Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Jan. 31, 1946, edition 1 / Page 3
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yOUR WILMINGTON TODAY Study Of Past Mistakes Used To Chart Future Wilmington, from every reliable indication, is today on th reshold of prosperous and sound economic growthmpawUeled " its long history. A new confidence grips its businewand fessional leaders. To analyze and report upon this confid-*-- P ^ *at it is producing The News begins witS this S a hhhl informative and objective series of articles under the general titl oyour Wilmington Today." The opening article concerns itseU with the factors and personalities responsible for creation organization which bids fair to become the cornerstone of th- n-w Wilmington—Industrial Properties, Inc.—Editor. 1 “ new gv KEN R. NOBLE, Staff Writer ■ a community’s economic machinery knows no such thing as a standstill. Its wheels must go one way or another -forward 0r backward. ' No more striking proof of this thesis exists than in the record of Wilmington during the decade and a-half following the end of World War I—a 15-year-period that saw a city potentially North Carolina’s largest and most prosperous fall by the wayside in the competition for the life-blood of any community: the wage-earner’s dollar. i nvmio/i Unf vi___ [I IlttS V*'*'** -7 convincingly, that the nation al d e depression paralyzed Wi 1 m i n g t o n’s e c onomic growth. The record of other North Carolina cities, and 0the- cities throughout the entire South, give lie to the argument. Witness the phenomenal growth of Charlotte, of Greensboro, and the whole Piedmont sector. Whv did Wilmington slip back, and back and back until it took on an air of a dying community? Why did a city—once the largest in the state and with potentialities un matched by any other community in North Carolina—decline to vir tual stagnation? To learn the answers—and they are many—1° this perplexing, and challenging question, a small group of. Wilmington businessmen three years ago began to do some fact-finding. The object of that fact-finding was to make certain that what happened to their com munity a quarter of a century ago, after the first World War, wouldn’t happen again when World War II came to an end. What these men discovered was interesting. And alarming; alarm ing because of the startling paral lel existing despite the lapse of 25 years. Wilmington, in the midst of unprecedented prosperity in 1944, was in almost exactly the same position it found itself, economical ly, in 1920! Its banks were loaded with money — war-brought money; money accumulated in savings for want of other outlets. Money to be spent. But where and how? Money-Filled Banks In the first year or two following World War I, when war-accumu lated cash began to seek invest ment fields, where did it go? Much of it went to New York and the stock exchange. There it merged with millions and then billions that poured in from around the coun try to become a part of the dizzy speculative era that ended in Oc tober, 1929. That portion of it which re mained at home—and a goodly sum did remain at home—dribbled off in deflated real estate values and day-to-day living expenses when the depression struck its hardest in the early Thirties. Not much good did Wilmington’s millions in war-time wages and profits do the community. These sobering facts were deep ly impressed upon the group of Wilmington men who, in 1944, comprised the City-County Plan ning board appointed by the City council and the Board of County commissioners under an Enabling act introduced by J. E L. Wade in the State senate in 1943. Com posed of C. D. Hogue, chairman, H. A. Marks, W. E. Curtis, C. B. Parmele, W. R. Lane, Addison Hewlett, A. C. Nichols, J. G. Thornton and Hargrove Bellamy, the group began to think of post war Wilmington even while thou sands of dollars in World War II wages and profits were pouring into the banks and building and loans every day. Could it happen again? Hadn’t people learned a lesson? Maybe. But that was leaving it to chance. And chance has a habit of leaving a lot of sorry bag-holders. The decision was made, in its rough outlines, that steps must be taken to prevent a repitition of the debacle of the Twenties and Thirties. And out of that decision grew a small organization: The Wil mington Associates. Nothing for mal, and nothing complicated. Its ranks were open to any business or professional man who professed an interest in his community. The initial meeting, called by Mr. Hogue, was attended by 28 men, each a successful business or pro fessional man, and each financial ly able to back up his convictions with a substantial check if the right formula could be found. One Common Bend This group had one thing in common — one bond that was to hold it together and see the idea take tangible form: that if Wil mington were to avoid the mis takes it and its citizens made aft er World War I, the corrective measures would have to start right here at home. Translated into still simpler language, if the money Wilmingtonians had ac cumulated during the war was to mean anything to the community, the bulk of it had to remain here and be put to work in the eco nomic arteries ot the community. How to do it? And who was to do it? The Associates were convinced that the future welfare of the com munity lay in development of its economic resources. But what re sources did the community pos sess? * rirsi, Dy virtue ot me war Doom which brought thousands of new comers to work at the shipyards and on military reservations here abouts, the city had acquired, through federal agencies, a tre mendous amount of low-cost pub lic housing. Interpreted in eco nomic terms, low-cost housing means well - sheltered employes, something every modern employ er, i n d i v i d u al or corporation, wants today. Secondly, nature has blessed Wilmington with a temperate cli mate—the sort of a climate where heating bills don’t eat up a size able hunk of take-home pay, and the kind of climate where a man, if he’s so inclined, cab spend his leisure hours, or a part of them, growing table vegetables and maybe have a few chickens. Its all very economic. Ana very simple. Thirdly, Wilmington has, for all of its geographical isolation in re lation to other trade centers of North and South Carolina, excel lent transportation facilities. There’s the river with its ocean going ships; there are two major railroads; there is a network of fine highways linking the city with north, south and west. And, again thanks 'to the federal government in this coming Air Age, there’s Bluethenthal airport, largest and one of the finest airfields in Amer ica. i’ourtn, tne war-Drougnx Indus trie* had trained a tremendous pool of skilled labor, the majority of which lives within a 50-mile radius of Wilmington. Those are resources. Those are the resources Wilmington had— and has—to offer industry. Community Resources Taking stock of the community’s resources, the Wilmington Associ ates set out to learn if anyone would be interested. The first in quiry was conducted by the Tide Water Power company, through its industrial division. One trip to the New York area produced sev eral promising leads. Harriss Newman, attorney, and currently serving on the city council, found other leads. There were plenty of firms and plenty of businessmen who heard the story and who became inter ested. Their reaction was some thing on this crder: “Yes, I’m interested. I want to move out of the industry-congest- j ed North, and I’ve been consider- j ing the South, But what can you i offer me in the way of a plant? In the way of floor space?” The answer had to be "Noth ing.” Wilmington, being a city es sentially engaged in distribution and, to some extent, in agricul ture, had no factory buildings, no large inclosed spaces to house even the smaller industries which could produce here. Too, these emissaries seeking new business for their home com munity reported back another factor: A lot of Southern cities and towns had pretty much the same idea about attracting industries to their communities. And, in many instances, ft was learned, part of the lure were promises of good buildings, low taxes and other in ducements. To meet this competition, and to insure that Wilmington would not be left at the post, when the race began in earnest to attract South ern-minded industrialists, the As sociates met again, this time to find out just how far the com munity wanted to go in the mat ter of providing factory buildings and floor space. The talk stage was past. Indus tries wanted to come to Wilming ton. The community’s resources looked attractive to the far-sighted businessman who has learned the hard way in the past decade or two that his employes want more out of life than just a job. But what would Wilmington of fer? To answer that, Wilmington As sociates, never more than an in formal discussion group, organ ized a state-chartered corporation, Industrial Properties Inc. Object: the initiative and where-with-all to provide suitable physical plants for reputable businesses or indus tries wanting to locate in Wilming ton. 1 Tomorrow— How Industrial Properties, Inc., operates, and what it has accomplished thus far. Ship Movements IN PORT Freighters Mary Pickersgill, from New York, at Wilmington Terminal Warehouse company loading to bacco, steel and other cargo for France. Cape Fear Shipping com pany agents. George Sharswood, Liberty ship, from Hampton Roads, loading full cargo steel and pre-fabricated houses for France. Cape Fear Shipping company agents. INWARD BOUND Tankers Spottsylvania for Cape Fear ter minal with cargo gasoline for Gulf Oil corporation. Due today. Jacob Thompson for Cape Faar terminal with cargo kerosene and furnace oil for Republic Oil com pany. Due Feb. 5. C. D. Watson for Cape Fear terminal with cargo gasoline and kerosene for Arkansas Oil com pany. Due Feb. 5. SCHEDULED DEPARTURES Freighters American Scout lrom docks of North Carolina Shipbuilding com pany for trial run today. PAY INCREASED GREENSBORO, Jan. 30.—(/Pi Employees at the Greensboro plant of the Carter Fabrics cor poration today stood to receive an aggregate total of approxima tely $140,000 annually in increased pay as the result of a general 15 per cent wage increase announced here yesterday by W. J. Carter, corporation president. HITLER BOMB PLOT KNOWN TO ALLIES NUERNBERG, Jan. 30. -(#) The 1944 bomb plot against Adolf Hitler was known to the late Presi dent Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, high Vatican officials and a number of other persons out side Germany months befoie the unsuccessful coup, according to hitherto unpublished documents. President Roosevelt was said tc have received progress reports on “Plan Valkyrie”—the code name for the July 20 assassination at tempt—from operatives of the of fice of strategic services in Swit zerland, who were informed by an anti-Nazi member of the German diplomatic corps. A sworn statement by Dr Im manuel Schaeffer, a propaganda expert under Goebbels, said Churchill was informed of the plot by a Swedish industrialist who operated as liaison man betwc-er anti-Hitler forces and the British government. A German general told lt.terro gators that the Vatican was in formed indirectly . by Adm. Wil helm Canaris, chief of the Geimar. counter intelligence, through Papal offices in Vienna. Canaris lalei was executed by the Nazis. Others reported to have known of the plot in advance included Field Marshal Baron Carl GustaJ Mannerheim of Finland, Marshal Pietro Badoglio of Italy, Gen. An dorka of Hungary and two D* Gaullists who operated out of Bud apest in the guise of Vichy govern ment officers. Mannerheim, Badoglio, Andorka and the two De Gaullists were named in one of the secret docu ments as members of a world wide anti-Hitler organization mas terminded by Carnaris. Egg Prices Go Down On Raleigh Markets RALEIGH, Jan. 30.—(JP)—Farm ers’ prices for eggs on the Raleigh market dropped from one to three cents per dozen today, the state department of agriculture an nounced. Although the office of price ad ministration has been lowering the ceiling on eggs since the mid die of December, the present de cline in price is the first result ing from the supply situation in almost a year, the department said. DISCONTINUE USE RALEIGH, Jan. 30.—(/P)—Re venue commissioner Edwin Gill said today use of neck labels on malt beverage bottles as evidence of tax payments would be discon tinued April 1, and tax crowns would be used instead. O’Neill Named Assistant Coast Guard Commandant WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. -(#)— President Truman yesterday nomi nated Commodore 'Meriin O’Neil) of Port Republic, Md., to be as sistant commandant of the United States Goast Guard for a term of four years. The appointment carries the rank of rear admiral O’Neill would succeed Rear Ad miral L. T. Chalker whose term expired Jan. 1. The president also sent to thr senate the formal nomination o< Wilson W. Wyatt, former Louis ville Mayor and now housing ex pediter, to be national housing administrator. EGG GRADING COURSE RALEIGH, Jan. 30. —VP)- A three-day grading course sponsor ed by the state department of agriculture and the N. C. State Col lege Poultry division began today. SETTLE CLAIMS RALEIGH, Jan. 30.—State OPA headquarters announced to day that nine eastern North Caro lina retail clothing stores had settled damage claims for over ceiling charges to purchasers ot wearing apparel by paying a total of $1,363.42 to the U. S. treasury. Quality Jewelry ; !; and ;; GIFTS : B. GURR, Jeweler ;: 264 N. Front 8t. c; -iii Ai ; ♦ ■ DRESSES $C.OO Values To $24.98 Early Spring prints and solid colors in crepe. A fine collection of summer cottons in the tricki est, styles imaginable. Adorable dresses, all—and the values are those that Wahl’s are famous for. SUITS $18-40 Only American ingenuity and production could pro duce suits of such out standing quality and value as these. Smart tailored Herringbone in black or navy of 40%, wool and 60% rayon. Expensive looking, fine quality black gabar dine in three button cardi gan, of 64% wool and 36% cotton. They’re die | "TOPS” in Value lor Spring. Sizes 10 to lg— 36 to 44. E. 0. M. CLEARANCE SWEATERS $Qoo Regularly To $6.98 •» *■ We wind up the month of January with final clean sweep of our sweater stock. Cardigans and slip-overs, in assorted colors and sizes. 214 N. FRONT ST. t * k ■ NEW ORLEANS 10 hrs. 30 min. For information and reservations call 2-2821. Ticket Office: Biuethenthal Airport "Bt/eca/feerlRbeife \ Queen City Trailways 219 Cowan St. Wilmington, N. C. Announce New Schedule Effective February 1,1946 Between Wilmington, Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher CM EDM KM CM MF MS SL MS SL SL SL KM SY SY LL MS SL LL SL SL Lv. Wilmington 5:00 5:30 6:45 7:00 8:00 9:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 3:30 3:45 5:00 5:30 6:00 7:00 8:00 10:00 11:30 12:30 ” Shipyard 6:30 3:40 3:40 * W. Jet 5:20 7:10 7:25 8:25 9:25 11:25 12:25 1:25 2:25 3:25 3:55 3:55 5:25 5:55 6:25 8:25 10:25 11:55 12:55 * Seagate 4:05 7:20 " Myrtle G^o 7'15 9:30 11:30 1:30 4:30 6:30 7:45 " S Breeze j 5'30 7*20 7:35 8:35 9:35 11:35 12:35 1:35 2:35 3:35 4:05 4:05 4:35 5:35 6:05 6:35 7:50 8:35 10:35 12:05 1:05 " Car. Bch. * 5:35 6:00 7:30 7:45 8:45 ,9:45 11:45 12:45 1:45 2:40 3:45 4:15 4:15 4:45 5:45 6:15 6:45 8:00 8:45 10:45 12:15 1:15 M Kures Bch 5'40 7'40 7'55 8:55 9:55 11:55 12:55 1:55 2:45 3:55 4:25 4:25 4:55 5:55 6:25 6:55 3:55 10:55 12:25 1:25 " Ft. Fisher* 5:45 7:00 7:45 8:00 9:00 10:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 4:00 4:30 4:30 5:00 6:00 6:30 7:00 9:00 11:00 12:30 1:30 — KM • KM MF CM EDM SY SY MS LL MS SL SL CM MF SL MS SL SL SL Lv. Ft. Fisher 5*45 7-00 7:45 8:00 9:00 10:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 4:00 4:30 4:00 5:00 6:00 6:30 7:00 9:00 11:00 12:30 1:30 ” KuresBch 5*50 7:05 7:50 8:05 9:05 10:05 12:05 1:05 2:05 2:45 4:05 4:35 4:45 5:05 6:05 6:35 7:05 9:05 11:05 12:35 1:35 ” Car. Bch 6”-00 6-00 7:15 8:00 8:15 9:15 10:15 12:15 1:15 2:15 2:50 4:15 4:45 4:45 5:15 6:15 6:45 7:15 8:15 9:15 11:15 12:45 1:40 ” S. Breeze J. 6:10 6:05 7:25 8:10 8:25 9:25 10:25 12:25 1:25 2:25 3:05 4:25 4:55 4:55 5:25 6:25 6:55 7:25 8:25 9:25 11:25 12:55 1:45 ” Myrtle Gro. 8:15 10:30 3:05 5:30 7:30 9:30 11:30 j " Seagate 8:40 ” M. Jet. 6:25 6:20 7:35 8:35 9:35 10:35 12:35 1:35 2:35 3:15 4:35 5:05 5:05 5:35 6:35 7:05 7:35 8:35 9:35 11:35 1:05 1:55 ” Wilmington 6:45 6'3° 8:00 9:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 3:30 5:00 5:30 5:30 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 9:00 10:00 12:00 1:30 2:15 SL Short Loop LL Long Loop CM Carolina Beach Mail KM Kures Beach Mail EDM Ethyl Dow Mail SY Shipyard Workers & others ") - MF Daily except Saturday & Sunday MS Daily except Sunday Boldface figures denote PM. j 100 PROOF Liqueur
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Jan. 31, 1946, edition 1
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