IS BEAD BX
MABTEN COUNT!
TWICE EACH WEEB
THE ENTERPRISE
THE ENTERPRISE IS READ HI
OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTS
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WUS
VOLUME LI—NUMBER 85
Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, October 26, 1948
ESTABLISHED 1899
Potato Committee
Reports Findings
1 To Local Meeting
Menders Visit Tabor City
Market; Buyers Are
Interested
Appointed by the Martin Coun
ty Far in Bureau at a meeting held
earlier in the month, a special
b committee discussed the prospects
of establishing a sweet potato
market in this county at a meet
ing of the farm organization held
in the county courthouse last Fri
day evening. Representatives of
buying organizations were said to
be very much interested in an es
tablished market in this section
and it was declared they would be
glad to cooperate in promoting it.
Messrs. M. M. Levin, T. B. Bran
don, H- U. Peel and J. R. Winslow
were named on the committee,
and two members, Brandon and
l^vin, visited the auction market
at Tabor City last week.
Reporting to the small group of
farmers in the courthouse last
Friday, Messrs. Levin and Bran
don stated that potatoes, harvest
ed directly from the fields, were
being sold for around $2.50 a
bushel, that seven firms had buy
ers on the market there.
The buyers have built storage
or curing houses with a capacity
of 90,000 bushels. Sold by the
farmer on the auction market, the
potatoes are then placed in the
curing houses by the buyers for
, treatment and sale to the market
outlets later.
It is too late to open a market
here this season, but it is possible
to do something about a market
for handling potatoes next spring.
Two alternatives, both pointing
to an established market, were
discussed. One of the proposals
would bring established buyers
here to make direct purchases.
The other plan calls for the for
mation of a cooperative market
ing organization. It is possible
under a cooperative plan to bring
in a representative who would set
i^p machinery for washing and
polishing the potatoes at a fixed
i fee ind then market the potatoes
for the growers. Either plan
would better the grower's positk*
in that he would not have to de
pend on hucksters or truckers
who travel at random with no as
surance to the farmer that there’ll
be aay market.
Pointing out again that this
county holds an advantage in pro
ducing and marketing sweet pota
toes, the meeting discussed briefly
a few other factors besides mar
keting. Improved seed are neces
sary and production on a suffici
ently large scale to insure a stable
market are necessary.
The-farmers at the meeting
were convinced that a market is
badly needed in this section, that
one can be established, and tiie
committee was asked to continue
its work and report further devel
opments.
Firemen Call To Office
Of Lumber Firm Friday
Volunteer firemen were called
out here last Friday afternoon at
2:45 ‘o'clock when fire, starting
from' a short circuit, threatened
the Office of the Wells-Oates
^ Lumber Company on lower East
Main Street.
The fire was out when the fire
fighting equipment was carried
there, and very little damage re
sulted‘from the fire
4*
FIRST
Its treasury depleted for
wm time, the Martin County
Democratic Executive Com
mittee started regaining its
financial footing last week
when Democrats over in Wil
liams Precinct raised and
submitted the .$25 and ex
plained that more would be
raised if needed.
Several other precincts
have reported individual
contributions amoSiting to
around S5C, but Williams was
the first precinct in the coun
ty ip raise and report the as
signed guota, County Chair
man Elbert S. Peel said.
Goose Nest reported its $5t
guota raised during a meet
ing of precinct -Democrats
there Monday night.
Ole - Timers Get Together For Politieal Speech
I ~
WM 'll II ■ —II • I Mil I imi I .I I
Memories of the old days when corrupt politics and Republican degradation gripped the State were renewed in this
county last Wectyesday evening when fifteen of the ole-timers who voted in the 1898 election met in the county court
house. held seats of honor and heard the Honorable Cameron Morrison, one of their fifty-vear club group, deliver a stir
ring political address, calling for support of the Democratic ticket all the way down the line. Pictured above, first row,
left to right, Mr. Morrison, H. M. Burras, Oscar Daniel, L. C. Roberson second row, J. T. Barnhill, Sylvester Peel, Eli Ed
mondson, J. L. Whitfield, H. L. Purvis, Neal James; third row, Ellis Malone, W. Amos Perry, L. P. Holliday, J. D, Ray,
J. W. Andrews and George A. Crofton.
Hold Last Tobacco Sales
Of The Season Wednesday
The final curtain on tobacco
sales on the local tobacco market
will be lowered tomorrow (Wed
nesday), marking the close of one
of the market’s most successful
seasons. It is fairly certain that
just ubout the last lot of tobacco
in this immediate section will
have been marketed by that time.
Not a single sale over 100,000
pounds has been held on the mar
ket in over two weeks and yester
day a new poundage low of only
27,626 pounds was reported on the
market.
Most of the smaller markets are
closing this week and it is fairly
certain that many of the larger
ones will suspend operations for
the season early nc;xt month, with
the possibility that few or no mar
kets will be operating after
Thanksgiving.
The delivery of "strappings”
and inferior grades has pulled the
daily average down below fifty
cents for the first time since Sep
tember 28 While there has been
a general price weakening these
past few days, most of the better
grades held to their fa n't y high
price figures.
Through yesterday, the market
here had sold 9,158,910 pounds for
$4,438,292.50 or an average of
$48 48
Through last week, the east
Carolina belt had sold this season
362,038,409 pounds for an average
of $49.73. The Flue-Cured Stabili
zation Corporation has handled
right at 5 percent of the crop.
| ROUND-UP\
law enforcement officers
had very little to do in this
immediate area over the
week-end, a report from the
sheriff’s office and local po
lice station stating: that only
five persons were arrested
and detained in the jail dur
ing the period.
Three of the five were
charged with public drunken
ness and one each with an as
sault and drunken driving.
Two of the five were white,
the ages of the group ranging
from 18 to 38 years.
Large Crowd At
Oak City Hally
Democratic leaders, in the final
week of the current campaign,
carried their party's banner into
Goose Nest Precinct Monday eve
ning when Congressman Herbert
Bonner spoke to one of the larg
est meetings of its kind held in
this county in years. The con
gressman was heard by 175 Dem
ocrats and he pleaded for "down
the-line” support of the Demo
cratic ticket next Tuesday.
The speaker was introduced by
Mr. Nat Johnson, officer of the
Young Democrats of Martin
County.
Elbert Peel, chairman of the
Martin County Democratic Execu
tive Committee, spoke briefly.
Several county officials, including
J. Sam Getsinger and Paul Rober
son, and Judge-Nominee Chas.
Manning attended the meeting.
Congressman Bonner will bring
the campaign to a close at Bear
Grass Friday evening at 7:30
o’clock. The Democrats of the
Jamesville section are meeting in
the Jamesville school auditorium
Thursday evening at 7:30 o’clock
Painfully Hurt In Fall
At Her Home Thursduy
■■■ ■
Mrs. Leslie J. Griffin Was pain
fully hurt in a fall near her home
in Griffins Township Thursday.
Receiving treatment here, she re
turned to her home where she’ll
spend some time in bed.
Few Peanuts Are
Moved to Market
While all buying companies, in
cluding several independents, are
on the market, few peanuts have
been purchased here so far this
season, reports declaring that
quite a few crops had been reject
ed because the goobers were too
wet,
Local cleaners, ready to buy,
were reported yesterday to have
made no purchases. One company
bought a few more than 200 bags
and independents possibly pur
chased five or six hundred bags
last week-end and yesterday. One
i report stated that for every pur
chase made by one company, sev
; oral crops were rejected because
the nuts were picked too wet or
while they were green. Seasoned
farmers, including Grover God
aid, declared yesterday that it
would be next week or later be
fore many crops would be ready
! for the pickers.
It is fairly well established fuct
i that the buyers arc more cautious
in making purchases this year
than last, that the farmer will find
I it to his advantage to make cer
tain that his peanuts are thor
oughly dry before picking them.
Incomplete reports state that
the first peanuts to move here
sold for around 11 cents a pound,
but they were grown on sandy
land and were in good order.
Gravely Hurt In
Logging Accident
Robert Moon, about forty years
old, was critically hurt in a log
i ging accident near Jamcsville last
Friday afternoon, but last reports
reaching here indicated he was
improving in a Washington hos
pital.
Handling the grab hooks the
worker was helping load a barge
on Devil's Gut for the Mengel
Company when a pile of logs
parted rolling and mashed his
head into the mud. One report
stated that his jaw bone, front
bone and two or more ribs were
broken and that he also suffered
a skull fracture.
Aged Man Badly
Hurt In A Freak
Accident Friday
—•—
IlnjU Dnma^r* Car On Tar
horn-Oak City Highway
Lalrr That Kvrning
Highway accidents, working to
ward an all-time high for the
month of October in this county,
shifted from the careless or other
wise to the freakish type last
week-end when one person, an
aged colored man, was badly hui t
and a hog wrecked a car less than
two hours later
Byb Brown, 77-ycar-md colored
man, narrowly escaped with his
life when a wheel ran off a trailer
and bore down on him on High
way 125 between Williamston and
Hamilton at the Everett farm.
Striking the man between the
legs, the run away wheel ripped
off most of his clothing, including
a shoe which was knocked some
distance away. The old man was
bounced around quite a bit, too,
one report stated. He was remov
ed to Brown's Community Hos
pital and after receiving treat
ment was able to return to his
home Monday. He is expected to
recover if complications do not
develop.
Morton Franklin Mills, of Has
sell, was driving his 1940 Buick
with a trailer attached in the di
rection of Hamilton when the
right wheel on the trailer ran off.
Brown, walking on his left side of
the highway, was meeting the car
and saw the run-away wheel
meeting him. The old fellow
jumped to the side of the road
and was possibly ten feet or mon
from the hardsurface when the
wheel struck him.
Investigating the accident, Pa
trolman B. W. Parker said it was
one of those freakish types, that
fto charge^ were brought against
the driver of the car who, it was
reported, accepted the hospital
bill and did what he could for the
accident victim.
At 7:00 o'clock that evening,
Wilbur Eugene Cannon was driv
ing'from Oak City on Highway 44
toward his home when a stray
hog, weighing about 200 pounds,
ran into the road. The hog was
killed and the radiator and light
front fender were damaged, Pa
trolman R. P Narron, investigat
ing the accident, stating that a
trailer attached to the car, swerv
ed and stopped in the ditch. The
hog was valued at about $50 and
damage to the car was estimated
at $100.
4-H Club Members
Win Award at Fair
Competing with the youth from
all over North Carolina, Marlin
County 4 11 club members won a
$200 cast) prize with their entry at
the State fair in Raleigh last
week. Assistant Agent Jesse Sum
ner was advised last week-end.
The exhibit, featuring better
living through electricity, won
tenth place, carrying the $200 cash
award.
Parents-Teachers
Hear Health Talk
—-A
By Anne J. Corey
Miss Mary L. Taylor of the Mar
tin County Health Department,
speaking to the PTA meeting held
last night at 8 o’clock in the gram
mar school auditorium, challeng
ed parents and teachers to create
better schools by means of im
proved health in a physical, men
tal and social manner.
Miss Taylor discussed fully the
letter sent out by the local Health
Department to the parents of chil
dren visiting the pro school clinic,
The speaker praisefi the present
health program being taught in
the class roams by the teachers in
the county. In closing, Miss Tay
lor gave a definite pattern by
which parents can make Martin
County schools better, including
a teacher for handicapped chil
dren and vocational training.
During the business meeting
preceding the program, President
V. J Spivey urged a good attend
ance at the district meeting to be
held m Plymouth Thursday, Oc
tober 28th. The president appoint
ed the following committee to
work with Mrs. Beecher Patterson
to secure vestments for the high
school glee club: Mrs. J. E. King,
Mr. H. P. Mobley and Mrs. Her
man Bowen.
Mr. Carlyle Cox, Social Studies
teacher, read the PTA Proclama
tion.
The $2,110 PTA membership
prize was awarded to Mrs. Shag
Abernethy's class in the grammai
grades and to Mrs. Arthur White's
room in the high school. Miss Bet
ty Sue Tilley’s class won the
monthly attendance prize of $1.00
Precincts Report
Rig Registration
— ♦—
Incomplete reports point to ar
unusually large pre-election rcg
istration in the county's thirteel
Hamliton at the Everett farm
is not so large within itself, it i
about the largest reported for ;
pre-election registration in the
county in quite a lew years.
| It is estimated that nearly <)()(
new names were added to the re
gistration books during the pas
three Saturdays, one report iridi
eating that two-thirds or muri
were placed on the hooks on th(
last day.
The political dopesters dec lan
that the heavy registration point:
to a heavy vote in the county nex
Tuesday.
Approximately thirty pcrcen
of the new registrants are colorec
citizens, the scattering reports de
daring that most of them regis
tered as Democrats.
i idim Of lliryclr S/iill
Itdovrrs Kit/iiilly Urn
—-t
One side of his face badly skin
tied and bruised and rendered al
most unconscious iri a fail from ;
bicycle on East Main Street hen
last Friday night, Bill Brown, col
ored, recovered just ahead oi ar
ambulance, making it to a doc
tor's office in a taxi, He was no
, bad!; hurt.
Propose Changing
Debt Limitations
For County-Town
Voters To Decide Fair Of
l*ropo*ul In Kli'cliou
iNVxl Tuoilay
I (By Albei t Coats, Director, Insti
tute of Government)
On Tuesday, November 2. the
: people of North Carolina will
vote:
For amendment removing debt
limitation upon the State, coun
ties, and municipalities for
necessary expenses, OR
| Against amendment removing
debt limitation upon the Slate,
counties, and municipalities for
necessary expenses.
The First Debt Limitations
For 200 years and more — from
the Crown Charter in 1603 to the
Constitution of lt>68, there was no
constitutional limitations on the
power of th General Assembly in
North Carolina to incur debt or
to authorize counties and munici
palities to incur debt. A program
of internal improvements in
augurated during the 1830's, 40's
and 50’s invited state aid through
subscriptions to railroad stock and
endorsements of railroad obliga
tions, supplemented by county
and city aid authorized by the
General Assembly. This program
was wrecked by civil war and re
construction and the Constitution
al Convention of 1868 brought in
the first debt limitations as part
of its efforts to deal with the com
bined problems of debts, deficits
and depression.
It repudiated all debts incur
red in aid of the rebellion. It
acknowledged “the public debt
regularly contracted before and
since the rebellion.” It placed cer
tain limitations on the power of
the state and local units to incur
debt in the future.
I It stopped the legislative ptac
li'ce of incurring debt without
levying a special tax to pay the
annual interest, until the bonds
of the state should be at par. It
took away the legislative power
“to give or lend the credit of the
state in aid of any person, asso
ciation or corporation” without a
vote of the people, except for
those railroads begun and not
finished or those in which the
state had a direct pecuniary in
terest. It left the legislature free
t to incur debt without limit or re
striction: “to supply a casual
deficit,” or to suppress “invasion
or insurrection” without a vute
of the people.
I.volution ul Mate Debt Limit
The Constitution of lfltiil placed
no limit on the power of the Gen
oral Assembly to incur state debt
"to supply a casual deficit, or for
suppressing invasion or insurrec
tion." To these two items, for
which the General Assembly
could incur debt without limit,
constitutional amendment in 192-1
added a third—“the refunding of
valid bonded debt;” and a con
stitutional amendment in 193(i
added a fourth: "to borrow in an
ticipation of tbe collection of
taxes due and payable within the
liscal year to an amount not ex
feeding fifty pcrccntum of such
taxes;" and rephrased another:
"to suppress riots or insurrections
or to repel invasions.”
With State bonds following the
Civil War selling at fifty cents
on the dollar it is easy to under
stand the opening sentence ol
tin debt limitation provision ol
tbe Constitution of 1808 that ex
cept in case of the emergencies
mentioned above, “the General
Assembly shall have no power ti
; contract any new debt or pecuni
ary obligation in behalf of the
state. . . unless it shall in the saint
bill levy a special tax to pay the
interest annually. . until the bonds
I of the state shall be at par.” Aft
er the bonds of the State began
to sell at par this requirement be
came obsolete and gave way to a
new constitutional limitation ir
1924 limiting the state's power t<
incur indebtedness to “seven anc
one-half percent of the assessed
valuation of taxable property
within the stale as last fixed foi
taxation.”
i By 1035 the state was fast ap
proaching this limit; its net debi
was around $152,000,000, and 7 1-i
percent of its total assessed valu
aiton was around $181,000,000
And in 1938 the 7 1-2 percen!
(Continued on page seven)
Two County Men To
Open Creamery Here
FARM All)
v
>
In a speech in Oklahoma,
Governor Dewey claimed that
the 80th Congress had passed
a wonderful farm relief bill.
A few days later Senator
Barkley showed up.
"The governor didn't take
the people of Oklahoma into
his confidence," said Barkley.
"1 assume he knew what Con
gress did. If so, he must know
that the 80th Congress crip
pled the farm-support pro
gram and passed a make
shift, hodge-podge bill.
“If the farmers examine
that bill, they will discover
that the price support feature
will crash after election as
low as BO per cent of parity.
"Furthermore, the G. O. P.
Congress deliberately refused
the farmers the grain storage
facilities provided heretofore
by Democratic administra
tions. Many farmers were un
able to hold their w’hcat back
and were forced to sell below
support levels.”
Grape Market Is
Expanding Here
—•—
Handling ju.st a few tons sev
eral years ago, the Lindsley lee
Company, agents for Garrett and
Company, have materially ex
panded the loeal market for scup
pernong and black grapes in the
past season or two.
Reporting the market activities
l'oi' the season just ended. K. P.
Lindsley stated that 297,125
pounds of white or xeuppernong
and 105,970 pounds of black
grapes were handled here, that
the 201 1-2 tons of grapes added
$34,203.00 to the income of farm
ers in this section of the State.
Most of tin1 grapes were grown
between Edenton and the Vir
ginia Line, but the Pea Ridge
section of Washington County
produced a goodly quantity.
Grapes are proving a money
maker for quite a few loeal far
mers, Mr. Lindsley declared. New
methods o! arboring, patterened
after a hub and spokes, are elim
inating much of the care once re
quired by vineyards.
There is said to be an unlim
ited market for grapes, and far
mers interested in starting or add
ing to an arbor arc directed to
contact the Experimental Station
at Wallace, N. C , or the Lindsley
Ice Company in Williamston for
information.
-o
Dies Suddenly In
! Old Shanty Here
—*—i
Dorothy Richardson, 30-year
old colored woman, died .sudden
ly in a .shanty on the Williamston
Lumber Company property on the
Washington Hoad here last Thurs
day night at 9:43 o’clock. Dr Ed
ward Early and Coroner S. R.
Biggs along with local police in
vestigated the death and found
that the woman died of natural
causes, either a heart attack or a
cerebral hemorrhage.
A native of Charlotte, she came
here from New York about six
months ago, and was visiting in
Jethro McQuaine's shanty home
j when she was stricken and died a
few seconds later.
The body was removed to the
Everett Funeral Home, where it
I was being held pending receipt of
instructions from the mother in
j Charlotte.
-o
/■ rirmls Mevl For Tlic
Ural Time In 56 \ vara
i . —“•
CL T Hill, highly respected col
ored teacher-preacher, had the
unique experience last week of
; meeting for the first time in 5(1
years an old class mate he was in
school with during the existence
o[ the Plymouth Institute. Sarah
Eura Reid of Clatesville attended
the Baptist District Convention
here last week and although they
had not seen each other in 5<i
years they recognized each other
instantly.
Construction Of
$40,000 Plant To
Begin Next Week
— ♦
!YI«\*srs. Vail il. an<l Van K.
Taylor i’romoliii" The
New Imltislry
Construction work is tentative
ly scheduled to net under way
next week on a $40,000 creamery
for Wilhamston. it was announced
yesterday by Mr. Van Ralph Tay
lor who is promoting the new in
dustry with Mr, Van G. Taylwr.
No date for completing the pro
ject was offered, Mr. Van Ralph
Taylor, who is to manage the
plant, explaining that building
material delivery is still uncer
tain.
Measuring 50 by 80 feet and of
concrete block construction, the
new building is to be located on
the lot between the W. B. Watts
home and Chesson’s Garage on
South Haughton Street. Purchas
ing the property only recently,
the Mes.si's. Taylors plan to re
move the garage building the
early part of the year and im
prove the property to give the
new plant an ideal and attractive
setting, the young Mr. Taylor ex
plained.
While the plant is being built in
connection with the operation of
Taylor's dairy near here, the man
agement plans to invite deliveries
from raw milk producers
throughout this section. The
plans also call for the eventual
operation of a wholesale ice cream
manufacturing plant. For the
present, however, the plant will
1 limit its operations to the pasteur
ization of milk and the manufac
ture of ice cream for retail, it was
reported.
Recognizing the need for a sup
plemental farm income, Mr. Van
Taylor has considered the pro
ject for several years. With the
return of his nephew from the
service, Mr. Taylor discussed the
project anew and formed an ef
fective partnership for advancing
it.
The new industry will be the
only one of its kind in this imme
diate territoiy and has the pro
mise of fitting perfectly into this
section’s economic picture.
Children's Fund
Goes Over $1,000
A fifty dollai contribution
from the Macedonia Bible School
plus $1-4 from other sources sent
the fund for little hungry children
in War-stricken countries over
the $1,000 mark last week-end,
, Mrs. N. C. Green, treasurer, re
ported this week. The fund, while
still far short of its $2,500 goal,
now stands at $1,015.57.
Contributions not previously
acknowledged follow:
Mrs. Dean Speight, $2; Mr. and
Mis. Henry Griffin, $5; Lindelle
Ward, $2; W. O. Peele, $5; and
Macedonia Bible school, $50.00.
It isn’t too late to contribute to
the fund, but those who would
like to have a part in helping
needy humanity are asked to for
ward their donations to Mrs,
Green in Williamston as soon as
possible.
IMtOUKUSSINU
v-- j
The annual Farm Bureau
membership drive is pro
gressing rapidly in this coun
ty, according lo reports sub
mitted hy canvassers in a
meeting held in tin- county
courthouse here last Friday
evening.
A total of 1,217 members
had been signed and reported
up until that time, President
Charles L. Itauicl expressing
the opinion lhai other can
vassers not at the meeting
had signed at least 300 mem
bers, leaving the drive just
about t>00 short of its goal. %
Efforts being made to
carry the drive over the top
within the next two weelrs. yj