North Carolina Newspapers

VOLUME LV—NUMBER 7 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, February 17, 1944 TABLISHED 1889 1 T OWN! OPICSl The local volunteer firemen have had a very quiet week, for a change. Not a single alarm has called out the department during the past seven days, in marked contrast to the epi demic of calls which were experienc ed here during the preceding three or four weeks. Dr. and Mrs. A. Papineau left yes terday for Durham, where Dr. Papi neau will attend a medical symposium being held at one of the hospitals Thursday and Friday. They will re turn home tomorrow. Mrs. Jack Frank has been ap pointed collection clerk for the Caro lina Telephone & Telegraph Com pany here. She will be at their of fice in the Harney Building each week-day for the purpose of collect ing telephone accounts. Hours are from 9 to 12 each morning and from 2 to 5 in the afternoons, Mondays through Friday; and from 9 am. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Ganderson’s Quality Shop is mov-1 lng to its new location on Water Street this week. It is now located in the building formerly occupied by J. R. Campbell’s Red Front grocery, between Pender's and Byrd’s Cloth- 1 ing stores. A war bond rally will be held In the school auditorium tonight at 8 o’clock. An entertaining program will be presented and In addition a bond auction will be held, with the prizes for buyers to include ladies’ silk hose, a box of gunshells, and a goat, among other things. The public is In vited and urged to attend. Marvin E. Spencer, jr., of the U. S. Naval Reserve, has recently been transferred to the advance base train ing unit at Quonset Point, R. I., where he is serving as an instructor. He was formerly at the Norfolk Naval Air Station. Mr. and Mrs. W. R. White, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Peele and little son will leave Saturday for Atlanta, Ga., where Mr. White is to enter a hos pital for treatment. Mr. and Mrs. White will remain there for some time, while Mr. and Mrs. Peele and son will return next week. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Manning and daughter, Martha, and Miss Ger trude Woolard are leaving today for New London, Conn., where they will visit J. R. Manning, jr„ for a few days. They are going as far as New York City with A. B. Hopkins, jr„ of Columbia. Roy Manning, jr., has just completed training at the sub marine school in New London and expects to be assigned to sea duty in the Pacific in the near future. -* School Boys Gel Air Corps Exam A group of 20 high-school boys was allowed to take an Army Air Forces mental screening exam at the local school Tuesday morning. The purpose of the test was to determine whether or not the boys were eligible to apply for training in the Army Air Forces. Most of those taking the test were Juniors and seniors, although the re quirement was simply that those who took the test be 16 years of age. In the event anyone failed on the exam ination, he is allowed to take another one at the end of 30 days. Those who took the examination will be notified by mail within 30 days whether or not they passed, and the individual grades will be forward ed to the principal of the school. Roper Parents-Teachers To Meet Tuesday Night Roper.—The regular meting of the Roper Parent-Teacher Association will be held in the school auditorium Tuesday evening, February 22, at 8 o’clock. At that time the dramatics club will give a Founders’ Day pro gram, under the supervision of Mrs. L. E. Hassell, jr. All patrons are urged to attend. A meeting of the executive com mittee will be held Monday after noon at 3:15. -* Legion Auxiliary Will Meet Monday Night -® The American Legion Auxiliary will meet Monday night, February 21, at 8 o’clock, in the home of Mrs. W. C. Jones, it was announced this morn ing. All members are urged to at tend. Things Expected To Warm Up on County Political Front Soon Income Tax Nan Here This Week A deputy collector of internal revenue will be at the post office in Plymouth today, tomorrow and Saturday for the purpose of asisting taxpayers to file their current Federal income tax re turns. Local taxpayers who need help—and who doesn’t—in filling out their income-tax blanks are advised to see the deputy collector one of these three days. _A11 returns must be filled before midnight of March 15. It is also announced that the deputy collector will be at the post office in Creswell on Friday, March 3rd, as well as at the post office in Columbia on Wednesday and Thursday, March 1 and 2, for the convenience of people in those sections. Facilities of Country Club Limited to Use Of Members, Guests Action Taken at Meeting of Stockholders Held Last Week Stockholders of the Country Club of Plymouth, at their annual meeting last week, unanimously decided upon a number of changes in the manner of operating the club in the future, it was learned from officers this week. A resolution was passed limiting the facilities of the club house and golf course to members and their out of-town guests, room guests and golf guests. No person will be admitted to the club house without a membership card except out-oftown guests of club members, room guests or golf guests. Tlie dining room will continue to be operated, but will be available only to those outlined above. All these new regulations become effective on March 15. Members of the armed services of the United States will be entitled to golf privileges without charge if they are accompanied by club mem bers. Otherwise, the regular schedule of green fees will be charged, it was stated. Local residents who do not play golf but who wish to avail themselves of the facilities of the club rooms and dining room may secure a house membership for a nominal fee of $15 per year. This entitles them and their out-of-town guests to facilities of the club house and dining room but not to the golf course. There are two other types of mem berships available to local people: Single and family. A single mem bership, at an annual fee of $40, pro (See~COUNTRY CLUB. Page 6) -® Local Boys Scouts Get New Quarters -$ The local Boy Scout troop has fi nally succeeded in finding a new ; meeting place. It is the old voca tional agriculture work shop build ing on the high school grounds. The troop held its first meeting there Monday night of this week, when the Rev. T. R. Jenkins, pastor of the lo cal Methodist church, talked briefly to the boys. The Plymouth Scouts ana uuos previously had been meeting In the basement of the courthouse. How ever, there was insufficient space there to accommodate the growing organization, and arrangements were completed last week with Principal R. B. Trotman for use of the work shop building. The local troop continues to grow. Three prospective new members were present for the first meeting at their new quarters Monday. 20 To 25 Farm Registrants Put in 1-A For Failure To File 1944 Data Sheets About 20 to 25 registrants be tween the ages of 18 and 38 who formerly held farm classifications were reclassified in 1-A by the Washington County Selective Service Board at its regular meeting Tuesday night of this week. None of those reclassified had filed the farm data sheets for 1944, as called for by the draft board some time ago. All farm clasiflleations are now being reviewed by the board and their farm plans for 1944 check ed with their data sheta for the put year. A few statements have been referred to the County USD A War Board for investiga tion, it was learned. Since the new induction regu lations were issued a few months ago, a much tighter check is be ing made of all registrants who hold deferred classifilcations, including those on farms. While agriculture is regarded as essen tial to the prosecution of the war, the selective service system is do ing all it possibly can to see that those deferred because of their farm activities actually live up to their obligations. Nearly All Offices Will Be al Stake in Election This Year No Announcements of Can didacies Yet, But Plenty Are Expected This is an election year; and, al though there have been no surface indications yet, it is expected that the county political pot will begin "biling over ' within the next 30 days or so. Despite the lack of visible in terest, those who have their ears to the ground say that things are seething underneath. Washington County nearly always manages to generate plenty of heat in an election year, and this one promises to be no exception. Practically all county offices, ex cept those of sheriff and clerk of su perior court, will be at stake in the Democratic primary in May, as well as in the general election next No vember, For the past several elec tions. Republican strength has steadi ly declined, although up to 10 or 12 years ago, the county was fairly evenly divided. There was a Repub lican on the county board of com missioners as late as 1932. County offices which are to be filled in the primary and general election are as follows: Representative to the General Assembly, Register of Deeds, Judge of Recorder’s Court, Solicitor of Recorder's Court, and three mem bers of county board of commission ers. In addition, three members of the county board of election are to be nominated in the Democratic pri mary. Their names will not appear on the ballots in the November gene ral election, since members of the board of education are appointed by the General Assembly upon recom mendation of the county representa tive. However it has been customary in the past for the representa tive to recommend appointment of the high men on the Democratic pri mary ballot. The office of treasurer will not be at stake in the primary or election, this year, since a bill was passed by the last legislature abolishing the office, effective the first Monday in December, 1943, when the term of the See, LOCAL POLITICS, Page Six Mrs. Millie Jane Hardison Passes Mrs. Millie Jane Hardison, widow of the late Fr ank Hardison, of James ville, died last Friday afternoon at the home of her son, Willie Hardison, near Roper. Mrs. Hardison was 75 years of age and had been ill for the past five months. Mrs. Hardison was a native of Mar tin County and lived near Jamesville until about three years ago, when she came to this county to live with her son. Her husband has been dead for a number of years. Funeral services were held at the grave side in the Lotan Gardner cemetery, near Williamston, last Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock. Mrs. Hardison was a member of the Cedar Branch Baptist church at James ville, and her pastor, the Rev. W. B. Harrington, conducted the last rites. She is survived by three sons, Lon nie, Willie and Eddie Hardison, all of Roper R. F. D.; one daughter, Mrs. Virginia Gardner, of Williamston R. F. D.; one sister, Mrs. Mosella Wil liams. of near Jamesvile; and a bro ther. Charlie Gardner, of Tarboro. -$ Labor Department Inspector in Town! —*— Orel V. Rowe, inspector for the state and federal Departments of La bor, is in Plymouth this week making a check of working conditions in lo cal business houses and industrial es tablishments. His work includes sur veys of safety and sanitary condi tions, as well as consideration of wages, hours and other provisions of state and federal laws relating to em ployment of labor. Mr. Rowe stated yesterday that he was here to assist both employers and i employees in any way possible con- j cerning problems or interpretations of various laws relative to employ ment. He said that he was particu larly interested in clarifying ques tions about the child-labor laws, which have been relaxed consider ably in recent months. He Invites employers who have any questions about the employment of youths to get in touch with him while he is here. He will be here all next week, and is staying at Williford’s tavern. Mr. Rowe said that he had found only a few minor infractions of the law since he arirved here Tuesday, and that most of them were easily corrected. Local School Closed One Day T^is Week By Shortagl of Coal State Purchasing Agency’s Delay in Placing Order Responsble Plymouth white schools were clos ed Monday morning, due to lack of fuel, and all students were dismissed shortly after they arrived to begin the day's work. Temperatures drop ped so low in classrooms at the high school building that it was feared the health of pupils would be endanger ed, according to Principal R. B. Trot man. When the schools were dismissed Monday, it was announced that ses sions would not be resumed until Wednesday morning. However, a car load of coal came in shortly after wards, and regular clasroom work was resumed Tuesday morning. It was learned from members of the county board of education and Superintendent H. H. McLean that the cause of the coal shortage here dates back to May of last year, when the State Division of Purchase and Contract arbitrarily reduced by near ly 25 per cent his estimate of the coal requirements for the county school system. His request for 446 tons of coal was reduced to 339.5 tons. Mr. McLean explains that all coal for county schools must be purchased through the state agency. Last May he estimated the needs for this term, and requested that the coal be bought then, as it could be transported and handled much more advantageously before the schools opened than af ter. The state purchasing agency, in reducing the amount of coal asked for, stated that the preceding win ter had been very severe and said that a more nearly normal season should be anticipated during the 1943-44 season. As a matter of fact, this winter has been even more se vere than last year, and the avail able suply of coal here was exhaust ed several weeks ago. Since then coal has been scrapped up from first one place and then another in order to keep the schools iperating. Tire county su: erintendent man aged to get one t uckload of coal to the local school.ijlpnday morning, but, in the meantime, decision had been reached by the principal to dis miss the children on account of the cold building. About the middle of January, Mr. McLean renewed his attempts to get some additional coal here, and he finally succeeded in getting the state purchasing department to place an order on January 25. This coal was finally shipped from Virginia ear lier this month, and it eventually ar rived in Plymouth about 11 o'clock Monday morning, after the school children had been dismissed for the day. The coal now on hand is not con sidered sufficient to finish out the term, but the superintendent said yesterday he did not anticipate any further difficulty in this connection, as he believed an additional small carload would be received in due time. Pulp Plant To Have Monthly Publication -® Announcement was made this week that the North Carolina Pulp Com pany would begin publishing a monthly newspaper for the benefit of its employees next month. Hereto fore, news about the Plymouth plant has appeared in a section of “The Container," published in Delair, N. J., by the Kieckhefer Container Com pany, parent firm of the local pulp company. The new paper, also to be called “The Container,” will be devoted en tirely to news about the local plant and its personnel. George A. Shan non, personnel director, has been named editor, and the first issue will appear around the midle of March. Mr. Shannon would like to get let ters from men and women in the service for publication, especially from those who formerly worked at the local plant or who are related to present employees. | Bank, Post Offices ! To Close Tuesday fmummmmmmwmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmJ Although there will be no gen eral obsen'ance of George Wash ington’s birthday next Tuesday, February 22, in this section a few places of business will be closed. The Branch Banking & Trust Company will be closed all day, while post offices in the county will give partial service. There will be no rural or city carrier de liveries, but dispatches will be made and mail placed in lock boxes. Postmaster J. Corbett Swain said yesterday. The win dows will be closed all day. “Business as usual" will be the program at local stores, and no observance of the holiday is planned. County Oversubscribes 4th War Loan Quota 37 Per Cent Stores May Get Red And Blue Tokens at Banks Starting 21st Simplified Rationing Plan Will Go Into Effect on February 27th Washington County retail mer chants will begin getting their blue and red ration tokens from their banks on February 21, it was an nounced this week by the local ra tioning board. In applying for the tokens, retailers are advised to en close the stamps which they wish to trade for tokens in envelopes, just as they do when buying from whole salers. Tokens wil be isued only in amounts of 250 and multiples of 250: and 250 is the minimum amount is sued. It is emphasized that retailers may secure tokens only from their banks, and none will be isued at the office of the rationing board. Ration tokens will come into use by consumers on February 27, and a number of changes are to be made in the present method which makes it absolutely necessary that retailers have a supply of tokens on hand when the changes become effective. For one thing, each red and blue stamp in ration books will be worth 10 points under the new system. The numbers printed on the ration stamps will no longer mean anything, so far as value is concerned, as a 1-point stamp and and 8-point stamp will be worth the same. 10 points each. Tokens will be used to provide change, just as pennies are used in making change where money is con cerned. A consumer who buys items worth i 23 blue points, for example, will give i his retailer 2 blue stamps and 3 blue tokens. If he has no tokens, he will give the merchant 3 blue stamps and get 7 blue tokens in change. Tire number ot points available for each buying period will remain the same as at present, it is stated, al though fewer coupons will be used. One of the objects of using tokens is to reduce the work of retailers in i counting stamps and to make thp ( ration book last longer. Tokens are expected to make ra tioning simpler for both the con sumer and the trade. There will be point currency of only two denomi nations—all stamps will be worth 10 points; all tokens, one point. This makes it easier to figure than when handling stamps worth 8, 5, 2 and 1 points as at present. It will be easier for retailers to count stamps and make change than when they had to examine each stamp to determine its point value. Tokens are also easier to handle than stamps. The tokens have no expiration date and may be used at any time. There will be two kinds of tokens,' | the only difference being in color, and I the color matches that of the stamps with which they will be used. Blue stamps and blue tokens will be used for processed foods; red stamps and red tokens for meats and fats. -* Water Street Station Has New Proprietor J. W. Allen last week became pro prietor of the Water Street Service Station, formerly operated by C. W. Burnham. Mr. Allen, formerly em ployed at the North Carolina Pulp Company, is well known throughout the community and has many friends who wish him well in his new ven ture. In taking over operation of the station, the new owner seeks a con tinuation of its former patronage, as 1 suring the best service possible under ! war time conditions He will con j tinue to handle Sinclair products I here .and will make a specialty of j washing and greasing cars. He will : also continue to maintain it as an ! official OPA tire inspection station. Blanks for Owners Of Farm Trucks Washington County farmers who own motor trucks and hold Certifl | cates of War Necessity with class numbers from 100 to 190 are required | to fill out an information sheet about their trucks and file it with the Farm Transportation Committee. Tire blanks may be secured from the Trlple-A office in thp agricultural building here. The information required deals with expected life of tires now on farm trucks. It asks the farmer to esti mate the length of time his present tires will last, without recapping; and as supporting evidence that the truck i6 essential to the war effort, to show the number of acres cultivated, kind and size of various crops, number of livestock, nearest market, etc. NOW IN ITALY r Corporal Louis Elmer Turner, son of R. A. Turner, of Roper, is with the Army .Air Forces some where in Italy. He entered the service in April, 1942, and trained at Fort Bragg, later going to Sheppard Field, Tex.. Lowry Field, Denver, Colo., Detroit. Mich., Fort Dix, N. J., and Kearns, Utah. He served in North Africa before going to Italy. While at Fort Dix. he received the Army good conduct medal. His wife, the former Alice Jean nette Ambrose, lives in Plym outh. 27 White Men Leave Next Tuesday to Get Pre-Induction Tests -« Sixteen Pre-Pearl Harbor Fathers Included: Two Volunteers -9 Orders are going out this week for 27 Washington County white men to report at the office of the draft board here next Tuesday morning, February 22, when they will leave for Fort Bragg for their pre-induction exam inations. Sixteen of the number are Pre-Pearl Harbor fathers; while the other 11 non-fathers are mostly young men who have reached the age of 18 in recent months. Seventeen of the number are from Plymouth. 7 non-fathers and 10 fa thers. Creswell will furnish 3 non fathers and 2 fathers for a total of 5; and Roper is caled on for a single non-father and 4 fathers. One of the volunteers, Phillip Lee Ayers, of Plymouth, is making his second trip to the induction center, having been rejected the first time. The other volunteer is Selby O. Price, also of Plymouth. The list of those leaving next Tues day is as follows: From Plymouth: Phillip Lee Ayers. Selby O Price volunteers; Thomas Jerome Freeman, Harry Paramore Swain. David Harmon Modlin, James John Croley, III. Harold Latham Wil liford, non-fathers; James Lee Cher ry, Orlo Valdine Rath, Derwood Bel mont Harris, Elliott Ereckson Harrell. William Thomas Arrants. Lester Hugh Lowe, Lloyd Ronald Waters, Lowry Louis Sawyers, Clyde Carlton Chesson, Harold Edison Asby, fathers. From Cresweii: Reginald uaiton Phelps. James Edward Spear, Rob ert Elliott Bateman, non-fathers; Al fred Benjamin Sawyer, Fred Frank lin Tyson, fathers. From Roper: Harry Stark Arnold non-father; Robert Morris, James H Gaylord, III, Nathan Wilson Barnes. Cecil Clarence Craft, jr,, fathers Presbyterian Services For Week Announced By Miss Maohel Hassell Sunday, 3:30 p.m.. Sunday school at the home of Mrs. Lloyd Jordan on Wilson Street Extension. 4:30 p.m., Church services, Rev. D. C Craw ford, jr.. pastor, presiding at the home of Mrs. Floyd Jordan. Let's all show our welcome to Mr. Craw ford by our good attendance at church again, so that we may con tinue to have these preaching services every Sunday afternoon. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Tire Ladies’ Bible Hour will meet at the home of Mrs. Campbell. We will begin the study of the Epistle of James: all the ladies are asked to read through this Epistle this week in preparation for our study. "E" Bond Goal Was Exceeded Tuesday, Final Day of Drive Leaders Give Credit for Suc cess To Canvassers and Bond Buyers It required just a little over two weeks of intensive campaigning by # group of loyal workers to put Wash ington County well “over the top" tn every respect in the Fourth War Loan Campaign, which officially came to a close Tuesday It was learned yesterday morning from H. E. Beam, chairman of the county war flinance committee, that the county had over subscribed its total quota by 31 per cent or $33,397.25: and its "E" bond quota by $4 731.25 or approximately 4 per cent. Although the drive officially ended Tuesday night, all "E” bonds sales for the remainder of the month will be credited to the Fourth War Loan campaign This means that possibly 810,000 or $20,000 will be added as Roper is having an “E" bond rally tonight, and sales at other points had already amounted to several thous ands of dollars up to this morning since Tuesday Total sales of all types of bonds at the close of the drive Tuesday night amounted to $311.397.25. Mr. Beam said, while the overall quota was $228,00. At that time "E" bond sales stood at $134.231.25, while the quota was $129,500. Eugene F. Still, county chairman of the Fourth War Loan campaign, and Mr. Beam were both more than well pleased with the results of the campaign. They gave the entire cre dit for its siicces to the loyal workers and canvassers throughout the coun ty. They also paid a glowing tribute to the more than 1.000 persons in the county who bought bonds during the drive. Mr. Beam estimated that at j least 1.200 ov 1.300 individual bonds I were sold, langing in amounts from $18.75 to up in the tens of thous ands. Beyond question, it was the best organized and most enthusiastic cam paign of its sort ever waged in the county. The various community chairmen botli colored and white organized their respective territories and had them thoroughly canvassed See. BOND SALES. Page Si* Board of Elections For County To Be Named Next Month Democratic Committee To Suggest Appointments By March 10 The first step toward holding the primary and general election this year will be taken within the next few weeks by the county Democratic executive committee, which is sup posed to recommend the appoint ments of men to serve on the county board of elections. These appoint ments will be made by the state board of elections at a meeting in Raleigh about the middle of March. E. G. Arps, chairman of the county Democratic executive committee, this week received a letter from state board officials, asking that the coun ty group's recommendations be for warded not later than March 10. Two Democrats and one Republi can compose the membership of the county board of elections. For the 1942 elections, Walter W. White, of Skinnersville. was chairman; W. 3. Marrow jr.. of Roper, was the other Democratic member; and J. Rich ard Carr, of Plymouth, was the Re publican member of the board. When the executive committee ; holds its meeting, it Is considered likely that apointment of a county : board of education member to suc ceed P. M. Arps will be discussed. Mr. Arps resigned as chairman of the : education board the first of this month to become chairman of the ABC board. Legion Post Here To Assist Ex-Service Men Applying for Mastering-Out Pay The local American L**gion post is prepared to assist dis charged service men in filing their applications for mustering- 1 out pay, according to Moye W. Spruill, service officer. The post here has had application blanks printed, and Mr. Spruill will be glad to help those entitled to mustcring-out pay to file appli- j cations. Men who have been honorably , discharged from any branch of the armed services, except by their own request to aoept em ployment in war industries, are entitled to payments ranging up to $300. under the terms of a recent act of Congress. Ihoae with loss than 60 days' service get $100; those who have had more than 60 days' service in the I'nited States get S200; and those who have had overseas service get S300. Ex-service men who wish to apply for payments are invited by the Legion Post to see Mr. Spruill if they need an aplicatton blank or help in filling it out.