The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 41, Ed. 1 Friday, September 12, 1941 Page: 1 of 8
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Serving Mercedes, Edcouch,
(In Combination with the News-Tribune)
Vol. XXXVIII, No. 41
Mercedes, Texas, Friday, September 12, 1941
$1.50 per Year; 5c per Copy
PARENT-TEACHER
INSTITUTE TO BE
HELD FRIDAY
The Hidalgo County Council will
have their Parent-Teacher Institute
in Alamo at the Alamo Community
Church on Friday, September 12th.
Every ioo|al unit president and of-
ficer and committee chairman
should try to be present to hear
Mrs. J. E. Griggs of Amarillo, a
State vice president, give the School
of Instruction.
Mrs. Griggs has; worked in Par-
ent-Teacher organizations for many
years, knows the work and presents
it very interestingly. She is ready to
answer all questions and help local
units in every way. The Institute
will begin promptly at 10 a.m.
The Hidalgo County Board of
Parents and Teachers will meet
Thursday night at; 8 p.m.'1 at the
Alamo Community church for a
banquet with Mrs. Griggs and Mrs.
It. H. Wilkins of Freer, Tjenth IDise
trict president, as honor guests.
Other district officers planning to
attend are Mrs. R. E. Harding, Dis-
trict vice president of Raymondville,
Mrs;. J. F. Galloway of Elsa, District
recording secretary and Mrs. Harry
Ketcham of Santa Rosa, District
parliamentarian and former District
president.
—a—
250 ATTEND
EDCOUCH-ELSA
TEACHER FETE
Teachers of the Edcouch-Elsa
school system, as well as the teach-
ers of Monte Alto andi La Villa, were
honor guests Monday night at a pic-
nic supper sponsored by the Ed-
couch-Elsa Parent-Teacher Associa-
tion.
The picnic was held on the Cen-
tral Power and Light Company park
in Edcouch and approximately 250
people of the community attended.
The picnic was planned by Mrs. Al-
bert Thompson and her hospitality
committee.
Mrs. Gordon Smith, program
chairman for the evening, asked the
group to sling “God Bless America.”
Mrs. R. R. Hill, president of the
Parent-Teacher Association, gave a
welcome to the teachers. Mrs. Smith
then asked the group to look at the
pages of the 1941-42 school annual.
Asi the pages turned each member
of the faculty was introduced. Each
in turn responded by giving their
home town, degree held and where
it was from.
Wives of the faculty members
were also introduced as well as
members of the school board, the
school health nurse and visiting
teachers. Marcene Brown gave a
clever reading in negro dialect and
costume. The program closed with
everyone singing “The Eyes of
Texasi.” Members of the school band
were present and played during the
early part of the evening.
BROOMCORN
STILL PLANTED
According to A. L. Gillam of San
Juan who was in Mercedes Wednes-
day, there is still time to plant a
fall crop of broomcorn, and he urg-
ently suggests, that growers plant
the Black Spanish variety.
Mr. Gillam baled 92 bales of the
crop for N. J. Moore at Progress©
this week and states that the entire
crop sold to an Alabama dealer for
$152.50 per ton f.o.b. About three
hundred bales averaging 375 pounds
have been harvested in the Valley
so far.
Gillam stated that the crop this
year was the smallest in twenty-
three years and Valley growers
should realize a handsome reward
for their efforts with this crop
which produces well in this area. He
cited government figures to show
that the crop was short this; year—
the six big broomcorn states which
last year produced 41,400 tons be-
ing estimated to have a crop of only
3 5,600 tons this year.
— •— ^
Delight Shaw left Sunday for
Austin where she will be a junior
at the University of Texas.
ROTARY CLUB
CELEBRATES
20th ANNIVERSARY
The Mercedes Rotary Club cele-
brated the 20th anniversary of the
founding of the local club when they
met at the school cafeteria Tuesday
noon.
Special guests of the club were
Harry Rouse, Gene Wilder, O- J.
Schaeffer, H. T. Tjidmore, G. K.
Reiss, E. H. Kasey, F. A. Hanshaw,
John Bruce, Frank Hadden and H.
L. Schmalzried, who were former
members of the club but who have
dropped their membership. The oc-
casion was observed by the cutting
of a huge birthday cake.
Fred Bennett as one of the two
charter members of the club who
are still active members, discussed
the early services and projects of
the club.
Visiting Rotarians were Ben
Smith of Hillsboro, John Compere,
Lester Skaggs, Bill Woods of Wes-
laco, Wade Wallace of Edinburg
and Mack Keene, who was a special
guest of Leon Graham.
—a—
20-30 CLUB
SETS SESSIONS
The Mercedes 20-30 Club met at
the home of Bert Roberts Wednes-
day night to discuss plans for im-
mediate reorganization of the club
which has been disbanded for the
summer. Tentative plans have been
made for an election of officers un-
til which time Roger Terry, former
president of the club, will preside.
Those present were W. T. Bent-
son, Roger Terry, James Chapman,
.John Roy Barry, Shannon Boothe,
A1 Kinder, Bert Roberts and Vorgie
Plyant.
The next meeting was; set for Sep-
tember 15 at Halliburtons which
has been designated as the regular
meeting place of the club.
ORDER PLACED
FOR IRON LUNG
Donna—An order for shipment of
a General-Collins Emergency Lung
was placed with the Warren E. Col-
lins Company of Boston, Mass, by
the Donna Chamber of Commerce,
after the Hidalgo County Iron Lung
Committee had; decided to purchase
this type of equipment at their
meeting last Friday.
“This apparatus sellsi for $650.00
complete with five different size
chest pieces which will accommo-
Mercedes Radio
Program Rendered
On Valiey Stations
The two Mercedes radio broadcasts
sponsored by the Mercedes Cham-
ber of Commerce over KGBS last
Thursday night and; over KRGV last
Monday night, were scored as de-
cided hits by Valley radio audiences
according to the many compliments
recived.
The broadcasts were outstanding
both in entertainment talent and
also in the way in which the story
of Mercedes was presented in short
talks and interviews. Both radio sta-
tions deserve a lot of credit for
their interest in community develop-
ment by donating the time for these
broadcasts to the various towns of
the Valley.
The program over the new Har-
benito Station KGBS lasted two full
hours, mainly because the manager
of the station, Steve Roberts, was so
well impressed with the talent and
the development program carried on
by the Mercedes Chamber of Com-
merce that he personally conducted
some of the interviews and called
for more information than was ori-
ginally included in the transcript
prepared by the various Mercedes
performers.
Carl A. Blasig, manager of the
Mercedes Chamber of Commerce,
acted as master of ceremonies at
both broadcasts. The Harbenito
broadcast opened with a duet by
Mrs. H. E. Hager and Mrs. J. F.
Baingo accompanied on the piano by
Miss Mildred Brust. These three art-
ist? also appeared in a number of
solos on the program. A trio of three
beautiful Mercedes girls made their
radio debut in a song which was
well received. They were Misses
Margie and Irene Schwarz and Syd-
ney Clark accompanied by Helen
Ruth Clark. The saxaphone solos by
M. D. Sheppard, new band director
at Edcouch, left no doubt in the
mind of any listener that this young
man is not only a gqod musician
but also a valuable new citizen to
the Valley. He was accompanied on
the piano by Miss Bettie Doshier of
Edcouch.
During the interludes of song
and music, the story of Mercedes
was presented in .quick moving talks
and interviews. It included the re-
sources and institutions of the town
and portrayed its accomplishments!
and its progressive spirit. J. E.
Wilder, manager of the Magic Val-
ley Cooperative Incorporated relat-
date anyone from the newborn baby ed the progress of this new Valley
to the grown adult,’’ L. F. Boling,
Donna Chamber of Commerce man-
ager stated.
Plans for exhibition and demon-
stration of the equipment in Hidal-'
go County cities are being worked
out, after which the equipment will
be placed in Grandview Hospital,
Edinburg. Thisl new type of lung has
many uses in artificial respiration
cases, including carbon monoxide
shock, heat prostration, infantile
poisoning, alcoholic coma, electric
paralysis, diptheritic paralysis, an-
esthetic collapse, cerebral hemor-
rage, etc.
All committeemen are requested
to contact all civic clubs, fraternal
organizations gnd other organiza-
tions in their respective communi-
ties! to secure all available subscrip-
tions, so that a complete list of
names of the subscribers can be
published and the machine paid for
upon arrival.Total receipts to date
are $397.50, with many pledges
made but, not collected as yet by
committee membersi. The machine
will be shipped to Donna, where ar-
rangements have been completed to
place it in the window of the Bor-
derland Hardware Co. for display
and demonstration.
Bake Sale Set
For Saturday
Mercedes Federation of Church
Societies will hold a bake sale next
Saturday morning at the Jitney-
Jungle, proceeds to be used in
launching the proposed Mercedes
Well-Baby Clinic. Headquarters for
the clinic will be at the W.O.W.
building in North Mercedes.
industrial concern which brought
the modern comforts and conveni-
ences to several thousand Valley
farm homes. Mrs. Carl A. Bliasig
read; the history of Mercedes which
was written by that great pioneer of
the Valley and one of Mercedes most
beloved citizens, G. K. Riess. Leon
Graham spoke on Mercedes school
system which has set the pace for
the Valley in educational progress.
Rev. Charles Tucker told the radio
audience that Mercedes has seven-
teen churches and praised the good
relationship existing between the
various denominations of the town.
J. D. Grafton, who lives at Pregreso
described the new broiler and fry-
er raising program which he is de-
veloping in the Mercedes area. Gas-
ton Wiley, operator of Chicadee at
McAllen, attended the Mercedes
(broadcast and in a few remarks! en-
couraged the poultry development
program which fits well into the
agricultural program carried on by
the Mercedes Chamber of Com-
merce. Shelley Collier spoke on the
spirit of Mercedes and in a forceful
presentation related the many ac-
complishments of Mercedes during
the past 18 months/. Eldon B. Smith
and O. E. Van Berg in an interview
before the microphone detailed the
agricultural development under the
guidance off Mercedes leadership.
Paul Netz, newspaper publisher and,
a new citizen, told of his impression
of Mercedes.
The KRGV program Monday
night was of equal quality and in-
terest. Mrs. Hager and Baingo and
Miss Brust again appeared on this
program. All three of them are
trained and talented musicians. Mrs.
Hager and Mrs. Baingo have sung
Chamber Of Commerce
Membership Drive
Starts Wednesday
The annual membership drive of
the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce
will be launched next Wednesday
morning, according to Shelley Col-
lier, Chairman of the Finance and
Membership Committee.
The campaign for new membersi
will be launched with a breakfast
and immediately .after the breakfast
committees will start their canvass
of the town. The names of quite a
number of prospects are in the files
of the Finance Committee, Collier
states. Some of them are new citi-
zens and business firms who have
located here during the past 12 to
18 months and others are business
men who have probably been over-
looked in previous drives or who
have not been sufficiently interested
in the organization.
“The Chamber of Commerce is
the clearing house for community
activities, and provides the motive
power for community development,”
Collier points out. The Mercedes
Chamber of Commerce has during
1940 and 1941 been instrumental in
securing for Mercedes some really
worthwhile projects — The Rio
Grande Valley Livestock Show, the
Valley Live Stock Sales Yard at
which $4,000 to $5,000 worth of
livestock is marketed weekly, the
new meat packing plant which will
open soon, the cold storage locker
system, and a number of other new
business and industrial concerns.
‘‘Where would Mescedes be with-
out this development?”, Collier
challenges. “Where will Mercedes be
in the future unless this develop-
ment program is continued?,” he
emphasizes. The Chamber of Com-
merce needs the support of every
business firm and citizen of the
town. The present budget is inade-
quate and it is really remarkable
how much has been accomplished
on the small amount of operating
funds available. The last member-
ship drive wras made more than a
year ago, and Chamber of Commerce
officials are looking forward to a
substantial increase in revenue in
this campaign. “I have a lot of faith
in the business men of Mercedes,
and I do not believe that there is
a single business man in this town
who will not in the future join in
doing his part for the progress of
this town,” Collier states.
Heavy Showers
Fall Wednesday
Mercedes, and the entire Valley
area was visited; by a heavy shower
Wednesday morning with the heavi-
est precipitation reported from the
north and western end of Hidalgo
County.
In Mercedes the gauge read at .9 6
of an inch Wednesday noon, accord-
ing to Fred Robertson of the Hidal-
go and Cameron Counties Water
Control and Improvement District
No. 9.
Growers state that the rain will
help fall seed beds but that some
cotton has been damaged.
CO-OPERATIVE
FOR VALLEY
IS PLANNED
A steering committee composed of
representatives of several lines of
agricultural endeavor was named at
a meeting in Weslaco Friday night
to organize a Valley co-operative
council.
Comprising the committee are W.
H. Berry of Brownsville, represent-
ing the Magic Valley Electric Co-
operative; Floyd B. Holland of Mis*-
sion, representing the citrus indus-
try; O. E. Van Berg of Mercedes, re-
presenting the Hidalgo County Farm
Bureiau; Cleve Tandy of Brownsville
representing the Valley Production
Credit Association and vegetable
growers.
Van Berg presided over the meet-
ing which was called for the purpose
of forming a co-operative council
which would seek to unite the Val-
ley on agricultural matters.
B. E. Stallones of the South Tex-
as Producers Association at Hous-
ton spoke on the need, of farmers
to organize and have someone to
represent them. He also talked on
co-operation from both the national
and local angle.
Mercedes Invited
To Highway Opening
before many prominent audiences in
the Valley and in other sections of
the state. Miss Brust, who h)asi just
graduated from Hardin-Baylor Uni-
versity, endeared herself to her Val-
ley listeners by her masterful inter-
pretation of several Chopin composi-
tions. She has recently been award-
ed a fellowship to continue her mu-
sical studies in the post graduate de-
partment of Hardin Baylor Univer-
sity. Another feature on the KRGV
program was the Rio Quartett di-
rected by Miss Jewell ^McConnell of
San Benito and composed of singers
from various towns in the Valley in-
cluding Gaynor Wickline of Mer-
cedes! This quartette sang a Negro
spiritual and made a decided hi^
with the radio audience. All of the
members of this quartette are exvel-
Ient snigers and their voices blend
in beautiful harmony. The story of
Mercedes, although revised in new
form, wasi again presented in brief
interviews during the entertainment
interludes of the KRGV broadcast.
Mercedes people will have an op-
portunity to attend! one of the most
interesting ad well as important
celebrations on September 18 to 20
when the newly paved’ Reynosa to
Monterrey highway will be official-
ly opened, according to W. R. Hoov-
er, chairman of the Highway Com-
mittee of the Mercedes Chamber of
Commerce.
All those who want to attend the
banquet on the evening of Septem-
ber 18 and those who want to ac-
company the caravan to Monterrey
on thisi gay occasion, should con-
tact the Mercedes Chamber of Com-
merce office as soon as possible to
reserve their banquet tickets and
to get their names on the trippers
list since immigration rules require
the clearance of necessary papers
before they can cross the interna-
tional boundary. Complete informa-
tion on this subject and the celebra-
tion can be obtained from the Mer-
cedes Chamber of Commerce office.
The Chamber of Commerce will also
be glad to assist in securing their
passports, car bonds and other nec-
essary details. Special rates have
been arranged for this occasion.
Three governors and many dis-
tinguished federal and state officials
of the United States, and Mexico are
expected to attend, this international
highway celebration extending from
McAllen, Texas to Monterrey, N. L.,
Mexico.
The program opens September 18
with a banquet and colorful Mexi-
can dance in Reynosa. Governors
Coke Stevenson of Texas, Bonifacio
Salinas of Nuevo Leon, and Magdal-
eno Aguilar of Tamaulipas will
speak at a banquet in McAllen, Sep-
tember 19; and on September 20 a
fiesta will be given at Reynosa.
Many of these fiestas/ military shows
serenades and other entertainment
will be free to the public. A free
beer and sandwich party is included
in the programs, which will be held
at towns along the 141-mile road
from Reynosa to Monterrey. The
great international moving pageant
will be concluded with a $20,000-
peso celebration at Monterrey.
People of the U. S. are invited
to travel the new Reynosa-Monter-
rey highway to Mexico City so that
they may £©e Mexico and the beauti-
ful Lower Rio Grande Valley of
Tex5as, both on the same trip.
MERCEDES JP
COURT NOTES
Cases tried before Justice of
Peace T. J. Fikes this week included
Eduardo Santana, affray, ten dol-
lars and costs; Gregoria Vega,
drunk in public place, twenty-five
dollars and costs; Simon Supervida,
drunk in public place, one hundred
dollars and costs; Willie Hall, Jr.,
speeding, one dollar and costsi; Roy
R. Powell, Brownsville, speeding,
one dollar and costs.
I WARNING ISSUED
TO DESTROY
COTTON STALKS
A reminder that the time is at
hand to destroy all cotton plants
and that this should be done as
quickly as possible was issued Sat-
urday by R,. E. McDonald, in charge
of pink boll worm control for the
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
and by J. E. McDonald, state com-
missioner of agriculture.
Under authority of the Texas
pink boll worm law, it is required!
that all cotton stalks in Cameron,
Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr coun-
ties be destroyed by October 1 and
in all other regulated counties; in
South Texas by October 15, they
said in their joint statement.
‘‘The enforcement of this meas-
ure is necessary not only to pre-
vent spread of the pink boll worm,
but to protect cotton growing in
the infested counties,” it was stat-
ed. “The pink boll worm has not
yet been eradicated from South
Texas and adjacent Mexico. How-
ever, there has been a substantial
decrease in infestation this year
both in Mexico and the United
States which is undoubtedly due to
the good co-operation of the farm-
ers in destroying cotton plants soon
after picking.
“Farmers have learned that co-
operation in the control of insect
pests is an essential part of farm-
ing; that every farmer is dependent
upon his neighbor as well as upon
himsielf to protect his crop against
plagues and that destruction of cot-
ton plants after picking is a very
profitable investment.
“No one should wait until the
leglal deadline. The quicker this
work is done the more insects’ will
be starved. After uprooting the
main crop of plants, watch for iso-
lated plants. You will be surprised
to find how many insects these iso-
lated plants will breed. Be siure to
kill every one of them. Be sure to
kill them early, because as the tem-
perature goes down the insects go
into hibernation and then cannot bo
starved.
‘‘Befar in mind that this is a
remedy against other cotton plagues
as well as the pink bollworm and
that it is important that your neigh-
bor do as you do.”
Special Services
Sunday Night At
Methodist Church
Special services are planned for
the Mercedes Methodist Church for
Sunday night with Stanley Adding-
ton, well-known soloist of Raymond-
ville, scheduled to render special
numbers. The choir of the local
church is also planning special num-
bers.
“Does My Life Please God,” is
the sermon topic selected by the pas-
tor, j. W. Allbritten for the 7:45
o’clock hour.
Other services for the day in-
clude church school at 9:45 with
Supt. Godbey Acker in charge;
morning preaching services at 11:00
topic “The Birthday of the Church,”
and. young peoples’ hour at 6:45
p.m. under the direction of Sidney
Clark.
— @ —
Good-Will Program
Monday Night
The Edinburg Chamber of Com-
merce is sponsoring a ‘‘get-together”
at the Edcouch-Elsa high school
Monday night, according to Harry
Cook, manager of the Edinburg
Chamber of Cmmerce.
The program will be largely mu-
sical featuring the Edinburg high
school band under the direction of
Lee Kohlenberg. Refreshments are
also to be served.
Everyone in the Edcouch-Elsa
area -is cordially invited to come
out to this free program starting at
eight o’clock.
Otis Cochran spent Monday in
Corpus Christi.
—a—
Postmaster Ben Tucker spent
Tuesday in San Antonio.
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Netz, Paul C. The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 41, Ed. 1 Friday, September 12, 1941, newspaper, September 12, 1941; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1106022/m1/1/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.