T'own I
opics I
County Agent W. H. Pruden
will leave Friday for Raleigh
where he will attend sessions Fri
day night and Saturday morning
of the board of .directors of the
County Agents Association. The
meetings will be held at the Stu
dent Union Building on the State
College campus. Mr. Pruden is a
member of the board from the
Eastern district. He plans to re
turn to Plymouth Saturday after
noon.
T. R. Spruill, of Roper, who is
president of the Washington
County unit of the North Caro
lina Farm Bureau Federation,
Inc., is in Raleigh today attend
ing a hearing on the tax proposal
relating to fertilizer, land plaster,
seed, feed and insecticides. The
meeting is being held in the new
Highway Building.
The Rev. and Mrs. E. M. Spruill,
P. B. Bateman, senior warden of
Grace Episcopal Church, Mrs. C.
D. Bratten, Mrs. W. R. Hampton,
Mrs. J. B. Edmondson and Mrs.
S. A. Ward attended the ordina
tion service for the Rev. John
Crisp Owens at St. Thomas
Church, Ahoskie, Monday morn
ing of this week. Mrs. Bratten is
the mother of Mr. Owens.
Eugene Waters, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Lester Waters, of Plymouth,
has been named to the dean’s
list at the University of North
Carolina for the first semester of
the 1954-55 school year, it was an
nounced recently by college of
ficials. Young Waters, who was
salutatorian of the graduating
class at Plymouth High School
last year, is a freshman in the
General College at UNC.
R. F. Lowry, county superin
tendent of schools, and Miss Sue
Harris Underhill, Washington
Tyrrell school supervisor, attend
ed a meeting in Elizabeth City
Wednesday of this week to make
plans for a subsequent meeting
which might be held in Plymouth.
The meeting has to do with the
Southern Association of Colleges
and Secondary Schools coopera
tive program for improvement in
elementary education. Represent
atives from Dare, Hyde, Pasquo
tank and Washington Counties at
tended the meeting Wednesday.
-♦
Eighth Grade Students
To Present PTA Program
T. C. Martus’ eighth grade stud
ents will present the program at
the regular meeting of the Roper
Parent-Teacher Association Tues
day of next week, it is announced.
The meeting will be held in the
high school auditorium beginning
at 8 p. m.
PTA officials said that only one
more meeting of the group is
scheduled during the current
school year and a full attendance
is requested.
Lions Broom-Mai
Sale Here Today
The annual broom and mat sale
sponsored by the Plymouth Lions
Club will be held here Thursday
of this week, Lion Carl Hack
barth, chairman of the project
has announced.
Members of the club will of
fer for sale to the residents of
Plymouth products made by a
non-profit firm which provides
year-round employment for about
40 blind persons in this state.
The town will be divided into
territories and teams made up of
club members will be formed to
make a complete canvass with
house brooms, whisk brooms, door
mats and mill brooms.
The business section will be
canvassed during the day while
most of the residential solicita
tions are expected to be made
Thursday night.
-®
Routine Sessions
Of Boards Monday
Regular monthly meetings of
various governing bodies have
been set for Monday of next
week. The county commissioners
and the county board of educa
tion will hold sessions at their
respective meeting places at the
courthouse Monday morning,
while the Plymouth Town Coun
cil will meet at the Municipal
Building at 8 p. m.
J. Robert Campbell, clerk to
the board of commissioners, said
yesterday he knew of no special
business to be taken up by the
commissioners Monday. Routine
monthly reports will be heard
and probably the usual road pe
titions.
The board will meet again
Tuesday at 1:00 p. m., Mr. Camp
bell said, at which time proper
ty owners who have complaints
over the recent revaluation and
who have not registered their
complaints with the board, are in
vited to appear.
Strictly routine sessions are an
ticipated for the board of educa
tion and the town council, it was
learned.
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people.
VOLUME LXVI—NUMBER 13
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, March 31, 1955
ESTABLISHED 1889
CRESWELL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT LURAY CAVERNS ON TRIP TO NATION S CAPITAL
Pictured above is a group of students from Creswell High School in one of the world-famous caverns at Luray, Va., dur
ing a recent trip through the Shenandoah Valley to Washington, D. C. While on their tour the students visited many points
of interest in the National Capital, including side trips to Mount Vernon, Va., and the Arlington National Cemetery. There were
more than 30 students in the party, which was in charge of Miss Matilda Alexander, shown at left, teacher in the school and
senior class sponsor. _
‘Open House’ Friday
At Fire Station Here
• s
! Warning Issued;
| By Chief Brown j
Plymouth Police Chief P. W.
Brown said yesterday that he
had received complaints re
cently from local residents that
neighbors were placing trash in
the streets Fridays after the
street department had complet
ed its work for the week.
“Please do not deposit trash
on the streets after the sweep
ers have come by Friday after
noon,” Chief Brown urged.
When this is done, he said, it
means a dirty appearance for
the town over the week-end.
. He warned that there is a town
ordinance against such practice.
Slate Tax Man
Here Next Week
E. R. Froneberger, of William
ston, deputy collector, will be in
the courtroom at the county court
house here Thursday and Friday
of next week for the purpose of
assisting taxpayers in filing their
state tax returns, it is announced.
The service is free.
Any person subject to filing
either income tax or intangible
personal property tax must file
such returns with the Department
of Revenue on or before April
15 and pay the tax due thereon.
A single person or married wo
man having an income of $1,000
or more during the year 1954 and
any married man living with wife
on December 31, 1954, having an
income of $2,000 or more must
file a state income tax return.
Any person owning on Decem
ber 31, 1954, intangible personal
property such as money on hand,
accounts receivable, notes, bonds,
mortgages or other evidences of
debt, or shares of stock of cor
porations not wholly in this state,
must file an intangibles tax re
turn.
The deadline was moved from
March 15 to April 15 this year
to conform with the new federal
deadline date for filing.
Veterans Dance Saturday
At Veterans Building Here
Members of the local American
Legion and Veterans of Foreign
Wars posts are hoping for a good
attendance at the Veterans Dance
here Saturday night of this week.
The event will be held at the
Veterans Building, with dancing
from 9 to 1, and music furnished
by the Ray Taylor orchestra of
Roanoke Rapids.
A 7Vfe horsepower outboard
motor will be given away as a
door prize.
Advance tickets may be secured
from members of the two posts
or at Boyd’s Firestone Store.
Public Inviled To Inspect
Recently Completed In
terior of Modern Quarters;
Hours 7 to 10 O'Clock
-♦
Friday night of this week, from
7 to 10 o’clock, “Open House”
will be held at Plymouth Fire
Department.
By dint of much hard work and
late hours by members of the de
partment during the past several
weeks the interior of the new
building has been handsomely
finished and the firemen are
justly proud of the modern quar
ters. They want the people of
Plymouth to see the finished in
terior for themselves and Fire
Chief I. Miller Warren has issued
an invitation to the general pub
lic to come out and look over
the department on this occasion.
Free drinks will be furnished by
the local bottling plant.
Several ladies of the communi
ty volunteered their time and ef
forts this week to put up drapes
in the lounge room which was
recently paneled by members.
The locker room, shower room
and basement all have been put
in good condition, the basement
being used as a work shop.
There are 26 members of the
fire department, including Chief
Warren. Other officers are G. R.
Leggett and E. D. Keel, assistant
chiefs; W. L. Mayo, secretary;
G. R. Leggett, jr., assistant secre
tary.
Other members of the volun
teer organization include L. D.
Jones, Nick Ange, Billy Hopkins,
John Lilley, Tom Burgess, Jack
Stubbs, C. J. Doughtie, Erwin
Hassell, Harry Gurkin, H. O. Lo
vic, M. E. Turner, Rankin Am
brose, C. L. Brown, C. E. Bowen,
J. B. Willoughby, Bill Harden,
J. S. Norman, jr., Roscoe Gaylord,
T. P. Sanderson, Harry Barn
hill and Jimmy Kitchengs.
-t
Roper Boy Named
Head 4-H Council
Billy Ray Knowles, of the
Roper Senior 4-H Club, was elect
ed president of the 4-H Club
County Council at a meeting of
the group held in the auditorium
of the Agriculture Building here
Tuesday night of this week. He
replaces Reuben Turner of the
Plymouth club, who resigned.
The council voted to sponsor a
talent contest at the next meeting
which is slated for May 9 here.
All 4-H’ers who have talent are
encouraged to enter this contest,
details of which will be forthcom
ing.
Attendance at the meeting
Tuesday was good. There are 8
clubs in the county, junior, inter
mediate and seniors clubs at
Creswell and Plymouth, and jun
ior and senior clubs at Roper.
Officers of the various clubs are
members of the county council
which serves as a governing body.
i To Remain Open j
1 Next Wednesday j
For the benefit of Easter
shoppers Plymouth stores will
forego their usual half-holiday
closing Wednesday of next
week and remain open all day,
it was announced today.
The stores will be closed all
day Easter Monday but will re
sume the usual Wednesday
half-holiday schedule the Wed
nesday following Easter, it was
said.
County Is Being
Represented at
Raleigh Hearing
President of County Uaii of
Farm Bureau, Possibly
Others, To Attend Tax
Proposal Meeting Today
—*
The Joint Finance Committee
of the Senate and House is now
considering a proposal to “repeal
Section 406 (c) exempting com
mercial fertilizer and land plas
ter and Section 406 (s) exempt
ing seeds, feeds and insecticides
by levying a tax on those com
modities at a rate of 1 per cent."
If adopted, this would raise $2,
000,000 in revenue.
T. R. Spruill, of Roper, presi
dent of the Washington County
Farm Bureau, and possibly other
farmers from this county will at
tend a hearing to be held Thurs
day of this week for the purpose
of obtaining the reaction of farm
ers and others who will be af
fected by the tax proposal. The
meeting will be held at 2 p. m. in
the auditorium of the new High
way Building at Raleigh.
R. Flake Shaw, executive vice
president of the North Carolina
Farm Bureau Federation, stated
this week, “Our voting delegates
in past annual meetings have ex
pressed the sentiments of the ma
jority of the membership as be
ing opposed to the singling out of
any one agricultural production
item to be taxed. All of the items
involved in the tax proposal are
agricultural production costs
items and if taxed naturally
would increase the cost of pro
duction of agricultural commodi
ties regardless of the price level
these commodities might sell for
in the market.”
Addressing the county Farm
Bureau leaders, Mr. Shaw con
tinued: “You are urgently re
quested to contact a number of
key leaders in your county im
mediately and take the neces
sary steps to see that a good
number of farmers and other in
terested leaders attend the hear
ing on Thursday of this week.
While the group is in Raleigh,
make sure they register with their
senator and House members con
cerning this tax proposal, im
mediate action is imperative in
order for agriculture to receive
fair treatment.”
Tax Review Board To Meet Tuesday
Members of the Washington
County Board of Commission
ers, acting as a board of equali
zation and review, will have
one more public meeting next
Tuesday, April 5, starting at 1
p. m., it was announced yester
day. Property owners who have
complaints or want to request
adjustments in their tax valu
ations are urged to be present
at this meeting, which will be
held in the courthouse here.
First meeting of the board
of equalization and review was
held March 14, when a''•out 35
property owners appeared to
ask for adjustments in their
valuations. Since then the board
members have held a couple of
meetings to consider the pro
tests received, although final
action has not been announced
on the cases considered.
The meeting next Tuesday is
being held for the convenience
of any who may not have been
able to attend the first meeting.
The commissioners hope to
wind up ail matters related to
the revaluation program and
announce action on all com
plaints by Monday, April 11, it
has been announced. It Is
necessary for all complaints to
be presented in person.
Town To Resume
Work On Sewage
Line Next Week
-♦—
Stale Board of Health To
Permit Emptying of Sew
age Welch's Creek Tem
porarily in Emergency
Mayor A. J. Riddle received a
letter recently from the State
Board of Health stating that the
board will permit discharge of
town sewage into Welch's Creek
on a temporary basis, with the
understanding that a sewage
treatment plant satisfactory to the
board and the State Stream San
itation Committee will be install
ed on this line when the stream
is classified or if it is found neces
sary as a protection to the health
of the workers handling logs from
1 for True Temper C j
Werk was halted on the line
last December when a protest
was lodged by True Temper rep
resentatives. Since that time sev
eral parlays have been held be
tween town officials, True Tem
per representatives, and State
Board of Health engineers.
The latest investigation into the
problem was made March 9 by
M. O. Caton, district engineer,
sanitary engineering division,
State Board of Health ,and W. S.
McKimmon, chief of the engin
eering section, sanitary engineer
ing division of the board.
tuc WU1
jfH^panal
F^rjon.
See SEWAGE, Page 8
-3>-•
Vaccination Fee
Bill Is Ratified
—»- —
The bill relating to justice of
the peace fees in Washington
County which was introduced in
the State Senate by Senator Ed
ward L. Owens, of Plymouth,
March 14, passed the Senate on
March 24 and was received in the
House the following day.
The bill, known as Senate Bill
277, would make JP fees prescrib
ed in the second paragraph of
General Statute 7-134 applicable
to Washington County and would
add 50 cents JP fee for each de
fendant for issuance of warrants
in criminal cases. The bill was
sent to the House committee on
Salaries and Fee*.
House Bill 601, introduced by
Dr. J. M. Phelps, county repre
sentative, March 16, was ratified
March 25. It amends General Sta
tute 106-372 so as to credit the
vaccination fee on dog tax when
paid to the tax collector of Wash
ington County, and upon presen
tation of certificate of vaccina
tion.
-$
Open House Next Monday
For New Automotive Firm
A new Plymouth automotive
firm, Swain Buick Company, is
holding Open House from 8 a. m.
to 9 p. m. Monday of next week
in conjunction with its grand
opening. Drawing for a door prize
will be held at 9 p. m., according
to Ray Swain, owner of the busi
ness.
Mr .Swain is well-known in
Plymouth, having operated the
Buick agency here for some time
several years ago before obtain
ing the franchise in Washington.
He will now operate agencies in
both Washington and Plymouth
and expects to spend a good deal
of his time here.
The business is located at the
corner of Water and Jefferson
Streets in the same building late
ly occupied by Woolard Buick
Company.
Report Diseases
In Tobacco Plant
Beds, This State
Blue Mold, Anlhracnose and
Damping - Off Found in
Several Couniies; Recom
mend Ferbam, Zineb
County Agent W. H. Pruden
said yesterday he had received
word from Furney A. Todd, Ex
tension plant pathologist in to
bacco, that blue mold, anthrac
nose and damping-off have been
discovered in tobacco plant beds
in several counties.
Blue mold has been found in
Columbus, Robeson and Wilson
Counties. It was said that no ex
tensive damage has been caused
thus far by the disease but that
one bed containing 200 square
yards in Robeson County had
been severely damaged.
Anthracnose has been found in
Columbus County. Last year con
siderable damage was caused by
this disease on many beds
throughout the state. However, no
significant damage was found on
beds which were properly treat
ed for control of blue mold ,it
was pointed out.
Damping-off has been ohserved
on a large number of beds that
have not been treated for blue
mold control this year. At the
present time it has been found
on beds in Columbus, Robeson,
Wayne and Wilson Counties.
Damping-off, the letter stated, ap
pears to be more prevalent this
year than in the last several
years. Observations in this state
and data from other states indi
cate that any of the ferbam or
zineb fungicides when properly
applied will control the disease,
as well as anthracnose and blue
mold, it was stated.
Pruden said growers should be
advised that for best control
treatments must begin early when
the plants approach the size of
a dime. Also it is important to
repeat treatments often, at least
twice a week and three times if
a 'featnienl is .hoi off by
rair , ,
Any growers in this county
noticing appearance of beds in
dicating blue mold or other dis
eases are requested to contact the
county agent immediately.
-it
Roper, Creswell
Reach Fund Goal
The Red Cross fund and mem
bership drive in Washington
County had not been completed
early this week, Dr. A. L. White
hurst, chapter chairman, reported.
Roper and Creswell communi
ties have completed their cam
paigns, Dr. Whitehurst said, and
both communities secured their
quota.
However, solicitations have not
been completed in the Plymouth
residential sections, the chapter
chairman said. It was hoped to
complete this work by the end of
this week.
Dr. Whitehurst reasserted his
belief that the overall county
drive will be successful in secur
ing the county quota of $2,486.
The chairman promised to re
lease a complete break-down of
the fund effort just as soon as the
last report is in.
-$
Lake Phelps Legion Post
Will Meet Monday Night
A very important meeting of
the Lake Phelps Post, No. 391,
American Legion, will be held
next Monday night, April 4, at
7:30, it was announced this week
by H. S. Woodley, post adjutant.
There will be election of officers
and other business to be consid
ered. The meeting will be held in
teh Legion Building at Cherry,
and all members are urged to at
tend.
Interest Seen Low
In Town Election
FIRST CANDIDATE
Harvey H. Hobbs announced
last week that he would be a
candidate for one of the two
posts as city councilman from
the third ward in the Plymouth
town election May 3. He is the
first candidate to announce for
local office this year.
Good Attendance
Seen for School
For Firemen Here
-+
Classes To Be Held Nighlly
From 7 to 10 O'Clock Mon
day Through Friday of
Next Week
Firemen from Jamesville, Wil
liamston, Hamilton, Roberson
ville, Windsor, Bdenton, Colum
bia, Creswell, Ttoper, Belhaven,
Plymouth and possibly other
nearby towne^iJ} *t M th* five
day f reman’s ’ r»i- ng School
here next week.
The school will be held at the
Plymouth Fire Department and
will be conducted by Capt. Wal
ter Black, drill and personnel di
rector of the Charlotte Fire De
partment, Fire Chief I. Miller
Warren has announced.
Classes will be held nightly
Monday through Friday, from 7
to 10 o’clock, and firemen attend
ing will be able to commute daily
to and from the school.
The schedule, released this
week by Chief Warren, is as fol
lows:
Monday, April 4—registration,
formation of classes, forcible en
try, ventilation;
Tuesday, April 5—ladders and
hose handling;
Wednesday, April 6—hose lays,
lines aloft;
Thursday, April 7—lecture on
pumps, rotary and centrifugal,
demonstration in drafting water;
Friday, April 8—barbecue din
ner, recognition of guests, address,
film on public relations.
Local firemen have been busy
for weeks, Chief Warren said, in
preparing for this event and a
big success is anticipated, with
the possibility that it may become
an annual event. The interior of
the modern fire department here
has been completed and every
thing is reported in readiness for
the school.
-
Choir To Present Easter
Cantata at Local Church
The choir of the First Christian
Church, under the direction of
Mrs. Harry E. Newland, will pre
sent the Easter cantata, “Hail!
King of Glory,” by Laurence
Keating on Easter Sunday night
at 8 o’clock at the church.
Everyone is cordially invited to
attend
County Peaches Hurt
By Recent Cold Spell
Opinions vary as to the degree
of damage to fruit, tobacco plant
beds and other growing things by
the unusual week-end freeze
which Washington County exper
ienced along with a wide area.
E. O. Arnold, of Skinnersville,
one of three commercial peach
growers in the county, expressed
the opinion that the peach crop
was ruined by the untimely and
severe cold.
There seems to be a wide dif
ference of opinion about damage
to tobacco beds. It was reported
Monday that at least one county
tobacco grower was planning to
sow over. However, while plant
beds were certainly affected, some
observers think that the damage
will prove slight.
County Agent W. H. Pruden
said Wednesday that he had ob
served severad beds this week and
that damage appeared to be slight.
Up until the below-freezing tem
peratures of the past week-end
prospects for plenty of good, heal
thy plants for transplanting time
were about the best in years.
All budding fruit trees, flowers
and even shrubs suffered during
the unusual weather. No report
was available late Wednesday
from the weather station near
here but it was unofficially re
ported that temperatures drop
ped to the low twenties.
Harvey H. Hobbs Only Can
didate To Announce So
Far; Seven Town Offices
To Be Filled on May 3rd
Very little interest has been
shown thus far in the Plymouth
town election, scheduled for
Tuesday, May 3, only a little more
than a month away, Only one
candidate for any of the seven
offices to be filled has filed so
far, Harvey H, Hobbs, of ‘Little
Richwood," having announced
last week that he would seek
one of the two posts as council
man from the third ward.
Mr. Hobbs has been a resident
of Plymouth for about 15 years,
coming here from Richwood, W.
Va. He is in charge of the beater
room at the plant of the North
Carolina Pulp Company here and
has been very active in union ac
tivities. He is a past president of
Cherry River Local, No. 423, In
ternational Brotherhood of Paper
Makers, and presently is financial
secretary of the group.
There has been no indication
thus far from the present mayor
or members kf the council as to
whether or not they will be can
didates for reelection. However,
it is expected that most of them
will run again. Several are ex
pected to announce their intent
ions at the next regular meeting
of the council next Monday night.
Offices to be filled at the May
3rd election and incumbents are
as follows: Mayor, A. J. Riddle;
first ward councilmen: E. D. Keel
and W. C. Hall; second ward
councilmen: Ralph Hunter and
Jack B. Latham; third ward coun
cilmen: J. B. Cruickshank and
John Forbes Davenport.
Registration books for the mu
nicipal election will open Satur
day of next week, April 9, and
remain open through Saturday,
April 23. April 30 will be chal
lenge day, and the election will
follow on Tuesday, May 3rd. No
new registration is required, so
those who have voted in pr«*yto«»s
town elections ■will not hAre to
register again. However, those
who have reached the age of 21
since the last election, and those
who have moved into the town or
from one ward to another since
the last election, are required to
register. Registration for state
and national elections does not
qualify a voter for the town elec
tion, since a different set of books
is used.
Registrars and polling places in
the three local wards are as fol
lows: First ward, Mrs. C. L.
Blount, registrar, with the court
house as polling place; second
ward, Mrs. C. A. Cratch, registrar,
polling place at Ronald Tetter
ton’s store on Monroe Street; third
ward, Mrs. Ray Brown, registrar,
Golf Road Service Station on
Wilson Street, polling place.
-♦
Eleclion in Roper
To Be Held May 3
Machinery has been set up for
holding the Roper town election
on Tuesday, May 3, it was an
nounced this week by Aubrey R.
Phelps, town clerk. A mayor and
three councilmen are to be elect
ed, and so far none of the present
town officials have given any in
dication of their intentions of be
ing candidates for reelection.
Present members of the town’s
governing body are T. Reynold
Spruill, mayor; Aubrey Dixon, R.
C. Peacock and Wade Hardison,
councilmen. The filing deadline
for candidates is 5 p. m„ on Sat
urday, April 23, according to Mr.
Phelps.
Registration books for the town
election will open on Saturday,
April 16, and remain open
through the following Saturday,
April 23; with challenge day fall
ing on Saturday, April 10. Henry
S. Everett has been appointed
registrar for the town, and he
will have the books at the town
office in the fire department
building. The polling place is at
the community building in Roper.
New Seafood Market Will
Open Here This Week-End
Byrd’s Seafood Market opens for
business here Friday of this week.
The firm is located in a new
building near the Sea Scout ship
dock at the river back of East
Water Street and will be operated
by A. J. Byrd.
The new store will handle all
kinds of seafood in season and
dress fish to order, Mr. Byrd said.
He is no newcomer to the Plym
outh business scene, having ope
rated a clothing store here for
some years and later was in the
seafood and grocery business.