WAR SOUR DAT -«n rauv THE ENTERPRISE VOLUME XLVI—NUMBER 32 OVER THE TOP FOR VICTORY UNITED STATES WAR BONOS-SUMPS =T= ff illiamston, Martin County, Morth Carolina, Turn,lay, April 20, 1913. ESTABLISHED 1899 Seventh! Men fro? County Start Active Service in the Arm' Twenty Men Accepted by th Army and Twelve Are En tering the Navy Seventeen young county whit rnen *eft early this morning for ac tive service in the armed forces, th group representing a majority c those who were accepted out of th approximately 100 men reporting t an army 'iiiuH'dion center the eari part of last week for their final phys ical examinations. Qthei^ whose ex animations were delayed or wh Were accepted for service in the Nn vy. will leave for active service fror day to day this week. Most of the men leaving toda' were married without children. Sev eral homes were temporarily brok en up by the call and a hard blow was dealt established businesses Several of the men reporting fo active service have children but the: were born after September 15, 1942 and are not recognized as a support ir.g claim for deferment. While offering a brave front or the surface, most of the young mer perhaps reflected one of the in us serious attitudes of any group t( leave this county for the service Most of the men maintained smiles on their faces, but a few tears broke over the dam and the voices were c bit shaky as they told loved ones and friends goodbye. If there was one in the group whe would even think about shirking his duty, it was not evident in their ac tions as they made ready to leave home. They hated to leave ,to be sure, but one of them said, “I want to do my bit, and I am ready to go.” Dr. W. R. Burrell, a veteran o 1 the last war and who traveled to nearly all corners of the world dur ing that conflict, was down to dis tribute Red Cross kits to the young men and bid them farewell. The crowd, however, was not as large as some that had gathered around to see the boys off, but it was all ser ious and marked by the absence of shouting and boisterous- talk. “Buy the bonds and take care of everything on the home front, and we’ll take care of the rest,” J. Paul Simpson said just as the’ bus start ed moving out. "Now that you are in the Army, about how long do you think the war is going to last?” the boys were asked. Speaking for the group, J. Paul Simpson said, “Give us a month or two to get right, about one month of action, and another month for mopping up. and it’ll all be in the bag,” the willing soldier adding that it would be only a mat ter of months if all the millions in the service would help him and the people back home would buckle down to the job at hand. The seventeen young men leav ing this morning were the first out of about 100 reporting for physical examinations the early part of last week at an Army induction center. They will be followed tomorrow by Mr. Jim Manning who goes into the service somewhat as a “Lone Ran (Continued on page six) H. M. S. Pinafore Is Well Received Here 0 - An appreciative audience witness ed the student presentation of H. M. S. thnafore, a Gilbert and Sulli van light opera, in the high school auditorium last Friday evening. Com posed largely of adults because of the special presentation of students on Friday morning, the audience en joyed the beautiful songs and scenes, many remarking that the opera was the finest program ever presented in the local school. The high school stage converted into a ship's deck, with the beauti ful painting by Emma Hall Baker and Virginia Reynolds in the back ground, furnished a fine setting for one of the most famous of the Gil bert and Sullivan works. The cast of forty-two students per formed as professionals throughout the program, and are to be com mended for their fine rendition of the difficult numbers and dramatic scenes of H.M.S. Pinafore. The lead ing characters played their roles with the skill and poise reflecting their fine training. Alberta Swain in the role of Jo sephine was outstanding, her sing ing of “Scena” or “A Simple Sailor Lowly Bom,” provoking applause from the audience. Other outstand ing solo numbers were “When I Was a Lad,” by Billy Myers, “My Gallant Crew,” by John Goff, and “I’m Call ed Little Buttercup,” by Ethel Tay lor. Chorus numbers especially well [ received were “Over the Bright Blue Sea” and “A British Tar Is a Soar ing Soul.” Among ihe uciot was Robert Cur son, leading seaman of the British Navy and frequent visitor to Wil liamston. “Bob” sang in the place of a chorus member who became too closely associated with poison ivy. Kathryn Mewbom, assisted by several high school teachers, direct ed tha. pmdiidioSk-wliich..wasthe highlight of manyTfiie Tiiu»itrarpro grams presented by Williamston stu * denis. i Uncertainty Facing-Farmers ; ATTtiey Begin Crop Planting Experiencing a late spring and all .weather, including snow, slc-et, hail, rain and wind all in the course of a few days last week, Mar - tin County farmers declare uncer tainty is staring them in the face as they launch the new crop season. In many cases early-planted corn was killed by the frost and freeze e last week, and farmers are waiting f for an opportunity to replant it. The s Insh potato crop was dealt a heavy j blow, some farmers estimating that .»• the- outlook is for hardly more that, two-thirds or three-fourths of a yield. The tops were killed back to , the ground, and while they will sprout out again, the crop will be , mostly tops with small potatoes un derneath. The fruit crop has been just about ROUND-IJP v—— ___ „ After falling to a low num ber a week ago, the round-up of alleged law violators made rapid gains to approach a low normal here last week-end. .Six persons were arrested 1 ed, and one o, two escaped the hoosegow by arranging bond. Three of those arrested and jail ed stand charged with drunken driving. Five of the six persons are white, their ages ranging from a low of 16 to a high of 69 years. Court Runs Divorce Mill After Ending Recess Here Monday —♦— Seven Separations Granted in Less Than Forty Minutes Yesterday Morning Accomplishing little as far as clear ing cases f^om the calendar was eeneem«J; the Martin County Super ior Court meeting in the second of a two weeks term for the trial of civil cases only, set a new record yesterday morning when it handl ed seven jury cases in less than for ty minutes. The traveling was slow er from there on, and by late yes terday afternoon only four addition al cases had been handled. Judge R. D. Dixon, of Edenton, succeeded Judge Clawson Williams who presided over the brief sessions during the first three days of last week. Based on two years of separation, divorces were granted to the follow ing: Julia D. Johnson against Frank Johnson. LeRoy Perkins against Almeta Perkins. Steve E. Stevenson against Flor ence Whaley Stevenson. William Blount Baker against Hat tie Baker. Estelle Stancili against Bennett Stanciil. Carrie D. Winston against Jame3 Winston. One divorce was granted on the grounds of alleged adultery in the case of D. O. Bowen against Ruby Mae Bowen. Other proceedings in the court: In the case of N. C. Green against E. M. Simmons, the plaintiff was granted a judgment in the sum of $191.02 and declared the owner of personal property valued at $12.00. The case of Howell House against the Martin County Bottling Com pany was settled by agreement. The action was brought when the plain tiff alleged that the defendant broke a contract with him. In the case of Mrs. L. E. Taylor against H. D. Taylor, administrator, the court ruled that the plaintiff was entitled to possession of a farm ac count in the sum of $2,287.64. The action was advanced on a friendly basis, and was brought to clear up a legal technicality. In the case of James T. Spencer against W. S. Gurganus, the jury found that the defendant was not negligent, and that th eplaintiff was not entitled to recover damages al leged to have resulted in a err-truck accident near the county home last year. RAINFALL r v. Heavy showers falling nearly every Saturday for several weeks up until last Saturday, boosted the rainfall up toward a normal figure for the first three months and nineteen days of this year in this section. During the period, a total of 12.21 inches fell here as compared with about 10 inches for the same period a year ago The total rain fall for last month was 4.50, the 3.30 inches so far this month being almost double the fall for the en tire month of April a year ago. Even with the heavy rains of recent days, the total fall so far this year is slightly below normal, but farmers say the iaad to plenty wet-ami. the..,., ditches are filled to overflow ing. II ie r :e n. n :e g ie y it 11 e i it | j wiped out, and there is little pros | fruit front this season. 'Die tobacco plant situation is eon sidered favorable at the present iinn but many farmers are already or r>’ing over the blue mold As fa: as it can be learned, the mold ha: not struck in this county. One re port stated that the mold had strucl but it was later learned that th< frost had bitten the plants a.hd causec them to turn brown. Reports frorr other starts anti sections toil of'fair ly heavy blue mold attacks, and far mers in this county anticipate i heavy infestation. The supply n\ plants is believed mere than ade quate to cure for all the needs ir this county, but in some scattered areas there is a shortage. ) Former Local Girl Tellsof Work with Red Cross in Africa iSs Natalie (imilil Aligned To Hospital Unit Over In North Africa Writing from somewhere in Afri ca to her niece, Miss Gloria Hay man, here, Miss Natalie Gould, former lo cal resident tells of her work with - the American Red Cross in an Army hospital. Miss Gould was first as i signed to a Red Cross clubmobile, - but she is now serving at an evacu ation hospital some 1,000 miles re r moved from her first station. > A few of the highlights in Miss r Gould’s letter: "Mr. Stevenson, head of Red Cross in all North Africa, visited tne this morning and seemed highly pleased with my work. He asked me about clubmobile work, but I decided to stay here since if I take the other I would have to go further to the rear, and the only way a woman can stay . this near the scene of action is to be I attached to a hospital... I like the. | work so much, too, and I feel that ; in this way I can do more good for those who need it most. They’re 1 keeping the post well supplied, and yesterday I got a new radio, victrola and 48 records. We get plenty of can dy, but I do want a fruit cake and some salted pecans. We are setting up a big recreation tent with a li brary, reading and writing section, game tables, ping pong tables While the walking patients are using the recreation center, I can help in the wards with the bed patients. I think I am going to get an assistant soon, and hope it will be my old friend, Mary Sternberg, who’s still back ini Algiers . . . “About seventy-five miles from here there’s an old city with a lot of Roman buildings erected in the year 100. I’m hoping to get out to see it soon . . . “Arabs wander through the grounds all during the day, bringing things to trade for clothes. Money doesn’t mean anything to them, but as soon as an American appears on the scene, they double the prices. They are a very strange tribe and I am continually amazed. The men ride burros which are heavily laden with produce, and the women always walk behind. The kids are cute and I’d like to bring a little boy home for a servant. “Saturday I washed my hair and the water is so hard that every bit of the soap stuck to my scalp. I real ly had a time until I mixed some lemonade powder with it, for » rinse, and that worked pretty well. One (Continued on page six) . ■<& Begin Passion Week Services Yesterday —— Speaking before a small but ap preciative audience on Monday morning at 10:00 in the Watts Thea ter, Rev. Robert Cogswell, supply minister of the Presbyterian Church, began the series of morning services during. Passion Week. Mr. Cogswell built his message around the cen- ! trality of the Temple in Hebrew re ligion, while Jesus Christ became the . center of the Christian religion. i Following the fine cooperative i program of religious services during Passion Week, Dr. W. R. Burrell, , pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church, preached at 8 o’clock in the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Burrell brought a searching message from the word of the cross, “My God, my God, why hast Thou Forsaken Me?” The speaker very effectively show ed the terrible cost of sin and that oardon was granted the sinner only when the Lord fully e.rpiated that sin. That God fdrgave the sinner, but not the sin. Spryirns »’i!! follow nttrh morning at the Watts Theater at 10 a. m. Eve ning services at 8 o’clock. Tuesday, Methodist Church with Rev. John L. Goff speaking; Wednesday, Epis copal Church with Rev. Lewis Schenck, of Eden ton, preaching; Thursday at the Baptist Church with Rev. B. T. Hurley, preaching; Fri day- »t- -tbs. .Chsjfii&R Church.,, with Dr. W. R. Burrell pearching. Public is iijjj^___ i Fuel oil for curing tobacco will ] be made available to farmers c who had burners installed be- I fore last December 19, according ! to direct information released ; this week by the office of Con- i gressman Herbert Bonner. It is apparent, however, that installa- i tions effected since last Decern- ‘ her 19th will not he services- t It was first announced by the i OPA that only those burners in 1 service or installed before last s July 1 would be serviced under \ the fuel oil rationing program. Congressman Bonner carried t the problem to Laurence Vass, 1 chief of the fuel oil rationing di- t vision, and had the change made to care for those burners install- i ed hit fall. i By Convention: Friday Old Board Of Towi Commissioners Aik Mayor Are Nominee —i—— (.onvotilion H.imlio- (tu^iuo in Six Minutes to Set New Record for Brevity Some less than seventy-five citi zens settled, or virtually settled, th town s politics for another two year last Friday evening when they as sembled in the courthouse and re nominated five commissioners am the mayor. Working with lightning iikt speed, the convention handle, its business, including a brief- m ceptance speech by the mayor, ii six minutes flat, or one minute les than the time required to do th same job two years ago. The pro cedurc, geared to the fast pace thi ole world is now traveling, left th. convention almost dizzy and groggy and the late-comers, meeting tin group on its way out, were puzzlei by the speed with which the pro ceedings were handled. After waiting about twelve min utes after the appointed time, Mayoi John L. Hassell opened tne conven tion and stated its business. W. C Manning was made temporary anc permanent chairman before excuse: could be heard. F. M. Manning wa: named secretary but before he coulc take a chair, the convention had al ready developed speed. The close o the convention found the skeletor minutes hardly more than half com pleted. Calling for nominations for mayor the chair recognized C. H. Godwin who offered John L. Hassell for re nomination. A quick second wa: made by Leslie T. Fowden. No oth er nominations were offered, anc the mayor was renominated by £ resounding and unanimous, vote. Th* echo of the vote had hardly died away before commissioner nomina tions were called for by the chair man. Without fan-fare and in a very few words, R. L. Coburn offered G If. Harrison, N. C. Green, L. P Lindsley, V I>. Godwin and R. T Griffin for renomination. C H. God win seconded the action. No other nominations were offered and a un animous vote was recorded for th. group. In Ins brief acceptance speech, Mayor J. L. Hassell pledged his best efforts and those of the commission ers in promoting the best interests and welfare of the town during the new two-year term of office begin ning in June. The action of the nom inating convention is subject to an election to be held on May 4 While it is possible for an independent to upset the convention’s action by "bolting” at the election, no devia tion from the old and staid political course has been recorded in recent years, and with the exception of the work of a irw pranksters the May 4 election will, in all probability, abide by the action taken at the con vention. The speed displayed by the con vention in its work was partly ex plained when it was pointed out that a special program was scheduled to get underway in the high school at B:3(J that evening. A conflict was avoided with time to spare, but sev eral of those reporting too late for the convention, declared that a pri mary would give a greater number jf citizens u better opportunity to participate in their town politics, rhere has been some talk of appeal ing to the general assembly for a legislative act creating a primary, put no action has been advanced in support of the change. -<*» Negro Is Painfully Shot Here Sunday —*— L). D. Hill, young colored man, was >ainfully but not seriously shot by Charlie Clark at the home of Book ■r T. Bridgers near the river wharf lere last Sunday afternoon. The hooting was said to have been ac ident.al, but liquor and dice are bought by police to have iiad a part n the attack. Clark, admitting that he had been Irinking, claims he was playing vith his automatic pistol when it ac identally fired, the shot striking fill in the mouth. Before Clark could hoke the pistol, a second shot was ired, the bullet striking Hill in the eg. Drunk or sober, Clark is rated n expert shot even when there is 10 intent to hit a mark. "I became terribly frightened af er the shooting and ran through the launders and Cox mill yard and to be woods ” Clark told nolire followi ng his arrest by Officer Chas. R. iloore yesterday morning. After pending part of the night in the /oods, Clark returned to his home. He was released under bond in he sum of $200, and is to appear be nre Judge J. C. Smith in the coun y court next Monday morning. Hill., reports from the hospital, is ir.proving rapidly and is expected to j eturn to his work shortly. ' l! A new basic price (or beer and meats, scheduled to have gone into effect last week, has been postponed until May 17, it was officially announced by the Of B fice of Price Administration. Taking advantage of a promis ed increase in the basic prices, dealers hiked their prices to new high levels in many parts of the country, and complaints reached the OPA office in this s county. According to an official an nouncement made this week, i dealers are without authority to boost their prices, and those i who charge more for their meats ■ mAmIwma-k are operating outside i the law and are subject to pen s allies, it was declared. Dealers will be notified of any increase in price that might ’ be allowed. ; Food Conservation Rigidly Practiced In Armed Services NOT LKGAL l'ood Checker Takes Stand at Army Mess llalis and Acts Against Waste -• Atlanta—Food checkers at Army mess halls arc the latest move in the war against waste and their theme song is—“eat what you want, but don’t let your eyes get bigger than your tummy,” it was revealed at the Quartermaster Branch, Headquar ters Fourth Service Command. A mess food checker is a cook or KP, especially detailed for the job and he watches closely as the sol diers file past to scrape their plates into the receptacle for left-overs. If he spots a GI whose plate shows too much uneaten food, he gives a short, sharp lecture to the offender and the result, officers say, is that Joe Oakes who was on the receiving end of the talk—will think twice before he again heaps his plate with more food than he can eat. Another angle is that the checker | discovers the kind of food that ap peal.; to be unpopular or more fill-! I ing, for the reason that too many plates had that item of food left. His report on this fact results m the cut ting down on the quantity of such food cooked. Waste has become a fighting word around post mess halls and while the ! home front is struggling with point ration stumps, the Army continues , to expand its program of food con- i nervation through a plan of rigid su- i pervision and education. Gone with i Sunday driving is the old system of ; issuing Army rations on the basis I of company strength. In its place is the new program of issuing food ac cording to the numbei of men act- i ually eating at the detachment mess. One of the first steps in food con servation was the checking by Army unit inspectors of company kitchens for excess stocks. This surplus was turned back to the Quartermastei and later reissued to units that were short on these particular rations. The story of coffee and canned goods has been told, but the Army cooks are bearing down harder than ever on the instructions to use can ned fruits and vegetables only when the fresh varieties are not available. As to coffee, a self-imposed ration ing of that commodity was in effect at posts and camps long before the civilians felt the pinch—if any—of a pound ever so often. It was, and is, simply this: Instead of serving coffee three times a day or 90 times a month, an Army unit mess is serv ed coffee not more than 40 times a month. Meat drippings and fats are used over and over again in cooking un til there is no value left, then they are salvaged. Conservation is recognized as pro duction’s main supporting factor. WKLL SHOD ____—> Reliable reports declare that Martin County people are bet ter shod now than ever before, one reliable authority estimat ing that on an average there are two pairs of wearable shoes for every person in the county. Mr. O. L. Willard, shoe shop opera tor, stated yesterday that he and his force had worked night and day repairing shoes since the rationing program was started, that they could hardly catch up with their work even after closing the front door one day each week. The shoes may not be new, but in most cases they are as serviceable as new ones. With summer approaching, the prob lem will be solved for the lit tle tots and older ones too, in some cases when they start go ing barefooted. t I r c f V h t t; a P n IV tl n P d t; ei t( o tl ai B P N is o: ir fc P o' 31 o: tl ti u o h e tl i< h w TT ti tj ■ftHritdeSvS Bombing Attack Continues In l uoiiLo? ^r^r£i!a_ ! otul of I 12 \xis Planes Shot Dowu in Mediterranean Area in Three Days Apparently paving the way for a !ana attack. Allied air forces are fighting a fierce battle in the Med iterranean air and relentlessly lihmb mrny positions in -^inisiaf With the exception of fierce attacks in the Caucasus area, land fighting on most all fronts is at a sta ndstill to day The extensive activity in the air would seem to indicate that fierce battles on land are in the making. Just when the final round will come in Tunisia is believed not far away, / observers advancing the belief that the last round will be a costly one but that it will mark the end for the iTTcflrt'WPPRln'o talk of an at tempt by Hitler to rescue some of his men in Tunisia, that some techni cians have already been flown out. But apparently Rommel and Von Ar men have reached no final decision as to whether to fight it out to the last man as Von Paulus’ men did at Stalingrad or " ry another run for cover. Upon that decision the length of the last round of the Tunisian bat tle rests. If Rommel attempts to run again, some observers believe the battle will be over within three or four weeks. If a last-ditch fight is ordered, the battle is subject to last seven or eight weeks. In either case, a costly battle is expected. The Afri can campaign has been supported principally by tanks, but the enemy is entrenched in the mountains where tanks are of little value, and the infantry is at the mercy of the enemy’s strong positions. The exten sive bombing attacks apparently are designed to relieve that situation and soften the way for the infantry. The air war in the Mediterranean area has caused Von Arnim to cry to Berlin for relief. Yesterday, Allied air forces shot down 24 more Ger man planes, boosting the total to 142 in the past three days. Seventy of the number were large transports and some of them were loaded with Hitler’s technical men. Allied losses ivere small in comparison. The over ill count since March 20 places Ax „s plane losses at 1,600 as compared A’ith 200 lost by the Allies. Adolf Hitler, observing his 54th jirthday today, escaped bomb greet ng:; from the Allies, bad weather laving grounded the big bombers. 3erlir> later went off the air, indi ating that an attack by light bomb >rs was in the making. A small German spearhead, driv ng into Russian lines in the Cauca ius, was flattened out in “arly fight ng today, and fighting in the Ku >an sector continues at a fierce pace. On the other far-flung fronts, the American air force is pounding the nemy. On Sunday seventeen tons if bombs were dropped on Kiska in he Aleutians, and over in Burma i railway center and oil dump at langoon were wrecked. Navy Enlistments Now Wide Open -m It is now possible for men between lie ayes of 18 and 38. who previous / were prohibited from volunteer ig for any service, to enlist in the levy’s Seabees. The Seabees are (imposed of men skilled in every hase of construction—and the Na y guarantees each applicant that e will follow his chosen trade in re construction battalions. Most men are enlisted with pet r officer ratings in the Seabees, rid, after a 30-day indoctrination eriod, they are assigned to some aval base on a construction project, lucb of the duty is foreign duty. As a Seabees petty officer, a adesman draws up to $126 per lonth base pay—plus all living ex cises, clothing and allowances for ■pendents. Ratings up to chief pet ■ officer are awarded at time of llistment. All men in this area who are in rested in the Seabees are urged to itain three work references from ieir present and previous employer, id to make application to the New ern sub station. Government trans lation will be furnished from ew Bern to Raleigh when applicant sent in for interview. Lt. Dietrich, Navy Engineering Corps will be Raleigh on April 28th and 29th r the purpose of interviewing ap icants and assigning ratings. General service is open to 17-year ds, and to men between the ages of 1 and 50. Recruiter C. M. Pollard, : the New Bern sub-station, said iat the Navy has opened its 50-odd ade schools wide to the young vol lteers, and a special effort is be rr r«nd9 to 1 irst qe m^nY 17-veRr ds as possible. Once the youngster ns reached his 18th birthday, how ler, he must enter the service irough his draft board, and his el ibility to volunteer for the Navy is expired. The Navy has urgent need for all omen who can qualify for enlist ent in Waves and Spars s« that iey may release a man for sea du