High Spots of the 1927 North Carolina Legislature
A summary of the 1927 North Carolina legislative session highlights including enacted measures such as a 30 million dollar maintenance appropriation and an 8.25 million school equalizing fund, the Great Smoky National Park bond plan, Cape Fear bridge funding, and broader road bond support. The assembly also passed laws on inland waterway rights, school attendance, child labor, a tightened bad check law, game protection, and interurban rail operation. Debates covered presidential primary rules, abolition of the Audubon Society’s assets, regulatory reforms for banks and insurance, and plans for a constitutional convention gunched by vetoes and tabled measures.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Raleigh
Mar
North Carolina
Great Smoky National Park
National Park
McLean
Tennessee
Secretary of the Interior
Congress
Cape Fear
Asheville
Wilmington
State Highway Commission
Assembly
Hill
Beaufort
State Parent Teacher Association
House
Judicial Conference
Senate
Creekmore
State Constabulary
Dunn
Deep feeling and surface words in a cryptic verse
A fragment speaks of deep feeling, surface language like a buoy that reveals the hidden anchor. It urges faith in the heart and cautions against trusting world held illusions.
Smith-Hargett bill makes highway commission sole road planner
The Smith-Hargett bill becomes law granting the state highway commission power to lay out its own roads. It clarifies that pending litigation is exempt and limits suits to disputes over location, aiming to protect the commission after negotiations and contracts from injunctions that stall construction due to objections.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Smith-Hargett
The
Highway Commission
North Carolina to Unveil Tablet Honoring Three Signers
The 1927 session acknowledged the three North Carolina signers of the declaration of independence and authorized a bronze tablet in their memory. The North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution will unveil the tablet on Tuesday March 8 with Governor McLean accepting on behalf of the state.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
North Carolina
North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution
McLean
Old North State Becomes Official North Carolina State Song
The assembly officially adopts The Old North State as North Carolina’s state song, ending years of unofficial use by the state.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Old North
Regulations on Drug Store Registration and Bank Capital
Under a different act drug stores must be registered. Banks with capital below 25000 cannot be organized under another act.
North Carolina Sets Delegation Unity Without Primary
The legislature enacted the Connor Ledberry measure uniting the state delegation to the national convention, eliminating a state primary to let voters express themselves.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Connor-Ledberry
North Carolina
Omnibus measure assigns county education board terms
The measure passes appointing county education board members across the state. Some boards serve two year terms while others run six year terms with staggered single appointments.
Law Creates Voter Fill Senate Vacancies
A new law enacted this session provides that vacancies in the United States Senate be filled by a vote of the people rather than by gubernatorial appointment. The measure shifts selection from the governor to the electorate.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Measure Backs General Hospitals in Three Counties
The measure authorizing Edgecombe Halifax and Martin counties to maintain general hospitals was enacted, enabling ongoing hospital operations across the three counties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edgecombe
Halifax
Martin Counties
North Carolina Consolidates Fisheries and Conservation Department
The North Carolina Fisheries Commission and Department of Conservation were merged with the conservation department taking over fisheries. The Park Commission will begin land purchases and option securing as part of the Great Smoky measure. The commission, led by Rep Mark Squires, plans immediate land acquisitions and a pledges campaign.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
North Carolina Fisheries Commission
Department of Conservation
Conservation Department
Great Smoky National Park
North Carolina Park Commission
Mark Squires
Caswell
E. C. Brooks
State College
Ebbs
Buncombe
J. A. Hardison
Wadesboro
Mr. Squires
Raleigh
Nighttime vehicle light law passes senate measure
The assembly approved a senate bill requiring vehicles on public highways to carry lights at night without dissent. The statute, operative in July, makes driving without a light a misdemeanor unless within other lights, with penalties up to 30 days on the road or a $50 fine, under magistrates.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Assembly
Senate
Bond Issuance Approved for Cape Fear Bridge Project
Law authorizes 1.25 million dollars in serial bonds to fund a toll bridge across the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. Proponents expect repayment to the state from tolls within ten years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cape Fear River
Wilmington
Assembly Revises 1925 Act on Judicial Conference
Legislature limits judicial conference to once yearly in Raleigh. Previously the judges met twice annually to study judicial problems.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Raleigh
State highway bonds reach 115 million total issue
The general assembly authorized thirty million dollars in state highway bonds raising the total since the state highway act to 115 million. Of the 30 million new issue, twelve million dollars will be used to pay loans made by counties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
General Assembly
Townsend Bill Clarifies Veterans Loan Fund
Representative Nat Townsend introduces a measure to clarify the two million dollars in the veterans loan fund. The proposal follows voter ratification at the last election, outlining aims and authority for disbursement and oversight.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nat Townsend
Veterans’ Loan Fund
Hines bill seeks reimbursement for alleged clerk theft
The measure aims to reimburse former State Treasurer W. H. Worth, treasurer under the fusion regime, for money allegedly taken from his office by a clerk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. H. Worth
Confederate Pension Measure Reduces Widow Eligibility
The Confederate pension bill fixes Confederate soldiers pensions at one dollar daily after defeat of amendments that would have lifted restrictions on widows. It would not have made widows eligible for the three hundred dollar yearly amount for those married before 1880.
Assembly Fixes Interest Rate on Agricultural Loans
The assembly set a fixed interest rate for agricultural loans issued through agricultural credit corporations. This move aims to stabilize borrowing costs for farmers and ensure predictable repayment terms across lending programs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Assembly
License Registration Shifts to January First
Law changes registration date from July 1 to January 1 at a cost of 100000 to be paid by 400000 automobile owners through 25 cent charge per additional license plate required each January. The move aligns state regulations with those of others.
Provisions of 1927 North Carolina Laws Noted
The 1927 general assembly enacted measures including aiding distribution of supreme court reports, permitting Dare county bridge construction over Roanoke Sound, and allowing some power companies to remove graves with 30 days notice. It failed to pass anti evolution, attorney fees for delinquent loans, marriage notice, jury reform, and Australian ballot bills.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
General Assembly
Supreme Court
Dare County
Roanoke Sound
State Banking Department
MacLean
Congress
Muscle Shoals
Kluz bill to cut factory hours for women and children defeated
The Kluz bill to reduce working hours for women and children in factories from 60 to 55 hours failed in the house. It drew 12 votes in favor and 73 against as supporters faced opposition from a large majority.
Purity Bills Die As Opponents Question Legislation
Dr. Oscar Haywood’s purity bills are defeated as opponents argue that you cannot legislate the morals of people. The move reflects a clash over moral legislation and legislative limits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Oscar Haywood
Judge Winston's bill to consolidate departments fails
Judge Winston introduces a bill to consolidate city departments but the measure fails to pass. The motion fails to gain enough support across the council, delaying proposed restructuring and leaving current agency powers intact.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Winston
Tax on foreign corporations fails in Senate action
The assembly, through adverse senate action, killed the measure of Senatoos Hancock of Granville and Royal of Wayne, which would have placed a tax of one-half of one percent on the market value of shares of stock of foreign corporations operating in North Carolina. The revenue derived therefrom would have been placed in the
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hancock
Williams
Pasquotank
House Committee On Education
North Carolina Bible League
Zeb Vance Turlington
Iredell
Pooke
Hoke County
Assembly
Senate
Senatoos Hancock
Granville
Royal
Wayne
North Carolina
New High Point Business Directory Nears Publication
The High Point Chamber of Commerce reports rapid progress on a new business directory. Secretary F J Sizemore says material should reach printers in two to three days, listing plants addresses and their products. Some new firms may still be missing data and are urged to submit information promptly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
High Point
Chamber of Commerce
F. J. Sizemore
Reflections on Nevada divorce law and street snow cleanup
A column discusses Nevada divorce law comparisons with Wyoming Florida and North Carolina arguing modern conditions justify longer separation periods. It notes the legislature’s stance against two year separations and praises local snow removal efforts in High Point amid heavy snowfalls with praise for city crews and emergency fleets.
Also Mentioned on This Page
State Game Commission
Audubon Society of North Carolina
Whitmire
J. Paul Leonard
North Carolina Merchants Association
Warren
State Historical Commission
Commission
Jack
Jamestown Weed High Point
N. C
Longfellow
Sheraton Hotel
the Sheraton
Flannagan
House Judiciary Committee
Representative Falls
Bertie
Nash
Sam
Martin
Washington
Cleveland County
Representative Falls’ County
Caldwell County
GITY
Nevada
Paris
Wyoming
Florida
Elinor Glynn
Broad
North Main
Wrenn and
Commerce
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