North Carolina Newspapers

Che Roanoke Beacon * * * * * * +AND Washington County News ******* MAKS SYZHT PAT DAT BOND DAY munm-wainnat nu VOLUME LIII—NUMBER 27 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, July 2, 1942. ESTABLISHED 1889 Town opics The 15 chewing gum vending ma chines located in various places here netted the Lions Club blind fund $28.52 during the month of June, P. W. Brown, chairman of the com mittee. said yesterday. The machines were emptied July 1 and were found to contain $114.09. 25 per cent of which goes to the blind fund. This means that 11.409 balls of gum were dispensed by the 15 machines during the past month. The plant of the North Caro lina Pulp Company here will be closed down for a 10-day period between July 3 and 13, it was learned today from E. L. Walker, the manager. Mr. Walker said, however, that it would be neces sary to employ a eonsiderable number of men for maintaining and overhauling the machinery and equipment during the shut down period. Practicaly all bus schedules were changed Tuesday, when the opera tors ordered speed of all busses re duced to 40 miles an hour in order to save rubber. This necessitated re vising schedules on a wide scale. Per sons planning to make bus trips in the future would do well to check the schedules before venturing forth. Tile county commissioners will not hold their regular meeting Monday, since all local business is being suspended then in lieu of closing Saturday, for obser vance of Independence Day. The commissioners will meet Tuesday morning, July 7th, instead, Chairman E. G. Arps said yester day. County Agent W. V. Hays said Tuesday that county farmers had not turned in as much old rubber as he thought they would during the sal vage drive. With the campaign ex tended for 10 days, however, it is pos sible that a recount may show they are doing their full part. According to the X. C. Crop Re porting Service, peanuts thresh ed from the 1941 crop in Wash ington County totaled 5,339,940 pounds. This county was tenth in production for the year, Ber tie and Northampton being the leaders. There were 4,397 acres planted In the county, the aver age yield per acre being 13 bags of 91 pounds each, or 1,517 pounds per acre. About 500 tax stamps for motor vehicles had been sold at the post office here up to this morning, but there are still several hundred cars end trucks withouf them in the sec tion. Tire stamps were supposed to be on all cars and trucks by July 1 About 750 stamps, which expired June 30, were sold at the post office here during the early part of the year. W. R. Hampton will attend the regular meeting of the State Board of Conservation and Development, of which lie is a member, at Morehead City next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Commercial fishermen will be heard Monday, July 6. Mr. Hampton is chairman of the commit tee on commercial fisheries. County Agent W. V. Hays said yesterday that it had been de cided to call off the cooperative lamb sale scheduled for July 13, since prices on local markets have picked up considerably and are now considered about as good as could be expected from a co operative sale. Crop conditions in Washington County are said by transients to be far superior to those prevailing in surrounding counties. Tire outlook for this section now is declared to be far better than that in Martin, Bertie, Chowan and other nearby counties. Boys Who Like To Play Baseball To Meet Friday -® The Rev. B. E. Taylor, pastor of the local Christian church, has called a meeting of all boys in town be tween the ages of 12 and 16 to or ganize a baseball league here this summer. The meeting will be held at the courthouse tomorrow (Friday) morning at 10 o’clock, and Mr. Tay lor asks all boys who like to play baseball and who are interested in forming a league to be present at that time. 301 Young Men Between 18 and 20 Years Old Registered in County Last Tuesday; Those Under 20 Not Yet Subject to Service -« There were 301 young men between the ages of 18 and 20 who registered for possible military service Tuesday in Washington County it was learned from S. A. Ward, clerk to the local selective service board yesterday. This number is 49 short of the 350 estimated to be affected by national and state officials of the selective service system, but is about in line with other registrations held in the country. In not a single instance has the actual number registered come up to the pre-registration forecasts made by officials. Of the 301 registered Tuesday, 185 were from Plymouth, 54 were regis tered at Roper, and 62 at Creswell. There were only about 10 registrants from other counties, and Mr. Ward believes the final number in this class will likely run higher than 301, since it is known that a number of Washington County boys were regis tered in other sections, and it will possibly be several weeks before all the cards are in. Only those who are 20 years of age or older are subject to immediate military service: but this registra tion is a little different from any of the others, since youths reaching 20 in the future will automatically get order numbers and be subject to service. There will be no national lottery to select order numbers, as these are determind by birth dats. The oldest man registering last Tues day gets the first number, the next oldest the next number, and so on. The youngest man to register Tues day gets the highest serial or order number, and will be the last to be subject to service, Recorders Court, Rationing, Registration, Vote Counting All at Once in Couithouse Tuesday Was Hectic Day There, With Practically All Offices Affected by Varied Activities Underway The courthouse was the busiest place in town Tuesday morning, and the number of cars parked outside would have indicated that an impor tant case war being heard in super ior court. The auditor's office was the busi est place in the courthouse, with about 50 applicants for extra sugar for canning lined up awaiting their turn all morning long. There were three clerks to serve them, but even at that the line remained about constant, with newcomers coming in about as fast as some who had been Motorists To Register July 9, 10, 11 Under New Gas Ration Plan r WINS SATURDAY j — - —— I Ben A. Sumner, local insurance man and salesman, won the Democratic nomination as county representative to the general assembly in the second primary held last Saturday by a majority of 120 votes. 55 Colored Men To Leave Friday Next Week for Induction 33 From Plymouth, 16 From Roper, 6 From Creswell; Largest Single Call -<•> Preparations have just about been completed by the local selective ser vice board to fill the largest single call for men yet made on Washington County, 55 colored men to leave for the Army Friday of next week, July 10. Examinations have been com pleted and notices mailed for the men to be here ready to leave for Fort Bragg. Plymouth is called upon to furn ish the lion's share of the July color ed quota, 33 of the 55 men being from here. Roper is second, with 16: and Creswell gets off very light, only 6 being called from that section. Three of the men going from Plym outh are volunteers. They are Clar ence Bonds, Cary Junior Brown, and James Louis Nichols. The other 52 men are as follows: From Plymouth: Floyd Armistead, Rudolph Ransom, Ernest James, Wil (See DRAFT LIST. Page 4) there as long as an hour could be is sued the certificates. Then, in the office adjoining the auditor, the registration for 18. 19 and 20 year olds was being held. Upstairs in the courtroom recorder's court was in session, and over in the superior court clerk’s office the county board of elections was meeting to canvass the returns of the second primary last Saturday. Besides all this extra activity, the regular work of the courthouse was going on, including tax book compil ations in the auditor’s office and last of-the-month tax collecting in the collector's office. Registrars Allowed To Issue Only Two Types of Basic Cards Owners of Trucks and Ap plicants for Supplements Must Go To Boards -<8> Motorists of Washington County, along with all others in the eastern section of the United States, will be gin to realize that General Sherman knew whereof he spake concerning war, when they register next week for the new and permanent gasoline ra tioning system. The registration will be held Thursday. Friday and Satur day, July 9. 10. and 11, and basic cards A or D will be issued, respect ively, for privately owned passenger cars or motorcycles. For motorists of the Plymouth sec ton. the registration will be held in the courthouse here, with Mrs. Leta Liverman in charge. At Roper and Creswell the registrations will be held in the schoolhouses, with C. H. Floyd in charge at Roper and A. H. Tucker at Creswell. The new system is entirely differ ent from the one now in effect, in that coupons required for gasoline purchases will be taken up by filling stations and turned in to replenish their stocks. This should eliminate all "bootlegging,” since the station operators will be unable to buy more gas without the coupons. There will be no more "X" cards, and coupons will even be required for small quan | tities of gasoline used for cleaning or in gasoline irons, etc. At the registration next week, each applicant must have his auto regis tration card; and only the owners of ! passenger cars will be given the basic A card. Truck owners and those de siring supplementary allotment can only secure blanks which they must fill out and submit later to the local rationing boards. Tire regulations governing supplementary allotments are very strict, and definite proof of need for essential purposes must be submitted. The A book will contain six pages of eight coupons each. Each coupon is good for one unit, fixed at four gallons of gasoline, after July 22. The unit value is subject to change at any time. The A book must last for one year, or until June 30, 1943, and each page is good only during a two-month period, similar to the time limitation on the sugar card. It is understood, although this is not defi nite. that three coupons will be torn off the first page, since the plan does not become effective until July 22, three weeks after the July 1 date, i See GASOLINE. Page 4 > 80 Per Cent Current Tax Levy Here Is Collected P. W. Brown, tax collector for the Town of Plymouth, said yesterday that 1941 tax colections had reach ed a total of $23,000, in round fig ures, out of a total levy of $27,000. This represents collection of roughly 80 per cent of levy for the current year, and constitutes a much better record than for any year in recent history. L. W. Zeigler To Conduct Rehearsal by Band Friday L. W. Zeigler. director of the Plym outh High School Band, will be here to lead the band in the Victory Day Parade Saturday afternoon and he has called a rehearsal for Friday night at 8 p. m. All members of the band are urged to be present for the practice session. Mr. Zeigler has been directing a school band at Ansted, W. Va., since the school closed here and is return ing in time to conduct the band pro gram here Saturday as well as the re hearsal Friday night. Local Business To Observe Monday as All Stores and Bank Will Be Open Saturday and Close Monday With the Fourth of July falling on Saturdayfl Plymouth's celebration of Independence Day has this year been changed over to Monday, except that there will be a parade Saturday to boost the collection of scrap rubber in connection with the national sal vage drive. Practically all places of business in Plymouth will remain open Saturday and be closed all day Monday in order that rural patrons of local stores will not be inconvenienced and at the same time to allow a day off for employees and owners to ob serve the No. 1 national holiday. About the only exception to the closing program here will be entered by the post office, which will be closed Saturday and remain open Monday. There will be no city or rural mail deliveries, but mail will be dispatched and put in lock boxes as usual, although the stamp and general delivery windows will not be open. There was some doubt earlier that the Branch Banking & Trust Com pany could effect a change in its holiday schedule, but H. E. Beam, the cashier, said this week that the bank would go along with the merchants and be open Saturday and close Mon day. The ABC store will likewise be open Saturday and close Monday. No special program has been plann ed here Monday, and probably most local people will go to near-by beach resorts to spend the day. There will be a golf tournament at the country club, and a good many other folks will spend the day quietly, possibly taking in a movie or visiting rela tives. although the gasoline ration ing program will put in a crimp in ■ long-distance travel. Bathing and boating will be fea tured at Albemarle Beach during the day, with a dance and fireworks pro gram at night to top off the day s festivities. Hal Thurston and His Orchestra will furnish music for the dance, and a large crowd is expect ed by the resort owner, L. W. Guv kin. Issue Allotments ol 55,000 Pounds Sugar For Canning Here All Applications Must Be Made To Clerk Before Noon Friday If there isn’t a sugar shortage in Washington County, there soon will be. judging from a report of the clerk to the local rationing board, which shows that certificates for the pur chase of 54.516 pounds of sugar have | been issued to 918 applicants for home-canning allotments in the past ! couple of weeks. According to Chair man W. L. Whitley, of the rationing board, there is either a lot more can ning or a lot more truth-stretching going on in Washington County than he thought possible up to a few days ago. After it was announced last week that no applications for home-can ning allotments of suger would be considered after noon tomorrow, Fri day, July 3, the deluge began. A large number of certificates were is sued Friday and Saturday of last week. On Monday, the number of applicants reached such proportions that the three members of the ration ing board, Mr. Whitley. E. F. Still, and A. J. Riddle, had to dig down for the money to employ two as sistants for Clerk Bill Roebuck, who w7as completely “snowed under.” No funds are available for hiring extra clerks, so the ration board members paid for it themselves. i See SUGAR. Page 4) July Bond Quota Is Nearly Tripled So far Washington County has had no trouble in selling more than its quota of war bonds each month, but for July it is likely to be a different story. In the county allotments for July an nounced this week. Washington County came up with a figure of S37.800, nearly three times the $14,900 goal during June, and it is going to require some doing to sell that many bonds. However. H. E. Beam, county chairman, hasn't given up yet; and it is probable that an inten sive campaign will he waged later in the month to put Washington over the top. Complete figures are not avail able for June, but at least $18, 500 worth of bonds were sold, di vided as follows: Plymouth post office, S10.675. Roper post office, $2,250; Branch Bank at Plym outh, $5,575. No report has been received from Creswell, and the Maekeys post office sells only the war stamps, which are not cre dited to the. county quota. J. K. Reid and Ben Sumner Winners in Second Primary Patrolmen To Begin Careful Check of Driver's Licenses as Bar to Saboteurs Aware of the faet that poten tial saboteurs have free access of the use of North Carolina high ways, Commissioner of Motor Ve hicles T. Bocldie Ward yeslter day ordered a rigorous check on drivers' licenses throughout the state. He further advised spec ial care by license examiners in the issuance of licenses. Mr. Ward also stated that the courts of the state could greatly aid this program by entering all convictions of motor vehicle traf fic violations on the back of the driver's license. While section 18 la) of the license act requires Parade Planned Here Saturday to Stimulate Rubber Salvage Drive About 30,000 Pounds Collected So Far in Washington County Prizes Offered Children for Most Rubber and Best Decorated Bikes The rubber salvage campaign in Washington County has met with some degree of success, according to those in charge, but it is hoped to greatly increase the amount of scrap rubber collected this week-end. when, a parade is to be staged here to stimulate interest and a number of prizes will be awarded. Up to this morning, judging by reports from C. E. Ayers, chairman of the petroleum industries committe. H. H. McLean and W. V. Hays, co-chairmen of the Civilian Defense salvage committee, approximately 15 to 16 tons, or 30, 000 to 32.000 pounds of old rubber are in sight. A parade is to be held Saturday af ternoon at 3 o'clock to stimulate in terest in the drive. The parade will be led by the high school band, un der the direction of L. W. Zeigler, who is returning from West Virginia es pecially to take part in the event. As one feature of the parade, it is hop ed that old-fashion "hay rides” will be organized in various sections of the county. It is proposed that those taking part in the hay rides load then truck or other vehicle with all the scrap rubber they can find and then join m the parade here. As a special inducement, Shep Brinkley has agred to give free ad mission to the Plymouth Theatre to all who participate in the hay ride feature. They will be admitted with out cost to the showing of Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette's newest picture. "Sierra Sue,” immediately following the parade. Mr. Brinkley is also giving $10 in war stamps for the three best-decorated bicycles in \ the parade Saturday, divided as fol lows: $5 in stamps, first prize: $3 in stamps, second prize; and $2 in stamps, third prize. The names of the judges have not been made pub lic. In adidtion, Mr. Ayers is also of fering $10 in war stamps to the three children who have delivered the most rubber to filling stations in the county since the rubber campaign started. Thre prizes are broken down the same as for the bicyclists, first,! prize of $5, second. $3: and third. $2. Mr. Ayers requests children desiring to compete for these prizes to have receipts from the filling stations showing number of pounds of rubber delivered. Led by the band, the parade will leave the high school building here at 3 p. m., and proceed downtown. After circling through the business section, the parade will be halted in front of the community building, where former State Senator Carl L. Bailey will make a short address. Although Saturday is July 4th, lo cal business places and stores will remain open as usual, taking their Independence Day holiday on Mon day, July 6th, when they will be closed. Everyone is urged to do his part in the salvage campaign by , turning in some old article of rub- , per. and those in charge hope to ; lave around 20 tons of scrap before , ;he drive ends Mackeys Library Report For First Month Made -<JS Mackeys.—At the close of the first month of the Mackeys' Library service. Mrs. Edison Davenport, in charge, reports 17 books of adult fic tion read. 4 bool s of adult non-fic tion. and 12 books of juvenile fiction. Each week of the past month has seen an increase in the library pat ronage. this, it is not being done in many cases. If this provision of the law is complied with by the courts, it will be invaluable to the pa trolman in many ways in estab lishing the identity of drivers. It will also aid the Safety Division in its study of drivers who are habitual violators, and further the program of safer driving. The commissioner urges that tiie motoring public and all ap plicants for driver's licenses co operate fully with the depart ment in this effort to keep tin dangerous driver off state high ways. RENOMINATED Sheriff J. K. Reid was renom inated by Washington County Democrats in the second primary last Saturday by a majority of 444 votes. Sheriff Reid will enter upon his tenth term of office on the first Monday in De cember this year. Union Daily Bible School To Be Held Here Last of Month Ministers From Four Local Churches Will Head Various Phases -$ Tentative plans for a Union Daily Vacation Bible School were made at a meeting of the ministers of the four Plymouth churches held last Monday. The school is to last for a period of one week, beginning on Monday, July 27, and lasting through Saturday. August 1. Children and young people from all the churches in the community are to be enrolled in the Union Daily Vacation Bible School. The teach ing and administrative staffs are to be composed of representatives from the Baptist, Episcopal. Christian and Methodist churches. The school is tipen to all children between the ages Df 4 and 14. with the provision that young people of 15 and 16 years of age will be admitted if they so de iire. The Rev. James M. Johnson, pas tor of the Ludford Memorial Bap tist Church, was selected to head up the school as superintendent. The i See BIBLE SCHOOL. Page 4> Past Grand Master Allen Heads Group of Visiting Masons Here Tuesday to Attend Installation of McLean as District Deputy -<s A notable group of Masonic digni taries, headed by Past Grand Master J. Edward Allen, of Warrenton. at ended the installation of H. H. Mc Kean as third district deputy grand naster here Tuesday night, when the ocal lodge members were hosts. The neeting was held in the community tall and was preceded by a barbecue ind chicken super, with all the "fix ngs.” After the lodge was opened by the regular officers. John W. Darden was railed to the east and presided over the remainder of the session, except Dhe actual installation ceremony, which was incharge of Past Grand Master Allen. It was brought out that Mr. McLean was the fifth mem ber of the local lodge Perseverance, Decisive Majorities For Offices Sheriff And Represenlalive -•$> Size of Vote Is Surprise; Was Larger Than in First Primary -$ Washington County Democrats last Saturday decided the nominees for two county offices in the run-off pri mary by giving J. K. Reid and Ben A. Sumner decisive majorities for the offices of sheriff and Representa tives, respectively. The size of the vote came as a surprise to observers, and was just a little more than it was in the first primary on May 30, whereas most people had predicted a 25 per cent decrease in the number of ballots cast. In the race for sheriff, the incum bent. J. K. Reid, rolled up 1.051 against 607 for Edw. S. iTed) Blount, who was second man in the first pri mary, a majority of 444 votes last Saturday. Tire 1,658 votes cast Saturday contrasted with 1.587 in the first primary, when Reid received 778. Blount 544, and Richard C. Pea Icock, the third candidate, 265. Sheriff Reid carried every precinct except Wenona. where Blount led, 15 to 6. Probably the biggest upset of the day was provided by Mr. Sumner, ■ who was second in the first primary, but came from behind to defeat Ed ward L. Owens, high man in the first round, by a vote of 856 to 736, a ma jority of 120. In this contest a total | of 1,592 votes were cast, last Satur jday against 1.452 for the three can didates in the first primary, when Owens received 627. Sumner 470, and W. T. Freeman, who was eliminated, 355. Absentee votes east in the two pri maries were about the same, only 15 being recorded on May 30 and 17 in the voting last Saturday. Only men in the armed services are eligible to vote absentee in the primaries. After meeting Monday to eonvass the returns of the second primary Saturday, the county board of elec tions made its final certification of ,the nomin >: .t^d, since the Repub icans did l, t pr ent a slate of can ! didates for the county offices, the J general election in November will be I purely a matter of form, with tha Democratic nominees certain of election, although there may be a few “write-in” votes cast at that i time. There was no opposition for se veral county officers in the first pri mary, and the incumbents have since been certified as nominees by the county board of elections. They included W. M. Darden, clerk of su perior court; W. Ronald Gaylord, judge of the recorder's court; W. Blount Rodman, solicitor of record er's court; Jack Horner, coroner; and Joe Nobles, town constable. The 'See PRIMARY, Page 4) T. N. Clifton Final Rites at Creswell Creswell.—Funeral services for Theron Norman Clifton, 22, who died last Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, were conducted at the Scuppemong Christian church Sunday afternoon by the Rev, L. B. Bennett. Inter ment was in the church cemetery. Mr. Clifton underwent an opera tion for appendicitis at a Norfolk hospital Thursday before his death Saturday. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Clifton, of Creswell. he was a na tive of Washington County. Besides his wife. Mrs. Arthur Mae Clifton, he is survived by one son, William; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Clifton, of Creswell; and two brothers, Ray Clifton, of Creswell, and Robert E. Clifton, of Keesler Field, Miss. Pall-bearers at the funeral were: Rupert Hassell. William Ambrose. H. R. Stillman. Ben Norman, McCoy Davenport, and Wade Collins. No. 59. to be honored by being ap pointed district deputy. The others who have served in this capacity were the late T. W. Snell and Captain John Campbel. as well as John W, Dar den and R. H. Lucas, who were pres ent Tuesday night. Visitng Masons who were recog nized during the meeting included J. C. Munden. Will Smith and Roseoe Wynn, of Elizabeth City; J. E. Baldes, Harry Cramer. H. B. Mills, E T. Rawlinson. J. E Buffiap, and Mr. Olsson. of Edenton; M. F. McKeel. F. T. Paul, and H B. Carawan, of Washington; Milton Basnight, of Vanceboro: Sam Gibbs, of Fairfield; and Donald F, Ashton, of Raleigh. There was a total of about 50 in at tendance.