North Carolina Newspapers

The State Port Pilot Southport, N. G. Published Every Wednesday JAMES M. HARPER, JR Editor Entered a a second-class matter April 20, 1928, at the Post Office at Southport, N. C., under the Act of March 3. 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES ONE YEAR $1.50 SIX MONTHS 1.00 THREE MONTHS - .75 Wednesday, December 28, 1949 The Coming Year i ? Right after Christmas is a poor time to look for much optimism among South port citizens, and yet there is a strong undercurrent which suggests that many of our people believe that the coming year will be one of the best in history [J{ for the economic development of this fx section. These important improvements and additions are in the offing : 1. Completion of the paving of the ( River Road. 2. Activation of Ft. Caswell as a Baptist Seaside Assembly. 3. The erection of at least one new fish factory in this vicinity. 4. Construction of a modern tourist court in Southport. 5. Continuation of a growing beach development. Add to these major prospects the out look for immediate improvement of the Southport yacht basin, the possibility of the erection of a large and modern store building and the addition of two or three small private enterprises and you have a sound reason for a note of optimism. As we see it 1950 should be a good year for those who want to work and for those who are interested in making important changes which will keep us abreast of our expanding opportunities. Christmas Decorations A few years ago in an effort to stimu late interest in Christmas lighting we de cided that we would list the homes which had outside lights, and explain briefly t the nature of the decorations. As we re member it, this was not too ambitious as a journalistic undertaking. Just imagine what would happen if - this year we were to attempt to list every { home where attractive Christmas lights ii were in evidence, not to mention the dif M ficulty which we would encounter in an "< effort to describe the scores of outstand ing decorations. Suffice it to say that this community has come a long way in a few short years IK in the matter of decorating for Christ 1 1 mas. Much credit is due the Southport (?' Woman's Club for their continuing co sponsorship of the Christmas lighting contest ; but more important is the fact that our people have come to take a great pride in the holiday dress of Southport. This spirit has paid off in m, beauty. ? ' Is It Political Sop? With no broad or thorough knowledge of the Brannon Plan, we are strongly in n clined to go along with the American 7 Farm Bureau Federation and the Nat ional Grange in their opposition to this venture into the realm of the unknown. Simply stated, as we understand it, the Brannan Plan would operate most attrac tively in theory. Farmer Smith would bring a dozen eggs to town, sell to Grocer Jones for 30 cents, get a record of the transaction, and then take his credit slip or something to the government pay-off window and obtain the 20 cents which r represents the difference between what Farmer Smith received for his eggs and the established parity. It could be that our ignorance leads us into a state of bewilderment. We haven't figured out what would happen if Grocer Bottomly should pay 31 cents to Farmer Smith for a dozen eggs on the same day that Grocer Jones paid 30 cents. It is sort of vague to us as to what would happen if Farmer Smith peddled his eggs for 35 cents per dozen to a local consumer and then, finding no market for the other eggs he brought to town, had to dump the other henfruit to the grocer for 32 cents. Would the govern ment pay him 18 cents on one batch and 15 cents on the other batch? And how many policemen would be needed to make sure Farmer Smith didn't get a 30 cent receipt from the consumer to whom he actually sold at a 35-cent figure ? Let's not get technical. Maybe it's bet ter to admit we have too little knowledge for a logical conclusion. Still, we must remark that we don't know why the gov ernment should foist the Brannan Plan on the American farmer when both the great national farm organizations are op posed to it. Could it be there's political sop floating down the election year river? J A Timely Letter The State Port Pilot has received a timely letter from the Birmingham, Ala bama office of the Southern States For estfire Cohimission, Inc., which explains the gains in timber growing here when and where defective diseased and weed trees are cleared out from long body pines, poplars, and gum, on same basis that corn and cotton is thinned out for maximum per acre production. That more than half our trees here and throughout the south will never grow to merchantable size is well known. That these useless trees will make good paper to meet increased demands for newspaper and kraft, and at the same time the removal will increase the timber supply to meet building requirements for future generations, is a sound good busi ness deal for the local land owners. Not only the increased board feet per acre per year increase will obtain, but also, it is a step in the direction of checking the lowering of the water supply, which is threatening to turn some of our fertile sections of the south and entire nation in to a veritable desert. The Commission estimates that the non-merchantable timber of the South will be sufficient to not only furnish the seventy-odd paper mills of the south in perpetuity, but also would supply as many more. The clearing of the young timber in northern and eastern forest areas begin ning fifty years ago has resulted in virtu ally eliminating the saw mill and other wood industries. And while the south will grow twice the board feet per acre per year, it will also become a denuded area unless land owners themselves use discretion in sale of pulpwood, saw logs and other needs. RALEIGH ROUNDUP By Eula Nixon Greenwood OPPONENTS? . . . Insurance Commissioner Waldo Cheek of Asheboro may have opposition when he makes his first run to succeed him self next spring. The talk in Raleigh is that D. R. Graham, long-time State employee and superintendent of the Credit Union Division of the State Agriculture Department, may get In the race. A native of Tabor City, he is no kin to Sen. Frank Graham, but they think a lot alike. Bob Graham is president of the South ern Cooperative League. "That man is adying to run for something", remarked the Rev. Joe Hunter, colored mail man (Agricultural Review, etc.) for the N. C. Agriculture Department last week when he read something about Bob Reynolds' activities in the direction of the U. S. Senate. Hunter, known as "Rev." by associates, said a mouth full. Anything can happen in politics. As this column reported weeks ago, Asheville's Rey nolds is writing letters to everybody. Now most of them have the extra touch of being labori ously flourished in long hand. Our Bob's slogan should be: "Reynolds rides again." It certainly will be like old times. Square. CHARGING NOW ... A year ago last October Tommy Pierce's wife shot him in the stomach, later telling arresting officers that he was moving toward her with a butcher knife. He stayed in a Raleigh hospital for quite a while, paralyzed from his waist down, and this paat August he died. During his long sickness his mother looked after him at his home with loving care. When he died, the good-looking, brunette wife was arrested for murder. Tommy's mother had a beautiful funeral for her son. Shortly after the funeral, she built a fine little mausoleum near his grave and decked it out with the bereaved one's wheel chair, radio, and other items he kept in his room during his illness. Visitors came by the hund reds each Sunday to go through the little house. Last week Tommy's mother came to the Re venue Department here and got her license. Now, while another son acts as a sort of bar ker and shows the curious about the place, the grieving mother collects 25 cents per person for admission. She's making money. This little scene Is being enacted each day now on U. S. Highway Number One just 12 miles north of Raleigh ? and is a pleasant thought for Christmas. Meantime, the daugh ter awaits her trial, which should be held the latter part of January. Some exceedingly in teresting developments are expected to be brought out when the case is put on the docket by Solicitor Bill Bickett, son of the 1916-20 Governor. Roving Reporter (Continued from sage one) siderable number usually sow their seed in January. Others may wait until later in the year to sow the seed, but January is the month for all of them to get their seed beds in readiness. The Ed Newton family had what might be called a reunion during the past week. Mr. Newton works in Raleigh and only ge?s home on week-ends. This week, in addition to his being here, Ed Newton, Jr., and his family were at home from State College; Lou Knox Newton was home from Washington and his F. B. I. duties and John Richard Newton was home from the Georgia Military Academy at Atlanta, Ga. | We missed out on our Shal lotte trip this week, really missed going. For that matter we miss it in not being able to go to a lot of other places in Brunswick each week. The fact of the matter is that these trips take all day, and run to some expense. The expense is helped out partly by commissions on subscriptions, paid to us direct, at any and all times. From some places there is very little of these commissions and, if we go, it is purely because we want to keep in touch with the folks. From what was seen of things it is suspected that post office forces, including the rural car riers, had a rather hard time of it last week getting the mail through. We believe that a lot of joy and a minimum of sorrow resulted from their efforts. With appreciation of what all tried to do and what they did do, we wish all of them a Happy New Year. It is often easier to see things, or notice them, when they are at a distance than it is when you pass them every day. Three weeks ago we had something to say about the rare but splendid mus tache of former county commis sioner L. C. Tripp. Mr. Tripp's ornament handlebars were written up as being something very rare. The day before Christmas we met Mr. William Wade on the street in Southport and offered him one of our cigars (friends about the state had sent us 7 boxes of 10 and 15 centers) Mr. Wade de clined the profered cigar and it was then we first noticed that he has such a mustache that it won't permit his smooking. A Long Island, N. Y., lady, Mrs. Freda G. James, writes us this week that she and her hus band plan to come to Southport during the early part of the coming year. They plan to buy or build a home here and reside in a milder climate than that which they have in the east. During the past few years Southport has had several such families to move here, with benefit to the town and county. J. G. Hickman and E. H. Lewis, Mill Creek farmers, seem to have done pretty well on turkeys this year. 852 pounds of their dressed birds were sold to a Southport store on day last week at 62 cents per pound. Only about a third of their flock went to make this poundage. Winning all games this far, Southport seems headed to have an extra good independent basket ball team this year according to manager Clinton Bellamy. They have a fine first string and plenty of good men in reserve, he says. Games here and there may be had by writing manager Bel lamy. i Writing us this past week, G. L. Bennett, district manager for the Atlantic Oil Company in Wil mingtor , recalled how he lived in Southport during 1920-21-22, and he has never forgotten the place. He says he expects to live here again and he feels that every one who ever lived here feels the same way about it. From Charles Parker, Johnny Hemmer and Carl Sink of the State News Bureau we received a letter just before Christmas bearing one of the first day's issue of air mail stamps com memorating the return of the Wright Brothers first-light plane to America. The letter bearing the stamp was mailed at Kitty Hawk on December 17, the an niversary of the first flight. Spending most of the summer in Delaware, where he is interest ed with his brothers in the men haden industry, W. M. "Bill" Hayes is back at his old camp ing ground at St. Phillips on the Cape Fear. Mr. Hayes tells us they had a pretty good menhaden season in Delaware. John Henry Brewington of the "Dark Branch" section on the River Road may be one of the oldest colored men in Brunswick county. Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Sprunt of Orton both say he is very old. A direct inquiry of John Henry at the Plantation Christ mas Party Friday brought con firmation from him, but he does not know how old he is. He has numerous descendents, children, grand children and great grand children. Dr. and Mrs. Carey Hedgpeth of Lumberton, when they are not at Long Beach or Southport dur ing the summtr, write us that we give them the fishing fever every time they get the State Port Pilot. Maybe we do. We have had the disease a long time and it al ways gets worse at the beginning of the year when large mouth bass, and goggle eye perch bite best. , Hugh Morton of Wilmington is not only a top photographer, he has something that are tops as subjects for his skill with the camera. Our Christmas greeting from the Hugh Mortons this year was a beautiful picture of the two Morton children. Our re actions are that they are two of the loviest children of all of the lovely children we know. One thing that many Bruns wick people do not realize and are not properly appreciative of is our mild year-round climate, neither too hot or too cold. Deaths from sunstroke or over exertion in summer have been few and far between. By the same rule, we do not recall any death from freezing in this county during our nearly 25 years of residence here. Among the many pleasing mes sages received this Christmas were a large number from Cham ber of Commerce secretaries in town throughout the State. The boys have an association and there seems to be some sort of a tie that binds. A one-time mem ber of the organization, we have seen gathered in again and are sort of proud of our member ship. Seeing Pat Shannon home from the Army reminds us that we have not kept track of the Shan non family like we wished we had. During the last 18 or 19 years of his life the father, H. M. Shan non, was one of our best friends. Mrs. Shannon now lives in Wil mington as does John, her oldest son. Dan lives at Orton; Jane with a fine business training, is working somewhere; Bill is some where out west; we have com pletely lost track of Bob, and Al. The return of menhaden fish ing operations to the lower part of the North Carolina coast is being readily foirseen by all iden tified with such operations. Two decades ago such operations here were based on the value of oil and fishing was only carried on a month or two in the fall when great schools of migratory fish were here. Now the main product seems to be fish meal and the factories to be built will operate on an eight or nine months basis. The Southport Woman's Club will be passing up a fine oppor tunity if it fails to take some steps for beautifying at least a mile of the River Road running i out from Southport. This road will ! be the main artery into the South port of tomorrow. Still untouch ed by building, it offers some beautification possibilities not to be found elsewhere. While we were thinking of the basketball game we were watch ing, Charles Saunders of the high school, asked how we get all the stuff that fills this column. He appeared to like it more than we like to write it. Since he and a good many others have expressed curosity, it may be said that the column is founded on com ment and little things picked up here and there. In most of the stuff, as many of you have no ticed, there are a lot of things that cannot be called news. This column might be called trimmings and waste from other stuff. . Not Exactly Nero s The new head of the Wilmingtort office of the U. S. Weather Bureau is named Frost, a name which seems appropriate enough these brisk winter mornings when the weather re port is telephone down to Mrs. C. Ed Taylor for posting on the buletin board . . . Something new in the way of Christmas presents was the row boat which Dallas Plgott gave Leila . . . One of the earliest crops to spring u pin Bruns wick county following the New Year probably will be candidates. There have been many fine compliments on the Christmas dance given by a group of South port business men Friday night at the Com munity Building for the people of the com munity. There was good order and good music, and a good time was had by all . . . The Virgil West orchestra seems almost like a local or ganization. West is a brother-in-law of Mrs. J. W. Ruark and the talented pianist is John Shannon, who learned his music from Mrs. Louella Ruark. We hear that Merrit Moore is seriously con sidering converting the Penny to menhaden fishing next season if he can make arrange ments to dispose of his catches . . . Our fishing scout reports that live minnows are without doubt the finest bait in the world for use in freshwater fishing this time of year . . . Seems to us that there is less bird hunting and more duck hunting going on around Southport every year. David Watson, who caipe to North Carolina in October for a three weeks vacation, will be heading back to Cleveland early in January after being here for three months. The extra time wasn't exactly a pleasure session, as most of it was spent recouperating from a near fatal auto accident. The former Southport high school principal appears to be fully recovered from his hurts ... it ought to t* to the show at Shallotte theatre v..'4 morrow. Bob Hope s playing ^ Jones", and anything he can't do uS does? but good. The Thursday~ptJfl at the Amuzu in Southport Is : edo", with William Holden. Seems good to see all the coiw, boys home for the holidays . ^ ? new shoe shop to open here during j Ed Oliver and his two sons are Orange Bowl game in Miami . got tried of his rich Christmas diet out Monday and caught a mess of If you doubt that the school ut ' good reading notice how much * this week. We did one thing that k make this Christmas so nice and j! peaceful in Southport was the plete absence of fireworks ... It ^ Claus two trips to deliver all 0( ^ smoking tobacco and cigars that hj sent the Rovin' Reporter. Hats off to the post office eir.pk, rural mail carriers fo rthe fine during the Christmas rush . . . forced young K. M. Starrett of ti* church community to give up his piy, tablishing a dairy ... One of the j tractive Christmas ornaments in tfe, was hung on the front porch of tbe | Nest home of Mr. and Mrs. Ed?x p for the delight of their gand children traffic passing in view were ships ? traveling the Cape Fear river. Everybody is glad to see the crew i S. E. Dredge Lyman get a break it J signed to do the maintenace Job he>| January 8111(1 February. The boat hu ? turned from a five months stay in U erica . . . And a happy New Year to TAX LISTING TO (Continued Fir-m rage One) has been named to that position again by the board of county commissioners. All listers have arranged ap pointments at various parts of their township for most of the month. At other times they may be found at their homes or places of business. The tax payers, says Supervisor Jorgensen, may list taxes at whatever point they find it most convenient for them to meet the tax lister of their townships. Williamson Named Sup. Continued From Page One | ful for the cooperation they have ' given during the years I have ; attempted to serve them as a i public official. TTieir understand- 1 ing and support has been the source of much satisfaction. In leaving the board, I want to as sure every citizen that I have | served to the very best of my I ability and have tried always to ' back those things which seemed 1 to be the best interest of all. My one regret is that I could not ac complish more. Again, may I thank all the people of the coun ty for their cooperation." SERVICE OFFICER Continued From Page One The veteran is not entitled to pen sion if single and with annual in come over $1000. If the veteran is married, or with minor Child ren, his Income must be not over $2,600. Participation is required for eligibility as a veteran of the Philippine Insurrection or Boxer Rebellion. VOYAGERS ON (Continued From Page One) suitable for women, Mrs. Woort man and daughter went to New Jersey early In the spring:, when good jobs were offered them there. This was the first time the family had been reunited since April. Both of the women will return to their jobs this week and Captain Woortman will remain here and continue his fishing. Social Security Every employer is aware of his duty to keep complete and ac curate records for Social Security purposes. In addition to this, maintaining proper records for his own report ing obligations, the employer must also provide his employees with statements of their employment showing the amount of wages paid to the employee. These state ments or receipts must be in writing but need not be in any special form so long as they are in a form suitable for retention by the employee. The receipt may be given each time the wages are paid, or the receipt ? one or more, but not four calender quarter* & words the worker mint t a receipt at least ag, If for any reason a *ohi his employment he nt*| a receipt with his last j Each statement mint I name of the employer, I ployee's name, the p e which the receipt is ? total amount of waget^ in that period, and tk of the worker's Ux i wages. If an employer | ceipts more frequently ) a quarter, he can shot I of payment of waga a the period covered bti ment. In some instances fe correct or incomplete i the worker's record > complete. The emplorn then may be the evida to establish his waft a Choice Meats - Fancy Groceries A Good Place To Do Your Trading GRISSETTOWN MARKET B. A. Russ, Proprietor On U. S. No. 17 ? Shallotte, N. G. ROYSTER Field Tested Fertilizers Plant Bed Stock Now On Hand Let us talk over your fertilizer needs with you. You'll find it pays to use the best. COLUMBUS TRADING CO. Shallotte, N. G. 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