S? CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES .? A Merger of THE BEAUFORT NEWS (EttablUhed 1912) and THE TWIN CITY TIMES (E?Ubli?lie it was the law he was go ing to cairy out his sworn duty. The people re-elected him by good big majorities in 1924 and 1926. In the spending '20s the county went heavily into debt. To justi fy this, assessed values were rais ed 50 to 100 per cent. Wade, as" sheriff, was tax collector. He op posed the spending and the raises. He did not believe "everything was just going to be all right" and said the tax collector's job would be an impossible one when things went sour. He refused to be a candidate in 1928. He probably would not have been opposed in the primaries and might have been re-elected even in the "Hoover landslide" which carried all Democrats except L. W. Hassell, Clerk of Superior Court, out of office. For the past eleven years, Mr. Wade was a member of the county board of elections. In 1944, as chairman, was tied up itiost of the year with contract work. Mr. Wade did much of the work of chairman. The late, lovable "Lum" Gardner was the Republican member of our beard. Men and women in the armed services were allowed to vote without previous registration. See TOM', Page ? Mickey W oolar < Recovers from Raymond "Mickey" Woolard, Morehead City high school student and son of Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Woolard of Morehead City, rcceiv i ed painful injuries Tuesday night I when an "unloaded" .410 gauge , pistol was accidentally discharged ; into his left forearm and stom ; ach. Young Woolard was visiting at the home of a friend, Booker Cun ningham, Tuesday night. Cunning ham was displaying one of his Christmas gifts, a .410 pistol, to | Woolard and several other friends. Cunningham said ?he did not know the pistol was loaded and j when he pulled the trigger it dis- i charged into Woolard's arm and stomach from a distance of about two feet. Fortunately the boy's j arm was lying across his stomach i and the arm absorbed the major j portion of shot from the pistol. Only a few shot entered his stomach. The rest struck Wool- ; ard's left forearm, tearing away a great deal of flesh. He was taken , immediately to the Morehead City hospital where emergency treat- j ment was administered and he was ; hospitalized. The youth's physician stated yes- 1 terday that he was resting well and did not appear in any immediate danger, lie said that though there were painful wounds in the arm it did not appear that there would be maiming after-effects. Stomach wounds were slight, he reported. Firemen Provide Gala Christmas For 40 Families Morehead C i 1 y Jaycees, Grocerymen, Elks Club Lend Assistance | Several Morehead City organi { zations and firms pitched in last week to help make Christmas more p'casant for 40 local families, Fire Chief Eldon Nelson stated today. Chief Nelson said the fire de partment annually takes on the project of aiding needy families at Christmastime. Firemen col lect and paint old toys for the children and solicit local groceries for food to donate to families. As usual, local grocers did their part by giving all sorts of non perishable food. The Elks club supplemented donations from the ! stores by purchasing packages of < meat to go into each of the boxes. Elks also donated a sack of flour I and other types of food to each box. White's Dairy joined In the Christmas spirit by adding a quart of milk. ? Finally, Jaycees assisted firemen in collecting and repairing toys. The fire department used cash from its own, treasury to purchase additional items, assembled all the boxes, and distributed them. Thursday night a week ago, j three nights before Christmas, one of the fire trucks was gaily decked out in holiday finery and paraded through the Morehead City busi ness section with Santa Claus on hand to listen to each child's Christmas wishes and pass out fruit. Tide Table HIGH LOW Friday, Dec. 30 4:20 a.m.' 10:58 a.m. 4:40 p;m. 10:49 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 5:18 a.m. ' 11:48 a.m. 5:31 p.m. 12 midnight Sunday, Jan. 1 6:59 a.m. 12 noon (?12 p.m. 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 2 6:43 a.m. 12; 15 a.m. 6:56 p.m. 1:14 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. I 7:26 a.m. 12:58 a.m. 7:40 t> m. 1:53 p.m. d, Hospitalized , Wounds Government Index j Shows Living Cost Remains Steady Relail Clothing Prices Drop, Renis, Food Rise Slightly in November WASHINGTON (AP) A now government living cost index today showed clothing prices hav ing reached their lowest level in more than two years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which prepares the index, said j average retail prices for apparel reached their lowest level in mid November since August, 1947. i Apparel prices began rising af ter August. 1947. to a peak in Oc tober, 1948. They arc new 7Vi j per cent below October, 1948. A further decline in average prices for men's, women's and children's clothing and furnish ings may be in progress now due to post-holiday sales. Rents Rise The new living cost index - showing a new gradual rise in rents remained virtually un changed from October to Novem ber. The index rose only one tenth of one per cent, a very nor mal change. The index for November stood j at 168.6 per cent of the base pe riod, which is the five-ye*r ipm n 1935-39. The index is 2 *?er cent lower than a year ago, but 71 per cent higher than the August, 1939 Hents rose four-{eiiths of Me 4 per cent from October to Novem ber, continuing a steady rise. For the three month period ending in November, the bureau said, the : largest rent increases were 11 per ! cent at Houston, Texas, and 10.7 per cent at Milwaukee. Coffee Price Jumps Food prices rose fractionally in i November. Many food items were 1 down a bit. But coffee retail prices jumped 24 per cent during the month, and prices for fresh fruits and vegetables rose 5 per cent. The fuel, electricity and refrig eration group rose one-half of one per cent, mainly due to higher ! prices for anthracite, bituminous j coal and coke. The index called the consumers price index, is considered as the j government's official measurement of living costs. It averages out | the retail prices of goods and serv- j ices bought by city families with moderate incomes. Idle Hour Party, Midnight Skews Slated for Dec. 31 New Year's Eve festivities in Carteret county will Include a big party, dance and favors, all free, ' at the tdle Hour Amusement cen ter, Atlantic Beach, a midnight show at both the City theatre and Beaufort theatre, and parties at the Scout hut, Beaufort and the Carteret Recreation centcr, More head City. Showing at midnight Saturday at the City will be "The Lady Takes a Sailor" with Dennis Mor gan and Jane Wyman, and at Beau fort. "Dear Wife" with William Ilolden and Joan Caulficld. This is a pre-release picture and doora will open at 11 p.m. Teen-agers will attend a special New Year's eve party at the Scout hut In Beaufort and the public is invited to the party. 8 p. m , at the Carteret recreation center. Street Signs Painted Re-painting of Beaufort's street signs on the curb are expected to be completed this week. Sam Darling is doing the work. Christ mas decorations are expected to be taken down Monday, Jan. 2, William Hatsell, town clerk, re ported.