North Carolina Newspapers

FORECAST + ^ ^ v Served By Leased Wires «^ — umtmjimt numtum mar _— State and National News VO1; 79 NOl246____EEmINGTON, N. C., SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1946 ’ " ESTABLISHEdIsE" PAST trials Derby Cars Make Speed In Preliminary Dashes " gv .JACK C. LUNAN follow .1:' successful trial run- over the "Derby Downs” course on Rankin street yestor t". rr -r ung, 13 enthusiastic b0;s v. ho will enter their cars jn -he 'Vilmington All-Ameri can Soap Box Derby next Wednesday, took their racers back home for further tuning up jn preparation for the of ficial weighing and inspection ceremonies on Monday and Tuesday. Some 30 or more other lads w;10 conwmplate facing starter Gil Pickard in the big race to be co-sp-msored by The Star ts and Raney Chevrolet company and who did not take advantage of the trials oppor tunity yesterday, put in the day in touching up their derby cars, or getting a slant on those racers which did make on or more runs down the Rankin street hill. Some Nice Cars There was some real nicely designed and exceedingly fast .cars trying out yesterday and the 400 odd spectators w’ho watched the boys zoom down the hill waxed even more en thusiastic perhaps than th^ boys themselves. Robert Kress, acting as starter for the boys, got each heat away in good fashion and Clerk of the Course Adam Smith timed each heat See DERBY on Page Two 4 NEGROES SLAIN BY GEORGIA MOB 60-Shot Broadside Mows Victims Down 50 Miles From Atlanta MONROE Ga., July 25.—(U.R)— More than a score of white men, led by a six-foot-three giant wear ing a’ black Simon Legree” hat, dragged four terrified, pleading negroes from a car on a desolate Georgia road Thursday and lynch ed them with a 60-shot broadside from rifles, shotguns and pistols. A hor: tied witness of the mass lynching was J. Loy Harrison, a prosperous Oconee county farmer. Harrison was driving the Negroes— two men and their wives—to his farm after posting $600 bond to re lease one of them from jail where he was held on charges of stabbing a former white employer Mould Know Lynchers Harrison vowed that he would rec ognize two of the lynches if he ever saw them again—the strap ping leader of the band and an un dersized youth in G I clothes who held a shotgun at his head while the Negroes were hustled into the woods and mowed down. The U. S. Justice department joined the Georgia "Wtreau of In vestigation and Walton County Sheriff E. S- Gordon in an imme diate investgiation of what Maj. W, E. Spence of the State Bureau of Investgiation said was “the worst thing that every happened in Geor gia." Party Waylaid The four Negroes and Harrison "'ere waylaid on the approach of a small plank bridge over the Ap palachee river dividing Walton and Oconee counties. It was a wild, re mote spot where the road was lined "ith swamp and lush under growth, about 10 miles east of Mon roe and 50 miles northeast of At lanta. Harrison said the leader of the lynching party was a towering fig Jre of a man, weighing at least ‘23 pounds. He wore a brown suit “:'d a broad-brimmed black hat. -°ng black hair, mottled with gray, See NEGROES on Page Two Super Highway Milmington Morning Star M:ashington Bureau WASHINGTON, July 26 — The route of a super highway to run south from Fayetteville, remain , :r! doubt after a conference of y;a/e anc* federal road officials, *r!day, Congressman J. Bayard dark, said. Opposition from South Carolina ‘Shway authorities who prefer a saute from Fayetteville, South by vaeford, and Bennetsville, S. C., ae.ayed final action, Clark said, hree further negotations will be ‘ orher. and it cannot be decid r exactly which route will be aosen, just yet, the congressman Said. HAHEONE'S meditations By Alley I Tried to rub ' UP MAH ole oiAR FuH SUNDAY BUT 1 NEWUH DID 61T p0WN TO DE PAINT \ - *> a ^ (Released by The Bell Syn* Mra'e. Inc.) Trade Mark Tfc> Reg. u. 8. Pat. Offlcel CITY-COUNTY PAY RAISESPROBABLE Department Heads, Work ers To Benefit Under Proposed Budget A $13 minimum monthly wage raise was tentatively granted yes terday to employes exclusive of department heads) of departments jointly financed by the city and county. The department heads were ten tatively granted raises based on their present salaries, duties, and responsibilities. Although all raises were tenta tive, it is expected that they will be incorporated into the city and county 1946-47 budgets with little or no change. They are as folows: Morse Gets $40 Tax Collector C. R. Morse. $310 to $350 monthly; Williams Brown, as sistant collector, $225 to $245 month ly; others, $15 monthly minimum. Harry Fales, superintendent of identification bureau, $260 to $285 monthly; others, $15. W. H. Wendt, meter adjuster, $125 to $140 monthly. Health Department Health department—Dr. A- H. El liot, chief, $4,920 to $5,520 yearly; L. I. Lassiter, sanitary engineer, $3,120 to $3,900; others, $120 to $240 yearly increase. The proposed $75,988 health de partment budget was slashed to $67,647 by eliminating salaries and travel expenses of an assistant health officer, junior general clerk, and health educator. None of those positions is filled now. Other Grants Other tentative grants were as follows: James Walker Memorial hospit al, $16,800; Community hospital, $35,000; DDT dusting program for insect control, $5,000; Associated charities, $22,129.60. Further budget deliberations were scheduled for next week. USES Bill Signed WASHINGTON, July 26 — fiW — President Truman Friday signed the $1,155,015,670 labor-federal security appropriation bill contain ing a section returning the United States employment service to state operation next November 15. The bill appropriates $140,456, 443 for the Labor department, $696,183,527 for the Federal Se curity agency, and $318,375,700, for related agencies for the fiscal year that started July 1. Sugar Direct Wilmington Morning Star Washington Bureau WASHINGTON, July 26 - Con gressman J. Bayard Clark, meet ing Friday with OPA and Agricul ture Department officials on the sugar shortage -.tuation, urged that refined sugar be shipped di re -tly into the Port of Wilmington for distribution throughout North Carolina, olina. “It looks as though both the Ag riculture Department and the OPA are making a splendid effort to get more sugar sent to the United States,” Congressman Clark said after the meeting. “In their calcu lations they have allowed for more sugar during the canning season.” NEW OPA SWINGS BACK INTO BUSINESS BY BgASTING AND REMOVING CEILINGS; MA /LINKED WITH LUMBER FIRM IN QUIZ Solon 111, Skips Meet With Group War Probers To Scan In come Tax Return Of Munitions Makers MAY DENIES PROFITS Kentuckian Admits Acting As Fiscal Agent For Lumber Company WASHINGTON, July 26.— (AP)—The Senate War In vestigating committee laid plans Friday to look into in come tax returns of all of ficials of the Cumberland Lumber company—for which Representative May (D.-Ky.) was fiscal agent—along with those of principals in the Garsson munitions combine. Chairman Mead (D.-N.Y.) told newsmen of the project shortly after the committee had heard testimony from May’s physician that it would be “inadvisable’’ for the House Military chairman to respond to a subpoena in his pres ent physical condition. Heart Condition May was described by the physician, Dr. Henry M. Lowden, as suffering from a heart condi tion which “has recently become aggravated.’’ He had a date with the committee at 9 a. m. (EST) Friday to tell about his relations with officials of the munitions group which handled $78,000,000 in war contracts, but Dr. Lowden said he would be unable to appear for 10 days at least. May has ac knowledged aiding the combine with its Washington dealings but has denied he made any personal profit or did anything more than seek to speed the war effort. To Bare Returns Mead told reporters President Truman, whom he visited Friday morning, had agreed to make avail able to the committee, through the Justice department, concerned in the war profits in See MAY on Page Two SPOFFORD MILLS INCREASES WAGES $75,000 Per Year Salary Boost Announced For 300 Employes A $75,000 per year wage increase to the 350 workers of Spofford Mills was announced yesterday by J. Holmes Davis, Jr-, company presi dent. The wage raise, the second such authorized by the company this year, boosts the minimum pay of Spofford Mills employes to 73 cents per hour, Davis said. The plant, operating two eight hour shifts and one four-hour shift, comes within four hours of turning out textiles on a round-the-clock production line. The plant has almost completed its government contracts, and dis tribution of the goods is still under governmental direction. Broad cloth and prints are being turned out at near-capacity rate. The wage hike announced yester day is in line with those granted textile workers throughout the state. CAROLINA BEACH HOST Sixteen N. C. Beauties To Visit Local Resort Sixteen North Carolina cities and towns last night had ac cepted the bid of the Carolina Beach Chamber of Commerce to send their local beauty queens to the beach resort for a five-day vacation preceding the North Carolina State Miss America beauty final* at Wil son next Saturday. Latest cities to telegraph ac ceptance of the beach offer are Asheville, which will be rep resented by Miss Evelyn Toth-' erow, Rocky Mount will be by Betty Brewer, and Washington. N. C., whose entry is Kath erine Nicholls. Twenty-Two Cities Twenty-two Tar Heel cities and communities are staging local beauty contests leading to the Wilmington event, and Ben Mallard said last night it was possible that all twenty two of the state’s beauty queens would be represented at the beach beginning Mon day. At the same time, now it is disclosed that the round of en See BEAUTIES On Pi.se Two —-__---- I COMMAND TAKES LOOK-SEE Japanese Ship May Be Added To List Of Victims Of Underwater Atom Bomb ABOARD USS APPALACH IAN, Bikini, July 26—(JP)— The high command of the atomic bomb test took a quick, peril ous ride through the target fleet Friday and found that the Japanese battleship Nagato might soon be added to the toll of major warships sunk by Thursday’s underwater explo sion. Blandy Makes Tour Vice Adm. W. H. Blandy, commander of the joint cross roads task force, toured the fleet in a gunboat with top members of his staff and a small group of correspondents. He found these results ap parent. No trace whatever of the battleship Arkansas and an oil tender, both of which were sunk almost instantly; Oil and air bubbling up from the grave of the aircraft car rier Saratoga, which sank seven and one-half hours after the blast; Increasing List An increasing list to the 32, 720-ton Nagato, which was tilted only two degrees Thurs day but had increased to eight by noon Friday, and was at a much sharper angle by sundown; Transport Fallon, 15-degree list; one tank-landing craft, previously reported sunk, found floating bottom up, another found adrift; Battleship New York, listing so slightly that Blandy was un certain whether it was natural or caused by the bomb; No survey of submerged sub marines, five of which were previously reported on the bot tom but about which Blandy later expressed some doubts. Exposed To Bays Nor was there any trace of the weapons craft below which the bomb had been suspended. The Blandy party was able to stay only a half-hour in the violently radioactive area, and even then it was announc ed that ever member of the party had been exposed to five per cent more rays than was considered safe. m )L REVIVAL B GS PROBLEM Landlords Must Lower Rents To Conform To OPA Price Figures Tenant eviction cases spotlighted a clarification of rent control measures by Maurice Moore, Ares Rent director, yesterday shortly after the revival of OPA. Local application of control measures as contained in revised OPA rulings, make it mandatory that rent regulation requirements be met “to the letter’’ by land lords, except in cases where court judgment has not been rendered and duly executed Restore Services Landlods who have removed services from their tenants since the OPA died, are required to re store them in full. Failure of the landlord to do this, places the case in the hands of the local Area Rent control, which offices will be re quired to start investigations to re duce the rent retroactive to the date Federal rent control was re moved. No provision has been made for refunds of increased rent payments paid during the interim period, Moore said. This will apply even though the monthly terms to which the rent applies would expire after renewal date of control. Same Rent All recommendations under the housing and hotel rooms regula tions are now subject to the same rent amounts and conditions which prevailed June 30, unless and until they are changed by an order of the Area Rent director. No rent can be collected in ex cess of one month in advance, ex cept in cases where an order has been issued by the Area Rent of fices, under the rules, and any such collections should be refund ed to the tenant, Moore said. Failure to make such refunds immediately, places the landlord in violation of the rules. Moore pointed out that the serv ices of the Area Rent control of fices are available alike to land lords and tenants. RED TROUBLE AGAIN Chaos In Hungary Charged To Russia State Department Makes Direct Appeal To Molotov For Cooperation In Re habilitating Germany WASHINGTON, July 26.—(AP)—On the eve of Secre tary Byrnes’ departure for the Paris peace conference, the United States Friday night sharply accused Russia of creating economic chaos in Hungary by stripping her of vital food and industrial materials. The Weather FORECAST North and Sriuth Carolina—Saturday, clear to partly cloudy with mild temper atures. (Eastern Standard Time) (By U. S. Weather Bureau) Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p.m. yesterday. Temperature 1:30a 78; 7:30a 76; 1:30p 82; 7:30p 76. Maximum 83. Minimum 73; Mean 76; Normal 79. Humidity 1:30a 81; 7:30a 79; l:30p 69; 7:30p 93. Precipitation Total for 24 hours ending 7:30p—0 29 inches. Total since the first of the month—15.51 inches. Tides For Today (From the Tide Tables published by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey) High Low Wilmington _ 8:42a 3:35a 9:18p 3:40p Masonboro Inlet _ 6:29a 12:33a 7 :02p 12 :35p Sunrise 5:20; Sunset 7:17; Moonrise 4:05a; Moonset 7:01p. River Stage at Fayetteville, N- C. at £ a.m. Friday, 13.3 feet. Pay Boost WASHINGTON, July 26.—(^P)—A raise in pay for the nation’s law makers and sweeping changes in their methods of working became virtually assured Friday night as a congressional reorganization bill was sent to President Truman. The bill, on which the senate completed congressional action Fri day afternoon, would raise pay oi senators and house members from $10,000 a year to $12,500, plus a $2, 500 tax-free expense allowance. Along The Cape Fear FOR POSTERITY—We can’t say we didn’t ask for it. We asked, naively enough, "Does anyone remember?’’ in reference to the function and ownership of that house just north of the Orton hotel in that 1885 picture of Front street in Thursday’s paper. The question should have been, “Doe anyone NOT remember!" because, judging from the amount of replies we’ve received, every body knew about the building but us. By now, of course, we know all about it, too. For the sake of posterity, however, we shall now put the history of said structure into print and let the inaccuracies (if any) fall where they may. * * * TIRED ENGLISHMAN — Away back yonder before the Civil War an Englishman named Mr. Mat thew Lawton got /red of being an Englishman and packed his be longings and his family off to the U.S.A. and settled in Wilmington. He also packed off a good bit of money with which he purchased the property just north of the Or ton hotel and built the house (pat terned after the Charleston, S. S., residences DODUlar in that day) that you saw in Thursday’s paper. During the Civil War a troop of Northern soldiers muscled in on the family and made them move up to the top floor. The enforced move upstairs must have proved to be a change for the better, however, because the family never moved back down again. * * * CAPE FEAR DACHE—If they had moved down, they would have found themselves surrounded by (1) hats on the second floor and (2) ice cream on the first floor. Ice cream and hats, while being pleasant adjuncts in one's exist ence, do not make for a cozy habitat. When Mr. Lawton died he left the house to his wife, Mrs. Elsie Lawton. Mrs. Lawton remarried to a man named Mr. Lumsden. Mrs. Lawton, now Mrs. Lumsden, was quite a milliner—the Cape Fear Lily Dache of her day, and she practiced her art on the second floor. Her daughter, a very pretty little girl, wore samples of her mother's hat-handiwork, and every body used to say, admiringly, See CAPE FEAR on Page Two i it disclosed also a direct appeal to Foreign Minister Molotov for Soviet cooperation with American and Britain in rehabilitating the former satellite of Germany. Reds Strip Hungary The State department made pub lic a letter which Ambassador W. Bedell Smith delivered to Molotov Tuesday containing the appeal. The letter also declared that the Red army had been stripping Hun gary of foodstuffs while the Rus sian government had removed $124,000,000 worth of manufactur ing equipment and is currently absorbing 50 per cent of Hungary’s industrial production. The strong protest may fore shadow a fight over Hungarian re parations at the peace conference. The biast at Russia was given out by the department shortly aft er Byrnes held a news conference at which he made these major points on American foreign policy operations: To Pull Troops 1. The United States intends tc pull its troops out of Italy within the specified 90-day period after final signing of the Italian peace treaty. Byrnes does not consider the necessity of maintaining cup ply lines to Austria is any excuse for keeping Allied forces (Ameri can and British) in Italy once the treaty is effective. Presumably, Byrnes will apply the same rea soning to try to get Russian forces removed from Bulgaria after the signing of a Bulgarian treaty. 2 The Anglo-American cabinet meeting on Palestine has recom mended a plan for the partition oi Palestine. Presumably, this means settling Jews and Arabs in differ ent zones under a federalized Bri tish control administration. Byrnes Secretary of War Patterson, and Secretary of Treasury Snyder con fered with President Truman late this afternoon on the plan, which Byrnes said Britain already has approved. See RUSSIA on Page Two Consumers Must Wait To Learn Food Prices Three-Man Decontrol Board To Begin Func tioning Aug. 20 To Decide On Meat, Poultry, Dairy Products WASHINGTON, July 26.—(UP)—The Office of Price Administration, riding herd on prices again after 25 days of no controls, Friday boosted many ceilings above June 30 levels and removed them altogether from other com modities. Swinging back into business after President Truman signed the bill giving it renewed life until next June, the HEADS INSTALLED AT RESORT POST William Matthews Com mander Of Carolina Beach Group William Matthews was installed as commander of the Carolina Beach American Legion Post Number 272, Thursday night in im pressive ceremonies witnessed by 200 Legionnaires. Deputy State Commander Ray Galloway and District Commander Joe Mann, Whiteville, officiated at the installation of new officers held in the Ocean Plaza club, with the principal address being made by Judge John J. Burney who spoke on “American Legion.” Post Chap lain Fred Platt made the invoca tion, and group singing was led by Commander Mann. Local Post Represented The Wilmington Post Number 10, American Legion, was officially represented by Commander W. K. Stewart and Mrs. Stewart who is president of the Legion Auxiliary; Charles Foard, Chef De Gare of the Wilmington Voiture, 40 Et Eight, and J. Carl Seymour, Che minot Nationale, of the 40 Et Eight. A dance which was well attend ed followed the installation of of ficers. Other Officers Other officers installed were: William L. Farmer, first vice com mander; A. A. Willett, second vice commander; Eli Kurie, finance of ficer, Fred Platt, Chaplain; Percy Morton, Adjutant and Earl Klutz, sergeant-at-arms. The post has around 60 members. CITY WILL PRESS FOR TRUCK ROUTE Benson Reiterates Stand In Favor Of Lane Skirt ing Business Area City Manager J. R. Benson reit erated yesterday that he and the city council will continue thei» ef forts to have the State Highway commission establish a through truck route which will skirt, rath er than cut through the city. Others Accepted Others accepted by the lo<^l sta Benson’s reiteration was made after the State Highway commis sion announced in Raleigh yester day that authorization had been made for an engineering survey in the immediate future for a ‘‘suit able truck route through or around Wilmington.” See Skirting Route Although A. H. Graham, com mission chairman, has said that the survey will center principally on Seventh and Eighth streets, Ben See CITY On Page Two STUDY PROMISED City-Council Boards Will Consider Veteran Center Further study on a request by Wilmington’s veteran’s or ganizations that a $6,000 annual appropriation for a Veterans Service center in the city, has been promised by New Hanover county commissioners and city council. Asked to appear before the board for an early hearing on the proposed appropriations are all local agencies concerned with veterans affairs. Although the combined boards were of the opinion that some such place would be helpful, thev said consideration of an other means, other than setting up a new agency might be ef fected, however, they agreed to give the proposal further consideration. Dr. Smith Named Dr. Shade A. Smith of White ville has been named deputy dis trict of Region Five of District 31-C of the Lions club, it has been an nounced by Littlejohn Faulkner, Wilson, district governor. Also appointed was Mac F. Jones, Leland, chairman of Zone One t agency lmmecnatejy granted hign er prices on many items to con form with the measure's provi sions. Temporary Action OPA rolled back many prices, including some foods, to June 3G levels, but it warned that the ac tion was only temporary and that higher prices would be felt within 20 days. Other increases, to give manufacturers their 1940 prices plus increased costs, will come later. Not until August 20 when the new three-man decontrol board begins functioning will consumers learn whether ceilings are to be put back on meat, dairy products, poultry, eggs, petroleum, tobacco and grain. Higher Ceilings OPA authorized higher prices for coal and other solid fuels, top. grade shoes, some building mate rials and dozens of other goods. Items from which controls were re moved ranged from furs to low backed chair* and grandfather clocks. Meantime, Senator Robert A. Taft, (R.-O.), who fought to get manufacturers higher prices for their goods, assailed what he term ed President Trumans’ ‘‘labored attempt” to justify his veto of the first OPA bill and his approval ol the second. In an item-by-item breakdown of the signed bill, he charged that it accomplished practically the same results as the one Mr. Tru man vetoed would have done. Apparently in reference to his pricing amendment which was re See OPA on Page Two LAW CODIFICATION SLATED FOR CITY Law-Publishing Firm To “Weed Out” Antiquat ed Ordinances A complete, up-to-date codifica tion of all the laws and ordinances of Wilmington will be presented to the city council for approval in about three or four weeks by the Michie company, law-publishing firm of Charlottesville, Va., City Manager J. R. Benson disclosed yesterday after a two-day confer ence with two Michie representa tives. Authorized By Council The codification project wa5 au thorized several months ago by the council at the request of City At torney W. B. Campbell. Both Campbell and Benson con ferred with the Michie agents on Wednesday and Thursday on the preliminary codification m a n u script, completely weeded out of the old law books, and the final manuscript, completely edited and streamlined for publication, will be turned over to the council in three or four weeks. Benson said. Cost 55,000 The total cost of the codification and the manufacture of several hundred copies in permanent book form will be about $5,000, Benson said. And So To Bed Last night a local man 'll! a big hurry to get home for sup per jumped into his car on a downtown street. Since he was in such a great hurry it vexed him no end when the key refused to fit into the ignition lock. After several minutes of frusterated key-fitting another man stuck his head Into the car and said, ,“Can I help you?” “No,” answered the first man. “I’m just having a heck of a time getting this durn key into this durn lock.” “Try this,” suggested the second man as he handed the first man a key. “After all, it’s my . - , and this is my ca>.”