North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ JBY OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK -1! . __'...I volume; xlix—number 51 Williatnston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, June 25, 1916 ESTABLISHED 1899 Dixie Peanut Co. Plant Damaged By Fire On Saturday j —*— Fire Con fined To Small Area lint Water Floods Most of Two Floors Starting on the first floor near a partition dividing the engine room and the peanut hull mill, fire did considerable damage to Inc Dixie Peanut Company plant here lust Saturday afternoon. No official estimate could be had im mediately, but the loss will run possibly several thousand dollars, including damage done by water. When discovered the fire had burned up a wall to the ceiling on the second story. The mill closed down at noon and no one was m the plant for an hour or more be fore several persons saw smoke leaking out the ventilator pipes. The office of the Williamston Lumber Company was notified and the lumber company’s man ager, Dean Speight, turned in the alarm. Just before the fire de partment volunteers reach there with their fire-fighting equip ment, the plant’s automatic sprinkler system went into opera tion and pushed the fire to one corner where it continued to burn its way on toward the top of the high four-story structure. Pull ing a hose line inside the build ing lo the second floor, firemen brought the fire under control there and moved back to the first floor and cheeked the spread of the fire in the engine room. The automatic sprinkler system spilled several tons of water in the plant, and large quantities of shelled peanuts, peanut hull meal and a few farmers’ stock peanuts were wet and damaged. No great damage it is believed, resulted to the machinery, but possibly some of the bells were damaged. In surance companies were notified, and adjusters were due to arrive Monday afternoon. After the plant closed for the day at noon, several workers re mained in the plant to clean up. Possibly an hour or more before the fire was discovered they smelled smoke. A complete in spection of the plant was made from top to bottom, and finally they reach the conclusion that one of tin- shaft boxes had run hot, that since the plant had suspend ed operations there was no dan ger. The fire started under the main electric switchboard panel and right close to a trash can, the manage merit stating that it was difficult to say just how the fire caught. The plant was out of operation Monday while workers finished cleaning up the mess, and it will be Wednesday or possibly later in the wci k before normal opera tions can be resumed. It was pro (Continued on page six) Opening Market Dates Mentioned According to rumors heard here over the week-end, the Tobacco Association of the United States will be asked when it meets in Raleigh this week to consider op ening the tobacco markets in this belt on or about August 15. It was also rumored thatthe Asso^ elation will be asked t^TWit sales for the first two weeks from about one and one-half to two hours daily. It was pointed out that by open ing the markets in this belt on or about the 15th it will head off the movement of tobacco from areas V) V i he boidei to t ,V j ■>'" there whieh open a few weeks ahead of this belt. There is no assurance that the request will be recognized. Martin Countv’s general tax rate fo rthe 1946-47 fiscal year has been tentatively fix ed at $1.05 per $100 property valuation, it was announced following an all-day discus sion of the budget figures last Thursday. The proposed rate is unchanged from the figure in effect for the cur ( rent vear, it was pointed out. Budget figures will be pub lished within the next few days, and formal adoption of the rate will be delayed for at least three weeks. TENTATIVE Meeting To Discuss Plans For Tobacco Referendum — Meeting in the county court house Thursday afternoon of this week at 2:00 o'clock, farm leaders and other interested persons will discuss plans for supporting the tobacco acreage control referen dum to be held on Friday, July 12, in this and all other bright tobac co producing counties. Questions involved in the ref erendum will be placed before the meeting for detailed discussion, it was announced. “The referen dum will decide whether acreage allotments for flue-cured tobacco are to be continued. Two proposi tions will be placed before the growers in the referendum, one provides for quotas for the year 1947 only, and the other plan pro vides for the maintenance of quotas for three years, 1947, 1948 and 1949. The growers may ac cept either plan or reject one or both of them. Under the law ere i ating quotas, the proposal must 'have the support of two-thirds of I those participating in the refer endum, | The federal government is no | longer acting as agent for foreign ' governments in purchasing tobac jeo, and it has been pointed out that future loans may be neces sary as a protection against dras tic price declines, that without marketing quotas there will be no ! government support of tobacco prices through loans. Several Martin County farmers, questioned during the past few days, were heartily in favor pf continuing marketing quotas, but no opinions have come from those arease where acreage has been more or less limited by the con trol program. The meeting Thursday after noon is open to the general public and all farmers and other inter est persons arc urged to attend. ROUND-UP There was very little ac tivity on the crime front in this county last week-end, county and state officers re porting: only three arrests during the period. Two persons were arrested and placed in the county jail for public drunkenness and one was booked for an as sault. The ages of the three rang ed from 32 to 54 years. Twt of the three arrested and jail ed were white men. Hungry Children Foraging Around For Bite To Eat —«—— Outbreaks of Bri^aiuiage Are Reported In Several Slriekeu Countries -1> As Europe continues a long struggle against hunger and threatened mass starvation, bands of children roam the streets, for lornly seeking food. Hunger pro vokes outbreaks of child brigand age in Italy and Hungary. “In Hungary 30,000 derelict or small children stand without any aid. Babies are dying for want of milk ...” This story of the widespread peril to children was told to a Boston newspaperman in an in terview at New York last week by Dr. Georges Thelin of Switzer land, General Secretary of the Save the Children International Union. Dr. Thelin, who holds the Order of Merit from the Finnish Red Cross, recounted figures from early this year which add up to overwhelming tragedy. “In Buda pest, Hungary, 60,000 babies have no milk,’’ he said. “ ... In Milan, Italy, 14,000 derelict children are left to forage in the streets. . . . 2,500,000 small Poles need food and clothing. . . . About 32 per cent of 25,700 children in Vienna are underfed, 30 percent to a dan gerous degree. ... In Albania 70, 000 children are undernourish Behind tjiese statistics aie stories of individual heartbreak in the lives of Europe's youngest war sufferers. Dr. Thelin told of new-born babies swathed in pap er, and of families who spent win ter months in rooms with card board windows. “A little girl stole' a baby in order to set* ns clothing to buy food.” Children roam tltp streets in search uf food “and do not disdain any illegal means to get it.” These children are confused and “not only bodily, but men tally starving, in want of love and care, of parents and a home,” said Dr. Thelin. Welfare of children, however, has become a No. 1 concern in the hearts of many of the world s people. Dr. Thelin told how many people and many nations are mar shalling their resources for aid. "In every country they are do ing their utmost to help their own,” he declared. "Relief com mittees are at work and have been all during the war.” , In addition, many European families are taking even the chil dren of foreign countries into (Continued on page six) To Open Freezer Loeker Plant On Or About July 15 -« Manager Returns From Seliool Where He Re ceived Training Plans arc being made for open ing the freezer locker plant, in Williamston on or about July 15, Manager Claude J. Goodman an nounced this week. First delayed by building material shortages, construction work is now nearing completion, and now the opening; is being held up pending the de livciy of certain parts of the re frigerating equipment, the man ager explained. "It is not certain that all the equipment will reach here in time for the workmen to complete the installation, but we have been promised that every thing possible will be done to make the opening possible on or about that date,” Mr. Goodman said. The building, located on North Haughton Street near the corner of Grace Street, has been closed in and most of the interior work has been completed. Several hun dred or most of the approximate ly 600 leakers in the plant have been rented already, and judging frum reports of operations carried on by other lockers in various parts of the state the supply of lookers will hardly be adequate here to meet the demand. Returning a few days ago from Lumberton where he received special training for six weeks in the operation and management of a freezer locker plant, Mr. Good man expressed the opinion that the plant here Would prove very advantageous for the farmers and meet the needs of the general public. Activities at the Lumber ton plant are humming every day, Mr. Goodman explained. He add ed that possibly 1,000 additional looters could be rented there in less than one week. Mr. Goodman brought back small quantities of peaches and other fruits and vegetables that had been in the lockers there for two years. All of them were in good-order, and equalled fruit di the orchard. -an New Sugar Stamp For Canning July 1 —«— Housewives will get more can ning ..sugar...July 1 when spitre stamp 10 becomes valid for five pounds, Theadore S. Johnson, State OPA Director, said today. Johnson explained that this is the iinal stamp of the year for canning sugar, as no easing of the sugar situation is expected before 1947. Although it is expected that 750,000 tons of sugar will be avail able this year for home canning 1 sugar, compared with 500,000 tons during 1945, Johnson urged housewives not to use spare stamp - 10 unless the sugar is actually 1 needed for home canning. < A recent report was circulated :hat coffee stamp 49 had become ' valid forjsugar purchases, but this ( s completely erroneous, Johnson < said. Spare stamp 49 became 1 jood on May 1, and the next regu- 1 ar stamp for table sugar will not i ne valid until September 1, he i ■aid. i Propose Drafting 19-Year-Olds And Leaving Youths Compromise Carries High er Pay For Men In The Armed Forres -« The wishy- washy draft law was bent and twisted again last week when conferees of the House and Senate agreed to draft 19-year old and exempt 18-year-olds and then moved to pacify the mili tarists by offering higher pay to members of the armed forces. The agreement reached by the conferees provides for a 50 per cent base in the pay of buck pri vates over war-time pay rates on up to a 10 percent increase for the highest officers. The increased cost, it is estimated, will run around $632,000,000. The con ferees agreed that Selective Ser vice should end next March 31. There is the possibility that non-fathers between the ages of 19 and 40 years, inclusive, will be subjected to the draft with few exemptions to be allowed. It is proposed now to maintain an Army of 1.070,000 men, in addi tion to 558,000 men for the Navy and 108,000 foi the Marine Corps. The conference report is yet to go before the House and Senate as groups, but if the common prac tice is maintained the two branch es of the legislature will accept the report and enact the new draft law. A last-ditch fight was waged against the draft. Senator Robert M. LaFollette, Jr., of Wisconsin, published a powerful editorial in his newspaper, “The Progressive.” “If w'e are ever going to get rid of the military hang over of war,” La Follctte said, “now is the time to cut loose from conscription and begin to build a voluntary army. “The arguments made for* this extension of the draft can be made again for a permanent peacetime draft. “Congress should be laying the g;oundwork now for a peacetime program—not a postponement of the issue for a year. "I am not willing to admit that we cannot have an adequate army by voluntary enlistments.” La Follctte proposed pay in creases for enlisted men as one means of encouraging volunteers to join the army. The Senate House conferees have adopted this idea, but have also “okayed” pay boosts for officers, although far more than enough of them have applied for regular jobs in the army. "Conscription News,” publish ed by anti-militarists, pointed out last week that, every time the draft extension has come up in Congress, an “international crisis” was “built up” by administration officials, newspapers and radio commentators. “The object, of course, was to scare Congress and the people. Another of the favorite argu ments is that army life is good for the morals and discipline of young men. A blow at that notion was struck last week by Con gressman William H. Stevenson (Rep., Wis.). He read to the House a letter from It. S. Cowie, a Ci'cuit Court judge it) Wisconsin. Cowie declared that judges everywhere “have seen boys go to army and navy training camps, fr<>n*cd many of them on their return. “To be taught the fine arts of murder as a substitute for govern ment by law; to be herded to gbther with hundreds of thous ands of boys on the brink of man hood, without the social contacts and home ties they sorely need at mat age, does not breed character nor respect for the opposite sex, lor regard for law arid order.” Name Director For Music Department n_ $ Miss Mary Honri Wolfe, of shelby, was recently elected to lead the public school music de lartment in the local schools, it vas announced this week by the ocal committee’s chairman, Rob Tt L. Coburn. Miss Wolfe was graduated in mice and public school music by Jreensboro College with the class if 1946. A native of Charlotte, diss Wolfe comes to the schools i lere with "about the best recom nnedations ever presented by nyone," a member of the com- i nittee was quoted as saying. j Relief Fund For Needy Boosted to •/ Episcopal Group Raises Ami Reports $71.83 Over Week-eml -m— The fund raised in this com munity under the direction of the local Lions Club, H. P. Mobley, chairman, for the starving in for eign lands was boosted to nearly $1,500 last weekend when the Wo man’s Auxiliary of the Church of the Advent raised and reported $71.05 and other individuals con tributed $28.00. The fund has raised to date, $1,465.97, leaving very little territory that has not been solicited. Contributions not previously re ported are, as follows: Mrs. W. G. Staton, $10; Mrs. W. I. Skinner, $5; Mrs. Reg Simpson, $4; Mrs. Victor Champion, $5; Mrs. J. H. Saunders, $1; Mrs. Daisy Purvis, $1; Mrs. S. R. Biggs, $2; John Pope, Jr., $2; Miss Anna Crawford, $1; Mr. and Mrs, Ellis Malone, 50c; Ben E. Manning, $1; Jack Mobley, $1; Mrs. M. S. Moore, $1; Mrs. J. I). Page, $1; Miss Elizabeth Parker. $1; W. K. Parker, $5; Dr. and Mrs. J. S. Rhodes, Jr., $5; Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Andrews, $1; Mr. and Mrs. F. U. Barnes, $5; Mis. P. H. Brown, $1.50; Mr. and Mrs. Earl Wynne, $1; Mrs. T. S. Critcher, $1; Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Hardy, $5; Mrs. L. T. Fowden, $1; Mrs. C. H. Godwin, Jr., 50c; Mrs. Frank Hitch, $1; (Continued on page six) Assistant Agent Reports July 1st —g.— Mr. D. W. Brady this week ac ccptcd tlic position of second as sistant to llio Martin County farm agent and plans to report for ac tive duty tlie first of next month, U, hay Fvrgerson, district agent, announced Graduating in animal hus bandry from Stati' College, Ral eigh, with the class of 1942, Mr. Brady entered the armed forces and served as a captain in the Army in both the European and Pacific theaters of war, returning just a short time ago from a six months stay on Okinawa. A native of Carthage, Moore County, Mr. Brady and Mrs. Brady and their three-year-old child are making their home in LaGrange. He was here yester day locking for a home or an apartment, and will locate his family here just as soon us he can find living quarters. The new assistant agent, while handling all general assignments will center his work on livestock, it was pointed out. by Mr. Ferger son. L. W. Cone, first assistant agent, is centering his activities with the 4-H club members and their programs. -* National Relit Cut During This Year —•— A considerable cut in the na tional debt has been made during the present year, the United States Treasury announced. Re ductions so far announced total 900,000, of which $3,854** 000,000 is to be retired by June, The March June reduction will drive the debt down to the vicin ity of $209,000,000,000 for a reduc tion of around 4 percent from the record high set February 28. The eleven-year reductions after the last war dropped the debt from $25,482,000,000 on June 30, iOili, to $18,185,000,000 on June 30, 1930, a reduction of more than 35 per cent. ■ -.-- . - Search Abandoned For Missing Men -—S>-' The United States Navy has given up the search for 1.B66 of its Tien missing in the Pacific. The Navy department said trie search vas abandoned only after planes ind shore parties scrutinized ■very piece of land in the Pacific irea. Searches still will go on in Indo-Cbina and in Java and other Netherlands East Indies isles un ler the supervision of the govern nents of those areas. On the miss ng roster are 1,478 men of the lavy, 105 marines and 83 coast ;uardsmen. County Liquor Sales Higher Last Quarter Total Of $2,737,550 Spent For Liquor Since July, 1935 -1 Salon Lanl Quarter $66, 437.30 larger Than One Year Ago - ■ <K Despite shortages Martin Coun ty people spent $66,437.30 more for legal liquor in the first three months of this year than they did in the corresponding period of 1945, according to an official audit pust recenlty released by the Al coholic Beverages Control Board, V. J. Spivey, chairman. A total of $182,421.70 was spent in the four stores at Williamston, Rober sonville, Oak City and Jamesville, boosting the amount of sales handled since the stores were opened in July, 1935, to nearly two and three quarter million dollars. Sales in the first three months of this year were the second larg est reported for any quarter since the stores were opened, trailing those of last October, November and December by $35,249.95. At the same time they were $157, 146.74 greater than those reported in the corresponding months, ten years ago. When beer, wine and illicit liquor sales are added, the first quarter strong beverage sales, it is estimated, will approxi mate possibly one-third of a mil lion dollars. A review of the audit shows that of the $182,421.70 spent for liquor during the first quarter of this year, $132,714.11 went to the distillers. Of the $49,707.59 gross profits, $5,412,06 went for operat ing expenses, leaving a net profit, plus discounts, of $45,081.22, or 24 percent of the total. The profits made last quarter were divided as follows: Martin County, $21,294.27; Town of Wil liamston, $2,916.19; Town of Rob ersonville, $1,271,72; Town of Oak City, $611.69; Town of Jnmcsillc, $523,97; Reserve for law enforce ment, $2,957.54; and State of North Carolina, $15,505.84. The ABC Board now has assets in the amount of $81,783.49, in cluding $48,455.05 in cash and $33,328.44 in assets. Liabilities are listed: $23,736.50 accounts payable, $26,617.84 due county and downs, $19,429.15 in law en forcement reserve, and $12,000.00 surplus. The $5,412.06 operating ex penses were listed: direct store, $3,299.14, and administrative and general, $2,112.92. Net profit from the operation of the four stores for the correspond ing quarters in 1945 and 1946 is reviewed, us follows: 1945 1946 Williamston $13,721.75 $24,387.42 R’b'sonville 6,220.67 10,946.85 'Oak City 2,913.75 5,222.06 Jamesville 2,582.43 4,524.89 Totals $25,438.60 $45,081.2 Sales for the same two quarter: by stores: W'mston $ 61,040.95 $ 96,894.4 R’ville ... 28,994.00 45,315.6 OakCity^l3,673.80 21,383 6 TW8T?ne®l^^,275.65 16,826.1 Totals $115,984.40 $182,421.' A revietv of liquor sales an profits, by quarters, from the tin: (Continued on page six) Woman’s Club To Install Officers Holding its last meeting until next fall, the local Woman’s Club will install several new officers this evening at 8:00 o’clock, the president, Mrs. P. B. Cone, an nounced yesterday. Mrs. George Harrison, treasur er, Mrs. Josephine Holding and Miss Irene Tetterton, recording and corresponding secretaries, re spectively, are the new officers. Mrs. Cone is to serve another year as head of the club along with Mrs. Asa Crawford as first , vice president and Mrs. J. D. Page as second vice president. Other business will be handled it the meeting and the officers ire anxious to have as many , members as possible attend and participate in the program. HARVEST The annual harvest of to bacco got off to an early start in this county last Tuesday when Farmer Walter Gard ner and a neighbor pulled and barned about three hundred sticks of sandlugs. According to reports, the curing “turned out’’ fairly good. The tobac co, taken from about three acres, was transplanted in late April. Several farmers in the county, including F. C. I'd mondson of Ilassell and Ed ward "Shorty” Corey, are harvesting the first of their crop today. Others plan to start the harvest this week, and the practice will be fair ly general over the county next week. Beauty Pageant Will Be Held 17th July By Jayeees Loral Lluh Also Plans Sriul lYnmils To National President -« Wednesday, July 17th, has been chosen by the Williamston Junior Chamber of Commerce as the day for its first annual beauty pageant at which time a Miss Williamston will be selected and crowned, it was announced following the reg ular dinner session of the -group Friday night at the Woman’s club building. The club members also voted, during their business session, to send the Javctvs' national presi dent a gift of twenty pounds of locally grown and packed pea nuts, in cooperation with other North Carolina clubs that are en deavoring to raise a truck load of state grown or manufactured ilems to be presented at the Na tional Convention in Malwaukee next month. President Ernest Meats presid ed over the meeting which was opened with the singing of Ameri ca ttnd tin- invocation by Wheeler Manning. A delicious fried chick en dinner, served by the ladies of the Macedonia Christian Church, wtis enjoyed. Guests were recognized and welcomed and committee appoint ments for this year were read by Secretary Marion Cobb. Every member of the organization was placed on at least one committee and told that he would be expect ed to do his share. Tiie committee list includes: Youth and welfare: C. B. Clark, Jr., chairman, A. J. Manning, James Williams, and Carroll Crockett. House and meals: Milton James, chairman, Dan Peele and Dillon Cobb Beauty Contest: Ernest Mears and Exum Ward, co-chairmen, Russell Roebuck, and C. B. Clark, Jr. Scouting: M. Cobb, chairman, Thad Harrison and Exum Ward, Jr r Aviation: Paul Simpson, chair man, Lawrence Lindsley, Howard Cone, Tom Crockett, and John Hollowell. Profit, Make and Project: Kxum Ward, chairman, James Bullock, John Miller, Wallace Tarkcnton, Billy Peele, and Hubert Cooke. Membership and Attendance: Paul Simpson, chairman, Reg Simpson and Dan Sharp. Community Service: Clarence Griffin, chairman, Oswald Stalls, and T. F. Davenport. Sports: Oswald Stalls, chair man, Jack Manning, Tom Crock ett and Tom Skinner, Publicity: Wheeler Manning, chairman, and Tommie Owens. Agriculture: W. T. Ross, chair man, Clarence Griffin, Worth Mobley, and Carrol Coltraine. Program: Russell Roebuck, chairman, John H. Gurganus, Pete Fowden, and Carroll Jones. Safety, Fire Prevention: Thad Harrison, chairman, Tootsie Rob erson, Jack Edmondson, and James Wynne. Civic Improvement: A. J. Man ning, chairman, Bill Thrower and W. H. Everette. (Continued on page sue) Agents Report On Trip To A Federal Researc h Center t\trn«i\r Work Is Being llunilfci! \l Kxiierimcnl Station in Maryland Rv I,, w. Cone AFjrm Agent T. B. Brandon, County Agent, anti L. W. Cone, Assistant County Agent, report the following in formation on the USDA Research Center at Beltsville, Md., where they visited two days last week. The purpose of the center is to find scientific solutions to prob lems arising from the Nation’s farms. They strive to create new strains of plants and animals that will provide better produce for markets. For example, plants that give high yields, high quality and disease resistant properties. Listed below are some data rcl evant to the station: 1. Ten varieties of potatoes originated in the past ton years constituted 30 percent of certified seed planted in 19-42, 2. Creation of hybrid corn adaptable to specific soil and cli matic conditions. 3. First crossing of ordinary Tu bacco with blue-mold resistant to bacco—this is still in process of development but is already a reality. 4. Development of Pilot and Rival Spring Wheats, resistant to both stem and leaf rust. Work done on livestock follows: 1. Development of tho proved sire system of breeding dairy cat tle. This involves continuous use of such sires in succeeding genera tions to assure his good qualities throughout the herd. 2. Determined that thrice a day milking gave 20 percent increase production ovei twice a day method. 3. Proof that the chief reason for slump fn milk production in summer wits lack of feed rather *11 11 hot wt other and annoyance from Insects, 4. Expertpienls have shown that folding additional protein to suckling pigs will step up pork production. When given access to either skim milk, tankage, soy bean meal, or peanut meal, tlie added protein gave greater yields and pigs reached market two weeks earlier. < This supplement was begun when pigs were three weeks old. 5. Home grown hay such as soy beans, lespedoza, alfalfa fed as ground meal helped balance the ration and lessened the amounts of other feeds ju eded. This type should constitute 10 percent of total ration. This is a brief synopsis of work being carried on and is to show farming peoples that information is available to them on a very wide scale. The most efficient meains of securing this informa tion is by asking in person or by rat'd to the County Agent’s Office. Any pertinent information desir ed that is related to agriculture can be obtained in u few days. Why not use this means at our disposal. Open Bible Sehool At Cedar Branch The Cedar Branch ^^ Baptist afternoon with seven teachers and about forty-five, pupils pres ent. Scheduled to run for one week only, the school is held each after noon at 2:30 o’clock, and all tne children in that community are n VS ted lu attend and lake part n the class work and exercises, he pastor, Rev. W. B. Harrington, innounced yesterday. | GAME DISCUSSION | s--/ Hunting regulations for the coming fall will be the sub ject of a public conference in the courthouse at WilUants tun Monday afternoon, July 1. The meeting convenes at 2:00 p. m. with Game Committee men J. Wilbur Bunn of Ral eigh, and J. R. Wullett of Lit tleton, officiating. Game Commissioner John I). Finlay of Raleigh said the public is invited to attend and discuss the regulations for next fall. The proposed re duction in deer season from DO to 45 days is expected to he the major topic. I