T'own
opics
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people.
Miss Miriam Ausbon. who wa,
injured in an automobile misha]
on the Turnpike near here some
time ago, returned home from th
hospital last Friday and is report
ed to be rapidly improving. Mis
Ausbon, who is manager of thi
Washington County ASC offici
(formerly PMA) here, may bi
able to resume her duties Mon
day of next week, it was said
In her absence, the office is be
ing managed by Mrs. Florence P
Oliver, county ASC
treasurer.
A f ormer Plymouth Higl
School athlete received double
mention in a recent issue of The
Hertford1 County Herald, Ahos
kie. Davenport has made a place
for himself on the Chowan Col
lege Braves basketball squad' and
thus came in for mention in a
write-up of a game the Brave;
were to play with the State Col
lege freshmen and also was men
tioned in "Harold's Sport Herald.'
a column by Harold Simpson, oi
the Herald staff. The column said:
“According to Coach Herb Ap
penzeller, at least one member of
the team has his own pet method
of keeping tabs on the score
keeper. Appenzeller says that
Forward Bobby Davenport gives
himself a sharp pinch in the
stomach every time he dumps a
basket. At the end of the game
he counts the number of red
marks on his midsection. I’d like
to know, though, how he sepa
, rates his one-point free throws
from his two-point field goals.”
The news item stated, “Bobby
Davenport, a 6 foot 3 inch pro
duct of Plymouth High School,
is scheduled to take the place of
Roy Futrelle at the other for
ward position. Davenport hit for
10 points last Wednesday as the
Braves battered Pembroke State
College for an 87-39 win.”
Coaches Joe Foster, Peter Carr
and Charles Inabinette attended
a meeting of Albemarle Confer
ence officials in Tarboro last
night. Rearrangement of the con
ference football schedule and se
lection of all-conference first and
second teams by the coaches were
to be main features of the gather
ing. It is also expected that ap
plications will be considered from
one or more schools to round out
the conference with eight teams
next season.
County and town law enforce
ment officers report that the
Thanksgiving holiday period in
the county was about the quiet,
est in memory with no violence
reported and no highway acci
dents.
Father of Local
Resident Buried
Funeral services were held
Thursday afternoon of last week
at Holly Springs Church, Martin
County, for Nymphus Staton
Cherry, father of Warren Cher
ry, of Plymouth. Officiating was
the Rev. R. E. Walston, pastor,
assisted by the Rev. W. B. Har
rington. Burial followed in the
Andrews family cemetery in Wil
liams Township.
Mr. Cherry died in a William
ston hospital shortly before 6 a.
m. last Wednesday, victim of a
heart attack. He had been in de
clining health for some time. He
suffered a severe attack on the
Saturday preceding his death and
was removed by ambulance to
the hospital where little hope was
held for his recovery.
He was born in Williams Town
ship, April 12, 1880, the son of
the late William Andrew and
Louise Gurganus Cherry. He liv
ed and farmed in that community
all his life. He was a member of
Holly Springs Methodist Church
for many years and active in its
support.
Mr. Cherry was married No
vember 27, 1901, to Mary Lucy
Andrews, who survives. Other
survivors are four sons, William
Martin, Fred Gilbert and Percy
Cherry, all of Williamston, and
Warren Cherry, of Plymouth; five
daughters, Mrs. John R. Jones,
Mrs. W. D. Jones, and Mrs. Frank
Hopkins, all of Williamston, Mrs.
Henry Hopkins, of Oak City, and
Mrs. Edward Hollis, of Norfolk,
Va.; a sister, Mrs. Annie Rober
son, of Williamston: 22 grandchil
dren and five great-grandchil
dren.
Barbecue and Basketball
On Tap at Roper Friday
-♦
The barbecue supper and bas
ketball double-header being spon
sored by the Roper Ruritan Club
will be held Friday night of this
week, it is announced.
The supper will be served at
the school lunchroom at $1.25 a
plate with proceeds to go into the
activity bus fund.
A team made up of members
of the Ruritan Club will battle
the Roper High School boys in
one of the games while wives of
Ruritans will pit their skill
against the high school girls’
team in the other encounter of
the evening.
VOLUME LXIV—NUMBER 49 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 3. 1953
ESTABLISHED 1889
S
P
! IT'S JUST ABOUT THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN |
From now until Christmas, toy counters in Plymouth stores
will prove an irresistable attraction for young folks in general
and this young lady in particular. She is Melody Kay Frymier,
attractive two-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Frymier.
This will be the first Christmas that really means anything to her,
as she wasn’t quite big enough last year to appreciate old Santa
and the myriad of gifts he has on display. Christmas has a double
meaning for Melody, since her birthday falls on December 23,
when she will be two years old, and she will have two big cele
brations rolled into (me.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
Stocking Fund Drive
Plans Are Completed
I First Tag Sale
I To W. T. Medlin
The new 1954 state motor ve
hicle license plates—black let
ters and numerals on a yellow
background — went on sale
Tuesday morning of this week
in the Carolina Motor Club of
fice at Ward Insurance Agency
on Washington Street here.
The first of the 1954 issuance
went to W. T. Medlin, of Plym
outh, according to Manager
James H. Ward. The Carolina
Motor Club for the 32nd year is
agent in the State for the lic
ense sales, lip until this year,
the local branch office was lo
cated at the Etheridge Company
on the eastern outskirts of
town. Motor vehicle owners
have until January 31, 1954, to
display the new tags. Declar
ing that early purchase will
eliminate the usual last-minute
rush, Mr. W'ard said sales thus
far have been “very slow.”
Pepper Contracts
Again Next Year
The C. C. Lang and Son pickle
plant here will again contract for
Bell peppers next season, it was
learned here this week. It is also
planned to increase the acreage.
About 150 or more acres were de
voted to the crop in the county
last year.
C. W. Dinkins, manager of the
plant, who has been ailing re
cently, was in a Chapel Hill hos
pital and could not be reached for
details.
Seed beds for the pepper plants
must be begun around January
15 and trapsplanting usually takes
place about April 10 with the
harvest season opening in July.
In addition to the peppers, the
plant annually contracts for quite
an acreage of cucumbers in Wash
ington County and this section
Agriculiure Building Here
Will Be Used as Collect
ion Point; Parceling To
Begin 15th
Reports were made by repre
sentatives from various sections
of the county and definite plans
were formulated for prosecuting
the annual Empty Stocking Fund
drive at a meeting of project
leaders at the courthouse here
Monday night of this week.
The meeting was presided over
by P. B. Bateman, of Plymouth,
in the absence of tho chairman,
James T. Boyce, also of Plymouth,
who was unavoidably deterred.
Additional pledges of cash and
usable articles of food, clothing
and toys were received during the
meeting. Pledges were made by
both individuals and groups.
It was announced that anyone
or any group desiring to make
donations to the worthy project
designed to offer holiday aid to
the needy families of the county
should please do so by contacting
Mrs. Ursula B. Spruill, superin
tendent of the Washington Coun
ty Welfare Department, at her
offices on the second floor of the
county courthouse here.
The deadline for donations was
set for December 15 and it was
said that work on preparing and
wrapping gift boxes for Christ
mas distribution will begin at
that time in the office of the
county agent at the Agriculture
Building.
Anyone having names of needy
persons should send them to Mrs.
Spruill at the Welfare Depart
ment, it was said.
It is also urged that donors of
clothing get the articles in just
as soon as possible in order to
afford time to have the clothes
cleaned before distribution at
Christmas time.
The Empty Stocking Fund pro
ject is sponsored here annually
by the Plymouth Rotary Club
with assistance of other groups
and individuals and in past years
has afforded a real measure of
See STOCKING FUND, Page 8
Santa Claus To Be Here Next Week
-«- -♦
Attention, kiddies! Santa Claus I
will hit Plymouth Friday after
noon of next week for his annual
visit. That means free candy for
the youngsters and a chance to
meet old Santa and tell him what
is wanted for Christmas.
Plymouth merchants are spon
soring the old gentlemen’s visit
this year and a parade is being
arranged in his honor.
Thos. F. Hopkins, a spokesman
for the merchants’ group, said
yesterday that arrangements will
be made for both white and col
ored school bands in the county
to participate in the parade,
which will form at the high school
and march downtown where a
position will be taken up in front
of the Legion Hall.
Santa is scheduled to arrive by
jeep and he will remain in the
business section for about an hour
before shoving off for the next
town on his itinerary.
Plans are being worked out to
control the crowd so that the chil
dren can go up to Santa in single
file and receive their gift of can
dy in an orderly fashion instead
of its being passed out in the
manner of past years.
It will be appreciated if parents
will instruct their children on the
necessity for orderly conduct in
order to give everyone present an
equal opportunity.
Also, all children are urged to
bring their letters to Santa re
questing the toys they desire for
Christmas. Due to the large crowd
anticipated, it will be impossible
for the children to talk to Santa
about what they want him to
bring them so they are asked to
please bring their letters.
It should be a happy hour—■
Friday, December 11, from 4 to
5 p. m.
Important Voting
On Quotas To Be
Made December 15
-♦
General Manager of Cotton
Growers Association Sees
Decision of Farmers Most
Important
Raleigh.-—The decision cotton
farmers make when they vote in
the special marketing quota refe
rendum December 15 may mean
the difference between 34-cent
and 17-cent cotton next year, ac
cording to M. G. Mann, general
manager of the N. C. Cotton
Growers Association.
The outcome of the balloting
will determine the level of price
support for cotton produced in
1954, he explained. If two-thirds
or more of those voting in the
referendum favor marketing
quotas, suppors will remain at 90
per cent of parity next year.
If more than one-third of those
voting cast ballots against quotas,
the support price will drop to 50
per cent of parity for those who
plant within their acreage allot
ments and no support for those
who overplant.
“The Secretary of Agriculture
has already proclaimed acreage
allotments on the 1954 crop,”
Mann explained. “Therefore, re
gardless of the outcome of the
referendum, acreage allotments
will be in effect.
“This means,” the farm leader
continued, "that the choice before
cotton growers on December 15
essentially is whether they want
a reduced acreage and 90 per
cent of parity or only 50 per cent
of parity for those who cooperate.
“As I see it,” Man went on,
“the decision farmers of North
Carolina and other cotton-grow
ing states make that day will
have a far-reaching effect on our
economy. I hope that every cot
ton producer will see the
great importance of the question
and cast a ballot in favor of mar
keting quotas on December 15.”
Soil Supervisors
In Joint Meeting
Conservation workers from this
county are expected to be among
those from several other Eastern
Carolina counties attending a
joint meeting of supervisors of
both Coastal Plain and Pamlico
Soil Conservation districts at
Greenville Friday of this week.
The meeting will begin at 2
p. m. and will be held in the Pitt
County Agriculture Building, S.
L. Daughtridige, area conserva
tionist, has announced.
The Pamlico district, of which
Washington County is a member,
will have its part of the program
first and that of the Coastal
Plain district will follow. Fol
lowing supper, there will be a
brief meeting at which J. W. Sar
gent, assistant regional director
of the Soil Conservation Service,
from Spartanburg, S. C., will be
the principal speaker.
During the afternoon, one su
pervisor from each county repre
sented will give an oral report
stating some of the main accom
plishments, problems and plans
of the respective counties.
Other counties in the Pamlico
district are Hyde, Tyrrell and
Beaufort while the Coastal Plain
district is comprised of Martin,
Edgecombe, Greene and Pitt
Counties.
In addition to supervisors, it
was said, all interested farmers
in each county are urged) to at
tend the meeting.
Choral Club To Present
Program at Holly Neck
-♦
The Choral Club of Roanoke
Bible College, Elizabeth City, will
present a Christmas program of
music at Holly Neck Church of
Christ Wednesday of next week,
The program will be under di
rection of Harold C. Turner and
Miss Pearl Pressley. It will begin
at 7:30 o’clock in the evening.
j PLANTERS NATIONAL BANK & TRUST COMPANY TO OPEN NEXT WEEK j
The Plymouth unit of the Planters National Ban & Trust Company will open for business
Thursday of next week, December 10, at 9 a. m. Construction work on the building and installation
ot equipment was completed this week, although blacktopping of the driveways had not been
completed when this picture was made. The bank is located at the corner of Water and Adams
Street and has two drive-in windows, one of which is shown in this photo. The new bank will
he open trom 9 a. m. until 7 p. m. next Thursday, and a general invitation is extended to the
public to visit it and meet members of the operating personnel on that day.—Polaroid 1-Minute
staff photo.
Slight Increase
In Tobacco Crop
For Coming Year
Action Will Likely Have
Little Effect on County;
Peanuts, Cotton Acreage
Cut
Ignoring the expressed1 wishes
of farmers, Secretary of Agricul
ture Kzra Taft Benson last week
end ordered a slight increase in
1954 flue-cured tobacco. The add
ed acreage will be limited to
about 13,500 and most of the in
s' cease will go to fringe-producing
[T-eaft, according to the announce
ment. It is possible a few addi
tional acres will be allotted to
farmers in this county, but the
increase will hardly come as a
blanket percentage gain. Rather,
any additional acreage allotted
this and other main tobacco pro
ducing counties will be limited
possibly to new growers or for
making adjustments in some
cases. The action taken by Mr.
Benson has not ben officially an
nounced.
This year 1,044,500 acres were
planted to tobacco in the flue
cured producing sections. The al
lotment has been increased, ac
cording to the unofficial an
nouncement, to 1,057,000 acres in
1954, a gain of 13,500 acres.
The preliminary announcement
is not quite clear in that the sec
retary was quoted as saying the
increase would be nearly seventy
five million pounds. The pound
age does not correspond with the
announced acreage increase.
Hardly mntf than fifteen million
pounds can be expected from the
13,500 additional acres allotted
for 1954.
Congressman Harold Cooley,
former chairman of the House
Agriculture committee, com
mented that he had rather trust
the judgment of the farmers qnd
their organizations which sup
ported a decrease in acres of not
less than five percent.
W. P. Hedrick, tobacco market
ing specialist for the North Caro
lina State Department of Agri
culture, was quoted as saying the
action of the United States De
partment of Agriculture was all
right.
While Mr. Benson increased to
bacco slightly, he cut peanuts
about four percent and just about
wiped out cotton production.
The over-all decrease in cotton
acreage will run around 30 per
cent, but the reduction will run
considerably higher than that fig
ure in many cases.
Church Women Here Will
Organize Council Friday
Mrs. T. S. Newbold, president
and Mrs. C. C. Todd, secretary,
of the North Carolina Council of
Church Women, will visit Plym
Friday, December 4. Their com
ing is for the purpose of organ
izing Plymouth Council of
Church Women. The meeting will
take place at Grace Episcopal
Church, Plymouth, at 11 a. m.
All women of the Baptist,
Methodist, Christian, Presbyter
ian and Episcopal Churches of
Plymouth are urged to attend
this meeting. Decision to have the
women’s organizations of these
five local churches organized into
a Plymouth Council of Church
Women was made at the World
Community Day service at the
Plymouth Christian Church, No
vember 6th.
New Bank Will Open
Here Next Thursday
Personnel To Serve Under
Manager D. Marvin Wea
ver Announced; Modern
Drive-In Structure Ready
Formal opening of the Plym
outh unit of the Planters National
Bank & Trust Company is defi
nitely set for Thursday morning
of next week.
The opening will mark culmi
nation of efforts first begun here
several years ago to obtain a sec
ond hank fo- the community, and
more directly will be the con
cluding step of the plan launched
January 29th of this year when
application was filed with the
Controller of the Currency for a
national bank here.
Addition of the Planters unit
here gives Washington County
branches of two of the strongest
banks in Eastern North Carolina,
the Plymouth unit of Branch
Banking & Trust Company, of
Wilson, having continuously serv
ed the town and countv since
1925.
A spokesman for the new bank
said it would open officially for
business at 9 a. m. and that it
would remain open until 7 p. m.
Regular banking hours will be
from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m. but Open
House will be held from 9 to 7.
Marking the opening will be a
series of gifts which have been
announced as “gifts for first 100
depositors, 100 special gifts for
depositors of $100 or more, 10
savings accounts given to lucky
depositors on opening day and
other gifts to all our friends and
guests.” Several of the banking
officials are expected to be on
hand for the occasion.
Personnel of the bank went on
duty as of December 1st and Wed
nesday made a trip to Rocky
Mount to visit the home office
there. Persons who would like to
go in an look around the bank
are welcome, it was said.
The beautiful colonial-type
brick structure was erected by
Hand Construction Company, of
Belmont. Equipment has been
installed and the grounds have
been graded apd attractively
curbed. Black-top surfacing will
be done Friday of this week, it
was said.
The first drive-in bank for this
See NEW BANK,~PagtTR
I P T A Meeting j
! Dale Moved Up j
Members of the Parent-Teach
ers Association are asked to re
member that the December
meeting will he held a week
earlier than usual, in order to
avoid a conflict with other
school activities which take
place during the week prior to
the cl Jig »f aafreoig for the
Chris m>s
The president, Mn. Ben taan
derson, has annotthCed that the
meeting will be held on Tues
day night, December 8th, at 8
o'clock in the high school audi
torium. A program appropriate
to the Christmas season has
been planned. There will be
group singing of Christmas
carols, and two Christmas films
will be shown.
R. L. Tetierion On
Legion Committee
A Plymouth man, a member of
James E. Jethro Post of the
American Legion, has been ap
pointed as a general member of
the National Law and Order com
mittee of the Legion, it was learn
ed this week, lie is R. L. Tet
terton, a veteran of World War I.
Mr, Tetterton was informed of
the appointment in a letter from
Arthur J. Council, national com
mander of the American Legion.
Mr. Tetterton’s term on the
committee will run until the close
of the 1954 Fall meeting of the
National Executive committee.
Tetterton is a past command <
of the local post.
Niohtly Revival Services
Held at Creswell Church
Special revival services which
began last Sunday are being held
nightly at 7:30 o’clock at Inter
national Pentecostal Assemblies
Church, Creswell, the pastor, the
Rev. Arnold Perry, announces.
The Rev. L. Sigsbee Miller, of
Elizabeth City, is doing the
preaching and good crowds are
reported. The public is invited.
j Board Meets Monday |
| For Town and County!
The governing bodies of town |
and county, as well as the county
board of education, will hold their
usual monthly meetings here
Monday of next week.
The county commissioners and
the board of education will meet
in their respective quarters at the
courthouse Monday morning,
while the Plymouth Town Coun
cil will meet in the Municipal
Building that night at 8 o’clock.
It is thought that a main item
of business for the commissioners
will be to make arrangements for
beginning the annual task of tax
listing on January 1, 1954. The
county tav supervisor and tax
listers for the several townships
are usually appointed at the reg
ular December meeting and ar
rangements made for a meeting
of the supervisor and list takers
sometime in the month to set up
a uniform schedule of values to
be used in listing personal pro
perty and livestock throughout
the county.
It will also be a reorganization
al meeting for the commissioners.
A chairman for the body is cus
tomarily named at the December
meeting and it is expected that
Chairman Frank L. Brinkley, of
Plymouth,will again be named to
serve in that capacity. It is also
anticipated that County Tax Su
pervisor Hubert L. Davenport, of
Skinnersville, will be reappointed
j Monday.
Another item of business will
I be the drawing of a list of jurors
i to serve for the criminal term of
! Washington County Superior
I Court to open here Monday, Ja<n
I uary 4.
Civic Clubs, Band
Here To Assisi in
Bloodmobile Visit
Canvass by Cooperating Or
ganizations Planned for
Town; Band To Appear
Twice
In an effort to meet the quota
on the next bloodmobile visit to
this county December 14 and yet
not call on donors who have re
peatedly given a major portion of
the blood donated here since in
ception of the program, several
local civic organizations will be
called upon to canvass the town
for donors, it was announced this
week.
Arrangements have also been
made with Principal J. S. Flem
ing, of Plymouth High School, to
allow the high school band to
make two appearances at a booth
to be set up downtown in front
of the Legion Hall Thursday af
ternoon of this week and also
next week, it was said.
The band will appear at 2 p. m.
on each occasion and six high
school girls will be selected to
recruit blood donors for the
bloodmobile visit.
The Red Cross bloodmobile unit
from Tidewater Regional Blood
Center, Norfolk, Va., will set up
for operations at the Veterans
Club here and actual hours when
donors will be received will be
from 11 a. m. to 4:45 p. m., it was
announced.
The visit is again being jointly
sponsored by the James E. Jethro
Post of the American Legion and
the Bosie Bateman Post, Veterans
of Foreign Wars. Refreshments
will be provided by the VFW
Auxiliary.
The quota has been set at 150
pints. No recruitment chairman
has been named to serve as yet
and it may be that several persons
active in the blood bank program
here will collaborate.
Attention has been called to
the continued need for blood for
the gamma globulin program as
well as for civilian use. Part of
the blood donated will go into the
local blood bank.
It was also emphasized that the
blood program benefits both
white and colored persons and
that members of both races may
give blood and are urged to do so.
The appearance here Monday
after next will be the last of the
year for the bloodmobile unit
which regularly makes four calls
each year.
Elizabeth City Men To
Address VFW Meet Here
-4
Wesley Cullipher and Carlton
Garrett, both of Eliazbeth City,
will speak on youth activities at
the regular meeting of Bosie
Bateman Post No. 4023, Veterans
of Foreign Wars, Thursday night
of this week.
The announcement was made
by Post Commander W. J. Wea
ver who stated that the meeting
would be at the Veterans Club
and would open at 8 o’clock.
Every member of the post is
urged to be present and to bring
a new member if possible.
Ncoufs Collect
Empty Cartons
Carl L. Bailey, jr., Plymouth
scoutmaster, stated today that the
scouts have been asked to collect
empty cardboard boxes from
stores for use in packing Christ
mas gifts in the Empty Stocking
campaign here.
Mr. Bailey said that about 400
or more of the cartons will be
needed to pack gifts for the needy
in the county.
The scouts will have Wednes
day and Friday of each week as
collection days and merchants are
asked to remember this and lend
their cooperation. The first can
vass was made Wednesday of this
week but only “about 15 or 20
boxes were obtained,” Mr. Bailey
stated.
Anyone having boxes to do
nate can get them picked up by
calling Bailey.
Holly Neck Ladies Aid To
Sponsor Bake Sale Here
The Ladies’ Aid Society of Hol
ly Neck Church of Christ will
-ponsor a bake sale Saturday of
this week in Plypiouth, it is an
nounced.
The sale will be held at Nor
man Furniture Company on East
Water Street and will begin at 9
a. m„ it was said. The sale will
continue until the supply of
goodies is exhausted, it was ex
plained.
Proceeds will go into the
church building fund