Pilot Covers Zt*? County THE STATE PORT PILOT NO. ^SIXTEEN NO. 49 A Good Newspaper In A Good Community 6-PAGES TODAY ~ Most of The News All The Time Southport,v N. G., Wednesday, March 19th, 1947 51.50 PER YEA* PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY Lrict Legion Meeting Is Held (jere On Friday ?,l County Post No. American Legion Was J. To Other Posts Of [J District At Dinner leeting ( TALLOW AY IS Jven 'endorsement Went On Record Jng His Election As ale Department Lorn sander At June Convention .-k County Post No. aerican Legion, was host evening to legionnaires of L Lesrion District at a din '.L.j held at the Com . Center building and at J ,v representatives of eight P absence of District Com , joe Mann, of Whiteville, )[ irott. of Southport. dis -ce-comnnander, presided, porthy among the impor jjiness of the session was sa:semer.t by the meeting k Galloway, vice-command |4e State Department, for ^ 0f state Commander at &:e Convention to be held # at Carolina Beach. 1 motion to have the meet 5 on record as endorsing piiacy was made by Com i: Louis F. Parker, of the IfjivA-n Post. Seconds were ?v Commander Harry Min f the Shallotte Post, and 1 B. Frink, Southport at 1 The motion was carried Kosly and members pre lomiseci their enthusiastic it of Ray Galloway. Icmmanders of the various iif the district were called ik a report of membership, j sort pep-talk was given a ratter of striving for raar.fcers during the "Dusk lr. membership drive now jess. br'F-ar.k Howard was call irstrodi.es ISLy Gal It; made the principal Is.: the meeting. Among ! ppriate remarks which ? '.vas one stressing the lir having the American ? antinue as a mighty or t" which will fight to ^last for principals and i which it believes to be ffc I ?rmk made a motion to >'i; meeting go on record R 'jat the proposed Vete I Hospital be located some ? -the 7th Legion District. Brief Newt Flashes is MUTHER *?- Rappleyea. prominent Orleans business man, visit ? rather here Sunday. t TO DURHAM 1 E. Bell and son and left Saturday for Dur 1 "here they expect to make for some time owing ? ill health of Mrs. Bel!. Mr. continue the operation ' torbershop here. I.KT TWO STILLS Sheriffs Pawnee Formy *Daught Tripp and Mar rai.led and captured copper stills in Wac- 1 ? township the past week. amount of mash was 1 '"'I destroyed along with ?fits. "SEs ITs WORK ?tog its work on the bar ff-dav afternoon, the big U- 1 gineers dredge, Hoffman, '?'?ay morning for work on ' pwhtad City Bar. Captain "? Swair. and about 25 or 30 J"5 of the crew are Bruns ?"oty men. ' ? BK. TRAWLER ?*'" Mcrritt Moore is hav ' rMr.i| new shrimp trawler Pf-*' in Florida. It will l, "1' three months to con f I** craft and ari addition *'r. lo rig it. Captain Moore j. *'U have it here and ?'* Arunpuig in July. SviN station BURNS bLl''ln? station known as jr? a"(i located on Route L ? Beil Swamp was de i? ' ?y fire last week. It hy Wendell Sellers L s ly They are under L,'^ lost most of their Cr? goods The place P '"longed to Mr. and P finch. Impressive Dedication Of St. Phillips Organ Presentation Made By John G. Bragaw, Uncle Of Captain Churchill Bragaw, In Whose Memory It Was Given On the evening of February 9th, in St. Phillips' church, Southport, an organ given by the Women's Auxil iary of the parish as a memorial to the late Captain Henry Churchill Bragaw was dedicated in a brief and impressive service conducted by the Rector, the Rev. Richard L. Sturgis. Mrs. Frank M. Niernsie is. President of the Auxiliary, and Mrs. J. D. Smith is the organist. The organ was presented on behalf of the Woman's Auxiliary by John G. Bragaw of Washing ton, an uncle of Captain Bragaw, in the following words: "If you should go to Ohio Wesley an University on a certain day in any year, and attend there the ceremony of a certain fra ternity upon that day, at a cer tain period in the service two members of the fraternity will bring in, reverently, a sixteen foot plank ? just an ordinary plank, weather beaten, paint stained. It is Billy's Plank, and then one will stand and tell the heroic story of that plank. "He will tell you that in 1903 Billy McLaughlin, a student of that college, went to Chicago to spend the Christmas holidays with his uncle, Dr. Frank Gunsaulus, an eminent minister of that day. On the afternoon of the 30th of December. Billy knocked at the study door and his Uncle Frank bade him enter. "What are you doing. Uncle Frank? the lad asked. And Uncle Frank said, I am writing my sermon for next Sunday, Billy. "What is your text? "From the Gospel of John, Billy? 'To this end was X born, and for this cause came I into the World. "And Billy said, with the levity (Continued on page 2) Headquarters For Lay-Up Basin Move To Brunswick * Quarterboat Moored Near Brunswick Bridge Will Serve As Headquarters For Officials Of Ship B*s;" ^ DREDGE COMPLETES TASK OF DIGGING About 700 Men Expected To Be Employed At Basin When All Ships Ar ~rive; Many Of Them Local A large number of the emplo yees of the Maritime Commission, until recently stationed at the North Carolina Shipyard, have ] been moved to the Brunswick ! River Lay-In-Basin. It is under-! stood that all except a handful of the workers at the shipyard | will soon be over at the basin yard. It was recently stated that' about 700 men would be employ- i ed there when the task of looking) after the surplus ships reaches : its peak. Information this week is that ships being brought into the basin j hereafter will all be moved to the [ upper end, near the bridge and j into the closest possible proximi ty to the yard, a couple of hundr- j ed yards below the gridge. The [ office and administration quart- j ers will be at the yards and a quarter boat was brought in last week to serve as the headquart ers. The administration of the basin work will be under Captain A. G. Ford, of the Maritime Commissi- 1 on. With his family Captain Ford has been residing in Brunswick nearly a year. He stated to this J newspaper some time ago that iContinued on -Page Four) Judge Thompson Killed Sunday Elizabeth City Jurist Was Scheduled to Preside Over March Term Of Superior Court In Brunswick Coun I ,y ELIZABETH CITY. March 16 | ? Superior Court Judge Everett Thompson was murdered tonight by a shotgun flast fired through the window of his living room shortly after 9 o'clock by George E. Pritchard, lawyer, who fatally injured himself on the porch of I Judge Thompson's home after the J slaying. Reports of the slaying reached local police at 9:19 and Pritchard 'died in Albemarle Hospital at 9:40. j Judge Thompson, who was re laxed in an easy chair reading j today's issue of The News and Observer, was killed instantly from the blast from the auto matic shotgun. The top of his - A\ Baseball Fans Asked To Meet A public meeting will be held tomorrow (Thursday) night at the City Hall at which time plans will be perfected for having a Southport team entered in the Eastern State League tith> summer. Robert Johnson and William Stevens represented Southport at a meeting held in Wilming ton last week, and the session here tomorrow night is for the purpose of lining up local sup port for the venture. It is re|>orted that the league this year will be a nix-team af fair, with other entries being Wallace, Elizabethtown, Bladen boro, Mason bo ro and White vllle. It is stressed that tomorrow's meeting is not to be limited to prospective players, but an In vitation is extended all interest ed in seeing Southport have a baseball team this summer. Increase Made In Juror Pay Members Of Board Of Com missioners Make Provis ion For Increase At Re gular Mid-Monthly Meet ing Monday An increase in the daily pay for service on a Brunswick county jury was authorized through act ion of the board of county com missioners at their regular mid monthly meeting here Monday. The old scale of $2.00 N and $3.00 per day has been raised to $3.00 and $4.00. The higher rate is paid where a man is given a summons to appear at a court session for jury duty. The lower rate is in I order when a man is contacted by a court order for special jury duty after court is in session. | The commissioners passed an order that no telephone bills for the sheriff nor his deputies will be paid for by the county except the phone in the office of the sheriff at Me courthouse; and only long distance calls made by the sheriff or his dupities on busi ness. | O. P. Bellamy, former mem ber of the board of county com missioners, was reappointed to the Brunswick County Welfare Board. The commissioners declared that they could discover no just ification for an adjustment in the {amount of taxes due on the I James Holmes estate. The Hind grant of Mattie Al len was ordered increased from $11.00 monthly to $13.00; and for James McMillan from $20.00 (Continued on page 4) Leland Youth Enlists In Army Eleven applicants, including three Army and two Navy veter ans, were accepted for enlistment in the Regular Army by the Wil mington Army Recruiting Stat ion during the week ending Mar ch 8, it was announced this week by Lt. Charles J. Markus, com manding officer. One applicant, David S. Hayes, of Leland, was accepted from the Brunswick County Area during the above period. He entered the Army for a period of 18 months, unassigned. The U. S. Army Recruiting Station is located in Room 205 Post Office Building, Wilmington, A recruiting Sgt. also visits Southport every 2nd and 4th Sat urday of each month, his head quarters being in the post office. Paper Company : To Co-operate In Fire Plan International Paper Com pany Reported To Be Planning Establishment Of Supplementary Gropp WILL COOPERATE WITH STATE SERVICE I Organization Would Assist County Forest Warden And His Forces In Every Possible Way With Work Brunswick county forestry of- 1 ficials and timber owners who are 1 interested in better protection of their lands from forest fires are very much interested in the fact that the International Paper Co., owners of large areas of woodland in Brunswick, is considering set ting up fire control headquarters of their own in Brunswick county in the very near future. While the company plans a fire control headquarters of its own, with men, tractor, tractor plows, road machines, etc., this does not mean that they will work inde pendently otv the county and stSte fire prevention organization. On the contrary, according to Lin B. Zulick, district supervisor for the company lands in Brunswick, Columbus and Horry counties, the paper company's fire control headquarters will act in close co operation with the state and coun ty system. They will assist the county and state organixation in combatting fires at all time of I need. I Mr. Zulick says that in additi on to the equipment, a foreman and some ten men will be employ ed the year-round. Their machin ery will be similar to that of the county and State, but larger and more mobile, since it will be call ed upon to go to all points in the county and to points outside the county when serious fire situat ions arise. He says that the unit will involve a large expenditure of money on the part of the comp any. A graduate of the school of forestry at the Univeristy of Cali fornia 1940, Mr. Zulick entered the Navy Reserves, serving with the rank of Lieutenant until January, 1946. Recently appoint ed district supervisor for the -In ternational Paper Company, he is residing at 2733 A Jefferson St., (Continued ?n Page Four) Bill Introduced To Ask Funds For Surveying A Thorough Survey Of Shrimping Grounds Off Southport Would Be Au thorized Through Pas sage Of Legislation BILL INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MINTZ Work Would Be Under Di rection Of Commission ; Would Benefit AH Fishermen i Senate Bill 310. introduced | Monday by Senator R. I. Mintz, (Would create a commission to survey certain shrimping grounds near the mouth of the Cape Fear river and south of Frying Pan Shoals. The measure would ap propriate the sum of $50,000 to (carry on the work of the com ; mission. I Although only shrimping is mentioned in this bill, it will re ceive the wholehearted support of both shrimpers and commerci al fishermen, and all who are in terested in the welfare of such ^orkrfrs. Calculated to search for and charter offshore grounds i where the shrimp trawlers may operate, it will in the course of such work find many bottoms where food fish may also be found. Place suitable for the taking of shrimp and food fish and grounds unsuitable for such work will be revealed by the survey. Sport fishermen will also come in for benefit in that grounds unsuita ble for trawling usually are rat ed as the best for sport fishing Told of the bill yesterday and asked regarding his opinion of its benefits, Lewis J. Hardee who went to Louisiana and spent several years in the successful production of shrimp and seafood after a similar survey had been ( Continued on Page 4) Plan Two Plays Sunday Evening New nrioan Baptist Chu?-ch Will Be Scene Of Two J Dg,?w. P.lays Sponsor ed By Missionary Society The New Baptist church Wo man's Missionary Society at Free land, is staging two plays at the | church Sunday night of this week at 7:30 o'clock. The plays are "Children of Lydia", with the following persons taking part Lois Babscn, AdaNeal Cox, Elbert Cox, Bessie Lou Coleman, Walter Cox, Edna Fae Simmons, and Teddy Simmons. The above play will be followed by the giving of "How Home Mis sions Came to Helen", with the following persons participating: Janice Inman, Smithie King, Otelia King. Ada Lee Inman, Myrtle King, Ethel I. Babson, Laura Simmons, Ramon Babson,' Rongwald Ross, Hazel Simmons, Betty Joyce King, Jaunita Inman, Katie Smith and Marie Inman. I Mrs. Lura Simmons, recreation al director, is directing these plays. The public is cordially invited Our ROVING Reporter W. B. IEZLAH A lot of Brunswick county Boys who are away from home would be made very happy if their mothers or other relatives did like Mrs. Jas. I. Milliken, ol Longwood. Her son, Otis Aaror Milliken, F 2 c; is on the U. S. S. Safeguard, in Alaska. Last week !he wrote her a nice long letter and one of the nice things he said was: "I received the pack age today with the book and magazines you sent me. The State Port Pilot was the thing I ap preciated most of all. It was sc nice to read about folks and things that was happening back home. Say. Mom, could you send me The Pilot each week? I'd sure enjoy it very much." "Please," said his mother, when sending us the subscription for Otis, "start the paper going to him just as quick as possible. I am sorry 1 never thought of doing this be fore." A lot of the good folks ol i Brunswick county just would not miss getting this paper for any thing. The knowledge that folks get some pleasure and comfort |as a result of the work he is j doing goes far to make the task i of a newspaper man easier and | more pleasant. We stopped at Mrs. McKinley Hewett's at Shal jlotte Saturday and found that jMrs. Hewett had the renewal of Mrs. Olivia Russ waiting for us jto make our call. Pinned to the ; bills was a note from Mrs. Russ, 'saying she was 75 years old and that the weekly visit of the j paper brought her a great deal 'of pleasure. J Bob Garland of Cleveland, lOhia, tops in the free lance 'photography business and anxious to get some pictures of this sec tion and New Hanover county for | the Ladies Home Journal and j other magazines, played into hard jluck last week. His time, out (Continued on Page Five) Consolation Winners ... CAGERS ? Above are members of the Shallotte high school basketball squad, winners of the consolation con test in this year's Brunswick County Tournament. Seated, left to right, Cheers, Robinson, Frink, Stanley, Hewett, Sellers. Second row : Darius Stanaland, Gore, Milliken, Davey Stanaland, Tompkins and Coach Blankenship. Working On Approaches To Bridges In This County Local Lions To See State Movie "Meet North Carolina," the sound color travelog*? deplet ing 800 scene* of North Caro lina, will be shown at a special dinner meeting of the South port Lions Club at the Com munity Building this evening. Produced by the Standard Oil company of New Jersey, the North Carolina division of the company is making the film available to the local group. The regular time for the Lions to meet is Uiursday at noon, but in order to be able to obtain this fine feature for this week's program, the meet ing time was changed to Wed nesday evening. Members are inviting their wives and other special guests for this meeting. Three Men Die Of Gas Fumes Three White Men Asphxiat ed Saturday Morning When Fumes From Gaso line Motor Filled Cabin Of Boat The unusual circumstance of the 40-foot cabin cruiser, Rose land II, nosing its way to the banks of the inland waterway at Calabash, on the lower Bruns wick coast, caused two fishermen to investigate Saturday morning. They found that the engine of the boat was still running and that three dead men were aboard the craft. Not a living thing was' found. The dead were Banks H. Fun derburk, owner of the yacht and prominent citizen of Charlotte, where he owned and operated the Funderburk Oil Company and other interests. With him in the cabin of the boat was John A. Kessler, also of Charlotte. Both men were fully dressed and each was lying on his bunk. The third man aboard was Oscar T, Sewell, of Swansboro. He was serving as captain and was .found in the pilot house, slumped over his seat. Coroner W. E. Bell was promptly notified and with other officials he went to the scene immediately to investigate. The findings revealed a clear case of all three men having met death by carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes escaping] from the motor into the closed cabin and pilot house of the boat. Such poisoning brings on a quick and overwhelming desire to sleep (Continued on page 2) New Ride Makes Big Hit Locally The Spitfire, Thrill - Ride Which Closely Simulates Feeling Of Flying In Real Airplane, Featured By R & S Shows The Spitfire, something brand new in riding dcvices that Jim my Raftery brought to South port this week as a part of the R. & S. Amusements features, is attracting a great deal of at tention. Patterned something after an airplane, even to the wings, twelve cars, each accommodating two passengers, are carried (Continued on page 4) Trucks Hauling Clay From State Prison Farm For Use In Building Up Road Preparatory To Surfacing MATERIALS ARRIVE FOR NEW BRIDGES Big Projects In Northwest Township Will Require Many Months Before Hazards Are Re moved Using a large fleet o? trucks and digging the earth from the ; State Prison Farm lands a mile | down River Road, the E. W. Gran nis Construction Company, of [ Fayetteville, is now making rapid progress in constructing the ap I proaches to the Alligator Creel, land Brunswick River bridges, | both of which bridge contracts i were let to the V. P. Loftis Com jpany, of Charlotte. j Hie E. W. Grannis coiiiract 'calls for the sum of $91,123.53, 'theirs being the low bid for the fill construction work at the highway letting the first of Feb ruary. For the two bridges the V. P. Loftis Company gets the I sum of $220,820.35, their being the low bid at the same time the contract for the fill approaches was let. In addition to the E. W. Gran I nis Co. having started work on the fills, the Loftis Company be [gan placing material and equip ! ment at the Brunswick River (bridge this last week for the pur pose of building a detour bridge that will handle the traffic while the actual bridge is being built. In view of the extremely heavy traffic that will have to use the temporary bridge, the detour is .no small undertaking in itself, j Both bridges have been rated as dangerous for many years, ow ing to their narrow width and weakness that has resulted from age and heavy duty. Built many years ago, neither was ever ex pected to have carry the heavy I loads that came with modern truck transportation. The Brunswick piver Bridge, much the largest of the two struc tures, is just two hundred- yards from the upper end of the big ship lay-in-basin on the Bruns wick River. ? ? Patrolmen Make Bus Inspection Report Made By Investigat ing Officers Praises Work Of County Mechanic Ear - nest Parker And Helpers j A brief story appeared in this! paper three weeks ago, stating that all school buses in Bruns wick had been inspected by the Highway Patrol and given an O. | K. as being in good order. The inspection was made by I Patrolmen C. J. Ferguson and R. I E. Sherrill. Patrolman Ferguson I was interviewed this week and i came across -with an interesting j confirmation. Relative to the inspection made by him and Sher rill, he said: "The school buses in Bruns- j wick county arc in better shape ] than ever before. Our invesU-l gation did not result in our turn-' ing down a single machine as be- 1 ing unsafe. There were a few minor adjustments to make, butj brakes, lights and the really im-| portant things were in excellent shape. The Brunswick school buses are in better shape now i than were -those in any other county where I ever checked." The patrolman went on to say (Continued oo Page 4) j Better Farming Contest Is Being Held In County Better Fanning For Better Living Contest Offers Substantial Cash Prizes To Entrants COOK SERVING AS COUNCIL CHAIRMAN Entry Into Contest May Be Made Any Time Befors April 16; Urged That Each Community Be Represented Better Farming for Better Living has been launched in Brunswick County, with J. E. Cook, cashier of the Shallotte branch of the Waccamaw Bank & Trust Co., serving as chairman of the Brunswick County Council in charge of arrangements. | Better Farming for Better Living is a contest program in which farm families in the area may enroll not later than April 15th. The same principals and practices that have been recom mended by the State Agricultural ! Experiment Station and other ?agricultural agencies are embod ied in this program. Farm fami lies are urged to participate In community activities, Home Dem jonstration Clubs, Farmers Clubs, 'and Vocational Agriculture, Home | Economics and 4-H Clubs for .Children. They are also urged to provide adequate amounts of 'farm produce, poultry, meat and | vegetables to feed the family od j a high nutritional level. Im provements that will mean great* er efficiency in the farmstead are suggested and better care of the farm land is urged by mak ing a better farm plan that will provide most efficient use of crop land, pasture and woodland. One phase of the program deals with diversification that mky help to j increase farm income and provide 'for income throughout the year. ! The council hopes to have en tries represent..,, every com Imunity in Brunswick county, and j entry in the contest may be , made thr.ujh County A?ent J. jE. Dodson, Home Demonstration I Agent Mrs. Alene Mintz, any one jof the vocational agriculture teachers or through either of j the cashiers of the two banks (Serving the county. In each County participating in the program County Councils j made up of business, profession jal, civic and agricultural leaders of the County are in charge of I the program. Councils have al ready been organized in Pender, Brunswick, Onslow, Duplin, Jones and Lenoir Couties. Organization meetings are scheduled to be held in New Hanover, Bladen, Columbus, Carteret, Craven, Pam lico and Greene during the next | two weeks. In addition to local premiums which are in charge of the Coun ty Council; ?25.00 is being pro vided in each county by the Tide Water Power Company, which is also supplying the project booklets, and $75.00 is provided ;for winners in two regions and $100.00 to the sweepstakes win ner in the 13 County area. Neil Bolton. Agricultural Agent of tha .Tide Water Power Company, has Ibeen assisting in the organiza tion meetings of the County j Councils and will work further to help coordinate the program | in the area. Changes Made In Power Rate Changes Liberalize Charges For Customers Who Use Electric Power In Large Quantities; Will Encour age Greater Use Adjustments in the power rates for users in the City of South port were made by the board of aldermen at their meeting last Thursday night with the result that lower rates will be In effect for the larger users of electric power. Of particular interest lo the average citizen is the one-meter rate which will be especially practical for persons who use electric stoves :?nd other similar equipment. There is no change in the rate in the lower bracket, with the graduation being 12kw (f 12c; the next 12kw is 8c; th? next 21 kw ff 4c; the next 25kw @ 3c; the next 175 kw U 2c; aM over at l^c-rate. The new set-up for commercial users is 12kw Q' 12c; 12kw 9 8c; next 676 kw 4c, nevt 700 kw @ 3c; all over at 2c-rate. A committee including repre sentatives from the SouthM* Woman's Club attended the ing to register a protest (Continued on pag?