Advertisers WUl Find Our Col umns a Latchkey to over MM ItoM at Martin County. Watch the Label ou Tear Paper, aa U Carries the Me leer? Subscription Kxpirse VOLUME XLI?NUMBER 46 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, June 10, 1938. ESTABLISHED 1899 Uncertainty Marks Future WPA Privy Program in County President Approves $12,666 Project for County This Week The future of the sanitary pVivy building program was unofficially described as uncertain in this coun ty a few days ago, reliable reports maintaining that there wasn't suf ficient WPA labor available to car ry on privy construction work si multaneously with other projects that had been approved or for which approval was pending. The possibility of discontinuing ?t building of the sanitary privies and transferring the WPA workers to other projects was mentioned, but later reports indicate that a move ment is underway to launch an in dependent survey of general labor conditions in an effort to find a suf ficient number of workers now un employed to handle all the propos ed projects. Orders now pending are under stood to call for a cessation of the privy program and the likely trans fer of most of the 26 men now em ployed by the WPA to the recrea tional project proposed for Wil liamston Unless there are other de velopments, the program will be dis continued in part, if not in its entire ty, within the next two weeks. An unofficial announcement from Congressman Lindsay Warren's of fice in Washington this week stated that the President had approved a sanitary project for this county amounting to $12,553, that final ap proval by the Comptroller Oeneral was pending. If the new appropriation is made available, it is likely that efforts will be made to continue the con struction of privies, a work }Hat has met with marked success during re cent months. It is understood that the county has been constructing each month privies, in excess of its regular quo tSj the number of units totaling as many as 50 in a single month. While plans are still underway for the construction of two school gym nasiums. one at Oak City and one at Jamesville, In cooperation with the Works Progress Administration, it is possible that these two proj ects will be delayed byaa shortage of WPA workers. However, there is the possibility that trend will be upward during ine next tew weeks or months and sufficient labor can be certified to handle all the proj ects without curtailment of present activities. ? To Offer Advanced Course At Oak City Instruction in advanced English mathematics and rural economics will be offered in the Oak City High school next term to graduates wish ing to return to the institution and continue their educational training. The plan is dependent upon the de mand for the courses. Principal H. M. Ainsley explaining that all ex seniors interested in the advanced studies should get in touch with him immediately. The school man is planning to leave for Chapel Hill early next week to continue his studies in the summer session at the University, and those young men and women wishing to receive instruction in the advanced courses should see him before that time. Infant Daughter Of Mr. And Mrs. Roberson Dies ? The infant daughter of Mr and Mrs. Eli Roberson died at the home of its parents in Bear Grass last Tuesday night. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Davis, and interment was in Bear Grass Township Wednesday afternoon Sunday Schools To Hold Conference Here Sunday Five district Sunday schools will hold a one-day conference in the Pentecostal Holiness church here Sunday, it was announced today. The public H invited to attend the sessions beginning at 0:30 and con tinuing' until 4:30 that afternoon. Sam Whitehurst Trial Continues in Pitt County The trial of Sam Whitehurst, Pitt County sheriff, continues in the su periorcourt there, but late reports indicate the end is in sight Sheriff Whitehurst took the stand in his own behalf this week, arid cross examination was completed yester day, the officer stating to the court that if any thing is due any man or the county he is ready to pay it and wants to pay it "? Commissioners To Hear Tax Complaints at Meet Monday The Martin County commission ers will meet in the courthouse next Monday at 10 o'clock a. m to hear complaints from owners against tax values assessed by the list-takers in the several townships. There are many, many property owners Who have complaints, but judging from the minutes of meetings in the past, comparatively few will go before the board to demand lower assess ments. The commissioners are meeting next Monday in accordance with law, and property owners who have complaints to make and who fail to make them at this tune forfeit their rights to demand an investigation' of their listings at a later date. In years gone by. the authorities in this rnllnlv have hparri lav nnm. plaints almost the year around, but they do so through their own good 35 PER CENT ) j Continued rains have exact ed an additional decrease in to bacco production in this im mediate section, recent esti mates indicating that the crop, as a whole, has been reduced by 35 per cent. Many crops have turned yellow and started "but toning out," experienced obeer ers maintaining that in such cases a marked decrease In pro duction can be expected. Many farmers are "top-drem Ing" their crops with high-paw ed fertiliser, there being some doubt as to the value of the practice. It is explained that ex cessive rains have rotted the roots, leaving the first fertilis er untouched, that when new roots develop they will feed from the fertiliser, some far mers reasoning that the rains have not washed the plant food way except in unusual cases. Plans Well Advanced For Big Exposition' And Indoor Circus Planters Warehouse Here Is Elaborately Decorat ed by Experts Plans were announced well ad vanced today for holding the big merchants exposition and indoor circus in the Planters Warehouse here during the entire week begin ning, June 20, President D. V. Clay ton, of the Lions club, the sponsor ing organization, explaining that present indications point to a gala week of fun and entertainment for the people of this and surrounding communities. Scheduled to have been held in1 the New Carolina tobacco ware house, the event was moved to the Planters warehouse when it was learned that construction work on the new structure would hardly be completed in time for the decorators to complete their work. Starting last Friday afternoon, a special group of expert decorators have been busy day and night handling the task, their handiwork converting the bar ren building into a cozy room of striking colors. The decoration scheme is recognized as the most elaborate and well executed of any ever advanced in this section Many Exhibitors Thirty booths have been made ready for exhibitors, the president of the sponsoring organization stat ing that eighteen had aTready been sold, and that contracts were pend ing for a dozen others Present in- ? dications point to one of the most extensive arrays of exhibits ever1 gathered under a single roof in this section at one time Considerable time has been given to the prepara-i tion of the booths for the exhibitors' and it is quite appaient that "the! exposition itself will attract a great' deal of attention. Amusements Special arrangements have been effected for staging the special acts and seating the audiences, Mr. Grey of the Grey Productions, announc- j ing today that sixteen novelty acts had been booked, that the manage ment was guaranteeing the people of this section a week of high class entertainment and fun. Sixteen acts have been contracted, including one by the Cress acrobatic troupe which is just back from'a successful tour in Europe. Lippmcott, well-known magician, will have a prominent place on the program along with the other fifteen specialty features. Paul Jones and his orchestra have been booked for the entire week, and oil Saturday night Slack Green and his colored "syncopators" will take over the musical program. ness and not at the direction of the law. Quite a few property owners have inspected the 1938 tax lists, and others have a right to review IKe listings The books are open to the public at the present time, but will soon be turned over to the county accountant's office where they will' be proven and made ready for com-j puting the actual tax amounts im-[ mediately after the authorities de termine the T?38 rate. A preliminary review of the list ings shows a slight gain in values after accounting for the reduction resulting when the State took over -thc-aolvent credits: -At- -the-- present time the property values of the North Carolina Pulp Company are rot on the county tax books, but even without those listings, the to^ tal county valuation reflects a slight increase over those of a year ago. Primary Vote Last Saturday Is Among Largest Ever Cast Size of Guesses on Vote Range From 2,800 to More Than 4,200 ? Casting 3.354 votes last Saturday, Martin County citizens astablislnid a new record count for a regular pjl mary, the final tabulation showing an increase of more than 200 over the record established on "June 4 two years ago The vote was not a record by any means, for in the sec ond or special primary on July 4 1936, there were 3,524 votes east, and in November that year the count reached an all-time high of 4,474 votes. But the vote last Saturday still holds as a record as far as a regular primary is concerned, ?1'ieeiiiets ill the southern part oli the county reported a vote ranging fram 20 to 130 greater than that ty jumping 243 in 1936 to 370 in Gi iffins last Saturday. The pre cincts, Jamesville, Williams, Grif fins, Bear Grass, and Williamston reported fairly sizeable gains, and Gold Point, Poplar Point and Ham ilton reported slight increases. When it came to guessing the size of the vote that would be cast in the ennntv I .other Peel Williams ton man, walked off with the hon ors, but James R. Corey, of William ston R. F D. No. 1 ran him a close second. Peel guessed there would be 3,280 votes cast, his estimate fall ing short exactly 74 votes. Mr Cor ey, guessing 3,444 votes would be cast, overshot the total by a count of 90. Sheriff C. B Roebuck proved himself the poorest guesser in the county when he estimated there would be only 2,800 votes cast Ap parently the officer calculated there would not be much interest in the contests Most of the more than 100 guesses directed at the county vote ranged between 3,000 and 3,800, one esti | mate running as high as 4,208. ' When^t came to predicting the size of vote that would be cast in the individual precincts, Messrs Ros sell Rogers, of Bear Grass, Eli Rod gers, of Robersonville, and B. M Worsley, of Goose Nest, were tops. Mr. Rogers missed by one vote in estimating the count in his precinct. Mr, Rogers was over by five votes, and Mr. Worsley was under by six votes. Mr. H. H Roberson estimat ed 90 votes would be cast in Gold Point, his estimate falling eight short The vote cast last Saturday com pared with that cast in the June 4, 1936, follows, by precincts 1836 1938 Jamesville 363 382 Williams 108 173] Griffins 243 3701 Bear Grass 238 jjjj'i Williamston 814 878 224 197] Cross Roads Robersonville <2? Gold Point 90 98 Poplar Point I32 Hassell 109 891 Hamilton 153 < 169 Goose Nest 232 206 j Totals 3132 33541 Legion Post To Elect Officers Monday Night Rie election of officers will fea ture the meeting of the John Wal ton Hassell post of the American Legion in the hut on Watts Street here next Monday night, June 13 at 8 o'clock. Considerable interest is expected to develop in the election of officers and a large attendance is expected upon the matters which was described as an important one. All members of the post are urged I to attend. Judge Peel Calls Number of Cases in Recorder s Court Little Interest Attached to Last Monday Very little interest was attached to the proceedings in the county re-j corder's court last Monday. The number of cases was decidedly greater than a week before, but the charges for the most part were con sidered of minor importance, and the session attracted no large crowd Judge H. O. Peel called eight cases and continued several others. of an assault wnth a deadly weapon' and the court continued the case un der prayer for judgment. Judgment was suspended upon payment of the cost in the case charging Henry Howell with an1 acoaUlt with a deadly wcapon.-Hnw-? ell pleading guilty in the case, was also directed to pay a doctor's bill. The case charging G. R Bateman with drunken driving was continued until the first Monday in August Bateman, an Elizabeth City man, was driving the car that crashed in to the one occupied by Mrs. Sadie Peel, former clerk of the superior and recorder's courts, the early part iif last week, near Robersonville. A continuance of the case was ordered pending the outcome of Mrs. Peel's injuries. The wreck victim is get ting along very well, but will be confined to her bed for several weeks. Joe Ball, charged with an assault, was sentenced to the roads for 60 day, the sentence to begin at the di rection of the court at any time dur ing the next two years. Charged with an assault with a deadly weapon, John L. Wynne was directed to pay the costs of the case, the court suspending judgment. Bossie Outterbndge Corey, charg ed with violating the Ii.|iir>r laws, was sentenced to jail for thirty days. Charged with allowing a minor to operate a. car, Mrs Marcilla Col tram pleaded guilty, the court con tinuing the action under prayer for judgment until June, 13. First Cucumbers Arc Delivered Here For Northern Shipments Plan to Handle Twenty or More Carloads Here This Season The first cucumbers planted un der contract on two hundred acres in this county last spring started moving to the northern markets this week when twenty-two bushels moved out by express. Yesterday, ten bushels were handled at the grading station here and approxi mately 30 bushels were moved this morning. ? Ranging in price from 20 to 70 cents a bushel, the first offerings are averaging around 45 cents a bushel, unofficial repoi'tk released! for the local market stated. Comparatively small shipments) are expected to continue until about the middle of. next week when marked increases are expected in the delivery of th cucumbers. L. N. Johnson, representing Harry Brown commission broker in BrooklyA and who entered into the contracts with the growers, state that this point will possibly be handling from one to three carloads of cucumbers by the end of next week, that he esti mated between zu and 3u carloads of the vegetable would be cleared from this point before the season closed within the next ten days or two weeks. Sub-delivery stations will possi (Continued on page six) CHECK-UP A special corps of about IS supervisors will start check ing soil conservation compliance in this county the early part of next week. It was learned from the county agent here today. Supervisors are attending a three-day school here this week, preparatory to starting the work which will be centered on farms west of Sweet Water Creek and (J. 8. Highway 17 at first. Aerial maps have been made of farms In the remaining terri tory jusirseenQy and ihe land surveys will get underway there the latter pert of this or early next month. Robert Smith, of State Col lege, is conducting the special classes for supervisors from this and adjoining counties. Discontinuance of Passenger Train Service Here Proposed A curtailed passenger train ser vice on the Plymouth-Tarboro branch of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company has been pro posed by the operators, according to a public notice posted on the com pany's property here on Wednesday of this week. The notice, posted by Superintendent Cobb at the direc tion of F. W Brown, General Man ager of the Coast Line sytem. ad vises that the company will petition the North Carolina Utilities Com mission in Raleigh ten days after last Wednesday for permission to discontinue the two passenger trains operating through here at the pres Notice of the proposed action nines as a marked surprise to those who recall the construction of the load back in the nineties It was un dcistood at that time that.the char ter grantecf the company called for the operation of at least one passen ger train on the Plymouth branch. The notice posted here offers no: details, but it is understood that | the company will consider establish ing a combination passenger-freight service. This plan, however, will| provide no Sunday service and in terrupt mail schedules, reports stat ing that the trains handle most of' the mails leaving and ooming into the local office. Reports from vanyus towns along the line served by the two trains indicate Xhat the petition will be, strongly opposed, that delegations will be sent to Raleigh m the LnU-U'-l est of ha vine the service continued ' No date for a hearing has been an nouiu .'d, but it is likely that quite a few Hrat pcoplc will consider op posinft the curtailed service plan. Mrs. J. T. Daniel Dies Suddenly At Her Oak City Home Funeral Services Are Held - There Yesterday Afternoon Mrs. John T. Daniel, greatfy be loved woman and a well-known cit-; lzen oi this county, died suddenly j at her home in Oak City last Wed nesday morning at 11:10 o'clock.) apparently the victim of a heart at-? tack. Mrs. Daniel. 61 years of age. was in her usual health early that morning and was attending to her duties in the home when she was taken ill and died apparently very peaceably. She was atone at the time, a daughter-in-law, Mrs. VVlieel , er Darnel, finding her seated'on the stairway, Mrs Daniel is believed to! have'suffered a heart, attack while j walking up the stairs. She sat down and when found her head was rest ing in her lap. reports stating that sue had been dead possibly 45 min utes or an hour when she was found. The daughter of the late Mr and Mrs. Henry Everett,. Mn.*~Daniel was born in Robersonville Town ship, near Robersonville, where she spent her early life. When a young) woman she was married to Mr. Dan lei and moved to Oak City, living there the remainder of hui life She) was a faithful member of the Bap ! tist church for a long number of years, and was held in high esteem! by all who knew her. In the home she was a thoughtful wife and an understanding mother, her Christ ian-like character endearing her to the people of the community. Besides her husband she* leaves five children. Mrs Edrnond Early, Mrs. . W W Casper, and Messrs. Wheeler, Harry and John Daniel, Jr all of Oak City. She is also surviv ed by four brothers, Messrs. H S Everett, S T Everett, both of Rob ersonville; J. D. Everett, of Jeffer son City, Tenn., and Simon Everett, of Pilot Mountain, and two sisters, Mrs. Allie Andrews, of Hopewell, Va., and Mrs. J. B Rawls, of Rob ersonville. Funeral services were conducted from the home yesterday afternoon by Rev George L. Leggett and Rev E. C. Shoe, Robersonville Baptist minister. Burial was in the Oak City cemetery. fc Colored Man Survives Bite Of Rattlesnak Bitten by a rattlesnake the earlj port of this week, Sam Moore Jaiuesville colored man, is living to day and apparently enjoying hi usual good health. Working in a logwoods for th< Bingham Lumber "Company, youni Moore was bitten while sawing log in the rattlesnake-infested lei ritory near Dymond City. He "wa rushed to the offices of Drs Saun ders and Brown where he receive. his first treatment. Today lie is bat-l at his task, but a bif more carefu of snakes . The snake, a rather large one had been pinned under a tree lunl for several days, and it is believei that the reptile had exhausted th supply of poison in his body bcfor attacking Moore.? ? 1 Local Young Man Is Improving In Hospiti Critically ill in a Washington hos pital during the past three weeks, George Harrison, Jr., young local min, was reported improving there today. Dr. Horsley, Richmond doc tor, was called in yesterday for a consultation with attending physi cians, and while .the visiting doctor found him a very sick patient, he was encouraging in his reports, It was learned here. SENATOR I). Bradford Fearing, presi dent of the Koanoke Island His torical Association, was success ful in his candidacy for a seat In the 'Halt Senate at the pulK in this district last Saturday. Brighter Outlook For .Exportation of Flue-cured Tobacco Price Prospects Heartening To Farmers With Short Crops Martin County farmers, discour aged by unfavorable crop condi tions, were greatly heartened by a report released this week and .stat ing that certain factors may effect increases in flue-cured tobacco prices this fall. The prediction that tobacco ex ports will continue to show an in crease and that prices may be "lift ed" is based in part, on the misfor tune of another people W. I'. Hed rick, tobacco marketing specialist of the State Department of Agriculture believes the war between Japan and China may mean better prices, and explains "Japan's war machine has struck the most fertile tobacco section of China and prevented marketing of the Chinese crop with a resulting heavier demand for American to-' bacco. v"r* "Flue-cured cxp&ts during the first four months of this year have increased 37 per cent over the same IK'i iod of 1937," he added, pointing out that the Department of Com merce had reported an export in crease of 40,000,000 pounds compar ed with a total* of 66,000,000 pounds f*nt abroad during the first four months of 1&JJ7.' He attributed the "export boom" to depleted European markets, in creased consumption in European countries and the war Hedrick, who graded and bought tobacco in China for eight years, said that "normally, Chinese tobac co would have already been mar keted and would have permitted British manufacturers to operate smoothly, but because of war con ditions and resulting destruction of transportation systems, China's flue cujjed crop cannot be secured for world trade." Great Britain is heavy consumer of Chinese flue cufed tobacco. Along the Lunghai railway, where tens of thousands of troops are re ported engaged in bloody conflict, 11? the beat tobacco lfrnd in China, Hedrick said. With Chinese soldiers and civilians fleeing before the in vaders, he added, marketing the crop is uncertain. In some sections of China, the specialist said, the Chinese will not plant a new crof> if they have failed to market the last?a type of "con trol " He said that failure to mar ket the 1937 crop had resulted in no 1938 crop in some places there. Martin County Man Is Fatally Injured In Auto-Truck Wreck Funeral Wednesday After noon for W. C. Cowey Near Oak City Injured in an automobile-truck wreck near Conetoe Creek in Pitt County early last Monday evening, William Charles Cowey,' former young Martin County man. died in a Tarboro hospital the following day about 5:30 o'clock p. m. Thought to have been only slightly hurt, Cowey was first removed to his home* but when he failed to respond to treat inenl, lie wail carried to a hospital. He became r-ipwlly .... i i.r?h? followed from internal injuries. Driving an old Model T carT Cow ey is said to have driven out from under James' filling station and was struck by a truck driven bv J. Eugene Manning, of Tarboro R. F. D No l>Watrolmen Hunt and Roth rock. investigating the accident, found the brakes on the truck were in proper shape and learned that the truck was not running at an excessive speed. An inquest into the ? man's death was considered unnec essary by the Pitt County coroner. Before he died, Cowey is quoted as saying I was on my way home with my little fish truck when sud denly a large truck loomed in front of me In some way the truck and my car collided and threw my truck onto the dirt and demolished it. I was hurt but didn't think it was serious at the timd''TW young man was X-rayed at the hospital but no broken bones were apparent, but he was badly crushed internally. The wreck victim was the son of C. W. Cowey, railroad employee who lives near Oak City, and the late Mrs. Jane Rogers Cowey He was only 25 years old, and Was a mem ber of the Baptist church Funeral services wore cnnriiictvd? 'Wi'dhcsuay anernoon at 4 30 o'clock from the Cowey home, near Oak City, by Rev Janus H Smith, Wil liamston Baptist minister.. Inter ment was in the family plot, near the home Besides his father, he is survived by his step -mothers-one brother, Lu ther Cowey, of Hobgood; and five sisters, Mrs. T H. Latham, of Fai son; Mrs J L. Melvin, of Princess Ann, Va. Mrs. Stephen Stalls, of Robersonville; Mrs. J. C. Whitfield. oi Hamilton; and Mrs. W J. Hardy, of Palmyra; three half-brothers, Kelly B, Clyde and Bennie Lee Cowey and one half-sister. Frances Cowey, all of near Oak City. 4 Start Construction Rural Li