In these columns will be
found a fair presentation
of local and county news
of general Interest.
Volume lll.—Number 10.
EdeiitonNowAssured
New Armory Building
One of 12 Municipalities
Out of Forty-three
To Be Favored
AT HICKS FIELD
Town Will Furnish Cost
Os Skilled Labor on
Project
Efforts under way since last sum
mer for a new national guard ar
mory here to be erected by the fed
eral government and under its super
vision, bore fruit last Saturday af
ternoon when word was received
from WPA headquarters in Raleigh
that Edenton had been selected as
one of the 12 North Carolina munici
palties to be so favored. Since then
E. S. Askew and W. R. Wyatt, WPA
chieftainß for this district located in
Elizabeth City, have been here, have
approved the proposed site on the
North Broad Street front of the old
fairgrounds, and announced that
plans would be started at once to
make the armory a place of reality
in the near future.
The new building will cost in the
neighborhood of $25,000, something
like $24,100 to be exact, of which
amount Edenton and the State Na
tional Guard will guarantee SB,OOO
in skilled labor.
The tentative plan is that the Eli
zabeth City office will requisition
the district employment office at
Edenton for the number of work
men, both skilled and unskilled, and
will assemble the labor. Skilled
will be paid by the town,
amounting to approximately SB,OOO,
of which the local ambulance unit
has / agreed to supply SI,OOO. A com
mittee of three representing capital,
labor and industry, .will be appointed
to ascertain and determine the pre
vailing wage scale now being paid in
Edenton for the various classes of
skilled labor, which scale will be
paid to workers on this job.
In its selection for an armory
Edenton was signally honored. Forty
three municipalities put in applica
tions for similar buildings but a cur
tailment of revenue recently made it
impossible for the State WPA to
provide for more than 12 armories.
It was not thought Edenton would be
included in the 12 owing to its small
size, but pressure was brought on the
ground that if a new armory was not
allotted for Edenton its National
Guard unit might have to disband as
its present home had been declared
unsafe for occupancy. Recent com
plaint by two grand juries to this
effect proved helpful in bringing
about the satisfactory result.
The new Armory will house the
115tli Ambulance Company mar
shalled by Major M. P. Whichard and
will be the only armory in the entire
Albemarle section. It will be suit
ably commodious so that its drill
floor may be turned over for indoor
recreational events, like boxing and
wrestling matches, dancing and high
school athletics. It will take the
place of a town auditorium, also, for
public meetings.
Architect’s plans are now being
drawn in Raleigh by Lanthicum and
Linthicum, a copy of which will be
sent Mayor Spires when completed,
and it is expected work on the build
ing will be begun within a few
weeks.
Major M. P. Whichard and Mayor
Spires have been quietly working on
the armory project, with the splen
did cooperation of Messrs. Askew
and Wyatt, and Adjutant General
Van B. Metts, but both local men
hesitated to release any information
until the project was definitely se
cured.
Late Wednesday afternoon the E.
St W. Department transferred $6,603
from its fund to the general fund, to
gether with the SI,OOO furnished by
the National Guard, will take care of
the skilled labor cost.
Special Meeting Os
Red Men Monday
- Cards are being mailed to all mem-'
bers of Chowan Tribe, No. 12, Im
proved Order of Red Men, who are in
good standing, announcing a special
meeting for Monday night, when the
Tribe will vote on two amendments
to the new set of by-laws recently
adopted by the Tribe.
These two amendments deal with
the salaries paid the lodge officers
and the sick benefits paid by the
Tribe* The change in by-laws has
been reason for much comment pro
and con* and a full attendance is ex
pected Monday night when the prop
osition fiW be either rejected or ap
provedf^K
THE CHOWAN HERALD
A HOME NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO TEE INTERESTS OF CHOWAN COUNTY
gj.i...... a
I Commissioners Name ]
I Hobbs Tax Supervisor]
I Fermor W. Hobbs was appoint- [
|ed as Chowan County tax super- \
i visor by the County Commission-;
| ers at their meeting on Monday. |
I Mr. Hobbs replaces W. S. Privott, j
I whose death caused the vacancy. [
| The tax supervisor is appointed j
I for one year at a salary of $75 =
= per month for four months.
H Mr. Hobbs was selected from a i
| list qf six candidates considered =
|by the Commissioners.
= The Commissioners also voted j
|to pay the list taken of the First:
| Township SIOO, S6O for the Second:
: Township, and SSO each for thej
! Third and Fourth Townships.
E> 0
170 CHILDREN NOW
OUT OF SCHOOL ON
ACCOUNT SICKNESS
Thought Unnecessary to Close School
Due to Many Cases of Influenza
And Colds
Multilple illness among the pupils
of the Edenton school, largely trace
able to influenza and other colds, re
sulted in a conference this week as
to the advisability of closing the
school until the mild epidemic had
worn itself out. County Health Of
ficer J. A. Powell and Thomas
Chears, chairman of the city school
board, went over the situation thor
oughly and decided there was no oc
casion at the present time to do any
thing. Both officials felt that condi
tions were much less grave than last
year and that they would soon wear
themselves out woth no more serious
consequence.
More than 170 pupils have been re
ported on the sick list this week,
most of them being down with at
tacks “flu” so rampant in this
County and throughout the whole
Albemarle section. Superintendent
John A. Holmes was knocked out
himself ten days ago and has been
confined since to the house. His
two children have been ill with the
same complaint at the same time. He
was reported as somewhat improved
yesterday and expected to be able to
be out again today.
R. F. Tuttle Assists In
Making Tax Returns
R. F. Tuttle, deputy commissioner
for the second district, will be in his
office at his home, 105 West Queen
Street, on March 14 and 16 for the
purpose of assisting taxpayers in
filing their State income tax returns.
Mr. Tuttle is required to be in Eden
ton only two days and those desiring
his services should see him as early
as possible.
Those required to file a return
are all unmarried persons or a mar
ried woman who had an income of at
least SIOOO during 1935 and married
men who received as much as S2OOO
during 1935.
The return must be made on or be
fore March 16 under a penalty for
failure to do so.
Governor Unable To
Be Banquet Speaker
A definite date for the annual ban
quet of Unanimity Lodge is still in
doubt due to the fact that at this
time Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus,
who was invited to be the special
speaker, is unable to say just when
he could come to Edenton.'
In a letter to E. W- Spires the
Governor saicL that due to the press
of business and the present uncer
tainly of the tobacco situation, he
could not give any definite time when
he could come. The lodgemen had
arranged to hold their banquet on a
night convenient to the Governor.
The matter will be discussed at
tonight's Masonic meeting.
Mrs. Caleb Goodwin Is
Very 111 At Morganton
Friends in Edei.con will regret to
learn that Mrs. Caleb Goodwin is
seriously ill at her home in Morgan
ton. Her mother, Mrs. S. A. White,
and Mrs. A. W. Hefren, of Hertford,
left by bus Tuesday morning to be
at the bedside of Mrs. Goodwin.
. Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, former
Edenton residents, several months
ago moved to Asheville, bat later
moved to Iforrahton.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, March 5, 1936.
TAYLOR THEATRE
STAGES AMATEUR
NIGHT ON FRIDAY
Five Acts Scheduled On
First of Series of
Programs
810 PRIZE GIVEN
Acts Include Singing,
Dancing and Musical
Numbers
All arrangements have been com
pleted for the first of a series of
amateur nights to be held each Fri
day night at the Taylor Theatre.
This first amateur night will be held
Friday, taking place between the
two shows, at 8:45 o’clock.
Manager Jimmy Earnhardt has
arranged for five numbers on the
first of these programs, and feels
certain this part of the program
alone will be worth the price of ad
mission to the entire show. In con
junction with the amateurs, he has
booked one of the best pictures of
the year, starring George Bums and
Gracie Allen in “Here Comes
Cookie!” These two popular radio
and screen stars will also no doubt
draw a large crowd and the theatre
managament anticipates a crowded
house.
A $lO cash prize will be awarded
to the winning amateur team, with a
week’s pass to the theatre given to
those who appear on amateur night
programs, but who do not win a
prize. Mr. Earnhardt has a long
list of applicants to appear on the
stage, but will still sign up any who
are interested in competing.
The amateurs making their ap
pearance Friday night include the
following:
Miss Messick, of Washington, N.
C., who will give a tap dance and
song act.
Miss Ruth Vail, of Edenton, will
appear in an accordian and harmon
ica-dancing act.
Bill Cozart, who has made a very
creditable showing in a number of
home talent entertainments, will ap
pear on the program as a singer, be
ing accompanied at the piano by his
sister, Miss Orphia Cozart.
John Presley, Wilbome Harrell and
Myrtle Preslev will have a part in
the program, the three being sche
duled to render a number of Hawai
ian selections.
Bertie County will also be repre
sented on the program with Steven
son White’s three-piece string band
of Merry Hill, completing the first
set of amateurs scheduled to appear.
Manager Earihardt plans to con
tinue the amateur night idea as long
as the talent will permit.
Good Attendance At
District Medical Meet
Infant mortality and surgical ob
stetrics were the principal subjects
under discussion at the winter-spring
meeting of the First District Medical
Society in the Hotel Joseph Hewes
last Thursday night, when an unusu
ally large attendance was on hand.
Dr. Frank Garris, of Lewiston, coun
ty health officer for Bertie, made an
address on the former subject, and
Dr. Cola Castello, of Windsor, spoke
on the latter.
Dr. P. H. Ringer, of Asheville,
and Dr. L. B. Mcßrayer, of Southern
Pines, president and secretary, re
spectively of the North Carolina
State Medical Society, who have been
attending similar district meetings
throughout the State, also addressed
the gathering.
Dr. J. A. Powell is district presi
dent, while Dr. L. P. Williams is dis
trict secretary. The summer meet
ing of the Society will be held at
Elizabeth City, but no definite date
has been set for this at present.
Signs Os Spring Finally
Putting In Appearance
Whether spring has come or not,
the fact remains a couple of its
harbingers have made their appear
ance in town. The fine large Lady
Banksia rose bushes on the south
side of the Cupola House were no
ticed in bloom yesterday, and a
bunch of wild arbutus adorned a
restaurant table on Tuesday. The
I last named flower, usually the first
spring floraculture in this section,
has been hindered in its advance by
the vicious winter weather this sea
son but managed to make itself ap
parent early this week.
SUNBEAMS MEET AT CHURCH
The Sunbeams will have their reg
ular meeting at the Baptist Church
Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock. All
children from three to nine years old
are cordially invited to attend.
School Situation In Chowan
Puzzles County Commissioners
(Watermelon Growers Meet]
lln Edenton On March 13th]
Watermelon growers of Chowan
County will have an opportunity to
hear a tentative revised watermelon
marketing agreement discussed when
a meeting is scheduled to be held in
the Chowan Court House on Friday,
March 13, at 2:30 P. M. Eight sim
ilar meetings will be held in the
watermelon growing sections of
North Carolina during the early part
of March through which it is hoped
growers will sign the agreement
which is intended to regulate the
shipment of melons in the two Caro
linas, Georgia and Florida.
This agreement was made last
year, it will be remembered, when a
number of Chowan farmers disre
garded its provisions and were subse
quently called upon to face Federal
investigators.
WILLIAM PRIVOTT
SPECIAL SPEAKER
AT ROTARY TODAY
N. K. Rowell Enlightened Rotarians
On Agricultural Situation
Last Thursday
Rev. C. A. Ashby will be in charge
of the Rotary program today at the
weekly luncheon of the Edenton
Rotary Club. As a special feature of
the program Mr. Ashby has secured
William S. Privott, County prosecu
tor, to speak to the Rotarians on
“The State of the Nation and His
Own Job.”
N. K. Rowell, Chowan County
Agent, was the principal speaker last
Thursday and very clearly rehearsed
farm conditions in the country as a
whole, but more particularly in
Chowan County. He displayed a
number of authentic charts by which
he explained the acreage and produc
tion in the County, showing figures
whereby farmers were greatly bene
fitted by the decreased acreage under
the AAA plan.
He likewise showed by figures that
in 1910 agriculture contributed 18
per cent of the national wealth
which had reached its lowest point
during 1931-32 and since had gradu
ally risen until it had climbed up to
about 10 per cent in 1934. Follow
ing the information received from the
charts, Mr. Rowell said it was very
imperative that farmers to maintain
their rightful place must study their
problems, keep up with changes and
make adjustments in keeping with
the times.
Mr. Rowell, in beginning his
speech, said he was thoroughly con
vinced that agriculture is the biggest
subject on the face of the earth, ex
plaining how practically every indus
try is either directly or indirectly
dependent upon agriculture.
The Rotarians were very much in
terested in Mr. Rowell’s talk, during
which he brought out many facts
which are not generally known by
the average business man.
New Athletic Club
Formed In Edenton
A new organization is now in the
course of formation in Edenton and
will be known as the Albemarle Ath
letic Clul| with headquarters over
Ed Habit’s dry cleaning plant. The
principal feature of this new club
will be the sponsoring of dances,
boxing and wrestling matches.
The upper floor of the Ed Habit
building has been thoroughly re
modeled and those most vitally inter
ested in the club are hopeful that a
large number will join. The first
function of the club will be a dance,
which will be held next Tuesday
night, beginning at 9 o’clock. Music
will be furnished by Kenneth Floars
and his orchestra.
A meeting has been called for
Thursday night, March 12, for the
purpose of perfecting the organiza
tion, at which time officers will be
elected. Anyone interested in join
ing the club is urged to attend this
meeting or pjpt in touch with Joe
Habit.
Once each month the Club will
sponsor a dance, boxing or wrestling
match, which most likely will draw
a good attendence.
FISH MARKET
(By of G. W. Moger & Co.,
Baltimore, Md.)
March 4
Roe Shad sold .. 87c
Buc’sShad sold : i,. 22c
The two main features of the
agreement are to limit the grade arid
size of melons shipped out of these
states and to provide means for
stopping shipments altogether for
periods of not more than 48 hours
at a time.
In this way the growers hope to
keep from glutting the market with
inferior melons or with excessive
shipments of good melons during a
rush period.
The ultimate objective is to assure
the growers of a fair price for the
melons they ship.
Representatives of the AAA and
the State College agricultural exten
sion service will meet with the farm
ers to lead the discussions and ex
plain provisions of the revised agree
ment.
lyint n 11111 inn minimum mi minium nun InmMl m limn Q
| County Wants Taxes I
} Paid On All Dogs]
| That the County is due to re-:
fceive more money in dog taxesi
| has been discussed by the County I
:Commissioners and as a result:
| efforts win be made to the end f
| that all owners of dogs will have I
Ito pay this tax. In order to:
§ check up on the number of dogs i
|in the county, Sheriff Bunch has i
I alphabetically arranged all dog §
:owners who during the summer!
I had their animals vaccinated and i
i force will be brought to bear to I
1 have all dogs listed and the pro-1
iper tax paid. f
0
COURT HOUSE TO
BE LOCKED NIGHTS
IN NEAR FUTURE
County Commissioners See Necessity
of Safeguarding Historic Build
ing Against Damage and Fire
That the Chowan County Court
House will bt locked at night most
likely will vejy soon become a real
ity. The matter of allowing the old
historic building to remain open at
all hours was discussed among the
Counteyi Commissioners on Monday
when C. G. Conger appeared before
the Board endeavoring to sell auto
matic fire extinguishers for the valu
able old Court House.
The cost of this equipment, exclud
ing the Masonic lodge hall, would be
about S3OO, the Commissioners de
ciding to think the matter over un
til the next meeting.
D. M. Warren, chairman of the
Board, is of the opinion that the door
should be locked at night when not
being used and has asked that the
Masonic Lodge discuss the matter so
that the front door can be locked
and the keys given only to R. D.
Dixon, clerk of court, M. L. Bunch,
register of deeds, whose offices are in
the building and a representative of
Unanimity Lodge.
Heretofore the building has been
always open and on many occasions
has been used by boys and even
drunks who very easily could either
mar the building or even set it on
fire.
Demonstration Clubs
Plan Summer Tour
Right much interest was apparent
at the meeting of Chowan County
club women with Miss Rebecca Col
well, home agent, on Friday to dis
cuss a tour to Washington, D. C.
Sixteen were present and it is
thought enough will sign up to make
the tour possible.
The tour, lasting two days, will
be held the third week in April and
will be conducted by Paul Ricks of
the Teachers College at Greenville.
The bus will hold anly twenty and
the first ones to sign up will be tak
en on the tour. Letters will be sent
to the various club, presidents in or
der to secure the quota for the trip.
In event over 20 desire to go the
number will have to be boosted to
40 in order to secure a second bus.
LEGION MEETING CALLED OFF
Due to the illness of John A.
Holmes, commander, the regular
meeting of Ed Bond Post, scheduled
for Tuesday night, was postponed..
No date has been set for a meeting
to take the place of the one missed-
This newspaper is circu
lated in the territory
where Advertisers put
realise good results.
$1.25 Per Year
Plans Presented For
New Building at
Cross Roads
MUCH INTEREST
Joint Meeting Called
For Next Monday at
2 O’clock
The Chowan County Commissioners
are now faced with the most para
mount and still no doubt . the most
vexing problem ever to come before
the present Board. The school situ
ation presented itself at the meeting
Monday morning, which later result
ed in a joint meeting of the Commis
sioners and the County Board of
Education relative to the erection of
a new school to replace the Chowan
High School which was destroyed by
fire several weeks ago.
The Board of Education, through
Frank Benton, Wilson architect, pre
sented two drawings of school build
ings either of which would be satis
factory to the Board of Education.
The first of these building costing
$140,000 is a magnificent two-story
brick plant equipped with a total of
23 rooms, including 16 classrooms
and quarters for other phases of
school work. It provides for an au
ditorium seating 730 as well as a
gymnasium.
The second sketch presented a
building of 16 class rooms and other
rooms used for school work, which
could be transformed into class
rooms if the pccasion demanded. It
also provided for an auditorium
seating 610 as well as a gymnasium.
Both buildings could be built of eith
er fire-proof or semi-fireproof con
struction.
Members of both Boards discussed
at length the needs and merits of the
buildings, but the Commissioners
were of the opinion that the first
plan submitted was absolutely out
of the question. The cost of the
other building is $106,000, but after
some eliminations it is thought this
plant could be erected at a cost of
approximately 8100,000.
Cognizant of the fact that the
Edenton school is in a bad state of
repair, and over-crowded, and that
Edenton school officials will present
a claim for a new building or re
pairs or possibly both, it was finally
decidtd to call a joint meeting of the
County Board of Education, Countv
Commissioners, and the Edenton
School Board for Monday, March 9,
at 2 P. M., at which time the school
needs will be ironed out and steps
taken to relieve the situation as far
as possible.
The Commissioners are fully ac
quainted with the absolute need for
something to be done immediately,
but the cost of the undertaking is
the cause of much worry, for with
out any doubt the tax rate will be
boosted materially to take care of
the situation.
The upper county people are anx
ious to have a creditable plant, and
it has been suggested that when a
new one is built it be placed on the
opposite side of the road from the
old site farther north, on higher
ground.
Just what the city board will re
quest isn’t known, but will in all
probability be a much more expen
sive school than tht one sought for
Cross Roads.
Some little difficulty developed re
garding the insurance on the burned
building. It was hoped to pay the
$5,000 indebtedness remaining out of
the insurance, but it developed that
if this was done the County could be
forced to pay the indebtedness of
the Edenton school district, which is
in the neighborhood of $50,000.
According to Superintendent W.
J. Taylor about the only thing that
can be salvaged from the fire would
(Continued on Page Five)
Strange Car Chased
From Freight Depot
• What evidently was a second at
tempt to burglarize the Norfolk
Southern freight station was again
frustrated last Friday night when a
high-powered car was seen to drive
up to the warehouse. Night Patrol
man Boyce happened along about the
same time but the strange car quick
ly out ran the police car, making a
getaway.
Boyce, is of the opinion it is the
same car which was pursued about a
week ago when the office door was
broken open. The car, going too
fast to turn into Court Street, con
tinued on to Broad Street, where it
rapidly gained on the police car,
traveling north on Broad.