The Rocky Mo
VOLUME 4, NO. 16
SIB STUDENTS IN
SGH SCHOOL
NET TOURNEY
Play started today in a tennis
tournament for students at the
jlocky Mount high school with 16
boys, entered.
The seeded players in the tourney
are Rhinehart Freeman, Charles
Brock, EJynest Wright, Thomas
Owens, John Dozier, Luther Smith,
Robert Bobbitt, and Arthur Weath
ers. The other entries include Billy
Young, Billy Avera, Frank Lee
Greathouae, Carl Atkins, Norman
Harper, Val Morgan, Tom Avera,
and Nelson Large.
A number of matches with teams
throughout eastern North Carolina
are being scheduled and will be
played when the tournament is over.
Late in the month two men will be
Bent to Chapel Hill to participate in
\ the state tournament,
d Robert Bobbitt is the manager of
F, Tn«j team. He is assisted by Joseph
£ Jones.
AWARDS MADE
LOCALSCOUTS
\
22 Boys Presented Second Class
Badges By Court Of Honor
Led by a group of 22 tenderfoot
Scouts who were awarded the sec
ond class badge, 102 presentations
| were made at the April session of
M the Rocky Mount district court of
V honor held at the Parish House of
X the chnrch of the Good Shepherd.
j\ Five Scouts also were awarded the
jr* Life badge and three received the
I Star badge. The new life Scouts are
as follows: Graham Williams and
Tommy Harris, troop 7; Hugh
Battle, Jr., and J. D. Richardson,
| troop 11; and Ted Poplin, troop 13.
The Star Scouts are Leroy Muchi
son and Earl Cade, troop 7; and
*»■ Bobby Hughes, troop 8.
Scouts receiving the first class
badgo were as follows; James John
son and Tom Fisher, troop 5; and
Herbert Knight, troop 11.
The second class badges went to
the following: Perry Cuthrell, Ge
orge Valentine, Reginald Holder, Ir
l\i win Nichols and Charles Rinehardt,
|» troop 5; Joe Christian, troop 7; Rob-
I ert Rogers and William Pittman,
" troop 8; Larry Battle, Frank Hol
man, Henry Capps, Roy Fredericks,
Ben Aycock, troop 11; Edward
Mayo, Joe Wilkins, Howard Shearin
and Roger Mayo, troop 16; Gordon
Davis, M. A. .Batchelor, Grover
Gupton, Millard Jones and Robert
Sharpe, of troop 73 Sharpsburg.
A feature of the court of honor
session was the presentation of a
15-year veteran's badge to E. E.
Draper, troop committeeman of
h troop 11, who was awarded the
badge by Rev. F. H. Craighill of
the court.
Civic service awards went to Jack
Dowdy and Joe Speight, troop 7.
Other awards went for merit bad
ges.
The formal opening exercises to
• gether with a skit were presented by
\members of troop 7.
f T. A. Avera, chairman, presided
[_ \ over the session.
53 SCHOOLS
WIN DEBATES
K, Successful Debaters Will Enter Fi
nal Contest For Aycock Cup, At
University April 21-22.
Secretary E. R. Rankin, at Chapel
Hill, Monday, said that 53 high
schools had reported to him that
both of their teams won decisions
in the triangular debating contests
' held throughout the state last week
end and that they will enter the
finals to be held at the university
April 21 and 22 when the state
championship and Aycock memorial
cup will be at stake.
A number of other schools whose
teams won both' debates have not
reported, and it will be several days
before all reports are in, Secretary
Rankin said.
Winners of the triangular con
tests last week-end reported so far
are: Ahoskie, Albemarle, Angier,
Bakersville, Belmont, Bethel Hill,
Broughton, Casar, Chocowinity, Col
lettsville, Cranberry, Epsom, Er
win, Failview, Forest City, Frank
linton, Gibson, Gibsonville, Glen
dale, Granite Falls, Griffith, Hamlet,
. w " l-.a, Hertford, Hobbsville, Kan-
Kenly, Kinston, Mingo,
Morehead City, Morven, Mt. Airy,
Mt. Gilead, Mt. Pleasant, (of
| Wilkes), Rowland (of Pasquotank),
I Newport, Oak Grove, Orrum, Pilot
' Mountain, Rock Springs, Rosewood,
Roxobel-Kelford, Saratoga, Shelby,
» Spencer, Swannanoa, Swan Quarter,
Vanceboro, Wakelon, Washington,
Weldon, Wendell and Whiteville.
SENJU-YNOLDS
STOPS IN CITY
United State Senator Robert R.
Reynolds, enroute from Kinston to
Washington, spent an hour here
Thursday in conference with offi
cers in charge of the air encamp
ment located near the city.
Th e Senator, a member of the
senate military affairs committee,
was instdumental in bringing the
Langley Field detachment here.
He left about noon for the nation
al capital. ,
U WA»jTON
UNITED STATES SENATOR
****** |
The big drive is on in Congress
for action on legislation that may
have the effect of virtually shap
ing national affairs. The fact that
this drive is along many fronts and
is without the noise of verbal ,"big
guns ,"does not lessen its signifi
cance. And /'behind the scenes," is
much feeling as legislative generals
map plans their lines and pre
pare for_ the /'zero hour,"of vot
ing on " measures that effect all
our citizens.
The situation in Congress is all
the more acute because Congressio
nal procedure is naturally affected
by the acts of the legislative and
judicial branches of the Govern
ment. What will be the final govern
ment policy with regard to the
sit-down strikers that may cause con
cern in the South! What changes,
if any, will be made in th e presi
dent's court plan before it comes up
in congress for a vote! What will
the Supreme Court do with regard
to the Labor Relations Act, which
is certain to influence action on
the court plan? Not even the most
optimistic member of Congress will
attempt to answer these questions
today. And they must be answered
before the present uncertainty in
Congress gives way to certainty—
that is before the objective of the
"big drive" is clear.
As a result, members of Congress
are unable to give satisfactory ans
wers to many questions raised by
constituents. They are unable to ha
zard a guess as to what will be done
about this or that. They find it dif
ficult to form their own final
decisions.
The reason is simple. It is because
factors outside of Congress are,
perhaps more than ever before,hav
ing a strong effect on legislation.
In other words, conditions that are
acute today may become less ser
ious tomorrow, make drastic legis
letion unnecessary. However, they
may become more serious, and re
quire swift movement in the, "big
drive."
Whatever else may be said' it
can be stated that the President is
keenly alive to the situation, and
his record for action clearly indica
tes that he will be ready to mov e
at a moments notice. The fact that
all his plans have not been disclo
sed does not minimize their sweep
ing character. It lias been amply
demonstrated that our people, by
and large, have confidence in the
President's recommendations and
that the Congress, in the final an
alysis, will be in accord with his
more important policies. This will
be more in evidence during the
weeks ahead.
Our people should not be alarmed
by the evidences of the present un
certainty in the legislative branch
of the Government. It is in reality
a most hopeful sign. It indicates
that members of Congress are stu
dying and weighing the various pro
posals. It is a sign that members
have the courage of their own con
victions as to What is best for the
country. And it is a refreshing In
dication that this is not a /'rubber
stamp," Congress.
With it all is new evidence that the
day of temporary expedients to
meet emergencies is over. The mere
fact that the Congress is moving
slowly toward final objectives i 8
really a hopeful sign —a sign that
the experience of the last decade
and all the lessons learned are not
being forgotten. That in itself,
should allay many fears with re
gard to Federal activities in the
future.
TEACHERS
PICKED FOR
STATE MEET
Tarboro, April 12.—County teach
ers met here in the court houses
Saturday, and elected J. N. Grant,
of South Edgecombe school; J. G.
Feezor and Mr. Wheeler, of West
Edgecombe school; Miss Estella
Jenkins, of Pinetops graded school;
Miss Matlock, of West Edgeco.fbe;
Mrs. R. E. Jones, of Battleboro; J.
T. Biggers, of Conetoe; N. E.
Gresham, county superintendent and
Miss Deane Hardison, of Conetoe,
a committee to attend the North
Carolina Educational association at
Durham on April 22.
In addition to talks by Superin
tendent N. E. Gresham on elections
for 1937-8; Dr. L. L. Parks, coun
ty health officer, read a letter on
health; Mrs. Mary Godfrey, secre
tary of the Merchants association
welcomed them to Tarboro; and Au
brey Shackell, spoke to the teach
ers on publicity.
Elections are to be held shortly,
with committees to be naned this
afternoon.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1937
UNDER THE
DOMEOFTHE
COURTHOUSE
A Frank Explanation Of The Need
For Bonds For School Buildings
In Edgecombe
A great many taxpayers have ap
proached us during the past several
days in regard to a proposed bond
issue for $250,000 to be voted on
May I, 1937 and the bonds to be
sold for the purposes of construct
ing school houses in Edgecombe
County. The question has been ask
ed over and over again why the
amount is so large and why tht
County Commissioners issue bonds
to build school houses in Tarboro
and Rocky Mount. In answer to the
first question, namely, why the
amount is so large, I wish to state
that even this amount is not ade
quate to take care of any futurt
needs; that it will only provide the
necessary equipment for the school
years of 1936-37 and 1937-38. In
Tarboro the building for Negro
children in Princeville has been con
demned by the State Inspectors.
It is not only affi e hazard but is
hazardous from the standpoint of be
ing safe. The High School at Tar
boro for white students is not equip
ped with an auditorium which is
very necessary adjunct to public edu
cation. In Rocky Mount the Rocky
Mount school trustees are renting a
building which has been condemned
as a fire hazard and which is used
for the instruction of Negro chil
dren. The white high school build
ing in Rocky Mount is over-crowded
and totally inadequate. The City of
Rocky Mount felt the need of the
white high school and proceeded to
construct a gymnasium at this
school without cost to the taxpayers
of the County. The Conetoe school
is trying to carry on a course of
vocational instruction without any
shop and without the necessary
equipment and material with which
to work. This school has no gymna
sium and whether we believe that
now is the proper time to con
strust gymnasiums or not they are
coming and while I am on the sub
ject of gymnasiums I wish to say
that I saw a letter from State Supt.
Clyde Erwin's Office a few days ago
in which it was stated that 99 of
the Counties out of the 100 in North
Carolina have some gymnasium lo
cated therein. As a further exam
ple as to why we will have to get
in the gymnasium business I use
for example the Battleboro High I
School, George C. Phillips, member
of the Board of Education in Ed
gecombe County, when the proposed
bond issue of $250,000 was arrived
ut for school purposes, Mr. Phillips
did not ask for anything for the
Battleboro school. Within the last
few weeks it has developed that
Nash County is constructing a gym
nasium at a Nash County school lo
cated near enough to Battleboro so
that the children can be transport
ed on trucks and all of the patrons
of the high school, with possibly a
few exceptions, have made up their
minds to go to the high school that
had a gymnasium, which simply
means. that if the Battleboro high
school is not equipped with a gymna
sium that so far as high school is
concerned it is headed for liquida
tion.
At the West Edgecombe High
School conditions there are over
crowded. They are unable to take
care of the number of children who
are supposed to attend. They are
in dire need of four additional class
rooms at the present time.
The Pinetops auditorium is built
in such a manner that it is not
safe from a fire standpoint; in ad
dition, more class rooms are need
ed. Therefore, if the bond issue
carries it is the purpose of the Board
of Education to turn the old audi
torium into clasß rooms and con
struct a new auditorium at the Pine
tops school.
At South Edgecombe High School,
which serves Pinetops, Macclesfield
and Crisp, it is intended to con
struct a gymnasium. At Leggetts
the Board of Education is attempt
ing to carry on vocational instruct
ion without any shop and very little
equipment. It is intended to con
struct a gymnasium at Leggetts and
a shop and class room for the vo
cational instruction.
While the Legislature was in ses
sion Senator L. L. Gravely and who
by the way was a very influencial
member of the General Assembly of
North Carolina for 1936 and a mem
ber of the Board of Trustees of
Rocky Mount city school, introduced
a bill in the legislature taking the
property in the city of Rocky Mount
out of Edgecombe County so far as
expenses for school purposes wer 0
concerned. The Board of County
Commissioners and the Board of
Education considered this bill so
vital to the welfare of Edgecombe
County that Senator Clark and Capt.
W, W. Eagles were requested to
call for a hearing before the legis
lative committee before the matter
was voted, on the floor of the house
of and the state sen
ate, however, at ten o'clock on the
night before the hearing was to be
held the next day, Capt. Eagles and
Senator Clark had a conference with
Senator Gravely, Representative Bill
Fenner and Rep. Abernathy of Nash
County and Capt. Eagles and Sena
tor Clark told these representatives
that they wore morally certain that
if they would withdraw the bill tak
ing Rocky Mount out of the County
so far as taxes for school purposes
were concerned that they could
carry the bond election for the pur
pose of constructing adequate school
(Pli-ase turn to pag 0 four)
First Lady Feted by Indians
r v ,y " ' >
Tribal dances and gifts were presented by Osage Indians in honor of
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt when the First Lady visited Pawhuska, Okla.,
and viewed the colorful ceremonies of the tribe headed by Chief Fred
Lookout
N. C. Welcomes First Lady
North Carolina has been honored this week by the visit
of the wife of the President, the first lady of the repub
lic, who has made a tour of the Great Smoky Mountain
National Park, having gone over the same trails that the
President followed last year in his trip through Tennessee
and North Carolina. While we are always happy to have
her in our midst her visit at this time is indeed auspicious,
as it focuses the attention of the entire country on this
beautiful and marvelous section.
A group of gentlemen from North Carolina, composed
of Lieutenant Governor Horton, Representative Giles, As
sistant Attorney General Bruton, former Lieutenant Gov
ernor R. T. Fountain and Sheriff Adkins of Marion, called
on the President last week in the interest of the early op
ening of the Great Smoky National Park. The committee
had a most gracious reception at the White House and was
assured by the President that this undertaking was receiv
ing his constant consideration and would continue to do so
until it was completed. The committee was represented by
Representatives Doughton and Warren.
The General Assembly of North Carolina appropriated
$2,000,000 in the legislative session, 1927, for this park, Mr.
Fountain at that time being Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives. This was the beginning of the National Park
in a real way, though the citizens of that wonderful sec
tion had banded themselves into an organization enlisting
public interest and support, prior to this time. This bond
issue received practically the unanimous support of the en
tire state. It had been feared that probably the eastern
representatives were so far removed from this great area
that they might not understand it and probably would not
see the importance of giving their support. The Speaker
was requested to call an informal conference of the repre
sentatives which was done. The appropriation went through
with the united support of all sections, the money being
used to match with Tennessee the $5,000,000 grant from
the Rockefellow Foundation, in honor of the memory of
Mrs. Laura Spellman Rockefellow.
There was a desire by the citizens of the Grandfather
Mountain section that the National Park be located there
and there was some rivalry but when these citizens found
that that area was not large enough, they joined hands
with the Smoky Mountain group and gave their most loy
al aid, one of their citizens, the Honorable Mark Squires,
being chair^nan.
The opening of this great National Park will bring to
North Carolina, and is bringing, visitors from practically
all over the world which will mean great things for our
State.
THE USHERS OF ALCOHOL TOO SOCIAL
The hour for selling of alcoholic beverages in the ABC
Stores has been extended from six to eight o'clock P. M.
It is somewhat hard for us to understand the purpose of
extending the time for the sale of whiskey from six
o'clock until eight especially since the authors of the
bill which established the ABC Stores had in mind the
desire of temperance and the curtailing of the use of whis
key according to press comments which were issued out
from the General Assembly. We have heretofore compli
mented the manner in which the stores have been con
ducted by the local managers and of course we know these
gentlemen had nothing to do with the extending of the
time as the rules and regulations are formulated and pro
mulgated by the whiskey Boards and not by those who
conduct the stores. We do feel that this extension of time
for the sale of whiskey from six until eight cannot be
explained except by the desire to sell more whiskey to the
laboring man. Even though, we have heard the suggestion
that the stores were kept open so as to give the man who
works during the day time an opportunity to purchase li
quor without having to buy from the bootlegger. If we take
this interpellation the public is bound to admit that this
is really a very generous and far-fetched interpretation to
produce temperance.
The management of the stores in Rocky Mount and the
conduct of same have been good far as we are able to learn,
but the boldness and loose-manner in which whiskey is
being handled and served in many of the leading social
places and clubs is bound to hurt the cause, and to bring
a strong reaction, unless those who use whiskey exercise
more convention in the serving of same. There are many
people who do not care for whiskey but have no objection
to other people using it, provided these people who desire
whiskey exercise restraint and decncy in .gratifying their
thirst so as not to offend the sensibilities of other guests
and people.
CLEAN UP DRIVE RESULTS
EVIDENT ALL OVER CITY
HIGH HEALTH
RATING FOR
ROCKY MOUNT
Rocky Mount Is In Finals Of Na
tional Contest For Public Health
Programs
Rocky Mount was among 15 cities
in the United States of between
20,000 and 50,000 population listed as
still in the finals of an annual pub
lic health contest conducted by the
American Public Health Association
of New York and the United States
Chamber of Commerce of Washing
ton according to a report today from
those organizations.
Of the 15 cities in its population
group, Rocky Mount was the only
southern city.
The others were Auburn, Elmira,
and Watertown, N. Y.; Maplewood,
Montclair, Orange and Plainfield, N.
J.; Aurora, 111., Elyria, Ohio;
Greenwich and New London, Conn.;
Mishawka, Ind., Pittsfield, Mass., and
Williamsport, Pa.
Elimination of contestants had al
most reached the selection of win
ners when the report was made, and
winners were expected to be named
soon.
Prizes are given annually to the
cities and cecities which have the
best complete programs of commun
ity-wide health supervision, sewage
disposal, control of disease, prevent
ing automobile accidents and health
education of citizens.
Last year 257 cities competed.
DR. KITCHEN IS
GEN. PRESIDENT
ALUMNI ASSN.
Dr. Thurman D. Kitchen, former
resident of Scotland Neck, now
president of Wake Forest College,
received notice this week from
Philadelphia, that he had been made
president of the General Alumni
Assocation of Jefferson Medical
College.
Dr. Kitchen was graduated from
Jefferson in 1908, and practiced
medicine in Lumbcrton and lier e be
fore becoming president of Wake
Forest College in 1930.
Dr. Ross V. Patterson, dean of
Jefferson Medical College, wired;
'•As one of the distinguished sons
of Jefferson, the honor is well
merited. I hope for you a pleasant
incumbency during which you may
be sure of cordial cooperation of
myself and others."
Dr. Kitchen served as vice-pres-'
ident and member of the executive
council of the Association of Amer
ica Medical Colleges in 1935. He
is a recognized authority in the field
of mental hygiene, having served
as consulting physician at the State
Hospital for the Insane in Raleigh
and a member of a special commit
tee appointed by the Governor to j
study the problem of the feeble
minded in the State.
Dr. Kitchen is a brother of L. H. 1
Kitchen and Mrs. Annie K. McDow
ell of this place.
WATCHMAN IS
HIT BY CAR
D. L. Bridgers, 67 year old night,
watchman at Rocky Mount Mills,
had regained consciousness and was
reported in a satisfactory condition
at a local hospital after being
struck unconscious by an automobile
about 6:30 o'clock Sunday night.
Though police today could not give
the identity of the driver who
struck Bridgers or details of the ac
cident, it was understood that
Bridgers was crossing Falls Road on
his rounds of inspection at Rocky
Mount Mills and was struck by a
car.
Taken immediately to a hospital
he found to have cuts about the
head and bruises and possibly frac
ture of the skull. He regained con
sciousness Sunday night at the hos
pital, but was unable to recall any
thing of the accident, hospital at
tendants said.
o
WANT NO HITLER
Belgium by a great majority re
turned Premier Van Zeeland this
week, rejecting the Rexist leader
DeGrelle. The vote was 275,840
for Van Zeeland, and 69,242 for De-
Grelle. Thus Belgium has definite
ly rejected Fascism, and will cling
to her traditional democracy.
NOTICE
Those desiring to subscribe to The Rocky Mount
Herald may do so by sending $l.OO with name and
address to The Rocky Mount Herald, Rocky Mount,
N. C.
Name
Town State , Route No
$l.OO PER YEAA
"Most Cleaning Up In History" U
Reported By Health Department
Continue
Rocky Mount saw "the most clean
ing up in the history of the city"
during the Clean Up campaign last
week, Francis Patterson of tha
health department announced today,
and in many homes the intensive
cleaning has not stopped yet.
Especially in the surburban and
Negro sections, he commented, Clean
Up results were particularly com
mendable.
As concrete evidence of the clean
ing up that took place, Mr. Pat
terson said that the six trash trucks
and three extra wagons hauled 602
loads of trash during the nine days
ending Monday of this week, more
than half as much trash as they
hauled during the whole month in
February.
Hard pressed trash collectors are
still handling an overflow, begun
by the Clean Up campaign, which
was sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce and all the civic clubs.
As comparison, trash and gar
bage collection records showed in
February 1,176 loads removed, be
sides 43 dead dogs and 197 other
small animals. In March trash re
moval rose to 1,525 loads with a cor
responding increase to 72 dead dogs
and 244 other small animals.
With 602 loads of trash cleared
away in nine days, April bids fair
to set up a record, Mr. Patterson
prophesied.
One result of the Clean Up drive
that has been slow in appearing, he
said, is the placing of large trash
cans or boxes behind the stores
here, all of which have large
amounts of waste paper and trash
daily. Stores are beginning to re
cognize this need, he reported, and
most of those who do not have such
containers have agreed to get them.
While Mr. Patterson is not ex
pecting to prosecute anyone, it is a
matter of record that the court here
has fined merchants $25 for having
no trash can or container behind
their stores.
o
Negroes Planning
Community Center
Nell Hunter To Direct Music Fes
tival On April 26
One of the most inspiring music
festivals ever to be presented here
by Negroes, will bo held in the
Booker T. Washington high school
auditorium, Monday night, April 26.
The singers will be under the direc
tion of Mrs. Nell Hunter, who is
now connected with the Federal
Music project of the Works Progress
Administration,
The festival is being sponsored by
the Civic Forum, local Negro or
ganization, and the proceeds are to
go towards the erection of a com
munity center for Negro citizens.
I The program will be the beginning
j of a concerted drive to raise funds
to match a Federal grant of appro
ximately $lO,OOO for the building.
| The choir is composed of local
I talent front various musical units
| and has been rehearsing regularly
I tor several weeks, and is now put-
I ting on the finishing touches for one
of the most captivating musical per
i formances ever to be staged here.
The advence sale of tickets will
go on sale here Saturday afternoon
it was announced today.
o
Ex' Prince Needs
New Name Now
i
Bucharest, Rumania, April 10.—
The man, now nameless, who was
King Carol's brother Nicholas un
til the crown council ceremoniously
read him out of the To.val family
started this day, his first as a
commoner, in search of a name.
Without title or legally recogniz
ed connection with the ruling house
—a role he chose in a showdown
with the king—the slender, gay 34-
year-old ex-prince began a new life
with his commoner wife, the former
Helen Dutnitrieu and their two-year
old son. She is a former divorcee.
He chose life as a commoner with
his blonde wife in preference to life
as a priuce without her. Their elop
ment and marriage in 1931 was in
violation of the royal family law.
King Carol refused to sanction it
and the royal court declared the
union invalid.
The steamer Waziristan was in
port at Morehead City last week
loading a mountain of junk for Ja
pan. The whole state seems to have
become, "junk conscious," as so&r~
ing prices havt cleaned all the mun
icipal and private junk piles of ev
ery scrap piece of iron and steel.