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KEEP FAITH
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^ WAR BONDS
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Those Boys Need
VOLUME 24, NO. 44
Southern Pines, North Carolina Friday, September 22, 1944.
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Polio Quarantine Extension of One
Week Postpones Opening Date of
Moore County Schools to the 25th
County Health Board
Acts Promptly When
New Case Develops
IN ARMY AIR CORPS
With everything in readiness
for the opening of Moore County
Schools on Monday, September
18, and with faculty members
already in the county, having
come early to attend teachers
meetings on Thursday and Friday,
the Moore County Board of
Health, at the call of Chairman
Gordon Cameron, met in the of
fice of the County Superinten
dent of Schools on last Friday
night and extended the polio
quarantine for another week, to
end at midnight September 24,
thus postponing the school open
ing date to September 25th.
This action was taken after Dr.
Willcox, county health officei;,
had been advised by Dr. Carl V.
Reynolds, Sftate health office:^,
that the quarantine should be ex
tended two weeks from the day
on which the most recent polio
case had developed.
Martha Jean Pigg, 5, of Aber
deen Route 1 had become ill on
September 9 and her case was
diagnosed as polio late Wednes
day of, last week, so the quaran
tine date was based on the begin
ning of her illness.
Present at the meeting were all
members of the Board:.Mr. Camer
on of Pinehurst, S. R. Hoyle of
Carthage, Dr. Clement Monroe of
Pinehurst, Dr. E. M. Medlin of
Aberdeen, Dr. W. N. McDuffie
of Robbins' and H. Lee Thomas,
who is also county superintendent
of schools, and Dr. WillCox.
Mr. Thomas was opposed to fur
ther postponement in the opening
date of the schools, and express
ed this opinion in the meeting.
On Saturday he contacted the
State Superintendent’s office to
ask whether the State would pay
the Moore County teachers for
this week. He was told that they
would be paid only for the two
days last week when they were
on duty attending the meetings.
It is earnestly hoped that no
more polio cases will develop and
that schools can open next Mon
day.
, SGT. R. G. JOHNSTON
Sgt. Robert Grant Johnston,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Johns
ton of Southern Pines, received
his basic training at Miami Beach,
Florida, and from there was sent
to the Army Air Forces Adminis
tration School at Brookings,
South Dakota. For the past year
and a half he has been with the
chemical warfare section at the
Army Air Base at Florence, South
Carolina.
vVon Herff Lots i
Sell Higher Than
Many Expected
Southern Pines Buy
ers Bid in Most of
the 182 Town Lots
Thf Von Herff (property in Sou
thern Pines consisting of more
than 180 lots was sold at auc
tion at the courthouse in Carthage
Mondaj^. The sale .iattracted a
large number of people and bid
ding was livelj/. The property
sold for $4800, which is said to
be considerably more than it Was
expected to bring. Practically all
of the lots were bought by Sou
thern Pines residents. Bids will
remain open for 20 days.
As all property of enemy aliens
is under the control of the Alien
Property Custodian in Washing
ton, the sale will be reported
to him and if he approves it,
the Court will probably confirm
the sale and deeds will be deliv
ered to the purchasers.
J. Vance Rowe, commissioner,
expressed the opinion that the
sale would be approved inasmuch
as the property brought more
than it was expected to bring.
Minor OPA Price
Violations To Be
Settled in County
Willful Cases Will
Continue to Go to
District Division'
WELFARE BdARD MEETS
The Moore County Welfare
Board held its regular monthly
meeting Tuesday in the home of
Mrs. J. R. Page, Aberdeen. Others
present were Gordon Cameron,
Pinehurst; E. CarJ Brady, Rob
bins; Miss Pauline Covington,
county welfare superintendent,
and Mrs. Myrton Stewart and Miss
Claire Willcox, caseworkers.
Better understanding of OPA
regulations and greater general
compliance with price ceilings
are expected to be the ultimate
result of OPA’s action in broad
ening responsibility of the local
price panel for handling violations
of retail ceiling prices, George
H. Maurice,' chairman, of the
Moore County War Price and Ra
tioning Board, said today.
Under the new revision of the
price control law, OPA Admin
istrator Chester E. Bowles has au
thorized price panels to negoti
ate with retailers for settlement
involving payments to the
United States Treasury or to the
customers in cases of overcharges.
“This simply means,” Mr. Mau
rice said, “that cases of minor
price violations will be settled
right here' in Moore County,
where problems are best under
stood, and by volunteer price
panel members whose main inter
est in serving on the board is to
aid the fight against inflation.”
The new authorization, OPA
said, was issued in answer to fre
quent requests, made by price
panels for the additional author
ity to bolster their efforts toward
more general compliance with
price regulations.
Of course, Mr. Maurice said, th«
new order does not mean a “soft
ening” of OPA enforcement ef
fort for aggravated cases and will^
ful violators will continue to
come before the attention of the
district enforcement division of
OPA at Raleigh.
The authorization will also
close a loophole in OPA price
compliance efforts which has re
sulted from reticence of many
consumers about bringing charges
against retailers in cases of known
violations.
The order gives the price panel
authority, in cases of overcharge,
to summon the retailer and nego
tiate for settlement after the de
tails have been heard and the vio
lation established as a fact.
Where the violation is found to
be willful, the violator may, on
the first complaint, settle for the
amount of the overcharge and by
signing a compliance agreement.
The cash paid in the settlement is
(Continued on Page 5)
Grissette Speaks
to Civic Leaders
on Post War Plans
Thinks Privaie In-
dusiry Can Meet Un
employment "If" . . .
By Howard F. Burns
Felix A. Grisette, managing di
rector of the North Carolina State
Planning Board of Chapel Hill,
in a stirring address before 100
civic leaders of Moore County at
a dinner Wednesday night at the
Club Chalfonte, stated it was gen
erally agreed that private indus
try can meet the unernployment
situation after the war, u the gov
ernment will leave hands-off and
give industry and private business
chance to live.
“In order to meet the problems
e will have to go back to a
forty hour week”, he said. There
are approximately 11,000,000 men
in the Armed Forces; another 18,-
000,000 in war industry, and it is
estimated 55,000,000 people in the
country are to be employed. This
is a 20 per cent increase over the
pre-war days in which 46,000,000
were employed.
Mr. Grisette, a former member
of the Committee for Economic
Development stated “Time is
getting short, so much of our plan
ning is on paper. Two years ago
the people would not listen to
Post-War Planning as they felt
we should win the war first. Now,
time is short, we must get busy
or we will face as big a problem
in converting to peace time oper
ations as we faced in getting into
war-time production.”
“One and one-half million peo
ple in North Carolina will be
looking for work after the war”,
he said. “This is an increase of
over 300,000 more than before the
war, and it is estimated by the
Employment Commission that
this may reach 500,000. At this
time more than 100,000 people in
this state are engaged in war
work.”
He pointed out the State Plan
ning Board is attempting to make
a complete blue brint of the State
unemployment conditions and to
work out means of providing em
ployment for the men now serv
ing in the Armed Forces. In or
der to make a success in this
effort the State is depending
largely on the individual com
munities.
In conclusion he stated Moore
County has made a good start
toward this end and urged that
we waste no more time in getting
our plans under way, in order
to meet the problems we and the
Nation are most certain to face
upon the return of peace.
The speaker was introduced by
Leon Seymour, chairman of C. E.
D. of Moore County.
The address of welcome was
made by Dr. T. A. Cheatham of
Pinehurst. A musical program was
rendered by Mrs. A. A. Blother-
wick of Southern Pines, who play
ed the Marimba.
URGENT
mo-
Mrs. Mary S. Jones,
iher of Troy Jones, tJSN, is
asked fo report to Red Cross
Headquarters in Southern
Pines. Anyone knowing Mrs.
Jones is requested to pass
the word along to her.
Tobacco Outlook
Is Good As Middle
Belt Markets Open
Forecasts Point to
Record Yield; Quality
Better Than in 1943
Blackout For Army Maneuvers
To Be Held All Night Sunday
Capt. Felix Leslie Johnson Is Now
Commanding Officer of the Newly
Commissioned Cruiser, SPRINGFIELD
ASSUMES COMMAND
It’s tobacco selling time in the
Sandhills.
As early as Tuesday morning
trucks and cars, some with trail
ers, began streaming into the to
bacco warehouses in Aberdeen
land Carthage to deposit their
loads for Thursday’s Opening sale.
As the sticks of tobacco are
unloaded the “hands” are skill
fully packed onto large flat bas
kets to form round golden heaps,
then wheeled to the scales to be
weighed. Afterward the baskets
are placed in neat rows, the whole
effect being that of exhibits met
iculously arranged for a fair.
This year’s prospects for the
tobacco farmer are as bright as
the “golden weed” which he is
marketing. Crop forecasts point
to a yield of 1,000 pounds an acre,
the highest on record for the Mid
dle Belt, and it is the opinion of
crop reporters that the quality
will be above that of 1943. Point
ing out that this year’s crop in
the Old and Middle Belts should
total 253,000,000 pounds, the to
bacco marketing experts of the
State Department of Agriculture
have predicted that this record
production figure, coupled with
the increased ceiling, should re
sult in a return at least 10 per
cent higher than that of last year.
ARMY NEEDS NURSES NOW
The Army needs 4,000 nurses
immediately, Paul V. McNutt,
chairn|an of the War Manpower
Commission, reported last week.
Men wounded in battle must have
adequate care no matter how
quickly the war ends, he pointed
out in deploring the fact that
nurse recruitment had slowed up
along with a growing belief that
the European war is about over.
The WMC chairman urged inac
tive nurses, especially in outly
ing communities, to return to
nursing duty.
Jackson Springs
Marine Reported
Killed in Action
Son of Mr. and Mrs.
John H. Barnette Was
in the South Pacific
Pfc. C. Mack Barnette, 24, son
of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Barnette
of Jackson Springs, has been kill
ed in action somewhere in the
South Pacific, according to word
received from the War Depart
ment. Previously he had been re
ported wounded on July 22, and
no further information had been
received until the telegram of his
death came. No details were
given.
Pfc. Barnette enlisted in the
Marine Corps September 14,
1942, and after training at Paris
Island, S. C., and New River was
sent to California and then over
seas in February 1943.
Surviving are the parents and
the following sisters and brothers:
Mrs. Jennie Teeter of Pinehurst,
Mrs. Kelly Brown of Troy, Mrs.
N. F. Smith of Fayetteville, Miss
Maude Barnette of Jackson
Springs, J. B. Barnette of West
End, and a twin brother. Meek
Barnette, of Newport News, Va.
J. Talbot Johnson of
Aberdeen Sees His
Brother Accept Ship
CAPT. F. L. JOHNSON
The above photograph shows
Capt. Felix Leslie Johnson, com
manding officer of the SPRING-
FIELD, as he appeared about ten
years ago when he was a lieuten
ant.
Joe G. DeBerry Is
III in Hospital
at Dillon, S. C.
Prominent Local To
bacco Buyer Suffers
Stroke Saturday
Joe DeBerry of Southern Pines
is getting along well in a Dillon,
S. C., hospital, to which he was
taken '.early Saturday morning
following a stroke suffered in a
hotel there. His entire left side
is a:^ected, but his condition is
now such that it is thought that
he can be brought by ambulance
to his home here soon, probably
on Saturday of this week.
Mrs. DeBerry was with her
husband at the time he was strick
en, having gone down with him
Friday to stay until the following
day. DeBerry, a buyer for the
American Tobacco Company, had
been on the Dillon market for
some time and was preparing
to transfer to the Sanford market
for the opening there.
TEXACO SERVICE STATION
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
The Texaco Service Station on
West Broad Street is now under
new management, Harold A. Mc
Neill and Bryan Poe having al
ready taken active charge. They
will be assisted by Yates Poe, Jr.,
who has been connected with this
station for about three years. The
new proprietors plan to give com
plete car service.
POLIO VICTIM AT HOME
Little Annie Lee Moore, 4,
Moore County’s first polio victim
in the present epidemic, who late
in July was admitted to the emer-
ency hospital in Hickory, was
able to return to the home of her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dolphus
Moore, at Robbins last week.
REVIVAL SERVICES at MANLY
t
The Rev. J. F. Menius, pastor
of the McPherson group of Pres
byterian Churches, will conduct
a meeting at the Manly Presby
terian Church the week of Oct.
1-6. Services will be held each
evening at 8 p. m.
Robbins Club Has
Nutrition Program
Miss Pauline Covington,
County Welfare Superin
tendent, Is Speaker
The Robbins Woman’s Club had
as its guest speaker at its Sep
tember meeting Miss Pauline Cov
ington, county welfare superinten
dent, who talked on nutrition and
its relationship to the services ren
dered by the Public Welfare
Agency.
Miss Covington pointed out
that mental diseases, delinquency,
lack of interest in school work,
family maladjustments, depen
dency, and physical incapacity are
brought about mainly because of
malnutrition; that these social
problems may be prevented by
educating our people through lit
erature, public libraries, school
lunches, teaching, and demonstra
tions in our homes and schools
as tO' how to prepare the most
essential foods and why they are
valuable to the well being of a
person.
The meeting was held in the
home of Mrs. Wyline Kennedy.
Refreshments of punch, walnut
cake and grapes were served.
Like a chapter from, a best
seller success story is the career
of Capt. Felix Leslie Johnson,
USN, of Aberdeen, who is now
commanding officer of the
SPRINGFIELD, the Navy’s mag
nificent new cruiser which was
commissioned in a colorful cere
mony at the South Boston Navy
Yard on September 9, and his
friends back home are filled with
pride at his attainments.
His brother, J. Talbot Johnson,
of Aberdeen, was present at the
commissioning, which was attend
ed by the Governor of Massachu
setts, high ranking naval officers
and many prominent citizens, and
saw Cap^. Johnson accept the
ship.
The most impressive moment of
the ceremony came as all stood
at attention while the band play
ed the “Star Spangled Banner’
and the flag was raised, with
every cannon on the great ship
moving upward as the flag rose
until all were turned heaven
ward in a silent salute.
For the past six months Capt.
Johnson had been laison officer
between Admiral Halsey and Gen
eral MacArthur. Under the head
ing, “Let’s Get Acquainted With
Captain Felix L. Johnson, USN,”
the “Springfield News” ship’s
paper, carried the following
sketch:
“He has seen duty in far'off
China and the Philippines, on the
Atlantic and in the Mediterran
ean, down under in Brazil, and
here at hofne on the calm banks
of the Severn. He has served on
big battleships, slashing destroy
ers, fast attack transports and
squat gunboats and minelayers.
He has even navigated a schooner
from New York to Spain. These
are but the highlights of the dis
tinguished Naval career of the
man who now commands the
SPRINGFIELD, Capt. Felix L.
Johnson, USN, of Aberdeen,
North Carolina.
“Captain Johnson comes to us
from the Navy’s Pacific battle
ilinea, wha(re he was Assistant
Chief of Staff to Admiral Halsey.
In that capacity he aided his re
nowned superior in planning and
executing many of the major ac
tions which rocked the Nips back
on their heels in the South Pacif
ic. Prior to this he commanded
the big attack transport PRESI
DENT ADAMS during assault
operations against Jap^held is
lands.
“Graduating from the Naval
Academy in 1919, Captain John
son went to sea on the battleship
DELAWARE. This was followed
by two years of duty on the de
stroyers STEWART, STRIBLING
and SUMNER. In 1923 he headed
for the Far East where he was
stationed on the gunboat PEN
GUIN in China, and later on the
minesweeper RIZAL in the Phil
ippines. Recalled to the United
States in 1926, he went to the
Naval Academy as an instructor
in navigation.
“In 1928 Captain Johnson took
a brief leave from the Navy. But
like a postman who took a walk
(Continued on Page 8)
All of Moore County
Is In Blackout Area;
Cooperation Is Urged
NOTRE DAME ACADEMY
GIVES OPENING DATES
Notre Dame Academy opened
its high school department Mon
day, September 18, due to the
fact that most of the pupils are
boarding students and had already
come in for enrollment before it
was decided to postpone the open
ing of the public schools. The
grammar grades will begin work
Monday,, the 25th, and the kin
dergarten will open on October
2.
Moore County’s well organized
Citizens Defense Corps, of which
James W. Tufts of Pinehurst is
chairman, is busy this week sys
tematically getting everything in
line for an all-night blackout
which has been called by mili
tary authorities for Sunday night,
September 24, and officers of the
Corps are asking that one hun
dred per cent cooperation be given
by residents of Moore County.
Main points for citizens to re
member are to turn off all visible
lights at sunset Sunday and
KEEP them off until sunrise Mon
day (early risers should take
another nap), and to keep off the
streets and highways except in
cases of real necessity; as travel
will be hazardous.
Details of the blackout are set
forth, as follows:-
PURPOSE—To aid in training
an Airborne Division, activated
at Fort Bragg and now completing
its training at Camp Mackall.
AREA—All of Moore, substan
tially all of Montgomery (north
west corner excluded), approxi-,
mately the north central portion of
Scotland and approximately the
northeast half of Hoke County.
PERIOD—^From sunset the 24th
to sunrise the 25th of September.
TRAFFIC—The State Highway
Patrol will establish road blocks
around the perimeter of the area.
Through traffic will be diverted.
Civilian traffic within the area
will be limited to essential travel.
All residents within the area are
requested to keep off the high
ways and to remain in their
homes, except where travel is
necessary. Travel within the area
will be controlled by OCD auxil
iary police and Army MP.’s, under
the general direction of the State
Highway Patrol and the Army
Maneuver Director.
Citizens are reminded that this
is not a practice air raid drill
but a troop training blackout. One
long blast of sirens will sound at
sundown, about 7:30 p. m., at
which time citizens are to turn
off all visible lights and keep
them off all night.
John M. Howarth, Southern
Pines area commander of the CDC,
announces that in case of fire the
siren will be used as a regular fire
alarm during the blackout period
and should not be mistaken for an
“all clear” signal.
E. H. Garrison, county agent,
has been especially requested by
Army authorities to assist in get
ting the farmers in Moore County
to cooperate and he is urging that
they help t6 make the blackout
complete, relmindipg them that
every person who cooperates is
actually participating in the man
euver by setting the stage for
a vital phase of the training. Com
plete cooperation will enable the
Army to reproduce in this area
conditions 'approximating those
under which the Division will
meet the enemy in Europe or the
Islands of the Pacific.
Many Soldiers Get
Ballots in Moore
That soldiers are very much in
terested in the coming election
is shown by the number of ballots
being requested. John A. Fry,
chairman of the Moore County
Board of Elections, said Tuesday
that he had already issued around
400 ballots and that he had around
thirty applications waiting. This
number is much greater than Mr.
Fry expected to be called upon
to issue. While many applications
have been sent in by relatives of
the service men, many more have
come through the Secretary of
State, he disclosed.
W. ATKINSON ILL
J. W. Atkinson of the Atkin
son Furniture Store suffered a
heart attack early this week and
has been confined to his home
since.