* ________ NEARLY 4.000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY Aim TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN THE ENTERPRISE NEARLY 4.000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN VOLUME XLVIII—NUMBER 70 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, September /, 1915. ESTABLISHED 1899 First In Series Of LicfoorCasas Heard In County's Court Other Defendant* Rvmtvdetl Up By Officers During Past Few Days f 1 * 4 Harvey Perkins, one of a number of alleged liquor law violators caught in a drag net laid by State and county ABC officers during re cent weeks, appeared before Judge J. Calvin Smith in the Martin Coun ty Recorder’s Court yesterday and asked that his case be called imme diately. The request was granted, and Perkins pleaded guilty. He was fined $100 and taxed with the court costs, the judge directing the de fendant to burn up his liquor book and have no illegal or legal “spirits” in his possession during the next twelve months. Perkins was scheduled to have been tried along with fifteen or twenty other defendants in the coui t next Monday. After rounding up a number of alleged violators last Wednesday and Thursday, officers pulled in several others over ihi week-end as a re sult of investigations made some weeks ago by State ABC enforce ment officers. At the same time, County ABC Enforcement Officer J. H. Roebuck was gathering up the loose ends and pulled in several al leged violators as a result of his own direct operations. Same Moore and Mercedie Moore, charged with possessing illicit liquor for the purpose of sale and equip ment for the purpose of carrying on the illegal business, were arrested last Saturday. Moore's brother, just recently returned from the army for a furlough, came up from Dardens yesterday morning and claimed that the liquor belonged to him. A war rant was prepared for him, the ac tion complicating the case a bit. Nehemiah Moore stands charged with possessing one-half gallon of illicit liquor for sale. In the State-county ABC round up, the following cases were booked since last Friday: Ed Briley, facing two counts, is charged with selling a pint of illicit liquor on May 27 for $4.00. On June 7 he stands charged with selling an other pint, but he dropped the price to $3.50. Gatsy Harrell, facing another charge, is alleged to have had in her possession and did sell on August 25 a pint of legal liquor for $5.00. Clara Bell Moore was booked for the alleged sale of a pint of illicit li quor for $4.00. Henderson Woolard, it is alleged, sold one-half gallon of illicit liquor for $15. ”Tne?o!TiT was”.ifSRgWW.'ftftutC afternoon yesterday, and there is some doubt if it can handle the bootleggers’ convention in a single day next Monday. -- Two Painfully Hurt In Highway Mishap Mrs. J. J. Carson and Mrs. W. H. ! Rogerson, both of Bethel, were pain- j _ fully but believed not seriously hurt ^ in an automobile accident a few miles north of Oak City last Satur day night about 9:15 o’clock. Mrs. Carson was cut over one eye and suffered a leg injury. Mrs. Rogerson suffered a knee injury. W. H. Roger son and Nathan Hyman, colored man of near Hobgood, other parties in the accident, were not hurt, according to reports reaching here. Hyman, traveling toward Hob good, ran off the hard surface and • when he drove back in*' the high way he crossed the center line and crashed into the car being driven by M». Rogerson. Highway patrolmen, investigating the accident, estimated that damage done to the Rogerson car at $300 and that to the Hyman car at $250. Hyman was charged with reckless driving. f Farmer Specializes In Country Hams And Apples It is generally agreed among the few people privileged to eat one of Mr. Willie Gurganus’ cured hams that they are among the best, but it was not known that he aspired to honors when it comes to raising ap ples until last week. Mr. Willlie brought in any number of beautiful apples to the Enterprise office and four of the largest ever seen locally grew from the same stem. PRISONERS _ -/ Applications for prisoners of war to assist farmers with their 1945 peanut harvest will be re ceived in the office of the county farm agent in the agricultural building nest Monday, Septem ber 10, it was announced this week. At a meeting in the agricultur al building this week, officials and county agents will work out allotments for the various coun ties in this section. Until then the number of prisoners to be made available cannot be learned. It is thought, however, that the num ber will be limited. Glutted Leaf Markets Await Resumption Of 'Todacco Sales' —-—A... TotiHf "o i nii^n ii med with tobacco during the long holiday week-end. are sw'aiting the resumption of sales tomorrow with little assurance that the glut report ed in the factories has been cleared to any appreciable extent. In ac cordance with the sales card sched ule, no sales were held yesterday, and in further accordance with an order issued by the Bright Belt Warehouse Association following a meeting in Raleigh last Saturday, no sales were held on any of the mar kets today. A four-day selling week has been ordered for the next several weeks, but there is some doubt if the lopping off of Monday from the sales week will solve the marketing prob lem. Before sales were concluded last wreek, farmers wrere delivering to bacco in large quantities, waiting pa 'tarforf fives to clear the floors s put on their offerings. It is conser vatively estimated that well over one million pounds of the leaf are on local warehouse floors today, that it will take remainder of the week to clear the present block. The block has backfired to many packhouses where the farmers reasoned that it would be better to keep their tobac co ungraded for a while. However, grading is being continued possibly in a majority of cases, and it is like ly that the present glut will be con tinued for several weeks. Despite >he heavy deliveries and overflowing houses and factories, prices continued to hold firm on the local market. Last Friday, 281,620 pounds were sold for an average of $44.15. Total sales through that day were reported at 2.101.798 pounds. Town Authorities Discuss Numerous Topics Last Night —*— Serious Housing Shortage Is Seen In Appeal For Rooms In Town Hall Meeting with barely a quorum last evening, the local town commis sioners discussed a varied list of topics ranging from the housing shortage to street lighting and a postwar improvement program. The seriousness of the housing shortage here was bared when an applicant, explaining that he was to be moved into the streets today, asked that he and his wife be allow ed to occupy two rooms on the third floor of the town hall. Arrangements were ordered made to relieve the family’s plight temporarily, at least. Appearing before the board, build ers of the Dixie Peanut Company sought the cooperation of the town in providing within reason adequate fire protection for the new properties on Washington Street. A license was denied a fortune teller to set up business on Lindsley’s Washington Street property. Plead ing through Rocky Mount and local attorneys, the applicant declared that $100 rent had already been paid. ; The commissioners called for bids for rebuilding and modernizing the town’s 17-year-old fire truck. Laws governing the control of building and repairing buildings in the fire district were reviewed, the i board expressing the opinion that ■‘HiJ’.TMihc-iJg ' i.'1"!'. >01, and where any action would increase the fire hazard and cause insurance rates to increase. Mrs. J. G. Staton proposed in a let ter a number of needed improve ments for the postwar period. Among them was the need for a traffic j light at the corner of Main and ;Ilaughton Streets. It was also point ed out that there was too much j noise in town, the writer mentioning | the ice plant engine exhaust and ex plaining that big trucks interrupted conversations. “Too many drinking cups are be ing thrown on the streets,” she add (Continued on page six) -« Five Divorce Cases Started In August Five divorce cases, all based on two years of separation were filed in the Martin County Superior Court during the month of August. Pos- | sibly more divorce cases are pending trial in the court in this county than at any other time. Divorces were filed as follows: Cora Barnes against Ernest Barnes. Ruth May Nichols against Octavius Nichols. James L Martin against Emma R. Martin. William Henry Dempsey against Janie Dempsey. Alice Roebuck against Jasper Roe buck. -®-— Office Switching To Peacetime job Since all war manpower controls have been removed, the United States Employment Service will de vote more time to the developing of job opportunities and in placing workers on peace time jobs, giving special attention to returning veter ans. The Williamston Office of the United States Employment Service is prepared to offer full employment service to all employers and workers in the Williamston Office area which includes Martin and Bertie Counties. Mrs. Alvis R. Jordan, manager of the Williamston office, expressed ap preciation for the fine spirit of co operation shown by the employers, workers and gencnl public during the war emergency period and in vites the employers, workers and general public tc make full use of the facilities offered by the service in the reconversion and peace time program. TRAFFIC INCREASE v “We saw more traffic on the highways in this county last Sun day night than at any other time during the ten years we have been here,” Cpl. W. S. Hunt of the highway patrol, said yester day morning. It was pointed out that the volume of traffic was heavy on the town streets, main highways and even on the secondary roads. •‘Mott of the traffic was moving within the 35-mile speed limit,” the officer said. Increase Noted In Marriage Licenses Issued Last Month —*— Issuance Is LarfiCKl For Any August In More Ilian Fifteen Years After fluctuating during most of :he war period, the number of mar riage licenses reflected a marked trend upward last month to set a lew record for August, certainly a lew record for the past fifteen-year period. In August last year, only ten licenses were issued in this county, me to white and nine to colored :ouples The issuance last month was the third largest reported in the rounty so far this year, indicating that there is a definite trend from wui actirURi’j.'atic issues. Licenses last month were issued, five to white and fourteen to color ed couples, by Register of Deeds Sam Getsinger, as follows: White Samuel D. Jenkins and Marjorie James, both of Robersonville. Robert L. Delenbaugh, of Peoria, 111., USN, and Sybil M. Roberson, of Jamesville. Coy Joseph Smithwick and Ruby Partin Windham, both of Windsor. Mack G. Roberson, USN, of Wil liamston RFD 2, and Helen L. House, of Robersonville. Charles J. Black, U. S. Merchant Marine and Washington, N. C., and Juanita Scott Walker, of Washing ton, N. C Colored Wallace T. Purvis and Agnes Smith, both of Robersonville. Henry E. Gray and Margaret Wright, both of Oak City. Charles David Fuller and Chris tine Edwards, both of Williamston. William Rogers and Bernice Brown, both of RFD 1, Hobgood. Shade Benton and Goldie Hyman, both of Everetts. Jonah Oscar Clemmons, Jr., and Mary Clark, both of Williamston. David Wallace, Jr., of Everetts, and Mary Iola Rogers of RFD 3, Wil liamston. Melvin Higgs and Marie Armston, both of RFD 1, Hobgood. Louis Bond and Josie Harrell, both of Williamston. Jimmie A. Keel, of Robersonville, and Bettie May Durrham, of RFD, Robersonville. James Russell Bigggs and Verna Mae Lee, both of Williamston. Dallas Whitley and Emma Wil liams, both of RFD 3, Williamston. Joseph James and Lucy Lee, both of Wiiliamston. James Leathers, Jr., and Sarah Lucy Green, both of Oak City. -6 County Farmer Has Bad Luck Recently Janies Leathers, colored farmer living in Goose Nest Township near the Edgecombe boundary, has ex perienced ill luck and severe revers es during the past two or three weeks. I the farmer tost his wife about i three weeks ago. The following ; week, some one broke into hi' s— oke ; house and carried away every pound ' of his meat. Early last week his packhouse, containing just about all the tobacco harvested from three and one-iialf acres, was destroyed by fire. His packhouse was insured for I $200 and his tobacco for $1,200. Downward Trend In Scho o 1 Enrollment Cheeked In County Attendance In County’s Ten Whits Schools 16 Short Of Three Thousand -s The downward trend in enroll ment figures experienced in Martin County’s ten white schools apparent ly has been checked, according to vir tually complete reports coming through the office of the county sup erintendent Monday. The latest re port from the officials shows that 2,984 pupils enrolled in the ten white schools last Thursday for the new term, 2,479 in the elementary and 505 in the high schools. At least six t of the ten schools reported slight in creases in their opening-day enroll ment figures, while losses in the others were very small. The school family shows a gain of 44 over the opening-day count, a year ago, and is now just 16 short of 3,000. Enrollment figures are being boosted in several of the schools as the term progresses, and it is be lieved that the trend upward will be fairly steady and reasonably s'17. able during the next few weeks. No comparison of the enrollment figures for the two years by depart ments is to be had since some of the schools last year counted the eighth grade as a high school unit and others recognized it as a part of the elementary department. A review of the 1945-46 term en rollment, showing the opening-day figures by elementary and high school grades with totals for this year and last, follows: Jamesville Farm Life W’mston R’ville Gold Point Oak City Rear Grass Everetts Hamilton Hassell Ele. II. S. 349 60 Totals 1945 1944 409 427 152 665 342 43 244 240 221 155 68 32 125 152 98 38 184 790 494 43 342 278 221 155 68 191 769 477 42 350 275 212 143 66 2479 505 2984 2940 Commenting on the operations dur ing the first few days of the term, Superintendent J. C. Manning and Miss Lissie Pearce, supervisor of ele mentary schools, stated that while they were hardly normal, the open ing was very successful. A few teacher positions remain unfilled, but all classes were met either by substitute teachers or by teachers ac cepting double assignments. The book shortage in some of the grades is causing some trouble, and complete relief is not to be expected hardly before late November or cgr'y-giftswsfenr,. Old texts will be us ed until the new ones are received, the school officials explaining that the printers simply could not meet the demand before that time. For the present, all but the Wil liamston school are maintaining an abbreviated schedule, opening at 8:30 a. m. and closing at 1:30 p. m. In Wil liamston, full schedules are being maintained, and other schools are ex.. pected to adopt it shortly. The last, of the teacher positions was filled in the local school yes terday when Miss Ruth Newton of Oxford joined the high school facul ty. A graduate of Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, Miss Newton taught in the Granville County Schools for several years. She will teach one of the eighth grade sections and will be at home with Mrs. H. L. Swain. Applications for positions in other schools are being received and facul (Continued on page six) -0 Intangible Taxes Amount To Over $6,000 Last Year -a. Intangible taxes, assessed and col lected by the North Carolina State Department of Revenue, and turned into the Martin County treasury amounted to $6,018.56 for the year ending last June 30. In the previous year, the intangible tax received bjT< the county amounted to $4,292.07. THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . With the lifting of gas ration ing and even before the speed limit was raised, the scene of destruction and Ki'ling and maiming was apparently shifted from the battlefield to American highways. Two persons were killed and two others were in jured on the highways in this county over the week-end. Highway deaths Labor Day were double those a year ago. While the accident count trails that for the first 35 weeks of 1944, the record so far this year shows a trend that is more dead ly and costly. The following tabula* ins of fer a comparison of the accident trend: first, by corresponding weeks in this year and last and for eacn year to the present time. Thirty-fifth Week Accidents Inj’d Killed Dam’gc 1945 3 2 2 $ 600 1944 100 200 Comparisons To Date 1945 43 20 5 9350 1944 45 23 1 8050 Two Killed on County Roads Over Week-end -. — ■- • -- Drivers Of Death Cars Face Charges In Superior Court -$ Lin