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Sintrle Copy 6 Cent* EntablishfHl l8sM) NO. 21 Tobaccomen Here See Million-Pound First Week Leaf Auctions Dark-Fired Leaf Average Holds At About S3!) The heaviest opening week of auctions on the Farmville Tobacco Market in recent years is expected to be established when poundage totals for Thursday's sales are re ported. Warehous estimates fore see the first week sales near or exceeding a million pounds. Monday's opening day auctions totaled 314.034 pounds, a good 100.000 pounds in excess of the first week of 1956 The first day's auction of dark hrecl tobacco was 258.813 pounds averaging $39.34, and exceeding tliat for last season by 40 cents. Sun-cured sales added 55,222 pounds to the Monday total, bring ing' an average of $33.06. or 18 cents more than ,for opening day a year ago. Averages Holding The first week's average is ex pected to hold at approximately that of the first day, Monday or about $39. with sun-cured also also holding up well, near Mon day's figure. The genera! floor average here, compared to the $38 average of support prices, indicates that the majority of leaf is selling at $1 above the peg prices, but choice quality tobacco is selling at $3 to $7 higher Dark heavy leaf shortei and narrower than many buyers indi cate they need has brought some grade declines over a year ago, even though the peg prices on top quality leaf and thin leaf and wrappers are on to -five veins higher than 1956. Belt-Wide Report 1- rst auctions of the 1957 Vie nna 1 ue-curod tobacco crop Mon day showed little over-all change tram opening sales a year ago. H.iv.vu’t. qua lit v of the tobacco was better It was estimated tlii.it around HV of gross sales was de livered to the associations under the Government loan program. The Virginia Department- . of Agriculture report- gross salts to taled 722.852 pounds and aver aged $39.30 per hundred. This average was an increase of $1.18 over the first day in 1956 The poundage was almost double that of last ye. s opening. Prices averaged lower than las! >ear lor most heavy leaf grades. Declines amounted to $1.00 to s4.00 per hundred with the $4.00 decreases occurring for mixed tolor. The remaining groups were firm to $2.00 higher. As a whole, the number of gains and losses was about the same. Bulk of the .saies rang 'd from $29.00 to $57 00 Highest price was $70.00 for a few baskets nt choice qualities. Most grades averaged $100 to $3.00 above then loan rates. The tobacco consisted ot larger percentages of fair to choice quali i Continued on page 5) Firemen Given -S200 The Pi nice Edward .count' board of supervisors appropriated 5.200 to tlic Farmville Fire De partment tins month, not $500 as reported in Tlic Herald last Fri day Through the appropriation, the board acknowledged the service of the department, firemen and equipment, in fire-fishting work in the county. Initia.1 Sign-Up Begins For 1958 ACP Practices Virginia farmers will be eligible for $4,558,000 in 1058 under the Federal Agricultural Conservation program iACP Virginia Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation < ASC- officials estimate some 25,000 to 30.003 farmers will take part in the 1958 ACP program. Under the program, the Federal government pays from 50 to 80 per cent of the cost of specified soil and water conserving practices. Exactly how much each county will be allotted has not been de ietmined. However, the various county ASC cpmmittees in the Herald area have designated the practices which will be authorized the county ASC offices are tak ing applications this month. Farmers interested m getting fi nancial assistance in improving soil and water conditions can check with their county ASC office for details. In so far as possible, letters will be mailed lo farmers in the counties by the ASC offices. The initial sign-up period m each county is different. For instance. ,n Prince Edward county, the .sign 'll starts Monday and ends Jan 8 in Cumberland. Dec. 31 is the dead line: in Buckingham Dee 27 is the leadline: in Powhatan. Dec. 20 is .ie deadline: and in Amelia, the last .eek in December is the final •nod in the initial sign-up After the initial sign-up period, the muy committees will meet to con sider requests. One of the most popular practices n this area is the A 2 practice, or ,-tablishment of permanent grass ud legume on land not intended m crop rotation. The rate of fed ,al participation oil this practice _s $9.(io per acr: for preparing a .-red bed plus not over 80 per cent _f the cost of lime, fertilizer and jeed. It averages $35 to $40 per acre. Another popular practice is B-l. mproving permanent cover This .ays a rate of one-half the cost of me and fertilizer to improve per manent cover. In Prince Edward county last year. 20t; farms were represented in practices that brought $34,321 in federal assistance. A limit of $500 was placed on the amount of aid going lo a single farm m the county iast year. The rules and practices are established by the county ASC committee s. projects are completed before payment is nude and in some cases Soil Const-i ration personnel or For estry Division personnel have to supervise practices. In general, practices approved in this area are: permanent vege tative cover,, additional rotation cover, liming farmland, contour st.npcropping, forest establishment, controlling erosion with trees and (Continued on page 5) Post office Opens Longer Hours Iarmville Postotiice. stamp and parcel post windows will open at 8:00 a .in. and close at 6:0(1 p. n>. daily until Christmas. Postmaster I». \V. Paulette announced. "Mail parcels and cards early for Christinas delivery." he urges Dear Santa: Herewith Are Directions For 1957 Letters Dear Santa Claus: We hope our frozen turkey reached you in time for Thanksgiving and in good con dition after the long trip to the North Pole. Just wanted you to know we remembered how impos sible it is for you to get your own turkey way up there where every thing is covered with ice and snow. Tlie oyster stuffing recipe was suggested by one of our lady readers. With this issue we begin print ing the ‘Santa Claus' letters from our little readers. We are putting you on our mailing list again so that you can clip each issue to make up packages for me children from their letters. We would like to emphasize that they have been good this year . . . or most of the time, at least, help ing with the supper dishes, keep ing their toys off the floor and preparing home work carefully! We do have one question, though. How is the re-tooling coming along in your toy shops? It must be pretty difficult to jump from Buck Rodgers to sputnik bells, from Elvis Presley guitars to satellite shot-guns, all within a year, isn't, it? Good luck. Santa, and we’ll leave some hot tea under the lino type machine in the back shop so you can stop by the Herald office and warm yourself Christmas eve. Love you. Santa1 P. S. The letters will appear on the inside pages of each issue. All The Herald Staff VMl And Lonuwond Singers Join For Christmas Concert Longwood Coll;;"’ and Virginia Military Institute will combine choruses for the annual Christmas concert of Mu Lon a wood College music department, Sunday. Dec 15, in Jarman Auditorium at 4 p. m. The VMI Glee Club and Lite Longwood Choir will present sev eral groups of numbers individual ly. and combine for several seiec Dr. John W. Molnar, chairman of the department ol music of Longwood College will conduct the combined numbers. Gregory Tay lor. VMI director, will conduct the numbers of the Glee Club The Longwood Madrigal Sing ers. directed by James L. Mc Combs, of Longwood College, will sing a group of numbers also. Precautions Taken Against Shoplifting Several persons were arrested last week in Farmville on shop lifting charges. Police Chief Otto S. Overton noted that an increase in this offense usually comes dur ing the pre-Christmas buying rush. To combat this trouble. Chief Overton said he has placed two plain clothes policemen on duty to patrol the downtown arpa H“ said ihat all violations would be pros ecuted. Chief Overton aho issued a warning to shoppers not to leave packages in their car while the tar is unlocked. He said it is too much temptation to passersby to simply reach in and take the packages. "The way to prevent this petty drime.” Overton pointed out. “is to lock your car when you leave packages in it." Mid-Town Peacefulness Amid Hustle-Bustle H LDM SDAV's IMI F-IVCII SNOW at Farm .ille painted this serene view of nature's winter artistry. On four sides, sireeis. shops and people hustled, but within the garden at I’rincc Edward Hotel llie t> trik-i-dav orlij v as transformed into one of u idle-tin ted, unhurried bein':. State Supreme Court Upholds Placement Act Rules State Has Right To Require Admission Form The legality of ’he Pupil Place ment Act. by which enrollment of nbblic school pupils VC's vested in a •♦ale boa’•cl. was upheld by the Vir ginia Supreme Cou’-t Tuesday. The court's ru'ing came at con "l”Ricn of the case of Mrs. Theo P DeFebio. who had sought an order "'impelling Fairfax county school authorities to reinstate her two grade school sons. The boys wei'e dismissed last .April when their mother refused to s’gn application forms on their be half under the requirement by the Pupil Placement Board. Court’s Views The court-ruled, in an opinion pre pared by Chief Justice Edward W Hudgins, that the General Assembly has full authority to vest the power of enrollment or placement of pupils in an authority other than the local school boards. The act vesting the state board w’th such a"tho"ity was passed bv be Legislature as part of the Com nvmwealth's plan to maintain sep arate public schools. Formerly the authority of enrollment was in the Lands of local school boards. Chief Justice Hudgins wrote that the legislature "may do so without Driving such local school boards of any expressed or implied consti ’"tional powers of supervision." The court also said the operation of the placement act does not viol late the U. S. Constitution in any way. M s. DeFebio's Views T wo chief contentions were made bv attorneys preparing Mrs. De Febio's case: h that the act vio ’ntes Section 133 of the Virginia con stitution by taking away the power cf enrollment f’om local boards' "nd i2> that, the act violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the fed eral constitution by seeking to per petuate an unlawful system of racially segregated public schools. On those points the court held, for the first., that Section 133. while resting 'supervision in local hoards, does no; define the powers an 1 duties in that supervision. On the second point, it held that the case did not involve broad ques tions of racial discrimination: that the immediate issue was whether as a prerequisite to admission of her sons. Mrs. DeFebio may be re quired to execute the application form. The court said: "There is nothing in such require ment that violates any of the pe titioner's -Mrs. DeFebioi constitu tional or other legal rights. Indeed, the information sought could have been required by the school authori ties without a specific act by the General Assembly." Company ‘G* Rated Superior By IG; Drill Awards Made Company 'O'. National Guard unit at Fanny tile. was rated su perior, h i g h e s t Army valuation given, during its recent annual Federal Inspection, according to tlio written report from Second Army headquarters today. The report detailed the findings cf Lt. Co!, Kerniit R. Mason, Second Army Inspector General's staff, who conducted the inspection last month. During the company's annual competitive drill Tuesday night. Sgt. Elwood C. Cox. of Farmville. won 1 the individual proficiency award. Sgt. William J. Parham's squad was chosen the best-performing drill team. In the Wylliesbuvg sergeant's! squad were Specialists -John N. Harrington, Jr., and Robert J. Oertel and PFCs Clvde E Mahan and Edward C. Parker. Marksmanship badges for weap ons firing last sum nor were also awarded Tuesday. Eight Guardsmen received 'expert' badges. These were M Sgt. Lee O. Let)hart and PEC Leroy F. Palmier. M-l rifle; Sgt. Mac B. Seamans, pistol, and Lenhart. M. Sgt. James B. Clark. Sgt. Charles C. Rosser. Specialists Thomas J. Metcalf, Robert S Chaney and Henry C. Latham and PIC Charles Womack, III. Brown ing automatic rifle. FHS P-TA To Med Thursday Night The Farmville High School P TA meets tonight (Thursday ut 8 o'clock in the school auditorium. Members of the school Senior Tix Hi-V will present a Christmas program under direction, of Mrs. Hoiiie Fleetwood, group sponsor, Tire association will have its quarterly business meeting preced ing tiie Christ mat program. Split Rail Tumbles 39 Freight Cars Over 106-Foot Trestle; Damage Over A Million » A DANGLING RAIL. BROKEN TIES AND DEBRIS mark the gr£ve of a 59-car freight (rain that derailed over the Cub Creek bridge west of I’heitix at 1:25 a.m. Monday. The Norfolk-bound lr;|in hit a split rail 10t» feet above Cub Creek, plunging 39 cars into the creek. The biggest pileup was in the center, where tKe trestle broke and where freight ears were telescoped together. In the foreground is one of 13 corn ears which spilled over. A DERRICK HIGH ABOVE BEGINS SALVAGE WORK from (he west end of the trestle. Wheels plunged through the boxcar at the right, which rested against the trestle. Cnderneath were more piles of coal, more wheels and more wreckage. The million-dollar wreck was the second for Virginian Railway in a year. In April, a train hit a rock slide beyond Huddleston. The line’s eight-to-ten trains a day are being re-routed over Norfolk and Western lines from Abilene to Roanoke. Christmas For Those Who Might Not Have Any Is Holiday Plan Of Moose Christmas for those who mishit not otherwise have any Christmas that, will be the aim of mem bers of tiie Farmville Moose lodge and th<' Women of the Moose when they conduct their annual Moosethon December If? (torn 12 noon to 5 p. m On that date local entertainers will donate their time foi a con tinuous talent broadcast, and per son- who wish to contribute that day may call the radio station to make arrangements to have their contributions picked up by Moose members. Saturday December 14. there will be a special show for young sters at the Slate theater, begin ning at 10 a m. Admission "ill be one new toy or a used toy in good condition The toys will gi) mto ha kets for need.' ! ilu.be.. in (in;, area I a f year VO nr Pa) families "tar recipients of the Christmas bos*;, m the third year ol the program Lodge members would like to have nam ■ ■ or needy families for this Christm is. Information show ing the name of the family, ad dress. number of children, their ages and whether they are boys or - iris, ane if .possible their sizes. may.be s'-;it, to the Moose Lodge. FanmTne Instructions should j>e mciU'iec} ca tiie addfesij dSd how to roar]] Boxes will bo plan'd at Farm villo Ilian School and Rico school lor contributions of toys, clothinp and food. Contributions i^lso may be left at the Moose lodge on I,o:lywood avenue. Santa Claus will make a special trip Christmas eve to deliver the boxes from a shiny red fire truck. 5 Crewmen Narrowly Escape Death A sjdit rail and a firt* 'U’.'t of T’henix this week caused over a million dollars worth of damage to the Virginian Railway line in Charlotte county. Early Monday morning, an east hound freight train struck a split mil on the Cub creek trestle, derailing 51 cars. Tuesday, a fire caused by cutting torches broke out in one of the damaged cars and spread through the wreck age, consuming two cars and their contents before the fire Santa Will Visit j Farmville Friday j Afternoon, Dec. 13 "It's official! Santa Claus will be in Farntville FYiday after noon. December 13.” said J M. Watson early this morning. Wat son. who is chairman of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Bring-Santa to-Farmville committee, talked to ; Santa Claus late last night by long I distance. Santa said he had been as busy as could be. getting ready for a big Christmas this year. ''Tel! all of my m.tie friends I will be in Farmville next Friday. I'll arrive at the air port a little after 3 p.m. Santa continued, saying, "I hope all the boys and girls enjoyed the fme snow you had this week We. of course, have had lots of snow here at the North Pole and the weather is just perfect.” Stores mi Main Street will be open until 'I a on. Friday night for the convenience of Christmas shoppers. Beginning next F'riday with the visit of Santa Claus, stores will be open until t* every night until Christmas. The Farmville Javcees were de lighted to hear that jolly old Saint Nick would come to Farmville this year. The Farmville FTre Depart ment said their new aerial fire uuck would meet Stanta at. the air port to bring him to town. The Farmville police immediately offered to give him a police escort .and said the downtown area in front Gu tne court house would bo roped off to accommodate the crowd. Watson said he hoped to get a band to play some music lor Santa, wmle he passed out bags of goodies to all the children and listened to their requests for Christmas. Dr. R. B. Hargrove, Jaycee Presi dent. will be master of ceremonies and Mayor W. C. Fitzpatrick will (Continued on page 5) Community Chest Still $3,500 Short Of Goal Community Chest contributions ate still about $3,500 short of the $16,500 goal according to the lat est tabulations at. the Chest head quarters. Only two divisions have gone over their goal. They are me town residential division with Mrs. L E. Andrews, chairman, which has turned in $355 with a goal of $525, and the colored division with Mrs. Maida V. McKnight chairman, which has contributed $663.25 with p. goal of $600. The special gift.-, section has turned in $9,189.50 with its goal $10 400 Mrs. B. S. Hamer.sly. executive secretary, said she expected to re ceive additional reports Friday morning when she will be in the office front 9-12. Two county districts have not yet reported. They are Buffalo dis met with a goal of $350 and Leigh district with a goal of $275. Lock out and Hampden districts has come close to their goals with $296 out of $500 and $347 out of $550 respectively. Prospect district has turned m $292 out of a goal ot $400. and Farmville district has turned in $14 L with a $300 goal The employees division has con tributed $1,616.64 which is about si.000 short of its $2,600 goal. Month's Estimate $20,650 Five Building Permits For November Five permits for building con struction and one for a house moving operation comprise the total of new work authorizations secured here during November. Tie- work was estimated in value at $20,850 All of the construction »ill he n Prince Edward county, the town of Farmville having a blank month so far as building {termite are concerned. One new home and a combina tion store-dwelling are included in the permits. The home permit for construction in Prospect district was secured by Flossie S. White. The combination home-store work nas authorized for Dorothea B Black in Hampden District. Farmville district waa involved in two permits, one issued to Rob ert, A. Smith Co., Inc., for a ware house, the second to Janet K. Vaughan for construction of a bam. E. W Karlov secured .1 permit * for an addition in Lockett district-, while the house-moving permit was taken by Julian H Pric* for work in Leigh District While construction totals are lagging over the record pace of 1956, the number of such permits will exceed the total secured a year ago. Prince Edward county has already issued 82 permits, higher thah any time in reccjit years. New construction for the year.! through November, now totals $S23,57a , men and five engines and other apparatus from the Brooknenl and Charlotte C. H. fire departments brough the fire under control seven hours later. Tire firemen had to use bull dozers and cutting torches to force their way into burning cars The fire started in a carload of !.>■ feed. 39 Cars Dunged Over The 59-car train, en route to Norfolk, passed through Brook neal at 1:04 a m Monday. With in 45 minutes, it had derailed, plunged 39 cars into the Cub creek bed. and denicks and other sal vage equipment were oil their way from Roanoke and Victoria. Five men narrowly escaped death in the smasliup. B E. Lov em. of Roanoke, the engineer: Dave Mattox. Jr., of Victoria, the fir man. and W. C. Tucker, of Victoria, the brakeman. were nd in in the cab of the engine. In h: caboose were conductor Alex Munford and flagman Fd Daniels, both of Victoria. Lovern felt the split rail as the ■ nwine crossed it on the trestle, and applied all emergency brak n_ power. The train's speed ear ned the two-diesel locomotive units on across the trestle and around a bend. Head tars. Left on Truck Six head cars were left standing on the track, and the next 11 cars derailed east of the trestle. Two rear cars and the caboose stopped an the west end of the torn tr estle. The plunging freight cars rip ped up the roils and ties, and two spans of the bridge, one 60 feet, lor.g, the other 90 feet lone, were completely destroyed Approxi mately 25 car lengths of track were also a total loss. Cars of salt, paint, motor oil. Naval machinery, refrigerators, auto parts, ammonia, meal, lum ber. grading, butter, car wheels and beer were among the lot I’p To Knees In Corn Thirteen cars of corn left up to-knees-walking piles alongside the embankments. Twelve carloads of coal dyed the' creek a murky black. A carload of butter. 1 no.000 pounds of it. \al u' d at $50,000. rested its end in the cold water keeping Us ice froz en. The butter car was one of those destroyed in the fire. Individual packages of coni flakes were flung hundreds of feet, from the trestle. A little rain, and they were soggier than yesterday's half finished breakfast. Two cars loaded with cases of beer were focal points for the thousands of sightseers who in vaded the area. One Charlotte county youth was apprehended by railroad detectives after he tried to make off with a case. He was lodged in the Charlotte C. H. jail, l ie wreckage was closly guarded: removal of any of the load is a federal offense, since it comes un der interstate-commerce jurisdic tion. Hamages Ink now n No estimates were available of the damage, but is is expected to b<- well over a million dollars, in cluding about. $250,000 to t tr estle, and sizeable sums m cm - zees and equipment. Steel bridgemen. carpenters, w Peking crews - 100 men in all —' were rushed in from Roanoke, and Victoria Monday to begin the m'vaco and • repair operations, Monday night, a road was bull - dozed through the wreckage under r! e tresfjr so that salvage trucks could reach the freight cat The lino carries no mail or pa - mongers, and makes few stops be tween Norfolk and Roanoki V.r ainian district superintendent J. P Strickland, of Victoria, estimat ed that it well take at least a week to clear the main line and put ;t back in operation. K. H. Paulett, 1*7, Breaks Hip In Fall H II Pauli'M i,s resting com lo. tabi.v at fjouthsidc Community Hospital!, where iti' was admitted Tuesday after sustaining a brok« n hip ill a. tall With the 97-.vear-old retired Parnaville business and civic leader presently are his daughter. Mrs. CKoffrey Creyke. and Mr. Crcyke. if Washington. Mr. Paulett has been making lie, homo witli them iU tfeo capital city.