North Carolina Newspapers

WWch the Label On Tow hMr As It- CatriM (hi DM* win Tour Snbocriytion Expiree VOLUME XXXV—NUMBER 103 SCHOOL DEBT OF STATE BUT 14 PER CENT OF TOTAL Figures of Tax Commission Show Amount Is Small Compared To Others The combined public debt of North Carolina'* state and local governments June 30, 1931, was $432,330,417, of which $370,048,367 is classed as lo:al, $161,682,050 at state, with $14,926,950 in special school building bonds. Of this total $532,000,000 indebtedness, $75,000,000 was incurred for schools and $457,000,000 for other purposes, or 14 per cent for schools and 86 per cent for other purposes, it is shown in the Tax Commission report for 1932, just issued. A further study of these a(id other Tax Commission figures reveals that of the $40,794,473 paid for 1931-32 in debt service requirements, as interest and retirement of principal, $4,460,- 419, or approximately 10.9 per ctnt, was paid from special assessments, fees and earnings of municipal service enterprises; $8,383,715, or 20.6 per cent was paid from gasoline and motor ve hicle license taxes, and or 8.9 per cent, was paid from State gen eral fund revenues, divided into sl,- 101,699 for state educational institu tions, and $2,541,728 for other pur poses. From the local general property tax collections, these figures show, coun ty road bond payments amounted to $8,157,298, or 20 per cent, while school bonds amounted to $6,195,159, or only 15.2 per cent. For purposes other than schools, mun»:ipal, county, and district, the debt service amounted to $9,954,485, or 24.4 per cent of the to- An alaysia of the debt service re quirements by functions for 1931-32 shows that highways and roads re quired payment of $16,541,013, divided equally between state payments and county and district payments, or 40.5 per cent of the total, while education required payments )of $7,296,828, or $6,195,159 for public schools and sl,- 101,669 for state educational institu tions, or a total of 17.9 per 'rent, while' all other purposes required payment of $16,956,632, or 41.6 per cent. This is contradictory to the oft-re heated statement that the public schools are the greatest beneficiaries and are responsible for the bulk of the state and local debt, since only 15.2 per cent of the 1931-32 debt pay ments were for schools; 40.5 per cent was for highways and roads, and 41.6 per cent. was for all purposes other than schools and roads. INAUGURATION TO DRAW MANY » Might Run Special Pullman To Washington From This Section With special inducements offered by the railroads and other agendas, thousands of people are planning to attend the presidential inauguration in Washington City Saturday of next week. It ia believed now that one of the largest crowds ever to attend s»;h an exercise will be there. Quite a few are making arrange ments to attend from this section, it is understood. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company is planning to run a Pullman to accommodate those desiring to attend from this sec tion. The Pullman will leave Tar bora Friday afternoon and reach Washington that night about 10 o'- clock, returning Sunday. Those trav eling on the Pullman will be hauled there and back anf given sleeping ac commodations during two nights for i $14.25. The party wil lbe made up of residents from Williamston and Tar boro and intermediary points, it is planned. • MAIN STREET HOME ENTERED • Mayor R. L. Coburn Chases Burglar from His Home - Last Tuesday Night ♦ A second visit by burglars on West Mam Street was reported early last Wednesday morning when some one entered the home of Mayor and Mrs. R. L. Coburn, a few doors from the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Mead ows, where an entrance was attempt ed a few nights before. Knocking over a chair, the burglar was 6rst heard in the kitchen, and was later seen finding his way around with a flashlight. The mayor,, with gun in hand, chased the man out of the house and fired upon him but missed the mark. While the man was roam ing arcMtad the kitchen, it isn't be lieved that be was after food altogeth er, but was planning to plunder other parts of the home. THE ENTERPRISE Register at Hotel See Sights; And Name and Locati Paying little attention to the name of the hotel when they reg istered in Washington last Tues day night made regular night ' • hawks out of Sheriff C. B. Roe buck and Officer J. H. Allsbrooks. After locating their baggage, the two officers thought they would ride about the town and see the sights before retiring. After view ing everything they could well re member in one sight-seeing tour, the two started back to their ho tel. They had forgotten what street it was on and didn't even know the name. Midnight came and they were still looking for their hotel. One o'clock passed DIVORCE LAW OF STATE CHANGED ♦ Two Years' Separation Is Now Legal Grounds For Divorce Two years' separation was made grounds for divorce in North Carolina this week when the legislature decid ed that five years was too long a time to wait for one wishing a divorce. The senate accepted the house amend ment providing that no present litiga tion be affected by the law. In other words, divorce proceedings now un der way will progress under the old law to a final solution. As the new law is understood here, the \Wo years of separation can he used as grounds for divorce only by the aggrieved party. If the husband runs away and leaves his wife, then she can sue for divorce on the short separation grounds, but he can not. The same holds true if the wife leaves the husband for a period of two years. The law, kinder in keeping with Reno's lowering of divorce bars, is not expe.-ted to create a big crop of grass widows and widowers in. the state any time in the near future, BIDS ASKED FOR FILLING STATION —• — Sinclair Company Plans To Let Contract for Station Here Next Week • • The Sinclair Refining Company thil week called for bids for the tearing down of the old Carstarphen store building and the erection of a mod ern filling station on the corner of Main and Smithwick Streets. No building details have been announced, but it is understood that the station will be one of the most modern in this section. Bids are returnable the latter part of next week, accordiug to informa tion received here. Contractors are asked to enter bids for tearing down the large wooden structure and the erection of the sta tion jointly and separately • Names of 26 Pupils Appear On Honor Roll at Everetts Twenty-six names appear on the Everetts school honor roll for the fifth month, as follows: First grade: Janie Margaret Ayers, Janie Louise Bailey, Billy Clark, Mary Alice Cherry, Walter Keel, Clara Tay lor. • Second grade: Harry Edmonds, Naomi Rawles, James Stalls, Dallas Taylor, George Wynne. Third grade: Susie Ausbon, Charles Coltrain, Florine Clark, Agnes May ton, Mary Louise Mobley. Fourth grade: Susie Ayers, Thomas Harrison. Fifth grade: Mary Ruth Mallory. Seventh grade: Joseph Bamhill. Eighth grade: Ruth Cullipher, W. E. Grimes. Tenth grade: Roy Harrell. Eleventh grade: Ella Cherry, Hazel Faulkner, Helen Keel. 1,11 ■■ 1 —• A. C. L. Train Decreases Size of Train by One-third # 1 Experiencing an ever-diminishing passenger patronage over its Tarboro- Plymouth branch, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company this week de creased the size of its passenger trains operating over the line by one-third. Aside from the engine and coal- car there are the mail and express car and one car for passengers. The pas senger car is divided into compart ments. Well, even then the service is adequate to serve the territory and the change went by just about unno ticcd. A big locomotive, able to pull a long train with its six-wheelers, continues to handle the train. Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, February 24, 1d33 and finally at two o'clock, the offi cers happening to glance at the name "Atlas," and remembered at once that it was their hotel. The District of Columbia po lice did not know about it, but the two local officers were help ing them patrol the town that night. On their return trip, the. officers followed U. S. route 1 right on through Petersburg and found themselves in South .Hill, Va., in stead of Einporia, as they thought, the slight error adding 60 miles to their trip. They have decided not to at tend the inauguration. LICENSE PLATES TO BE SMALLER State Auto Tags for 1934 Are Being Planned In Gold and Black Hardly before the State automobile license tags are sold fot the year 1933, authorities in Raleigh are already mak ing plans for more of the plates for i use in 1934, in case there are any au tomobile owners who have outlived the gas tax and satisfied the mort ' KaKes.„ ] The new plates will be about three fourths the size of the plates "now in | use and will be yellow and black, ac- Icording to A. J. Maxwell, commis j sioner of revenue. The colors are I those of Wake Forest College. The present color scheme is borrowed from the' University of North Carolina. Mr. Maxwell said final details cn cerning the tags had not been worked out, but that in the interest of econo my the yellow and black colors would be used on smaller and lighter steel plates. As the tags will be placed in plain envelopes when jsold over Jhe coun ted at license plat stations instead of in the patented pocket envelopes now used, additional money will be saved in that way. L. S. Harris, director of the motor vehicle bureau, said it was figured that the changes would result in sav ings of about $14,000 to $15,000 an nually in the cost of making and han dling license plates. Former County Resident Dies in Brunswick, Ga. Mrs. Anna Boyle Everett, a resi dent of this county for a number of years, and a sister of Mrs. A. H Smith, of Williamston, and the late John P. Boyle, of Hamilton, died at her home in Brunswick, Ga., last Monday. She was 82 years Qld. Mr. and Mrs. Everett moved from Hamilton to Georgia about 35 years ago where he gained prominence as a lumberman. —* — ♦ Announce Prices In Effect On the Curb Market Here • Thus far, since the egg cartons have been in use by the sellers on the curb market, 50 dozen eggs have been sold. We are hoping as time passes to have better quality eggs, and this will be made possible by the careful gradng of eggs by the producers. The following prices will be found on the market here this week: Eggs, 10 cents dozen; meal, 1 cent pound; salad, 2 pounds 5 cents; chick ens, 10 cents pound; sweet potatoes, 1 cent pound. New Barber Law Will Not Affect Shops in County Martin Count was exempted from the provision) of a law passed this week by the legislature cer tain sanitary conditions to be provid ed in all barber shops operating in towns of more than 2,000 populatio'n. Several other counties in the state were also exempted. More Tobacco Seed Beds In Cumberland County * While Cumberland County farmers have greatly increased their yardage of tobacco seed beds, they not plan to set a larger acreage than last year, says the county agent. • Farmers Raise Own Stock in Chatham The Chatham farm agent reports 12 colts being grown by farmers of the county this year and says there is con siderable interest now in raising more work stock at home. In Raleigh Yesterday Mr. Raleigh Manning made a busi ness trip to Raleigh yesterday. RECORDER HAD SIX CASES HERE LAST TUESDAY ♦ Jury Is Called To Decide Issue for First Time in Recent Months w Six cases were called in the coun ty recorder's court here last Tuesday, the docket being of little importance. No fines found their way into the school fund, the court apparently sat isfying itself with actual operating costs. The case charging G. F. Benson and William C. Harris with violating the traffic laws was not prossed. J. K. Kogerson, charged with car rying a concealed weapon and driv ing an automobile while intoxicated, was found guilty on the first count. He was fined SSO and taxed with the cost, the court remitting the fine. A nol pros resulted in the case charg ing Joe Godard and Joseph Perry with an assault with a deadly weapon. Probable cause appearing, the case case charging Bruce Moseley and Robert Hollis with the theft of two bicycles, the court bound them_over to the next term of superior court for trial. Bond in the sum of $75 was required. The case charging Lee Hardison and John Manning with hunting without | permits were nol prossed with leave. I One civil action was heard. Henry I Rawls sued J. H. Roberson, jr., for | S3OO and interest from January, 1931. In settling the case the court grant ed the judgment, and at the same time granted the defendant judgment in the sum of $256.71, with interest from January, 1932, against the plaintiff Rawls. It was ordered that the plain tiff recover of the defendant $61.29 with interest front January, 1932. Ap peal was noted: in open court. ' In a second civil action a jury was called, the first case heard by a jury in the court in some time and the first under the direction of Judge Peel. J. II Roberson and Son were suing J. L. Matthews for the possession of certain property. The jury decided that the defendant Matthews was not. the tenant of the plaintiffs aiul that the defendant did not hold, over after the expiration of the tenancy as al leged. It was ordered that the plain tiff was not entitled to the possession of the property in question and that they should pay the costs. Appeal was noted. COUNTY COUNCIL IN MEETING HERE Council Reports 800 Quarts of Meat Canned By Clubs This Winter The first county council meeting of the home demonstration clubs' was held in the home agent's office hefe Thursday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. Mrs. Will Taylor, council president, presided. The largest council meeting ever held on re.ord and the most clubs represented were indications of the interest of the women in the work. A county home management leader was elected at this meeting. Mrs. Betlie Higdon, of Parmele, will act in this capacity. Plans for the district meet ing, which will be held in Plymouth, were made and reports were turned in by all clubs represented. The women in the council reported approximately 800 quarts of meat were canned this winter, using the steam pressure cookers to insure safe ty in canning. Refreshments (were served at the conclusion of the meet ing and one game, led by Miss Hattie Everett, was enjoyed liy the club members. Miss Hattie Everett has been the nutrition leader of the coun cil for two years, and at this meeting offered a very excellent report giving the organization the very latest in formation in nutrition. ' Announce Services at the Methodist Church Sunday (?. T. Rogers, pastor. The treasurer's report will be in the hands of each member in a few days. It will perhaps remind us of how quick Jy time is passing, also how forgetful we are of others. While we have been eating our bread and clothing our bodies, how about those who are ! dependent on us through our church? j Have we divided with them? Though some of us have not had much, have we shown the rjght spirit by sharing our crust? God does not require the impossible of any one, but a church member can not buy cold drinks, cigarettes, go to the show, etc., and then say the rea son he does not help the church is be cause he does not make enough to live and help the church, too. Honesty among all church members would bring less criticism on the' churches. Services at the usual hours, and! all are invited to meet with us. I To Outline Program At Meet Here This ONLY THREE POST OFFICES IN COUNTY IN 1819 Palmyra Was Listed as One of Three Offices in the County at That Time According to a postal guide, or di rectory, published bask in 1819 and now in the hands of Mr. Warren Biggs collector of old papers and documents, there were three post offices in this I county at that time. Two of them still remain, and the third is also in existence but is now located in Halifax County. The three post offices listed in the county at that i time were Palmyta; Hamilton, or Hogton; and Williamston. It is as sumed that Hamilton was first known as Hogton and that its name of to day was gradually in the transition period at that time for the pamphlet lists the office "Hamilton or Hogton." As far as it is known the dividing line between this county and Halifax has never been changed after the coun tics were established. The only rea son that can be advanced for Palmyra being listed in Martin County is that it must have moved gradually during the period to wake up at the end of more than 100 years a>id find itself in another district. The town is hardly more than 150 or 200 yards from the Martin line at this time. There were only about 3,000 post offices in the country at that time, and now there are almost that many in this state alone. About 20 years be fore 1819 there were only about 300 post offices in the country; and now it would require some time to count the unusually Ijirgc nutnber. FEAR EPIDEMIC OF MUMPS HERE Around 40 School Children Are Being Held at Home by Mumps This Week * • With around 35 or 40 cases already reported, it is feared that a mumps epi demic is in the making in this section. That many children are being held out of the local school on ac.'ount of the mumps, is believed there, are 'many others suffering the same ail ment, No alarming stage* has been reached, however, and no serious con sequences are expected to result in the way of closinft the schools. Most" of the rases are in the town, with a few scattered here and yonder in the rur al communities. A return of fair weather has great ly benefited the roads, and Principal William R. Watson said this morn ing that the Iru.ks w;rr niaiiitainiiitf regdlar scheduled again. 1 Gene Austin at Washington Theatre Next Thursday "Broadway Rhapsody," the Variety (iuild Musical show, which goes to the Turnage Theatre, Washington, matinee and night, Thursday, March 2, will offer something new in enter tainment for" the theatre-going public. The production offers a cast of famed radio and stage stars headed hy the internationally known Gene Austin, American tenor, whose re cordings have found their way into hollies all over the world. The Variety Guild was org&nizcd only recently with the idea of bring ing ba-'k to the people high class mu sical comedy entertainment, ridding the shows of all vulgarity which has degraded the musical comedy into burlesque in the past few years. There are 100 members of the Variety Guild, all of whom have gained national rec ognition oil both stage and radio. In addition to Austin, other famous stars will be seen in the opening show matinee and night next Thurs-| day. Prosperity Just Beyond the Brink of River, Peele Says • 9 We are always Refreshed re minded of the joys of life when we see our genial friend, Bill Peele, the hard-working insurance man and a 1 ladies' favorite. He is always alert to do some good deed to help a friend and his community. Only this morn ing he related that he went down to the banks of the Roanoke about 6 o'- clock to sec the fishermen produce prosperity. " He said they dipped their nets in the yellow waters and then dip out prosperity in the form of one of the finest foodf in the wolrd—nice fish. He declares prosperity is just be yond the brink of the river. IS PLENTY SNUG - / His home would not be classed as "beautiful," so far as architect ural design is corned, but Will McCandless, of the Patetown sec tion of Wayne County will vouch for the fact that he has as com fortable a place to live as any body in the county on a night like some of those we have had recent ly, when the mercury dropped to 16 degrees. McCandless, reports reaching Goldsboro said, not locating a house to move in right handily, moved into a tobacco barn and "fixed it-up in a comfortable man ner." He stretched up cotton sheets for partitions, ticking his living room and bedroom on one side of the furnace and his kitchen and dining room on the other. Then overhead he stretched some more sheets to make a ceiling for his improvised home. Comfortable, you can bet. If he cannot keep the place warm with the stove he has up on the inside, he can go out and fire up the fur nace and keep as warm as you please. FIRE DOES ONLY LITTLE DAMAGE —« — Apparent Plot Is Made To Put Fire Apparatus Out Of Working Order • The local tire company was called out last Wednesday morning at 11 o'- clock when hie threatened the little home of Sue limes 011 Wilson Street, a short distance off the Washington Koad I'ire started around the Hue, one of those hanging oil the joints Sin one was at home and when neigh bors discovered the blaze it had burn ed the Hue supports and caused the bricks to fall to the floor The neigh bors broke into the home and bail the fire under control when the fire com pany volunteers reached there. The fire damage was small. An apparent- plot to pur the fire fighting apparatus out of commission temporarily was discovered, the gas supply liaiil almost been* cut off 'bv some one, making it impossible for the engine to perform efficiently Me chauic Smith stated that some one bad been tampering with ihe machine, and that it was believed to have'been done by some one with malicious intent .The matter will lie investigated fur ther, according to present plans. Two Preaching Services at Christian Church Sunday Sunda) >. 1100.1 at '>-4 5A .cordial invitation and an earnest request is extended*io all who will to attend. Preachingt both morning and eve ning by the pastor. The subject of the morning service will be "Chris, tianity Without a Microscope." The evening subject" will he based on "The fliggest Bible Failure." Christian Endeavor at 6:30. We hope to have a day of spiritual worship and joy. You are invited. Wednesday Service Will Mark Beginning of Lent The adult Hilde Class will mee>t at the rectory at 7:30 o'clock tonight. There will be no church services at the Church of the Advent Sunday, as the minister will be at St. Mar tin's, Hamilton, for both morning and evening services. Special attention s called to the II a m. servce March 1, Ash Wednes day, the beginning of Lent. . further announcement regarding Lenten serv ices will be given out soon. Increased Number of Beds Cause a Cloth Shortage While nearly all tobacco plant beds have been prepared and sowed, farm ers are now finding it difficult to se cure cloth to cover them with. Mer chants in this section stock about the usual amount of cloth, but apparently more and larger beds were prepared causing the cloth shortage. Several farmers were here yesterday to buy cloth, but could get none. Shipments were expected today, however. Short ages of cloth were also reported in several other towns in this section. * - Plymouth Divides Double Bill With Jamesville ■ V Plymouth divided a double-header with Jamesville at Roper last week, when the Plymouth boys nosed out a one-point margin victory by a 16 to IS score, while the Jamesville girls se cured revenge, 19 to 32, Advertfeero Will Fad Our Col- I aaa a Latchkey to Orar Bixtaan I Htudrad Martin Coot? Homaa I ESTABLISHED 1898 for Needy Afternoon [ MUST PREPARE TO RAISE OWN FOOD SUPPLY * Relief Official Will Speak at Courthouse Here This Afternoon „ A more intensive welfare drive is now in tfie making in this county, ac cording to reports coming from wel fare headquarters in Raleigh and here yesterday and today. While definite details have not been announced at this time, it is understood, that the less fortunate will be called upon dur ing the next few months to raise tlier own food or suffer the consequences next fall and winter. C harles Sheffield, assistant to Dean 1. O. Schaub, of State • College, and .now connected with the state relief office, will outline the program in a talk at the courthouse here,this'after tioon at 5:30 o'clock. The outline of | events planned by the governor's" of fice of relief will be of niuclj interest to the public generally and particular ly to welfare workers and receivers of welfare aid. The public is invited to attend and hear the relief director discuss plans that might ' mean the salvation of the destitute in the future. It is understood that Mr. Shcffild will discuss the operation of a sizeable garden here and provide seed and oth er farm necessities for the helpless iii Other parts of the county. He will go into detail and offer a definite out line in the operation of the proposed projects, Welfare work continues to progress i at a rapid pace in the county, but the I Ked t n>ss store has about exhausted j its supply of Hour and cloth and will .hardly Open, Uillli'U'MW; t > huudred and eighty barcls of Hour are ex'pt-ct lcd within the next week m t«y, it I was learned this morning, Preparations , for holding tonsil j ( linn s are- about .'oiiipleted at Oak fCity, Bear (irass, and jamesville, with other centers considering the holding I of similar clinics. "• I The new projects that will be dis ' cussed by Mr. Sheffield here this aft ernoon should be of interest and it is hoped that a large number of inter ested citizens in addition to welfare workers and receivers of welfare aid* will hear him The hour is not a very Convenient one, but the relief official is making visits in a number of other counties today and an not reach here before that tune NEW METHOD OF SAVING PLANTS —« —- Use of Crushed Mothballs 4 in Tobacco Will Keep Away Worms ! Makes of naphthalene or crushed moth balls applied to the tobacco | plant bed will apparently kill the Ismail worms .which are the larvae of midges and fungus - gnats which 'cause serious damage to'many plant beds in this. State, find Dr. B. B. I Fulton and A . 11. Brannon, of the j department of entomology at Scate college after investigating the prac tice of Ira Kinlaw, of the Howells vilie Township in Kobeson County. Mr. kinlaw began this practice in 19J2 and secured such good results that he is following the same plan 1 this year. During the past week, I County-Agent O. O. Dukes had Dr. Fulton and Mr. Brannon in the coun ty to investigate the practice and see if it were wise to recommend it gen- x erally. Mr. Kinlaw removes the can vas;. and sprinkles the napthalene I Hakes or the crushed moth balls over the bed at the rate of about 1 1-2 pounds to each l(K) square yards of bed. Three applications are made over a period of ten days. The entomologists say the young larvae were inactive after treatment and appeared to be dead. At any rate there was no further damage nor was there .-any injury of the plants noted. Further research and observation of the method are being done l>y the en tomologist but in the meantime, they ' say Mr. Kinlaw evidently got good 1 results last year and is apparently i getting good results this year. Town Is At Least Half-way Patriotic Last ;Wednesday —, 9 ■ The town is at least half-way pa triotic. No flags were unfurled on the public streets here until noon on Wednesday George Washington's birthday anniversary. The town employees just allowed that George was born aboat 1 o'clock and that a hall-day observance was sufficient. . " ) .