T’owitl opicsll The local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will conduct an open meeting at a later date, probably sometime next week, in the county courthouse and will request suggestions from leaders in civic groups and private indi viduals on the construction of the proposed community building be ing sponsored by .the VFW it has .Jjeen stated. Dr. Claudius McGowan, local physician and acting head of the Washington-Tyrrell District Heal th Department, returned today from the annual convention of the North Carolina Medical Society held in a Virginia Beach hotel on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes day of this week. Walter Lackey of Raleigh, sani tation supervisor for Eastern North Carolina visited the Plym outh headquarters of the Wash ington-Tyrrell Health Depart ment last Thursday. Mr. Lackey was making an inspection tour of the various sanitation depart ments under his supervision in this section of the State. The Rev. and Mrs. T. R. Jenkins were in Durham for several days this week with Mrs. Jenkins’ father, Mr. Woods, who was sud denly stricken ill on Tuesday morning, it has been reported. Delbert D. Allen, sanitarian for the Washington-Tyrrell health district, attended the regional meeting of sanitarians held in (Kinston on Monday. A general discussion of sanitation problems in Eastern North Carolina was conducted by the group. L. L. Basnight has reported that Susie, his 400-pound sow, gave birth on Tuesday to a litter of no less than 17 pigs. This, Mr. Bas night stated, is the second time Susie has done such a thing and he has had to buy baby bottles in order to be sure that all the pig lets get fed. Susie, he says, is only 4 and a half years old, but is rather experienced for her age. Class to Present Special Program --4 The Plymouth High School Bible Class will present « special program r' Cu/fetiaii Church here next Sunday at 7:30 p. m.. the Rev. F. B. Quick, pastor of the church, has anounced. The program will include a choral number by the girls in the class, several numbers by the Ange quartet, a responsive Bible reading led by Shirley Roberson. address, “Benefits of the Bible Course,” by Clarence Kelly, and a Bible knowledge drill by the teacher and the class. The program is intended to il lustrate to the public the type of work done by the class during the past year, Mr. Quick said, and is in the form of an educational project. He added that diploma credits are given to the students. Members of the class participat ing in the program are: A. J. and Wendell Ange, Alton Beddard, Kenneth Dawley, Loyce Inez Hardison, Annable Jack, Clarence Kelly, Lois Ann McCombs, Doris Nash, Shirley Roberson, Valera Ann Simmons, and Melrose Sty ons. The public is invited to at tend. -4 Cherry Dragline Project Changed -« Dragline machinery which has been working on Moccasin Run, near Cherry, in the lower end of the county, has been moved to the Old Run ditch leading into Moc casin, for the purpose of clearing an' enlarging the ditch, after .ich the machine will be trans -erred back to the Moccasin Run project to complete operations there, Donald B. Jones, countv soil conservationist, has stated. Jones added that a new drag line is expected to arrive in Wash ington County during the latter part of this week and is sche duled to begin operations at that time, Auxiliary Planning *Poppy Sale May 24 Members of the Plymouth Unit 164 of the American Legion Aux iliary, under the chairmanship of Mrs. J. B. Carisle, will sell artifi cial popies in the local observ ance of "Poppy Day” which will be conducted throughout the na tion on Saturday of next week. May 24, according to an announce ! ment from Mrs. W. C. Jones, ; president of the Auxiliary. Mrs. Jones stated also that volunteers from the Auxiliary and other young women’s groups in Plymouth will distribute the I flowers on the streets during the \ day and that everyone will be ! requested to buy and wear a memorial poppy in honor of the dead of both world wars. The money realized, she said, will be used for the welfare of the dis abled veterans and their depend ents. Plans have been made to cover the town entirely so that all citizens of Plymouth will have an opportunity to honor the war dead and lend aid to their famili es. The flowers which the Aux iliary members will distribute are all hand?made, shaped by dis abled veterans working in hospi tals and convalescents’ workshops throughout the nation. The Roanoke Beacon ****** and Washington County News ****** VOLUME LVIII—NUMBER 20 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, May 15, 1947 ESTABLISHED 1889 Removal of Rent Control in County Reing Considered -+■ — Majority of Persons Poll ed in Plymouth Favor Keeping Restrictions On Longer Here -♦ According to reported results of a poll conducted in Washington County by R. E. Norris of Ra leigh, representative of R. B. Lewis, State Rent Control Direc tor, the majority of the citizens in the Plymouth area are in favor of continuing rent controls in the county at least for some time to come. Some of those interviewed by Mr. Lewis, it is understood, were landlords of extensive hold ings and were opposed to the continuance of the controls, but, according to the report, these par ties were a negligible minority of those interviewed. Points in Washington County where the survey was conducted were Plymouth, Roper, and Cres well. As yet, no reports are available here on the attitudes taken by Creswell and Roper residents. Reports from other portions of the Albemarle district indicate that decontrol, especially in counties beyond the sound, favor the decontrol. Control of rents was ordered for this area in early 1945 with rents being placed at the amounts on January 1, 1944. The local rent control office was opened in October of last year and is sche duled to be closed on Friday of this week. This, however, does not necessarily mean the end of controls in this district, Mrs. Sabrie Reid, chief clerk in the of fice, has stated, ading that pos sible influx of new workers for industrial plants in the county may justify the continued main tenance of rent control for some time to come. She added that since the office was opened here 140 violations of control rulings had been found but that all except 8 or 10 cases which had more than $25 over rhag«* wve eleM*d through the Plymouth office. 4 Crops in Couniy Said io Be Slow According to reports from farmers in the county, crops, par ticularly tobacco and corn, are late and poor, due chiefly, it is said, to a cold dry spring. To bacco transplanting, it was stated, is going forward slowly with many of the plants aiflicted with blue-mold. Stands of corn are said to be particularly poor and that in many instances complete re-plant ings have been necessary by growers. The cold has also re tarded such peanuts as have been planted but they appear to be coming up fine now in most sec tions of the county. Of the prin cipal crops in this section, it was stated, about the only one doing at all well are soybeans, with the majority of the damage done by unfavorable spring weather hav ing been inflicted on tobacco. Cotton was also reported to be slow in making any headway and again the blame was laid to the late spring. Club to Present Return Engagement of Wedding The Plymouth Woman’s Club had such a big success with the Womanless Wedding that, by popular demand, they are going to give it all over again. The same cast has been pursuaded to parade in borrowed finery for the command performance Bob Johnston, however, is a newcomer and will be a sweet bridesmaid. The wedding will take place in the court room this Friday at 3 p. m. Outline Program for Roper School Finals Commencement exercises, will be conducted at the Roper High School on Wednesday, May 28. at 8 p. m, with Dr. Howard J. Mc Ginnis, registrar at Eastern Caro lina Teachers College in Green ville, delivering the commence ment address. R. B. Forbes, prin cipal of the Roper school has an nounced. Several other special events have been planned by the school for the final week in the 1947 session, Mr. Forbes has stated, giving the schedule of activities as follows: Sunday, May 25, baccalaureate sermon to be de livered by the Rev. J. M. Perry of the Robersonville Christian Church in the high-school audi torium at 11 a. m.; Monday, May 26, a music re cital of the pupils studying under the direction of Mrs, Roy Hop kins, presented in the auditorium at 8 p. m.; Tuesday, May 27, class night exercises in the school au ditorium at 8:30 p. m. with mem bers of the graduating class par ticipating under the direction of Mrs. Beatrice S, Mullen and Music Directors Mrs. Darrell Cahoon and Mrs. Roy Hopkins. Mr. Forb es added that the public had been extended an invitation to attend the commencement week events. Office of Draft Board Here Closed May 10 Are Elected to District Posts Two members of the Plym outh post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Jimmy Hays and Blount Rodman, were elected district quartermaster and dis trict advocate, at a meeting of all VFW posts in this district held in Elizabeth City last Sat urday, it has been anounced. Installation of the officers will be held shortly. Following the general business meeting last Saturday, delegates to the assembly were guests at a din ner and dance, given by the VFW' organization in Elizabeth City. Begin Treaiment Of Local Houses Ey DDT Sprayers Sixteen Houses Already Treated in Plymouth; Expect to End Roper Job by Week’s End -4 Crewmen in the county mosqui to control program, sponsored by the district health department, are expected to complete the DDT spraying operations in Roper this week, with 580 houses to be treated, and began working in Plymouth itself on Monday of this week, having completed spraying of about 16 houses, ac cording to statement from de partment officials. The crewmen, the report con tinued, completed operations in ! Country Club Village on Wednes day of this week and treated a total of 51 homes. County-wide opreations, ended by the sprayers last Friday, included the DDT treatment of some 1,927 houses. The program, including the treat ment of private homes in Plym outh, will end within the next few weeks, it is understood. Members of the district depart ment pointed out that while the purpose of the program is to de stroy mosquitoes, all other in sects such as gnats and flies, are eliminated by the chemical spray. Hold Service lor Haywood B. Snell -♦ Last rites were conducted at the Snell home in Cherry on Sun day at 2:30 p. m. for Haywood B. Snell, 70, of Cherry who died there on Friday at 6 a. m. follow ing an illness of two weeks. The Rev. G. C. Bland officiated at the services. Interment was made in the family cemetery. Mr. Snell, who was unmarried, was a well-known farmer in the Cherry section and had lived there all his life. He was a mem ber of Phillippi Christian Church. He was the son of the late Alex ander and Sallie Overton Snell of Creswell. Mr. Snell is survived by 23 nieces and nephews. Pallbear ers were Rixey White, Laudie Davenport, W. P. Davenport, Em mon Phelps, Lindsey Snell, and Martin Davenport. -1-4 Local Women’s Club to Have Banquet Thursday -* The Plymouth Woman’s Club will hold its annual banquet in the Legion Hall here on Thurs day of next week at 7:30 p. m., acording to an announcement from club officials. Husbands of the members wil be guests at the dinner. Mrs. Collins States 1,319 Men Drafted from Here Since Office Opened October 1940 -* The Washington County Selec tive Service Office, changed to Service Records Office on March 31, which closed its doors once and for all on Saturday of last week, was opened in October, 1940, with E. S, Blount chairman for the board and Sidney Ward as first clerk, Mrs. Mildred Col lins, chief clerk in the office to day. has stated. Since that time, she said, a total of 1,319 county men have en tered the armed service through the local office with the majority of them seeing overseas duty. Thirty-one Washington county soldiers were killed in action. 23 of them white and 3 of them colored, Mrs. Collins added, point ing out that there were no con scientious objectors recorded at any time by the board in this area. Seven county men were cap tured by the enemy and held t prisoners of war, with all 7 be ing ultimately liberated. In the first registration for service, held on October 16, 1940, 2,008 were recorded with subse quent registrations bringing the final count to 3,383 men. She also stated that less than 100 men in this county were deferred due to mental or physical disabilities. She added that from the end of hostilities in August, 1945, to December of 1946 around 100 men had voluntarily entered the arm ed services through the local of fice. The last draft board, she stat ed, was composed of R. L. Tct terton, of Plymouth, chairman; and Otis A. Chesson, of Roper and A. W. Davenport, of Cres well members. Mrs. Eliza Gid den succeeded Sidney Ward as chief clerk and was in turn, succeeded by Mrs. Louise Dew, who was succeeded by Mrs. Collins in January of 1946. Mrs. Collins had previously been with the Orange County board -4 Official Explains Industrial Study Course to Group -♦ Teacher Salary Would Be State - Paid in First Year; County Assume One-Third Afterward Explaining the proposed voca tional training program for the Plymouth High School boys, Su perintendent W. F. Veasey, ad dressing the local Rotary Club Tuesday night, stated that since local school authorities have been advised that no agricultural teacher will be obtainable here for quite some time, and since a student poll indicated that a ma jority of the boys favored an in dustrial arts program, efforts would be made to provide such a course. Theoretical training would be provided by an instructor, he said, and, with the aid of local business establishments, practical training could be given the stud ents in the afternoons. During the first year, Veasey pointed out, the instructor's salary would be paid by the State, after which the local unit would assume responsi bility for one-third of the salary. The whole scheme, Mr. Veasey, stated, hinges, however, upon the passage of the George-Barden Act now under discussion in Con gress. The measure would pro vide for federal aid in the salary payment and unless the bill is passed, the community would have to assume total salary re sponsibility or give up the course. May 28th Date Schools Close With one exception, all white and colored schools in Wash ington County will end their 1946-47 terms on Wednesday. May 28, Superintendent of Schools W. F. Veasey has an nounced. The single exception, Mr. Veasey said, is the J. J. Clem mons Colored School at Roper which will not end its session until Friday, May 30. He stat ed that the reason for the 2-day delay was caused by a closure of the school in October made necessary by a break-down of the school hus servicing the in stitution. Creswell School Committee Holds Meet on Friday -♦ Eleven White, 5 Colored Teachers Re-Elected; Resignations Made by 4 Instructors Eleven teachers in the Creswell white schools were re-elected to their positions on the schools’ faculties for next year and re signations from 4 instructors were accepted by the Creswell school committee at its meeting held there last Friday, according to W. F. Veasey, superintendent of Washington County schools. Resignations from H. V. Chap pell, principal, and Mrs. Chap pell, eighth grade teacher, were handed in several weeks ago, while Mrs. Sybil Davenport, home economics instructor, re signed earlier in the year. Other teachers declining to resume their jobs in the Creswell schools and making their resignations to the committee are Mrs. Jessie Holmes, seventh grade; Mrs. Viola P. (See CRESWELL, Page 10) Equipment Bought For Schools Nov/ Being Delivered -> Lunchroom Supplies Se cured With $5,489 Fed eral Gift to Washington County Schools -♦ Tables and chairs and other lunchroom equipment purchased by Washington County under the federal non-food aid program have arrived and are now being delivered to the various schools in the county, according to Super intendent W. E. Veasey, who add ed that the equipment was bought with the $5,489.30 second alloca tion to the county. Mr. Veasey pointed out that since the federal government had given the money outright to the State who then allocated it to the individual counties and that since many counties had refused the aid allotment amounts given to other counties, Washington Coun ty included, were made substan tially larger. He added that the size of the allocations were made on the need of the different areas and increased according to efforts made by such groups to improve school lunchrooms under their supervision. Distribution here of the assist ance finance among the lunch rooms and the equipment pur chased, he said, is as follows. Plymouth: 40 tables, 240 chairs, 200 serving trays, 100 plates and 20 dozen soup bowls, all costing $3,181.60: Creswell: 12 tables. 72 chairs, a refrigerator and a range, all costing $1,794.20, with the fed eral aid giving $1,594.20 and the community paying the remaining $200: Roper: 10 tables, 60 chairs, 100 glasses, and one set of kitch en scales, all costing $713.50. He stated that the largest amount was distributed to the Plymouth School since over one half the students in Washington County attend that school and larger lunchroom space, entailing increased amounts of equipment, was necessary. Extend Water Mains On Two Streets Here Laying of Sewers Next on Schedule of Improve ment for Wilson, Wash ington Extensions -♦ Sixteen hundred feet of water main pipe have been laid on Washington Street extension and 2,400 feet have been installed on the Wilson Street extension by construction crews, working on Plymouth’s city services program, now underway in those sections of town, according to Police Chief P. W. Brown. Water was turned on in the Washington Street pipes on Tues day while the Wilson Street mains will receive water on Friday, Mr. Brown remarked. He added that the laying of sewer pipes in those districts would begin next and that pipes would also be laid in the section of Still acres now within the town's corporate limits sometime next week. The Chief remarked if present plans are completed and no unforseen obstacles arise, the entire project should be fin ished by June 1. A crew of 10 workmen, operat ing a bulldozer and ditching ma chine are being employed by the Exum Cline Construction Com pany of Rocky Mount in the lay ing of the pipes, Chief Brown stated. -* Begin Measuring Potatoes Monday Potato Measurers R. C Jack son and W. P. Davenport started on Monday of this week measur ing acreages of all Irish potatoes planted in this county for mar keting purposes, Miriam Ausbon, secretary of the Washington County AAA, has stated. Miss Ausbon also said that acreage notices would be mailed to opreators as soon as the re ports are completed and official acreages have been determined. She added that farmers whose Of ficial acreage is within the allot ed potato goal may then apply for a certificate of eligibility to participate in the Triple-A’s po tato price support program for 1947. The secretary pointed out fur ther that all potatoes sold under the price support program would be sold on a 1947 “within goal” marketing card. i Price Supper! S Deadline 31st Each Irish potato producer in Washington County who is re questing price support on po tatoes must appear at the AAA office in the Agricultural Build ing in Plymouth and file his application before Saturday, May 31, Miss Miriam Ausbon, county Triple-A secretary has announced. Miss Ausbon added that ap plicants would be charged a service fee of one cent per 100 pounds of potatoes which he expects to produce and market this year. Plans to Secure Veterans Houses By VFW Dropped -♦ Failure of Project Said to Be Lack of Adequate Finance from Several Applicants -« Plans made by the Plymouth post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the securing of 15 pre fabricated homes for county veterans have been called off and, so far as could be learned, aban doned according to a statement from local VFW officials, who said that inadequate finances were responsible for the failure of the project. Officials in the local organi zation had already assigned some 13 of the houses to applicants who had offered pro6f of more urgent need of immediate housing, with the remaining two homes still to be allocated. The houses, located in Alexan der Park in Portsmouth, Va., were made available by the Vet erans Administration to Washing ton County veterans through the Plymouth VFW, but on condition that the entire 15-houses allot ment be purchased. Promises of adequate means to supply the necessary $2,000 each for the homes had been made to the Plymouth post by “around 25 or 30” veterans, but at a meeting held last week-end several of the "TseT HOUSING, Page 5) 250 Register for Special Election Here on June 3rd Uurge Payment Of Town Taxes Plymouth Police Chief P. W. Brown has announced that all citizens wishing to make town tax payments during his ab sence on vacation, may do so at the town clerk’s office in the Municipal Building. He added that all delinquent taxes will be advertised after June 1. Chief Brown will leave Plym outh on Sunday, May 18. to visit his daughter, Mrs. Wade Adams, in Santa Cruz. Calif., for several weeks. He plans to return home on June 20. In the absence of Chief Brown, Paul Basnight, local law en forcement officer, will act as chief of the Plymouth police department. Rev. E. M. Spruill Is New Minister Episcopal Church -♦ Plymouth Rector Former ly With Church in May odan; Will Also Be in Charge Roper Church -« The Rev Edward Muse Spruill of Mayodan will take up his duti es as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Plymouth after June 1 of this year at which time he will terminate his services at the Church of the Messiah in Mayo dan, having served as rector there since December 1945, according to announcementi.made by Grace Church lay officet* this Wee*'. The Rev. Spruill will also be priest-in-charge of St. 'Luke's Church in Roper. The new rector, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank P. Spruill of Rocky Mount, received his education at the University of North Carolina. Atlantic Christian College, and Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria, graduating from the latter institution in February 1945. While at UNC, he was a staff member of ’’The Daily Tar Heel,” campus newspaper and fol lowing his graduation from the State university was employed for several years at a bank in Rocky Mount. The Rev. Mr. Spruill was or dained to the deaconate in the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rocky Mount and, following a term as deacon-in-charge of the Mayodan church and St. Martin’s Church in Knollhurst, was ad vanced to the priesthood. While in Mayodan, he was active in civic and religious societies, serv ing also as director of the Boy Scout Council there. Mrs. Spruill, the former Miss Florence E. Eagles of Crisp, is a graduate of St. Mary’s School in Raleigh and was prominent in Mayodan civic and social affairs. She was also secretary of Chris tian social relations of the Wo man’s Auxiliary of the Guilford district in the Diocese of North Carolina. -4 ! Local Parent-Teachers To Meet on Wednesday -* The Plymouth Parent-Teachers Association will meet in the high-school auditorium next Wednesday at 3:30 p. m. at which time, the Washington County PTA Council will be discussed, according to an announcement from the president of the local or ganization. All members of the group are requested to be pre sent. Until Monday Majority of Registrants Residents of Richwood, Country Club Villages About 250 registrants for the special election on the extension of the boundaries of Plymouth have been recorded in the books, 130 being registered by Monday of this week, around 100 more being recorded on Tuesday, and the remainder having been regis tered on Wednesday. Mrs. Herm ine Ramsey, registrar, has stated. Officers in the municipal gov ernment have stated that a com pletely new registration of all qualified voters in Plymouth, the two mill villages, Stillacres, and other sections proposed to be in cluded, must be made in order to be eligible to vote in the election which will be held at the county courthouse on Tuesday, June 3. It was emphasized that regard less of how many times in the past a voter has registered, he must do so again to qualify for voting in the election on the pro posed extension. The books were opened on Monday, May 5, in the office of Mrs. Ramsey on Water Street, and will remain open until Saturday, May 24, which has also been designated challenge day. Mrs. Ramsey has stated that up until Monday of this week, the ma jority of those registering for the election were residents of Coun try Club Village and Little Rich wood. Town officials have requested that all eligible voters in the sections concerned register and cast ballots in the election. It is estimated that approximately 800 citizens of Plymouth qualify to lake part in the balloting. The number of eligitlle voters outside of the present city limits could not be IcarM*. bat tt has been | stated to be rather largt. Last Rites Held For Joe B. Bland -« Funeral services were held Wednesday at 3:30 p. m. from the Mt. Olive Free Will Baptist Church, near Plymouth, foi Joe B. Bland, 58, of the Long Ridge section of the county, who died at his home near here on Sunday, following an illness of one week. The Rev. D. W. Alexander of Bethel officiated at the services. Burial was made in the Ange Cemetery in Martin County. Mr. Bland, son of the late James T. and Eliza Keel Bland of Martin County, has lived here for 12 years, coming from Pitt County. Survivors include his wife, the former Miss Susie Paramore, of the home: three sons, Simon and Forrest Bland of Plymouth, and James Bland of New Bern; four daughters, Mrs. Ottis Clapps and Mrs. Mahlo Huffines both of Burlington. Mrs. W. A. Furlough of Roper, and Mrs. J. S. Wedge worth of Coker, Ala.; one broth er, J. A. Bland of Greenville; and six grandchildren. -1 Small Blaze Occurs at Johnston Home onSunday -* Sparks originating from the chimney of the R. W. Johnston home on east Main Street ignited and totally destroyed a shingle on the roof of the house last Sun day around 1:45 p. m.. Plymouth Fire Chief I. Miller Warren has reported. Needless to say, he add ed, the flames were quickly ex tinguished by the fire depart ment. Chief Warren stated, more seri ously, that the fire, though small could easily have developed into a major blaze School Bus Garage Financing Difficult Superintendent of Schools W. F. Veasey, investigating sources of finance for the hoard of educa tion in the proposed construction of a new county school-bus gara ge, has met with all manner of difficulties including, the latest, legal red tape. The board now has between $5,000 and $6,000 for the building jof the garage, but architects esti j mates place the final cost at j something like $8,500 or $9,000. 'The board asked Mr. Veasey to ! see if the remaining amount could be obtained from the bond money set aside by the county for con struction of school buildings. Mr. Veasey then consulted the board’s attorney who referred him to the State attorney general who in turn referred him to the county commissioners’ attorney who referred him to the county’s bonding attorney who said that the matter would have to be tak en before the supreme court. Mr. Veasey said that the board would probably seek some other source i of revenue for the garage.