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It is not known just what the
Christmas Day bill of fare usually
consists of in the local jail but
at any rate no one appeared anx
ious to find out by spending th->
day there. There were no arrests
in Plymouth Christmas and Police
Chief P. W. Brown stated that
it was the quietest holiday period
in his recollection.
Work is progressing steadily on
the new Esso Servicenter being
erected at the corner of Main and
Washington Streets here but ■
great amount of work remains to
be done. It was stated this week
that the construction is hoped to
be completed by the last of Feb
ruary. It will be operated by
Mack Marrow.
Today and tomorrow being the
fifth Thursday and Friday of the
month there is no meeting sched
uled tonight (Thursday) for mem
bers of the Plymouth Lions Club
and the Bosie Bateman Post No.
4023. Veterans of Foreign Wars
and tomorrow night (Friday) for
ftembers of the James E. Jethro
bst No. 164. American Legion.
The Lions Club and VFW will
meet at their respective places
next Thursday night, January 5.
The next meeting for the Americ
an Legion is Friday night, Jan
uary 13.
Police Chief P. W. Brown states
that workers will begin taking
down Christmas decorations from
the streets of Plymouth Monday
morning. The multi-colored lights
will be carefully stored away for
use next Christmas holiday sea
son. The lights were hung under
me supervision oi i^mei .Drown.
License Bureau
Sales Have Been
Very Slow Here
Only 317 Sels of Plales Is
^ sued Through Wednes
day; Deadline January
31, 1950
Up to Tuesday, 317 sets of North
Carolina license plates of all
types had been issue through the
branch auto license bureau re
cently established here, according
to figures obtained from F. G.
Jordan, jr„ manager of the bu
reau. Sales appear to be definite
ly lagging when it is considered
that less than five weeks remain
in which to operate a motor ve
hicle displaying the old plates and
that the Motor Vehicle Bureau in
Raleigh estimated the needs of
the local branch at 3,380 sets.
Plates issued thus far, includ
ing sales through Wednesday, are
listed according to categories as
follows: Automobiles, 242; motor
cycles, 5; private trucks, 38; farm
trucks, 10; class Z (small) trail
ers, 22; class C (commercial)
trailers, none.
The number of sets sent to the
bureau here, listed according to
categories, follows: Automobile. |
2,500; private truck, 500; farm j
H truck, 100: motorcycle, 25; small
trailer, 200; and comercial trail
er, 55.
Mr. Jordan points out that it
costs the same amount to secure
license plates regardless of the
time and that it is to the interest
of everyone concerned to secure
licenses early. If the majority of
the motor vehicle owmers put off j
getting their license plates until j
near the deadline, it will mean |1
that the local bureau will be un- 11
able to give the fast service it 1
would like to extend the public. 1
Therefore, the bureau manager J
urges everyone to come in as
soon as possible and get the job 1
done. The deadline is January ! i
31. 1
.Christmas Holiday Period Was ;
*Very Quiet Throughout County)
General behavior in Plymoutl
and Washington County was verj
good over the Christmas holiday
season, according to reports fron
Sheriff J. K. Reid, Plymouth Po
lice Chief P. W. Brown and othei
law enforcement officers.
Police Chief Brown says tha
not a single arrest was made bj
his department over the Christ
mas holiday week-end and that
the only persons taking theii
Christmas dinner at the local jail
i were inmates already incarcerat
•' ed before the holiday period be
,1 gan and who are awaiting trial
at the January term of superior
court, which convenes here on
Monday, January 9.
No fires wene reported in Plym
outh, -and the usual drunken
scrapes, such as cutting and shoot
ing affairs did not materialize.
There were three automobile ac
cidents reported in the county
during the period, with one fatal
ity and one rather serious injury.
j Considerable damage was done to
| the two automobiles involved in
another wreck near here Monday
night, but no one was hurt. More
complete accounts of these wrecks
are to be found elsewhere in this
newspaper.
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IX
Sheriff Reid state that it is very
gratifying to find such little trou
ble cropping up at this particular
season of the year, as it is usu
ally a time when a good deal of
excitement takes place.
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ke Beacon
* * * * + * and Washington County News *★★***
«£22KiaaSSv. ■»■ ■'xuaxasi.
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people.
VOLUME LX—NUMBER 52
Plymouth, Washington County, North Caiolina, Thursday, December 29, 1949
ESTABLISHED 1889
The New Year, "reviving old desires," and some
thing the poet never mentioned — old resolutions, is be
ing trumpeted in.
It is accorded this fanfare because it is more than a
day in "this petty pace" and continuity of life. It is a
brief halt and a starting over. It is the abandonment
of despair and the donning of hope.
It is a social time. We of this newspaper join all
of you in the celebration. We want to attend the wake
for 1949 and the birth of 1950 with all the blare of horns
and laughter.
Also in your fellowship, we pray that the world may
achieve its goal of peace in 1950 and that our commun
ity see fulfilled all its plans for betterment.
Strictly on our own, we wish for you a —
'/ Qf „r~jzr~
Details Shape Up for
nsus
i Residents Urged j
I Pay Taxes Early]
Plymouth residents have been
reminded by P. W. Brown, local
police chief, that their town
taxes are now payable at par
and will be until February 1,
after which 1 per cent interest
will be charged to delinquent
payers. March 1 another 1 per
cent interest accrues and V< of
1 per cent interest will be add
ed for each additional month
thereafter. This schedule of in
terest is charged by law and ap
plies as well to state and county
taxes.
Mr. Brown has urged all citi
zens to appear at the office of
the town clerk and pay their
taxes as soon as possible and
thus avoid the interest
Plymouth High to
Meet Roper Here
Coach Joe Foster wiil send his
Plymouth High School basketball
learns into their first post-holiday
encounters at the high school
gymnasium here next Tuesday
light. The locals entertain Rop
;r High School teams, and it is
eported that the Bantams—the
Roper girls’ aggregation—are un
lefeated this season.
Plymouth teams have played
wo games thus far this season,
)oth encounters with Jamesville
aefore the Christmas holidays. |
lamesville girls and boys edged
iut the locals at Jamesville and
idministered sound lickings to the
’lymouth teams in return games
lere.
Next Friday, January 6, the.
’lymouth teams begin their con
erence schedule by meeting Co
umbia here.
Services Of 150,000 People
Will Be Needed To Handle
Big Task, Beginning on
April 1 Next Year
The Bureau of the Census will
hold the mirror up to the nation
and its progress next Spring when
it conducts the 17th Decennial
Census.
A variety of interesting and
important facts will be collected
concerning the population and the
economy, all testifying to the na
tion’s remarkable growth and ex
pansion. But of even deeper sig
nificance in view of the trend of
the times, the Census will pro
vide fresh evidence of the dynam
ics of a free and demoncratic so
ciety, and will thus represent a
tribute to what the American peo
ple have accomplished by self re
liance, enterprise, hard work and
thrift.
The official starting date for the
count is April, but it will actu
ally get underway earlier in Alas
ka so that those who live in re
mote regions, like Eskimos in
their villages above the Arctic
Circle, can be reached before the
Spring thaw. The overall cost is
estimated at about $85 millions,
over double the cost of the 1940
Census. Much of this increase is
due to the rise in the price level
since prewar.
Back in 1790, when the first
Census was taken, the job was
done by 17 U. S. marshals and 600
assistants. At that time the infant
Republic, which had won its free
dom from Britain less than a dec
ade before, consisted of only 16
dates and two thinly-settled re
gions, the Northwest and South- ■
ivest Territories. Florida and the 1
ivhole area west of the Missis- <
<ippi River were “foreign” coun- 1
:ry. The total population was less ;
han 4 million, of whom about 1
100,000 were listed as slaves. The : t
■conomy was predominately rural >
>nd agricultural. t
(See CENSUS, Page Seven) *
Liquor Sales Off
At County Stores
prom
However, Average Is Stil
Nearly $1,300 Daily foi
Seven Days Preceding
Christmas
Total sales of liquor at th(
county ABC stores for the sever
sale days preceding Christmas
showed a decided drop for th(
third year in a row, according tc
information just released by Bil
Styons, manager of the Plymouth
store. Mr. Styons attributes the
reduced business partly to the
scarcity of money hereabouts anc
partly to the prevalence of boot
leg whiskey in the county.
Sales in the Plymouth ABC
store for December 17, 19, 20, 21
22, 23 and 24 totalled $9,075,35 or
$3,008.60 less than the $12,083.95
reported for the correspondinc
period a year ago. The 1947 total
for the same period was $14,006.
95. It was the same story at the
Creswell ABC store where the
1948 total sales for the 7 davs
preceding Christmas was $1,792.
80 and the figure for the same
period this year was $1,429.25 or
$363.55 less than a year ago. The
1947 figure at Creswell was $1,
961.40. From these figures it ap
pears that business was off more
in Plymouth than in Creswell.
rhis was also the case last year
ivhen the drop in business at the
Plymouth store for the period
checked was 14 per cent and that
at Creswell was 10 per cent. This
/ear the drop at Plymouth was 25
ser cent and that at Creswell, 20
)er cent.
It is interesting to note that
vith one exception sales at the
’lymouth store climbed each day
luring the period with the final
wo days capping it at $1,617.00
nd $3,114.65. respectively. The
inal day’s sales at Creswell to
alled $596.85. The Christmas Eve
ale at Plymouth was far below
he record shattering sales for
he same day in 1947 when $5,
24.00 was taken in for an aver
ge of $11.72 per minute through
ut the day.
oil Technicians Working
To Finish Annual Reports
Soil technicians are busily en
aged in completing their annual
?ports, it was announced htis
eek from the office of the
rashington County Soil Conser
stion Service, and no outside
ork will be done for the re
ainder of the year.
Immediately after the first of
ie new year conservation work
's will begin on their new goals,
lready, a good bit of work in
•ainage has been mapped out
hich will be completed as soon
possible.
Negro Bicyclist Is
Fatally Injured in
Crash Last Week
Johnny Basnight Suffers
Skull Fracture W h e r
Struck by Car Driven By
Plymouth Man
Johnny Basnight. 52 year ole
Negro of Roper, died instantly
of a fractured skull when the bi
cycle he was riding was struck
by a car driven by Ernest Whit
ley of Plymouth last Wednesday
afternoon about 5 o’clock. The ac
cident occurred about 1 mile west
of Roper on U. S. highway 64.
Basnight and another colored
man were riding bicycles in the
direction of Roper and traveling
on their left hand side of the high
way. Whitley, with four othei
local men. was returning tc
PI vmnntb frnm Pr?r>ntr\n lftiorf
j he is employed at the Marine Aii
Base. The other Negro on a bi
I cycle turned off on the shouldei
of the road and Basnight swerved
his bicycle to the right into the
path of the oncoming car. He was
struck by the right headlamp and
, thrown across the hood of the cai
to the windshield. The bicycle
was demolished by the impact
Whitley's
ran aq —
on tf
car,
a 1942 Mercury
oss the road to the ditch
i other side.
The wreck was investigated b>
Coroner Jack Horner and State
highway patrolman R. W. Young
ly mouth. The coroner talked
ises present and ruled
t unavoidable, deem
_est unnecessary. Dam
age sustained by the car was ap
proximately $150.
County Boards to
Meet January 9
The board of county commis
sioners and the Washington Coun
ty Board of Education which cus
tomarily meet on the first Mon
day in each month will not meet
Monday, January 2 but will ob
serve the New Year's holiday and
convene the following Monday,
January 9, at their respective
meeting places in the county
courthouse here.
Business to be taken up by the
two boards at their meetings is
expected to be of a routine na
ture.
The Plymouth Town Council
will meet Monday night, January
2 at 8 o’clock in the office of the
town clerk.
-♦—
Recorder's Court Session
Called Off Here Tuesday
-♦
Due to the holiday season, there
was no session of Recorders Court
here Tuesday. The court will next
be in session Tuesday. January 3
and it is likely that there will be
a rather heavy docket of cases to
be heard. The following Monday.
January 9, Superior Court will
convene, thereby necessitating a
postponement of the regular Tues
day morning session of Record
ers Court until Tuesday, January
17.
Roper Man Hurls
Leg in Accidenl
William Elmer Phelps, 55, of j
the Holly Neck section near Rop- '
er, sustained a fractured right leg i
jusi ueiow mo nip wnon me iy.iu
Oldsmobile sedan in which he was !
traveling from Skinnersville to j
Roper failed to make a curve and j
plowed into a swamp, hitting one '
tree head-on and side-swiping an- j
other. The accident occurred at,
5:15 p.m. Monday near Bateman’s !:
Garage and was investigated by i
Highway Patrolman R. W. Young '
of Plymouth. j l
The injured man was treated 1
by a Plymouth physician and car- I
:ied by ambulance to an Edenton
oospital. He is expected to be
confined there for some time. i
Estimated damage to the car 1
vas fixed by the investigating i
officer at $300. Phelps is under <
ndictment for driving while un- i
ier the influence of intoxicating
oeverages and will be brought to 1
;rial as soon as he has sufficiently <
•ecovered from his injuries. ]
Tax Listing m County To
Get Underway Next Week
i ^li&nciav 1* Lasi llav ok*
• •
i lhkcki* and Ileai*S<*as€m
With the open season on bear i
and deer ending Monday, Janu- j
ary 2, it is expected that there -
will be considerable activity the «
remainder of this week among
those who like to hunt the big
ger game. The open season on
squirrels expires in Washington
county on January 2 also. The
season for hunting opossum and :
raccoon with gun and dogs will
expire February 1, two weeks,
sooner than was the case a year
ago. Rabbits, quail and turkey
may be taken lawfully through j
January 31. This is an extension:
>ver last year when the season
dosed January 10. Under last
'ear's regulations ruffed grouse
■ould lawfully be taken through
ranuary 10 but this year the sea
son closes January 2.
A change has also been made
n trapping regulations. Trapping
or otter, mink, muskrat, opos
;um and raccon may be lawfully
lone through January 31. Last
;eason the closing date for otter
vas the same but the season on
he other species extended
hrough February 15. There is no
)pen season for trapping beaver.
Places and Dates
For Tax Listing in
Period io Begin in Washing- j
ion County Monday and
Will End on January 31,
Schedules have been received
by County Tax Collector E. J.
Spruill from three of the four tax
listers appointed by the county
board of commissioners to take
listings of all taxable properties
in the county for 1949. The sched
ule of W. W. White of Skinners
ville Township could not be learn
ed as this newspaper went to
press. Reporting their schedules
were Clarence L. Blount, Plym
outh Township; R. W. Lewis,
Lees Mill Township; and P. B.
Belanga, Scuppernong Township.
Actual work of listing will begin
Tuesday, January 3 and continue
through January 31.
Listers and their locations as
announced by Mr. Spruill will be
as follows: Plymouth Township—
Clarence L. Blount, in the office
of the town clerk in Plymouth
every listing day in the month:
Scuppernong Township—P. B.
Belanga will sit at Cherry on
January 4, 11, 18 and 25: at New
lands on January 12 and 26 and
at Creswell on all other listing I
days during the month.
Lees Mill Township—R. W.
Lewis will sit at W. B. Daven- I
Scheduled
1950
port s Store, Mackeys, January;
12 and 19; at T. W. Tarkington's |i
store, Pleasant Grove, January 9 <
and 16; at T. R. Chesson’s store. I
Westover, January 5 and 24; at 1
Golden Williams store, Wenona, 11
January 11 and 18; and at; 1
Knowles Grocery. Roper, all oth- 1
er days in the month. 1
The schedule for the list taker 1
in Skinnersville Township will be
published as soon as it is received. 1
Patrolman Young Attends j£
Patrol Meet in Washington i
State Highway Patrolman R. a
W. Young, of Plymouth, was in F
Washington Wednesday attend- e
ing a highway patrol division
meeting presided over by Sgt. , b
C. R. Williams, of the patrol, sta-|n
tioned in Washington. a
L & M Licenses Good
Only Few More Days
The time expires at midnight
Saturday, December 31, for all
irivers whose surnames begin
eith the letters L or M to renew
heir operators' licenses. This
icriod began last July 1 and is
egally known as Period No. 5.
Period No. 6 begins January 1,
950, and will extend through
nidnight June 30. During this I
leriod all drivers whose sur
lames begin with the letters N,
), P and Q are required to re
iew their operators’ licenses.
As a general rule, motorists are
’ery slow to renew’ their licenses
luring the first part of any given
>eriod, but usually wait until
near the deadline. As a result 1
of this inclination, a last-minute 11
rush almost invariably takes 1
place, working a hardship on both i
license examiners and motorists.
The license examiner for this (
area maintains a weekly sched
ule in Plymouth and may be
found at the office of the police
department in the Municipal
Building on Water Street. It is r
understood that this schedule may d
be changed effective January 1, 0
but the new time has not been | o
announced here. Under the pres-; t
ent schedule, the examiner is in ' 1
Plymouth three days weekly, j ti
Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. I a
!
Some Observe
New Years Day
All State and county offices
will be closed Monday in ob
servance of New Year’s. The
local bank and post office will
also be closed to business all
day.
All places of business, includ
ing drug stores, restaurants,
grocery, hardware, clothing,
furniture and apliance stores
will open for business as
usual. The chain grocery stores,
Pender’s and A & P, will re
main open although these stores
sometimes observe the holiday.
They were closed for two days
in observance of Christmas.
Local Masons to
Install Officers
Tuesday Night
— ' ♦——
Installation Ceremonies to
Begin at 8 o'Clock; Buffet
Supper Will Be Served at
Lodge Hall
Perseverance Lodge, No. 59, A.
P. & A. M.. will hold its annual
installment service at the Lodge
Hall here Tuesday night, Janu
ary 3, at o'clock with Robert L.
Pugh of New Bern, a 33rd degree
Wason and Grand Chaplain of
he Grand Lodge of North Caro
ina, serving as Installing Offic
■r.
The following officers who
vere elected in December will
ie installed: W. A. Roebuck, Mas
er: W. C. Hall, Senior Warden: \
V. R. Harden, Junior Warden:'
!. G. Campbell, Treasurer; and
1. H. Allen, Secretary.
Incoming Master Roebuck has
nnounced the following list of
ppointive officers to be installed
t ceremonies Tuesday night: Earl
'• Bowen, Senior Deacon! G. R.
eggett, Junior Deacon: Hilton
unbar and Harry Garrett, Stew
rds: W. B. Liverman, Tiler: and
. H. Lucas, Chaplain. L. E. Dox
1 is retiring Master.
At 7 p. m. a Buffet Supper will
2 served in the Lodge Hall. All
icmbers of Perseverance Lodge
e urged to attend
Farm Census Report To Be
Made Again After Lapse
of One Year; Livestock
Prices Cited
Listing of 1949 taxes will begin
in Washington County on Tues
day, January 3 and will continue
through Tuesday. January 31. All
county residents have been re'
quested to list their taxes as soon
as possible in order to avoid a
last-minute rush. It has also been
pointed out that all persons who
have become 21 years of age since
the last listing period are obligat
ed by law to list poll taxes this
year.
Tax list takers in the county
were appointed by the board of
county commissioners early in
December and the list takers and
the tax supervisor for the county
met with the commissioners on
Monday night. December 19 as
reported previously in the Bea
con. At that time uniform prices
were established for listing live
stock. These prices were as fol
lows: sheep. $3 to $5 each: goats,
$2 to $3 each: poultry, 15 cents
per pound; milch cows, $75 to
$100: other cattle 8 to 10 cents
per pound: horses. No. 1 $75 to
$100; horses, No. 2, $25 to $75:
meats, 15 cents per pound. Many
of these prices were reduced from
those listed in 1948.
After a lapse of one year, the
taking of a farm census from the
farmers of the county will be re
aumeu uy me usi taxers. It nas
been customary in the past to
get this information once every
five years but the importance of
the farm census was brought to
the attention of the commission
ers and list takers at the Decem
ber 19 meeting. The Washington
county PMA committee stated at
that time that there was a possi
bility that corn and soybeans
might be put under government
control and marketing quotas set
up at a later date and that the
farmers of the county could only
hope to receive their rightful
share in such resulting acreage
allotments bv making a complete
and accurate report for 1949.
At the suggestion of Chairman
of the board of commissioners
Flank L. Brinkley a copy of a
letter to that effect was furnish
ed each list taker in the county,
explaining why a good farm cen
sus report is necessary and em
phasizing the value of'such a re
port to the individual farmer.
■-*-——
Bonner Nominates
Plymouth Youth to
Military Academy
James Polk Spruill Will
Take Entrance Exams in
March; Alternates From
Washington, Greenville
James Polk Spruill, son of Mrs.
M L. Nobles of Plymouth, is
' •••* nreu irom mis
Congressional District who were
recently recommended for ap
pointment to West Point or An
lapolis by Congressman Herbert
r. Bonner.
^ °ung Spruill was recommend
^d for appointment to the United
States Military Academy at West
’oint, N. \and two alternates
vere named, one from Washing
on and the other from Green
'ille.
Recommendations were made
or three places at Annapolis and
he men named, together with al
ernates, are from Greenville
■ lizabeth City, Hertford, Wash
agton, Edenton and Engelhard.
>oun!y Schools Resume
Classes Monday Morning
All the schools in Washington
aunty will resume classes Mon
ay morning, January 2, at the
sual opening hour after enjoy
a respite from studies which
egan at the end of classes on
uesday, December 20 and ex
mded through the Christmas
ad New Year’s holiday season.