THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY
OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES
THE ENTERPRISE
=~=Si-^~=S~L^..r. -=rS.
THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY
OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK
VOLUME LII—NUMBER 48
Williams ton, Martin County, North Cr.J.lna, Thursday, June 16, 1919
ESTABLISHED 1899
Board Retains All
Employes Of Town
Salary Schedules i
J
To Remain Intact ;
For the New Year
Remuneration Small When
Long Hours and Respon
sibility are Considered
Meeting in special session Tues- |
day evening, Williamston’s board j
of commissioners retained all town
employees and ordered the old sal
ary schedule retained after study
ing each job or position individ
ually.
It was the consensus of opinion
that remuneration, while compar
ing favorably in size with salaries
paid bv other towns, was small
when the long hours and respon- j
sibilities are taken into considera
tion.
While other business was dis
cussed, the board members spent
most of their time fixing the sal
ary schedule to be incorporated
into the budget estimate for the
next fiscal year. When that task
was completed .the hour was get
ting a bit late and the officials de
cided to recess and resume at an
other special meeting possibly the
latter part of this month, the study
of thebudget figures.
' The salary schedule as adopted, |
follows:
Superintendent of the street and ;
water departments, $3,420.00.
Chief of police, $260 per month.
Salaries, ranging from $50 to
$52.50 per week, were retained for
the five police officers. The mo
tion to retain the chief of police
was offered by Commissioner!
Leman Barnhill Qnd seconded by i
Commissioner W. O. Griffin, Com- j
missioner N. C. Green offered the
motion that all officers be retain-!
ed with present salaries to be
maintained. |
•The town treasurer-clerk was,
retained at the old salary of $3,120'
per year, and the assistant clerk
was re-employed at a salary of,
$800 annually.
The town attorney was also re
tained, and the retainer's fee was
unchanged at $150 per year.
The town hall custodian is to
continue to receive $50 a month.
The mayor’s pay was left at $50
(Continued on page eight)
Slightly Injured
In Street Wreck
Samuel Williams, operator of a
Store on Sycamore Street, suffered
a slight knee injury when his Ply
mouth sedan was in collision with
a freight truck of the Carolina
Norfolk Line at the intersection of
Haughton and Washington Streets
about 9:00 o’clock yesterday
morning.
Williams, driving out Washing
ton Street, started to make a right
turn into Haughton, explaining
that he the ght Uie freight truck
would enter and travel up Wash
ington Street. The truck driver,
Elton Kelly Bo>ce, RFD 3, Eden
ton, sweiffUfflflHSticS; to me leit
and Williams pulled hard tc the
right, the front left side of the
vehicles crashing.
Local officers, investigating the
accident, estimated the damage to
the Williams car at $530 and that
to the truck at $100.
j note of thanks .
__
Williamston's fire depart
ment this week received a
note of thanks along with a
§50 check for service render
ed during the fire that wreck
ed the warehouse of the Har
rington Manufacturing Com
pany in Lewiston a short
time ago.
The department dispatched
a truck to the Bertie town and
the firemen did what they
could. Grateful for the note
of thanks and the remunera
tion offered, the fire depart
ment chief and officials would
not accept the check, looking
upon the deed as one among
friends.
i MOSQUITO FIGHT
v-y
The fight against singing
mosquitoes is being carried
relentlessly on in the town.
Last reports state that nearly
250 homes have been sprayed,
that a barrier will have been
placed around the town by the
latter part of next week.
Most of the homes in the
northern and western fringes
of the town have been spray
ed, and the sprayers arc^
gradually working on around
toward the river with plans
to work inland the following
week.
So far no one has refused
the service which is being
made available without cost to
home owners by the town and
health departments.
Few Cases Listed
For Trial Monday
In Superior Court
Twelve 'Defendant* In llie
Court for Alleged Viola*
lions of Sanitary Laws
i .. ii
| With only fourteen cases on the
| criminal docket, the Martin Coun
ty Superior Court is almost certain
I to attract very little attention dur
1 ing the one-week term opening
' next Monday morning at 9:00
o’clock. Unless complications pre
sent themselves, the court is ex
pected to clear the criminal docket
| possibly late Monday and certain
| ly by noon Tuesday. A few dir
j vorce cases have been tentatively
set for trial Tuesday afternoon
j and only a few civil actions are on
1 the calendar for consideration lat
| er in the week.
Judge Chester Morris, presiding
I over a hectic session last March, is
scheduled to return for his second
round on the bench and he’ll find
that this county isn’t so bad after
all.
Included in the list of fourteen
cases on the criminal docket, sev
eral of them were brought over
from previous sessions.
The cases charging Lollie Wil
liams with drunken driving was
continued last December, but
when it was called in March the
defendant did not answer, forfeit
ing the $200 cash bond.
In the case of James Wesley
I Ormond, a true bill was returned
i last December when he was for
i mally charged with carnal knowl
! edge of a girl sixteen years old.
He did not answei either during
that term or last'March.
Charged with on assault v/ith a
deadly weapon, Charlie Bell ap
pealed from a judgment handed
down in the county court and the
case was continued until the June
term.
Raymond L. Uhelps, drunk driv
! ing; Virginia Slade Boston, violat
: ing the liquor laws: Cloven James,
I assault with a deadly weapon, and
Lawrence Lilley, drunken driving,
| all appealed from the lower courts
coses are 'mi
next week.
Possibly the most serious case
on the docket is the one in which
(Continued on page eight)
Planning Tour Of
Tobacco Station
Farmers interested in the latest
research work on tobacco produc
tion should plan to tour the Ox
ford Tobacco Experiment Station
Wednesday, June 29.
The following research work
will be observed: 16 variety yield
and quality test demonstrations;
horn worm and wire worm con
trol work; black shank and Gran
ville wilt control strains; fertiliz
er placement; sucker control de
monstrations, topping and sucker
ing test, starter solution test (in
transplanting water), and methods
of ridging and cultivating tobacco.
Farmers interested in making
the trip should contact R. McK.
! Edwards, Negro County Agent for
j this county.
Fourteen Cases
In County Court
Monday Morning
Fines Imposed At the 3hort
Session Amounted
To $375.00
- --
In a session lasting a little over
two hours, Judge Chas. H. Man
ning and Solicitor Paul D. Rober
son cleared fourteen cases from
the Martin County Recorder’s
Court docket Monday morning.
The session was fairly well attend
ed ,and was featured by the trial
of a warmly contested speeding
case.
Fines imposed at the session
amounted to $375, the income for
the day falling well below the
average reported for the past six
or eight months.
Proceedings:
Represented by two attorneys.
James Bruce House, young Hali
fax County man, pleaded not guil
ty when formally charged with
speeding. He was adjudged not
guilty after the defendant had of
fered a number of able witnesses.
It was brought'out by Solicitor
Roberson that the defendant had
offered to plead guilty but the plea
was not perfected and the case
was scheduled for trial. The de
fendant was given the advantage
of the doubt and was found not
guilty. It was also brought out in
evidence that the defendant had,
been booked for speeding earlier
in the year.
Pleading guilty of violating the
health laws, Robert Purvis was
sentenced to the roads for thirty
days, the court suspending the
judgment upon the payment of the
cost and on the further condition
that he meet certain health re
quirements.
Lorenzo Bryant, maintaining his
innocence in the case charging him
with assaulting a female,* was
found guilty and drew six months
on the roads. The road term was
suspended upon the payment of a
$25 fine and costs. He is to remain
of good behavior for two years.
Pleading guilty of assaulting a
female, Daniel Jones was sentenc
ed to the roads for sixty days, the
[court suspending the road term
upon the payment of a $25 fine
and costs. He is to remain sober
and law abiding for one year.
Charged with speeding, David
Sylvester I-ee pleaded guilty and
was fined $15 plus costs.
Pleading guilty of operating a
motor vehicle with improper
brakes, Jim Jenkins, Jr., was fin
ed $15 and required to pay the
costs.
John Mason, pleading guilty of
trespass and assault, was fined $25
and taxed with the costs. He was
directed to pay a $20 doctor’s bill
for Clyde Tyner, the prosecuting
witness.
Facing a drunken driving
charge, LeRoy Lawrence pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to the
roads for six months. The road
term was suspended upon the pay
ment of a $100 fine and costs. The
defendant lost his driver’s license
for one year.
A mandatory fine of $100, was
imposed, plus costs, in the case
charging F.icYwai* D. Dixon, Jr.,
with speeding at 83 miles an hour.
Charged with leaving the scene
of an accident without identifying
guilty and was fined $15 plus the
costs.
Pleading not guilty of non-sup
port, William Grimes was adjudg
ed guilty of not providing aue
(Continued on page eight)
Take Action On
House Location
Selling the old tenant house for
merly located near Rhodes Street
on the property recently bought
from the Halberstadt heirs for a
cemetery addition, the board of
town comissioncrs in a special
meeting Tuesday evening were
advised that the purchaser had
moved the house several hundred
yards from the street and set it jp
on property owned by yie town.
The board slapped a $5 monthly
rental fee for the site, allowing
the house owner until next Sep
tember to clear it off the cemetery
site.- The house was sold at pub
lic auction some months ago for
$605. *
Local Firms Plan Special
Promotion Days Next Week
For the first time in a number
of years, Williamston merchants
are cooperating in a special trade
promotion to be held here for
three days, June 23, 2-1 and 25,
Ernest Mears, chairman of the
Williamston Booster Days com
mittee, announced yesterday.
During the three days Williams
ton stores will offer special mer
chandise at bargain prices. Ap
proximately fifty retail establish
me ts are cooperating in this joint
trade promotion and bargain
items and services from diapers to
lubrication jobs will bo ottered at
especially reduced prices by the
participating firms.
This is the first promotion the
merchants have conducted in some
time and the first one of its size
ever to be offered in Williamston.
During Booster Days every cour
tesy will be extended to visitors
and free parking will be provided
on the streets.
The June 21st edition of The En-'
terprise will carry two sections fef
bargains to be offered during i
Booster Days.
BUDGET
Martin County's commis
sioners are almost certain to
fidget with budget figures
when they meet in special ses
sion tomorrow to map out a fi
nancial course for the coming
fiscal year.
No estimates are yet to be
had, but it is reasonably ex
pected that the officials will
do well to hold the tax rate to
its present figure. Some hard
ly see how they can do any
thing but increase the rate a
few cents.
Name Local Man
Area Chairman
N. C. Green, local Ford dealer,
has been appointed Area Chair
man for the National Automobile
Dealers Association.
Mr. Green was selected as Area
Chairman by a committee of the
National Association and NCADA
officials. The appointment was
announced by P. L. Abernethy of
Charlotte, director of NADA for
North Carolina, and M. Brack Wil •
son of Smithfield, President of the
State Association,
NADA is the largest retail trade
association in the country with a
membership of more than 34,000
new automobile and new truck
dealers. The national organiza
tion is widely known for its spon
sorship of highway safety and
other public interest programs
and its policy of supporting the
highest standards and ethics of re
tail automobile merchandising.
Receive Request
For Playgrounds
—%—
Petitioning the board of com
missioners in a special meeting
this week, a recreation committee,
headed by Geo. T. Hyman, W. C.
Bunch and G. H. Ormond, asked
for an appropriation to finance a
playground for the colored chil
dren of the town.
The petitioners asked for $40 a
week for personnel and $200 for
equipment.
Commissioners K. D. Worrell
and W. C. Griffin were named on
a committee to meet with the
council leaders and discuss the
proposed project, the officials ten
tatively agreeing that some help
tcould he offered. .r| t t
Justice Johnson
Hears Six Cases
In Recent Days
Most Cases On Docket Cer
tain To Attract Little At
tention in Short Term
i
Justice R. T. Johnson heard six
cases in his court here during the
past few days, but final action was
reserved for the higher courts in
half of them and fourteen defend
ants were found not guilty.
The violation of the sanitary
laws on a wholesale scale was
charged when twelve defendants
allegedly failed to maintain prop
er sewage disposal. It was report-1
ed that the sewer line serving sev
eral homes near the corner of Elm j
and Railroad Streets was clogged j
with rags and other foreign sub-;
stance, throwing the system out
of operation in that sector. Jus-!
tice Johnson dismissed the action I
but warned the defendants to keep
the system clear in the future.
The following were defendants in1
the case: Rosa Johnson, Bill Goss, I
L. M. Brown, Lou Manning,
Gladys Spruill, Lucy Melton, Vir
ginia Lloyd, Mary James,- Ida
Land, Mary Lee, Solomon Hodges!
and James Biggs.
Publicly drunk, Henry Raynor
was taxed with $7.85 costs.
Willie Mayo Ango of Sharps
burg was fined $10 and taxed with
the costs in the case in which she
was charged with fishing without
a license.
L. W. Respass, publicly drunk,
was fined $5 and taxed with $7.85 ,
costs. 1
Charged with an assault, W. G.l
Thomas was fined $10 and taxed!
with the costs. He appealed to
the county court and was recog
nized.
Charged with disorderly con
duct, assault and damage to per
sonal property, N. S. Roberson
and Thomas Griffin were bound
over to the county court for trial
on June 27, and Herbert Godard
and Harman Roberson were ad
judged not guilty. Court action
followed a disturbance on Wash
jington Street here last Saturday
'night. Guy Thomas parked his
| car near his barbershop and left
I several dozen eggs in the seat and
j the ke.v in the switch. N. S. Rob
erson “harrowed” the switch key
. and broke two or three dozens
! of the eggs. He was cited to the
I police station along with Grifiin.
Words uc.'e exchanged there and
while the night officer was call
l——^Con tj n )i e d
Peanut Mills Race Against i
Time To Meet Big Contract j
I -A- t
Williamston’s two peanut plants
are now entering the home stretch
in the race to meet the terms of a
big shelling contract with the gov
ernment. Late reports from the
plants indicate the race will be
won with possibly a little time to
spare, provided schedules can be
maintained.
Hours of operation have varied
quite a bit, and at times the plants
were running around the clock,
but more recently the operations
have been limited to eighteen and
twenty hours each day.
Awarded the shelling contracts
week before last, the plants start
ed operations on Monday of last
week. They were assigned the
task of shelling more than five
million pounds of peanuts. The
task within itself is not an un
1 usual one. but the time limit had
j the operators worried for a while.
The cleaned goods are to be iri
a Norfolk warehouse by Saturday
of this week for shipment overseas
under the European Recovery
Program.
The more thail fifty thousand
bags of farmers’ peanuts were
moved from warehouses here and
in Robersonvillc, the operations
requiring quite a few trucks. To
move the more than three million
pounds of shelled goods to Vir
ginia, approximately fifteen
trucks were placed in operation
daily. The haul to Virginfa hi*
been hampered by load limits on
the Chowan River bridge, sopne of
the drivers going over Albehnarle
Sound while others operated
through Ahosldc.
In addition to the peanuts, the
mills are handling almost) fifty
carloads of crushed huffs. •
•*>
Mrs. H. L Dawson
Drowns Yesterday
In Pamlic o River
Throe Other* Barely Kseape!
With Lives by Clinging
To Capsized Boat
Mrs. Robert Lee Dawson, the
former Miss Rometta Taylor of
Lucarna and a resident of Wil
liamston for the past thirteen
months, lost her life by drowning
in the Pamlico River at the rail
road bridge in Washington yester
day afternoon about 5:00 o’clock
when the small boat in which she
was riding with her husband and
Mr. and Mrs. James Parrisher,
capsized in the rough water. ,The
Parrishers and Mrs. Dawson's hus
band barely escaped with their
lives by clinging to the overturned
boat.
When tire boat, powered by an
outboard motor, turned over,
Dawson helped his wife on top of
it. She had been there just a
short time when a wave carried
her off. Dawson explaining that j
she drifted away before he could |
reach her. During the meantime
the bridge tender had called for
help and members of the Wash
ington fire and police departments
responded and the body was re
covered immediately, reports in
dicating that death was the result
of a heart attack. She was given
'artificial respiration there and
| again in a Washington hospital
where she was pronounced dead
I soon after her arrival. The Beau
ifort County coroner, according to
i reports reaching here, ruled that j
i death was attributable to acci
dental drowning.
The Dawson’:: and Parrishers
had been at Whiehard’s Beach,
rented a boat and were about a i
mile or more away when rough |
water was encountered and the
boat turned over.
The Parrishers, relatives of'
Dawson, were originally from
Sharpsburg but are now living in
Washington.
Mrs. Dawson was born in Lu- j
cama, Wilson County, on April 23,1
1926, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. j
Paul Taylor. She was married in
1945 and made her home in Wil
son until they located here. They
were at home on Sopth Biggs
Street in the late W. B. Daniel
1 house. Surviving besides her par
i cuts and husband are a daughter,
' Little Miss Linda Fay Dawson; a j
| sister, Mrs. Thomas Hatch, and aj
brother, Rudolph Taylor, both of
Lucarna.
During most of their stay here,
Mrs. Dawson was employed in
Wter’s Coffee Shop and her hue
band worked at the Central Kill- j
ing Station. She had made many I
friends during her stay here and j
was held in high esteem by all
who knew her.
The body was brought to the
(Continued on page eight)
Taxi Ordinance To
Be In Effect Soon
An ordinance governing the op-1
oration of taxi cabs in Williams-1
ton was given final approval at a|
special meeting tiie'ioca'/ town’!
board of commissioners last Tiles
meeting, the ordinance was
amended (his week, lowering the
license fee from $50 to $-10 a year.
The amount may hr paid queder
!} -tiiii' juiij, the board provid
ed ,
There are fourteen taxi opera
tors here at the present time, but
in the busy seasons the number
has run as high as twenty-one.
Fares within the town limits have
been fixed, and the board ie
serves the right to rule on license
applications.
While ami Had I’nletoes
Come from Same Vine
.Mr. R. A. Moore, filling station
operator and a small scale farmer,
of near Williamston, has the dis
tinction of growing both white and
red potatoes on the same vine.
Mr. Moore who lives on the Ham
ilton highway said he planted a
cheese box full of potatoes and
harvested 15 bushels. When har
vesting his corn last year Mr,
Moore found 3 perfectly formed
and full grown ears of corn in the
same shuck.
Will Start Work On
Street Project Soon
f
CLINICS
1
Completing the schedule of
community clinics held for the
immunization of subjects
against typhoid fever, the
county health department
states that the service will
still be offered at the estab
lished clinics, as follows:
Each Friday afternoon from
1 to 3 o'clock in Hamilton;
each Wednesday afternoon
from 1 to 3 o’clock in Rober
sonville, and every afternoon
from 4 to 5 and each Saturday
morning from 9 to 12 o'clock
in the health department of
fices at W'illiamston.
Approximately 9,000 per
sons have been immunized
against the fever to date, it
was learned.
Pest Damage Runs
Into Big Figures
B. C. Lineberger, chairman of
the North Carolina Virginia unit
of the National Cotton Council,
said recently that North Carolina
cotton farmers would have been
able to profit an additional $9,
622,000 if insects had not reduced
the state's 1948-4!) cotton yield ap
proximately 7 percent. Pests, he
said, claimed one out of every 13
bales produced.
Mi. Lineberger, m announcing
initiation of a campaign by the
Cotton Council to reduce damage
to cotton by pests during 1949, said
lest year’s losses in North Caro
lina amoupted to an average of 3
cents per pound of lint harvested.
"Pests last year kept out of pro
duction approximately 50. 119
bales of cotton and an estimated
j 23,000 tons of cottonseed. Based
on average prices, this lint would
I have brought farmeis of the state
some $8,235,000 and the seed
would have meant an additional
profit of $1,387,000,” the Council
spokesman added.
"Recommendations on how best
t • edrol j„. <■ North
Carolina already have been . sued.
This information, which may be
obtained from county agents or
vocational agriculture workers,
tells farmers how to apply potent
insecticides which will control id'
fectively such pests as the boll
weevil, boll worm, pink bollworm,
I cotton aphid, fleahopper, thrips
I and others.”
Mr. Lineberger explained that
though the percentage of cotton
damaged by insects throughout
the Cotton Belt last year was the
second lowest since 1924, an esti
mated 6.6 percent of the crop, val
ued at approximately $202,264,000
was destroyed.
He observed further that a mild
winter in many Cotton Belt states
favored a high survival of cotton
pests, and said that the Cotton
Council is warning cotton farmers
that unless insect control meas
ures art
year's crop may run much higher
n that in,.u, in IJ)4g
Soldier Buried
Near Plymouth
Graveside services were con
ducted in the Jackson Cemetery
iii Washington County .sterday
afternoon for Pfe. Hubert W. Ange
who was killed in Italy on March
31, 1944. Rev. P. li. Niekens, Bap
tist minister, conducted the serv
ice.
A son of the late Charlie W.
and Mamie Browning Ange, he
was born in Washington County
on November 29, 1912, and was
working at the. N. C. Pulp Com
pany m this county when lie en
tered the service. Several rela
tives live m this county.
He was married to Miss Thelma
Heath who survives with a daugh
ter, Jessica Ruth Ange; three sis
ters, Mrs. Isabella Mason, Mrs.
Lula Quincy and Miss Mamie
Ange. all of Tarboro; and three
brother, Robert Ange of New'
Bern, Charlie Ange of Wilmington
and Oscar Ange of Baltimore.
Promise Delivery
Sewer Line Pipe
In Next Few Days
-c
Stall* Will I’iiM' Several Of
Tl.<> Blocks In Hijjh
School Sc<*lion
The final go-ahead signal for
laying water and sewer lines in
North Smithwick from Grace to
Liberty Street and in Liberty from
Smithwick to Haughton Street
, ahead of the pavers was given at
1 a meeting of the local town com
missioners last Tuesday evening.
Pipe for the sewer line has been
ordered and delivery was promis
ed almost immediately. During
the meantime, the street and wdt
i er department forces will start
laving pipe already on hand for
the water lines.
Contract prices for digging the
ditches with a machine were con
i sidered a bit high, and it is pos
sible the projects will be handled
with manual labor. However, no
! final action <vas taken immediate
ly, but regardless of the method
| followed, the work will be rushed
| to completion.
| Unofficial reports reaching here
state that Nellu Teer, big contrac
tor, will set up a paving plant in
Windsor within the near future or
I some time after July l to handle a
paving project in Bertie, and that
j several of the main highways in
' Williamston will be .resurfaced
along with the paving of two
blocks on North Smithwick and
two blocks on Liberty Street.
It was reported that all of the
property owners contacted up un
til that time had agreed to accept
the cost of constructing curbing
and guttering along the property
in the streets to hi’ paved. IIow
J ever, it will be impossible for the
| town to handle that task ahead of
the pavers. It is possible, however,
that a contract could tic let or the
task delayed until after the pav
ing is completed.
Anticipating a heavy strain on
i the budget for the new fiscal year,
| th" commissioners discussed the
j advisability m levying a special
| tax oil each sewer line connection.
| It was pointed out that it is hardly
fair for those town property own
ers to install and maintain septic
i tanks while others have sewer line
’connections without cost other
than the initial tap fee. The of
ficials, upon motion of Commis
sioner W. O. Griffin and a second
by Commissioner David Moore,
passed an ordinance calling for a
sewer rental lee. However, no fee
schedule was adopted at the meet
ing. Commissioners N. C. Green
and H. I,. Barnhill were named to
make a study of the plan and re
port to the full board at its next
meeting. It was suggested that a
a0-cent rental fee would be in line,
j that fees for similar service in
■ other towns range considerably
j above that figure. It was also sug
gested that a graduated rental fee
' should be adopted. A* nt
j time there are about 600 sewer
; line connections, and on that basis
I about $3,600 in revenue annually,
I he number of water line connec
I lions is almost double the sewer
! line taps, t ut many of the water
customers are outside the town.
(Continued on page eight)
! TIIE RECORD
I SPEAKS . . .
Last week for the first time
in two months, motorists trav
eled the highways of this
county u full week without u
reportable accident.
The following tabulations
offer a comparison of the ac
cident trend: first, by corres
ponding weeks in this year
and last and for each year to
the present, time.
23rd Week
Accidents Inj'd Killed Dam'ge
1949 0 0 0 $ 00
1943 300 160
Comparisons To Date
1949 49 24 2 $12 20.3
1943 03 22 2 12.00 J
2