North Carolina Newspapers

ggg— — Vnt ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT! FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ B1 OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTS FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME L—NUMBER 12 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 11, 1947 ESTABLISHED 1899 Missionary Talks J About India Here j Last Friday Night ~ - o British Rule In India Is Mutually Helpful, Dr. Miller Savs -* ■ * “While it has not always been that way, British rule in India is proving mutually avdantageous to both the British and the In dians,” Dr. George E. Miller, medical missionary to India for thirty-nine years, explained in a talk in the local Christian church last Friday night. Dwelling at length on the geog raphy and topography, the mis sionary declared that India was one o£ the key countries in the world, but it is apparent, accord ing to Dr. Miller that much is to be done to bring that nation out of its present troubles. While the missionary move ment in India apparently has made no great outward progress, Christian religion is having its influence. “And1 now is the time for the Christian world to build good will there. It is now time for the Church to strike while the iron is hot. While the Indian looks upon the missionary as a proselyte, he. nevertheless, ap preciates the help offered and is grateful for th support given the movement to elevate woman in that country. The Indian profes sing Christianity is considered no longer an Indian because he is said to be under the influence of foreigners. “However, many leaders there have been influenc ed by the Christian religion and even Gandhi says he has been motivated by the Sermon on the Mount,” Dr. Miller said. The missionary offered no en couraging picture of the racial situation there, and advanced the opinion that it would take a long time to educate the people and have them divorce politics from religion. “There are 279 million Hindus and 91 million Moslems. The Moslems are suspicious of the Hindus and the Hindus have not forgotten the Moslem in vasion and the desecration of their temples. “Who holds India will hold the Far and Near East,” Dr. Miller epptinucd. "And the white man Hh4 much to account for,” he said, referring to Vasco da Gama’s visit there jn the early fifteenth cen tury and his trade agreements. The Portugese took land. They were ousted by the Dutch who were followed by the French and English with the English finally taking control. Misrule by the East India Company was cited and imperialism was rank. Asked if Britain had exploited India. Dr. Miller answered “yes and no.” “At one time,” he ex eJiancd, Britain’s imperialistic P^icy exploited the country, but in^Uter years' its rule there has bee\ mutually advantageous. Britarll has gotten much from In dia, bu^^shc has left much in In dia. Ar>dT„believc Britain is right in staying lt(iere, at least until something is’ ^worked out.” The missionary declared tl. t India up to a certain extent has been ruled (Continued on page eight) Drives By School Bus And Is Fined -o Charged with passing a school bus while passengers were being loaded, Clifton Little of near Oak City was carried into Justice J. B. Whitfield’s court there Mon day night and was fined $25 and taxed with the cost. It was quick justice for Little who allegedly violated the law that morning and received a call to appear in court and have his case aired within twelve hours. The violation was one of three alleged ones of that type in the Oak City-Hamilton district with in the past few days. A driver of Clyde Moore’s truck of Windsor is to appear before the trial jus tice on Thursday of this week, and another case against the driv er of a 1946 Oldsmobilc belong ing to the Allsbrooks Motor Com pany of Scotland Neck is being investigated. Patrolman W. E. Saunders said. In his court this week Justice Whitfield bound Charlie Whitak er, colored, over to the county court for alleged drunken driv ing. Bond was required in the sum of $150. 4 * -1 Work of Local Young Artist Painted in oil, the above pic ture of a cocker spaniel brings out the unusual abilities of Miss Rose Leggett as a promising young artist A daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James A Leggett, the young artist was studying under Emile Roure, well-known artist, when the painting was done. Miss Leggett has made a study of dogs and at the present time is paint I ing animals at the Ringling School of Art. Sarasota. Florida, where she is privileged to paint the circus animals.in their winter quarters there. The painting was displayed along with others equally as good in local show windows recently and was photographed by “Dr.” Eugene Rice. Miss .Leggett is planing to exhibit a sketch of one of the Ringling show horses soon. IN THE MAGAZINES 1 --- tVilliamston is well repre sented in the nation's current press with the publication of Master Dickie Clayton’s pic ture on U>e front cover of the State Magaitne and BUI El lison's picture and an account of his work with a filleting; machine in the Saturday Evening Post. With a plaster on his face, topped with a straw hat, the Clayton lad exemplifies the typical American boy. Gene Rice took the picture which reflects real art and it was forwarded to the magazine by Ernest Mears. There’s an interesting story about Bill Ellison and more will be said about him and his work following his return from a special mission to England. Road Programs In Nearby Counties —<t—.... While Martin County is suppos ed to be content with an 18-mile road improvement schedule in 1947, neighboring counties ait talking about extensive paving and improvement projects, ac cording to unofficial but reliable reports reaching here recently. The "little” county of Washing ton over in the adjoining highway district has been allotted over a third of a million dollars for its road improvement projects this year. Bertie, a somewhat larger do main than Martin but with about the same car registration, is all set for a program calling for ap proximately thirty miles of paved roads in 1947. According to a re port coming from the Bertie cap ital a few days ago, a $293,500 contract has been let for surfac ing of 8.27 miles of road on NC 97 in the direction of Powellsville. On top of that a contract bid was received for surfacing 8.45 miles of road on NC 308 in the direction of Lewiston. Other projects in clude 5.4 miles between Green’s Cross and Todd’s Cross; 1.9 miles from Roxobel to Toaster’s shack; 1.9 miles from Merry Hill to Smith’s store; 1.6 miles in the Center Grove section; .3 mile in the town of Colerain, and 1.5 miles from Mars Hill toward Rosemead. In addition to the surfacing projects, the report goes on to say that the Highway Commissioner agreed to take over about two miles of road, and that more improvements could be ex-' pccted as additional funds are made available, 1 Man Dangerously Stabbed Saturday ■ ■■ ♦ James L. Bond, 31-yesr-old Bertie man and a fprmcr resident of Williamiton, was crUieWy wounded in RobersonviMe, la^t Saturday evening when he wgs stabbed in the heart by a young colored man. Bond’s bn>ther.-in law, William H. Harrell, 23; of 812 Duke Street, Nprfolkt was painfully cut on his righ.t' arm and in the back when he worit to Bond's rescue. Given first, aid treatment in Robersonville's Ward Clinic, Bond was later removed to Duke Hospital for a delicate operation. He was still living according to last reports reaching here. Har rell, his wounds treated, was lat er able to continue to his home. Several suspects were taken in to custody, and at least one of them was definitely denied by Harrell as a member of the group of three or four colored men who participated or were at the scene of the attack. A hearing in the case is being delayed pending the outcome of Bond’s condition, Wil liam Smith, Robersonville’s young chief of police, said yesterday. Bond and his brother-in-law were loading chickens on a large truck in a Robersonville backlot that evening about 7 o’clock when they were attacked. Robersonville and county offic ers aided by members of the highway patrol worked on the case nearly all Saturday night rounding up suspects. .■ ■ ■ Injured In Auto Wreck Saturday ■-4 Elwood Brown, young James viilc white man, was painfully but not badly hurt early Iasi Sat urday night when the car in which he was driving turned a somersault and landed bottom side up on the Tar Landing Road in Williams Township. His face and shoulder scratched and bruis ed, tiie victim was treated in a local doctor's office and dismiss ed a short time later. The 1938 convertible Ford car, 1 driven by Thomas Blount, went . out of eonlrol on a curve, ran into a ditch and turned bottom side up. Blount was not hurt. Dam age to the car was estimated at $200 by Patrolman W. E. Saund ers, the investigating officer. STILL DIPROVING -»■ Attorney Wheeler Martin, a patient in a Rocky Mount hos pital since Dc*cember 26, contin ues to improve, and friends here are looking for his return home, > I Reports of Lower Prices Not Borne Out By Invoices - ■ Butter and Few Other Food i Items Lower; But Trend Continues Upward -« Radio commentators’ talks and predictions about lower prices which dominated the news re cently have completely failed to materialize on the local scene — except for a few food items and used cars—according to a survey made here in the past week. Re tailers, almost without exception, state that practically all the price changes on goods they are receiving are up and shortages on many items continue acute. This is especially true in the clothing field. Several merch ants said they had received no tices of larger allotments of bet ter quality merchandise, but the prices are about the same or slightly higher than ever, and they are not getting the goods, only promises of more when they are shipped. Shoe prices generally are on the upgrade. Men’s shirts, under wear and suits continue scarce, but there is promise of more be ing available this spring. Chil dren’s clothing, especially over alls, are also difficult to obtain and no price reductions are re ported, except where clearance sales are in progress. There seems to be plenty of ladies’ clothing available, and many have stocked up at bargain prices in recent sales. Used-car prices are off from 20 to 50 percent of what they were before Christmas. Ford grabbed the headlines recently by announcing a general price re duction of from $15 to $50 per car, and two days later General Motors countered with an an nouncement of a price increase on their luxury models, but hold ing the line on Chevrolet, which they claim to be the lowest-pric ed line in the field today. Sven in the grocery field, flour prices continue to rise. The bot tom fell out of the canned citrus fruit juice market recently, and prices on them were down to one-third of their peak level. Meat items also are some cheap er, but the general run of food items remain about the same. One local grocer said this week that he was still paying 73 cents a pound for butter, although radio reports had the retail price as low as 69 cents in New York. Prices on paper products have advanced since the first of the year, and the same holds true of many drug and hardware items, according to local stores. Furni ture dealers say all they know about lower prices is what they have heard over their radios and that the news has not been con firmed by their invoices. Inci dentally, the radios are costing more, too. | ROUND-UP | v -/ Local and other officers in the county had a busy time during the week-end when they rounded up and Jailed nine persons for various al leged violations of peace and order. Five of those detained were charged with assaults. Three others were booked for being drunk and disorderly and one was held for investi gation Two of the nine are white, and the ages of the group ranged from 20 to 54 years. Would Reduci State’s Solicito —.♦ If a bill proposed by Senator \ 3. L. Richardson of Union Coun- ( y is enacted into law, Martin • bounty will have some strange ioiicitorial bed fellows in the fu- , ,ure. Following to some extent < 'ecommendations advanced by a < special ccmiission, Senator Rich- i irdson’s bill would reduce the i lumber of solicilorial districts in ] Jic State from twenty-one to ; linctecn, and would boost the | >ay of the solicitors from $5,750 ( •o $7,500. I The new set-u,p and salary in- 1 jreases, according to the terms Of 1 he proposed biU, are not to be- < :ome effective until 1051, and it ( Funeral Held For Mrs, M. W. Ballard Sunday Afternoon *—-»— Member of a Prominent Family In County Died I^ast Fridav Morning -» Funeral services were conduct ed at her late home in Hamilton Sunday afternoon for Mrs. Hen nie Waldo Ballard who died in a local hospital last Friday morn ing at 11:30 o'clock. Her pastor, Rev. Sidney Boone, conducted the last rites and interment was in the family plot in Hamilton's cemetery. Mrs. Ballard had been in de clining health for several years, but was getting along as well as usual until last Monday morning when she suffered a stroke of apoplexy while attending to a few light duties at her home. She was removed to the hospital here a short time later, but little hope was held for her recovery follow ing the attack. She was born in Hamilton, the daughter of the late Joseph T. and Mary Mitchell Waldo, and was a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson. She was married on February 16, 1909 to Mark W. Ballard, prominent county citizen and a leading farmer of Poplar Point Township. She lived for several years in that section, but spent most of her life in Hamil ton. Mrs. Ballard was a member of the Methodist church in Ham ilton for a long number of years, and was active in its affairs. Her grandfather migrated to this county from New England and figured in the early history of education here. Her father was a member of the Martin County Board of Education during the greater part of a quarter century, and served the county in the State Legislature several terms. She was the last of several chil dren and is survived only by sev eral nieces and nephews. -O Big Farm Program Here Next Friday —•— Extensive arrangements are about completed for a big farm ers’ day at the higli school here next Friday afternoon, Mr. Lyn wood Taylor, Lindsley Ice Com pany manager, said today. Held in cooperation with the John Deere Company, the event is ex pected to attract 800 or more far mers and special guests. The public is invited, but everyone is asked to call by the Lindsley lee Company store and get tickets, the management explaining that the tickets are being distributed at that source so preparations can be handled to accommodate the crowd. Prizes valued at approximately $ 150 will be awarded to holders of lucky numbers to be distribut ed between the shows and special events. Following the main show be ginning at 2:00 o’clock in the high school auditorium, the company will provide sandwiches and cof fee to be served by the home eco nomics department in the gym nasium. Special displays of merchandise are being arranged, and repre sentatives from the John Deere factories will explain new inova tions and appliances ana other items. CONTINUES ILL -■ • Mayor John L. Hassell contin ues ill in his hotel room here. z and Change rial Districts vould require the solicitors to go >n full time and discontinue their irivate law activities practiced as i side line as at present. While Martin is slated to re nain in the second solieitorial Jistrict, it is to lose many of its ild bed fellows. It is to be group id in the Second District with jrcene, Pitt, Jones, Craven, Pam lico and Carteret. The pattern for regrouping the districts is not ex ilained. However, it was pointed >ut that Martin would continue in he Second Judicial district which ncludes Washington, Edgecombe, Wilson, and Nash Counties. No ■hango in the judicial district ■roupings is anticipated. * Heavy Blow Dealt Illicit | Liquor Business Recently The iilicit liquor business, dar ing to raise its head higher in the new year, is being dealt some mighty heavy blows by ABC en forcement officers. During the month of January, the depart ment, headed by Officer J H. Roebuck with Roy Peel as his main assistant, wrecked thirteen illicit manufacturing plants, pour ed out 1,600 gallons of cheaply made beer and three and one-half gallons of rot-gut liquor, arrested three persons, scored three con victions in the courts and confis cated thirty gallons of an inferior brand of molasses. Fines impos ed on alleged liquor law violators amounted to $300 and sentences meted out called for twenty-seven months on the roads. The officers in the first week of February established a record un equalled in recent years when they wrecked eight plants, five in one day, and poured out 750 gal lons of molasses beer. A poorly constructed 20-gallon capacity tin still was destroyed a short distance off the river road in Goose Nest Township on the third. The following day. Offic ers Roebuck and Roy Peel, ac companied by ABC Officers from Pitt County, raided in the Stingy Point section just off Highway No. 11 in Robersonville Township and wrecked five plants. All of them were equipped with oil drums and were found in an area less than two miles square. Last Thursday the officers raid ed in Bear Grass near Sweet Home church and wrecked a 50 gallon capacity copper kettle and poured ou-t 200 gallons of beer. Returning to the same section the following day, the officers wreck ed a duplicate still and poured out the same quantity of beer. Proposal Drafted for Local Town Primary Martin Plans To Offer Measure In House This Week Proposed Hill Is Open To Any Suggested Changes A legislative act, calling for a primary election for the nornina- | tion of a mayor and five commis- I sinners for the town of Williams- i ton, has been drafted and will be j introduced in the State House f Representaitves possibly the lat ter part of this week, according to Representative C. B. Martin who submitted the proposal to local citizens over the week-end for any suggested changes. The proposed legislative act eliminated the open convention, long considered obsolete, and provides for the nomination of all local elective officials in a pri mary election. In accordance with suggestions offered by the local officials no provision is made in the proposed law to es tablish zones or wards, the lead ers pointing out that the town is hardly large enough for the ward system, that possibly it would be better to perfect an organization of the duly elected officials whereby they could be assigned j to supervise and make recom mendations as representatives of I the board to tire various depart ment heads. There is some doubt about a conflict in dates carried in the proposed bill for the primary with those fixed for the election. The proposed bill creating the primary provides for the holding of the primary on the second Monday preceding the general election. A legislative act passed in 1905 provided for a municipal election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May, 1905, and bicnnully there after which would make the pri mary for this year full on April 28 th. Candidates for the office must file their candidacies on or before April 18, or at least ten days be fore the primary. A filling fee of $5 is included in the proposed bill, which reads, in part, as fol lows: “The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact: “Section 1 That all laws relat ing to the method of nominating candidates for the office of May or and members of the Board of Commissioners in the Town of Wiiliamston are hereby amended so as to provide as follows: “Nomination by primaries. All candidates to be voted for at all 1 general municipal elections, at which time a mayor and five com missioners, or any other elective officers, are to be elected, shall \ be nominated by a primary elec tion, and no other names shall be placed upon the general ballot j except those nominated in such primary in the manner hereinaft er provided. “How primaries are held. Tit3 J primary election for such nomi (Continued on page eight) 1 r PRANKSTER v>_J A prankster, playing the role of a contemptible, low down, sneaking yellow scoun drel, turned in a false fire alarm on last Saturday's cold afternoon, lie directed the firemen to the Hlack Swamp section where he claimed a house was on fire. Quitting their work and boarding the open truck, volunteer fire men went to the area, found no fire and turned around. Another call was received, j The second caller, a bit more J considerate, hut apparently in cahoots with the first, ex plained that there was no fire, that the first caller wanted to see if the depart ment would answer the call. Three suspects were ques tioned yesterday by police and Fire Chief Hall without success. Further questioning is scheduled this afternoon, and every effort will be made to combat the dangerous menace with penitentiary terms. Where Are They Is $64 Question —o-, — Conducting an interesting sym posium a few days ago, the regular monthly netting of the local Parent-Teacher Association advanced a timely question that rates along with the $64 ones. “Why is the local high school <o small compared with the ele nentary school?” was the ques :ion. Superintendent J. C. Man ning, admitting that he did not enow all of the answers, discuss 'd the condition. “The present senior class when t started out twelve years ago numbered 126, and now there are inly 2ti present, or a bare 23 per cent of the original count," the superintendent said. Tracing the little tots as they moved on up the educational lad der, the school man said the milli ner remained fairly stable 1 through the third grade, that there was a big drop in the fourth and fifth grades, and that the loss was terrific in the sixth. It was 1 pointed out that the compulsory a tendance law lost its grip on ‘ many of the pupils about that 1 time. “But,” the school man said, "the nondition here is no worse than ‘ t is for the state, as a whole. Out if 1.000 entering the first grade welve years ago, only 236 are ' aow in school.” War and Army training pro ;rams had their effect, it was jointed out. Not much attention ' las been paid to compulsory at- ‘ endunce, and indifference on the ' jurt of parents and pupils were ilso pointed out as factors inllu •ncing attendance figures. The school man said that a bill lad been offeted in the General Assembly proposing the employ nent of 100 compulsory attend- 1 mce officers. The budget bureau ! rowned on the measure: at least, , t was not included in the list of expense items. List Of Honor I Pupils In The Local Schools Nearly 150 Students Meet Scholastic Requirements During Recent Period -* One hundred and forty-seven pupils—138 in the elementary and nine in the high school—met all scholastic requirements to have their names appear on the honor list in the local schools for the third six weeks period re cently ended. Principal B. G. Stewart announced this week, as follows. Miss Baker’s First Grade: Douglas Abernathy, Billy Ray Bowen, Carlyle Brown, Billy Car starphen, Jimmy Cooke, Frosty Hardison, Constance Chesson, Di anne Cherry, Mary Claudia Cher ry, Leona Coltrain, Betsy Davis, and Judy Donabauer. Miss Hardy’s First Grade: Ray Pate, Guy Thomas, Jr., Gerald Stalls, Sandra Modlin, Dorothy Moore, Mary Lynn Pate, Beth Spivey. Peggy Ann Stevenson. Miss Morris’ First Grade: Ken neth Gurganus, Danny Manning, Ronnie Reese, Lee Roy Rogerson, Samuel M. Rogerson, Betty Mod lin. Sue Eubanks, Sally Grey Griffin, Eugenia Glover, and Frances Johnson. Miss Crawford’s Second Grade: Sherwood Coltrain, Ann Darden, Emma J. Godard, Ann Harrison, Mary Frances Martin, Allan Mod lin, Joe Murphy, Janie Peaks, Thomas Phelps, Betsy Riddick, Jimmy Rogers, Linda Stevenson, Floyd Thomas, and Billy Thorn ton. Mrs. Carstarphen’s Second Grade: Carolyn Beauchemin, Nancy Britton, Peggy Godard, Blanche Manning. Jane Peele, Mary Lee White, Frank Batcy, Jimmy Hardison, Charles Hud son. and Clayton Weston. Mrs. F r o n e b e r g er’s Third Grade: William Battey, Dickie Clayton, Jan Clark, Billy Dudley, James Herbert Ward, Jr., Jane Gray Biggs, Betty Fagan Carstar phen, Sandra Gardner, Joyce Lil ly. Sandra Margolis Annette Rog ers, Elline Smithwick, and Jane Adams Manning. Mrs. Kimball’s Third Grade: Joseph Clayton, Iverson Skinner, John Clinton House, Vivian Pate, Faye White, and Angelina Dick erson. Miss Manning's Third Grade: Victor Brown, Jr., Bill Simpson, Rodney Pittman, Billy Partin, Joyce Baker, Jane Barnhill, Jean Nicholson, Jeanette Raynor, Phyl lis Jones, Mary Ann Modlin, and Sarah Harrison. Miss Everett's Fourth Grade: Barbara Cherry, James Pitt man, Jean Coltrain and Doris Rogers. Mrs. Fussell’s Fourth Grade: Mary Elizabeth Britton, Jesse Marie Corey, Frankie Everett, Patricia Harrison, Sylvia Perry, Bobby Manning, William Moore, (Continued on page eight) Lions To Suppo Boy Traffic Patrol —♦— Holding their regular monthly meeting last Thursday evening, the board of directors of the local Lions Club decided to support a project of the club’s Boys and I Girls Work Committee, a School | Boy Traffic Patrol. The commit-, tee has been working on detailss for this project for several weeks, and submitted their plans and ap-J proximate cost to the directors.] It v as instructed to place orders! lor the necessary equipment and] to complete arrangements for a] training program for the youngi sters. ' It is .planned to have a corps of twenty-eight boys to be stationed at various street intersections to assist other children to safety cross the streets to and fr« school. The Lions plan to provi each patrol member with a switv able cap, whistle, badge, belt and capo. It was pointed out the coat would be sizable, but after* weigh* ing the value of such a project,, the club officials felt that would be well worth the mot The directors also author the same committee to buy’ ed States flags and secure able poles for mounting be furnished to the local The committee is to assist (Continued onfraga