North Carolina Newspapers

NEWS-TIMES OFFICE 504 Arendell St. Morehead City Phone 6-4175 CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES 10c Eifht Pagea Color Comics 42nd YEAR, NO. 17. THREE SECTIONS TWENTY PAGES MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1953 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS I Down lira, Potter Sue Rulane |For Damage Caused by Fire Two damage suits arising from* the fire which destroyed part of the Beaufort business district Jan. SI, 1952 will be heard in the March term of superior court which be gins March 9. The suits, filed against the East ern Hulane Sales corporation, ask for a total of $59,650.35. The suits have been filed by E. W. Downum and by E. H. Potter, the Aetna Fire Underwriters Insurance com pany and the New Hampshire Fire Insurance company. Downum's complaint alleges that the fire was caused by negligence on the part of employees of the gas company and asks for $35,000 to cover damages to two stores, a department store and a 5 and 10, which he operated in the building. Potter, owner of the building which housed Downum's stores, isks for $24,650.35 for damages to the building. The insurance com panies which held the policies on the building are parties to the suit. Downum's two stores and a build- j ing owned by Rose Chadwick and j occupied by the gas company were | destroyed in the fire which was believed to have been caused when escaping gas came in contact with t?>e flame from a* heater. The complaints say that two em ployees of the gas company were filling gas cyclinders without ob serving the precautions required I by North Carolina law. The com jjiuiiiis luruier say inai inc negli gence of these employees was re sponsible for the fire. The gas company, in its answers to the two suits, denies that the lire was caused by negligence on the part of its employees. ine lire, wnicn Degan on me morning of Jan. 31, was not brought under control until mid afternoon. Firemen from Beaufort, Morehead City, Newport, Cherry Point and New Bern were required to extinguish the blaze. Lester McLawhorn, administra tor of the estate of Annie Carol I McLawhorn, has filed suit against y See COURT, Page 2 Driver Appeals Judge's Decision Clarence W. Stamper filed no tice of an appeal to the March term of superior court after Judge George McNeil ordered him to pay c^urt costs Monday in Morehead City recorder's court. 'Stamper was found guilty of failing to yield the right of way and causing an accident. He was released on $50 bond, pending the outcome of the appeal. Walter Earl Tufrner was ordered to pay costs after he entered a guilty plea to a charge of failing to yield the right of way and caus ing an accident. Ace Howell was sentenced to 30 days on the roads for public drunk enness. The sentence was suspend ed on condition that Howell pay court costs. Deri Gray Roberts paid costs for failing to stop at a stop sign. Cases were continued against James Rose, Clarence Carter, George H. Wilkinson, Howard Wesley Cain, James Harvey Jones, Mima Koonce Morton and Dalton Earl Whaley. State Ports Authority Reorganization Asked Governor William B. Umstead this week set his sights on the State j Ports Authority. Already successful in getting the j General Assembly to authorize re organization of the Paroles com ; mission. Highway commission and the Conservation and Development 1 board, the Governor asked for the power to reorganize the ports au- 1 thority. Senator R. Grady Rankin of Gas 1 ton, chairman of the Senate Con servation and Development com mittee, introduced a bill which would abolish the present nine member body and give the Gov ernor the power to name a new seven-member authority on June 1, 1953. The measure was introduced to promote "efficiency of operation" of the state ports, Senator Rankin said. The chairman of the present committee, A. G. Myers of Gas tonia, is a resident of the senator's home county. One provision of the new legisla tion would implement the Gov ernor's expressed interest in the development of inland ports on the coast. The law now says that the main purpose of the authority is to develop ports at Wilmington, More head City, Southport, and "such other places as may be deemed feasible." The "such other places." states the proposal, should include "inland ports and facilities." An additional change under the proposed legislation would make the appointment of the authority's director subject to gubernatorial approval. The present ports direc tor is George Gillette of Wilming ton. The director of the Department of Conservation and Development, now an ex officio member of the ports authority, would not be in cluded in the membership of the authority under the reorganization proposal. The ports authority would also be brought under the budgetary control of the Budget Bureau in the new bill. It is at I present operating under a more flexible arrangement which the au- 1 thority insisted was necessary in the operation of its ports. Symphony Society Maps Plans For Intensive April Campaign Former Pastor Dies Tuesday i The Rev. Winfrey W. Davis, for mer pastor of the First Baptist church in Beaufort, died Tuesday in Wilmington, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, the Rev. and Mrs. Elwood Orr, with whom he and Mrs. Davis were making their borne. Qavis came to the Beaufort church Dec. 1, 1947 and held the pastorate until October of 1952. Before coming to Beaufort, Mr. Davis had served in Tabor City, Arvenia, Va., and Lamar, S. C. He was a graduate of Bethel college. Russville, Ky., and Mercer universi I ty, Macon, Ga., and received his I ministerial training at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I Louisville, Ky. I He was a member of Tabor City Lodge 563 AF&AM and had served as lodge master. He was a past worthy patron of the Order of East ern Star and held a life member ship in both organizations. He was also a veteran of World War I. Surviving are his wife, his daugh ter, a son, Kenneth E. Davis of Charlottesville, Va., and three grandchildren. Funeral services were conducted at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning at the Park Baptist church, Wil mington, with the Rev. Orr, the Rev. R. T. Willis, jr.. of Morehead City and the Rev. Gant of Tabor City officiating. Burial was in the family plot in Charlottesville, Va., Thursday. Bettie Man Ordered Held For March Court Term Judge Lambert Morris in county recorder's court Tuesday ordered Marvin Britt ot Bettie held for the March term of superior court on a manslaughter charge. After a preliminary hearing on the case, Judge Morris said that he would prefer to have a jury settle the question of whether or not Britt was guilty of manslaughter ink the death of a three-year-old North River Negro boy. The boy. Earl E. Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Johnson, died Jan. 25 from injuries received when he was struck by a car operat ed by Britt. Britt was arrested Feb. 16 on a warrant obtained by the boy's father. Elbert Murray, Negro, of North River, said that he was standing btsidc the Merrimon road at the time of the accident. He said that he had just finished working on his brother!' truck and happened to look up and sec the Johnson boy beside the road about 100 yards from him. Murray testified that he saw Britt's car about 75 yards beyond the boy just as the boy started to cross the road. He said that he watched while the boy walked ?cross the road. He said that just before the car reached the boy it Megan to cross the white line in ?Hie center of the road. Murray said tbat the car was almost two ieet over the line when it struck the boy. , . Under cron examination by At torney Harvey Hamilton, Jr., Mur ray said that be had known Marsh all Johnson all his life and that they were very good friends. He said that he just happened to be looking in the direction of the ac cident. Murray said that he did not hear the horn on Britt's car and said that he did not sec a highway de partment truck or any other ve hicle pass Britt's car before the accident. Murray denied that he was work ing on the truck at the time of the accident. He said that he had fin ished working on it and was watch Britt's car and the boy. He said that he was the first one to reach the boy after the accident. Rogers Murray testified that he was talking with his brother at the time of the accident. He said that he had seen the accident and re peated the testimony given by his brother. He said that some chil dren playing on the opposite side of the road from the Johnson boy were at least 15 feet from the edge of the pavement. Murray denied that he had told the highway patrolman investigat ing the accident that he had not seen the accident. He said that he told the highway patrolman the same story he bad told in court Attorney Hamilton presented no evidence for the defense. He laid that there was no evidence that Britt had broken any laws and said that the court should decide wheth er or not the fact that the car had croaaed the center line waa suffi cient reason to hold Britt for the superior court. ? Mrs. Eugene Roelofs was named chairman of a committee to plan a house-to-house drive in Morehead City for memberships in the North Carolina State Symphony society at a meeting of the directors of the Beaufort Morehead City chapter of the society Tuesday night. Miss Mary Arrington is chairman of a similar Beaufort committee. C. R. Davant is president of the chapter. It was announced at the meeting that a total of $452 in memberships was sold last year. Due to the small number of mem berships sold, the local chapter was unable to sponsor a ^copcert fof school children. The chapter is planning an extensive drive in April to guarantee a school concert in addition to the regular concert at night for adult members of the society this year. The state symphony is supported by the members of the society and an appropriation from the state legislatur. Regular adult member ship are $2, active memberships are $5, and group memberships are $25. The Beaufort-Morehead City chapter is planning to stress the $5 active membership in its drive this year. Such a membership pur chases a ticket for the member and one school child. The active mem bership also entitles the holder to I vote and take office in the society. Memberships for school children through high school are 50 cents. It was pointed out that two child ren's concerts could be arranged if the chapter succeeds in raising $300 more than its goal. Conducted by Benjamin Swalin, the state symphony is almost unique in the musical life of Amer ica. Last year Collier's magazine featured the symphony in a long article with many colorful illus trations. The symphony travels many thousands of miles each year taking the finest in music to North Carolina towns, colleges and schools. Added to the board of directors i at the meeting were Mrs. Rosalie t Dowdy, Mrs. K. W. Prest, Ralph Wade, and Dr. and Mrs. Walter Chipman. N. C. Fisheries Association Studies Legislation Proposing New Licenses and Taxes Schedule Red Cross Drive To Start Sunday In Beaufort Area Meeting Tonight to Map Chapter's Final Plans For Fund Campaign The annual fund drive of the Beaufort ehapter of the American Red Cross will begin Sunday and will continue through March 16. ! The chapter's goal in the drive 1 which will cover Beaufort and the ? eastern par* of the county is $2,700. Final plans for the drive will be made at a kickoff meeting at 7:30 tonight at the Beaufort town hall. Braxton Adair, chapter chairman, has askd all campaign workers to attend the meeting at which they will receive instructions for the drive. Mr. Adair said that the drive will be conducted through personal con tacts with residents of the county. The county will be divided into sec tions with a chairman appointed to ! head the drive in each section. Workers will then visit each home in the section to ask for contribu tions. The drive in the residential dis trict of Beaufort will be headed by Mrs. Alma Howard, and Charles Harris will head the drive in the county. Section chairmen in Beaufort arc Mrs. C. L. Beam, Mrs. Albert Chap pell, Mrs. H. B. Daniels, Mrs. Dave Hill. Mrs. R. N. lludnpll. Mrs. Frank King, Mrs. Eric Moore, Mrs. Leslie Moore, Mrs. K. A. Rush, Mrs. Hugh Salter. Mrs. Gene Smith, Mrs. R. H. Stephens and Mrs. Mary B. Williams. Section chairmen for the outly ing areas of the county have not yet Been selected but are expected to be named at tonight's meeting. Trie chairmen will then organize the groups of workers who will canvass the various sections. Tlfc? Morehead City chapter which usually covers the western part of the county has as yet made no plans for a fund drive. Officers of the chapter say that they may hold a drive later in the month. Agassiz Aids Disabled Ship The Coast Guard cutter Agassiz left Morehead City yesterday after noon with diesel ail for a crippled tanker anchored off Cape Lookout. The T-2 tanker Archers Hope, owned by the Cities Service oil com pany, anchored one mile off Cape Lookout when its steam plant be came disabled. An auxiliary diesel engine provided power for the ship's lighting system while the steam plant was out of service. When the captain of the tanker discovered that fuel for the auxil iary engine was running low, he contacted the Morehead City office of Esso Standard Oil and requested assistance. Robert Hicks, manager of the Morehead City office, called the Coast Guard and the Agassiz was ordered to take fuel to the crippled ship. The cutter was loaded at ihe port terminal and sailed in mid-af lernoon. "Down Cut" Clan Bake Will Be Held Tonight The Morehead City Chamber of Commerce will hold an "old 1 fashioned, down east" clam bake tonight at the recreation center beginning at 7 o'clock. Although there will be no for mal business meeting, a brief progress report will be marie to the group. Door prizes will be awarded and members are in vited to bring their wives. B&PW Donates School Lunches The Carteret county Business and Professional Woman's club voted to give $15 to the lunchroom funds of seven county schools at its regular monthly meeting Tues day night. The money will be used to pro vide hot lunches for underprivi leged children at the Newport, Camp Glenn, Atlantic, Smyrna, Morehead City, Beaufort and W. S. King schools. Mrs. C. Gehrmann Holland, county chairman of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, thanked the members of the club for their work in conducting the successful county March of Dimes campaign. It was reported at the meeting that $6,321.38 had been collected with more money as yet unreported, Mrs. Alice Taylor was in charge of the program. Mrs. Julia Holt was a guest of the club at the meet ing. After a dinner at Holden's res- t taurant. the club went to the home of Mrs. Nozelle Clark in Beaufort for the business meeting and pro gram. Duke University Names Local Men To Loyalty Fund Skinner A. Chalk, jr., R. W. Safrit, jr., Head Campaign Here R. W. Safrit, jr., of Beaufort and Skinner A. Chalk, jr., of Morehead City have been named area chair men for the Duke university loyalty fund, it was announced by Duke alumni officials this week. They will head the personal so licitation phase of the current alumni giving campaign in this area. Mr. Safrit will take the area from Beaufort east; and Mr. Chalk from Morehead City, west. The loy alty fund, now in its sixth year of operation, provides funds to be applied toward the university's op erating expenses. The campaign in this area is one of 150 now being organized over the United States. More than 2.000 alumni, working under the direc tion of area chairmen, will form solicitation groups for areas from Miami, Fla., to northern Maine and west to San Francisco and Los An geles. Calif. "Like most privately endowed in stitutions, Duke university is now faced with the necessity of obtain ing financial support from alumni," Duke officials report. At the half-way point of the cur rent loyalty fund campaign last month, contributions from more than 5,200 donors totalled $146,615. Leaders of the fund reported that this is the largest mid-campaign to tal since the fund was established in 1947. Census Bureau Publishes Facts On Carteret County's Growth .'.'?'%',ugh 1950 censu* figures* have l>een available for thi past j year, they are at last being put in bound volumes. Because those volumes arc not within easy reach of Carteret countians the facts in them per taining to this county are summar ized below. School children, farm ers. businessmen, school and gov ernment officials frequently need these figures. So it might be a good idea to clip this story out and put it where it can bo found easily. From 1940 to 1950 Carteret coun ty's population increased 26.1 per cent. From 1930 to 1940 its popu lation increased only 8.2 per cent. The figures follow: 1930 ? 10,900 people, 1940 ? 18,284 people, and 1950 ? 23,059. Carteret county covers a land area of 532 square miles and the average number of people living in each square mile is 43.3. Of the county's total population 12.6 per cent are Negro. As for education, men in Car teret county, for the most part, have had eight years of school and women 8.6 years. Some people have had less schooling and some have had more, but the largest group in the county fall in the eighth grade classification. In Beaufort most people have had at least nine years of schooling and in Morehead City 9.6 years. Beaufort's Negro population to See CENSUS, Page 2 Jaycees Advertise Beauty Pageant Memben of the Morehead City Jayceea a4vfrilse the Mlaa North Carolina beauty pageant a* they ar rive at the atate quarterly board meeting held laat week in Darbaaa. Tha banner held by dab memben waa naed to call attention to the beaaty contest which will be held ia Mwahial City la Jnly. The elah'a shrimp party to pi laoti the pafeaat waa > W* feature of the meetia*. * . Jaycees Hear Meeting Reports The Morehead City Jaycees, at their meeting Monday night, heard reports on the state quarterly board meeting held last week in Durham. Jimmy Wallace reported that the shrimp party to promote the Miss North Carolina beauty pageant was very successful and that it appears that about 30 clubs will have en trants in the contest. President Walter Morris report ed that the state has been rcdis tricted and a new district added. The Morehead City club, formerly in the eighth district, is now in the ninth district. Ken Wagner ^aid that the meet ing passed a plan to work for the rehabilitation of released prison ers. He asked for volunteers to serve as committee chairmen for the program. Russell Outlaw was appointed chairman of a committee to arrange for the district quarterly board meeting to be held in Morehead City this spring. He was a*ed to select his own committee. The committee in charge of plans for a local beauty contest in con nection with the Miss North Caro lina contest announced that there arc already 12 entrants for the con test. Jimmy Wallace, Jasper Bell and | H. S. Gibbs. jr., were named to a committee to nominate a slate of officers for the April elections. Joe DuBois, manager of the Morehead City chamber of com merce, asked that a member of the Jaycces be appointed to each com mittee working on the Finer Caro lina contest. Letters of thanks were sent to all hose who had contributed to the success of the shrimp party at Dur ham. Tide Table TMfi at Beaufort Bar HIGH LOW Friday, Feb. 27 7:27 a.m. 1:20 a.m. 7:46 p.m. 1:4# p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 28 8:01a.m. 1:59 a.m. | 8:21 p.m. 2:22 p.m. Sunday, March 1 8:38 a.m. 2:36 a.m. I 8:55 p.m. 2:53 p.m. | Monday, March I 9:09am. 3:10 a.m. | 9:27 p.m. 3:23 pjn. Tuesday, March S 9:40 a.m. 3:45 a.m. I 10 :01 p.m. 3 M p-iB. | Members' Objections Center On "Confusing Multiple Tax" Members of the North Carolina Fisheries association are still study ing a bill proposed by Representative Russell Swindell relating to li< cense fees and tax laws on the fisheries. A meeting of the association was held Monday night in Washington, and it was recommended dt that time that the district in the association have separate meetings and report at a second association meeting next Monday in Washington. The Morehead district met on Tuesday with the Pamlico district. | Clayton Fulcher, jr., of Atlantic, who is a director of the association, Schools Praised ! By Publisher The growth and development of North Carolina public education j was the theme of an address by . Roy E. Larson at the annual meet- . ing of the American Association of School Administrators, H. L. a Joslyn. superintendent of the Car- r teret county schools, reported this week. Mr. Joslyn attended the conven tion which was held in Atlantic f City, N. J., recently. Mr. Larscn is president of TIME, incorporated, ^ publisher of "Time" magazine, and is chairman of the National Citizens J" Commission for the Public Schools. In his address. Mr. Larsen said c that he selected North Carolina to s prove his theory that "our system c of universal education has been an indispensible factor in the astound ing development of this country." : "To relatively few people," he said. 1 "comes the keen realization that our F schools as a national institution, [J are a veritable cornerstone of our way of life." North Carolina at the "turn of 0 the century was a poor state," Mr. ^ Larsen said, "and today it ranks " as one of the leaders, not only of the south, but of the nati6n, in statecraft, in industry and in edu cation." , In 1900, the population of North i Carolina was close to two million, I but there were only 75,000 resi- I dents employee1? industry at an averafc^ annyai salary of $215 which was about half the national i average, Mr. Larsen pointed out. J At that time there were 20 white illiterates for every 100 of white population over 10 years of age, b and this illiteracy figure would be ii much higher if the number of Ne- L gro illiterates were averaged into 7 the figure. c "There were exactly nine public r libraries to serve North Carolina's tl reading public in 1900, and al- a though there were 27 daily news- u papers, the circulation of the most popular one, the Raleigh News and h Observer, was only 5,800," Mr. Lar- d sen continued. h There were 30 school districts in a the state, all urban, which consid- b ered education of sufficient im portance to levy a school tax, and Si the average salary paid to school r< teachers was $91.25 for the term, n There were only 30 public high tl schools in North Carolina in 1900, t< and only 2,000 youngsters out of a tl total school age population of 658.- t< 000 were enrolled in them. Only 200 North Carolinians graduated |> from public schools in 1900, Mr. ei Larsen points out. ir "The change in the educational t picture, and hence in the illitera- o cy rate, in the next generation and c< a half was, as you know, stagger ing," he continued. "By 1924, 64 a, per cent instead of 30 per cent of ei the North Carolina population was c, See SCHOOLS, Page 2 d ?as ucscrioca inc meetings as 'study groups.". "The purpose," fie said, "is to get the reaction of he fisheries people to the new tax )ill proposed. The fishermen are lot in favor of the whole bill as ^resented." Hearing Continued A hearing before the Commer cial Fisheries committee of the -fouse of Representatives with Representative Swindell, chairman, las been continued until next week it which time the association will >resent its recommendations. The new tax and license bill re >laces that of the 1951 legislature >y which, in an error of omission, mly the state tax on oysters has >een in effect during the last two 'ears. The new bill was presented o the Conservation and Develojv nent board by Mrs. Roland Mc 'lamroeh of Chapel Hill, chairman ?f the board's fisheries committee, upportcd by Dr. Sylvester Green ?f Chapel Hill. The principal objection which isheries men have voiced is that he bill proposed is confusing in ts multiple tax character. The bill iroposes a tax on oysters, coon ?ysters, escallops, clams, soft crabs, lard crabs, shrimp (cooked or ireen), and fish. The fishermen bjected to the tax on fin fish, "ointing out that no other state iow taxes the taking of fish except louth Carolina. Fisheries representatives also See FISIIERIKS, Page 2 Driver Arrested Hfter Chase Victor Hill of Dover was arrested v Beaufort police yesterday morn ng after a short chase along the .ennoxville road. He will be tried uesday in Beaufort recorder's ourt on charges of careless and eckless driving, failing to yield fie right of way and failing to stop t the sound of a siren. He was re used on his own recognizance. Chief Carlton Garner said that e began to chase Hill when he rove through a service station at igh speed instead of stopping for red light at Live Oak and Mul errv streets. Chief Garner said that he pur ued Hill along the Lennoxville r>ad but was unable to stop him. le said that Hill held his car in fie middle of the road and refused ) let him pass him. The chief said lat Hill finally stopped and pulled > the side of the road. James Taylor of Sea Level will e tried Tuesday for public drunk nness, resisting arrest and strik lg an officer. He was arrested uesday by Chief Garner and Lt. 'tis Willis and is being held in the Dunty jail under $100 bond. Horace (Honeybee) Jones was rrested Tuesday /or public drunk nness. He is being held in the aunty jail and will be tried Tues ay in Beaufort recorder's court. Finer Carolina Contest Opened To Residents af Rural Areas The Carolina Power and l.ignl company has announced the exten sion pf its Finer Carolina contest to include residents of the rural areas served by the company. Last year's contest was limited to civic improvements in the various towns in North and South Carolina. The new part of the contest is ?pen to farmers in all counties 1 served by the company. Prizes will ! be awarded to individual farmers md to counties on the basis of soil . ind water conservation. Prizes to farmers doing the best 1 conservation jobs will be awarded I in three classifications based on the size of farms. Three prizes will Je given in each acreage classifica tion. The classifications are farms }f 50 acres or less. 50-100 acres and norc than 100 acres. On the county level, prizes will w awarded to the county with the greatest number of acres partici pating and to the county with the greatest percentage of total acres 'ntered. Prizes awarded to coun ies will be turned over to local' inits of the soil conservation dis rict to be used to encourage urthcr soil and water conservation. Entry blanks for the contest may 1 M nWataart from soil conservation < district supervisors. Larteret coun ty's members on the board of su pervisors of the Lowei Ncuse Soil Conservation district are L. W. Howard of Newport. Floyd W. Gar ner of Newport and Ncal Campcn of Wire Grass. Entry blanks must be returned to the supervisors by April 1. Each contestant must list the conservation projects on which he will work during 1953 including at least one new project. In the case of farmers employing ill ac cepted conservation practices, ex pansion of a project wiM be con sidered a new project. Individual results will be judged by district soil conservation super visors. One farm in each acreage classification will be selected as the t>est farm in its county and will compete with leading farms in [>ther participating counties. Soil conservation supervisors and agents of the soil conservation service will work with contestants to help in the development of con servation programs best suited to their needs. Roy Beck, soil conservation service representative in Carteret i-ountly, said that one farmer, W. R. Roberts of Newport, has already entered the contest.