T own opics The Plymouth Merchants Asso ciation will hold its regular meet ing for June next Tuesday, June 7, at 3 p. m., in the American Legion Hall, according to W. S. Davenport, president. He re quests all members of the associa g.j tion to be present. Plans for a dollar-days promotion on a town wide scale are to be considered. J. S. Fleming, principal of Plymouth High School, will be in his office tomorrow from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. and every day next week through Friday at the same hours. His office then will be closed until a few weeks before school begins next fall. Unsigned advertisments op posing the road-bond issue are appearing in this and other news papers of the section this week, They are being sponsored by the Petroleum Industries Committee, with headquarters in Raleigh, which has taken the lead in fight ing the bond proposals through out the state. The Plymouth High School Band will practice right on through the summer months, al though school will not be in ses sion, Mrs. Ethel G. Hopkins, director of the band, said yes terday. Practices are scheduled on the school grounds every Thursday night. | All offices in the county court house here will be closed this Saturday, according to county of ficials, They cite regulations for bidding the transaction of busi ness within a certain distance of polling places during elections. Saturday is the day the special “Better Roads and Schools” bond election will be held. The court house is the polling place for Plymouth Precinct No. 1. Howard Carr, manager of the local A. and P. Tea Company Store, has gone to Greenville to take charge of that store for three weeks. Mrs. Carr is managing the store here during his absence. -♦ Town and County Boards. To Meet -« Regular meetings are scheduled Monday by town and county gov erning boards. The county com missioners and board of educa tion will meet in the courthouse^ Monday morning at 10 o’clock^ while the new Plymouth Ctty Council will hold its session In the clerk's office at the municipal building Monday night at 8. Routine matters are expected to consume most of the time, al though consideration of the an nual budgets is due to be under taken at the sessions. Members of the county board of education have been .called to meet Friday morning of this week to begin work on the school budget for the fiscal year. -4 Drive Now on for Concert Members —-» — The Plymouth Municipal Con cert Association’s membership drive ends Saturday at 6 p. m., according to a planned schedule. The campaign got underway Monday morning, when Miss Lynn Shelor, field representative of Municipal Concerts, Inc. met f>with local campaign captains and ’ helpers to outline the six-day drive. This afternoon at 3 o’clock the campaign captains, helpers, and Miss Shelor will again meet in the Legion Hall, to find out how . far the campaign has advanced .and to plan the finish of the drive by Saturday night. Miss Shelor said yesterday that she had no idea how many con cert tickets had been sold, but regardless of the sale, Plymouth is sure of three concerts next fall and winter. The first will be sometime before Christmas and the other two will be afterwards. All concerts are scheduled to be in the high school auditorium. After the local concert ticket sale ends Saturday the talent com mittee of the local association will choose the three concert artists they prefer to appear here. Veterans To Build on Pay-as-Y ou-Go’ Plan Members of the James E. Je thro Post No. 164 of the American Legion voted to adopt a “pay as-you-go plan” on the Plymouth veteran’s building at their regular post meeting last Friday night. Hubert Ange, head of the post's ways and means committee, put before his comrads the commit tee’s plan to raise money for the building as it is needed, rather than borrow it from some out side source. Members of the post adopted this proposal, with an amendment that the plan be brought up for a vote again in the next legion meeting, sche duled for June 10 and 24th. Dal las Waters, post commander, re ported that the re-vote would give all the members a chance to vote on the issue. P. B. Bateman, R. L. Tetterton, T. S. Allen and Jesse McNair were appointed as Plymouth dele gates to the state legion conven tion to be held in Raleigh late in June. Alternate delegates will be appointed at the next regular meeting of the post. The Roanoke Beacon ****** and Washington County News ****** A home newspaper dedicated to the service of Washington County and its 13,000 people. VOLUME LX—NUMBER 22 Plymouth, Washington County, North Caiolina, Thursday, June 2, 1949 ESTABLISHED 1880 j 2.024 Persons Given j jtliesl X-Rays Here ! A total of 2,024 county residents received a free X-ray chest photo in Plymouth last week from the mobile X-ray unit, which was stationed here Tuesday through Saturday. Saturday was the busiest day for the X-ray unit workers, when 467 were X-^rayed. On Tuesday 392 per«6hs were X-rayed, 358 Wednesday; 362 tjj(ursday and 445 Friday. Persons 15 s V years If age and older, colored or white, were eli gible. Those who were photo graphed will receive a post card ! in about 10 to 12 days stating the J result of the X-ray, according to i mobile unit officials. The mobile»unit is scheduled to i return to Plymouth on June 18, to re-take only the films that 1 were unsatisfactory. Persons who j will have to be X-rayed again, will be notified, officials of the ! Washington-Tyrrell District Heal th Department said yesterday. Lamb Sale Will Be Held Here Tuesday Roads Speaker HereTomorrow The Washington County Farm Bureau meeting scheduled for Friday night at 8 o'clock in the agriculture building in Plym outh will be open to the gen eral public, W. M. Darden, president of the organization, said yesterday. State Senator W. I. Halstead, of Camden County, will speak on the “Better Schools and Roads,” bond issue, which will be voted on in the election Sat urday. Farm Bureau members are urged to attend and the public is invited. Five Stills Raided By ABC Officers in County Last Month Fines and Costs Levied On Five Men Arrested Total $433.75; Equip " "ment Seized Five stills weljn seized and out fits broken up during the month of May by ABC Enforcement Of ficers, according to a report pre pared yesterday by L. L. Bas night, in charge of the enforce ment work. In addition, county and town officers arrested five men charged with bootlegging or possession of non-tax-paid whis key, and they assessed with a total of $433.75 in fines and costs during the month, the report shows. The first outfit raided was on the Backwoods Road, where three barrels of mash, still and cap were seized or destroyed. No. 2 was on the old Columbia Road near Patrick’s store. The still, cap, cooler, doubler, buckets, jugs and funnel were captured, and four barrels of mash were de stroyed. Raid No. 3 netted an outfit on the Mackeys Road, back of Shad rack Davenport’s farm, near the railroad. Three barrels of mash were poured out, and a complete outfit, including a pump, was seized. Officers went to site No. 4 just a bit too soon. This was on the Morrattock road, back of Doss Linder’s farm. A well had been dug and part of the still was at the site, but no mash was found. Raid No. 5 was in Skinnersville Township, near the highway be tween Jimmie Spruill's store and Richard Patrick’s store. A cop per still, worm, cap, doubling keg and cooling barrel comprised most of the equipment, and the officers also got 10 gallons of whiskey and destroyed seven barrels of mash. Officers taking part in the raids and arresting the five men tried included L. L. Basnight, L. C. Snell, Sheriff J. K. Reid, Foy Dav enport, and Paul Basnight. Producers of Four Coun ties To Cooperate in Shipping Two Carloads Again This Year -* Lamb producers of four coun ties will get together to sponsor a cooperative lamb sale in Plym outh next Tuesday, June 7th, County Farm Agent W. V. Hays announced yesterday. Counties cooperating in making the ship ment are Beaufort, Tyrrell, Cho wan and Washington, and farm agents from all of them are ex pected to be on hand. Professor R. S. Curtiss, livestock marketing specialist for the North Carolina Division of Marketing, will be here with a grader to aid in making arrangements for the sale. Mr. Hays expects from 250 to 260 lambs to be offered at the sale, and at least two carloads will be shipped. This is about the same as last year, he stated. The sale last year was the most suc cessful ever held here, and it is expected the one next week will be equally as good. The price of spring lambs, top grade, at a similar sale in Tarboro last week, was 31 cents, according to the farm agent. Producers are requested to have their lambs at the loading pens at the Atlantic Coast Line station here as early as possible next Tuesday morning. The ship ment will move out about noon, according to present plans. -■* Bean Beetles Do Damage to Crops Many counties in the state have been invaded by the army worm, however Washington County is lucky in some respects and not so in other respects, according to W. V. Hays, county farm agent. The army worm got up to the Beaufort-Washington County line, but didn’t cross over, Mr. Hays said after inspecting that area. Bean beetles are the present villains in this county. They are said to be spreading generally all over the county, and the damage is mounting. Dick Norman, local flier, was planning to spray for this pest several weeks ago, when he crashed in his plane. « Bishop Wright to Visit County Churches Sunday The Rt. Rev. Thomas H. Wright, D. D., bishop of the Episcopal Dio cese of East Carolina, will visit the churches of Pettigrew Parish on Sunday, June 5, according to the following schedule: Old St. David’s Church, near Creswell, 11 a. m. Galilee Mission, Lake Phelps, 3 p. m. St. Andrews, Columbia, 8 p. m. The Rev. B. Wood Gaither, rector of the parish, extends a cordial welcome for all to attend. r Polls Open at j 6:30 Saturday ! Washington County voters are reminded that the polls for the special bond election Sat urday will be open from 6:30 a. m. until 6:30 p. m. Up to four or five years ago, the open ing and closing of the polling places were controlled by the rising and setting of the sun, but the 6:30 a. m. to 6:30 p. m. rule was made to provide a more definite time for opening and closing. Foiling places and officials at the six county precincts were announced several weeks ago. All registrars and judges of election are required to be on hand when the polls open at 6:30 a. m. Dr. J.. D. Messick Speaker at Finals Here Last Week -» Special Awards Present ed and Diplomas Given Graduates at Exercises Thursday Night -- "Work hai d. budget your time, be a good citizen and you will succeed in a world, inwhich the competition is very stiff,” Dr. John D. Messick, president of East Carolina Teachers College, told seniors of Plymouth High School, parents and guests in the commencement address at the local school last Thursday night. The Rev. P. B. Nickens deliver ed the invocation and benediction. R. F. Lowry, superintendent of county schools, introduced Dr. Messick. Ann Tetterton gave the saluatory and Helen Alexander spoke the valedictory. The school glee club rendered several songs. Ralph Hunter, representing local posts of the American Le gion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, presented the veteran's first annual scholarship cup to Helen Alexander, who was tied with Nina Stillman, of Roper, and Alice Davenport, of Creswell, for the highest scholastic average in the county. Each scholastic winner will get to keep the cup three months. Mrs. W. J. Woola-d. past-presi dent of the Plymouth Woman’s Club, gave the first annual club medal to Louis Singleton, for be ing voted the best all-around stu dent. J. S. Fleming, principal of the high school .presented the good citizenship medal to Melvin St.vons: the salutatorian medal to Ann Tetterton and the valdietori an medal to Helen Alexander. A. L. Owens, chairman of the school committee, handed each of the 27 graduating seniors his di ploma. They were: Helen Al exander, Frances Ange, Ross Ayers, Betty Jo Bowen. Gladys Rose Carr. Elizabeth Lane (Peg gy) Cox, Evelyn Gurganus, Jean-: ne Harrison, Ramona Herrington,' Barbara Matheny, Martha ParkarJ Gloria Peyton, Gracelyn Reid, Carolyn Spruill, Lorena Snell, Helen Styons, Ann Tetterton, Clarence Alexander, Foster Ange, Alton Beddard, Jack Booker, Rogers Byrd, Bob Hamilton, Wil lian McKeel, Louis Singleton, Ronnie Slaughter and Melvin Styons. -« Two Get Degrees At Wake Forest -« Two Washington County young men were among the 375 graduat es who received diplomas at the 115th annual commencement ex ercises at Wake Forest Tuesday night. They are Joseph A1 La tham, son o* County Commission, er and Mrs. A. R. Latham, of Plymouth; and Charles T. White, jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. C. T. White, sr., of the Skinnersville section. Both received the de gree of Bachelor of Science. Dr. Robert Lee Humber, prom inent Greenville attorney and founder of the movement for World Federation, was the com mencement speaker. Diplomas and honorary degrees were pre sented by Dr. Thurman D. Kit chin, president of the college, be fore a capacity crowd of 2,000 in the new chapel. -> Three Plymouth Boys Fork Union Graduates James Polk Spruill, Tommy West and Clarence Kelly, jr., all of Plymouth, received high-school diplomas at Fork Union. Military Academy commencement exer cises last Monday at Fork Union, | Va. James Polk was cadet lieu-1 tenant of the honor company of ; the battalion; Clarence Kelly re ceived an award as the best cadet private for the school year, and Tommy West received a good con duct award. Spruill was a four-year student at the academy, while the other two boys were there only during their senior year. All three of them are planning to enter the University of North Carolina next fall. -' Lake Phelps Legion Post Will Meet Monday Night The Lake Phelps Post, No. 391, American Legion, will hold its next regular meeting Monday night, June 6, at the Starlite Club in Creswell, according to an nouncement this week by H. S. Woodley, adjutant. The meeting will begin at 8 p. m., and a sup per will be served after the ses sion, at $1.50 per plate, to those who wish to remain. Voters Go To Polls Saturday To Pass on Road and School Bonds Trucks Collide in First Accident at New Intersection -4 Nobody Hurt but Consid erable Damage Report ed; Warning Signs Put Up Since intersection of U. S. 64 and 32, just south tinion station on Washing had its first accident afternoon shortly after when a big Thurston trailer and a North Pulp Company truck col one was injured, but property damage tractor and trail by Sidney Briggs of Wilson, was headed US 64, while the pulp truck, operated by Bry of Jamesville, was on US 32 when they the intersection. The and about half of the the intersection pulp company truck in the side, knocking the out from under the Neither vehicle over Basnight investigat and issued a war Snipes, charging speeding testimony. Basnight Thurston driver admitted going about 45 miles an Reason said he was not over 25. The impact the cylinder head off the the pulp company truck and badly damaged its front. The Thurston trailer was damaged. Loaded with 25,000 pounds of freight the truck and trailer over 150 feet after the was traffic only a few days ago, no traffic signs had been erected by the highway de partment. That deficiency was taken care of shortly after the accident yesterday. Over 300 at Lions Minstrel Tuesday, Last Time Tonight — « About $200 Realized for Recreation Fund Thus Far; Program Is Well Received Yes suh, ye old minstrel has come to town. It didn’t really come to town. It’s been here all the time. It just took a local civic club like the Lions Club to get the local talent together and sing, tell jokes and perform some unique and funny skits in an hour and a half. Don’t you fret if you weren’t one of the 50 people who didn’t quite fill the high school audi torium to capacity Tfciesday night, (300 people attended the show according to Lions Club officials) because “Plymouth Minstrels” will be given again tonight at 8 o’clock in the high school audi IU1 1UIII. Lions club members urge you to come out and see the show. Relax and have a good time. Your money will go for a good cause too. The Lions Club is turning the iroceeds of the show over to its recreational fund, which en courages athletics and recreation for the local children. E. M. Leavitt, chairman of the Lions minstrel committee, says that about $200 was taken in at Tuesday night’s performance and he would like to see more than that put in the recreational fund after tonight’s performance. Tonight you’ll see and hear seven endmen perform, solos of i comic songs, new songs, old songs: a tap dance; a quartet; a trom bone solo, a duet with bells and musical glasses, a comedy skit, and songs by the entire company. Tonight is the night, at 8 o’clock in the high school auditorium. "Plymouth Minstrels" with home town talent. — ■ « Colored Unit of Farm Bureau Meets Saturday ■ ■ * Members of the colored unit of the Washington County Farm Bureau are scheduled to meet in the Creswell High School audi torium Saturday morning at 10 o’clock, according to T. L. Wilkins, president of the unit. He urges every member to be present. Better Schools and Roads An Editorial Washington County people have an opportunity Saturday to vote in favor of a fair and equitable method of distributing state funds for the construction of public roads. We take it for granted that everyone realizes the need for school buildings and that the bond issue for this purpose will be carried over whelmingly. It is the bond issue for secondary roads that is causing concern and is the subject of this article. In the past, road allocations have largely been made on the basis of political influence wielded by each coJjnty on the state level. The county which could rally the heaviest political pressure received the most roads. This is shown conclusively by figures on the paved mileage of school-bus routes in the 100 counties of the state. Washington is a small county, in population and in political prestige. It has 54.8 miles of paved school bus routes out of a total of 181.5 miles, or 30.2 per cent. It has fared little better than the counties which normally vote Republican and are there fore, with few exceptions, at the bottom of the list. The state average is 33.4 per cent. Mecklenburg, potent both in population and politics, has 56.6 per cent of its 62 7.5 miles of school-bus routes paved. Pasquotank, relatively small in population but strong politically, has 49.6 per cent of its 166.8 miles of school bus routes paved. Mitchell, a western Republican county, has only 18.3 per cent of its 191.1 miles paved. New' Hanover, in w'hich the city of Wilmington is located, has 131.2 out of its 141.9 miles paved, or 92.5 per cent. This list can be continued indefinitely. Under any so-called “pay-as-you-go” plan for building secondary roads, contract lettings will continue to be decided on a political basis, because the limited funds are susceptible to influence. Under the long-range program outlined in the bond proposal on which we vote Saturday, the law specifically provides for allocations on a basis of population, area and road mileage. Washington County will get $926,000 on this basis, and there is nothing Pasquotank, Mecklenburg, New Hanover or any other county can do about it. We may be longer getting our roads than the larger, politically stronger counties, but the funds are assured under the program. It also may be significant that newspaper opposition to the road-bond issue centers in those counties which have more than their share of paved school-bus routes, using the 33.4 per cent state average as a fair figure. Again coming to mind in this connection are Elizabeth City, in Pasquotank, with 49.6 per cent; Mecklenburg, with 56.6 per cent; High Point, in Guilford, with 43.75 per cent; Durham, with 38.73 per cent: Hertford, in Per quimans, with 52.7 per cent; and so on. It is all right for them to advocate “pay-as-you-go,” because they do the going and we do the paying. If the bond issue is approved, one cent per gallon will be added to the gasoline tax. This will raise an estimated $7,000,000 each year, which with the amount now being paid on bonds issued in the 1920s should take care of all interest and bond retirements after 1952-53, when payments on the old issue ceases. No other tax increases are contemplated, and the total amount of interest on the new issue at 2 per cent will amount to less than $37,250,000, based on serial retirements by 1971-72. It is not proposed to issue all the bonds at one time, but over a period of six years; and they are to be paid off within 22 years. One other thing. The road-bond issue is not a continuation of the Johnson-Scott primary battle of a year ago, as some are trying to make it. The bond proposal should be decided on its merits and not because a Johnson supporter wishes to cast another vote against Governor Scott for advocating the issue. This is the motive underlying much of the opposition, and it is unworthy of any fair-minded person. We urge every Washington County citizen to go to the polls and vote on the bond issues Saturday. It is our hope that both issues are carried, but we urge you to vote anyway. Your vote may be important. Music Recital Sunday At Roper High Schoc -4 A musical recital will be hel in the Roper High School auditoi ium Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clocl Talent from Mackeys, Plymoutl Edenton, Pleasant Grove an Roper will take part. A silve offering will be taken at the doo for the benefit of the Rope Methodist Church building func The public is cordially invitei and urged to attend. [ Mud Cut Weeds {On Vacant Lots Chief of Police P. W. Brown this week issued an appeal to owners of vacant lots to have weeds cut down and the lots cleaned up. The town ordi nace requiring this also con tains authority for police to have the weeds cut down and require payment by the owner, but Mr. Brown said he didn’t want to take such action until everyone had been given notice. Weeds and trash harbor mos quitoes, as well as provide them breeding places, and property owners are notified to have the vacant lots cleaned off or the penalties provided by law will be invoked. 1 Fire Damages Chair In Jack Williams Home i Fire damaged the head rest oi - an upholstered chair in the home • of Jack Williams on Ft. Williams j Street about 1 o’clock Wednes r day afternoon, according to of r ficials of the Plymouth Fire De r partment. The chair was backed up 1 against a flue outlet in the liv ing room. Soot in the chimney • caught fire from an oil stove in an adjoining room. The burning soot dropped through the living room outlet, lower than the stove outlet, and set fire to the chair. 1 Auxiliary Gets $126 Through Poppy Sale The local American Liegion Auxiliary obtained $12fi through the sale of veteran’s poppies last Saturday, Mrs, W. H. Thomas, chairman of the poppy commit tee reported. The poppies were sold by a number of Girl Scouts and several boys who volunteered their ser vices. Paul Blackburn sold $22.50 worth of poppies, for the highest individual sales of the day. Mar garet Harris collected $21.25 to place second. Both poppy sales men received a prize for their ef forts. Mrs. W. V. Hays enter tained all the children who sold poppies at her home Saturday afternoon. The poppies were made by patients in the Oteen Veteran’s Hospital, near Asheville and Swannanoa Veteran’s Hospital near Fayetteville All the money collected in the sale will be kept in the county for the welfare of disabled veterans and the needy children of veterans. Small Vote Is Considered , Only Threat to Favor able Vote on Proposals In This County -« With the date for voting on the S225.000.000 school and road bond issues only two days away, the Washington County committee for Better Schools and Roads is mak ing every effort to get out the vote on Saturday, June 4. accord ing to J. E. Davenport, chairman of the committee. Mr. Davenport said yesterday that it is the opinion of the com mitte that if all the people in Washington County who favor the issues go to the polls and vote, both propositions will receive huge majorities in the county. All citizens who are registered for the regular county elections will be eligible to vote. Members of the committee have been busy this week lining up workers in each of the six county precincts. They are explaining the benefits that will be derived locally if the program is success ful. The committee, in canvass ing the county, is stressing the fact that this may well be the op portunity of a lifetime for those who live on dirt roads to secure, at small cost to themselves, some of the advantages of paved roads now enjoyed by those living in cities and towns. It is the op portunity for business and pro fessional men to vote for better roads to repay in some measure their obligations to their custom ers who live on dirt roads and who have many years been help ing to pay for the paved roads enjoyed by others. The committee again points out that Washington County would receive $92,272 from the school bond issue, in addition to the $250,000 allocated by the recent legislature, for construction and improvement of school buildings and equipment. The county also would receive $926,000 from the road bond issue to be used on secondary roads to make them hard - surfaced or all - weather roads. There will be on addition al tax levied on real estate or personal property to pay either of the bond issues. There will be an additional tax of one cent per gallon of gasoline to be used in payment of the road bond issue. According to figures released this week. Washington County has 181.5 miles of roads which are used as school bus routes. Of this, 54.8 miles are paved, or 30.2 per cent, against a state average of 33.4 per cent. It is the pur pose of the road-bond issue to first make all-weather or surfac (SeTitJECnONTPag^) ♦ Chevrolet Force At Big Jamboree J. W. House and all members of the shop personnel of House Chevrolet Company will be in Charlotte Saturday for a mam moth “June Jamboree,“ sponsor ed by the Charlotte zone Chevro let dealers organization. The ser vice department of the local firm will be closed all day Saturday, but the sales and parts depart ment will be kept open by George Barden, only member of the firm who is not attending the event in Charlotte. The jamboree was planned to celebrate a new service and sales record made in March and April by dealerships in the Charlotte zone. The dealers of this zone have put up about $50,000 for the event, which is being held at the Charlotte Fair Grounds. Four automobiles, pianos, television sets and other valuable prizes will be given away free during the jam boree, which starts at 10 o'clock Saturday morning and continues until late that night, when a big ball is planned with music fur nished by a nationally famous name band.