MILLS VIE FOR WORKERS

During the late summer of 1920 Eastern Manufacturing ,Company and Selma Cotton Mill vied for new workers through advertisements in the newspapers. Eastern stated: “We are about to complete overhauling of the former Lizzie Cotton Mill and village at Selma. This now makes a completely ‘new plant and village. We have new overseers and will strive to maintain the best of working conditions, maintaining a high moral standard. We will use the best of cotton, keep things in proper shape and pay the best of wages. Rent and electric lights free to those working with us. We are very anxious to secure several good families of help in starting up. We will be glad to hear from anyone interested by letter, over the phone or in person. We have a fine truck ready to come for you.” A week later Selma Cotton Mill had an advertisement which stated: “Our new addition to our mill is almost ready to start. We will have the first weaving in Johnston County. We can now use several families with spinners and winders. We pride ourselves on having and keeping a nice, clean village. We have humidifiers in the mill. This adds to working conditions and makes work run better.
We provide free house rent, with electric lights. If interested, write, phone or come to see us.” A week after this Selma Cotton Mill had a picnic outing for its employees at Pullen Park; then on November 2 the same mill presented a Community Fair with exhibits of canned goods, quilts, bed linens, fancy needle work, all made by “the thrifty ladies of the community after the day’s work in the mill has been done.”
Roberts, Corbett and Woodard was robbed in August of four to five hundred dollars worth of clothing with no clues available. “Selma has no night watchman,” the story of the robbery declared. I n October the Honorable Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, spoke in Selma. Business houses were closed from 3 to 5 o’clock for the speaking. Also in that month Selma’s oldest citizen, Needham D. Foster, died. And four Selma boys, Marvin Blackman, Albert Eason, Tom Fulghum, and Harrie Stancill, attended an Older Boy’s Conference to the Y.M.C.A. in Wilmingtori. . ‘
By 1920 Selma’s population stood at 1,601 and C.A. Corbett was the mayor.