Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Dec. 21, 1948, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE ENTERPRISE IS READ Bf OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEE THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ HI OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNT! FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES VOLUME LI—NUMBER 101 Williamtlon, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, December 21, 1948 ESTABLISHED IU99 Tenant Farming At Lowest Level Sharecroppers Drop From 7/0,278 In 1930 To 4?46,556 In 1945 One of the great changes in the | structure of American agriculture 1 in recent years—a change of deep | social and ecosiomic significance ! to tfre nation at large as well as "to agriculture itself—is the in crease in farm ownership and the big decline in tenanft farming. Figures compiled by the Bu ■ reap of Agricultural Economics of the U. S. Department of Agricul ture disclose that approximately 72 percent, or more than seven out oj. every ten, of all farm op I erators, this year were owners, in full or in part. (Part owners op erate land they rent in addition to their own.) This farm owner ship proportion is the highest since such figures were first com piled in 1900 and compares with a ratio of well under 60 percent in the ’30s. At the same time, the number of tenant-operated farms declin ed to approximately 27 percent this year, the lowest such propor tion since 1880. An interesting as pect of this decline is the greater relative decrease in the number of share-croppers than in tenancy as a whole in recent years. These changes strengthen the basis of the nation's agriculture and, combined with other devel opments such as greater farm in come and savings, indicate mark ed progress in the well-being and security of an increasing number of farm families. One of the important factors in the decline in tenancy was the general prosperity in agriculture in recent years, a development which gave many tenants the fi nancial means to buy farms of their own. Likewise, greater op portunities for employment off the farm in business and indus try since 1940 led many tenants to give up farming entirely. Con tributing to this trend were the great technilogical improvements in farming and rapid mechaniza tion in recent years which permit ted agriculture to raise more food and fiber than ever before with fewer people. The peak in farm tenancy was established in 1935 when approxi mately 2.9 million farms, or 42 percent of all farms, were tenant operated. In the following decade ' the number of tenant farmers de clined more than a million and their proportion to all farm opera tors fell to 32 percent. A sample j survey of 11,000 farms conducted J by the Department of Agriculture early this year indicated that the ! proportion of tenance at that time \ had declined further to around 27 percent. ■Mdtaahighest numb/ r shut - j croppers on record was 776,278 in i 1930. Fifteen years later, in 1945, the number had dropped to 446, 556- This represented a decline of about 42 percent as compared with a drop in all farm tenancy of 35 percent from the 1935 high point to 1945. S- ■. v Returns Home After Long ' Stay In The Hospital 'Mr. Edward Joyner who suffer ed a broken back in an accident j at the plant of the North Carolina ' Pulp Company several weeks ago, j left n • - Iasi-! Friday and is now at home with : his mo*her, Mrs. Evar. Woolard and family in the Peel Apart ments on North Haughton Street. He is getting along very well. c SCHEDULE "'i > Attention is again called to the three-day Christmas holi day to be observed by busi ness firms in Williamston and most other towns and cities in the state. The stores are being held open each evening this week, but they will be elosed from Christmas eve through next Monday. The schedule will not apply to the post office and federal agencies, but ail county and state offices will be closed for the three-day period, ending December 27. URGES PAY BOOST FOR PRESIDENT URGING CONGRESS TO INCREASE the salary of the President, Herbert Hoover (left), former Chief Executive, outlines his proposals to Sen. Ralph E. Flanders (R-Vt), head of the Senate Civil Service Committee, in Washington. Under the Hoover plan, the pay raise would be taken care of by government absorption of White House expenses. He also sug gested “study” of income tax exemptions for Presidents. (International) OPEN EV ENINGS f "\ j Offering further accommo dations for their patrons, local merchants are keeping their stores open evenings this week until about 9:00 o'clock. Williamston business firms are offering complete stocks at prices in keeping with and actually below those existing in many shopping centers. Shop with the Williamston merchants and save the dif ference and with the assur ance that your patronage will be appreciated. Fanners Killing Supply Of Meat Delayed by unusually warm weather during the past several weeks, hog killings are now get ting under way on a faidy large scale in this county. Wltile the meat packing business for home use hardly will reach a peak be fore the middle of next month, quite a few farmers will have handled the task by the latter of this week. Reports indicate that the coun ty will kill and pack an ample supply of meat this season. -o Gets Permanent Rating In Army Major* Oscar S. Anderson, Jr., son of Mr. O. S. Anderson of Wil liamston, was recently notified by the Department of the Air Force that he had been appointed per manent captain in the USAF, date of rank retroactive to July 1, 1948. Major Anderson attended i entering the service in 1941 was president, of the Anderson Con j struction Company in Birming : haw?, A Inuring the war he served 28 months overseas with the 8th AF in England. His pres ent assignment is with the Air ^Tactical School at Force Base, Tyndall "Field^T)^ | da, as an instructor in the supply and maintenance division. Major Anderson’s wife and son, Michael S., are residing at Apt. 20 B, Victory Circle, Panama City. Florida. Minor Accident On County Road •> Losing control of the 1941 Chev rolet he was driving George Ed ward Gardner ditched it on the Skewarkey Road leading from Route 64 to Route 17 last Friday midnight, causing damage esti mated at about $75 by Patrolman M. F. Powers. The car belonged to S. L. Andrews. Gardner, going from the scene | of the accident for someone to pull the car out, was detained by Pa trolman J. T. Rowe. Sale Of TB Bonds Amounts to $730 Selling 65 TB bonds, the Martin County Tuberculosis Association raised $730 in Williamston to car ry on the fight against tubercu losis. The amount raised by the sale of bonds is in addition to the several hundred dollars worth of the little TB Christmas seals. Ac cording to the last reports, the $2, 000 quota in the county had not been reached, but the chairman expressed the opinion that that amount and possibly more Would be raised before the drive is com pleted. The association recognizes the purchases by the following: $25 Bonds—Harrison Oil Com pany, Williamston Lumber Com pany, F. C. X. Service, Colonial Stores, Branch Banking & Trust Company, Guaranty Banking and Trust Company, Wells-Oates Lumber Company, Williamston Peanut Company, Charles H. Jen kins Motor Company, Standard Fertilizer Company, Belk-Tyler Company, Lindsley Ice Company, Williamston Motor Company, Roanoke Chevrolet Company. $10.00 Bonds—W. G. (Bill) Pcele, W I. Skinner, J. E. King, Ann's Specialty Shop, Clark's Pharmacy, Davis Pharmacy, Har rison & Carstarphen, E & W Groc ery, Margolis Brothers, Farmer’s Supply Company, Moore’s Groc ery, Central Cafe, R. S. Critcher, Williamston Parts & Metal Com pany, Blue Star Cleaners, Enter prise Publishing Company, Ayers 1 Electric Company, Eagles Stores, Roses 5 & 10, Williamston Supply Company, White’s Heating and Sheet Metal Company, G & H Builders Supply Company, Thrower Appliance Company, B & W Tire Company, Baker Oil Cumpqpy. " "*• - ■ rtiwaa* $5.00 Bonds—Wier Coffee Shop, Sam Zemon, Willard’s Shoe Shop, Alpha Cleaners, Proctor Shoppe, Peele's.Jcv «S;s~lair Ser vice Station, G &. C Soda Shop, Woolard Hardware Company, Darden's Department Store, D. L. Store, Martin-EUiott Company, Won ell Appliance, Martin Supply Company, Wil i iiamston Hardware Company, Mrs. J. G. Staton, Woolard Furni ture Company, B. S. Courtney & Son Western Auto Associate. Store, Muse Jewelry Company, R. L. Ward Coal & Wood, F. U. Barnes, Johnnie Gurkin, Griffins Quick Lunch, Ward & Holding ! Oil Company,. Martin County j Building & Loan. ! Police Issue Warning Against Unlocked Cars While offering every protection possible, local police this week issued a warning against leaving packages and other valuables in unlocked cars on the streets and in the parking places. It was pointed out that although only one theft had been reported, thieves should not be invited or aided in their work. Court Drags To A ! Close Early Last j > + /* | It Was Beginning To Ap pear Just Would Have To Hang Up Stocking Here With very few cases on the I criminal docket and only two or j three minor civil actions on the i | calendar, the Martin County Sup- j j erior Court on Mon lay of last j week opened what was thought : to be a two-day se^ion. Quite a j few criminal casesrwere handled j the first day and[ the court was S making progress. Tuesday u(> len til it tackled the Dave Brooks j murder case. Considerable time ! was spent handling that case, but Wednesday the court granted sev- j eral divorces and a civil action or two. But the longer the court re mained in session, the more baf- 1 I fling and complicated the cases I became, and about Thursday | Judge Walter J. Bone, presiding • over the term, seriously consider ed wiring home for a stocking to , hang up in Williamston for! Christmas. Friday morning, only a speech I to the jury by Attorney H. S. ; | Ward and the judge’s charge stood, between the court and adjourn ment. The wheels of justice con tinued to move slowly all that morning, but by early afternoon and after the jury quickly consid j ered the issues in the case of Ar | thur Williams against Victoria Hassell, the court saw its chance and adjournment was ordered in ! the early afternoon. The trial of the Williams-Has sell case required a full day and a half, the jury finding in favor of the plaintiff. According to the evidence of fered in the case, Williams bar gained to buy a farm in Poplar Point the latter part of 1946. His mother-in-law, the defendant, of fered the down payment and the deed was made in her name. It took two sellings seasons to br ing out the misunderstanding, the de fendant claiming that she bought the farm and that Williams was entitled to share in the proceeds of the farm only as a tenant. Wil liams maintained that even though the deed was made to his mother-in-law, that he had ad vanced under the assumption that he was buying the farm and ex plained that he had borrowed money to finance its operations. The defendant gave notice of appeal, but it isn’t likely that the appeal will be perfected. The judgment directs the defendant to give the plaintiff a deed to the farm within ten days after the final judgment is docketed. Attor ney Clarence Griffin was named referee to determine the status of the accounts between the parties. o Father And Son In Corn Contest O. W. Jones, Martin County Ne Igro farmer of Oak City, Route 1, ] has convinced not only himself but also his son that it pays to use | hybrid seed and plenty of fertiliz |er iii producing corn. | _ r** Acco'rding^o'ir M. Edwards, | Negro county agent for the State 'College Extension Service, Jones I attended a corn result demonstva ' tion project conducted in 1947 and j decided then and there that he ' would use hybrid seed for his 1948 I crop. ! .JiiRjMfey.«a*-old however, remained doubtful He J just didn’t like the idea of pay ing $10.50 foi a bushel of seed and j spending a lot of money on fertil j izer. j So the two engaged in a little j friendly competition. The elder Jones bought a bushel of N. C. 27 I hybrid seed and planted 7.5 acres. I He used 16-inch spacing in 3.5 foot rows and followed recom mended fertilizer practices. Young Jones planted his crop with regu lar field corn and did not fertilize liberally. When the corn was harvested, the father had a yield of 109.4 bushels per acre. The son pio dueed only 47.6 bushels per acre. Looking at his father’s 7.5-acre field, young Jones said he had never seen so much corn on one piece of land. From now on, he plans to use hybrid seed and fer tilize according to recommends tions. Siiiil— Hold Funeral For Cpl. Newsome In Young Colored Man Was Fatally Burned While Serving In Japan Funeral services will be con ducted Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock in the Barnabest Missionary Baptist Church near Williamston for Cpl. Thaddeus Newsome, III, Martin County young colored man who was fat ally burned in a motor vehicle ac cident while serving in the army in Japan on March 5, 1946. The pastor Kev. J. W. Rogers will con duct the rites and burial will be in the family cemetery just off U. S. Highway No. 64. The body will be carried direct ly to the church from a Greenville funeral home. The son of Thaddeus Newsome, II, and wife, he was born near Williamston on June 29, 1924, and spent most of his life on the farm. He was graduated from the local colored high school and before en i tering the service in 1944 he work ed for eight months in the Nor I folk Navy Yard. Surviving besides his parents are two sisters, Isoline Hassell of Norfolk and Myrtle Newsome of the home and one brother, Wil liam Earl Newsome, also of the home. He was one of eight Martin | County colored men to have been I killed during World War II. His body is the twenty-second of a Martin County man to be return 1 ed for burial in native soil. Large Crowds At Special Program ———. The special Christmas programs attracted capacity congregations in tile local Baptist and Christian j Churches Sunday evening, the Baptists reporting that every seat in the large church was taken. The choirs, including the com bined Methodist and Christian Church choirs in the Christian Church and the Baptist choir in , the Baptist Church, handled their assignments masterfully, and the programs were most impressive and were well received. The Baptist choir will be heard over the amplifiers Wednesday j evening of this week at 11:30 I o’clock. Injures Leg In Bike Accident —$— Rondell Beach, stepson of Mr. Kelly DaVenport, suffered u pain ful leg injury Tuesday evening, December 14, as a result of a bi cycle accident. Riding his wheel in the alley behind Woolard’s Furniture Store, he ran over a stump, throwing him from the wheel and wrench ing the muscle in the back of his leg. He was treated locally and the muscle was found to be torn. Rmvdc'V-- corned to hU StrVwa. able to use his leg but expects to be up soon. j Bertie County To Get Hospital i • — almost tjirec to | one, Bertie County people last ! week voted a tax levy upon them selves to finance the construction of a $600,000 fifty bed hospital. The federal and state govern ments will furnish about $406,800 of the amount. A site has not been selected, but it is proposed to locate the hos pital on the county farm between here arid Windsor. {BERRIES IN DECEMBER vJ Nature came through with a rather unusual freak last Friday—a strawberry in De cember. Mr. S. C. Ray was raking in his strawberry bed at his home here on Beech Street and raked out a full-grown strawberry. The berry was well developed and ripe. Tax List-Takers Are To Start Listing j Properties Early Part of January | M. Luther Peel Appointed | To Supervise Listings For Next Year Tentative arrangements fori handling the listings of both real and personal property for 1949 taxation in this county have been 1 completed and final instructions' will be issued on the 28th of this , month when the list-takers and j tax supervisor meet in the com missioners' room in the court house. M. Luther Peel has been reap pointed tax supervisor and he will be in charge of the listings for 1949. The following list-takers have been named for the ten townships: O. W. Hamilton, Jamesville. Chas. L. Daniel, Williams. W. Tom Roberson, Griffins. Wheeler Rogerson, Bear Grass. Oscar S. Anderson, Williamston. Gordon G. Bailey, Cross Roads. Henry S. Everett, Roberson ville. L. G. Taylor, Poplar Point. Bo Roy Everett, Hamilton. Jesse F. Crisp, Goose Nest. The commissioners in their De cember meeting ruled that there would be no revaluation of real estate for the new year, but they did order a horizontal increase in all real property listings. The authorities are expected to spon sor a law, making it legal to call for a revaluation in either 1950, 1951 or 1952. Any action calling for a revaluation in either one of those years will be discretionary. In their meeting on the 28th. the list-takers and supervisor will study the current values of per sonal properties, including such items as farm produce, and deter mine so far as possible a schedule of values to be assessed for taxa tion purposes. The new automo bile Blue Book will be studied also with the possibility that the group will consider a horizontal reduction in motor vehicle values unless a definite downward trend is reflected in the little book. A schedule for listing property will be announced immediately after the December 28 meeting, and property owners will find it to their advantage and conven ience not to wait too long in list ing their holdings. Goes All Out For Friendship Train Advised of the need existing among victims of war in foreign lands, Will Little, colored farmer living near Robersonville, went all out to do his bit toward load imMhi^'riendshm Train n Everett, Hur canvasser, a portion of corn, Lit tle took his car and trailer and carried the appeal to his friends and uvigiibo,->.. The last report said that hi' had gathered and de livered to the center in Roberson ville some over 1,500 pounds of corn,,,. . While the movement did not create the excitement the first Friendship Trains created, Mar tin County, at the bidding of faithful workers and canvassers, met the challenge all l ight. 4 .. . [Plows Into Car On Highway 64 Driving west on U. S. 64 last Wednesday evening, James D. Bullock, RFD 1, Stokes, slowed down to allow a tar in front of him to make a left turn into the Prison Camp Road and Carlos D. Crowe, of Newton, plowed into the rear of Bullock’s 1947 Ford. Investigating the minor acci dent, Patrolman M. F, Powers said that very little damage was done to the Ford, that repairs on the Dodge coupe driven by Crowe would cost $ 100 or more. \ TOBACCO CARDS v/ The office of the county agent this week issued a call for tobacco marketing cards, explaining that the farmers’ card is */o be checked against the warrants issued at the warehouse. The checking process, it was explained, helps eliminate, errors and credits the farmer with the poundage sold. Only a few hundred farm ers in the county have not re turned their cards so far, it was learned. Minor Accident On County Road j No one was hurt and no great, damage resulted when a truck and a car sideswiped each other near Holly Springs Methodist Church on Highway 64 last Thursday eve ning at 6:15 o'clock. The truck, driven by Caesar Purvis and owned by the Wil liamston Peanut Company, was traveling toward Williamston, and the car, a 1946 Mercury owned bv Oliver Peel of Dardens and driv en by Romas Hiwatha Cordon, also of Dardens, was traveling to ward Jamesvillo when they side swiped. Damage to the car was estimat ed at $120 by Patrolman J. T, Rowe who made the investigation. Little or no damage was done to the truck. Red Cross Busy Handling Cases Although fur removed from the sensationalism offered By storms, floods and other catastrophes, work of the Red Cross goes on be hind the public scene right here in the Martin County Chapter, Chairman W. H. Carstarphcn said yesterday. Reviewing the work handled by the chapter last month, the newly elected chairman said that twenty-three cases involving ser vice to war veterans and their I families were cared for during the period along with aid extended j nine servicemen and their fami [ lies. Financial assistance in the I amount of $261.71 was extended to a helpless group of migrant work ers when their truck was wreck ed and one of their number was killed and several others injured. Unfortunately direct aid is ne j ccssarily limited to disabled vet ! erans and their dependents, and i dependents of deceased service i men and veterans during the period pending adjudication of the j first application to the Veterans' i Administration for service-con nected disability or service-con nected death benefits. It is possi ble for the Red Cross to render aTrf’in i• rincies but the welfare department and other relief agencies are supposed to handle individual needy cases, it explained. ; Theatre To Award Bike At Slioiv Friday Morning The new Super DeL'txe bicycle which is being displayed in front of The Viccar Theatre will be awarded to some lucky boy or girl attending the special Christ mas show for children only on Friday morning, December 24. Doors will open at 9:30 a. m. and regular admission prices will be S charged. There will be gifts and | favors for everyone. Officers Wreck Still In County On Friday Declaring that business is slow er than usual on the illicit liquor manufacturing front, ABC Officer J. H. Roebuck is finding stills few and far between. Raiding on a little island in Collie Swamp in Robersonvilie Township last Fri day, the officer and his assistant, Deputy Roy Peel, wrecked a 30 gallon copper kettle and poured out 250 gallons of beer. Load A bout 30,090 Pounds Of Foods Brief Dedication Service Being Held at Railroad Station Tuesday Approximately 30,U0O pounds of foods and farm produce have been loaded in the Friendship Train car in this county and it will' be dedicated at a special service Tuesday morning at 9:00 o’clock with the several ministers taking part. The public is invited to at tend the service which will be brief. f- ^ The people of the county re sponded splendidly to the call, and the canvassers worked hard and succeeded in their task. Complete figures of the loading could not be had immediately, but the deliveries include about 23.0Q6 pounds of shelled corn, about a dozen 100-pound bags of shelled peanuts, five of which were do nated by the Williamston Peanut Company. There are over 2,500 pounds of flour in the car, several hundred pounds of sugar and five or six bags of pecans, soy beans and a large assortment of canned foods Approximately 100 cases of canned foods including milk were donated. Williamston firms and individ uals contributed over $300 in cash in addition to dozens of cases of canned milk and other foods. All the townships in the county came across with liberal gifts, Poplar Point possibly leading with the largest poundage for the smaller districts. Volunteers, although few in number, worked willingly in sort ing, packing and loading the food Thursday and Friday nights. The special train is moving out of Salisbury this week but the car in this county will be shipped by regular freight direct to the port in Norfolk for reshipment over seas. Approximately seventy car loads of food and farm products j are being shipped out of this j State, and special trains are mov ing out of twenty-three other states to various ports for ship ment abroad the latter part of this week. Religious organizations will handle the distribution overseas with much of the food going to orphanages and agencies trying to hold bodies and souls of millions j of war victims together. The chairmen, Messrs. Jesse ! Sumner and Mayo Little, did a splendid job in this county and they were ably aided by township ; volunteers and canvassers. --«> New School Units Almost Completed Construction work on throe new | school units in this county is al most completed, but it is likely that occupancy will be delayed pending the delivery of radiators. ; It was also- learned that the plumbing work has not been com | pleted, but the new units, one at ' Hobei>»v..- ii w m Crass ! and one at Williamston, could be i used if the radiators could be made ready. Aside from the heating and plumbing, the contractors are ap plying the finishing touches to the [ structures. The addition, at Bear Grass is one" at" Jr iff I liamston is costing $49,310, and I the lunchroom at Robersonville is costing $13,942 exclusive of plumbing, wiring and heating which the county is handling. SUGGESTION \ It' anyone has exhausted his wits and worn his patience to a frazzle seeking a gift for a friend or a relative, the pub lishers suggest a subscription to The Enterprise as a year long gift. Possibly a friend in some distant state or one right around the corner would ap preciate and enjoy keeping up with the activities in Mar i tin County. A gift card will be maUeft" for the donor, and the J seriptiou will start wit) | current Christmas issue.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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Dec. 21, 1948, edition 1
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