North Carolina Newspapers

the enterprise is read be OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES THE ENTERPRISE k> THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BT OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK - - VOLUME LIII—NUMBER 1 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, January 3, 1950 ESTABLISHED 1899 Loses Life In River At Jamesville Today Ira L. Alexander Falls From Boat And Is Drowned > —@— Was Superintendent In The Seetion for The Mengel Corporation Ira L. Alexander, timber sup erintendent in this section for the Mengel Corporation, lost his life in the Roanoke River near James ville at 6:20 o’clock this morning, Acting Coroner William Biggs f stating that death was due to acei dental drowning. Starting out on a newly con verted landing craft boat with a number of loggers, Mr. Alexander started to move around the out side rail to wipe off the wind shield. He had moved only a short distance when he slipped and fell into the river, reports stating that he swam 60 or 70 feet down the 1 river. Unable to effect a rescue with the large craft, members of the crew docked it and went after him in a canoe. He was recover ed possibly within ten or fifteen minutes after the accident, and was thought to have been all right when pulled into the small boat by Herbert Williams. Realizing that something was wrong, his rescuers called a doc ^ tor and a respirator was used about twenty minutes before he was pronounced dead. About fifty years of age, Mr. Alexander was a native of Tyrrell County. Locating in Jamesville about twenty years ago, he was employed by the Foreman-Biades and Foreman-Derrickson Lumber Companies, later going with the Mengel firm. During his stay in ^ this county he had made many friends, and was recognized as a valuable citizen to his community. Funeral arrangements had not been completed early this after noon. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Clara Alexander of Jamesville, and a brother, Dan Alexander of Durham. ♦Tenants Looking i ~ For Farm Places » % 4 ♦ -« For the first time in a number of years there’s an apparently large surplus of tenants looking for new farm contracts in Martin County, and reports declare that they are finding it difficult to get places. The tenants without contracts fall into two main classes, one farm observer pointed out. There are those who move from place to place every year, and there are those who are being crowded out by mechanized farming. The cold facts centering around the latter group indicate that quite a few farmers will work their own lands with tractors which are more numerous on Martin Coun ty farms this year than ever be fore. It is also pointed out that farmers, experiencing a decrease in income last year, are tighten ing up to meet costs in 1950. Experiencing devastating wea ther conditions last summer, a few tarmers in the county found it necessary to borrow on their 1950 crops to pay off their 1949 obligations, and it is likely that there’ll be a sizable increase in the demand for 1950 production loans in this county. Remembers Good Friend In His Will -i: In his brief will, Mr. V. G. Tay lorylate of thiJ county, remember ed his good friend, Doc Hollis, with whom he had farmed and as sociated for a number of years.' to Mr. Taylor left him $1,000 and Mr, Hollis is to have the 75-acre Knox farm in Poplar Point for life along with implements and team. Mr. Taylor went further and pro vided that the farm should go to Mrs. Hollis in the event of Mr. Hollis’ death. The will, bearing no date, was / Very short, and offered no esti " mate of the value of the estate. f OUTSIDE BREAK-IN \__ An unknown thief, who ap parently was acquainted with the lay of the land, handled a break-in from the outside at the Welch Auto Supply | Company on the Everetts Road near Williamston some time during New Year’s night. Breaking a glass in a side window, the thief reached his arm in and lifted about $3.00 in change from the cash drawer, and went on about his business unnoticed. Congress Opening A New Session In 1 Washington Today —•— Truman Will Deliver Ad ilrcsh To Joint Group At Noon On Wednesday Congress is reconvening in Washington today with battle lines drawn for what is predicted i by some observers to be a hot ses sion. After the peace and quiet I enjoyed while the body was in re cess, the fireworks are scheduled to start popping without formal ity or delay. “Fair Deal" plans arc likely to encounter some stormy weather I with the possibility that there’ll be some dark dealing by coalition groups. Social Security extension to include many workers outside the program, is given a fair chance, but the fate of most of the other proposed "deals” is uncer tain. Leader Scott Lucas says the ole tax measure will be taken up by the Senate first thing, and that it will remain the first order of busi ness until settled. President Truman will deliver his message to a joint meeting of the Senate and House Wednesday about noon, and long conferences among leaders will follow. There will be a determined drive to lower taxes, the action be ing considered a political strategy move along with a loud call for reduced expenses. Sen. Robert A. Taft, R., O., chairman of the Senate Republi I can Policy Committee, predicted t flatly that the session will turn • down such demands as repeal of j the Taft-Hartley labor-manage : ment law and enactment of the I Brannan farm plan, compudsory I health insurance, universal mili | tary training, and stand-by price ! controls. Senate Democratic Leader Scott I W. Lucas, 111., doubted that most i of these even would reach the I Senate floor for a showdown roll I call. | Most of the political fighting j over the President’s program is , expected to center in the Senate. | Senate Republicans and Demo crats arranged for opening-week party conferences to start work ing on their strategy. Local Man Faces Killing Charge Harry Wilson, young Williams ton colored man, is facing a mur I der charge in the Bertie County Superior Court following the kill ing of Ike Washington, colored man, with whom Wilson had made his home. Wilson, said to have admitted last Friday the killing, was re ported 10 have fired a load of shot through a window and struck Washington as he (Washington) listened to a program of Christmas music on the evening of December 24. Wilson, called “Puddin’ ” left here the latter part of November, 1943, after he broke into the home of William Stokes on Washington Street and fired a load of shot through a door. Wilson escaped and when arrested by Sherif; Ifar ry Smith a short time after the Christmas eve murder, he said that he had been living in High Point and other cities. Accidental Death Toll In New Year Holiday Weekend • i Incomplete Reports Place { Highway Deaths In i Excess Of 200 ( -9- 1 More than three hundred per- ] sons in the nation met tragic i death during the New Year holi day week-end, according to in- 1 complete tabulations. It is ex- ( pected that corrected estimates ] will push the count still higher. , However, the number of tragic , deaths, so far, have fallen slight- ( ly under the 330 predicted by the •, (National Safety Council. The preliminary reports placed the highway toll at 201 deaths. Fire claimed another 41 lives, and at least 65 died in miscellaneous accidents, some of them of a freak nature. When the estimates were made yesterday, tens of thousands of motorists had not returned to their their homes from visits with \ relatives, some in distant states, i No tragic deaths were reported ’ last week-end in this county, but one person died in an automobile i accident the week before. Tragedy centered within Wil- , son's city limits at 2:00 o’clock Sunday morning when two cars collided at a street intersection and three persons were killed and two injured, one critically. The total dead reached thirteen in this State, nine in automobile accidents. In last year’s two-day New Year celebration, there were 309 violent deaths, 207 attributed to traffic accidents. During the six major holidays in 1949, 2,717 persons died in vio lent accidents. The toll in traffic accidents for the first 11 months of 1949 came to 28,350—about 85 every 24 hours—but this figure includes deaths occurring months after the accidents. The holiday toll covers only immediate deaths. Two fires in New Jersey ended life for eight youngsters. Five' children perished when flames, destroyed the two-room frame | bungalow of John Davis near, Hightstown. Three little girls burned to death in Woodstown when an oil-fed fire enveloped a stairway and cut off rescue. A fire near Rosenberg, Texas, killed three children and one a dult. Fourteen people were burn ed in the blaze. A mother and son drowned near Pulaski, N. Y., when the mother attempted to rescue the boy after! he fell through ice on a pond. Two men were killed at Home wood, 111., when their small plane crashed in a residential area and narrowly missed houses. i A father and two sons died' when their small plane crashed | near Chehalis, Wash., during a sudden snow squall. Fire Leaves Aged Man Homeless —*— Fire, starting in the kitchen, burned the home of John D. Hol liday in Hamilton Monday morn ing about 11 ;00 o’clock, reports reaching here stating that the fire also burned everything in the world the aged man had except the pair of overalls, patched pair pants "he was wearing under his overalls, and an old jumper. Mr. Holliday, living alone in the five-room house owned by the F. L. Haislip estate, said he went to the kitchen about 11:00 o’clock to prepare a bite to eat for lunch. He built a fair in the stove and returned to the front part of the house to rest and wait for the stove to heat up. Hearing fire cracking, he hurried to the kitch en and found it burning. In try ing to put out ttie fire, he suffer ed painful but not severe burns on the face and hands. He was treated in a Williamston doctor’s office. Without near relatives, Mr. Hol liday, well in his seventies, asked no direct aid for himself, but friends who know him and under stand how feeble and helpless he is, declare his is a worthy case. Contributions will be handled for the old man by Mr. LeRoy Everett in Hamilton, and every penny will mean much to the fire victim, it was explained. No Change A nticipated In Tobacco Quotas For 1950 No change in the 1950 tobacco marketing quota is anticipated by growers this year, according to information released this week by George C. Griffin, chairman of the Martin County Production Marketing Administration com mittee. "After a study by the U. S. De partment of Agriculture of supply and demand prospects for the crop, the authorities announced no change in allotments is con templated," Mr. Griffin said. The review of the outlook for tobacco exports this year was considered by the department, and represen tatives of the growers, warehouse men and dealers. “As announced on July 1, the 1950 acreage allotments for flue cured tobacco will total about 970.000 acres, as compared with 960.000 acres allotted for 1949. In dividual farm acreage allotments for 1950 will be about the same as in 1949, the small increase in the total allotment being reserved for adjustment of inequities among individual farm allotments and for new tobacco farms which qualify for allotments in 1950." Mr. Griffin explained that Mar tin County's share of the total al lotment increase is only about 50 acres, that it will be used to meet hardship cases or meet legitimate demands of new growers. Native Of County ! Died Last Friday —*— t f Leonard Ward Hamilton, re tired farmer and railroad man, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. George W. Coltrain, in Rocky Mount last Friday morning after a long period of declining health. He was born in this county near Jamesville 78 years ago and spent his early life on the farm, work ing for the old Dennis-Simmons Lumber Company,at its plant in Jamesville for years before lo cating in Rocky Mount about a quarter century ago. When a young man he was married to Miss Temple Mobley. Surviving besides the daughter with whom he made his home are a nephew, Mr. Wendell Hamilton of Jamesville; four grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He was connected with the railroad in Rocky Mount for a while or un til declining health forced his re tirement. Funeral services were held in a Rocky Mount funeral home last Saturday morning at 11:00 o’clock by Rev. E. L. Oaks, pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, be fore the body was removed to Cedar Branch near Jamesville where the pastor, Rev. W. B. Har rington, conducted the last rites Saturday afternoon. Interment was in the Cedar Branch Church Cemetery. COUNTY SCHOOL REOPEN All Martin County schools re opened yesterday following the holidays, preliminary reports in dicating that attendance was far | below normal in several of the , schools. ROUND-UP I J Except for two calls for minor disturbances, all was quiet in the sheriff’s depart ment for the past two week ends In this county, but po lice and other officers were kept busy. After Jailing about a dozen and one-half Christmas week end, officers rounded up and Jailed seven more last week end, including two for assault, and one each for drunken driving, public drunkenness, bad check, and disorderly conduct. Two were white and the ages of the group ranged from 17 to 37 years. ! TRAFFIC ) \t Traffic on highways |nd streets in this section is be lieved to have approached a new record during the long New Year's holiday. Tourists, moving south for winter va cations, were on the north south highway in numbers, and North Carolinians, liv ing in Virginia, filled the right lanes of the highways going home. As far as it could be learn ed ear' today the highways in this county were free of serious accidents during the period. Season Closed On Certain Game The season for taking deer and squirrel ended Monday, reports declaring that the season was al most a failure for hunters. More hunters are said to have invaded the lowlands and took the smallest catch of deer ancj squirrel in many years in this immediate arfea. As far as it could be learned few dead deer were found in the woods by the big crowds invad ing the woods. An unusual story was heard, however. A hunter, holding down a stand, saw a deer approach him and when crowded by the dogs and faced by the dogs, the animal toppled over dead, the apparent victim of a heart attack. The season on quail closes later in the month. Water Shortage In The Big City -— m - New Yoi w City’s water short age was described as acute by New York State’s attorney gen eral during a short stop here yes terday afternoon. Traveling south, presumably to meet one of the Roosevelt boys, the attorney gen oral saifl the water shortage is so acute that “everbody” is switch ing to liquor. The New Yorker, driving his big car, talked with filling station at tendants about politics. He men tioned Harold Stassen as the big Republican in the nation today, explaining that Dewey would sit out the next elections. The oil in his car changed, the, official continued his southwa'd trip. Few Offices In This County To Observe Five-Day Week Few offices in this county will, observe the five-day week going' into effect on Saturday of this week for a number of State em ployes, according to official re ports. In those instances where strictly State offices are to close I on Saturdays, the employes will observe longer hours on each of i the other five days, meaning I they’ll be on their jobs an hour I longer each week in most cases. The only two State offices plan ning to close are the Department of Revenue tax office manned by Deputy Collector E. R. Froneber ger in the courthouse, and the Employment Security office in the Tar Heel Building. The Produc tion-Marketing Administration in the Agricultural Building and the! old Farm Security offices on the second floor of the courthouse are both federal offices and have been on a five-day week schedule for some time. The offices of the farm and home agents, the welfare depart ment, board of health, county board of education and all strictly county offices will not be on a five-ctay schedule, remaining open until noon Saturday. The Highway Patrol is on a sev en-day week schedule and will continue that schedule with the individuals getting time off on different days during the week. Manager Kelly Gay announces that the county employment of fice will be open each day from 8:00 a. m. until 5 p. m. each-day from Monday through Friday. Florida Motorist Floored By .C osts In County Court -- County Given Wule Publici ty When Complaint Goes To Auto Association -♦ — • *3Mi Martin County received appar ently wide publicity recently when a motorist, carried into the recorder's court for speeding, ran to his automobile association with a complaint about the costs. The story was released under a Washington, D. C., date line a short time ago by one of the na tional press associations. Clip pings have been forwarded to Chas. H. Manning, the court judge, and several have come from other states, including one from Chas. D'Amours up in Redwood, New York. Under Harman W. Nichols' by line, the story reads, as follows: You never know the amount of bookkeeping involved in a traffic fine until you look into it. Take the case of John C. Robin son of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who was arrested in Williamston, Mar tin County, North Carolina. According to the report Robin son made to the American Auto mobile association here, he and his lady were zipping along at a gay old rate—65 miles an hour. The speed limit on the highway in North Carolina is 55 M. P. H. The driver bowed low before the court, said he was both wrong and sorry. Guilty, in the language of the law. The judge said he was sorry, too. Hated to do such a thing to such a fine- man, hut the damage was $15—plus. It was the plus which floored Robinson. He for warded the worksheet, or the breakdown, to the AAA The AAA was helpless, but interested. Here is the official bill of fine and costs in the case: Affidavit $0.25 Bill of cost, preparing .25 Docketing warrant .25 Docketing judgment .25 Filing papers, each .10 Indexing judgment .10 Indictment each, filing .00 Judgment 1.00 Order arrest 1.00 Recording .75 Fine defendant 15.00 Recorder’s fee 0.00 Solicitor 8.00 County tax jury findings 2.00 State witness 1.50 $37.05 Robinson learned a lesson which he put down as “don’t speed un less you have your lawyer and bookkeeper along.” The AAA says the same situa tion exists in a lot of states. But it adds that Robinson probably got off pretty easy at that. According to the printed form, or worksheet, he could have had the whole book pitched at him. For instance, there was no charge for “recognizance”, which would have run the bill up an other quarter. The court let him off on the “seal of office", which would have meant 25 cents. Other serious fees he escaped were: Presentment, 10 cents. Subpoena, 15 cents. Order, interlocutory, 25 cents Original process, $1.00. Appeal from justice of pe ace, 50 cents, . „ .. Capias, $1.00. Continuance, 30 cents. Indexing judgment, 10 cents. Bond, 60 cents. And empaneling jury, a dime. Breaks Ankle In Hunting Accident William Everett, local business man, suffered a broken left ankle while hunting birds in Cross Roads Township late last Satur day afternoon. Thinking he had only sprained the ankle, he hob bled along for more than a mile to his ear and then realized the injury was more serious, Mr. Everett explained that his biid dog got tangled up in a fence and that he jumped to free the animal and his left foot struck a small oak stump. The kg is being placed in a cast at the hospital here today, but the patient will be several weeks recovering. Schetlule Of Values Fixed by List-Takers Little Change In : Listings In Sight Except For Autos i To Tula* Karin Oiisiih For The Year: Have l util Jail, .'i 1 to Fist Property -• Meeting tn the county court house last week, Martin County Tax Supervisor M. Luther Peel and the list-takers from the ten townships set up a schedule of values for personal properties, the supervisor pointing out previously that no new valuation of real es tate would be taken for 1950. In the case oi real property it will be listed at its 1949 value except in those cases where improve ments were made or fire or other elements damaged or destroyed the properties since the last list ings. There's not much change in prospect for personal property listings either, the supervisor ex plaining that assessed values have been decreased on some items, but that the old 1949 schedule will be followed to a great extent. A marked decrease in listings, how ever, is certain for owners of old motor vehicles. It is estimated* that the tax value of used cars will tumble as much as forty or forty j five percent. However, listings for new motor vehicles hold tu rather high figures, and it is ex pected that the loss in old car tax values will be partly offset by the 1 fairly large increase in the num ber of new vehicles. The schedule for personal pro perties follows: Tobacco barns are to be listed from $ 150 to $300, depending on .size and condition. I Wheel cultivators are to carry | a tax value of $30 to $50. | Tobacco trucks are being listed | at $5 to $10, and tobacco sticks at ! $5 per 1,000. Harness is to be listed at $5 to $8 per mule. Meat and lard is being listed at twelve cents a pound. Washing machines are being given a value ranging from $50 tu $100. Horses, first class, are listed at $100, and second class at $50. First class mules are listed at $250 and second class from $50 up. First class milk cows are to be listed at $100 and second class at $50. Heel cattle are valued at 10 cents a pound on the hoof; goats at $1 each; sheep, $5 and up; poul try, $1 each; brood sows at 10 cents a pound on the hoof. Boats with outboard motors are being listed at $50 and up. Tax values of refrigerating ma chines vary from $50 to $150. Lumber is to have a tax value of $25 per 1,000 feet, and logs, $20 per 1,000 feet. The values of tobacco curers range from $75 to $100. Vacuum cleaners are going on the tax books with a $20 to $-40 value. Peanuts are to be listed at $0 per bag, but listings will be held to two-thirds of the actual count. Tobacco, given a tax value of JO cents a pound, will also be listed at two-thirds ot actual inven tory. Merchants’ stocks will be lis^ d at two-thirds of actual inveK. tories. ,| Supervisor M. L. Peel would of fer no guess as to the expected | trend in values, but it is fairly | certain that the total listings will | hold their own as compared with • the 194!) tax values. Farmers are required to give a report on their farming activities I for 1949 and stocks on hand as of | January 1, hut there’ll be no tax on commodities held by the pro ducer. Farmers can greatly aid the list-takers with the census by preparing the information and noting it on paper before appear ing before the list-taker, it was explained. Listings are now' underway in accordance with a schedule ap pearing in th. paper today. Check the dates' list early and (Continued on pag* ux) r VALUABLE 1 Tobacco and peanut allot ments still carry a high value in this section. Auctioneering its 4.4 acres of tobacco and 3.1 acres of peanut allotments on the Woodlawn Cemetery farm last Friday, the town recciv §550 for the 1950 rights. Worth Mobley was high bidder. There were several bidders. H. II. Cowen, Jr., held the allotments last year, paying $525 for them. Cotton Insect Loss At Highest Mark In Over 22 Years —«— Dcmnher Confi'micr Out lined Programs To Cut Pest Dimmer -- — ■■ Preliminary, unofficial esti mates which place insect damage to the 1949 cotton crop at $470, 110,000, the highest pest loss in 22 years, reemphasize the importance of the third annual Cotton Insect Control Conference at Birming ham, Ala , Dec, 19, National Cot ton Council officials declare. Insects destroyed approximate ly 2,811,000 bales, more than one seventh of the estimated crop, Ransom E Aldrich, Michigan City, Miss., chairman of the Cot ton Council’s production and mar keting committee, has disclosed. Mr. Aldrich, who presided over the insect control meeting, point ed out that the Birmingham ses sions laid plans for a coordinated program to cut cotton pest dam age next year. Based on art average price of 30 cents per pound, damage to lint amounted to $421,650,000 this sea son. In addition, it is estimated that pests destroyed 1,127,000 tons of cottonseed valued at $48,461, 000. The total loss of $470,110,000 is the greatest since 1927 when $550,605,000 was destroyed by cot ton insects. Although estimates for South Carolina indicate the highest loss percentage-wise with 27 percent destruction, Mississippi led the list in terms of value with $106,515,000 lost in seed and lint to cotton pests. Other states and their loss es are: Arkansas, $91,660,000; Ala bama, $59,399,000; South Carolina, $49,581,000; ..gia, $40,964,000; Texas, $39,635,000. North Carolina, $23,901,000; Louisiana, $20,407,000; California, | $11,897,000; Oklahoma, $9,046,000; Tennessee, $8,553,000; Missouri, $3,687,000; New Mexico, $2,358, 000; Arizona, Virginia, Florida, $836,000. A more effective insect control program, through close integra j tion of the efforts of federal and state agencies, insecticide manu facturers, the cotton industry and farm organizations, is the goal of the Council-sponsored conference. Moie than 200 federal and state entomologists, extension service leaders, and representatives of land grant colleges, farm organi •/:.!» jfms, insecticide !...,11 equipment manufacturers, -and I the cotton industry, attended the meeting. r iremen Receive Two Calls Here After going through the Christ mas season without a call, volun teer firemen were kept busy the last day of the year and yester day answering calls. They were called out last Sat urday afternoon shortly after 5:U0 o'clock to Jamesville where an oil stove fire went out of con trol and threatened the Ira T. Coltrain home. Damage was very slight, and the fire was under control when the firemen reach ed there, it was reported. Yesterday, the firemen were called to several grass fires, one on Grace Street, another on Sim mons Avenue, another in West End and still another on the Jamesville Road.