[■Town
topics
R. F. Lowry of Plymouth, super
intendent of Washington County
Schools, is among some 500 per
sons attending a four-day series of
symposiums on various school
problems this week at Mars Hill
College. The meeting opened Tues
day and will continue through Fri
day. Hr. Charles F. Carroll, state
superintendent of public instruc
tion, addressed the first business
session Wednesday. Mr. Lowry,
who was accompanied by John Du
pree and Milton Basnight, super
intendents, respectively, of Bertie
ft and Tyrrell County Schools, plans
to return to Plymouth late Friday.
D. G. Modlin of W'illiamston is a
business visitor to the county this
week. Mr. Modlin, who is area
supervisor for the Farmers Home
Administration, is doing appraisal
work on FHA real estate loans for
the county FHA office, W. Willis
Bowen, county FHA supervisor,
stated.
The Democratic National Con
vention will be over by then, but
anyone desiring a ride to Chicago
next week should contact C. M.
"Bugs” Beasley. Beasley said he
plans to drive to the windy city for
the National Moose convention
opening Sunday and would like to
have some company on the trip.
The Hotel Sherman will be head
quarters for the convention Bugs
said, but Sunday will be “Child
ren’s Day” at Mooseheart, 111., near
Chicago.
P. W. Brown and W. A. Roe
buck were at Griffith Stadium in
piVashington Saturday and Sunday
to see two games of the Senators
Boston Red Sox series. The home
club took both games, winning on
Saturday by a 6-1 score and on
Sunday by 8-2. The Bosox slugger,
Ted Williams, poled one out of the
park, Brown said. Roebuck and
Brown returned to Plymouth Sun
day night.
Several county growers are re
ported to have sold tobacco at Fair
mont, a Border Belt market, this
week. One farmer said his lugs
brought prices ranging from 38 to
52 cents a pound. Another grower
is reported to have received a 60
cent average for his second pulling.
Meanwhile, one week from the
opening of markets of the Eastern
Belt, the Georgia-Florida flue-cured
sales indicated a strong market
with continued heavy volume. Sea
son’s gross sales through August
10 reached 130,428,806 pounds for
an average of $49.21 per hundred
pounds, according to a USDA re
port. Average for last week’s sales
was up 78 cents over the previous
week—at $49.88.
-®
Complete Street
Projects Friday
About $7,000 worth of surfacing
and resurfacing work on several
streets in Plymouth was completed
Friday, Chief of Police P, W.
Brown announced today.
The work was begun last Wed
nesday by crews of the State High
way and Public Works Commis
sion. The projects were financed
by Powell Bill Funds received by
the town last year. Chief Brown
said a like amount remains in the
fund and that it .is planned to use .
this in surfacing and resurfacing
work on other streets
Completed last week were the
following projects:
Surfacing of 700 feet on Truman
Avenue; one block each on Fifth, j
Sixth and Madison Streets; part of \
one block on Jefferson Street, from ,
Water Street to the river, between j
Plymouth Furniture Company and (
the post office; one block of Cran
^ berry Street in Little Rich wood;
™ resurfacing about 425 feet of West
Avenue east of Highway 64; and
resurfacing about 150 feet of Cres- ,
cent Avenue in Stillacres. ,
-♦- i
No Pre-Induction !
Calls Next Month
— ~ <$>-- • t
Seelctive Service Board No. 95
here has received a call for two i
registrants for induction into the 1
Armed Forces in September, Mrs. *
Lorraine Hflnter, board clerk, re- 1
ported Tuesday. J
The call is for September 24, ,
Mrs. Hunter said. No pre-induction !
call will be made upon the local !
board during September. One man ’
will be sent for induction and six
_ for pre-induction Tuesday, August
% 28.
Survey Made for New Water Taak
A preliminary survey for con
struction of Plymouth’s new 250,
000-gallon water tank was made
Friday by a representative of Riv
ers and Rivers, Greenville firm of
consulting engineers, Chief of Po
lice P. W. Brown reported.
Chief Brown said that the tank
will be erected at <^ie site of the
well drilled here two years ago on
the east side of Washington Street
Ext.
The Greenville engineering firm
will do all the engineering work
and supervise construction of the j
tank at a fee of 6 per cent of the
total cost.
Plans are now being drawn,
Brown said, and bids will be sought
from a number of firms for actual
construction of the tank.
It will be some time yet before
construction can begin, Brown
stated, and after the foundation is
poured it must be allowed to “set"
for about three months before the
tank can be built. In the mean
time, it is hoped, necessary steel
can be obtained.
Town officials have realized for
a long time that a new tank with
greater capacity is needed here.
The go-ahead for the project was
given by the City Council at its
regular monthly meeting August 6
when the Greenville firm of con
sulting engineers was employed.
Mayor A. J. Riddle stated last
week that cost of the water tank
project, together with a filtering
or water-softener system, is expect
ed to be about $60,000. About a
year will be required to complete!
the project, it is thought.
L
The Roanoke Beacon
and Washington County News ******
«g='g—— — ■ - - — - " ---
VOLUME LXVII—NUMBER 33 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, August 16, 1956
A home newspaper dedicated
i:: . :::
ra service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people, iii
ESTABLISHED 1889
M 1 Four of Washington County’s principal field crops are shown in the above
^ Bftl W ■ " picture; and if all of them are as good as these, bumper yields are indicated
this year. That’s Oliver Lucas, Plymouth farmer, standing in a lush growth
of peanuts, with a field of soy beans right back of him; and back of the beans on the left is a com
field, with tobacco in the right background. Mr. Lucas has 4.5 acres of tobacco growing the Dixie 244
variety; 20 acres of Lee’s soybeans; 25 acres of N. C. 82 hybrid corn; and 10.2 acres of Virginia bunch
peanuts. Right at this time, crop prospects are the best in years, from the standpoint of yield. Prices
arc another matter, and farmers are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for the best.—Staff photo.
Value County Cash Crops
Said More Than Last Year
Hog Cholera Is j
Reported Here j
Cholera, reported in some
swine herds in this county a
few weeks, ago, is said to be
spreading.
J. L. Outlaw, assistant county
agent, stated this week that re
ports have come in of cholera
among hogs in the Mackeys and
Creswell sections of the county.
Mr. Outlaw urges that growers
taken steps to have her^s vacci
nated against the disease if they
have not already done so.
Tobacco Markets
Of Belt To Open
Season Thursday
County Leaf Expected on
Floors in Several Towns
Of Eastern Belt As New
Selling Season Begins
Tobacco markets of the eastern
jelt will open the 1956 auction
>eason Thursday of next week.
The opening date for the belt,
.entativeiy announced sometime
igo, was confirmed Saturday by
he sales committee of the Bright
lelt Warehouse Asosciation.
Opening day always brings forth
i carnival air as farm families and
ither interested spectators flock to
he large warehouses where pile
ifter pile of golden leaf, row on
ow, awaits the inimitable chant of
he auctioneer and the furtive bids
if the buyers.
Much of the tobacco crop in the
ounty remains to be graded, some
if it indeed to be pulled and cured,
mt quite a bit of tobacco grown
n the county is expected to be on
he floors of warehouses in Wil
iamston, Washington, Roberson
ille and Windsor, as well as some
t other markets in the belt.
Some county leaf has already
ound its way to the Georgia and
lorder markets. Several county
rowers have come together to send
arge truckloads to market in Geor
ia and on North Carolina border
narkets. Averages have been re
iorted ranging from below 40 cents
o about 60 cents. Most averages
ave been in the lower brackets^
owever, and it is generally agreed]
hat tobacco is not bringing what it
ras a year ago, grade for grade.
The crop this year is expected to
See MARKETS, Page 7
Eslimaie Totals $3,727,00C
For 1956; Tobacco Deficil
More Than Made Up Ety
Corn, Peanuts, Beans
Crop prospects, barring hurri
canes and other calamitous hap
penings, appear even better at this
stage than at the same time a yeai
ago, it is generally agreed.
This concensus of opinion was
also borne out by the rough esti
mate made by Assistant Counts
Agent J. L. Outlaw this week.
The estimate, a conservative one
places the total value of counts
crops, livestock, timber r.nd pulp
wood income, at $3,727,078, or ex
actly $17,078 more than the esti
mate prepared by W. H. Pruden
then county agent, a year ago.
This slight increase is the more
remarkable when the reduced
acreage planted to some crops, not
ably tobacco, is considered. The
county planting to the crop was
cut from 1,347.8 acres in 1955 to
1,186.9 this year, or a reduction
of 160.9 acres. Also, the estimate
places the average yield this year
slightly lower—1,475 pounds per
acre as against 1,500 pounds. Aver
age price, too, is figured slightly
less.
Corn plantings are down by 400
acres, but the price is figured the
same ($1.35 a bushel average) and
the yield is figured five bushels
an acre higher (average of 50 bus
hels as against 45 last year).
Cotton plantings were off this
year by 122.7 acres, but the peanut
acreage more than compensated
for this. Increase in acreage devot
ed to peanuts totaled 409 acres.
The loss in estimated income
from tobacco as compared with
1955 was placed at $170,525. This
was more than made up for by in
creases in the estimated value of
corn, peanuts and soybeans, the
combined increased value of those
three crops being $208,585. Broken
down, it is listed as $54,000 in
crease in value of the corn crop,
$74,585 for peanuts, and $80,000
for soybeans, one of the prettiest
crops generally in years. Old-time
farmers arc trying to recall when
peanuts and corn looked better,
also.
In other categories, value of
milo, sheep, and timber and pulp
wood appears the same as a year
ago, while value of swine and les
pedeza for seed is somewhat down.
Increases of varying degree are
noted in the remainder of the list
ings, hay crops, miscellaneous
vegetables, poultry, dairy and beef
cattle.
Tobacco, corn, peanuts and soy
beans are the four ranking crops,
in that order, as to cash value.
Tobacco, with a total county
See CASH CROPS, Page 12
RETURNS MONDAY
Henry J. Bragg, county soil
conservationist, returned Mon
day from Athens, Ga., where he
spent several weeks attending a
special training school.
Health Center Complete
But for Minor Details
It is not known just when the
new Washington County Health
Center will be occupied.
The new building is virtually
completed, except for certain
minor interior details such as base
boards, it was learned this week.
General contractor for the build
ing is J. G. Kellogg of Manteo and
the architect is William Moore1
Webber of Raleigh.
-®
Escapes Injury in Wreck
Sunday Near Holly Neck
James Edward Ambrose of Cres
well escaped injury Sunday morn
ing when he lost control of a 1951
Oldsmobile which ran off U. S. 64
near the Holly Neck Road and
wrecked, doing an estimated $300
damage to the car.
State Highway Patrolman Carl
Gilchrist of Plymouth investigated
the accident. According to his re
port Ambrose was returning home
from Plymouth after having work
ed the night shift at N. C. Pulp
Company. The wreck happened at
8 o’clock.
Gilchrist said Ambrose told him
he fell asleep at the wheel. No
charges were preferred.
Penalty Rate on
Excess Peanuts
-*—
The penalty rate on peanuts
grown in excess of allotment this
year will be 8.5 cents per pound.
That was the announcement this
week from the ASC office.
Recent regulations, it was ex
plained, changed the penalty rate
from 50 to 75 per cent of support
price.
The United States Department of
Agriculture has announced that
peanuts will be supported at 86 per
cent of parity as of August 1. Pari
ty on that date was 13.2 cents and
at 86 per cent of parity the nat
ional average support rate will be
11.35 cents a pound. Applying the
75 per cent penalty and rounding
out the figure to the nearest 10th
of a cent gives the 8.5 cents-a
pound penalty rate.
Terms of New Contract Accepted
By Pulp Plant Workers Last Night
.— *9
Aciion Postponed
Until Next Month
On County Agenl
-1
Lengihy Discussion Monday
Night Between P i 1 a n d
And Commissioners On
Filling Vacancy
-1
Action on obtaining a new coun
ty agent has been put off until
September.
John E. Piland of Smithfield,
Eastern District Agent, met with
the Washington County Board of
Commissioners in a called session
here Monday night and discussed
the matter at some length.
Following the discussion the
commissioners voted to postpone
any action until the next regular
monthly meeting of the county
governing body, scheduled to be
held Tuesday, September 4, at 1
Thus, the delay in filling the
post made vacant July 31 by the
resignation of W. H. Pruden is ex
tended at least another three
weeks or so.
Mr. Pruden, who came to this
county from Hyde County in 1952
and succeeded W. V. Hays of Plym
outh as county agent, resigned tc
give full time to private business
Since July 31 the local office has
been in charge of J. L. Outlaw, as
sistant county agent.
On June 22 in a called meeting,
the commissioners unanimously
voted to recommend to the State
Department of Agriculture that Mr
Hays be appointed to succeed Mr
Pruden. The recommendation was
not accepted by the department
and Mr. Tiiand made it clear thal
the main reason was Mr. Hays
lack of any college agricultural
training. The fact that no boys
4-H Club work was carried on ir
the county during Mr. Hays’ Ion/?
'■ ".re as en-nty agent was a’se
.-•ted.
Mr. Piland stated during the
meeting Monday night that the Ag
riculture Department still could
not follow the recommendation ol
the commissioners concerning Mr.
Hays, since there is a policy against
hiring agents with no college agri
cultural training.
It is understood that there is
much support for Mr. Hays among
the farmers of the county.
-$>■ " ■
Change in Polling
Place Announced
—®—
A change in the polling place in
Scuppernong Township was an
nounced this week.
The polling place—at Creswell—
will be the highway office which
is located directly across the street
from the former polling place for
Scuppernong Precinct in the tax
collector’s office. John Combs is
registrar.
Mr. Combs announced that three
registrations have been added to
date since the books opened last
Saturday for registration for the
extra general election to be .held
in North Carolina on Saturday,
September 8.
Seven additions were reported
in Plymouth Precinct No. 1 by Mrs.
James H. Ward, registrar. Mrs.
Ward said four new voters and
three transfers, all Democrats, were
included.
In Plymouth No. 2 three addi
tions, included two new voters and
one transfer, were reported by the
registrar, Mrs. Tom Darden.
No report was available from
Lees Mill, Wenona and Skinners-'
ville precincts.
;llome-l> Department
| Here €«els Iteeogn i lion
I
Local school officials have ap
proved a recent request from
East Carolina College, Green
ville, to use the home economics
department of Plymouth High
School as a student teaching
center.
J. L. Oppelt, director of student
teaching placement at East Caro
lina College, in a letter to Prin
cipal J. S. Fleming, stated it was
recognized that Plymouth High
School had a strong home eco
nomics department under the di
rection of Miss Carolyn Brink
Icy, and for that reason he was
requesting permission to use it
as a student teaching center.
Approval of the arrangement,
Mr. Oppclt said, means that two
student teachers will be assign
ed each quarter to work with
Miss Brinkley in the home eco
nomics department. The student
teachers “will reside in the com
munity and take part in all major
activities of the regular teachers
in the school and in the com
munity,” he wrote.
Special Polio Clinics
Scheduled in County
Dr. E. W. Furgurson, Com
mittee Chairman, Wash
ington County, Releases
Schedule Here
A schedule of emergency polio
vaccine clinics for the county was
announced today by Dr. E. W. Fur
gurson, chairman of the polio vac
cine committee of the sponsoring
County Medical Society.
Clinics are scheduled at Roper,
Creswell and Plymouth, with the
first set for Friday of this week at
Roper, and the others to be held
Tuesday of next week.
The clinic at Roper will be held
at the Community Building, from
1 to 3 p. m.
The Creswell clinic will be held
from 1 to 3 p. m. at Creswell High
School.
The Plymouth clinic is scheduled
for the Washington County Health
>cpa ment from 1 to 3 p. ir
\ check, -ith official-;a! the
health department here vuesday
afternoon revealed that interest in
the Salk shots increased sharply
last week, with 160 persons receiv
ing shots as compared with a prev
ious average of about 100 per
week.
Purpose of the clinics will be
to make the shots conveniently
available in each section of the
county and to encourage all who
have not had the shots to get them.
“The polio season is at hand,”
said Dr. Furgurson, “but there is
still time left for safe and effective
vaccination which can prevent pa
ralysis.
“One injection now and a second
two weeks later can effectively
prevent paralysis from polio in our
community this summer and fall,”
the commitee chairman added.
Everyone from age 3 months
through age 19 is eligible for free
vaccine in these clinics, it is ex
1 plained. Those between these ages
must have written permission for
vaccination or must be accompan
ied by parents.
The immunization program will
be two-fold, the committee chair
man said:
1. Physicians will continue to in
oculate patients in their own of
fices.
2. Free public clinics, using vac
cine provided by the State Board
of Health, are scheduled in the
county as pointed out above.
“Many children, young people
and expectant mothers in Washing
ton County are still unprotected
against paralytic polio,” Dr. Fur
gurson asserted.
The vaccinations are necessary
for protection in the polio season,
See CLINICsTpagc~12
m ■ Jf
I Recover Stolen
i Car From Sound
A 1951 Oldsmobile recovered
from the waters of Albemarle
Sound near the south end of the
Sound Bridge early this week
apparently had been pushed
overboard, it was reported here.
Officers said the car was list
ed to Hammon Greer of 1827
Bradford Road, Bayside, Va„
and was reported stolen at Nor
folk, Va., Saturday. Damages to
the front end of the machine
were estimated at $300. No ar
rests have been made but officers
j are working on the case.
5 Teachers Sought
|For Local Schools
By September 51b
-*
Vacancies in 3rd, 4th, 7if
Grades; Also Need Teach
ers of Science and Eng
lish-Malh in High Schoo!
One of the six vacant teaching
positions in the Plymouth school!
has been filled, but local official:
had no prospects for the other five
it was learned Tuesday from Prin
eipal J. S. Fleming.
With opening of schools set foi
Wednesday, September 5, only
three weeks from yesterday, every
effort is being made to secure
teachers for the third, fourth and
seventh grades in the elementary
department and for science and
English-math in the high school
However, Mr. Fleming said Tues
day that teachers are harder to
find than ever this year, and he
was not at all optimistic about
opening with a full staff.
Theodore C. Martus has accept
ed a contract to teach in Plymouth
this year, it was reported. A 45
year-old native of Waterbury
Conn., Mr. Martus has taught at
Roper High School for the past
five years, and prior to that at
Bateman School in Chicago, 111.,
and Seagrove School at Seagrove,
N. C. Mr. Martus received his A. B.
degree at Heidelburg College, Tif
fin, Ohio, in 1935, and his M. A.
degree at the University of North
Carolina in 1951. In addition to his
teaching duties at Roper, Mr. Mar
tus also coached basketball and
baseball.
Plymouth’s street-surfacing program for the current year was wound
up last Friday, when State Highway Commission workers completed
the last of several projects here. Above, Mayor A. J. Riddle, Council
man W. C. Hall and Postmaster Corbett Swain (left to right) look over the short stretch of Jefferson
Street that was surfaced from Water Streets to the River, between the post office on the left and the
Plymouth Furniture Company. AH the street surfacing done here this year was made possible by the
town’s share of PoweU Bill funds.—Staff photo.
k.
Aclion Came at Mass Meet
ing of Members of Four
Local Unions; Means Sub
stantial Wage Increase
Employees of the North Caro
lina Pulp Company voted last night
to accept terms of a new labor con
tract negotiated by representatives
of the unions and officials of the
company. The action came at a
mass meeting of members of four
local unions held at the Labor
Building here and removes the im
mediate threat of a strike which
has hovered over the plant since
the old contract was terminated at
midnight last Monday.
The four locals which have
reached agreement on the new con
tract are No. 356 and 605, Inter
national Brotherhood of Pulp, Sul
phite and Paper Mill Workers; No.
423, International Brotherhood of
Paper Makers; and Local 415, In
ternational Union of Operating En
gineers. Separate negotiations are
being conducted by Local 1183, In
ternational Brotherhood of Electri
cal Workers, and they are still in
progress.
Wrhile details of the new con
tract have not been officially an
| nounced, it is understood they pro
vide for a two-year contract calling
for a general increase in wages of
13 cents an hour this year, 5 per
cent increase next year with a min
imum of 9 cents per hour; an im
mediate increase in shift differen
tials from 3 and 5 cents to 5 and 8
cents per hour; four weeks vacation
with pay after 25 years of service,
effective in 1957; a 2 cents per
hour differential in favor of me
chanics; and numerous individual
job adjustments.
The new contract in general fol
lows the pattern of similar con
tracts negotiated recently in other
mills of the southern kraft indus
try, with some provisions that are
considered more favorable to the
local plant employees. There are
600 to 800 members of the four lo
cal unions which have approved
terms of the new contract, but the
i entire working force of approxi
mately 1,000 is directly or indi
rectly affected by the settlement.
The impasse in negotiations
which developed more than a week
ago was over the-differential for
mechanics and in individual job ad
justments, it is understood. It is
also understood that both parties
to the controversy made compro
mises that resulted in approval of
the contract terms at the mass
meeting last night.
A deadlock was reached in ne
gotiations about two weeks ago,
when members of four locals affili
ated with three international
unions voted to reject terms of
the contract offered by the com
pany. Notice was then given by
union officials that the old con
tract would be considered termi
nated as of midnight Monday, Aug
ust 13.
Federal ahd state conciliators ar
rived here last Thursday and held
several meetings since with offic
See CONTRACTS, Page 12
~ ■ €
Interest Shown
In ACP Program
A total of 97 county farmers
had signed up to take part in the
fall practice of the county ACP
when a check was made at the lo
cal ASC office late yesterday. Con
siderable interest has been shown
in the program by farmers in all
parts of the county, it was said.
Mrs. Florence P. Oliver of the
ASC office explained that although
August 15 was the deadline for the
sign-up, it does not mean that other
farmers may not be permitted to
participate in the program. They
will be, she said, so long as ACP
money is available. The requests
will be considered by the county
ASC committee.
--$
Trainmaster Now
Has Office Here
A trainmaster’s office has been
opened at the old Norfolk South
ern station on Washington Street
with L. II. Lemley in charge.
The station has been completely
renovated. It had not been in use
since being occupied by the Soil
Tone Corporation in the early 50's.
Mr. Lemley will have charge of
the railroad from Washington to
Virginia Beach, Va. He is a native
of Mobile, Ala., and recently
moved to Plymouth from there
with his wife and child. The Lem
leys are at home at 112 Alden
Road, Plymouth.
Mr. Lemley has about 20 years of
experience in railroading, having
worked for the Santa Fe and the
Alaska Railway. He joined the Nor
folk-Southern in June of this year.
\