wounded and 730 taken prisoners. Santa Anna was among the prisoners. Sir Edward Creasy, the English historian, in his history of "Sixteen Decisive Battles of the World," includes the Battle of San Jacinto. This battle, aside from the Battle of Shiloh, was the most fateful of any battle fought in America.

It not only decided the question of independence for the Texas colonists, but paved the way for adding later a vast domain to the United States once owned by Mexico. Cattle, is hale and hearty and has ridden the same horse 22 years. Abuse of Land the Cause of Dust Storms and Destructive Floods (Continued from Page 3) losses from extensive types of farm land throughout the country show that on the average grass is at least sixty- five times more effective than clean- tilled crops in preventing erosion and five times as effective in holding water on the land. Had the volume of rain water and melting snow which swelled the rivers of the Eastern flood area been only one-fifth as one- third as catastrophe of a few weeks ago might not have been a catastrophe at all. In the final analysis, there can be no permanent control of floods until we have control of erosion over entire watersheds, from the crest of ridges down across the slopes where floods originate and where soil is picked up to choke river channels.

America has been building levees and revetments for many decades. The method has been to attack floods at their point of greatest strength. Yet floods seem to become progressively worse. The Mississippi, for instance, rose to its highest flood level in 1927, when it reached 45.8 feet on the gauge at Memphis. Before that the highest mark ever reached on the same gauge was 43.4 feet during the flood of 1916.

And before that the top stage was 35.6 feet in 1890. In the reservoir of the soil lies the key also to the problem of duststorms and wind erosion. The enormous dust- storms of the last two years were the result of an accumulation of circumstances, climaxed by several years of intense drouth. Overgrazing, followed by mechanized cultivation of grain and, the consequent destruction of natural sod cover, had bared the soil of the high plains. Then the drouth came along.

Grain crops failed for several successive years; it was difficult to maintain any cover whatever on the land. The soil baked dry and turned to powder that blew easily before the wind. Texas Demonstration Area At Dalhart, in the Texas Panhandle, the Soil Conservation Service has operated a demonstration area for about two years. One year ago a survey showed 19,900 acres of land in the area subject to severe soil blowing. Since that time the owners of this land have cooperated in carrying out a cropping system which keeps a vegetative cover almost continuously on the land.

And one month ago a resurvey showed that 19,100 acres out of the 19,900 are under control. The job was done at Dalhart, moreover, in spite of the fact that precipitation in the area during the year was only 74 per cent of normal. The result of this one year of precautionary crop management in a limited area is tremendously significant. It means that high plains farmers can curb the plague of dust if they will. All.