WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1 888.
VOL. LVII, NO. 28 BpONE, WATAUGA CX)UNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10. 1946
WATCH the
SALES OF MILK 1
IN COUNTY LAST
YEAR $435,000
Dairy Industry Expands Locally,
Says Farm Agent; Record
Poundage Burley and Cabbage
Produced; Other Facts From
Agent's 1945 Report
Sales of milk in Watauga county
ran to more than $435,000, bumper
crops of cabbage and burley tobac
co were produced by local agrarians,
and green beans brought better
prices than any other truck crop, it
is revealed in the annual report of
activities of County Agent Harry
M. Hamilton's office.
Highlights of the farm agent's
report are as follows:
1. Sixteen purebred Hereford
breeders sold 35 registered Herefords
in the third annual Watauga Here
ford breeders sale at Boone, on Nov.
9, for an average of $243:
2. Seven farmers purchased beef
type bulls.
3. Twenty farmers bought pure
bred beef females.
4. Ten Watauga farmers bought
12 females and 2 bulls in the third
annual Watauga Hereford breeders
?ale.
5. The 15 yearling rams that were
sold in the second purebred ram
sale in July, averaged $43 per head.
6. Lewis Norris, Reese, consigned
the highest selling ram in this year's
ram sale, for $66.
7. Seven farmers bought rams at
the second Watauga purebred ram
?ale.
8. Eighteen farmers purchased
purebred and high grade ewes.
9. Sixteen farmers purchased
purebred rams this year.
10. Four new flocks of purebred
Hampshire sheep were established
this year which makes a total of 30
purebred flocks in the county.
11. Three hundred fifteen farmers
sold 26,706 pounds of wool through
the wool pool for 54c per pound.
12. Two hundred sixty-seven
farmers sold 2,483 lambs through
the lamb pool.
13. Nine hundred fifty-three farm
ers sold milk during 1945. These
farmers sold a total of $435,346.95
worth of milk this year.
14. The fourth annual Boone Pure
bred Guernsey sale which was held
at W. M. Winkler's farm on May 23,
averaged $276 per head.
19. The 39 head of cattle that '
were sold in this sale were purchas
ed by buyers from four states.
16. The top female in the pure
bred guernsey sale sold foe $900,
and the top bull sold for $700.
17. Six Watpuga farmers estab
lished grade A dairies this year.
18. Three dairymen built upright
silos this year.
19. The amount of milk that was
sold to the Coble receiving station '
by Watauga farmers during 1945
showed a large increase over 1944.
The peak day at the plant was 51,
328 pounds which was received on
Friday, June 8. This was an in- ;
crease of 20,737 o-c: the amount of j
milk received on this day last year.
20. Five Watauga farmers pur
chased four heilers and one bull in
the Boone purebred Guernsey sale.
21. A series of 10 meetings were
held during the last of January and
the first of February to discuss bet
ter farm practices and also the out
(Continued on page eight)
MAY NOW APPLY
FOR BURLEY BASE
Applications for 1946 Burley Allot
ment! Must Be Made Dur
ing January
Applications for 1946 burley to
bacco farmers who grew tobacco in
1945 without an allotment, are now
being taken at the AAA office, Ned
Glenn, chairman r* the Watauga
County AAA committee, announces.
\ These applications must be filed
in the county office before February
1, 1946, unless the farm operator
has been in the armed services, in
which case such application shall be
filed prior to Feb. 1, 1946, or not
later than 60 days following the date
of his discharge, whichever is later.
Only the operator of the farm shall
make the application and he must
be largely dependent on the farm for
his livelihood.
Operators of farms which had a
new allotment for 1945 and which
produced no tobacco in that year,
must file application for a new al
lotment prior to Feb. 1, 1946.
Mr. Glenn also states that farms
which had an allotment for 1945 and
which have produced no tobacco in
any of the years 1941 through 1945,
must make application before an al
lotment can be established for 1946.
This also must be done before Feb.
1, 1946.
Meets President
Little Henry Clay Jefforie*. Jr..
Kansas City, Mo., wished Pru
dent Truman a happy New Year.
| when the President Hopped off in
thai city during the Christmas
holidays. The chief executive is
surrounder by F.BX men.
HORTON RESIGNS
CO. SCHOOL POST
Superintendent Quits; Howard Wal
ker. Back From Navy, to Re
occupy Position
County Superintendent Sam F.
Horton announced Tuesday his res
ignation, effective as of July 1. 1946,
and states that W. Howard Walker!
until recently a naval lieutenant,
would return to the post he vacated
to enter the armed service, under
the provisions of the so-called G.I.
bill of rights.
Mr. Walker has recently been dis
charged from the navy after about
two years service, the last several
months of which were spent on
board ship in transport service with
the Pacific fleet.
Mr. Horton, who has served capa
bly during Mr. Walker's absence,
states that he will in turn re-enter
upon his duties as principal of the
Cove Creek high school, a position
which he had held for many years.
p. o.irewst
TO AID BAILEY
I
Former Appalachian College Foot
ball Coach is Private Secre
tary to Senator
Pierce O. (Kidd) Brewer became
private secretary to Senator Josiah
W. Bailey on Wednesday of last
week, according to a Raleigh dis
patch.
The former Duke University foot
ball star will succeed Paul Doyle of
Oxford, who is planning to enter a
govenrpent department, probably
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
tion. Ljolye formerly was private
secretary to Frank Hancock, former
head of the Farm Security Admin
istration.
Brewer, who recently was releas
ed to inactive duty by the navy,
coached athletics at Appalachian
State Teachers College, and later
was school textbook salesman. Aft
er being commissioned in the navy,
he served as public relations officer
for the preflight school at Chapel
Hill. He spent the last portion of
the war on active duty with the Pa
cific fleet
Local Theatre Manager
Is Winner in Contest
Mr. Bob Agle, manager of Appa
lachian Theatre, is in receipt of a
$100 war bond and a letter of com
mendation from his employer, Mr.
A. Fuller Sams, Jr., of Statesville, in
connection with his having won in a
contest conducted through the ten
theatres of the chain during the last
quarter of 1945.
The contest, which was conducted
around increased theatre attendance,
brought a local increase of ten per
cent, Mr. Agle being the only mana
ger of the ten to make the goal. In
view of the severe winter weather
which was experienced here during
a large part of the contest period,
and the fact that Boone is one of the
smaller communities in which Mr.
Sams operates, the accomplishment
of Mr. Agle is all the more outstand
ing. .
Knitters Are Needed
By Local Red Cross
There is an urgent need for vol
unteer knitters to complete local
knitting as well as sewing, states
Mrs. Mae Miller, production chair
man of the Watauga Red Croes chap
ter.
Mrs. Miller states that those wil
ling to work may get material at
the Red Cross rooms in the Boone
Drug Store building or at her home
in Boone.
TWO ARE BEING
HELD, HIGHWAY
ROBBERY COUNT
North Wilkesboro Taxi Opera
tor Bound, Gagged and Rob
bed by Passengers Near Deep
Gap; Local Officers Take Two,
One Makes Escape
John Albert Bradley, 30, Jones
boro, Tenn., and Frances Greer
Hawkins, 23-year-old woman of
Lenoir, are being held in Watauga
jail on charges of highway robbery,
and Millard Greer, the third mem
ber of the party who robbed and
bou n A a North Wilkesboro taxi
driver, is being sought by officers
of three states, for his part in the
daring holdup.
Information gathered by State
Highway Patrolman Miles Jones and
Police Chief O. L. Scruggs, who
made the arrests, is that the
two men and one woman employed
Clayton C. Davis of North Wilkes
boro to bring them to Deep Gap in
his taxi; that when they arrived at
the Gap, they asked the driver to
proceed to the Gap Creek road, so
that they might visit relatives. * He
was covered with a gun, and at a
point in the edge of Ashe county,
ar the Cowles stand, he was rob
d of $55 in currency, taken into
the woods, his wrists and moutn
bound with adhesive, and tied to a
sapling, at head and foot, his belt
also being used to truss him. They
took the taxi and left, whereupon
the bound man began the painful
efforts which resulted in his free
dom a short time later. He walked
to the home of a man living in the
neighborhood, who brought him to
Boone, where he reported the crime
to officers.
Patrolman Jones, in turn, went
ipto a local filling station to tele
phone for a radio broadcast, when a
Boone taxi driver approached with
the news that he had two men and a
woman in his car, headed for John
son City. The officers went to the
gas tanks where the taxi was park
ed, one of the men, Millard Greer
ran, and the others were lodged in
jail.
The automobile of the North
Wilkesboro man was found near
(Continued .on page eight)
burLey sales
NEAR 3 MILLION
Price Trend on Local Market is
Slightly Improved; Receipts .
of Weed Heavy
Sales of tobacco at the Mountain
Burley Warehouses have almost
reached three million pounds today,
representing an increase over the
same period last year of about a mil
lion pounds.
Warehousemen say that the price
trends are slightly more favorable
than during the closing days before
Christmas, and report heavy re
ceipts. The floors are filled for the
sales today, and Mr. Coleman and
his associates are, as usual, doing ev
erything possible to make the weed
bring the highest prices possible.
RED CROSS TO
NAME OFFICERS
Call Meeting Watauga Red Cross
Chapter is Scheduled for
January 17
A call meeting of Watauga Chap
ter, American Red Cross, will be
held at the courthouse January 17,
at 7 o'clock, the primary purpose of
which is to name a new set of offi
cers for the enusing year.
Those interested in Red Cross
work, members of the various com
mittees, and present officers, are in
vited to attend.
Important Meeting
Of hurley Growers
Next Monday Night
An important meeting of burl*/
tobacco growers and other farm
ers is to be held at the courthouse
Monday night at 7 o'clock, at
which time the barley tobacco sit
uation will be discussed, and plans
made for next year's crop, acreage,
etc. All growers are asked to at
tend.
Plans will also be made to hare
representatives attend the state
convention of the State Farm Bu
reau to be held at the Robert E.
Lee Hotel Winston-Salem, Feb
ruary I, 7 and 8.
For millions of Americans, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who re
fused to accept defeat from Infantile paralysis, symbolized the
nation's fight against the Great Crippler organized and directed by
the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which the late
President founded. The above poster was prepared by the Nation
al Foundation for its 1946 March of Dimes, January 14-31.
Victory Loan Sales Here
May Be National Record
THjt NATIONAL KM'NDATION KM? INIfAVriLK PAKALYBI* IKCi
March of Dimes Symbol
WORK CLOTHING
BADLY NEEDED
Clothing for Workers is Important
Item in Victory Clothes
Collection
Relief workers in all the bombed,
mined, burned-over countries report
a desperate need for work clothes
and shoes. The bulk of the cloth
ing and shoes contributed in the
nation-wide clothing collection last
spring came from urban areas. Pro
portionately little of the millions of
pounds shipped overseas included
overalls, boots, work shirts, jeans
and rough, warm clothing suitable
for farmers who must work in the
fields and barns in all weather, or
for their families, who must trudge
long distances to market, school or
church.
People are asked to keep in mind
the serious plight of farm families
the world over when they ransack
their closets, attics, chests for Vic
tory clothing collection for overseas
relief. In a large measure the well
being of any country depends on the
farmer's ability to produce food. He
must have clothing to enable him to
carry on his work.
Say Tax Collector
Must Have Enough to
Cash Checks Presented
The county commissioners, in ses
sion Monday, took note of some in
quiries which had been directed to
them as to why about one thousand
dollars was on hand /in the tax col
lector's office when the robbery of
his safe was effected some time ago,
and the officials deem an explana
tion is in order.
In the first place, it is pointed out,
tobacco checks, often to the amount
of several hundred dollars are reg
ularly presented to the tax collec
tor, and he must provide the- tax
payer with change, necessitating
holding some funds in the office.
However, it is stated, that on the
Saturday preceding the robbery,
while some funds were retained for
check-cashing, most of the money
involved had been collected after
the bank was closed for the day.
PFC. TOM COUKCUJL has arriv
ed at the home of his mother, Mrs.
J. D. Council! of Boone, and has
been discharged after alinoct three
yean in the army. He hat been in
Europe nearly two years, where he
took part in the Normandy invasion,
and has four battle stars, in addition
to the good conduct medal, bronze
arrowhead and victory n^edal.
Government price supports , and
heavy demand are expected to keep
dairy products high during the tint
half of 1946.
The final figures in the Victory
loan campaign hare been released
by Chairman Adams, and indicate
Watauga county people hire
bought 453 percent of the estab
lished quota, thus conceivably es
tablishing a record for the nation.
The national average is 110 per
cent of the quota.
The local overall quota was
$128,000, and $580,465.25 in bonds
were actually sold. The "E" bond
quota was S82.000. with sales of
$93,121.25.
Mr. Adams, in releasing his final
report again expresses thanks to
the people for their fine co-opera
tion in making this record pos
sible.
DOUGHERTY NEW
BANK PRESIDENT
Local Educator Named to Head
Northwestern Bank Chain at
Meeting Tuesday
Dr. B. B. Dougherty, president of
Appalachian State Teachers College,
and for many years a prominent fig
ure in business and banking circles
in the area, was unanimously elect
ed to the presidency of the North
western system of banks, at a meet
ing of the directors held at the home
offices in North Wilkesboro Tues
day.
Congressman R. L. Doughton and
N. B. Smithey had been most fre
quently mentioned for the post, for
merly held by the late R. A. Dough
ton, and each had formidable sup
port. However, when the name of
Dr. Dougherty was mentioned there
was spontaneous approval from the
board.
Dr. Dougherty was formerly the
president of the Watauga County
Bank in Boone, and had been identi
fied with that institution since its
founding. He had since been a
member of the board of directors of
the Northwestern chain.
At the stockholders' meeting, it
is revealed, practically no changes
were made in the membership of the
board of directors.
Takes Position In
Local But Terminal
James F. Hedgecock. Jr., of Win
ston - Salem, recently discharged
from the army, has come to Boone,
and is learning the motor transpor
tation business at the local bus ter
minal. He will assist Mr. H. W.
Wilcox, bus terminal manager.
Hedgecock was recently discharg
ed from the army air forces after
two years service as a sergeant. He
spent eight months with the Eighth
air force in Europe and was shot
down over Germany Nov. 30, 1944.
He was a prisoner of war for six
months and was liberated by a unit
of a tank division on May 2, IMS.
MARCH OF DIMES
CAMPAIGN STARTS
HERE ON MONDAY
? ' fv
Effort Being Made to Raise $2,
250 for Fight on Mio; War
Fund Solicitors Being Asked
to Aid; Two Dances Will Be
Held
Pat McGuire, chairman of the
Watauga chapter, National Founda
tion for Infantile Paralysis, in an
nouncing the openihg of the 1946
March of Dimes for the fight on
polio, says that Howard Cotttell Will
be chairman of the effort which
gets under way January 14 and con
tinues to January 31. Mr. McGuire
asks that the people support Mr. Cot
trell in the campaign in every pos
sible way.
It is the purpose of the committee
to raise $2,250 this year, and mem
bers of the county war fund organi
zation are being sent letters asking
their aid in solicitation, and various
churches of the county will be so
licited to take collections for the
war against the dreaded disease.
Watauga county still has one pa
tient in Charlotte Memorial Hos
pital, who contracted polio in the
epidemic of 1944, Barbara Miller,
five, of Stony Fork township, who
is being supportdB by the local chap
ter with aid from the national foun
dation. The child's hospitalization
is costing eight dollars a day, but it
appears fairly certin that as a result
of the foundation's work, the child
will walk again.
In 1944 Watauga had 12 cases hos
pitalized at a cost of $14,278.14,
many times the amount Watauga has
ever contributed to the campaign,
and in addition to this $1,500 has
been borrowed by the local chapter
from the National Foundation for
the benefit of the patient who is
yet in the hospital. The need is
thus great for full support of the
campaign to help our own children <
right here at home.
Dances Arranged
Two dances will be held ;n con
nection with the campaign, under
(Continued on page eight)
TAX COLLECTIONS
UNUSUALLY HIGH
County Auditor Reports Splendid
Collections of Taxes For
j Past Yaar
County Auditor Paul A. Coffey
believes that something near a rec
ord has been established by the
county tax collector in the receipt
of taxes for the year 1945, and states
that of that levy there has been
payments made in the amount of
$61,614.72, which is considerably
more than half of the entire levy
for the year.
Collections have been particularly
brisk since the opening of the tobac
co market, it is stated, and would
have undoubtedly been even larger,
but for the bad weather which has
so often precluded traffic into the
county seat from certain rural sec
tions.
It is being pointed out by the tax
collector today that the penalty on
1945 taxes goes into effect February
1, and an appeal is being made to
those who haven't made payments to
I avoid the extra cost which will be
added the first of the month.
T.L MAST NOW ON
EDUCATION BOARD
LotIII Man Succ*eds J. B. Horton
on Board of Education; Perry
Named Chairman
T. L. Mast, of Lovill, pioneer in
the long struggle for better public
schools in the mountains, was sworn
in as a member of the Watauga coun
ty board of education Monday, to fill
the vacancy caused by the resigna^
tion of J. B. Horton, who relinquish
ed his position after his decision to
move to Maryland.
The new member of the board has
been a member of the local school
committee in Brushy Fork and Cove
Creek districts continuously for
more than thirty years, and has de
voted much effort to the develop
ment of the rural educational system
of the county.
Mr. Clyde Perry, the oldest mem
ber of the board In years of service,
was unanimously chosen chairman,
at the organization meeting Monday.
ALBERT VJUmmia ha* been
discharged from the marine corps
and is now with his family in Boone.
He was reassigned to the custodial
force at the Boone postofflce as of
January 1. Mr. Farthing returned
from Guam whet* he hM served for
about a year.