North Carolina Newspapers

VOL. XII. ELIZABETH CITY, N. C FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1919 NO. 602 NATIONAL FUEL ORDER HITS INDUSTRIES HARD Holiday Season Getting Into Full Swing When Dras tic Ruling by Fuel Board Forces Merchants to Close Early- Manufacturers Also Affected BY RALPH POOL Local merchants are much dis uirbc I vcr the recent order of tjie nul admist ration." -given to the pres.- the countryfor pub lican i .n last Sunday, instructing tint st re and office buildings ,,iav heat, light and power f,n! irov.i - a. m. to 4 p. m. Tak ing tl standpoint that no. offical 1 - i i i : i oruiTS i(1 close jiau ueen rcccivcu the lui.-iness men of this city, with a t w exceptions, did not ob iorvv 1 1 i c published regulations Moiviav and Tuesday. On Wed ne.l:i" a proclamation by Mayor Gaith c r resulted in the strict ob servance of the law throuhout the city. The manufacturing plants of the city are facing a serious dilemma in that their employees are showing a disposition to de mand full-time pay "for the 48 hours which mills, factories and the like are permitted to operate per week. With the holiday seas on inst getting into full swing the stores, department stores an-! i'ther firms dealing in Xmas sj-oo. is will be hard hit by the en forcement of the new regulations. In -hort time, practially every business and manufacturing es tablishment in the city will - be hurt to a greater or less degree hy the mandate of 'the fuel ad ministration. The ruling which will be en forced under the wartime powers of the Fuel Administraion, pro tYlat "?trrfSgSttft'of fice buil dings mays use seat, light and power only between 9 a. m. and 4 p. m. Bakeries restaurants and drusr stores or the sale of drugs only may use heat light and pow--tr from 8 a. m. to 6 p. m., while theatres, moving picture houses another places of public amuse ment are permitted to use seat, hy.it- and power only between 1 p. m. and 1030 p. m. All adver tising signs and billboards using electricity and all white way lights, show windows and other non-essential lights must be cut of entirely Industries, except in the case of plants operating continuous processes, may ope rate only 48 hours each . week. Violation of the order will result in fuel supplies being cut off from the offending cities, and in addition the attention of federal district attorneys will be called to the violators. It is further pointed out that new and more ripd restrictions may be neces sary at an early date unless the coal output can be put upon a normal basis soon Meanwhile the coal situation appears to be as uncertain as ever. Government officials are hopeful that the authorized in crease of 14 percent in the .wages of coal miners would bring many back to work within a few days however the men seem still dis posed to hold out. for more mon ey. Attorney General Palmer, in a statement Tuesday called upon the American people to "refuse to be stampeded by threats of lack of coal into concessions which will insure unreasonably high prices in all commodities for at least three years "to come." Governor Roberts of Tennessee announces that he will file pro ceedings against every mine in that State not being operated because of refusal of miners to work, with a view to having re vivers appointed for the proper ties and thus forcing their ope ration The Governor stated fur ther that court action against mining properties may be ex pected at once. . . ' Governors of seven soft coal producing States . in fonference at Chicago this week agreed that MORE MONEY FOR POTATOGROWERS Brock & Scott Start Manufacture of Dependable Barrels for Elizabeth City Section The bulk of the Elizabeth City sec tion's Irish and early sweet potato crop will go to market in stave barrels next summer and the slat barrel which has meant a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the potato growers of this section is doomed. Brock & Scott Produce Co., of this city, one of the largest growers and shippers of potatoes in this section, has gone into the manufacture of stave bar rels and are already turning them ou at the rate of 225 a day. A little later they will increase their output to 800 barrels a day. They expect to have 40, 000 barrels in storage before the demand starts. . The Elizabeth City section uses about 250,000 potato barrels annually. Local barrel manufacturers have supplied this demand with a gum veneer or slat barrel which has given shippers and transpor tation agencies endless,, trouble. These slat barrels have gone to pieces in trans it, have gone to pieces on the wharves at Eliz. City, and, in the many instances go to pieces in the very fields before they can be sent to a wharf or depot. Grow ers have lost thousands of dollars thru the use of this type of barrel. Last season buyers north and east created a near panic in this section by refusing to take potatoes in slat barrels, "When eastern North Carolina potatoes could be sold, they sold a dollar a bar rel under Eastern Shore of Virginia stock"whieh is always packed in the stave barrel. The stave barrels stand up and get to market in good shape. And all the time it was impossible to persuade local manufactures to change their machinery and processes in favor of the bf.rrel that would stand up. - The 'barrel factory of the Brock & Scott Produce Co. is located on the se cond floor of the Aydlett warehouse on North "Water Street. It started opera tions unostentatiously a few days ago and the new barrels are piling up. The staves and heads are manufactured in Washington, N. C. and the factory on Water Street only has to assemble the stock. The stave barrel sells for about five cents more than the slat barrel and shippers say that it will add 50 cents a barrel to the price of every barrel of lotatoes going out of this section next season. ANCIENT TREE GOES V. WITH FEW TO MOURN An old landmark of EUzaOeth City passed away last Monday when city cnii)'oyees cut down a large elm in the yard of the Bradford home on Main street. The street was closed for sev eral hours while wor&men dismembered the big tree, which has seen Elizabeth City grow from a . country crossroads town into a beautful city, the metropolis, of Northeastern Nortn Carolina. With in the past few years it has . observed the vacant lot directly n front become the site of a handsome store and office building, while a little further down the street has been erected one of the finest businss edifices in the eastern part of the State. Directly within the shade of its overhanging branches a small bank has grown within a few years into an in stitution whose resources run into mil lions of dollars. Paved streets now take the place of the hog . wallows of an ear lier day in the thoroughfare before it. Truly, if the old tree could have spoken in its dying moments, it would have said: "AU'is change; nothing endures save the tax collector and the high cost of living." FEET SMELL OF KEROSENE HE LANDS IN CITY COURT Ambrose Riddick, Colored, Must Face . Charge of Arson at Next Term of Superior Court Evidence purporting to show -that he had attempted to burn the barn of J. A. ByrumT near the Old Fair Grounds at this city, landed Ambrose Riddick, a young colored man, in police court here Monday, and resulted in his being bound over on a charge of arson to the next term of Superior Court under bond of 1,000, in default of. wbicb be was placed for safe keeping in the city jail to await the action of the higher court. It appears that J. A. Byrum's stables were destroyed by fire Friday' night; together with a mule and cow that were confined in the building. At about ..11:30 o'clock Sunday night, Byrum's barn was discovered to be-on fire, with a strong odor of kerosene abou the place. The" flameswere put out, and next morning bloodhounds were brought from Wash ington, N. C. and plaeed upon the trail of the supposed incendiary, They are said to hae led the way straight to Riddick's front door, but. a short dis tanefrom the barn, tl is alleged tha Riddik, when found, was under his bed with his clothes on, and Byrum testi; fed that upon smelling of the" negro's f f Tia detected a strone odor of kero- gene. No motive for the alleged crime He Fulfills - ' ' ' q f ' t fix " 1w Mmm unnnwimiinmiMmM " tMaim LORENZO D. CASE AND EVERYTHING THIS then is a Saunders' snapshot photo of Lorenzo D. Case, Secretary of the Elizabeth City Chamber of Commerce; Executive Secretary of the Albemarle Agricultural Association; writer, lecturer, preacher, community builder, rural up lifter, and everything and nothing seems complete without him.. If there is such a thing as an indispensable citizen in Elizabeth City, it is this same Lorenzo Dow Case is one of those few immortals whose love for humanity excludes ai selfish ness. He cares' less about his personal welfare and works harder for,the welfare of humankind than any man this newspaper knows anything about. In him is the scripture more than fulfilled. He actually loves his neighbor better .than he loves himself. ... COL. MEEKINS' PRANK - AROUSED CAMDEN MAN Monkey Rum Advertisement Was a Joke That Might Not Have Been -a Joxe The editor of THE INDEPENDENT came near getting a licking last week, and all on account of the deviltry of Col. Isaac M. Meekins. This newspaper pub lished an article last week dealing with a sale advertised by J. A. Armstrong, of Camden, in which it was hinted that those attending the sale would have an oppor tunity to imbibe,. CamdeivipQunty Monkey Rum. vWhen that article came ouf in this newspaper Mr. Armstrong came over to look for the editor of THE IN DEPENDENT. Fortunately Mr. Saun ders was out of the office every time Mr. Armstrong called. It seems that Mr. Armstrong had nothing to do with the advertising in question. He got Col. "Isaac Meekins to have his bills printed for him and Col. Meekins wrote the advertisement. In a spirit Qf mischief he tacked the Mon key Rum suggestion on to the adver tisement, without Mr. Armstrong's knowledge or consent. Of course this newspaper had no means of knowing that the thing was a joke and cheerfully LiaKes thi.e explanation and apology. This isn't the first prank of the kind ever played by Col. Meekins. On one occasion J. Q. A. Wood got Col. Meek ins to write a mortgage for him on the personal property ot a colored man. Mr. Wood usually takes an all inclusive mortgage. In writing the mortgage Col. Meekins enumerated the Negro's goods and chattels and added, "And all other goods and chattels whatsoever, including one muzzle loading shot gun, one pic ture of Abraham Lincoln and one yel low hound dog." You remember getting a pair of those Sample shoes from us last fall and how good they were? Well we have just re ceived some more in vici kid and Gun Metal; sizes 3, 4 and 4 that we will sell for $2.50 and $3.00 a pair. TWID DY & WHITE- cN28-2t THE EDITOR IS AWAY BY RALPH POOb The boss is out of town this week ; he's gone away to far New York, and while away, we dare to speak without fear that he may squawk. Upon the wicked Great White Way beyond a doubt he would disport, a-jazzing with the lassies gay the chorus girls of wild report". We doubt not that he would dispel the gloom, wherever gloom there be, and that his bulk he would propel into the gayest company. The famous Follies of renown, those graceful beauties sprightly, rare, whose antics bring a troubled frown to pru dish madams everywhere, would surely catch, his roving eyev, and. cause him twinges of regret that he must bid them sad good-bye while fain he'd linger with them" yet. We say, he WOUD be some bad guy while mid the women and the song, but now, forsooth, he dares not try it happens that his wife's along. We who reniaia to rtm the plant, and get the paper out this1, week, have every chance to rave and rant though erst-, while we were ever meek. The man who sets the linotype -spends hours chatting with his. girl ; he seems to think the time is ripe to tell her she's his priceless pearl. The fore man, keeps his private jug of extra-special at his. side, and ere he goes to find a slug, he takes a drink.. full long and wide. The printer's devil and the rest, whose conduct no. one e'er condones, do nothing save with eager zest to roll the too-capricious bones. - We know that when the boss gets back we'll get called down and .maybe canned, but while he's gone we make the shack a place where work is -strictly, banned. : : ' .. , '- - - ' '' ' ; ;,- The Scripture j - MANY TEACHERS FAIL ! TO PASS STATE EXAMS Of the 27,12a school teachers given examinations under the supervision of he State Department of Education since last April, 10,776, or 40.5 ner cent. failed to qualify lor a first grade certificate.' The number of teachers applying for . examination this y-a has been far greater than usuaJ due, it is believed, to the fact that many of the older teachers have given up teaching to enter better .paying lines of work, where in addition the element of worry is muchvlessj and the children of North Carolina seflrwJw- prooaoiy oe ing taught by more young teachers, with little or no experience is the work, than at any time in the past feV years. THE INDEPENDENT Will Issue Special a "HOLIDAY EDITION THE INDEPENDENT will issue special holiday edition this year on Friday Dec. 19. This year's holiday edition will go out in lithographed covers, printed in four colors on a good grade of book paper. The cov er design is one of the prettiest ever used on a weekly newspaper and will be prized by thousands who receive it. Local advertisers should begin now to prepare copy for this spe cial edition, not only as a hid for Christmas trade, but as an advance solicitation of the business that will come to Elizabeth City in 1920. Here is the advertiser's one big, worth while opportunity to send good will and a Christmas greeting into the best homes' in northeastern North Carolina. Remember, this illustrated spec cial holiday edition,, in lithographed covers, goes to press the week of of December 15. Speak for space now and have your copy ready early. TAX RATE IS UP THIS YEAR Just Why the People of This City and County Must Pay Moire This Year When the Tax ; Collector Comes - "Arounitl Why are taxes so high this year? This is the question tha Mr. Average Citizen asks when he goes to the sheriff s of fice to pay ui, aud finds that he is ;i)ied upon for 76 cents per $100 pro perty valuation more than he paid last year. Here is the answer: The county taxes for the present fear are appor tioned -as follows: School and pension tax (State) 47-2-3 cents; general coun ty fund, 19 cents; floating indebtedness of eounty, 10 cents; county road , bonds. to pay interest upon the $500,000 sbond issue for Pasquotank's paved roads, 3& cents; general road tax, for upkeep of roads, 18 cents; district highway bonds. 10 cents; and special county school tax 35 cents, making a grand total, of $1.75- 2-3, as compared with $0.99.2-3 for last year, or, as stated,, an increase of ,7(5 cents. The actual added taxation tins year is distributed fts follows: Total school tax, State and county, 67 cents, as com pared with 25 cents ast year, a net in crease of 42 cents; special county road tax. 36 cents: floating indebtedness of county, 10 cents; district highway, tax 10 cents; total, 98 cents. To partially offset this, there is a reduction of 12 cens in the State tax for general pur poses,and a specal road tax for planned experimentation levied last year in the amount of 10 cents has been taken off this year. These two items, deducted from the total of 98 cents, leave a net increase of 76 cents in the amount of theeounty taxes. L'nder the Tax Revaluation Act passed by the General Assembly of North Car olina last Spring, the tax rate next year will be reduced to a half, or possibly a third, of the amount fixed for this year. However the fair assessment of all property will in most cases propor tionately raise property valuations so that the actual decrease in the amount of the taxes paid will be negligible. The important result of honest property val uation will be that the tax dodgers and low valuation sharks of former years will have tRo bear their just share of the burden of taxation. In any event, Pasquotank county can well afford to. spend more money for better roads and schools. - FUEL ORDER MODIFIED As THE INDEPENDENT was goirfg to press Thursday, word was received here of a modifica tion of . the fuel order which permits stores and offices to open before 9. 9a. m. and remain open later than 4 p. m.. provided they use no heat, light or power gen erated by coal, wood or gas dur ing the additional hours. This permits the use of kerosense lamps and stoves, and any other heating or lighting facilities not using the prohibited fuels named above. TWO BIG TRUCKS FOR DIRT ROADS Pasquotank .Highway Commission Last Gets Nash Quads for Road Work at The two big Nash Quad trucks for use in the upkeep of the county roads of Pasquotank arrived in this city last Sunday, having been driven all the way from Raleigh by Road Superintendent Provo and two helpers. They , were ob tained fronrlhe Federal government thru the State - Highway Commission after much red tape had been gone through with. It is stated that'but one hundred of these trucks were apportioned to North Carolina and Pasquotank county is therefore veryfortunate to secure two of them. . . The trucks now on the job here are two-ton trucks .suitable for road dragg ing -and for hauling of loads that need not be dumped, since they are not pro vided with dump bodies. They cannot be successfully used in road grading or hi hard surface road construction. Pas quotank county receives them with the Understanding that they are only to be used "in the maintenance of dirt roads. The two Nash trucks will copt the county $300 per year, payable in quar terly installments : to the State High way Commission.. YOUNG EYESIGHT - IN OLD AGE You can't grow younger ; but you can enjoy good sight to a ripe old age, if you change your glasses as the advancing years demand. My eyeglass service is based on long experience, modern equipment and progressive me thods In optometry This entitles me to your ser ious consideration, if your eyes -need glasses. ; DR. J. D. HATHAWAY Optometrist : : Bradford Bldg. ' Phone 999X: -Eliz. City, N. C. GR EAT BAPTIST DRIVE HEADED TOWARD SUCCESS Both Elizabeth- City Churches Handsomely O versub- scribe Their Quotas-State May Raise Ten Mil lion Dollars AH Reports Not Yet In. MARRIES PENNA. GIRL JOHN BRADFORD GRIGGS, JR. THIS then is a likeness of Lieut. John Bradford Griggs, Jr. i. S. N. whose marriage to Miss Florence Shoemaker, young society girl of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. took place in New York City on Novem ber 29. Lirut. Griggs is a graduate of the United States Noval Academy, class of 1918, completing his course of study in three years, which is rather an unus ual occurence. His parents, Dr. and Mrs. J. B. Griggs, are members of one of the first families of this section, Dr. Grigg's father being one of the pioneer physicians of the Albemarle section. Lt. and Mrs. Griggs returned to Philadel phia yesterday where he will join the U. S. S. Deleware on which he is at present stationed. . AMERIAN LEGION NOT TO URGE EXTRA'PAY Legion Convention at St. Louis Refuses to Jake Action on Bonus Legis lation Before Congress Early action is expected from this session of Congress upon a matter of great, interest to the soldiers, sailors and marines who served during the world war; namely, upon he giving of an addi tional bonus. At the recent convention of the American Legion held at St. Louis with the conservative element in con trol, the Legion passed resolutions re fusing to ask Congress for an additional bonus, declaring that it would be puttj ing a money value on patriotism. The Legion du not state itself as being oppos ed to the bonu, but' merely as in favor of leaving the proposition entirely to Con gress. Meanwhile another organization, from which all officers are excluded, has sprung into sudden existence with a de termined intention of making a strong appeal for a year's extra pay. This is the Rank and File Veterans Associa ton, with headquarters at Washington. D. C, and its platform stands for one year's extra pay for all who served hon orably, as embodied in the Gronno-Baer bill, now before Congress; lump sum payments of war risk insurance; liberal compensation and fair play for all dis abled men; opposition to universal mil itary training; land and homes for ser vice men, by Government loans; release -of, all military prisoners excepting those guilty under the civil code; free speech and liberty of the press; and return of fines levied by court-martial. Any Congressional action upon the year's extra pay plan will be hotly con tested. Claude Kitchin, former Demo cratic majority leader in the House, and congressman from North Carolina, has stated himself as unequivocally opposed to any sort of legislation giving bonus es to the veterans of the war. Many other Senators and Congressmen are likewise holding the extra bonus plan in disfavor both among the Democrats and the Republicans. One telling argu ment for an additional bonus of at least $180 is in the fact, publrshed in an earlier issue of THE INDEPENDENT, that war workers at Washington, hold ing down bomb-proof jobs at four to six times the pay of .the enlisted men, were allowed a bonus t of $240, -whereas the service men have thus far 'received only $60. ' ELKS' MEMORIAL AT LODGE The annual memorial servie of the Elizabeth City Elks at which the mem bers of he fraternity pay reverent tri bute to their dead Brethren will be held at the lodge room 'at the order -next Sunday ' afetrnoon at three o'clock, in stead of at the Alkrama Treater, as has heretofore been the case. All members are urged to attend. ' EVEN THE COW STRIKE - Monte: "Old man why do yon call your cow United States?" . ' Cristo: "Well, she went dry last sum mer. - - - . . Md The biff Baotist S75 .000.000 ! Drive is going ahead with a rush in this city and throughout the i entire district, reports now avail j able indicating that by the end j of the week considerably more - I than the quota will be raised.. Ac cording to information available Wednesday afternoon, the two ' Baptist ' churches in Elizabeth City had overscribed their quotas, -the First Baptist Church, with a T quota of $27,500 having raised $32 157.75 and Blacklell Memorial, whose quota is $30,000, -having pledged itself to give between $35,000 and $40,000. It is expect- ed that these amounts will -be" much increased by both church es when the final reports are turned in. " Incomplete reports from the ' rural churches are highly encou raging. Last Sunday the mem bers of Salem church, near Weeksvjlle, pledged themselves in the amount of $4,000; Corinth church subscribed $3,000; Olivet church, $300; and Shiloh church, in Camden county subscribed $7 000. The banner record in this part of the State is that , of the , Edenton Baptist churches, which, r with a quota of $14,000, pledged themselves to give $28,000, or just 100 per cent more than they were asked to give. Reports from all parts of North Carolina on the progress of the great Drive are daily encourag ing, and it is confidently believ ed that by the close of the eight day -campaign at midnight next -Sunday the State ' quota of six million dollars will be overscribed -by something like four million dollars. Mnay city and rural churches in various sections have already given from 10 to 100 per cent more than their quotas, and these are still going strong in practically every case. Wilmington Association is safely over the mark set, with many churches not yet heard from. The Buncombe Association, with a . quota of $20tf,000, refports that amount subscribed by half the churches. Meckienburg-Cabar-rus, asked to give $250,000, al- ready" has pledged in the amount of $292,000, with every church making its full alotment. Others districts are doing as well. - There was never any real doubt from the beginning of the Big Drive as to wha't the Baptist con gregations of this city and section would do with big, live congre gations full of zeal and pep work ing as one inspired individual to accomplish the maximum results possible a successful consum mation of the drive was a verit able ceitainty., The big oversub scriptions afi-eaby .reported from many churches afford a splendid indication of the excellent final results to be expected by the close of the campaign. ONE ELIZABETH CITY MAN IN THE HOBOES' CONVENTION- , The picture of a former resident , of Elizabeth City appears in a group photo of delegates to the Hoboes Convention held in Baltimore last week, appearing in the Baltimore American of Not. 28. The delegate from Elizabeth City is Win slow Quidley. This newspaper does n't know Mr. Quidley, but he probably ig known to others here. Baltimore pa pers gavexonsideration publicity to tbe ' Hoboes onventiont Delegates came from every part of the country, representing migratory workers in every branch, of industry. . - - 1 V TEACHERS MEETING DEC. I3TH - The second meeting of the Pasquo-, tank County white teachers will be held at the office of Superintendent M. P. Jennings on Saturday, December 13th, Chapters VI and VIII of Davis' "The Work of The Teacher'' wll be taken tip, and it is hoped that all teachers wfll be nt the office of the superintendent ' on the second floor of the Kramer buil ding promptly at 10:30 A. M. All tea chers are .requested to bring copies of the book with them, if possible. . C ' ; (Concluded on Page 12) has been brought out. v