Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Dec. 14, 1918, edition 1 / Page 5
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4 IfiE MORNING STAR, WILMINGTON, N. O, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1918. FIVE, HOUSING COMMITTEE FOOD DEALERS ARE WILMINGTON IS ON VERGE OF NEW ERA EMPLOYMENT PLANS AYIATORS PROBABLY LEAYE CITY TODAY WILL CANVASS CITY NOT PROFITEERING Resent Idea That They Are Taking Undue Profits. COMPtETE SUCCESS Government Will Continue Its Labor Bureau Service. Ascertain If Obligations Are Fulfilled. 1 1 1 .fIitiniet Among Business Men la That it Shipyard Is To Be Perma nent Local Capital Will Pro vide the Houses. nounced that the government will take no hand in the solution of the houBing problem in Wilmington, the housing committee of the chamber of commerce has again become active with the view of ascertaining just what, if anything, caI1 bo done by local interests in tab inr rare of the situation. There is no secret about the fact that 'the Wilmington people obligated themselves to build a certain number cf houses, but there is some question aS :o whether or not the city has ful filled her obligation, and in ordor that the true statu. of the situation may re ascertained, the housing committee has decided to make a canvass of the city and find out the exact number of houses that have been built, both by the Victory Home company and individuals. In fact this canvass was begun yesterday and will be continued at 9:30 o'clock this morning. Ihis does not mean that in case The committee finds that all obligations have been fulfilled they will throw j;. the sponge and quit. That is not the spirit at all. While being firmlv sf the opinion that nothing has been eft undone that was agreed to. ani irith the knowledge that Wilmington us probably done more for the gov ernment than any other city of its ?ize that has been favored by govern ment enterprises, the committee is pos sessed of a most liberal mind, and if the canvass reveals that the obli gation has been more than filled fur ther co-operation will not be blocked. Knowing that she has done well by the shipyards. Wilmington will do more if the government does quit the job. as far as the housing of shipyard workers is concerned. The committee is in possession of ierters from Wilmington people obli gating to build certain numbers of houses, and with this in hand it will rot entail any great difficulty for the committee to learn to what extent the agreement has been Carried out. In gathering its data" the committee will compile a list of new houses built, those that have been remodeled and made tenable, and possibly those that were vacant at the time the agree ment was entered into. Persons who have not built the houses agreed to will be asked to do so; those who have carried out their obligation will be asked to build ad ditional homes if they are in such a financial position as to enable them to do so. while those who did not ob ligate to assist in housing the workers, will be asked to assist. There seems no doubt of the com mittee finding persons obligating to build homes who have not done so, but it is believed in the majority of such cases it will be found that the person is a heavy stockholder in the Victory Home company. The sentiment is expressed among the business element that if all uncer tainty about the shipyards is remov ed, and assurances given that the Carolina yard will continue to be a part of the industrial life of the city, with the continued construction of steel ships on four ways, there will be no trouble In getting the houses built by local capital. While there is no belief among well informed circles that the Carolina will be abandoned, still no positive official assurance has been given that such will not be the case, hut when this is done, it Is firmly be lieved, there will be no trouble in building the houses with Wilmington capital. On the other hand, in determining which of the nation's yards will be maintained and which abandoned, it is believed that the co-operation of the people in the cities where they are located will have much weight. V'nh this in view the committee is very anxious to have the people do everything- they can in .helping to pro vide the 200 additional houses which the Carolina says it will need. MAYOR MOORE RETURNS Attended Southern Commercial Con gre in Baltimore Made Address. Mayor P. Q. Moore reUirned last night from Baltimore .whj?re he at tended the sessions of the Southern Commercial congress. Mrs. Moore, who accompanied him on the trip, topped in Washington, T. C, for a brief visit before returning home. Mayor Msore was delighted with the sessions of the congress and says that :t is going to be productive of great good to the country, especially the south. He was one of the speakers at a reception given by Mayor Preston, f Baltimore, to the visiting mayors in Baltimore for the convention. A.s usual, he suffered the Wilmlng on, Delaware, embarassment when he as introduced by Congressman J. Hampton Moore, who should have known better, but he turned the error pf location to good account in respond ing to his toast and had a splendid opening to speak of Wilmington, North Carolina, which he did with references to the sainted father of President Woodrow Wilson and to Hon. Josephus Daniels, both from North Carolina, be names of each having provoked i0ng and pronounced applause. IS COLONEL KING NOW. Fom,Pr , c L, Official Represents Railroad Interests of Allies at Spn. The silver stars of a colonel haw oeen awarded Van R. C. King, former r superintendent, who is now seneral superintendent of transporta tion for the A. E. F., and further hon rs have come to the Wilmington man " the way of appointment to the arm-;- rp conference at Spa. where he will nave charge of the transfer of fa- ay equipment from the Germans to e allied armies, in connection with 0f,orsf ' Foch's little request for 150,-r..p-ht cafe and 5,000 locomotives. friends of Colonel King in Wilming n and in other places will find inter- 1 "i the news of the distinguished thl has Played and is playing in e aff:rs of the A. E. F. People of Culture. mi rfssive cultured people want 'iioav11 have the best Possible refer rorJk, ary- No other compares fa- nyf. i - . . Luc ii r w j.iiLcJJiaiiuuai uu- ..Mopedia. WHt tov r9 annn- "le Drip, ces and easy terms. J. T. Nbrs- thy, 914 Austell Bid Atlanta. Ga. -adv Say Town Is Saturated With Idea That They Are Robbers and Deny They Are Guilty of the Popular Allegations. The food dealers of the city are re sentful of the widespread idea that they are taking undue profits on their wares and deny that profiteering is being practiced,- at least by a majority of their members. Complaint from the local shipyards that men are leav ing the city on account of high rates on necessities of life has put the deal ers on the defensive all over town and sort of brought the subject to a head. "This town is saturated with the idea that we food dealers are a lot of robbers," said Frank M. Ross, grocer, last night, "and it is not true, at least so far as it applies to me." Mr. Ross was so stirred by what the shipyards have had to say. about con ditions that he addressed John W. Towle, resident representative of the shipping board at the Carolina yard, and at the same time handed a copy of his letter to The Star for publica tion, as follows: "Mr. John W. Towle, Wilmington. N. C, Dear Sir: "I wish to address you in regard to an article appearing in today's issue of The Morning Star which was written under your direction to the effect that food dealers have been profiteering to such an extent that you find it hard to keep yoir labor here, and because of this fact the Carolina Shipbuilding corporation has arranged to open a store to compete with the retail deal ers of this city. 'In the very beginning I wish it clearly understood that I do not take issue with you personally, nor am I answering for the meat dealers op- for any concern other than the one I own and operate personally, but the regard that I have for the future of my busi ness demands that I take issue with the spirit of and the effect of this article. "It has been my good fortune to have as patrons of my establishment a great numbep- of the officials and employes of the Carolina yard, and my dealings with these patrons have been so pleas ant that I dislike to feel that I have not won their confidence in each and every transaction, and right at this time when there is so much talk of profiteering I feel it my duty to offer what information I may possess in the defense of my own business which was launched on a high plane in this city and has been developed rapidly on correct methods and correct prices. "It is a matter of fact that prices of foods are high in this city they are high in all cities at the present time, but the mere fact that some of your men complain of these prices does not justify the charge that retail dealers of food products as a whole are profi teers. Suspicion and absolute facts of any case are two distinct and separate features. "I also wish to call your attention to the fact that because some of your men found it cheaper to board than to keep house is not evidence of profiteer ing, as it has always been a recognized fact that it is cheaper to board than to keep house. "In further defense of my own es tablishment I enclose you a copy of the official bulletin of the United States food administration under which we do business, and beg to say in this connection that in volume 15 per cent ofur total business comes under these restrictions. "In order that my place of business may be judged on its merits I respect fully request that you appoint a com mittee of your officials or a commit tee whose personnel is left entirely with you and let me deliver to them all invoices showing the cost of the goods to me along with my daily sales slips showing the" prices at which these goods were sold by me, and with the list of regulated margins as issued by the food administration, then when the investigation is concluded I will ask your committee to either find me guilty of being a profiteer or vindicate my place of businesS in the minds of the Carolina Shipbuilding corporation and the Wilmington people in general. "In conclusion let me say that I consider that you are in a position to render a real service to the general public and at the same time bring about a more confident feeling between the consumer and the merchant. "With kind personal regards, I re main, ' "Yours very truly, "FRANK M. ROSS." "Copy to The Morning Star." Jim McNeill Taken to Hoke. Sheriff Hall of Hoke county came to the city yesterday for the negro, Jim McNeil, arrested on charge of mur der, and carried him to Hoke county for trial. McNeill is charged with the unprovoked murder ofa white man named Brown four years ago. Since then he had been living here under the alias of "Aaron Dupree." Two other negroes "turned him us" it is said, and it is understood they will get part of the $400 reward. The police pension fund will get $100. Wound Was Not Critical. A letter received yesterday by J. F. Harris from his son, Major J. F. Har ris, states that the latter's wound, re ported Thursday by the war depart ment as being severe, was caused by a machine" gun bullet which penetrated the right foot. When the letter was written, which was a few days after he was wounded. Major Harris was able to "hobble, around" and expected to recover speedily. He states that he expects to be at home Christmas, which of course was cheering news to his parents and will be to many friends. In Recorder's Conrt. An-old case against Willie Williams for assault on a female, was settled in recorder's court yesterday by payment of costs. C. Ij. Myers, running an au tomobile with one light, was dismissed under nol pros. Robert Weeks, the young w.hite man convicted of being implicated in the theft of an automo bile, was given a year with leave to hire' out, instead of six months, as stated. . Souvenir From France. A Hun helmet, with blood on the in terior has been forwarded to Mrs. Josie D. Leslie, 618 Wooster. street, by Sergt E. Grant, headquarters division 105th infantry. The helmet, according to the message accompanying the souvenir, was picked up on the battle field uy Sergeant Grant, who is a mem ber of Captain Gifstte's company. Possibilities of Port Develop ment Unlimited. Meeting of Business Men Interested in South Atlantic Maritine Association Held to Discuss Part Wilming ton. Must Play. The first local meeting in connection with the activities of the- recently or ganized South Atlantic Maritime as sociation, formed - in Savannah some time since, was held in the chamber of commerce rooms yesterday afternoon. The association, it will be recalled, is made up of business men living in Wil mington, Charleston, Brunswick, Sa vannah and Jacksonville five import tant South Atlantio ports that have pooled their interests with the grand objective of port development for all. Objects held out before the meeting yesterday from a Wilmington view point, were a great coaling station, grain elevators, importers and export ers of practically every article that is shippedfrom or brought into the Unit ed States, together with all the de velopment that would naturally fol low the acquisition of these things. There was in evidence enthusiasim, hope and determination at yesterday's meeting, and leading business men who have, visioned a Greater Wilmington spoke of the necessity for grasping at once this city's greatest opportunity to becolfae a really important factor in the new maritine and commercial day which is breaking for the United States. The South Atlantic Maritime asso ciation in its organization in Savannah elected Mathew W. Hale as presi dent. Mr. Hale is vice-president of the Liberty Shipbuilding company of Wil mington. The association chose an other' Wilmington man, D. H. Ldppitt, es secretary. He is a member of the cotton exporting firm of Alexander Sprunt & Son, and he is also assistant treasurer of the association. A num ber of local men are directors both for Wilmington and for the general organ ization. The meeting yesterday was presided over by John H. Brown, Mr. Lippitt acting as secretary. Mr. Brown stated the purpose of the meeting, whieh was get all business men in the city, those not directly connected with shipping as well as those who are, interested in the proposition. Then he called on G. Herbert Smith, who attended the meet ing in Savannah, to explain the pro position, which he did, setting forth the advantages to be derived by the city from its association with the other south Atlantic port cities. There were other speakers, includ ing Hugh MacRae, J. Allan Taylor, James S. Williams, W. H. Sprunt and Col. Walker Taylor, all of whom have studied the matter and have sensed the great influence which the activities of the association will have eventually in making Wilmington a port of impor tance, not only from a state stand point but nationally and international ly. They explained the matter in de tail and in a most comprehesive man- Lner to those less familiar with the ob ject In view. In his remarks Mr. Mac Rae declared Wilmingtons opportunity is at hand and it is now up to the people to say whether Wilmington will be a great city or "the same old town we have lived in and loved, lo these many years." He does not believe that the people are going to stand idly by and lose this opportunity, which is ad mitedly the greatest in many genera tions, but what ever is going to be done must be done within the next 60 days while a congress is in power which is sympathetic with the south. The plan is, through this organiza tion, to have the government assign vessels to these ports for trade be tween the five cities and South Ameri can and other ports, and It was stated that while the organization has not yet been perfected to its ' ultimate working stage, one ship for each of the cities has already (been asaured and that the first vessel would leave Wil mington for Cuba about February 15. After the ships are secured there is still more work to be done. The cargoes must be gotten together at these dif ferent ports and some adjustments in rates made, all of which has already received consideration at the hands of the organization and assurance receiv ed from the government insofar as It affects the diverting of corgoes to these ports. The rates, of course, must be taken up with the interstate commerce commission, but It is believed that the rate matter can be fixed if the ships and tonnage is secured. J. Allan Taylor, esteemed as the best Informed man in the city on freight rates, went into the rate matter at some length and gave a comprehensive review of the situation, pointing out what has already been accomplished and what this city must have to be in a position to compete with northern port cities. Through local efforts alone there can be practically nothing accomplished, (but by pooling of the interests of these five cities, it is believed that recognit ion from the government will be forced. There is no question about the other four ports coming in on the proposition, it was said, and if she did not want to, Wilmington would be forced to fall in line unless satisfied to sit idly by and see her sister cities moving to the front in the way of ex ports and imports and all the attendant progress. The way the whole proposition is viewed by local citizens who have gone into It sufficiently as to be able to grasp its real worth to the city, is thai; the opportunity is at hand, one that will never offer itself again, and all that is necessary to be done to develop it, is to get behind the South Atlantic Maritime association and help put the plan through, the most difficult part of which has already passed. It the business men and merchants of Wilmington stand behind the move ment as it is felt they should, then the association will accomplish Its pur-, pose. With merchant ships plying reg ularly between Wilmington and south ern ports it will not be long before men of vision and means will see the opportunity and establish grain ele vators; a coaling station will become necessary and Wilmington will be made a center for importing goods for distribution by rail , among interior cities, while these same cities will be sending goods here in large quantities 'for export to foreign countries. Of such vast importance is the prop osition that it was decided, after thor oughly going into the matter, to defer Wfurther action until a meeting to be held Monday at nqon, when every mer chant is expected ' U te present. As this is largely a co-operative measure, attention has been centered on get ting all the merchants and. business men interested, and this can only ibe done through acquainting them with the plana Has Found Positions for. Several Mil lion Workmen During the Past Year .Now Redistributing War Workers. The United fltates employment ser vice, established as a war necessity, has made good to such an extent that it will not only be continued in opera tion after the war, but. will be used as one of the principal methods of solving the manifold labor problems confronting the nations-Industries in times of peace. Set up as a separate and distinct organization last January, the employ ment service since that tlme"has handl ed several million workmen, has been an almost indispensable aid in sup plying the shipyards with laborers in sufficient numbers to carry forward the nations gigantic program of ship con struction, -and has aided materially in keeping labor conditions on a sound basis by drafting workmen from con gested conditions and placing them where a scarcity of labor existed, thus keeping the labor supply evenly dis tributed over the country. Discussing a few of the things ac complished by the employment service, a recent copy of the United States Employment Service bulletin carries the following: "We will need between two and three million workers during this year, the production departments of the govern ment told the department of labor last January. 'Can you get them?' "The employment service was chosen for the task. It was divorced from the bureau of immigration, made a separ ate arm of the department of labor, and immediately the building up of an efficient national labor recruiting machine was undertaken. The ser vice's task was rendered doubly dif ficult by the fact that it had to find labor in increasingly large numbers during the construction of the mach inery. "The signing of the armistice and the cessation of hostilities find the service far from 100 per cent perfect, but. able to report a good job done and a daily progress toward the top line of ef ficiency. It has now a machinery cov ering the industrial and agicultural communities of the country which has been os constructed as to be capable of Immediate reversal of operation, and the reverse leaves already have ' been thrown on to replace the several mil lions of soldiers and civilian war work ers. "Thus far the service has successful ly handled the replacement of thous ands of released war workers and dur ing the coming months it will be as busy redistributing labor as it has been recruiting it during the last 10 months. The success of this new phase of its work will depend largely upon the de CContinued on Page Six). Week With only eight days remaining in which to do your Christmas shopping, we urge you to take advantage of the Christmas specials off ered for this week-end. Sale of Millinery for Christmas $13.50, $15.00 and $18.00 Trimmed Hats . $9.95 $8.50 to $12.50 Trimmed Hats at . : $6.95 $6.50 to $8.00 Trimmed Hats at $4.95 $8.50 and $9.00 Velour Trimmed Hats at.$4.95 $5.00 to $7.50 Velvet Tailored Hats at. . "$3.95 Ladies' & Children's Underwear Ladies' fine ribbed, comfortable fitting, flatlock seam Union Suits, regular and extra size, $2.00 value, at. ... . .$1.9 Ladies' heavy fleeced Union Suits, regular and extra sizes, at $1.69 Misses' $1.00 fine ribbed Union Suits, that are well made and fit well, all sizes from 4 to 16 years. Especially priced aor this week-end at S9c Belk Make Return Trip This Morning If Weather Favors. Blrdmen go Back to Langley Field Via Goldsboro and Franklin, Ya. Express Appreciation of Courtesies Shown Them. The four army airplanes which came to Wilmington from Goldsboro last Tuesday afternoon will leave the city this morning, provided weather conditions- are favorable. They will go from Wilmington directly to the avia tion camp at Lang-ley field, Va re turning via of Goldsboro, where th blrdmen will stop to take on a fresh supply of gasoline. A second stop will be made at Franklin, Va., to secure gasoline sufficient to enable them to complete the trip to Langley field. During the four days the avaitors have spent in the city they have been more or less handicapped by , unfavor-. able weather conditions, heavy fog and rain. When they reached Wilmington last Tuesday afternoon rain was threat ening, and the skies have been heavily overcast with clouds since then, clear ing only a few hours Wednesday morn ing. This condition of weather, of course, prohibited exhition flying or much flying of any nature .whatever, although one of the aviators braved th elements Thursday afternoon and i circled over the city, for half an hour. Yesterday the unfavorable weather continued, forcing the blrdmen to re main on the ground. One of them made a short flight about 3:30 o'clock yes terday afternoon, circling around the golf links at t'he country club and sailing over outlying residential sec tions in the eastern part of the city. He went up, it was stated; to test the atmospheric conditions, but the fog was so dense that he was soon forced to come down. At a late hour last night the fog. with intermittent showers, had not lifted, and if the weather man does not get into a brighter mood during the day the aviators will be forced to remain here until Sunday, as flying under weather conditions such as pre vailed yesterday is .practically impos sible, the aviators say. Provided the clouds lift this morn ing and old Sol once again shows his face in this section of the country the aviators will leave during the early part of the day. Lieutenant Brooks, who is in charge of the flight, stated last night that he hoped to be able to get away just as soon as possible this morning in order to arrive at Langley field before night. This, it was stated, can easily be done if the weather is favorable and provided there is no de lay in getting gasoline at Goldsboro and Franklin. The air-route which the aviators Will follow to Langley field covers a distance of 260 miles and can be traversed under favorable con ditions in four to five hours time. One o fthe machines in landing at Monks field turned turtle, and this has been worked over and put in good con- -End This sale includes innumerable lovely trimmed as well as a large col lection of tailored hats in the newest models. Styles are all authentic and bear the approval of fashion. Re member that every hat in the assort ment is new and in the height of fashion and desirability. Then note the special prices at which they are offered. Williams SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES We have recently installed in our vault 50 addi tional Safe Deposit Boxes to rent at $1.50 per year. If you own bonds, stocks or other valuable pa pers, you owe it to yourself to have them in a safe place you need a Safe Deposit Box. We invite you to call, and inspect our equipment. THE PEOPLES' SAVINGS BANK Corner Front and Princess Sts. The Appropriate Christmas Gift. for all,,, and especially for the young people, that conforms to our government's request that practical, serviceable presents be selected this year, is a SAVINGS PASS BOOK showing a deposit of some amount, and we cordially invite you to open accounts in this bank with any sum from $1.00 upwards. We have already opened quite a number of Christmas Ac counts and it is none too early to go over your X'mas list and put this idea into effect. THE WlOflNGTOK.. UO PRINCESS STREET Oldest and Largest North dition and the other three machines have also been carefully gone over, and everything is in readiness for the avia tors to commence their return trip this morning, provided weather conditions are favorable. The aviators, while talking for the press last night, asked that their ap preciation be expressed to citizens of the city and particularly to the Red Cross motor corps, the chief of police and the chief of the fire department for the many kind attentions and acts of service rendered them during their stay in Wilmington. The people of the city have undoubt edly been interested in the visit of the airmen and have enjoyed the spectacle of war planes in flight over the city. Future visits of men in the air service will be welcomed. Traveling- Men Meet Tonight. An important session of the United Commercial Travelers association will be held tonight at 8 o'clock in Odd Fellow's hall. Among the questions to be discussed tonight are local train schedules and also plans for an oyster roast. A number of new members are to be initiated tonight, and a large at tendance at the meeting is urged. Xmas A Pre-Christmas Sale of WINTER COATS At a most opportune time comes this special offering, giving you the chance to buy a new winter coat f o yourself, or for a Christmas gift, at substantially less than the usual price. There is a worth-while sav ing in money without the sacrifice of style, quality or appearance ; for every coat included in this display is in a new and popular style, well made of high-class fabrics. Come early tomorrow for the best choice : $25.00 Ladies' and Misses Coats, at $30.00 Ladies' and Misses' Coats at $35.00 Ladies' and Misses Coats at $45.00 and $50.00 Misses Coats at. . LOO to $75.00 Misses' Two Shoe Specials That Will Make Your Christmas Money Reach Farther Men's gun metal Goodyear welt Shoes in blucher or English last, good comfortable shapes and shoes that will give 100 per cent, satisfaction in wear. Full range of sizes. Espe cially priced for this week-end at $2.87 Women's Kid Boots, button or lace, plain toe and with medium height Cuban heel, all solid leather and shoes that are well worth 25 per cent, more than they are priced, At $3.67 Comp Carolina Savings Bank NOTICE W. B. A S. TRAINS. Effective Sunday, December 15, W. 4 & S. train will leave Southport at 8: a: m., arriving Wilmington 10 a. m. and leave Wilmington 5:45 p. m., arrivds Southport 7:30 p. m. H. E, GOODWIN, de 13-3t Traffic Manager. Flowers for Christmas Cut Flowers and Blooming Plants "Say it with Flowers" Include them on. your Gift List . Fifth Avenue Florist Phone 1125 Specials I H W v . . $19.95 ..$23.50 . $26.75 . . $39.75 ..$48.50 Coats at. . any
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Dec. 14, 1918, edition 1
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