North Carolina Newspapers

Watch the Label On Your Paper Aa It. Carrtea the Data Wheo Your Subscription Expiree VOLUME XXXV—NUMBER 47 Board Lowers Tax Rate By 2 Cents More at Meet Monday SEVERAL ITEMS GET SMALL CUTS FOR TOTAL $2,785 Taxpayers Plan Review of Educational Budget Next Monday In a" special meeting held yester day, the Martin County Commission ers, upoi) the recommendation of a few taxpayers, lopped off $2,785 from the county budget, effecting a 2-cent reduction in the tax rate for the year 1932. The 2-cent reduction is in ad dition t0 the 1-cent decrease shown in the tentative budget prepartd last week, and brings th? rate down from $1.29 to $1.26 for this year. Another meeting has been sched uled for next Monday, when the tax payers and authorities plan a review of the education budget. This budget reflected the 1-cent decrease shown in the tentative rate last week, and it I has already been approved by the' commissioners and forwarded to Ra leigh, it is understood. Whether it is too late to make any changes in the budget is not known, but the group plans to review it anyway. With a reduction of rate foremost in their minds, the little group, gath ered around the table where the facts and figures were offered at first-hand by Chairman T, C. Griffin and Ac countant J. Sam Getsinger, went to work with much earnestness. At times the large property .owners-Xvery few small ones being present) were a bit radical in their suggestons. They would have the little measley $75 now spent for health work in the county shut off, the county to willingly de fault in the payment of its obligations, slice deep into the little aid given for the training of the county's own blind, deaf and dumb children. But they were probably sincere in their recommendations, and the commis sioners gave the suggestions {.-very consideration possible, making reduc tions that might reflect a saving as far as the rate is concerned, but might prove costly in the long run. ! The little was 4* v 'ded on one recommendation only, and that was the suggestion of A. R. Dunning for the abolition of the county re corder's court, described by him as the most useless courts in the world. The commissioners and members of his own group pointed out that the recorder's court is accomplishing more for the county than the super ior court and is costing less by a large amount. No alterations were made in the salaries at the meeting, as a reduction had been made just a few days before by the board. And the court will continue to function each week in spite of the many assaults directed 1 against it. , The decreases were made as follows: ' Board costs fpr prisoners were dropped from M cents to 45 cents a day, effecting an annual saving of a bout $350. . , One-third of the cost of drugs was cut out, the commissioners reducing the cost from $75 to SSO a year. Two hundred dollar*' worth of food was taken away from the county poor when the commissioners upon the recommendation of their Monday guests, reduced the budget item from SI,OOO to SBOO. Only SSO was allowed for bedding, as compared with $75 al lotted last year. Nothing was allowed for the purchase of farming imple ments at the county farm, resulting in a $25 saving. The committee apparently is look- ing for a healthy year, a recommenda tion having been made to allow only $250 for the burial of the county poor instead of S3OO called for in the bud get. The (500 costs incurred in gather? ing vital statistics were reduced by SSO. Vaccination appropriations were re duced from sso'to $25. The $l5O appropriated for indigent pupil* was reduced to SIOO. Stenographers' fees were reduced from SSOO to S4OO. A saving of SIOO was made in su perior cpurt fees, and another $250 was cut "from the appropriation for superior court witnesses. Recorder's court witness fees were reduced from S9OO to $750. Forty dollars were ap propriated for recorder's court jurors as compared with SSO last year. The largest reduction was made to the general or emergency fund, the commissioners reducing the appro priation from $3,000 to $1,750, a book laving of $1,250. Attorney's fees were reduced from $l5O to SIOO. Fred Huffman, of Catawba County, is building andther 1,300-bushel ca pactiy sweet potato storage house to •dd to the 2,000-bushel house he now baa. THE ENTERPRISE NEW RAT TRAP A new type of rat trap was dis covered in thii county last Satur day, when Mr. Jeeee Rawls, Bear Grass fanner, went to his barn and saw two rodents enter a large sized cantaloupe he had placed there the day before. With a stick in oos hand, Ms. Ranis shook the cantaloupe with the other., A good-sized rat jumped out and Mr. » Rawls killed him. Another rat jumped out was likewise killed. Stepping a few paces from the can taloupe, Mr. Rawls waited a short while and saw nine smaller rats enter the cantaloupe through the small hole. He took his position by the cantaloupe again, and as the rats passed out he applied the stick, killing all nine of them. Examining the cantaloupe, the farmer found that the rodents had eaten all the seed and the meat almost to the rind. LOCAL POSTAL RECEIPTS CLIMB DURING MONTH Increase Is Result of New Rate on All First Class Mail Matter Postal receipts at the local office in creased from $639.78 in June to $833.34 last month, the $193.56 increase re sulting mainly from the 1-cent raise in first-class postage rates. But the sales last month fell short by 18 cents in equalling those of July, 1931, Post master Jesse T. Price stating as his belief that the last month sales would have been a third less than were for the same period last year had it not been for the increase in the postage rate. Since the new rate went into effect and up until the first of this month, the local office sold 11,512 1-cent stamps, as compared with a sale of 2,005 during July, 1931. A majority of the offices throughout the country is showing marked in creases in stamp revenues since the new rate went into effect, It is un derstood. Stamp sales at the local post office were $10,863.53 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1932, as compared with $11,279.82 for the previous fiscal year, a decrease of $416.29. Many business firms are now de livering their statements in person, but the practice is not as widespread as it was first anticipated, according to information received here, NAME FACULTY AT EVERETTS ■ Only Two Changes Made In List of Teachers for The 1932-33 Term The 1932-33 faculty for the Everett* school was announced yesterday by Professor D. N. Hix, who return* there for hi* sixth consecutive term as principal. Only two changes were made in the faculty, the committee employing Misses Lela Brown Barn hill and Beatrice Wynne, two local young ladies. The names of the 10 teachers and their addresses are as follows: Primary grades: Mjsses Martha Baldree, of Ay den; Allie Marie .Roe buck, of Hamilton; Iva Mae Williams, of Durham; Lela Brown Barnhill, of Everett*. i Grammar Grades: Misses Lucy Matt Crofton, of Kobers«ftville; Be atrice Wynne, of Everett*; and Car rie Bell Warren, of Gold Point. High School: Mis* Alma Baker, of Harrellsville; Miss Doris Lee, of Oriental; Principal, D. N. Hix, of Everetts. • Operation Filling Station Mack Simpson Takes Over Mack Simpson, energetic young lo cal boy, ha* leased the Standard Fill ing Station located at tht intersec tion of the Jatnesville and Washing ton roads here, taking over the op eration of the plant this week. The young operator is extending an in vitation to hia friend* to visit him there. [ STANDING OP CLUBS J Gob W. L. Pet. Colerain :———— 5 4 .556 Elizabeth City 5 4 .556 Williamston 5 5 SOO Edenton __ 4 6 .400 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, August 9, 1932 MAIL SCHEDULES ON STAR ROUTE AGAIN CHANGED Mail from Norfolk to Reach Here at 7 Beginning Next Monday The ihair schedule now in effect from Norfolk to Wilson was ordered changed this week, the new one to go into effect next Monday, it was an nounced here yesterlay by Postmaster Jesse T. Price. , j Instead of leaving Norfolk at 7 in the evening, the carrier will leave j there, beginning next Monday, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, arriving here about 7:45 p. m. He is scheduled to reach Wilson about 11:15, making connection there with trains that will carry mail to Raleigh and other points. Service will be maintained daily ex cept Sunday out of Norfolk and daily except Monday out of Wilson. Mr. Price said. 1 As a result of the change, mail will be distributed to the lock boxes in the local office about 12 hours earlier present service. Under the present schedule, the mail addressed to local postal patrons reaches here too late for distribution to the boxes at night.and is held until tK? follow ing morning when a clerk starts work at 6 o'clock. The service will not be greatly im paired as far as receiving mail from Norfolk is concerned, Mr. Price point ed out. Letters are other matter mailed after the star route bus leaves Norfolk at 4 o'clock will be dispatched on the Norfolk to' Wilmington train ar 8 and make connection with the star route bus in Wilson, In other words, the star route carrier will bring mail direct from Norfolk and from the train at Wilson. By leaving here at 7:45, the carrier makes possible connection with trains carrying mail to Raleigh and other points in addU tion with trains carrying mail to Ra leigh and other points in addition to those connections now being made with various towns and cities through out the country. The schedule out of Wilson will re main unchanged, the carrier leaving there not later than 3 a. m. and reach ing Norfolk 7 1-2" hours later. Most of the mail received here is picked up in Wilson from trains making con nections with others from all over the country. * A four-year contract will be let next Tuesday, it is understood, for carry ing the mails over the route, and, ac cording to unofficial information re ceived here, many applications for the job have been forwarded to the gov ernment already. Several appjication blanks havc-rbeen called for locally, but it is not known whether any of them have been forwarded to the de partment in Washington, D. C. LITTLE DROP IN NUMBER CHECKS Local Bank Haindles 7,000 Checks First Month the Check Tax in Effect No marked decrease was noted in the number of checks handled by the Branch Banking and Trust Company here during the first month the 2-cent Federal tax was in effect on each in strument, it wa» learned from Cash ier C. D. Carstarphen yesterday. The decrease was not nearly as large as the people generally thought it would be, and ev*n if there are a few com plaint*, customers of the local iristi tution continue to write checks and pay the tax. During the first month the tax was in effect, around 7,000 customer's checks were handled by the bank, che ating around $123 revenue for the Fifl eral Government. That period is a bout the dullest experienced in the year, and it is believed that the in creased revenoe in the busy month* will create an annual revenue for the Government of around $1,500. WHERE THEY PLAY > TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th Colerain at Elizabeth City Williamston at Edenton WEDNESDAY, AUOUBT 10th Elizabeth City at Williamston Edenton at Colerain THURSDAY, AUGUST 11th Elizabeth City at Edenton Williamston at Windsor - FRIDAY, AUOUST 13th Edenton at Elizabeth City 'Colerain at Williamston HOLD FUNERAL TODAY FOR JAS. EDWIN HARRELL Dies Suddenly Yesterday Following Illness of Only Few Hours _ BARNHILL HELD James Edwin Harrell, one of the | WITHOUT BOND mo,t popular young m.n in thi. mc-| * UTITD UP A DIMr tion, died at his home on Simmdns'h A JCrfXx VJ Avenue here at 8:20 o'clock last eve- » ning following a stroke of apoplexy n ow in Pitt Jail Awaiting suffered a little over three hours be- Trial .*« T>u fore while he was attending a baseball _? ! There game at the Williamston High School Karly This Fall Building. He had suffered high blood pressure for some time, and while his condition was considered serious, his sudden death came as k decided shock to relatives and many friends throughout this part of the state. The son of the late Dr. William Henry and Bettie Moore Harrell, James Edwin was born August 29, 1898. He was educated in the local schools, receiving hi» diploma with the class of 1918. He later attended school at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he was graduated the following year. In -October, 1920, he was appointed to the Government mail service ( and from that time up until the day of his death he endeared himself to hun dreds of postal patrons by his will and ever-faihtful service to them. James Edwin lived his life for others, always taking pleasure in accommo dating friend or stranger when the opportunity to do so presented itself. His good will toward a fellowman was boundless, and he cherished the friend ship of every one. During his almost 12 years in (he employ of the government, he alwiys took an active interest in his work and the promotion of his patrons' in terest was ever foremost in his mind. He had served as president and filled many other offiees of his association during his employment with the gov inent. Early in life, he joined the Baptist church, and to its support he was grouped among the most loyal, and to its teachings he was ever faith ful. James Edwin was a friend to all, and in service to threm and his Maker he found Iris life. His father, recognized as one of the leading physicians of his day, died when James Edwin was only 7 years old. As the years passed, the young boy accepted the duties of the home, valuing the welfare of others above that of his own. His mother, who contributed so much to the education of Martin County's youth, died only last December. He is survived by one sister, Miss Sarah Harrell, of Wil liamston, and Lieutenant Commander W. H. Harrell, U. S. N„ of Norfolk, Va. . - When first stricken yesterday after noon, he complained with his head and asked for a headache tablet. He an answered a few questions asked him and just before he lost consciousness his last statement was made out of thrfut|htfulitess for members of )iis family: ; • ' ' Funeral services will be conducted from the home this afternoon at 5:30 o'clock by Rev. C. H. Dickey, pastor of thg local Baptist church. Inter ment will follow in the Baptist cem etery with members of the local Ma sonic lodge in charge of the last rites there. PLAN TO ATTEND MEET IN RALEIGH Plans for State Farm Meet In Raleigh Announced By Home Agent By Mia* Lora E. Sleeper The farmers' and home makers' meeting, which comes the last week in August, from August 29 to Sep tember 2, this year, one month" later than usual, should be of interest to all people in ihe county interested in improved rural conditions. Permission was secured from the school board this year to a truck to ac commodate any farmer or home-maker or others interested. This will reduce expenses as it did last year. The total travel expense last year for the 12 ladies going on the truck was 62 cents round trip to Raleigh. The meals are reduced to 25 cents each this year. The truck will ac commodate 20. Men and women are welcome to save their (expenses in going to Raleigh by going on the truck. To further reduce the expense many are planning to carry lunch to supplement one meal a day in the dining hall. It is believed if this is done the entire week's expense will be made for $2. This includes round trip to Raleigh and meals. If those going desire to have all meals in the dining hall, the expense will be $3, not including transportation up and back. This should help each one in making plans lor the farmers' and home makers' week. The time for leaving and further announcements concerning the meeting will be made later. Value of Tobacco Community Show T. H. Barnhill, aged man arrested the 30th of last month in connection with the mysterious death of his ward* Jesse Barnhill, in the Flat Swamp sec tion last April, was denied bond at a preliminary hearing held in Greenville by Justice of the Peace John Ivey Smith last Friday afternoon. The 74- year-old man was removed from the Martin County jail Friday, where he had been confined following his aT rest by Sheriff Whitehurst, of Pitt County. During his stay in the coun ty ja\J, the man talked very little, it is said. He refused, in a conversa tion with a representative of this news paper to discuss the crime. Ihe Greenville Reflector, in its Sat urday edition, had the following to say about the hearing: "Arrested last Saturday and confined in the Williamston jail, Barnhill was returned to Greenville yesterday aft ernoon to face hearing. He was be lieved to have killed his ward for th€ purperse of obtaining SIO,OOO insurance which had been made payable to him in case of the other's death. The to tal amount of insurance on the young man's life was estimated at about $20,000. ''Owing to the mysterious circum stances connected with the death, the insurance company withheld payment of the insurance, and Barnhill some time ago filed suit to obtain payment. "Jesse Barnhill, 25, was found dead on the highway near Flat Swamp cjiurch the night of last April Ift, and the arrest of the older Barnhill followed several months of investiga tion by representatives of the insur ance company and county officers, headed by Sheriff Sam Whitehurst. Officers expressed belief that the ward was shot and then carried to the Flat Swamp church and dumped on the highway. Bullet wounds were found in his head and chest and death was believed to have been instantaneous. "Four witnesses testified at the hear ing yesterday. They were Sheriff Whitehurst, Mrs. Jesse Davenport, wife of the slain man; Ed Pilgren and John Williams, colored, who for years was employed on the farm of the defendant. Barnhill did not take the stand. "Williams, considered the star wit ness for the State, testified of seeing the two Barnhills and two other peo ple riding along the road some dis tance from their home the night of the slaying. He said he went to the Barn hill home, but nobody was there. He then went to Pilgreen's house, and while talking to Pilgreen the elder Barnhill opened the window of his home a short distance away and called to Pilgreen to come over there. Ihe two went to the home, and the negro said that Barnhill expressed concern about the safety of his ward, and said he was afraid he had been killed. "A short time later the boly of Jesse Harnhill was found on the highway near Flat Swamp church. "Testimony of Williams was cor roborated by Pllgreen as it pertained to the visit to the Bamhill home. That of Sheriff Whitehurst dealt with the investigation, while Mrs. Daven port dealt with her relations with the dead man. "Barnhill will be held in jail here until the next (emi of criminal court, when he will be given a trial." FARMER USES LITTLE GUANO Louis Peel Says His Crops Are About as Good as Those of Neighbors Cultivating a two-horie crop in Griffins Township, farmer Louis H. Peel reported yesterday that he had as good crops as any in his neighbor hood, and that he had used only six hags of fertilizer so far in "growing them. Mr. Feel went on to say that his tobacco was a little better than that of his neighbors, and that he used only 200 pounds of commercial fertilizer to the acre. Long before the planting season ar- Mr. Peel prepared compoats, hauled the dirt from hi* ditch banks to his fields, and now he declares that practice will not break a farmer. "We will be a little late in complet ing the harvest of our tobacco crop, and the quality will not be so good as a result of the dry weather in our com munity, but what I make will be mine," Mr. Peel said. How Market Benefits T own Shown The following table, compiled this week by the Enterprise, shows the amount of cash ac tually spent in Williatnaton by the several warehouses and to bacco firms in connection with the operation of the local market. The figures are taken from the bookf of the companies and rep resent actual amounts, not esti - mat—r —• « Taxes $ 3,797.71 Insurance 2,860.49 Miscellaneous 1,150.00 Board and room paid by buyers, etc. 1,975.00 Labor . 40,392.17 Materials 7.0Q0.00 Gas and oil 2,000.00 Garage expenses 900.00 Total .160,175.37 COTTON IS UP $5 BALE AS RESULT OF CROP REPORT Second of Farm Crops To Show Substantial Gain In Many Months i Washington, Aug, B.—-The depart-, ment of agriculture today forecast an 11,306,000 bale cotton crop for this year, 5,790,000 less than last sason's •production, and thereby sent the prin cipal markets in that commodity surg ing upward. Tile prediction was nearly 1,000,000 less than any private estimate had been and the market's reaction to the bullish news was to send prices up $5 a bale in both N>w York and New Orleans. The department gave two main rea sons for the startling drop in produc tion; first the boll weevil; second, the lack of the use of fertilizer and con sequent smallness of plants. Another factor in the price increase was a report that banking interests were looking with favor on the organ ization of a syndicate""of mills to pur chase cotton at present prices for fu ture use. 'Eugene Myer, governor of the fed eral reserve board, has discussed sueh a plan for officials of the farm board, which with some of its agencies, holds approximately 3,000,(KM) bales. Chairman Stone, of the board, said today the low forecast would not al ter the board's plan to sell 650,000 bales in the crop year beginning Au gust 1. 1932.- That old familiar pest of Dixie, the boll weevil, has had nature on his side throughout the present cotton grow ing seasons. The department said in festation was general throughout the belt, but particularly in the -delta lands along the Mississippi river, where th heaviest planting has taken place. The aid of nature came in the form of a wet season which encouraged the multiplication of weevils in many places. A continuation of such weath er, the department said, would cause a loss from weevils even more than seems probable at this time. MARTINS DOWN EDENTON.3 TO 1 Locals Are Now Only One- Half Game Behind League Leaders ' Winning over Edenton here yester day afternoon by t 3 lu 1 score, the Martins pulled out of the cellar and to within one-half game from the Al bemarle League leaders. Cherry, work ing on the mound for the locals, al lowed only a few scattered hits and should have had a shut-out to his credit. Up until the eighth inning, Williamston was leading one to noth ing, and in that frame the locals add ed two more runs to increase the lead to 3to 0. Edenton, in the ninth, made a run that was hardly earned. . Both games scheduled in the league last Friday were rained out, and E lizabeth City and Colerain did /not play yesterday. This afternoon, the Martins are playing Edenton at Edenton, and Colerain is playing at Elizabeth City. Tomorrow Elizabeth City comes here, and Friday the Martins will play Cole rain here. The Elizabeth City game scheduled here for next Saturday has |>een called off, but arrangements for • game with a team outside the league arc now pending, it was unofficially learned today. 1 Advertisers Will Fad Our Col mm a Latchkey to Orer Sixteen Hundred Martin Coanty Hones ESTABLISHED 1898 OVER $60,000 PAID OUT DIRECTLY IN TOWN BY FIRMS Labor Is Largest Item in Expenditures; Amounts To $40,392.17 More than $60,000 was spent locally in the actual operation oi the William •ton tobacco market learned from an accurate study of rec ords kept l>y the warehouses arid to bacco companies here. The amount, $M),175.J7 to he exact, does not take into consideration the thousands of dollars spent by tobacco buyers, ware house employees, market patrons, and countless visitors to the market and town during the marketing season. When thesp expenditures are anal yzed carefully, the importance of the tobacco market is to be reckoned as one of the main pillars in the economic life of the community. The benefits of the market are not -limited to, the. town itself, for they are interwoven info the economic well-being of all the peo ple in the county: Kor instance, the property tax on actual tobacco market properties amounts to $3,7V7.71; this amount not including taxes on homes and bther properties owned by oper ators of the market and its employees. Last year, insurance cost the own ers of warehouses and the tobacco plant $2,1J60.49, all of which was han dled through local agents. Tobacco buyers and their wives spent nearly $2,000 for board and rooms during the brief marketing period. In many cases the company representatives spend all their salaries in the community for various and sundry things. Under the heading of miscellaneous items, $325 was spent for lights, wa ter, ami telephone services; s32s'for ice, coal, and wood, and SSOO for sta tionery and advertising, making a to tal of 150. Nearly $7,000 was spent for materials used in preparing tobac co for shipment, Anothpr $2,000 was ispent for gasoline and oils, and, that amount does not include expenditures for motive power used personally by I the buyers, warehousemen, and oth ers. • Approximately SWO was spent with the garages for parts and repairs, capital, outlay expenditures. for new trucks and automobiles not beinjj men tioned here, as they are not to be ac counted for in a single season. | Tlyt major item in the .list of ex penditures is centered around wages paiij laborers. Last year the market paid $40,392.17 to its workers, an a mv.ltnt taking a front place in the ad vancement of the economic life of the community. Uqliind this one expen diture item is more than cold dollars and cents, for if it had not been for those wages the demands of, the needy would have bertr so great the town and county combined could not have met them adequately. And while pov erty and hunger lurked in many hum ble homes, the circumstances would have been almost unbelievable had it not been for the $40,392.17 that was distributed in three out of five homes in the community. Upon this actual cash turn-over of $60,075.37, a'basis is established for an exchange of goods and services that will run into thousands of dollars, and before the trading is over, every one has derived some benefit either di rectly or indirectly. Two College Scholarships Await Martin County Girls By Miss Lora E. Sleeper Pineland College, of Salemburg, has notified the home agent that scholar ships for two girls from this county are available there. The scholarships are for SSO each. The girls securing the scholarship are first to be recom mended by Miss Sleeper.' The expense for the. year is S2OO, which pays for everything in the regular literary course except books and laundry. Pineland is a state-accredited junior college. It is possible, however, to secure a secretarial course "or to at }end the .normal school, which offers a Grammar Grade "C" certificate. /This college is run by Mr. and Mrs. VV. J. Jones, and many girls are af forded opportunities to work most of their way through this institution. Mrs. Jones' one requirement is that all girls coming to their college be of excellent character and have a purpose in life. Any girls in the county inter ested in this should see Miss Sleeper. County Commissioners ' Leave for Wrightsville Several of the Martin County com missioners, Accountant J. Sam Get singer, Treasurer C. A. Harrison, At torney E. S. Peel and Wheeler Mar tin left today for Wrightsville to at tend a State meeting of county com missioners.