89 YEAR,} No. 16

Official Rates Struck By Tax Board Tuesday COURT HOUSE — Official tax rates of Cape May County municipalities were struck Tuesday at a meeting of the County Board of Taxation here. The new rates were announced by Edward URice, secretary of the boajd. According to the announcement, •Cape May's official rate for 1943 is $5.93 per $100 valuation, a cent less than the rate anticipated in the current year's budget. Cape May’s new rate is 19 cents higher than that of last year, but is one cent below the 20-cent county rate increase reflected in all

local budgets.

West Cape May's official rate is $6.14 per $100, approximately 26 cents below the rate estimated

in the budget.

Highest rate in the county, according to the board's figures, is that of North Cape May, which is $14.28 per $100 valuation. Lowest rate is that of Upper Townahip, which is $2.86, four cents lower than the 1942 rate. Wildwood's tax rate increased 44 cents to $5.44 for this year, North Wildwood’s jumped 66 cents to $7.61, while Ocean City’s rate dropped 67 cents to $6.53. With the exception of Ocean City where there is a commission election this year, a comparison of the resort rates reflects Cape

May’s favorably.

A tabulation of 1943 and 1942 rates, in accordance with the board’s action, follows:

- 1943 1942

Avalon 6.26 6.08 Cape May 6.93 5.74 Cape May Point .. 6.86 6.02 Dennis Twp 4.45 3.68 lamer Ta^).' "4.30 Middle Twp: 5.34 4.82 N. Cape May 14.28 13.08 N. Wildwood 7.61 6.96 Ocean City 6.53 7.20 Sea Isle 6.34 6.04 8. Cape May 8.00 Stone -Harbor 4.64 4.65 Upper Twp 2.86 2.90 W. Cape May 5.14 5.40 W. .Wildwood 9.26 9.50 Wildwood 6.44 6.00 Wildwood Crest .... 6.73 5.25 Woodbine 4.66 4.66

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CAPE MAY, HEW JERSEY, THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1943

Called To Duty

EDWARD E. PICKARD Cape May school superintendent who left Monday to report for active duty at an Army camp in Massachusetts where he will idergo a course of orientation before being assigned to permanent duty.

Waitress Nabbed On Liquor Sale Count Mrs. Helen Albert, a waitress , employed at Kelley’s Boat Bar, 107-09 Jackaon street. Cape May, waa arrested and held under $500 bail to await grand jury action, on a charge of telling alcoholic beverages to minors. The arrest was made early last Thursday morning by Inrestigators George Tracy and George Culver, of the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Mrs. Albers was arraigned before Justice of the Peace James Allison, of Cape May, and. plead guilty to the charge.

Appeal Of Fans Hand Denied By Board A draft appeal seeking deferment for a Lower Township farm laborer waa rejected by the South Jersey district appeal board this week, officials of Selective Service Loral Board No. 2 here disclosed Tuesday. The appeal waa filed by Melbourne C. Scbellenger, a Lower Township farmer, asking deferment for Ivan Stiefel, 19, of Erma, a farm laborer. The appeal board turned 'down the appeal and ruled that Stiefel had been properly classified as a 1-A registrant by the local board. Stiefel is married and is employed as a laborer on the Schellenger farm.

Only One LoaiTOf Mackerel Te Date

fleet which makes Cape May its spring port has brought in only one boatload of fish to date. First catch of the aaason waa brought to port Saturday by the netter "Desire ", which landed 6,500 pounds. The fleet left yesterday morning for the -fishing grounds. first fish of the season wen caught about 80 miles off Cape May.

aft Exaariaations Night jroup. of S«le.tiv

Officials of Local Board No. 2. in charge of conscription of men under Selective Service in this area, aasd this week that the May qaeta for ssuthere Cape May

School Chief At Army Camp Commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Army, Dr. Edward E. Pickard, Cape May city school superintendent, left on Monday to report for active duty at an Army camp in Massachusetts. He received his commission last week and his orders to report for duty last Friday. Until an appointment is made to fill the vacancy, Paul S. • Ensminger, high school principal, is acting as superintendent. After a brief orientation period, Lieutenant Pickard will be assigned to the amphibian command as a navigating officer. He has taken a leave of absence from the Cape May schools for the dura-

tion.

Under present plans, Mrs. Pickard and their son will remain in Cape May. Dr. Pickard has served as superintendent of Cape May schools since May 19, 1941 when he succeeded Daniel J. Ricker, of Cape May, who was appointed county school superintendent two years

ago.

Immediately prior to coming to Cape May he was proctor of education at the Shippensburg, Pa. Teachers College. He had also held positions in Pennington and Camden. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he took his degree of Master of Science in Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, and continued his studies in education at Rutgers University and Columbia University in "ew York. A large group of Cape May school students, led by the High School Band, was at the railroad station Monday afternoon to give Dr. Pickard a hearty send-off. The.' Kiwanis Club, of which he has been secretary, was also well represented at the send-off. Active in civic and church affairs while here, Dr. Pickard was recently local chairman of the successful Red Cross War Reliefcampaign and one of the leader of the Cape May County Hospital drive which was conducted during 1942. . VFW INSTALLS NEW OFFICERS ON FRIDAY New officers were installed in the social branch of th* Veterans of Foreign Wars on Friday evening in the post room at Convention Hall, with the ladies of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary as guests of the eve-

ning.

William Camp waa the installing officer. New officers include .'Commander, Augsut Schramm; senior vie* commander. Raymond Wilaon: a nior vice commander, Walter ottat; quartermaster, Herbert Pharo; chaplain. Guy RDey; adjutant. Thomas Hickman.

Boat Passenger Identification Cards Brepped Licenses to operate party fishing boats or pleasure craft on the inland waters of the Fourth Naval District may now be obtained by owners or operators of such boats, Captain E. A. Coffin, district Coast Guard officer, announced on Thursday. The licenses will be good only in this district and only between sunrise and sunset. Licenses previously in effect were revoked last October 16 by a blanket revocation order issued from .Coast Guard

headquarters.

Passengers carried on party fishing boats or sight-seeing boats licensed as such by the Captain of the Port to operate on in-, land waters only will not be required to have Coast Guard identification cards, but in all cases, owners or operators will be held responsible for their actions. Under the new regulations, principal change from last season will be that party and pleasure craft will not be permitted to operate in the ocean, and will be restricted exclusively to inland waters of the district Last summer they were permitted to operate in the ocean, but not more than one mile from shore. “Party fishing boats, passenger boats or boats carrying passengers on sight-seeing trips will be permitted to pas* through the Cape May County Canal to and Continued On Page Foun —

Borough Sets May 3-8 As Clean-Up Week WEST CAPE MAY—The Borough Commission on Tuesday designated the period from May 3 to May 8 inclusive as CleanUp Week and urged citirens of West Cape May to cooperate by cleaning up their individual properties to improve the general appearance of the community. A borough truck will tour the community during Clean-Up Week to collect trash and scrap materials at no Coat to borough residents a* the commission’s share of the movement. In a proclamation issued Tuesday night, Mayor Frank L. Bennett said: “I, Frank L. Bennett, Mayor of the Borough of West Cape May, do hereby proclaim the period from May 3. to May 8, 1943, inclusive, as Clean-Up Week in the Borough. “The Borough Commissioners request all citizens of West Cape May to cooperate by cleaning up their individual properties, disposing of articles of no immediate use and eliminating conditions which make for unsightly situations. <‘\ "During Clean-Up Week' the Borough truck will tour the community to collect, scrap materials. There will be no charge for this Borough service. “I earnestly request the cooperation of every citizen of West Cape May ao that our community will be among the most attractive in this section.”

the county if the,quota of $1, 319,000 is to be reached by

April

Scott, of the county drive, declared that the amount still to be raised represent* the most difficult part of the campaign. Fighting against overconfidence, Mr. Groff warned the public this week that all the “easy” money is in. Raising the remaining $321,700 will be the hardest part of the campagn, he declared, for most of .it will have to come from the small investors of the county.

PUSH BOND DRIVE A total of $30,754) worth of War Bond* have been purchased in Cape May since April 1, John T. Hewitt, president of the Merchants National Bank and local chairman of the Second War Loan Drive, reported this week. The figure was given as of noon Saturday. *. The total figure included bond sales at the bank and the Cape May postoffice. The local committee this week started its, city-wide canvass for -Subscriptions to government bonds. 1 «\ '

Actually there wai morc than $321,700 still- to 'be raised, but Mr. Grpff isn’t worried about the othey part—the unsubscribed part of the county banka' $626,000 quota. It was still approximately $225,000 short on Monday, but through no fault of the banks. They tried to subscribe up to $700,000 worth of the attractive 7/8 per cent certificates of indebtedness, but were allotted only $400,000 by the Treasury Department. Another issue will be offered to banks next Wednesday. Mr. Groff said Monday that the county banks will be allotted enough of it to fill out their quota, and that Continued On Page Eight —

Plan Amendment To Liquor Ordinance An amendment to Cape May's present liquor license ordinance to permit licensees to remain open for an extra hour on holidavs or the eve of holidays will be introduced for action by the city commission at its meeting tomorrow. The amendment was to have been introduced last Friday, but was referred back to City Solicitor Samuel F. Eld red ge for redrafting after several questions had been brought up by the commissioners as to its provisions. The measure will be introduced at the request of the majority of local licensees who urged the time extension for holidays at the public hearing on the amendment which increased license fees from $360 to $600 per year for retail consumption licenses.

PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, Good Friday, occurring on April 28, 1943, will be universally celebrated throughout the Christian world; and WHEREAS, All of the Churches of the City have special services; and WHEREAS, it seems to me fitting and proper that business activities in the City should be suspended for the purpose of marking the great significance of this day; NOW THEREFORE, I, T. Millet Hand. Mayor of the City of Cape May, do hereby proclaim Good*Friday, April 23, a holiday, and request that business activities cease between the hours of 12 KK) and 3:00, so that all citixens may have the opportunity appropriately to observe the oe-

County Hears Million Dollar Mark In Big War Loan Drive Cape May County neared the million-dollar mark at the end of the first week of the Second War Loan Drive, which opened April 12, a report issued Monday by the county committee indicated. According to Monday’s figures, a total of $321,700 must be raised in

70 % OfCounty WorkersFrozen In Jobs By Manpower Board An estimated 70 per cent of the total number of Cape May County workers were brought under the manpower freeze which became effective Sunday morning following a directive issued by War Manpower Commissioner Paul V.

‘ McNutt in Washington.

Churches Have Easter Rites

Fire Damages Beach Drive Apartment Fire of undetermined origin badly damaged an apartment over a group of beachfront stores shortly before noon Friday and threatened to spread to neighboring buildings before it waa brought under control by Cape May firemen. A strong ocean wind fanned the flames and for a time threatened to carry the blaze to other buildings in the neighborhood. For nearly an hour firemen battled the conflagration before it was extinguished. Damage to the building was estimated at nearly $600, and a considerable amount of furnishings and personal belongings were detroyed. The apartment is occupied by Mr. and Mro. August Wulff. It is above a group of stores at the corner of Perry street and Beach avenue. The blaze started in an unoccupied bedroom. Rescind Rule Making GuardsWear Leggings Retail liquor licensees in Cape May and Atlantic Counties this week were notified that the recent rule requiring all Coast Guardsmen under the age of 21 to wear leggings while on leave has been abrogated. In a notice from Alfred £. Driscoll, state alcoholic beverage commiasioner, the licensees i

told:

“The previous order issued by the District Coast -Guard Officer of the Fourth Naval District, requiring a Coast Guardsman under the age of 21 to wear leggings while on liberty, as set forth in my release of January £8, has been rescinded. Coast Guardsmen under the age of 21 will longer wear leggings when liberty. "The only' safe rule to follow : ’When in doubt, do d-ve.’ ” he concluded.

_ one of the most momem to us religious periods nears an

end.

Union services with . congregsons of the Cape Island Baptist, the First Presbyterian, the First Methodist and the Cold Spring Presbyterian Churches are being held in the Methodist Church here. They started last night'and will continue this evening and tomorrow afternoon from 12 to 3 ''clock. At the Presbyterian Church, the Easter morning sermon theme will be “Facing the Dawn”. The prelude will be “Easter Morning” by Mailing, and anthems will include “Three Women Went Forth” and ‘In the Early Moroing". Thepostlude will be “Song of Triumph’*. A special Easter service will be held in the church school lil:46 a.m. In the evening, theme will be "Absenteeism”. The prelude will be “Cristo Trionfante” and the postlude will be 'March for a Church Festival”. All services will be held in the church auditorium, the Rev. Albert W. Lenz, pastor, announced this week. At the Cape Island Baptist Church there will be special music, and the pre-Easter sermon series will be concluded by the Rev. F. Paul Langhorne, pastor. In the morning, the Young People's Choir will sing “Awake Thou That Sleopest”, by Hall; the Senior Choir will sing “Over' the Hills of Morning’,’ by Holton, and "Rise My Soul", by Wilson. In the evening, the Senior Choir will sing “Hallelujah", by Heyser, and “Lilies of the Gar- — Continued On Page Five —

Ckaplain Speaker Lieutenant S. O. Soriien, U. N. R.. chaplain at the Cape May Naval Air Station, addressed the Cape May Kiwanis Club last night at its weekly meeting. “Tb* Golden Rule’’ was topic <d his address. The dub is joining others throughout the United States -and Canada this week in the observance of Golden

The* freeze is designed to ] vent workers in essential in< tries from shifting to non-esi

tial work for higher pay and to

prevent ‘^pirating” of labor " tween essential industries. While no accurate figures __

the effect of the directive on Cape May County could be obtained, reliable sources indicated that the freeze order would affect nearly three-quarters of the county’s

working population.

Only ones not affected, it was indicated, would be those engaged purely seasonal resort busises, in the ' liquor industry, beauty culture and other occupations which have been listed as non-essential to the war effort. From the list of occupations covered by the freeze order, approximately 40 per cent are applicable to Cape May County.

They include:

Production of ships, boats and parts; agriculture and commercial fishing and allied services; construction; non-metallic mining; production of chemicals, allied product* and their essential derivatives; production of finished lumber products; transportation services; production of materials for packing and shipping products; communication services including newspapers; heating, power, water supply and illuminating services; repair services; health and welfare services; educational services; governmental

irvices.

On a nationwide basis, the list ! essential occupations covered by the* order is expected to affect approximately 27,000,000 workers or about half of the nation'! workers.

School Boards Must Publish Budgets TRENTON — Governor Edison i Monday signed into law a 11 >by Assemblyman Walter Jones, Bergen Republican, which requires the publication by every Board of Education in the state or before February 1 each year of an itemized, “readily understandable” school budget together with a notice of a bud-

get hearing.

The bill also provides for the holding of the hearing at which taxpayers and other interested persons would have an opportunity to express their views concerning the budget and the appropriations it set up, a practice similar to that followed in “ handling of municipal budgets. Other bills which became law with the Governor's signature this week permit Municipalities to join two or more causes of action in suit* to foreclose on land brought by municipalities at tax sales, whether or not such lands are vacant, permit two adjoining townships to maintain a joint fire department and allow municipalities, counties and scho^l_ districts

buy treasury -

ichoqL distri :erttf!2ates.

To Act On Meature To Clean Up Lott An ordinance permitting the City of Cape May to remove weeds, brush, trash and other objectionable materials from privately owned lots and to assess the costs of the work to the property owner will be introduced tomorrow at the weekly meeting of the city commission. Under the ordinance, the city would have the right to eliminate objectionable conditions on vacant lots and other properties where the owners do not art. City officials predicted that adoption of the ordinance would permit them to respond with effective action to some of the complaints which are usually received during the summer season from neighbors or other* affected by unsightly conditions.

remuneration _ . in lieu of taxes for the I Navy housing project wi‘ completed here nearly a y At a conference between 1 T. Millet Hand, Cape May’s director of revenue and finance, a tax expert representing Navy Department, it was i that the city is entitled to a payment*, in lieu of taxes, on the assessed valuation of the properties and computed at the current city tax rate, the Mayor reported to the city commisoon on Friday. The agreement brings to a conclusion a controversy between the city and the Navy Department, the latter contending that the city was entitled to only 12% per cent of the rentals received from the tenants of the low-coet housing project Agreement to pay the dty under provisions of the Tanham Act, which entitles municipalities to payments approximating normal taxes from federally-owned housing developments, will in- . crease the city’s revenue from the housing project by $2,000 to $2J>00 annually,' Mayor Hand said. Under enabling legislation still to he passed, the federal government would withhold the portions of taxes which would normally ba paid for state and county taxes and would pay them directly to the state and county, to be apE lied to local school taxes, the layer explained. “In actual practice,” Mayor Hand said, “the city will receive each year an amount almost equivalent to regular taxes from the government for the Navy housing project The agreement which we reached on Thursday is far more satisfactory to the city’s interests.' — Continued On Page Eight —

No Extra Sas For Vacation Conunuters Extra rations of gasplir.e to enable motorist* to drive between their temporary summer homes and their places of work cannot be allowed this year because of the rubber shortage throughout

Price Administration announced this week in a directive from Washington. OPA explained, however, that motorists may use their basic "A” gasoline rations for such travel or for any type of travel they desire. At the same time OPA said rasoline rations for non-occupa-tional boats will be denied thie — Continued On Page Four —

Point Gets Approval For Bond Issue TRENTON — Acknowledging that an emergency exists in the borough of Cape May Point, the State Fund Commission last week granted permission for -the municipality to issue $30,000 in bonds to help pay for a beach protection project. The state will put up the remaining $70,000 of the cost, a commission spokesman said. The borough had to get the commission's approval because the proposed bond issue was over its legal debt limit With the proposed bond issue approved, start of a $100;000 beach protection project is contemplated. Hie proposed improvement would extend along the beachfront -for approximately 4,000 feet and jetties would extend into the sea from 100 te 400 feet The work will be done under the supervision of the State Board of Commerce and Naviga-

Navy Court Tenants Plant V-Gardens Twenty-five tenants of the Navy Housing Project at Pittsburgh and Delaware avenues have planted individual Victory Gardens on their lots, and-a large Victory Garden for the •, entire Navy Court community has been planted. The large community garden is under the supervision of Lieutenant Scardefield, who is in charge of the housing project Landscaping and improvement of the housing project is progressing rapidly, and it ia expected that the beautification work will be completed before the beginning of summer.

Sunrise Service To Be Held In Borough WEST CAPE MAY — The annual Easter Sunrise Service of the West Cape May Union Chapel will be held at 6 a.m. Sunday in Wilbraham Park. 30-minute program has been arranged for the service, which, has become a popular event. Should the weather be unfavorable for open air devotional services, the early-morning servkv will be held in the Chapel. Special music''and group singing will be rendered. The Rev. Samuel A. Harker will be the speaker.

South Cape May Given Year To Right Self TRENTON — A request by the Borough of South Cape May that local officials be given another year to put the financial affairs the borough in order was -anted last week by the State sard of Local Government. The board had proposed that the borough go into municipal bankruptcy, accepting supervision of the Municipal Finance Commission. A similar step was taken fast mouth by the Borough of North Cape May. The 1943 tax rate in South Cape May will be $10 per $100 valuation. Charles A. Bonn ell. borough solicitor, said that if state supervision had been accepted at this time, the rate would have been about $12. Last year's

New Ruling On Shore Rent Control Soon WASHINGTON — Officials of the OPA handling the rent control program this week advised Congressman Elmer H. Wene, of this district, that a ruling will be issued this week exempting from rent control housing accommodations which are entirely seasonal in character from June 1 to October 1, 1948. Under the ruling, owners are morally responsible to see that they do not charge higher rente for summer properties than were charged ifl 1941 and 1942. Resort dwellings leased prior to May 1 will not be exempt

Matinees At Theatres Holiday matinees will be held at Hunt’s City Pier Theatre, Cape May, on Saturday, Sunday and. Monday, Halsey Love, local theatre manager, announced to-

day.

At both the City Pier and Liberty Theatres, matinees wiD be held each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday during the

holiday*.

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