PAT DAT
WAS
BOND DAY
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THE ENTERPRISE
OVUTNETOP
FOR VICTORY
? UNITED STATU WAD
BONDS-STAMPS
VOLUME XLV?NUMBER 67 Williamtton, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuetday, Auguil 25, 1942. ESTABLISHED 1899
Market Opens With Prices Highest In Quarter of Century
War As It Relates
To Home Front Is
Reviewed for Week
Home Front Muitl Redouble
Its Efforts in Handling
The Assigned Task
Now we are doing what we said
we would do We're fight,ng the
lZZy WuereVerJht' is found,
afloat, ashore and aloft, on all the
Seven Seas and in the far places of
the earth. Our troops roared through
the surf at Dieppe with their broth
Brita Canada and 'heir cousins of
Britain, and on that day our bomb
ers were over the Egyptian Desert,
our planes were fighting the Japan
ese in China, our marines were fan
ning out from beachheads in the Sol
omons and our envoys were mapping
grand strategy at Moscow
which*re e?'enng uP?n 'hat time for
which we have impatiently waited
a time in which we carry the offen
sive to our enemies We do not have
our enemy by the throat-not yet?
? '7,^ave come to grips with him
fT?h, g "-mains to be won. but the
light is underway.
Home Front Must Not Falter
From now on, then, we here at
home must redouble our effort tri
ple our vigilance in the tasks asiign
bU? u*. ""t* ??ld'?s who make
good our beachheads ,n Asia and in
Europe are upheld and supported by
the united efforts of all of us Let
one of us falter or fail and the struc
weakened a?s ls
The mechanism of the Home Front
is a complex mechanism Materials
production, distribution, the system
of rationing and of controlling prices,
the program for salvage?all these
and much else, too, combine to make
the cogs and gea^s and wheels which
keep us rolling.
For weeks and months, now it
has been increasingly apparent that
one vital part of this complicated
machine is not working properly We
are short of materials and that short
age becomes more disturbing appar
ently every day. That shortage ex
tends beyond the mere need for ci
vilian restrictions, it is affecting the
fi?"? ""vices A short while ago
the War Production Board issued an
order forbidding use of rubber in
many military products, including
cartridge clip boxes and gun grips
And last week WPB restricted mili
tary uses of aluminum to "combat
end-products for field or combat
USTi J" "rder to lnsure that there,
will be enough aluminum for com-1
bat instruments.
Home Front Rallies for Salvage
The shortage of materials again
emphasizes the need for saving ma
tenals and for salvage. You may be
tired of hearing about salvage you
may be weary of collecting scrap?
and yet we cannot close our ears to
the crying need for salvage, we can
not stop hunting out the scrap, with
out risking failure and defeat WPA
workers, beating the back roads of
the farm country and digging old
rails from city streets have turned
up 100,000 tons of scrap metal 44,
900 tons of it in the form of steel
rails. Scrap rubber, 454,155 tons of
It, IS moving to reclaiming plants at
the rate of 4,000 tons a day. In Wash
ington, the lure of brass bands and
Hollywood screen stars set a pat
tern for "Scrap Rallies" to be held
throughout the country. ,WPB's Con
servation Division announced plans
for a "Junior Salvage Corps" of
school children?more than 30,000,
000 of them?to conduct a nation
wide, house-to-house scrap canvass
for two weeks beginning October 5.
And the American Legion is discuss
ing with local governments a pro
posal so that old cannon balls and
cannon and the howitzers of 1918
may be scrapped to make the guns
and tanks and planes of 1943. Legion
veterans have offered to give their
own war relics?relics which, melted
in the furnaces and refabricated in
the arsenals, will help arm their sons
who fight today.
All these enterprises will help but
(Continued on page six)
Native Of Hamilton
Commands Air Raid
Frank Armstrong, a native of
Hamilton and a colonel in the United
States Army Air Corps, has beeh
awarded the Silver Star decoration
for his part in the first all-American
raid over Europe.
Young Armstrong, a grandson of
the late Clerk of Martin County Su
perior Court and Mrs. J. A. Hobbs,
was the commanding officer of the
"first all-American squadron to
bomb enemy-occupied territory in
this theatre," a communique from
the U. S. Army headquarters an
nounced.
The Silver Star decoration for the
officer was ordered by Major Gen
eral Carl A. Spaatz, commander of
all American air forces in the Europ
ean sphere.
Colonel Armstrong, commanding
a dozen flying fortresses, directed
the successful bombing of Rouen,
the important railroad center occu
pied by the Nazis in Northern France
the early part of last week.
U.S. Troops Embark to Fight Somewhere Abroad
OfflcUl U. g. Army Slcaal Corps rhote
These fully equipped American troops are shown lined up on a dock, somewhere in the United States,
ready to l>oard a transport bound for undisclosed foreign shores. The photo was released with the War
Department announcement that the troops have arrived safely at their destination.
Postal Receipts At
Record Figure in
Williamson Offic
?e
Income During Second (^Hur
ler IairgcMt Ever Report
ed For the Period
t
Postal receipts at the local office
for the three months period ending
last June 30th were the largest ever
recorded for that period, F. E.
Wynne, assistant to the postmaster,
announced recently. No explanations
for the record business could be
pointed out. Possibly tire and gas
rationing caused many persons to
transact business by mail rather
than make personal.visits. It is an
established fact that the postal re
cepts reflect an increase while gen
eral business in this immediate sec
tion was hardly holding its own
against the call of men to the armed
forces and to defense industries ot
the north and to the south..
The last quarter stamp sales
| amounted to $5,576.90, a gain of
$313.18 over the sales for the cor
[ responding quarter in 1941. Handl
I ed on a fiscal year basis, the stamp
| sales for the 12 months ending last
June 30th amounted to $24,014.40 as
compared with $21,951.97 for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1941. The
biggest single gain was recorded
during the quarter ending last
March when sales reflected an in
crease of more than $1,000 over the
corresponding period in 1941.
While -stamp sales were increasing,
the money order business boomed,
but to no record high figure. Money
orders, valued at $25,143.08, were
handled during the months of April,
May and June of this year as com
pared with $23,410.01 in the same
months, a year ago. But while that
much money was being sent away,
mostly to mail order houses, the lo
cal office cashed money orders in
the amount of $14,898.18 as compar
ed with $7,511.93 in the same months
of 1941. It is apparent from these fig
ures that many of the defense work
ers are sending some of their earn
ings back home.
A report from the office this
week indicates that the receipts are
continuing to hold up.
Name School Bus
Drivers In County
Faced with a shortage of bus driv
ers, school authorities personally
scoured the county last week-end
and rounded up a number believed
sufficient to handle the forty busses
this coming term. Many of the ap
plicants have already taken the re
quired driving tests and examina
tions hut the list of drivers will not
be announced before the latter part
of the week or not before reports on
all of the appointments have been
certified by state highway saYety ex
aminers.
It is estimated that twenty-five
new drivers will be added to the list
in the county this year, about that
number having been graduated last
spring. A few are quitting school to
enter private employment.
While it is quite certain that the
bus schedules will be altered, the
total bus route mileage will remain
virtually unchanged.
It is not likely that the laws gov
erning the transportation of chil
dren will be changed in this State
immediately. It has been suggested
that children living less than two
miles from school or from a bus
route be required ot walk. The serv
ice will go within one mile of all
children served by the busses, and
children living more than one and
one-half miles from a school will
continue to ride.
Uncertainty Surrounds Calls
To Armed Service In County
Uncertainty surrounds the draft
status of many registrants in this
county, but despite the advanced re
ports it is not very likely that many
Martin County married men will be
called within the next few months
or hardly before the early part of |
next year, at the earliest. The size
of the calls between now and then,
of course, will change the status of
the registrants and other factors may
hasten the call to the men With de
pendents. But the size of the calls
will have to be materially increased
and more men will have to be re
jected before the draft board has to
dip deep into the married group A |
complete picture of the registration
and draft status of the available
manpower in this county could not
be had immediately. It is well known
however, that in some counties the
draft has been taking married men
for months, that Martin still has a
PEACEFUL
There wrre a few arrests, but
compared with the record tor
the previous week-end period,
last week-end in this section was
quite peaceful. The usual round
up of drunks was effected, the
jail record showing that six per
sons were Jailed for public
drunkenness last week-end as
compared with seventeen arrests
made during the previous week
end. One other person, charged
with larceny, was arrested and
Jailed.
Ages of the alleged violators
ranged from 18 to 62 years of
age, Ollie Bumpus, colored, led
the age group. Three of those
Jailed were white men.
The opening of the tobacco
market here this morning found
the large crowd orderly for the
most part, but police are hold
ing their breath as the money
starts circulating.
Having Fine Time
In Uncle's Navy
Entering the nation's armed serv
ice just a short time ago, John Hat
ton Gurganus, Williamston young
man who was refused entrance into
the air corps on account of his "ad
vanced" age, is now vacationing a
la plain ole Navy style out in Illi
nois, according to a very encourag
ing note received a short time ago.
John Hatton wrote, in part:
"This is a great country up here,
and I am glad now that I was sent
here for my training We were the
first group to come here from Ral
~eigtr in twenty years. Most of the
hoys are from the western part of
North Carolina and I know it was
the first trip away from home for
some of them. I laughed nearly all
the way at some of them, and some
times I want to book some of the
things they said on the train
"I know I am going to like the
Navy because everything is the best,
including food, living quarters and
what not. Our dormitory is new and
you can see yourself in the hard
wood floors. We have a large radio,
but one thing we are not use to is
sleeping in hammocks. I laughed
half of one night during our first
night there. About every fifteen min
utes some one would turn over in
them and you would hear him hit
the floor. I fell out only one time the
first night, but some of the boys just
could not stay in them. I never knew
it was so hard to stay in one of the
things before We sleep upder a
blanket nights, but the days are
really nice and warm."
reserve of single n\en.
If the draft is not materially in
creased before December, it is quite
possible tH3i a few calls can be an
swered by single men who were
granted occupational deferments.
An unofficial report states that the
draft board is having a difficult time
m rounding up enough men for the
September call, but the .shortage, if
any, will be traceable to the draft
machinery itself rather than to any
actual shortage of single 1-A men.
The draft machinery is heavily taxed
with its duties at the present time.
I)r. James S. Rhodes, the examining
physician for the board who is with
out a single assistant, has been work
ing night and day to handle the
Army examiuntious, but even then it
has been almost impossible to han
dle the hundreds of. men who must
be examined before 1-A classifica
tions can be definitely assigned.
To Mail Christmas
Parcels for Armed
Forces In October
Kr*tri<*tioiih on Mailing I'uck
aflCH To Men OverneuH Clil
ed By Authoritio
Every effort will he made by the
authorities to get. Christmas cards
and packages to members of the
armed forces in foreign service this
Christmas, hut certain rules and
regulations must he observed by the
senders if delivery is to he expedit
ed
?Jt is pointed out that no perish
able matter should he included in
any parcels, and such articles as in
toxicants, inflammable materials
(including matches of all kinds and
lighter fluids) and poisons, or com
positions which may kill or injure
another, or damage the mails, are
unmailable. Proper addresscu are
be typed All parcels are subject to
be typed. All percels an- subject to
censorship, and they should be
wrapped securely but at the same
time in such a way as to enable the
censor to eipen them for inspection
without damaging the . contents.
Gre eting cards wishing the recipient
Me rry Christmas e>r printed cards
conveying best wishes may be in
cluded, but no fe>rmal written mes
sages may be placed in the* box. Re
turn addresses should also be printed
on the* box. Postage rates, available
at the- nearest postoffice, must be
prepaid.
The following rules and regula
tions are taken from a current Postal
Bulletin:
Time of mailing Christmas parcels
and Christmas cards should be mail
ed during the month of October, the
earlier the better.
Size and weight: In view of the
urgent need for shipping space to
transport materials directly essential
to the war effort, Christmas parcels
shall not exceed the present limits of
11 pounds in weight or eighteen
inches in length or 42 inches in
length and girth combined. Never
theless the public is urged by the
War and Navy Departments to co
operate by voluntarily restricting the
size of Christmas parcels to that of
an ordinary shoe box, and the weight
to six pounds. These departments
have pointed out also that members
of the Armed Forces ate amply pro
vided with food and clothing, and
the public is urged not to include
such matter in gift parcels. Not more
than one Christmas parcel or pack
age shall be accepted for mailing in
any one week when sent by or on
(Continued on page six)
Situation In Russia
Approaches Critical
Stage At Two Points
Drive* Toward Slalin^ratl and j
Grozny Oil Field* Make
Much lload way
Driving within forty miles of the]
all-important industrial city of Stal
ingrad and to within seventy miles |
of the Grozny oil fields, the Gel
?mans lutvt^ ercated a new and criti
cal situation for the Russians at I
two points in the long batile line
Sweeping over a fifty-mile course
yesterday. German tanks are now at
the gates of the great Grozny oil
fields and approaching Stalingrad
where they are nearing a point that
will sever connections between the
Isouthern and northern armies of the
defending Russians
The Soviet high command an
nounced the new Russian setback in |
the North Caucasus, revealing the
| Red army defenders of the Grozny
|ml wealth were fighting German
| tanks and infantry in the area of
Prokhladncnski. The strategic rail
junction is 50 miles below Pyatigorsk
and 85 miles northeast of Grozny in
the heart of the oil fields.
The late communique said the Red [
army was battling desperately along I
the northwestern and southwestern)
approaches to Stalingrad, where Gel
man gains had posed a critical men
ace to the great industrial strong
hold on the Volga.
Semi-official Soviet sources con
ceded that German tanks and motor
ized infantry had stormed across the
Don Bend in force southeast of Klet
skaya They? were reported driving)
on toward the Moscow Stalingrad |
railroad, which roughly parallels the
river some 13 miles to the east.
Another huge German armored )
force, advancing across the steppes
northeast of Koteinikovski, jammed )
a wedge into the outer rim of the
Soviet defenses, threatening to by- |
pass Stalingrad in a push to the Vol
ga south of the city
On the Don Bend front, tin- high I
command said, hostilities were es
pecially violent between German in '
fantry forces and the.Russians in the
140-mile wide corridor between the
Don and Volga. Fighting for one for
tilled p'hice, the Russians destroyed
t ight German tanks and at least 400 1
troops, it said.
While the Russia area continues
as the main center in the world 1
struggle, other developments are in
| the offing nearly all the way around'
i the globe. Brazil has cast her lot with
| the Allies, and a movement for J
|solidarity in South America is mak
mg progress.
A new threat to the Allied forces |
in the Solomon Islands is being talk
ed, one report stating that the Japs |
are moving up reinforcements for a !
concerted counter-attack there
Much attention is being centered
in Africa even though little action]
has been reported along the Kgypt- 1
ian fi"hi during recent days It is |
predicted, now that weather condi 1
tions are improving for fighting,)
that General Rommel will within )
the next two or three weeks, make
another bid for the capture of the
Suez Canal.
A bright spot in the fighting
comes from China where the weary
defenders are driving the Japs back
and recapturing important territory
in Central China However, it is re
ported that the Japs are withdraw
ing considerable forces from China
and moving them to the south for
a possible drive on torn India and to
(Continued on page six)
Current Market
Pri< *es Reviewed
Raleigh?Old crop peanuts ure
gleaning up rapidly according to
the U. S. and North Carolina Depart
ments of Agriculture in the Week
ly Market News Service' Review.
This is especially true in North Car
olina and Virginia where many .mills
even those that are large, have clos
ed down for the season, having com
pletely exhausted their stocks on
hand. It will be late October or
early November before new crop
-peanuts can he placed on the mar
ket.
A few lots of farmers' stock Vir
ginias are still being offered and
bringing growers 7 3-4 cents per
pound for jumbos.
There was only a limited number
f changes that took place in the
Chicago hog prices this week. How
ever, the trend was weak to lower
and weights under 240 pounds sold
Thursday 10 to 15 cents lower than
the previous Friday. The week's top
of 15.30 was paid last Monday; the
closing top was 15.00. On the Caro
lina and Virginia hog boying sta
tions, swine prices were unevenly
25 cents lower to 5 cents higher.
When compared with last week's lev
els, tops for good and choice hogs
were steady at 14.35 in Clinton and
Lumberton; 5 cents higher at 14 40
in Fayetteville and Florence; 10 cents
lower at 14.25 in Whiteville; 14.35 at
Windsor; 14 50 in Richmond; while
in Rocky Mount the Jprice dropped
a full quarter to 14.10.
Early Morning Sales
Average Right At 40
Cents on Market Here
BLACKOUT
The people of Ihe WHKamston
Air Kaid Warning District, in
clulliilk; (hose in the towns and
communities all the way Irom
Columbia in the southeast to Oak
City ill the northwest are attain
asked to cooperate in makintc the
blackout lest a success on Fri
day nieht of this week.
The blackout, to last about :i?
minutes, w ill be ordered by the
office of the interceptor com
mand some time between 8
o'clock IV M. and I A. M. Use
blasts of the lire siren in Wtl
liamston will be the sianal for
the blackout in Williams ton.
The all clear sienal will he one
lone blast of the siren.
Lirjjr INiuiiImt Men
Rejected In Last
County Dralt I list
F.iglit of TImihc \eci'|?leil For
Service I'nss by Narrow
Margin
Seventeen of 111.- last group of
Martin County wlutc draftees re
porting for ihdd9tion at an army
camp Were rejected, sixteen on ac
count of physical ailments and one
on account of low literacy standards,
according to a reliable report heard
this week fag lit of the group pass
utg the tests did so by narrow mar
Kins and will likely be subjected to
limited military service.
Knur of the group scheduled to
Icpurl foi service in the Aimy and
previously joined the Navy and a
fifth one, Cailylc I.anneau Cox, had
louied the Marine Corps Those join
ing the Navy were John II Gurgan
as. Kilmond llavis Harris. Grady
lloyh l)aveil|>ort and Clyde lluie
Bailey.
Names of the men rejected out of
tin' last group going to the induction
center from this county, are, as fol
lows Eugene Botha Ange, Benja
loin Barber, 1-esti i Krankliri Bailey.
Geo Wallace Cowan, Ira Marvin
Coltrain, Kiinnal Taylor Gardner,
Major Barbel. Brownie Whitehurst,
Clifford Neville Mobley, James Gar
land Barnhill, Tliad Mayo Koherson
I.ouis Henry Gardner,-Mack Wynn
Jimniie Jackson Sills. Joseph I'ay
ton Sykes, James Norman llolh
Karl la-ainon Ward.
The men accejited out of the las
rail are now at home on their four
Icon day furloughs They will hi
leaving within a few days for activi
luty Their names an-: Donnie llai
,ld Kolsom. John Ben Hardison
Henry Joe I'eele. Heher John Col
Ham William Albert Harrison. Wit
|?. Whitfield. Howard Kdwin White
uirst. Clyde Hugh Hines, Denim
Mayo Harrison. Harvey llullcmai
Yates, Hubert llrhin Gurganus, Jin
Brown liolliday, Charlie lin t Wynne
Henry llerljert Popiv Jr William
Clayton Whitley, Itupert Mussel i
Bawls, Alou/a Hassell, Chester Wil
iam Edmondson, la ster Sylvestei
Whtle. Dayton Bryant, tutbei Gor
ion I.eggett. Jr.. I.eondreW Hardi
100, Jr , Kftrnk Saunders Cherry, r.d
ivin Horace Carson, Simon Coltrain,
Yernei Walter Harrison, Ellis Saun
lers White, Lyman I.ucian Brilt and
lesse Wed Curtis.
Farm Life School
Principal Named
The assignment of principals to
the various county schools stands
complete again following double
resignations in some of the plants.
Professor Tommie GuylutlL young
Jamesville man. has been named to
head the Farm Life school during the
coming term The position in the
school was made vacant by the res
ignation of Professor Russell Martin
last Spring. A successor to Mr. Mar
tin wa named, and plans for the
coming term were virtually com
pleted when Mr. Martin's successor
resigned because a tenant on his
farm was called to war.
Professor Gaylnrd, a graduate of
Elon College, taught school for three
years at Altamahaw-Ossippee in Al
imunce County before accepting the
Farm Life position.
A complete line-up of the various
school faculties is still not available.
A late report frohn the office of the
superintendent states that several of
the contracts pending last week had
not been executed, that additional
contracts were mailed to other ap
plicants this week. It is apparent
that there are stillx several positions
vacant in the schools.
Prices Range From
About Twelve To
\ Peak Of 17 Cents
Onalil\ of Offering- I* Only
Fair; Vwrap- I I Cent*
lli^lirr Than ^ car \j{o
Reaching what is believed to be
the highest price peak in nearly a
quarter of .? century, tobacco sales
on the Williumston market this
morning brought broad smiles and
created chebrj dispositions among
the hundreds of farmers crowding
ti11o watrhonses?fo+- first-hand
information There was not dissatis
faction heard in any corner, and
farmers were really jubilant as their
medium-quality offerings went for
around $40 a hundred, some individ
ual averages exceeding 45 cents a
pound
The first 16.082 pounds sold on the
market this morning averaged right
at 40 cents, or $30.34 to bo exact. The
price range was from about 12 cents
to 47. a few piles, possibly two dip
ping as low as four and two or three
going for seven. The main figures
were in the high thirties with all
companies showing interest in the
bidding As the sales progressed, the
price trend varied slightly, but very
slightly., and was traceable to ' the
quality of the tobacco. At the close
of the first forty minutes' selling
period, the price trend was equally
as strong as it was when the auc
tioneer officially opened the new
season with the old familiar chant.
Compared with the opening a
year ago. the sales during the early
morning were about eleven cents
higher, with certain grades of the in
ferior types showing possibly an
even greater gain over the 1941
opening day price averages. It is
apparent that the inferior types as
long as they have any body and can
meet the smoking demands are sell
ing for new high figures. On the oth
er hand the bright and apparently
superior quality typos are not bring
mg very much more money than
those medium types. There is some
difference in the price, of course, but
the variation is limited.
Farmers are really jubilant over
the opening prices. J H Biggs, col
ored farmer of Griffins Township,
asked about his sale, said, "It was
fine, it warf%uM right " Asked what
he was going to do wth all his mon
ey. lbggs explained that he plan
ned in pay all his debts and then if
any was left he would buy war
bonds Oddly enough, it was men
turned that the bond sale in too
many ea-.es would be of the bottled
in bond type But there was little
ign of the bottled type this morning
as farmers milled in and out of the
warehouses observing the sales and
waiting for the boy* is to advance
row by row to their offerings.
It is estimated tie- market will sell
light at 200,000 pounds t>efore the
ah s are suspended at 3 30 this af
ternoon, leaving a fairly sizable
block for tomorrow. m
General licit Report
Offering the first of the current
crop valued at about 200 million dol
lars. farmers over the belt, as a
whole, received price averages rang
ing from 36 to 40 cents a pound
Tai boro sold 17,000 pounds during
the early morning for an average
nf 3H cents with prices ranging from
10 0^46 cents.
The first 100 piles sold on the
Rocky Mount market averaged
$38.35
Wilson, basing its report on the
fiist six rows sold, averaged $36.35
with prices ranging as low as 4 cents
i pound.
Greenville averaged $38.75 for its
(Continued on page six)
Young Girl Badly
Hurt In Accident
Carrie Louise Perry, 13-year-old
daughter of Farmer and Mrs. Colon
Perry, of Williams Township, was
painfully but not critically hurt last
Saturday morning when she was
struck by a hit-and-run driver as
she walked along the highway in
Williams Township. She suffered
a six-inch cut on her head and was
badly shocked and bruised. She was
treated in the local hospital.
On her way to Hardison's filling
station, the little girl was walking
near the hard surface when she was
struck. She did not know who or
what struck her. It la possible that
the driver of the vehicle never knew
he hit anyone, reports stating that
apparently a protruding body of a
truck hit her. Highway Patrolman
Saunders is investigating the acci
dent and is working on one or two
minor clues but no late developBaents
have been reported In the i