North Carolina Newspapers

Advertiser* Will Flad Ou Cel- j hum a Latchkey to ever UN J Home* of Martia Ooutoy. THE ENTERPRISI H Watch the Lahal ?a Tear E Paper, a* It Carrto* the Date Your Subaertpltou Expiree VOLUME XXIV?NUMBER 43 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday. October 25. 1938. ESTABLISHED 1899 Wage And Hour Law Throws Stemmers In Street On Monday Most Firms Settle Down to Give New Law a Trial ? Buckling their belt a notch tight er, local business, with one or tw? exceptions settled down yesterday to give the new wage and hour law a (air trial. "We believe the law has good intent, and we are going to cooperate with it if we can," one manufacturing plant operator said today. Designed to raise the wages of workers to a minimum of 25 cents an hour and hold hours down to 44 each week, the new wage and hour law that went into effect through out the nation yesterday was hailed as a blessing to the common man. However, dark spots began to ap pear as tobacco plant operators, mostly independents. dismissed stemmers by the hundreds "We turned 150 workers into the street," Mr. J. E. King, of the Skinner Com pany, said here this morning. "We have stopped our logging activities and our plants in Delaware have been closed," Francis Barnes of the Wicomico Lumber Company said yesterday, explaining that sizeable stocks had been made up and were in warehouses awaiting delivery. Action on the part of tobacco plant operators would indicate that to bacco products will be delivered with stems ere long, reports from Wilson, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Kinston and other towns stating ?that several thousand stemmers had been thrown out of work on account of the wage and hour law. Declaring it economic suicide to comply with the wage minimum, to bacco men faced two alternates: Mechanization of plants or resistence to the interpretation applying the new law to stemmers. An attorney said tobacconists would contend in a petition to Administrator Elmer F Andrews that tAe stemming and redrying process was a part of prep aration of an agricultural product for market and hence exempt from interstate commerce provisions. The wage and hour law only ap plies to business firms operating in interstate commerce, and does not affect retail, wholesale, farming and allied activities. A hurried review of the business front here shows that quite a few i firms that come under the act have been complying with its provisions, even before the law was passed. "We learned a lesson under the old NRA, and we have tried to continue fair practices since that time." an operator of a large local plant said this week. The wage and hour act was hail ed by workers throughout the coun try as a great blessing to the under dog. and administrators of the law declared that it will protect the thoughtful operator against cut throats. ' Idle Talk Creates Political Interest Idling around in an off-year elec tion campaign, eastern North Car olina Democrats are beginning to sit up and take notice now that ru mors have reached the section main taining that Jonas is gaining ground on Robert Reynolds in the race for a seat in the United States Senate. While it is admitted that more ru mors will have to be heard before this section arouses itself to any great action in the campaign and election at hand, it is apparent that more voters will be counted on Tuesday, November 8, than many expect. However, * surprisingly few were expected at the outset'to vote in the election. The Reynolds-Jonas contest is about the only one for Martin County voters to participate in. The Republicans are offering no county ticket. Lindsay Warren is without opposition in the First District House race, and nearly every other Democratic nominee is without an opponent. The sheriffs are creating much in terest in the election by advocating the ratification of an amendment to the State Constiution increasing their term and that of coroners from two to four years However, it will take more than Jonas-Reynolds rumors and propos posed amendments to the constitu tion to get out a sizeable vote in this county on Tuesday, November 8, th? observers believe. < BAND MAKES HIT Playing for the First District Democratic rally here this afternoon the Robertonville high school band made a greet hit with the crowds. Farmers May Vote on Tobacco Control Bill on December 10 Martin County farmers arc likely to make known their views on to bacco control next December 10, un official* reports coming out of Wash ington intimating that the tobacco control referendum would likely be held in conjunction with ;he cotton program referendum. The report indicating the tobacco vote would be held that day was based on a statement issued by Wil liam Collins, chief of the AAA to bacco section, who said it was prob able, the tobacco election would be held then as a dual election would facilitate the voting. If December 10 is definitely set as the date for holding the tobacco leferendum then tobacco farmers in North Carolina and Virginia will vote that day. December 10 has been definitely I set as the date for holding the cot-' ten referendum in all the main tj'.-, tor-g owing states. In Mai in Couniy latt March, the] growers favored tobacco quotas by a vote of 3,063 to 39. Cotton farmers voted for the program. 1,716 to IS. The states offered both crops a sub stantial support over the two-thirds required majority. It is thought here that no definite date has been set for the tobacco referendum because officials were hopeful it would be possible to de termine and announce poundage quotas for 1939 before the farmers expressed themselves at the polls 1 The department is still working on quotas for the current year in oth er states, and it will likely be im-; possible for them to establish 1939' quotas before December 10. 1 Sheriffs Working for[ F our-Y earOf f iceT erm SPEAKER I . . J Congressman Lindsay Warren made a stirring address to First District Democrats in a politi cal rally here today at noon. farmers Ut Bear Grass Participate In AAA Election Old Committee Re-elected At Meeting Held Last Night Martin County farmers started setting up the machinery for admin-, istertng the Agricultural Adminis troton Adjustment program in this county for the coming year last night when those in Bear Grass named community committeemen, alternates and delegates to the county convention. The election was the first of a series to be held in nine of the ten townships in the county, Williamston and Poplar Point voting as a unit in the county agricultural building later in the William Harrison, member of the old committee, again heads the com munity group and polled the larg est vote as a delegate to the coun ty convention. He received 37 votes as community committeeman and 24 for delegate. Sidney Beacham, al so re-elected, polled sixteen votes w alternate delegate to the county convention and 29 votes for a place on the community committee. J. D. Wynne, receiving 30 votes, is vice chairman of the community group He was a member of the old com munity committee. E. C. Harrison and B. F. Whitehurst, receiving 14 and 12 votes respectively, were named first and second alternates. Only two others, Calvin Ayers and N. R. Rogerson, were nominated. These two men polled over 20 votes each for community committee men. ? The voting was orderly, and while some were a bit disappointed, the final vote was accepted without complaint. Sixty-two farmers were present for the meeting, but all of them did not participate in the election. More interest was shown in the election than any other previous one, and the farmers listened attentively to County Agent T. B. Brandon who talked about the soil conservation program and the future trend ol farming, crop rotations and general farm problems in the county. (Continued on page six) Officers Hold |V|, Meeting In County Courthouse Sunday Amendment to Constitution Q3S Endorsement nf Thousands * Holding a pep meeting among Sund * m ,h? ??Unty courthouse Sunday morning, eighteen sheriffs from all OVer eastern Carolina formulated plans for concerted ac Hon in their drive for an amend Con' . ?Vhe N?rth Carolina State ten f" WhiCh Would them four-year terms instead of a S r, half thBt IOng Wh"c 1 ca I - less ,nHa,rmany V",erS aro "r ess indifferent to the fate of the vh,'PT ?hanK<-. the leaders of the sheriffs association - art?nptmnstrr cehTT't' ,he amendment will re the Itate ?ng SUPP?rt ,l*oughout Secretary John Morris of ,he op?ned th?lina Shen,fS' association P ned the meetmg and after urg t',e sheriffs to get busy and ex crc.se their influence ,n sup.Tr, *, he measure that assures a better enforcement of the law ,he state cha J?hn D Parkins, Jr ionar,mAn "f,the Ci"zens' Constitu te toT ?' Committee, who spoke to the officers, including one or two coroners. oTirma" '-arkim reviewed the ng support pledged the propos ed amendment by leading statesmen ers thr?ffh,alS prom">em lead-' the ...-a?' - Pamphlet carrying 'he endorsements' of ,u sTatToffT cers, prominent doctors, judgeV.nrf hundreds of others r " claimed by ,he group JUS'S he proposed amendment apparent garner 'hat ther" W'H be no or ganised oppos.tion. "Our biggest handicap i, to overcome the feaf of changing the constitution to let ih< rrk?r ami 7 the cai'f'cation of the amendment will inere^ the laws" Lark en/f,rCemt'm Ot the yer said k 1 J?neS C?un,y 'aw yer, said as chairman of the Consti tutional Amendment committee tionV865 Whe" ,he Stale Const,tu heril anHnUen' ,W?"year ,er? ed loot T""" Were consider - - ????? p-C Now ne works overtime running down 2 t>0l"oth' ""J604?8 ,aXCS' handling WOI other duties and obligations and squeezing in a bid every few months for re-election Mr'?i1r Pr?gram i? well founded," four * continued, pointing out J^^fice o, (Continued on page six) County Man Mysteriously Shot In Tarboro Sunday James Monroe Everett, young Robersonville man, was mysterious ly shot and killed in Tarboro last Sunday evening about 9:30 o'clock. An Edgecombe County coroner's jury ruled that the young man, one time distributor in this county (or a patent medicine firm "came to his death as a result of a pistol shot in the forehead inflicted by an uniden tified person." Lewis Ayers, Bernice WAitehurst and Paul Bullock, companions of| Everett, said they left the car a few minutes and when they returned he was shot. Young White Man Facing An Assault Charge In Courts ? Leaves Scene of Accident Without Identifying Himself ? Charged with an assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an accident without iden tifying himself, Leon Hall Rawls is now at liberty under a $1,000 bond. Driving into town Sunday night about 10:30 o'clock, young Rawls is alleged to have run down and struck, Mary Clark and Carrie Dell Moore, young colored girls, in front of a dance hall on Washington Street The Moore girl was said to have suffered severe injuries, and could, "noFKbld her head up yesterday. Her condition is nut considered serious, however. The other girl was pain- j fully but not seriously cut on the head Both were painfully bruised. Witnesses to the accident were] Vuoitd as saying that the two girls started to cross the highway after waiting for a car just in front of Rawls to pass them, that they step ped into the path of the Rawls ma-i chine. ' Witnesses were also quoted as. saying that Rawls stopped the car, but apparently became frightened and left the scene of the accident without identifying himself. He was said to have driven to the Haughton Street intersection, turned north gnd circled around town, continuing to his home in Bear Grass Town ghip u/hpfA Hp limn time later by officers upon informa tion furnished by witnesses who got the car number. Bond in the sum of $1,000 was] arranged that night, and the de fendant reported for a hearing be-1 fore Justice J L. Hassell yesterday morning, but a continuance was or-j dered by the court pending the out come of the condition of the injured parties. The hearing has been tenta tively set for 10 o'clock next Mon day morning. Hit-and-run charges were appar ently left out of the warrant when Rawls stopped his car and returned to the scene of the accident. Cotton Crop Almost Total Failure This Year In The County Crop in Other Counties Is Woefully Short, Re ports State The cotton crop in this county is recognized as almost a complete failure this year, unofficial reports stating that production will run three-fourths or even more behind the 1937 harvest. Last year, Martin County produced in excess of 3,000 bales. Farmers declare not more than 700 bales will be ginned in the County this year, and some are of the opinion that the total production will not exceed 500 bales Authorative reports described conditions in surrounding counties equally as bad and possibly worse in some Up until last Friday, Wash ington County had ginned four bales of cotton from the current crop as compared with 700 up until the same date a year ago. The county ordinar ily producerd fifteen or sixteen hun dred bales, agricultural authorities there declaring the production is not expected to exceed fifty bales this year. A recent report from Halifax County sliows that 259 bales were ginned in that county up until Oc tober 1, this year, as compared with 4,768 bales up until the same date in Ifl7 : Over in Northampton County, farmers had up until the first of October ginned 500 bales as compar ed with 5,000 a year ago. "We will do well to get 20 bales from around 100 acres,"F armer Les ter Everett of the Robersonville community, said a few days ago Other fanners maintain that Mr. Ev (Continued on page aix) Local Girl Included Among "Who's Who" Miss Alta Critcher, young daugh ter of .Attorney and Mrs B A. Critcher, of Williamston, was signal ly honored this week when she was included as one of eight students in Meredith College gaining a place in "Who's Who" among students in American universities and colleges. The young woman's accomplish ments among the Meredith student body and in the school itself earn ed a place for her in the honor or ganization. Several Hundred First District Democrats Hear Lindsay Warren In Big Party Rally Here Todav I RECENTLY ELECTED KIWANIS OFFICERS Elected at a meeting of the organization here last Thursday evening, Messrs. 1? B. Wynne, clerk Martin County Superior court, left, and Carter Studdert, attorney, right, will head the lo cal Klwanis club as president and vice president respectively dur ing the new year. File Suits Result Of Two Fatal Auto W recks hi County Plaintiffs Are Asking Total Of $35,000 in the Two Suits ? Two sizeable damage suits were filed, one in the Martin Superior court and the other in Edgecombe County, last week as a result of fa tal auto-truck wrecks 111 this coun ty. The combined suits alleged total damages in the sum of $35,000 Acting as adiiiinistiaioi. J 1; Pop,, is suingHomer Glosson, J C White ! bead and W M. Bingham for $10, |000 damages ulleged to have result I ed when Isiali Uardison. Janiesville Township colored man, was fatally injured near Hardens on the night of September 14, this year The com plaint filed by Attorney Henry D Hardison in the courts of this coun ty, alleges. Homer Glossom, servant or agent Of the co-defendants Whitehead and Bingham, was operating a motor truck and semi trailer on Highway No. 64 leading from Janiesville to Plymouth under the influence of li quor, and was driving truck in ; reckless, careless and negligent man l ner and at a rate of speed in excess of that allowed by law, and was not . keeping a pfoper look-out for other I cars or pedestrians- ? a "That on September 14, 1938, Is aiah Hardison was walking along the highway towards Janiesville from the Pincy Woods filling sta tion about 9:30 o'clock to Ins wife and children, and that Homer Glos son ran over him with truck inflict ing injuries that proved fatal, that Defendant Glosson failed to stop." The complaint also alleges that the co-defendants wrongfully en trusted Glosson with the motor truck i at all times, "notwithstanding they should have known that Glosson was addicted to the excessive use of in toxicating liquor; that he was a reckless, incompetent and irrespon sible driver . . c H. Leggett, collector of the estate of Minnie Davis, deceased, is suing Jasper G. Davis, Shields Com pany, Inc., and Cbas J. Shields, trading as Shields -Company -for $25,000 damages alleged to have re sulted when Mrs. Davis and her (Continued on page six) District Meet Of Legion Auxiliary Held Nov. 16 * The fourth District American Legion Auxiliary will meet in Wood land on November 16th according to announcement of Mrs H. L. Swain, first area chairman. The meeting will begin at one o'clock with a dutch dinner and then the business will be handled Mrs. Herbert Taylor, department president and Miss Aurelia Adams, department secretary, will be pres ent and take part in the meeting. All members of the Auxiliary of Martin County are invited to be present. The time of this meeting was changed from Nov 2nd to 16th be cause the state officers found they could not be preseqt at the time first set. SURVEY Preliminary plans were dis cussed by Martin County school principals and educational au thorities in session here yester day for a survey of illiteracy in the county. No plans for the survey were announced, but the study will be centered anfonx those illiterates above ten years of a*e. The last census shows that Iti per cent of the adult population in Martin County is illiterate. A. C.J ,wy~v*" j. umrials /ii Announce Jiangc Iii Train Schedule N?w Schedule Offers Little Added Inducement to Travelers A change in the schedule of the Atlantic Coast Line passenger train operating through here each morn ing was effected last Sunday, tly.' action having been taken withoutj notice to the general public The schedule has been delayed one hour, it was learned Leaving Plymouth at 10:50, the morn ing train reaches Williumston at 11:35 and stops at Tarboro at 1 10 p. m The return schedule remains. un changed Leaving Tarboro at 3 30 p. m , the train is scheduled to reach Williamston at 4.48, but it generally funs from a few minutes to more than an hour late Heavy mails and express shipments coming in from the main lines are said to cause the delayed schedules on the return trip from Tarboro to Plymouth. No market! advantage follows the schedule change as far as passenger service is concerned It merely hour. A passenger going to Norfolk leaves Williamston at 11:35. He reaches Tarboro that afternoon at 1:10, and waits until 3:00 o'clock for a connection to Norfolk The Vir ginia City is reached that evening at 6:15 o'clock. If a passenger is go ing to Rocky Mount by train, the _only waits from 1:10 to 1:55. reach ing Rocky Mount at 2:25 Schedules for trains operating on other branch lines in t+iis scrtiofr have also been changed. Effected at a meeting of railroad officials and representatives of the Eastern Carolina Chamber of Com merce in Greenville a few days ago, the change in schedules offers lit tle inducement to train travelers. Just why the schedule was not de layed so as to render unnecessary wait in Tarboro, the announcement offers no explanation. Apparently it is possible, it has been pointed out, for the train to leave Plymouth at about 11:35, pass through here 45 minutes lat?*r and n-ach Tarboro at 1:55, making direct connection with the Norfolk-Wilmington train ? ENJOY MEETING -t First Congressional District Dem ocrats, meeting in annual session here today, were free in their praise of Williamston for the reception ac corded them A delightful dinner was enjoyed at the Sunny Side Inn, Martin Democrats matching their strong party strength with a boun tiful meal. 1'artv Leaders See Rig Landslide In State November 8 Lindsay C. Warren Delivers Address to Democrats Of 14 Counties # Half thousand attending a First Crmgrpssirmal District Democratic^, rally here today listened to glowing reports from every nook and cor ner of fourteen counties and heard party leaders plead for a big No vember 8 vote to offset republican gams, if any, in the west. Numbers of speakers appeared on the program today, with Gregg Cherry, chairman of State demo cratic executive committee, and all pledged a large vote to the demo crats in the west in the absence of opposition down east. Mrs. W B. Murphy, vice chair man of the state democratic execu tive committee. Libby Ward, secre tary; A. J Maxwell. Harry MeMul lan, Congressman Graham Barden and others briefly addressed one of the most enthusiastic pep meetings ver held hfr" hy mnrnhnrr uf?the Opened by Herbert Bonner, of the Congressional executive com mittee. the meeting took on the air of one big happy family, harmony reigning as encouraging reports were heard from all counties in the unit Mayor J L,. Hassell welcom ed the group, and Gregg Cherry, chairman of the State Democratic Executive. Committee, took charge, of the meeting. Mr. Cherry warned First District Democrats, now idle, to be on the watch for the enemy, and keep organizations m readiness for opposition. "There's great activi ty among Wopi it>l urn mi m?the west," he declared, but~ttre~ able chairman seemed to forget all about the Republicans and opposition as he heard the glowing reports de scribing democratic strength in ev ery one of the fourteen counties in Congressman Warren's district. Mrs.. W. B Mm phyraddressing the meeting as vice chairman of the State committee, urged the women to see that those coming of age have their names on the registration books, and work for another land slide for the party next month Libby Waid. the committee secre tary. admitted to the group that "the west is w in ried and isiooicmg to-4ht^ east to give hem a majority." He urged eastedn Democrats to swell the majority Chairmen of the several County Democratic rxvtrrtrvr?committees? painted a bright picture of the Democratic party in the district. All the counties were heard from, the representatives 'predicting sizeable majorities on November 8. The re ports -'were heard with marked in terest, and were recognized as a good tonic to the party leaders com ing from those areas bordering the disputed grounds. The Young Democrats of the State _were recognized-through their lead? er, Gordon Gray, of Winston-Salem. "The first district is poorly organiz ed, but that'll be corrected," he said in pointing out that the organization was gaining strength in other sec tions of the State. Congressman Graham Barden, of the Third District, addressed the group and paid a high tribute to his colleague, Congressman Warren. J M Broughton predicted Mr Warren w ill become speaker of the National House of Representatives as did others who referred to the leadership of the First District con gres: man as the strongest in Wash ington Commissioner of Revenue A. J. Maxwell was pinch hitter for both the State and Federal administra tions, referring to the enviable rec ord maintained by the people's gov ernment. Blasting the opposition, Mr Maxwell said, "The Republicans have not put a finger on one piece of New Deal legislation that they would repeal. The New Deal has advanced a new conception of government, and there will be no going back to the policies of Herbert Hoover," he de clared. Secretary of State Thad Eure spoke briefly and others spoke. In fact, it was a time for the party leaders to let off steam and transmit it to oth ers in support of a Democratic vic tory next month. Warren's Address Suffering from sinus and eye (Continued on page six)