AWARD WINNER
In last 3 years Democrat has won
14 State Press Assn, awards. Eight
of them are first place awards.
watauga democrat
An Independent Weekly Newspaper
BOONE WEATHER
. . “SL ?' SmPnr •*!
July 28 81 60 .02
July 24 80 56
July 25 82 62
July 26 79 66
July 27 75 63 .05
July 28 78 65 .03
July 29 78 60 M
2882288?
Over Twice National Percentage Increase
1967 Spendable Income In Watauga County $31,761,000
(Special to the Democrat)
New York, July27—Business
activity in Watauga County was
in relatively high gear during
the past year, according to
a national economic report, just
released.
It shows that it was due
chiefly to heavy spending on the
part of local consumers, who
had more money at their com
mand than in other years.
The extent of this spending
and its effect on retail business
in the area are revealed in the
report, called the “Survey of
Buying Power,” which was com
piled and copyrighted by Sales
Management. It presents data
on income and spending for
communities throughout the
country.
Net earnings in Watauga
County were high during the
year, it shows. After allowances
for personal taxes, local resi
dents had a net spendable in
come of $31,761,000, compared
with their 1066 total of $27,840,
000.
Just how much this amounted
to, in terms of the individual
family, was determined by
dividing the overall income by
the number of local households.
The average was $6,482, a gain
over the prior year’s $5,800
per household.
The increase, 11.6 percent,
was larger than in the United
States as a whole, 5.6 percent.
The State of North Carolina
rise was 7.7 percent.
How did local residents use
their bigger income?They spent
more for clothing, food and other
soft goods. They were more lib
eral, also, in their expendi
tures for personal care, ser
vices and entertainment. There
was more restraint, on the other
hand, with respect to purchases
of hard goods.
However, retail merchants
as a whole ended the year on
a high note. They chalked up
a sales volume of more than
$23,580,000, topping the pre
vious year’s $22,712,000.
The survey gives each com
munity a performance rating
based upon the amount of retail
business done in its area as
compared with its estimated full
capacity.
This is done through a “buying
power index,” a weighted figure
involving income, populationand
sales.
Watauga County’s index rating
is .007, which means that it
is believed capable of producing
that percentage of the nation’s
retail business.
Since more than that was ac
counted for last year, .0076
percent, it is concluded that
a sizeable amount of the local
spending is due to shopping
by non-residents.
Algae In Water System
Are Cause Of Trouble
Boone's bitter-water problem has been solved on
advice from State Engineers.
Jack Austin, town streets and water supervisor, says
the wide range of odors and tastes attributed to the
water by citizens was traced to “pond scum” or algae.
The acquatic plants were stirred up and made their
way into the pipes after the turnover of the reservoir
above Winkler’s Creek.
Prior to receiving an official explanation, Austin
had suggested the lake “turn over”, which mixes clear
water with the heavy lake bottom water, as part and
parcel of the mystery.
Engineers confirmed his opinion, saying that as the
general density of the water increased, the algae came
up from the bottom of the lake and got into the water
system. Normally, Austin said, it happens early in the
spring or in late fall, but a driving rain on Friday, July
19 prompted the out-of-season occurrence.
Mayor Clyde R. Greene had taken a water sample
to Raleigh Monday of last week. After engineers’analysis
of the sample, Austin treated the reservoir with copper
sulphate to kill the objectionable scum.
Austin said the same thing happened in Blowing Rock
two or three weeks ago, but being familiar with the
situation, officials there were able to detect and treat
the algae before they could get into the system. The
explanation answered all questions about the appearance
of reddish and brownish particles in the water supply.
Among the smells described by citizens werecucum
. bers, watermelon rind, fish, Chlorox, sewerage, Texize
and dead animals. However, because of chlorination,
the water was safe for drinking at all times.
Ben Mast Named As
White House Writer
Ben Mast was recently ap
pointed as a White House do
cumentary script writer for
special historical programs
about the Executive Branch of
rmwi
BEN MAST
Government in Washington.
Mast has also been editorial
consultant for the Inter-Ameri
can Development Bank in Wash
ington, the principal internat
ional lending organization for
the Western Hemisphere and
the economic development bank
for the Alliance for Progress.
He is under contract by the
United States Information Ag
ency in Washington, for which
he supplies adaptations of well
known American social science
books for distribution overseas.
He contributes feature pro
grams about various aspects
of the United States to the Voice
of America.
Before returning to Washing
ton two years ago, Mast worked
with both NBC and ABC radio
and television news departments
In New York City. From 1962
to 1965 he was director of the
North Carolina Film Board in
Raleigh, which produced award
winning wotion pictures now
in use all over the world. In
1966 he was a research assis
tant for the Carnegie and Ford
Foundation’s political science
study of American State Gov
ernments at Duke University.
In earlier assignments, he
served as program producer
for the Voice of America in
Washington; as radio commen
tator for the United Nations in
New York; and news and public
affairs correspondent for the
Armed Forces Radio and Tele
vision Service both in New York
and in Europe. He was news
director for television station
WUNC-TV in Chapel Hill, N.C.,
and also worked at several other
radio and TV stations in North
Carolina while completing his
education. His first job was with
WATA in Boone.
Mast holds a B.S. from Ap
palachian State University, an
M. A. at the University of North
Carolina where he was a More
head Scholar, and has done
scholarship work for the Ph.D.
at Duke University and at Jo
hann Goethe University in
Frankfurt, Germany. He is a
member of Who’s Who in the
Southeastern United States, and
is a Lieutenant in the United
States Naval Reserve and was
recently appointed public af
fairs officer.
He is married to the former
Ingrid Anne-Marie Kugler. They
have two children, Christopher
and Dorothea, and reside in the
Georgetown area of Washir^ton.
RECORD CATCH—When Fred Gragg, Boone sportsman, re
turned to port from the Gulf Stream off Oregon Inlet at Nags
Head on last Thursday he was greeted by his wife Mrs. Gragg
and daughter Margaret who are shown with him alongside
the 549-pound blue marlin (largest taken off Oregon Inlet this
year) he had caught while fishing with Capt. Charles Midgett,
owner-skipper of the cruiser “Skipper/’ For angler Gragg it
was his first blue marlin. (Photo by Aycock Brown)
United Fund Group
To Hear Requests
The budget committee of the
Watauga United Fund will meet
Tuesday, Aug. 6, to consider
the requests of applicant agen
cies.
According to Jerry Moretz,
United Fund president, any a
gency wishing to receive funds
for next year is asked to have
a representative there to pre
sent a written budget and re
quest.
The meeting will begin at
3 pjm. in the Watauga Savings
& Loan Association's con
ferenee room and all committee
members are urged to be
present. On the basis of dis
cussions and recommendations
made at this time, a budget
will be prepared for review
by the board of directors of
the United Fund.
Moretz said this will be a
deadline meeting, as another
is not planned in case an a
gency is not there.
Chairman of the budget com
mittee is Dr. Robert Randall,
(continued on page two)
Says Exodus Of People From
Hill Country Is Now Checked
Archie King Davis, promi
nent Winston-Salem banker and
first president of the North
west North Carolina Develop
ment Association likes what he
sees in area development. He
said this in his address re
cently.
“The 11-county area needs
still more industry, he told
Northwest N. C. Development
Association directors. But it
must be more strategically lo
cated, instead of being con
centrated in a few centers.**
He said industrial expansion
in recent years had added some
34,000 jobs and helped to check
the outmigration from most area
counties.
“With the exception of For
syth,” Davis noted, “all North
west counties lost population
in the decade 1950 to 1960.
But in the seven yesrs after
that, the departure of local
people siowad, and counties be
sides Forsyth are now gain
ing."
Edwin Duncan, Sr., presi
dent of the Northwestern Bank,
also cited the slowdown on out
migration.
“We have about stopped the
outflow,“ he said, “andsogreat
Is the social unrest in crowded
cities that we are beginning to
receive inquiries from some of
our people wanting to know If
Jobs are available back home.”
Both Duncan and Davis re
viewed the tremendous gains In
the 11-county area since l»5d—
in agriculture and tourism as
well as Industry and business.
The meeting was presided
over by Floyd Pike, of Mouig
Airy, association president.
Hon. Pat Taylor Will Speak
477To Receive Degrees
At University Aug. 17
Honor Guest
Is Candidate
Lt. Governor
The Honorable Hoyt Patrick
Taylor Jr.t a candidate for
the office of Lieutenant Gover
nor of North Carolina on the
Democratic ticket, will be the
speaker at Appalachian State
University’s summer gradua
| tion exercises on Aug. 17.
A total of 477 students are
candidates for various degrees
which will be conferred at the
commencement program start
ing at 10 a.m. in Broome
Kirk Gym.
Taylor, of Wadesboro, served
in the state’s General Assembly
for several terms as the rep
resentative from Anson County.
He is a former Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
After attending McCallie
School in Chattanooga, Tcnn.,
he received his B.S. Degree
from the University of North
Carolina. He later earned the
LL.D. at the UNC Law School.
Taylor, who has been a prac
ticing attorney for some 20
years, is a member oftheCivi
tan Club, the American Legion,
the Junior Chamber of Com
merce, the Young Democrats,
Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Sigma
Pi, and Phi Delta Phi. He served
as a first lieutenant in the UJS.
Marine Corps.
He is the son of the late
H. P. Taylor, who was a lieu
tenant governor of North Caro
lina, and Mrs. Taylor. He is
married to the former Eliza
beth Lockhart.
Congressman
Broyhill To
Be Here Mon.
Congressman James T. Broy
hill, Republican candidate for
re-election in this Congression
al district, will be campaigning
in downtown Boone Monday, Aug.
5.
Local republican leader Estel
Wagner says Rep. Broyhill will
begin meeting the people about
9 that morning. His day of
activities will end at the Blow
ing Rock Rotary Club meeting,
where he will make an address
that evening.
The Congressman was elected
in the Ninth Congressional Dis
trict. Reapportionment has re
defined his campaign area into
the new Tenth District, with
both the former and the present
including Watauga County.
AT SANDBURG HOME CEREMONY—I^eft to right, Rufus L. Edmisten, representing Senator
Sam J. Ervin, Jr.; Congressman Roy A. Taylor, D., N. C.; Pattie Jordan, representing Senator
Evertt B. Jordan; Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall.
Edmisten Attends Ceremony
On Carl Sandburg Memorial
Rufus L. Edmisten, counsel
to North Carolina Senator Sam
J. Ervin, Jr.’s Subcommittee
on Constitutional Rights, rep
resented the Senator at a re
cent ceremony announcing the
establishment of the Carl Sand
burg Home National Historic
Site.
The ceremony, conducted in
the office of Secretary of the
Interior Stewart Udall, initiated
the Interior Department's ef
forts to establish a national
site at the Flat Rock, N. C.
home of the late Carl Sand
burg, one of the Nation’s
greatest poets. The bard’s
widow, Mrs. Sandburg, has
agreed to donate to the Federal
Government the mansion house
and Mr. Sandburg's personal
effects, which he accumulated
throughout his active life.
Eventually, the historic site
will be open to the public and
will be maintained in the same
condition as when Mr. Sand
burg lived there and produced
many of his famous works. The
ceremony was also attended by
Eleventh District Congressman
Roy Taylor, who is the Chair
man of the Subcommittee on
Parks and Recreation of the
House Interior and Insular Af
fairs Committee.
Currently, Senator Ervin is
urging Congress to authorize
an extension of the Blue Ridge
Parkway, beginning at Beech
Gap, North Carolina, and run
ning to a point within fifty
miles of Atlanta, Georgia.
Edmisten, a native of Boone,
has been active in aiding Sena
tor Ervin in obtaining legisla
tion designed to preserve park
lands in theState erf North Caro
lina, especially in the moun
Community Farm
Voting Sept. 6
M. L. Shepherd, chairman of
the Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation County Com
mittee, has designated the
boundaries of each community
within the county where elec
tions of ASC community com
mittees will be held Sept. 6.
The elections will be by mail
again this year.
Boundaries of the various
communities where elections
will be held appear on com
mittee-election posters which
are displayed at various public
locations throughout the county.
A listing of boundaries also is
available at the ASCS county
office.
The chairman reminded
farmers that the elections will
choose three committeemen and
two alternates for each com
munty. The chairman, vice
chairman and third regular
member of the elected ASC
committee will also serve as
delegates to the county conven
tion to be held soon thereafter
where farmers will be elected
to fill vacancies on the ASC
county committee. The alter
nate committeemen will serve
as alternate delegates to the
convention.
Farmers eligible to cast bal
lots in the community com
mittee election will be all those
who are eligible to participate
in one or more of the national
farm programs which the com
mitteemen help to administer
locally. The farmer may be an
owner, tenant or sharecropper.
Persons not of legal voting
age who are in charge of the
farming operations on an en
tire farm are also eligible to
vote in the elections. Eligi
bility to vote, or to hold office
as a committeeman, is not re
stricted by reason of sex, race,
color, religion or national ori
gin.
Major activities administered
(Continued on page twe)
Mrs. McGuire Gets
Second Board Term
Mrs. Ala McGuire at Benin
has been appointed by Governor
Moore to a second term on
the State Board of Cosmetic
Art Examiners.
Mrs. McGuire’s new term of
office will extend toJulylt 1971.