North Carolina Newspapers

Watch the Label on Your Paper, As It Carriei the Date Your Subscription Expires. THE ENTERPRISE Advertisers Will Find Our Col umns a Latchkey to over 1,600 Homes of Martin County. VOLUME XLII?NUMBER 96 H illiamtton, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday. Dorrmber I. 1939. ESTABLISHED 1899 Commissioners Vi ill Make Plans For Tax Listing At Meeting Appointment of Supervisor And List-takers Expect ed Next Mondav The Martin County commissioners, meeting in regular session here next Monday, will face a busy calendar. However, much of the business will be of a perfunctory character and the session is not to set a new dura tion record. ???'! A reorganization will mark the last business of the old fiscal year and with no changes in the official family set-up the authorities will immediately start working on the new year business. No schedule of procedure will be followed. but during the session, the commission ers will name a county tax super visor, a job that has been handled on the first Monday in March in years past. A joint selection of list takers for the ten townships will al so be made at the meeting It was learned unofficially that nearly all of the old list-takers are candidates for the list-taking jobs, but that S. H Grimes,1 who has han dled the supervisory task during the past several years, had not formal ly applied for the position. Only one! township, Williams, is offering more than one candidate for a list-taking postion. Lucian J. Hardison and S i J. Tetter ton are reported to have en tered their applications. The list-takers are scheduled to meet the second Monday in next month and make plans for handling the annual listing task. This is the first tiny* that property will be list ed as of January 1 instead as of April 1st. Sheriff C B Roebuck will make settlement of the 1938 tax books, but hardly before he gets those off his hands, the county auditor, J. Sam Getsinger, will turn the new 1939 books over to him Private auditors will complete their work immediate ly following the sheriff's tax sale Monday noon and the 1938 books wflT be closed as far as the sheriff is concerned. No definite arrangement for advancing tax claims due on ner sonal property for 1938 has been ef fected, but it |s possible that the few accounts remaining unpaid will be placed in the hands of a special of ficer for collection. Tax claims against all real estate will be trans ferred to the county attorney for collection of foreclosure. * New Auto License Plates Placed On Sale Here Today Locul llnri'iiii Sold 0\rr (?. 200 I.h'ciim' I'luti-H Dur ing I'hhI Yrur Ending the sale of 1939 automo bile license plates day before yester day, the Carolina Motor Club bur eau in the Williamston Motor Com pany building here today placed on sale the new shining tags for 1940, the first twin tins going to C. D. Cav anaugh, of Williamston. With red numerals appearing on a silver background, the license tags that will adorn automobiles in this immediate section will, for the most part, bear numbers between 501,001 and 500,001. The 4,000 tags are being placed on cars and trucks today, but the shining and costly sheets of dress-up tin are not seen very often as yet. Warnings have al ready been issued against the use of the old tags on and after next Jan uary 1 The State Revenue Depart ment has convinced auto and truck owners that it means what it savs about the display of new plates on and after January 1. The local license bureau, N C Green, manager, this week closed a very successlul year. Slightly more than 6.200 of the plates were sold in this section by the local con cern. More than 4.600 car tags were sold, 765 to truck owners and 815 to owners of trailers. The business for the State Department of Revenue amounted to almost a Cool $69,000. Maintaining the license bureaus in number of centers for the conven ience of motor vehicle owners, the Carolina Motor Club points out that the purchase of the tags within the next few days will lessen the last minute rush that has characterized the sales in years past. And there's nothing to gain by waiting. i IT'reck Additional Liquor Still* In Thi* County A second blow against the illicit liquor business in fhis county with in the week was directed by officers Tuesday. Aided by A. B. C. officers from Beaufort County, Deputy Joe Roebuck, Roy Peel and Julian Roe buck wrecked four partial plants and poured out approximately 750 gal lons of beer in the Free Union sec tion of Jamesville Township. The following day a fifth plant was de stroyed, bringing the total for the week up to ten. Superior Court Ends Civil Term Tuesday [ QI1KT HOLIDAY The absence of mishaps mark ed the observance of the Thanks giving holiday in this section yesterday. No arrests were made during the holiday period and no automobile wrecks or hunt ing accidents were reported in the county. The union Thanksgiving ser vice in the Baptist church at 10 o'clock yesterday morning was well attended, the speaker. Rev John Hardy. Episcopal minis ter. delivering an able sermon Making Ready For Taking the Census In United States Job Getting: Imler \%i\\ Next April Will Co#t 853.000.000.00 Washington?Some time in April I next year a census enumerator will call at your house If you live town or city he will probably call in I Jthe first two weeks of April. If you live in the country it.may be later This census-taker will probably be a Democrat The preliminaries of the great I $53.000.000 job of taking the decen nial count of every human being 1 in the United States, along with that of homes, factories and dozens of other vital matters, are now in full swing According to Edward J Noble, undersecretary of commerce, the task is a "prime manifestation of | democracy in action." Mr Noble did not say. but it is a I fact that this dramatic task provides i tens of thousands of jobs for the New D-.il |'"htkmII.v faithful. I'uh tics and the census have gone hand j in hand, so far as known, ever since the census was undertaken in the I licans hem fitted by the host of short turn- n>hs. m other* H.m. k-i:Hk Nineteen forty will be a Democrat it year and there will be over 130.000 enumerators" alone. The census bureau has a perma nent Washington staff of about 725. ranging from $1,200 to $!>,0()0 in sal ary, all under the civil service In the period of active census taking, covering 2 and one-half years every decade, this Washington staff is in creased to 7.500, largely clerical in nature. Here again the recruits are drawn from civil service-registers and are divorced from politics. But the job of enumerating some 132.000.000 Americans, 33,000,000 dwellings, 7,000,000 farms and 3, 000.000 commercial enterprises re quires a vastly larger temporary field staff in census years Already this staff is being set up. Going dowhi the line, here are some of the jobs which the census involves 1. Area managers 104 of them re ceive $300 $350 a month; work for eight or nine months. One-third are picked from permanent civil service staff, others chiefly selected by Dem ucratic senators? They must under go intensive training in Washington where the "unfit" are either weed ed out or given minor posts. 2. Assistant area supervisors- Re ceive $175 to $300 a month. Like the managers they are selected at Wash ington, and are chiefly from tin- dom inant political party 3 District supervisors ? Receive $2,000 base salary for job of about soven months, with graduates bon uses bringing their total return to around $3,000 or more. There are about 505 districts under these su pervisors. These jobs are political plums for representatives (rather than senators, as above) and are the backbone of the patronage aspect of, the census Their districts conform loughly to congressional districts. The lack of civil service is most ser ious in respect to these appointees,) for they do not come to Washington for training like the area managers, | and are theoretically responsible tor picking the enumerators under them giving them appointment of around 200 or 250 minor posts each. In prac tice a majority of these enumerators are picked by the Democratic con gressman, or by the democratic pa tior.age committee in the district, if it happens to be Republican. Re publican congressmen are ignored in (Continued on page six) Siron hit Tone Noted In Peanut Market Today After a price lull during the lat ter part of last week and the early part of this, the local peanut mar ket is now reflecting a stronger tone, reports stating that good bunch pea nuts are selling for three and one half cents and that the best jumbos are priced at 3 3-4 cents a pound. Deliveries are moving freely at this point following the resumption qf picking operations over the coun ty. Quite A Few Cases Are Cleared From Crowded Calendar Next Term of "ilift" Court To lie Held in County Week Vfter Next Virtually regarding the jury as a mere ornament, the Martin County Superior Court removed quite a few cases from its crowded calendar since convening on Monday of last week and adjourned Tuesday after noon. a full day ahead of schedule. Thirty of the forty cases on the cal endar were Cleared from the docket, the court continuing possibly a small er percentage than usual. Court ob servers stated following adjourn ment that fewer cases reached the jury during he term just closed than at any other time since Judge Clay ton Moore was on the bench. The is sues in most of the cases were aired before the juries, but in the nick of time a settlement would be ef fected with the approval of tlu court. It was Judge Luther Hamilton's first work on the bench in this county and he was said to have made quite a hit with members of the bar, litigants and spectators with his free and easy method of presid ing over the court. Proceedings in the court not pre viously reported: In the case of U. S. Tire Dealers Corporation against L K Ausborn and M. B Bullock, an agreement was effected, the plaintiffs receiv ing a judgment in the sum of $260.88. The court allowed Messrs. Smith, Peel, and Morton $450 in fees for ser vices in handling the cases center ed around the will of Gus Coffield. The suit brought by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company against the Town of Robersonville was settled virtually by agreement The railroad was declared the own er of a 200-foot wide right of way through the town, that it may re move the pavement laid by Ikv the town on the company property at the cost of the defendant when and if it is necessary for the plain tiff to utilize any portion of the street for tin- successful operation of its business The judgment also prohib its further encroachment upon the property of the railroad company. The costs were taxed one-half against the defendant and one-half against the railroad company In the case of Eva Harrison, sur viving partner of Harrison, Brothers and Company, against Dave Rogers, the plaintiff was granted a judgment in the sum of $166. A judgment in the sum of $400 was granted the Standard Fertiliz er Company in its suit against R L Little. The plaintiffs were declared the rightful owners of certain property in the case of Lizzie Ashford against Joe Hassell, and ruled that the de fendant had no interest whatever in the property. A deed given by Mrs. Emma Thompson to Irving Bennett was de clared void. A judgment was granted in the sum of $2,226 58 in the case of Stan dard Fertilizer Cumpuny against Gladys S Stansbury and others. W H. G, Chase, Jr., was declared the owner of property valued at $150 in his case against J 1, Jackson A temporary restraining order in the case of Rufus A. Coltrain against I'aul and W. B. Harrington was or dered continued until the trial of the case. The court granted a motion of non-suit upon the completion of the plaintiff's evidence in the case of Mrs Marcilla Coltrain against the General American Life Insurance Company. The plaintiff was suing to collect $2,000 allegedly due the estate of her husband who was kill ed in an automobile accident near Washington in 1936. It is understood that the policy against which cer tain loans had been made was al leged to have expired just a few days before Mr. Coltrain's death An appeal was noted. In a second case brought by Mrs Coltrain, the court ordered the com plaint altered and the case carried pver for trial at some future term The plaintiff brought suit against J. Haigood to recover $16,000 dam ages alleged to have resulted to her In the wreck which cost Mr. Coltrain his life. It was admitted that the complaint was altered on a "fine'' point of law, that in the amended complaint the plaintiff is asking $10, 000 damages against Haigood. owner of the truck figuring in the fatal ac cident slightly more than three years ago. The court adjourned shortly after three o'clock, and the judge was soon on his way to his home in Morehead City Town Committionpr* To Mrel Next Monday Niphl The local town commiaaionrri will hold their regular monthly meeting next Monday at 7:30 p. m. when the date tor putting up the holiday lifhti will be fixed. Plans Are Underway For Holding Of New Cotton Referendum Martin Farmer# To Vole On| Mlotment* Saturday, December 9tli ? Plans were announced virtually complete this week for holding a cotton referendum for the establish ment of marketing quotas for the 1940 crop. Finding the cotton farms a bit scattered in this county, the agent's office has reduced the num ber ?f voting places, but all cotton growers are urged to participate in and support the referendum of Sat urday, December 9. Cotton farmers in Jamesville. Williams, Griffins. Bear Grass. Wil liamston and Poplar Point will vote , in the Martin County Agricultural | building, Mr. T. B. Slade. assistant in the cotton administration set-up in this county, explaining that there were so few cotton farmers in the six townships that it would hardly be advisable to maintain separate voting places in each of them. Poll ing places will be established how ever, at Gold Point, Robersonville. Hamilton. Hassell, Oak City and Cross Roads, the polling places to be maintained at the usual locations in those districts Nearly 1,000 farmers in this coun ty art1 eligible to participate in the referendum, the rules stating that only those farmers who planted cot ton in 1939 will be eligible to vote Cotton allotments for 1940 have already been mailed to the growers, the office t*f the county agent point ing out that the allotments are vir tually the same as they were this year. Martin farmers were allotted H.063 acres of cotton this year, in complete reports showing that hard ly more than half that acreage was actually planted to the. crop. A campaign to urge cotton farm ers to participate in the referendum got underway in Oak City Tuesday evening when Agent T. B. Brandon outlined the plans for holding the election. A second meeting will be held in Ilassell next Monday eve ning at 7 o'clock No other meet ings will likely be held in the coun ty Little interest is being shown the referendum and it is likely that a small Vote will he cast in this county. The huge cotton surplus still stares the farmer in the lace, and unless the program is continued many be lieve that the price will drop to five cents a pound It has been pointed out that the marketing quotas for 1940 will be in effect only if nap proved by at least t.wo thirds of the cotton producers, voting in tin- ref erendum on Saturday. December 9. that it is very important that Martin farmers lend the program a strong support. FiXplaining the effect the passage or failure of the referendum will have, the United States Department of Agriculture says If cotton marketing quotas are in effect in 1940 producers who plant within, or unknowingly ovcrplant, their cotton acreage allotments will be eligible for cotton cotton loans offered. Producers who knowingly over plant their cotton acreage allotments will not be eligible for cotton loans except on 1940 cotton in excess of their marketing quotas, and then only at HO per cent of the rate for other producers. Producers who ovcrplant within their cotton acreage allotments can market without penalty all cotton produced in 1940 Producers who ovcrplant their cotton acreage allotments will pay a 3 cents per pound penalty on cot ton marketed in excess of the actual or normal production of their acre age allotments. If cotton marketing quotas are not in effect in 1940 no restrictions will be imposed on the amount of cotton which may be marketed by an pro ducer regardless of the number of acre^ he plants (Continued on page >U) Holiday Lii/nor Sale* Show A SI i ft ht I acreage A slight upward trend was re flected in the pre-Thanksgiving li quor sales this year as compared with those a year ago. Last year the Williamston store reported sales in the sum of $431.90. Last Wednesday the sales amounted to $500.35, a gain of $68 45 TRAVELER Every day is packed with un usual happenings, no doubt, but the most unusual one recorded here centered around F. B. Jan sen, assistant comptroller gener al of the General American l.ife Insurance Company, of St. Louis. His company being the defen dant in a $2,000 law suit, Jan sen traveled all the way here from way down in Texas to ap pear in the case. Hardly had the caae been cleared from the dock et before he packed his satchel and started for California pre sumably to appear In a ease. To Open Sweet Potato Market December I I Earl\ Indications 1*01111 To V Price Of Much Onts Production in (,oiinl> Will \ppro\imate \rarl\ 230,000 Hu-lieU Martin County farmers will start marketing their current sweet po tato crop on or about the 11th of De cember according to unofficial re ports heard here this week The date for opening the market will possibly be definitely determined at a meet ing of growers and marketing spec ialists here next Tuesday evening when packing and shipping methods , along with other marketing plans will be discussed. All potato grow ers are invited and urged to attend the meeting which will be held in I the county agricultural building on j December 5 at 7:30 p m As the marketing season ap proaches. farmers in this county are howing a greater interest in the sweet potato than ever before^ Gradually the county has . entered the commercial field until today its farmers are preparing a quarter million bushels for the northern markets The outlook is encouraging in that present indications point to a 00 cent pricr At least two buyers and possibly one or even two other representa tives will locate in Wiiliamstoh dur mg th^ season Announcing the meeting in .? lit ter to growers, County Agent T B Brandon said: Martin County sweet potato growers have harvested an excellent crop of potatoes, an 'estimated erop of about 25ti|000 bushels in tins County "The si/e and quality of this crop has interested sonve of the largest buyers m the market and we hope to have two or three sets of buyers buying tit-I * Ibis wmier "Mr B D Kellam, who ha charge of buying sweet potatoes for a large national retailer, will talk on pack mg and merchandising sweet pota toes from : the standpoint of the re tail dealer. We should hear him, as we want to know bow to make our potatoes popular ui northern mar kets, and also know how to got re peat orders "Mr lveliam has had considerable experience, along this line and Ins talk should be interesting to all of ' (' C. Hilton, of the KC.X, will al so he lie re and he hopes to start to buying potatoes by the 10th of De cembei, in order to get them on the market I'M the Christmas trade "Mi I- I* Watson, State College Extension Service, will he with us to show a moving picture in colors on raising sweet potatoes from the time they are bedded until they are ready to market." Home Construction Reaches Ili"li Point P More than 1200 homes were fi rut need by the local building and loan associations of North Carolina during October, it w.a.-, stated today by Wheeler Martin, of William-ton, president of the North Carolina Building and Loan League tie an nounced that more than $1,000,000 in home loans were made during October of which 400, to the amount of $744,000, were construction loans which continues to be the principal type of loan These community home financing institutions also enabled 247 people to purchase homes, to the amount of $375,000, and refinanced-J43, to tin amount of $231,000 The remaining 423, to the amount of $450,000, made during this month were for recon ditioning and other miscellaneous purposes. He stated that home construction has been greatly aided by the ex cellent weather conditions which have prevailed during the past month and reports indicate that No vember will he equally as good in building activity He also reported tl??t there has been a definite increase in savings and investments in building, savings and loan associations which has made additional funds available for home loans. ? Hoard Of Education To Meet llrrp ISpxI Monday Christmas holiday dates for the schools in this county will be fixed by the board of education in regular session here next Monday The of fice of the county superintendent would offer not even a guess as to what dates would be determined Completing their routine work, the board members are scheduled to inspect the new buildings that are nearing completion in the Wool ard's (colored) district and at Rob ersonville. s COI YH TAX S\I.KS The property of (131 owners in Martin County will he placed on the auction block at a sheriff's tax sale here next Monday noon The number of unpaid accounts is about the same as it was last year. Regarded as the first step in the transfer of property against which tax claims are held, the sale of tax certificates by the sheriff is not expected to at tract very much attention. While a few private bidders will be present for the sale, the county of Martin iv almost certain to be the principal purchaser. Indications Point To Higher Income Tor Farm In MHO Outlook for llog>, I'onltrv \ml Ihtin Product* Kucoii raging <> According to the Bureau of Agn cultural Kconomics, V S Depart - moot of Agriculture, income from farm marketings in 1940 is expected to be materially higher'than in 1939.' mainly aS" a result of the improve meht m industrial activity and con suniers' income, Government pay | ments to fanners in 1940 may be about the same as m 1939, and con ' sidorabiy larger than in any pre 1 vious year During the first 8 moriths of 1939, I farm income failed to improve along J with tlu- improvement hi consum ers' income, and average about fiv< j jier cent-below the same months of J 1938. However, the recent advance in farin prices has greatly improved income prospects for the last four months of the year, and income from marketings for the year may be slightly larger than for a year .carl-. icr. Government payments m 1939 will be about 300 million dollars more than in 1938 and the largest for any year since government payments began in 1933. The improvement in farm income in 1940 may be more pronounced for inea't animals, dairy products, poul try. and fruits and vegetables than for cotton and wheat Some conunod ities may also benefit from increased fore?%n demand, particularly hog and dairy products. Agricultural production for mar ket in 1940 may be slightly larger than in 1939, with increased 'output of meat animals and vegetables and more than offsetting- a possible do eline in output of tobacco. The pro diictioii of grains and cotton will de pend partly on unpredictable grow ing conditions. The output of dair> and poultry products will be af fee ted by the relation of feed prices j to livestock-product prices. If there is a visage Weather the total output of these commodities is not expect ed to be greatly different ih 1040 than in 1939 Although prices of hogs will be affected by increased supplies in 1040," farm- income - front tnetd?attt majs and wool is likely to increase considerably and may be the high est for any year since 1930. Unless conditions are unusually favorable for production, the total output of dairy products may not be any larger than the. record output of 1939, and supplies in storage at the beginning of 1940 will probably be somewhat smaller than a year earl ier. Thus, with slightly smaller to tal supplies hi prospect, the im provement in demand is likely to bo accompanied by a substantial i crease in prices, and income from dairy products will be larger. Marketing of poultry and eggs will probably be spm?-\ffHtt above aver age in the last quarter of 1939, and storage stocks of poultry carried m to the new year will be relatively large The output of eggs during 1940, is expected to be slightly larg er than in 1939, but poultry mar ketings may be slightly smaller With higher incomes i>f consumers in prospect, farm income from poul try and eggs is 1940 is likely to im prove over that of 1939. Stocks of most staple crops on January 1, 1940, are expected t?> be above average, a situation which will tend to limit the improvement in farmers' inlome from the sale of these crops in 1940 Prospects are favorable forii considerable increase in the production of canned vege tables in 1940. This will contribute toward increased farm income froii vegetables. (Continued on page six) Mr. Harrison l.onlinm's Onilr III In llns/iila! Mr C. A. Harrison, rounding out six week* last Tuesday in a Rich mond hospital, continues quite sick, hut late reports (mm the institution state that he is showing improve ment after taking a special medicine earlier in the week. Farm Bureau Builds Foundation For An Vrtivr ()r<fanization I.. I . Vriiolil. Siult* >i'crelary, Karmrrii H?-r?* l.a?t K\rninji With more than 500 active merit- v ti(i "ti it. itilK ttti- Karnt Bureau is binIdiii!.', m tin?> county, one of the strongest '.units in- eastern North Car olina. the campaign reaching a Hi ..trav he...?U.nl night when E. F. Ai - Hold, a.ei etary - f the State organiza tion. ii ldit: sed a large grpup of .far-. iM'i-i m 'hi eg r. cultural building. Keviewing the work of the Farm Bi. it au federation during "the past years-. Mr Arnold pleaded with the farthers to give the organization a strong support He pointed out the Uncertainty facing agriculture, and explained that the farm organization is now entering upon one of its greatest tasks to insure the farmers his fair share of the national income. Mr Arnold followed County Agent T B Brandon on the program, the agent explaining that this is a new day m agriculture, that the farmer I must organize his forces and keep istep with the other industry i The meeting was the third held in I the county this week, successful | meetings having been held in Oak I City and Bear Grass oil Tuesday eve ning Haywood Dad. tin- daddy of -the Farm Bureau movement in this section Of the State, addressed thir ty 01 more farmers at Oak City, and the numbers!]ip there was boosted to the 100. mark under the leader ship of Farmer YV Robert Kverett and his able assistants Farmer A. B Ayers addressed the Boar Grass meeting and 'reported a number of im w members Pushing tiie total membership To more than .500 m this county, the State bureau has reported material gams in <.?lh< r counties ami it is be lie Veil that tins Stat? will be allow ed additional votes in the national convention opening in Chicago this .week-end. ()ffacials-of th Slate Farm Bureau will: leave-''tomorrow morn ing lor Chicago, and V M Manning ? t the Fnteiprise pipns to aci'oni ; piiipi tin m?rn a H-;in -en t",itTve Tit' the Martm County Farm Unit. On Thur lay. December 14 in the coun t\ agricultural building, a report will he rendered on the national conven tion Savs Farmer Must Prosper II Others Kxpeel To ProsjM'r ? Half of Nation'* Copulation \fferteil MirrelU |{\ lar'nirr'* Slatn^ n in [the i ' Was Peoria. Ill Wlu . In MeMlllfll, fcuin maga/me editor, told tin- Na tional Grange convention recently thai national prosperity was contin gent upiui a'long-time, income build ing farm policy. Half of tin nation's 'population, he said in Ins prepared address, is di i' i lly affected by the economic sta tus of tin- fanner Hi* said the agri | cultural group formed nearly 25 per cent of the total population and that income of another 25 per cent derived from the farmer's dol j lar "When that half of the nation prospers," he declared, "ordurs for goods flow to the factories, men are I hired and in turn start buying, trans I port 1 bus\.. 41nance is busy, and the | entire economic machine moves in to higher gear. "'Whenever the annual earning i power of agriculture again reaches twelve billion dollars, the national ! income will again exceed 80 billions, and the problem of unemployment will cease to be .-non-. When agri culture can earn fifteen billion dol lars, there will be more jobs in the United States than tlverc arc men " ' MeMillen, who is president of the Farm Cheniuigie Council, offered j the following five-point program for increasing agricultural income: "(Jive every advantage of tiw Ani I erican market to the American far j nier | "Encourage and expand by every i possible means the utilization in in dustry of products American farm ers can grow: "Extend and hasten experiments to establish, new crops on American farms "Establish incentive payments to farmers for producing materials the* United States does not grow in suf ficient quantity or does not yet grow efficiently. "Encourage throughout both rural and urban society the habits of self liolp in preference to government help " II timing I* Issncil To Hunks 4nil Merchant* Raleigh ? Warning is again issued to banks, meichants and others who cash unemployment compensation checks to be sure of the identity of the payee, and to see that the checks are not older than the 00-day limit printed on each check.