The Ers terprise
Published Every Tuesday and Friday by the
ENTERPRISE PUBLISHING CO.
WILLIAMS TON, NORTH CAROLINA
W. C. MANNING
Editor ? 1908-1938
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN MARTIN COUNTY
One year $1.75
Six months 1.00
OUTSIDE MARTIN COUNTY
One year $2.25
Six months 1.25
No Subscription Received Under 6 Months
Advertising Rate Card Furnished Upon Request
?
Entered at the post office in Williamston. N.
C., as second-class matter under the act of Con
.gress nf March 3. 1879
Address all communications to The Enterprise
and not individual members of the-firm.
Friday. December 9. 1938.
One Hundred Little Parkers'
The unusual story about an illegitimate child
in this county recently gave rise to consider
able talk. They called the little fellow "Par
ker." ihe name being assigned to him when
child welfare workers parked him here and
there over a period of several months.
While the facts surrounding the hectic life
of little "Parker" were really out of the ordi
nary. there were nearly 100 other similar cases
in this county last year And the number is ap
parently increasing, incomplete reports indi
cating that this county is rearing another large
crop of illegitimate children this year.
The waywardness of young girls, the statis
tics showing most of them to be under 21 years
of age, and young men is already affecting the
tax rate in this county, and the trend is to dump
this bit of unwanted humanity upon the coun
ty either directly or indirectly Each week with
few exceptions finds a prosecuting witness in
the court of this county pleading for support of
an illegitimate child?children, in some cases
Not all of the fathers accept the obligation, and
the taxpayers are called upon to supply raiment
and food to the victims of a corrupt society.
The off-spring needs sympathy rather than
biased criticism, and instead of Rooking down
upon the little unfortunates, society will find it
far better to snap out of its lethargy and attack
the conditions that overflow the land with de
pendents |
Much talk has been heard about economic
recessions, but possibly the greatest trouble
with us today is a real depression in our moral
and spiritual lives.
The case of little "Parker" is not a joke, and
its seriousness is aggravated by just about 99
other similar ones.
Now, we have an agency offering relief to
dependent children, Later, we will have to have
an agency to offer relief to illegitimate chil
dren. Welfare departments with their trained
workers cannot cope with the situation; the so
lution rests with society and if it is lax, it will
have to pay the bill later on. ??
Utah Wreck Has A Meaning Here
It is not at all pleasant to have a gruesome
event spur one to action, and it is not necessary
to harp on the stimuli such as a wreck that
claims the lives of 26 school children. Spurred
to action by such a tragedy, operators of school
buses everywhere should work to the end to
head off such catastrophes and lesser ones, too.
Bus operating conditions in Martin County
and in nearly every one of the other 99 coun
ties in the State are far from perfect. The pub
lic should demand that conditions be improv.
! nci iff ioinnl fnn/4c f/\r 4 l-?*?<-.! iahIw n nt /?rfttitn.
LI l WiauiaalH Mb IUHUb iUi vritr 1 tlltvlllg XJT LIUWU*
ed conditions on busses can be accepted as no
excuse when human life is at stake.
Some valuable facts could be gathered were
those who direct the operation of school busses
to ride the busses occasionally, and stop so much
of this direction on paper from an office far re
moved from the cold journeys along the muddy
and almost impassable routes throughout the
state.
The Utah wreck that claimed the lives of 26
little children has a meaning right here in
Martin County. It should create a greater inter
who ride the busses. It should start a drive to
make as nearly perfect as possible a school
transportation system.
Tbeitin Prison
The larceny of $164.53 worth of supplies from
the North Carolina State Prison a few weeks
ago was to be expected of the men who make
up the great delinquent family, but it was not
expected of officials to allow such a practice
right under their noses.
The size of the theft matters little. What the
people would like to know is the cost of the au
dit. inventories and investigations carried on to
determine the loss. One has no idea how much
money was paid to the jobholders for determin
ing the exact loss, and one Will likely never
know for it has been and still is the policy of
North Carolina's Highway and Public Works
Commission to hold facts from the people.
Word comes from unofficial sources that
more money is being wasted in the operation
of a single branch of the penal system of this
State to operate the entire outfit. Apparently
something is wrong somewhere, and that some,
thing is not the petty theft of sums of $164.53.
The people, however, have to go on believing
that the ever-present deficit is traceable to such .
minor thefts because they do not know and can
not learn the main reasons for the need, of so
much red ink in the operation, of the penal sys
tem
Faltering Civilization
Twenty-six killed in school bus-train colli
sion. Five lose lives in fires in a small country
city in less than a week. Automobiles claim
scores of lives each week fn the nation.
These gruesome facts mean that this civili
zation is crumbling under its own feet in its
mad way of living, in its hurried travel.
All the facts are not at hand, but in 99 per
cent of the cases loss of life was preventable.
We record the speed of travel, our money in
the bank, we measure our progress in almost
meaningless terms while we falter in the task
of protecting life. ^
Another way to retrench would be to quit
paying salaries to the unemployed who occu
py posts in pubhc office.?Arkansas Gazette.
?1
A Gift of Hardware Lasts the Year Through
We Suggest the Following for
Gifts and Santa Claus
Aladdin Lamps
Bicycles
Air Rifles
Knives
Flashlights
Shotguns
Oil Heaters
Tricycles
Wagons
Cooking Ware
Toasters ?
Electric Irons
Roller Skates
Boots
Cutlery
Waffle Irons
Percolators
Casseroles
China Ware
Hunting Wear
?Watches
Clocks
Cooking Ware
Ammunition
Stoves
Ranges
Compass
Rifles
Gun Shells
Roasters
We Have These and Many Other Useful
Gifts and Presents
Woolard Hardware Company
Visit BELK-TYLER'S
TOYLAND
Shop Early! Use Our Lay .Away Plan
F-T.F.fTRTC
STEAM ENGINES
$3.48-$3.98
WIND-UP TOYS
A large assortment of at
tractive wind-up toys. They
are sure to please the kid
dies!
48c t ,, 98c
FOOTBALLS
Regulation size footballs
and basketballs. The boys
will like these.
98c t o $1.98
TABLE SETS
All kinds of table sets with
chairs to match. The little
girls will like these.
$1.98 to $4.98
DESK SETS
All sizes in plain and roll
er top desks. Each desk com
plete with chair.
54.98 x. 512.95
PULL
TOYS
A large variety of attrac
tive PULL TOYS for you to
select from. They are sure to
please!
25c to 98c
TOPS
10c t o 25c
AIR RIFLES
Every boy likes an air ri
fle. Be sure to see our selec
tion at these reasonable
prices.
$1.00 T? $1.48
AUTOMOBILES
New models
Bright colon
Well
$5.95 UP
?WINDING MOTOR BOATS
$1.98
ROLLER SKATES
Touch ball
bearing
skates (or
boys and
rirls.
$1.29-$1.98
ELECTRIC
TRAINS
Children cry for them ?
Men want 'em! Folks, tie Ik
Tyler's GOT Electric Trains!
$2.98-$4.95
Magic Picture Guns
98c?$1.48
Carriages
Doll carriages in all
sixes and colors.
SANTA is sure to
please lots of little
(iris with these.
1.29 to 5.95
TYPEWRITERS
Typewriters
that you can
write on. Be
sure to see
these.
$1.48
T O
Telegraph Sets
Telegraph sets complete
with batteries and wire. You
can send and receive
sages with
these sets
$1.48
WAGONS
All kinds of sturdy-built wa
gons at Reasonable Prices!
98c?$4.95
Ioards 982.98
STUFFED
TOYS
Novelty stuffed animals?
Bean, Dors, Cats, Monkeys,
eta. See this fine (election.
48c ..$2 98
Electric Stoves
Can be used
for real cook
io( ? Comes
complete.
$2.98
TOY
pjanos
98 to 14.95
Toy Telephones
Attractive
Entertaining
The kiddies will
like these!
98c to 2.98
PAINT
SETS fcwv to
25c ? 98c
TINKER
TOYS
Building toys with
and without spring
motors. A real toy
(or a real Boy!
48c ? 2.951
SCOOTERS
Scooters made of
high quality ma
terials. Comes in
bright colors.
1.98J.98I
TRICYCLES I
Attractive, well
made tricycles in
all sizes.
98c u,9.95
Girls'
Sewing Sets
Attractive s e wing
sets. Complete with
doll, material, scis
sors. thread, etc.
$1.00
Boxing
Gloves
Padded
leather in
all sizes
and weights
$1.9842.98
GAMES
Bingo, Table Tennis, Tom
Sawyer, Pollyanna. Pirates
and Traveler, Robin Hood,
Three Men on a Horse, and
Snow White.
$1.00
Bingo, Table Tennis. Rub-,
ber Stamping Sets, Babble
Sets included In this lot.
48c
Hearts, Tiddledy Winks,
Stamping Sets, Moulder
Clay, Bubble Sets.
25c ~
POOL ,
!
TABLES
Large site pool tables with
two cue sticks, balls and
rack.
$7.951? $10.95
Chairs
Rocking chairs and
straight chairs. All
sizes. Some with mu
sical seats.
98c t o $7.95
DOLLS
Lovely character
dolls of all kinds.
McGuffey Ann,
I Snow White,
Dream Baby and
\ many others to
make your selec
f tlon from.
, 48c t.. 4.98
NESTED
BLOCKS
48c?98c
DOLL
TEA SETS
25c to 98c
TOY
BEADS
48c
RUBBER
BALLS
10Cto39c
| Belt - Tyler Company?WUliamston, N. C. I