PP Hertford County Herald
A PAPER WORTH WHILE
Volume XIV. Eight Pages Ahoskie, North Carolina, Friday, July 20, 1923 One Section No. 12
RAILROAD PROGRAM
FOR THREE COUNTY
TERRITORY STARTED
i
Promoters of Reorganized and
Extended Wellington Sc
Powellsville Road Meet
Wi th Community Citizens
COLERA1N AND AHOSK1E
APPROVE GENERAL PLAN
Detailed Information Will Be
Supplied After Sounding
Out Public Sentiment
Financial backing and an un
divided favorable sentiment
among the people of Hertford,
Bertie, and Northampton coun
ties are two necessary elements
to propogate a railroad
through the Roanoke-Chowan
territory, a project that is now
in its incipient stage. To bring
the railroad here, these things
must be combined with the ef
forts of promoters, financial
backers, and a re-organization
- of the Wellington & Powells
ville Railroad.
Following a mass meeting of
Windsor business persons and
the appointment of a working
committee to investigate the
feasibility of whatever pro
gram of organization and con
struction is promulgated by the
prime movers in the scheme to
widen and extend the railroad,
Messrs. Harry B. Spear, Nor
folk consulting engineer, H. B.
Calwell, Norfolk banker and
representative of bonding com
paines, and Judge Francis D.
Winston, of Windsor, met in
Afroskie last Friday morning
with the directors and other
members of the Chamber of
Commerce, to discuss the pro
posed railroad.
Judge Winston briefly outlined the
Riarfof extension, and told of the
meeting in his town, while he also
stressed the dependency of his town
and community upon the continuance
of present service which is seriously
| threatened on account of the financial
status of the Wellington & Powells
ville Railroad. His people, he believ
ed, would enter heartily into the plan
to widen and extend the present rail
road; and Windsor was expecting to
go the limit in fqptering the move
ment.
Messrs. Spear and Calwell e*
i . plained the suggested and contem
plated development of the new road.
The plan is briefly, to make the Ahos
kie-Windsor branch a standard gaug
ed road, extend it from Windsor to
the Roanoke river to connect with
light draft boats serving the large
river farms, construction of a branch
line from Powellsville to Colerain;
and, also to extend the service be
yond Ahoekie to Pendleton, via Mur
freesboro, connecting with Seaboard
Air Line Railroad at Pendleton.
This, they explained, would be ac
complished by a reorganization of the
present railroad company, township
bond issues by the communities bene
fitted, and the securing of larger
amounts of money from bonding com
panies, all of which was to be put
into the construction of the new road,
and the purchase of.rolling stock. The
exact plan of organization was not
presented, the purpose of the promo
ters being to feel out sentiment and
ask for a friendly co-operation until
more definite plans were presented.
The Chamber of Commerce voted
unanimously to lend its moral sup
port to the project, and gave its ap
proval of the plan to construct the
road, reserving the right to consider
any further plans without committing
itself to approval before considera
tion. f.
Friday afternoon, Messrs. Spear,
Calwell and Judge Winston met with
the Colerain citizens, presenting a
proposal similar to the one at Ahoe
kie. Mr. D. R. Brltton presiding over
the meeting, upon a unanimous mo
tion, appointed a committee of seven
persons to work with the Windsor
committee and the Ahoslde Chamber
of Commerce in furthering the plans
for rdad construction. The Colerain
?* (Continued on page 8)
TWO TOWNS CONTRACT
TO PURCHASE CURRENT
Norfolk Contractors Will Do
The Work For Both Con
tr&cting Muncipalities
Ahoskie has broken the ice in
its program of electric power
development. Within the last
few days, Winton and Powells
ville have signed contracts with
the town council of Ahoskie
whereby the latter will furnish
electric current for the two ad
joining municipalities.
The closing of these con
tracts,and assurance that trans
mission lines will soon be erect
ed and the service turned on
marks the beginning of a net
work of electric transmission
lines that Ahoskie is expecting
and hoping to see built from the
plant here to surrounding
towns and communities. The
ice has broken already in some
of the other towns, including
Colerain, Murfreesboro, and
Aulander, and probably upon
the success of the plan in the
first two towns that have blaz
ed the way depends the action
of other towns and communi
ties.
Banks & Burke, contracting en
gineers of Norfolk, Va., who have
negotiated the deals between Ahos
kie and the two contracting towns,
have secured contracts with both
Powellsville and Winton to erect the
transmission lines. Since early last
fall, during the administration of the
former Ahoskie council, a contract
was made with the Norfolk engineers,
giving them exclusive rights to sell
surplus current generated by the
Ahoskie light plant, in accordance
with a contract drawn between
themselves,and the town of Ahoskie.
For several months field workers,
and members of the firm at Norfolk
have been conferring with the offi
cials of the adjoining towns looking to
the consumation of a contract. They
have worked hard and consistently to
cause mutually agreeable contracts to
be entered into by both seller and
buyers. They have held to the posi
tion all during their negotiations that
once the initial contract is made and
the service started, but little time will
elapse before other towns will com
plete the circle.
Both contracts extend for a per
iod of ten years, at a fixed rate for
the first two years, and for the next
eight years a rate 1 cent per kilowatt
higher, provided Ahoskie is operating
its service at a loss. Both sides are
amply protected by terms of the con
tract, and all clauses are hedged
about by every possible legal safe
guard.
Winton and Powellsville will own
and have complete control over
transmission lines, up to the meters at
the Ahoskie Water and Power Plant.
Monthly statements will be rendered
to each town from the meter read
ings at the light plant in Ahoskie.
The town of Winton had been
without lights for three weeks until
a day or two ago, on account of the
burning out of the generator of their
local plant which is of the oil type.
The Ahoskie council has granted Win
ton the right to use its small genera
tor until the transmission lines are
ready for current, in order to pro
vide service during construction.
Messrs. Banks & Burke will
start work on erection of lines a*
once. Powellsville is waiting for a
formal agreement from the Welling
ton A Powellsville Railroad Company
to use their property as a right-of-way
to the plant here before giving the
word "go". A verbal promise had
already been given by Mr. A, T. Bak
or, of the railroad company.
MOVIES THIS FALL
According .to Mr. Eric Garrett,
proprietor of the Richard Theater,
new moving picture machines will be
installed within a few weeks, and
pictures will be shown regularly at
his theater here beginning about
September 1. Mr. Garrett has just
returned from a trip to Atlantic City,
where he went soon after the fire de
stroyed his equipment here.
Have you decided on a vacation for
this summer? If not decied now and
attend the Farmers' and Farm Wom
en's Convention at the State College,
July 81 and August 1 and 2. Your
neighbor will be the^e.
COUNTY BOARDS IN
CONTROVERSY OVER
THE SCHOOL BUDGET
Joint Meeting Will Be Held
Next Monday To Attempt
Amicable Settlement Over
The 1923-24 Budget
COMMISSIONERS LEVY
AN INSUFFICIENT TAX
Unless Agreement Is Reached,
Superior Court Judge Will
Give Final Decision
While the county board of
education is for from adopting
the policy of "Peace At Any
Price," it unanimously voted
last Monday to request a joint
session with commissioners,
Monday, July 23, for the pur
pose of making the last attempt
at amicable settlement of the
school budget for 1923-24.
Chairman J. H. Mitchell and
each individual member of his
board has been mailed a notice,
calling them into joint meeting
on that date, to begin at half
past ten o'clock in the morning.
Failure to reach agreement
in joint session, the board of ed
ucation will ask D. R. McGlo
hon, clerk of superior court, to
settle the differences; and,
either side appealing from his
decision, will then let the judge
of superior court be the arbiter.
That is the provision of the new
school law. Should this pro
cess have to be gone through;
Judge Jno. H. Kerr will say
who is right, and what is the
correct amount to be raised for
the 1923-24 school budget in
Hertford County. Unless the
machinery is working faultless
ly, there may be some delay in
final settlement, that is, pro
vided the dispute is carried to
court.
This action of the board of educa
tion came as a result of the commis
sioners' refusal to even consider the
1923-24 budget at a special meeting
held last Friday, for the levying of
county and local taxes for 1923.
Without making any further study of
tha budget, the commissioners voted
a 52 cents levy for schools, the same
rate fixed last year. They neither
approved nor rejected the budget,
and thereby failed to comply with the
school law.
However, the school law does say
that the budget shall be presumed to
be approved by the board of county
commissioners unless it is rejected
formally and in open session within
thirty days after it is duly presented
to the board by the county superin
tendent. The commissioners have
procrastinated until it is presumably
too late for them to reject, as at least
forty days elapsed between the time
the budget was presented and the
meeting last Friday, when the budget
was indirectly rejected by the action
of the commissioners refusing to
make sufficient levy to raise amount
stipulated to carry on the county
schools for the term.
It was Friday, The Thirteenth, un
lucky for schools, and probably un
. lucky for the commissioners when
they discover the law to have barred
them from doing other than approv
ing and levying-sufficient tax to take
care of it. Jno. E. Vann and B. G.
Willams wese the only two members
of the board of education present last
Monday, but tljey were both positive
in standing squaVely behind the bud
get as already presented, and accept
ed the commissioners' refusal to even
consider the budget as an affront and
more or lees personal thrust at the
county school administration.
Next Monday's meeting is called as
provided by the school law. There
was a joint meeting held irt the court
house last May 28, at which time the
budget was examined item by item
and, according to the minutes of that
meeting as recorded by Superintend
ent of Education, N. W. Britton,
there was unanimous agreement upon
all items of the budget. Some of the
commissioners disagree as to result
of that meeting, saying the board did
not give its approval.
] The new school law was carefully
' read, section by section, when the
COURT DECISION FAVORS
PEANUT GROWERS' SIDE
Judge Groner Holds That As
sociation Is Not A Monoply
In Restraint Of Trade
Federal Judge Groner has
removed the last obstacle in the way
of the continuance of the suit being
brought by the Peanut Grower's As
sociation against twenty-odd mem
bers of the Natibnal Cleaners and
Shellers Association, when he handed
down a decision denying the objection
of the defendants that the plaintiff
constitutes a monoply in restraint of
trade, and as such is not entitled to
standing in court.
J.udge Groner earlier in the week
had issued an order compelling the
defendants to produce their papers
and records in court on the day of
the trial, which is set for September
17. The Growers are suing for
$3,625,000 damages claimed to have
been suffered through alleged opera
tions of the defendants.
In addition to the eight suits set
for trial in the Nansemond Circuit
Court on July 30, there are ten simi
lar suits to be set on July 16 for trial
in Southampton County Circuit
Court It is expected that these cases
wil be set for hearing July 25. These
cases are for violation of the market
ing agreement contract entered into
by over 5,000 grower members of the
Association and in Southampton
County includes the following mem
bers: J. H. Stephenson, J. H. Hedge
peth, S. S. Bishop and W. T. Bowles,
of Newsoms, Va.; P. D. Crumpler,
Handsoms, Va.; J. Everett Johnson,
Boykins, Va.; A. W. Turner, and H.
G. and R. C. Council, Franklin, Va.;
J. L. Cobb, and- S. N. Cobb of Court
land, Va.
These suits are brought on the
identical contract on which the Su
preme Court of North Carolina re
cently handed down a decision up
holding the contract and declaring
the law under which the Peanut
Growers' Association was operating,
constitutional in North Carolina.
From the attorneys of the Peanut
Growers' Association it was learned
! that on Thursday of this week de
positions were taken in Norfolk by
the plaintiff in a suit against John P.
Fox, of Southampton Cbunty. K. H.
Mann wrs the attorney of record, to
gether with E. R. F. Wells, of Nor
folk, and James Corbitt, of Suffolk.
The plaintiff was represented by F. D.
Sflnford, of the firm of Aaron
Sapiro, Nathienal Green,, of Norfolk,
E. Frank Story, of Courtland, and
Charles E. Peters, of Norfolk, who is
employed by the Peanut Association
as attorney in all of its actions. The
depositions for the plaintiff were not
taken for the taking of depositions
by the defendant.
Arrangements have been made by
the attorn ys of the association for
the taking of depositions in the case
of the a sociation vs. Thomas H.
Birdsong, of Suffolk, and others.
These depositions wil be taken for
the plaintiff in Norfolk, July 26 and
27. The Birdsong interests will be
represente d by James Corbett, of Suf
folk, and E. R. F. Wells, of Norfolk.
The Peanut Association will be rep
sesented by the firm of Aaron Sapiro
of New York, and James G. Martin
and Brother, of Norfolk. No date
has been set for the taking of depo
sitions in this case for the defendants.
?Virginian-Pilot.
IN SUFFOLK THIS WEEK
Mr. H. 3. Basnlght is spending this
week in Suffolk, Va., looking after
his storage warehouse there, in the
absence of Mr. Pembroke Baker who
is employed by him. Mr. Baker and
his friend, Mr. Jno. O. Askew, Jr., of
HarrellrviHe, are spending their sum
mer vacation at Atlantic City, New
Jersey.
education board met Monday, and the
joint session was agreed upon as be
ing the only lawful way to reach a
final agreement, either amicably or
through the courts.
As it now stands, all levies for
county and local purposes have been
made by the commissioners, and the
total county levy is ten cents per
hundred dollars higher than it was
last year. This Item will be credited
to the road fund, as a sinking fund
for payment of the half million dol
lars bond issue.
The rates for 1023 as as follows:
Per Hundred
For Schools_ i_ 11 62 cents.
For Roads.. >.? 35 cents.
For County Administration. 16 cents.
The rate for county administration
Is the maximum allowed by State
statute.'
ANNUAL, MEETING OF
WOMEN AT WOODLAND
Twenty-Ninth Seuion Of West
Chowan Missionary Socie
ties Meet July 25
The following program has been
arranged for the annual meeting of
the twenty-ninth annual session of
the Woman's Missionary Union of
the West Chowan Association. The
meeting will convene with the Wood
land' Baptist Church.
Morning Session, 10 O'Clock
Hymn
Devotional service--.,. Mrs. G. N.
Martin, Ashley Grove.
Address of welcome Mrs. L. C.
Copeland, Woodland.
Response Mrs. W. A. Baker,
Ahoskie.
Business
Reports of officers
Solo Miss Claude Stephenson,
Severn.
Addre3s_.Mrs. W. N. Jones, Raleigh
"Our W. M. U. Training School"..
Miss Ella Pierce, Ahoskie.
"The Need of the Y. W. A." Miss
Sue Brett, Winton.
Announcements
Adjournment
Aftornoon Seuion, 2 O'clock
Hymn
Devotional service.-Mrs. O. C. Hog
gard, Ahoskie.
Minutes
"Chowan College" Miss Eunice
McDowell, Chowan College.
Address Miss Pearl Johnson,
China.
Duet Mrs. C. J. Vaughan and
Mrs. J. E. Griffin, Woodland.
"Holding Interest in the Junior Or
ganizations" Mrs. C. L. Henry,
Colerain.
Report of Committees
Minutes
Adjournment
Evening Seuion, 8:IS O'Clock
Rev. Duncan, Presiding
Hymn
Devotional Service..Miss Pearl John
son, China.
Solo Mrs. I. T. Blanchard,
Woodland.
Sermon Dr. R. Kelly, White,
Alabama.
Benediction
ATTEND QUARTERLY MEETING
The following from Ahoskie attend
ed the Methodist Quarterly meeting
at Harrellsville Wednesday; Messrs.
W. R. Johnson, V. D. Strickland,
Dr. P. H. Mitchell, Dr. L. K. Walker,
and Mr. S. J. Boyette; Mesdames H.
S. Basnight, P. H. Mitchell, W. W.
Lawrence, S. J. Boyette, C. H. Mit
chell, Raleigh Baker, J. H. Robertson,
and Misses Earle Lawrence, Louise
Basnight and Nely Baker.
County agents employed by the
State College and Department of Ag
riculture are holding their annual
summer conferences during July.
Croup meetings are being held at
Monroe, Beaufort and Newlands.
Masonic Picnic Will Be
Staged Thursday, 26 th
BRseball Games, Speaking By Dr. H. M. Poteat, Bathing, Boat
ing, and Beach Amusements Will Combine To Make It
Largest Day In The Annals Of Masonry Of This Terri
tory. Proceeds, As Usual, Will Be Turned Over
To Oxford Orphanage
All hands are at work and all faces are set for the big
Masonic Day at Chowan Pleasure Beach, next Thursday, July
26. Upon that occasion, Masons and their families scattered
throughout five counties, and hundreds of others from a dis
tance, will gather on the banks of the Chowan for their annual
July picnic. The "Masonic Picnic" is known far and wide as
the biggest day of the year for thousands of persons In Hertford,
Bertie, Northampton, Gates, Chowan, Martin, and Perquimans
counties.
For year, the Masonic Picnic was held at Stoney Creek. In
more recent years, the Masons and their picnic friends and co
horts have selected the Colerain beach as the most popular
meeting place, and have adopted it as the annual camping
grounds. The popularity of the beach, and the growing import
ance of it, together with the recent additions made to its physi
cal equipment, will entice a crowd this year that will eclipse any
public gathering in the Roanoke-Chowan territory held within
recent years.
So many elements enter into the popularity of the Big Day
that every person within traveling distance sees in it some one
particular enticing feature. The one big and popular appeal
exists by reason of the fact that the proceeds from all conces
sion sales, dinner sales, baseball games and all other funds de
rived from whatsoever source are turned over in aggregate to
the Masonic Orphanage at Oxford. It all goes to aid the home
less.
This year, the Masons in the five
participating counties expect to turn
over for the use of Oxford Orphanage
a sum larger than any previous year.
Besides selling every conceivable ap
petite and thirst satisfier 20% of the
total sum taken in during the day by
the Chowan-Colerain Ferry Com
pany wil be turned into the treasury
for the orphanage fund. Many trav
elers will use the ferry on that day,
coming from the counties beyond the
Chowan river. And, the ferry com
pany has already made extra nrepara
! ticns to handle the large crowd.
Then, there is the one big appeal
ing attraction to young and old
alike?Baseball. At least, one game
between Edenton and possibly Wel
don will be played during the day, and
Hubert Askew, of Colerain, in charge
of this feature, is confident he will
be able to stage a doi.'de-header.
The baseball games are already put
down as the major attraction of the
day, and all corners of '.'lis section
will belch forth its hordes of persona
who will watch two of eastern Caro
lina's best amateur baseball teams
battle for supremacy.
Baseball, however, is not the only
attraction. There will be bathing a
plenty; boating will be available, and
beach amusements of varied kinds
will provide entertainment for all who
are looking for it.
Picnic crowds often shun anything
pertaining to speechifying and public
orating for the lighter and more
amusing features of the day. How
ever, the announcement that Dr. Hu
bert McNeill Potest, Grand Master of
North Carolina Masons, will speak
during the day precludes the probab
ility of few hearers. Doctor Potest,
besides being an able member of the
Wake Forest College faculty, a musi
cian of unusual ability, and the high
est officer in Masonry within the state,
is something of a public speaker. He
has the happy faculty of fitting into
any and all occasions and he is known
to be particularly strong for just such
occasions as will be pulled off in Cole
rain next week.
Ahoskie and Colerain Masonic
Lodges are looking out for all pre
liminary arrangements, and nothing is
being overlooked in the efforts to
make July 26th the red letter day in
Masonic annals.
MUCH BUILDING HERE
The new freight station addition
will soon be ready for occupancy,
foundation work has been completed
on the brick bungalow of D. P. Boy
ette's, material is on the ground for
the P. M. Joyner residence, and the
home of J. E. Parker is about half
completed. Work will also begin on
the new frame building for the high
school within a few days. These
are some of the building projects un
der way here, and still others are
soon to start.
Fanners of Davie County secured
|30 more for a carload of their wood
by handling it cooperatively in a pool
than they were offered locally, re
ports George Evans. County Agent