The FraiilMfh Times
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday ~ 1 ? v ' *"
Serving All Of Franklin County
Telephone Oy 6-3283
Ten Cents
Louisburg, N.C., Tuesday. August 12, 1969
(Eight Pages today)
100th Year - Number 61
Ambulance Service Deal
Eighteen Months Later: How Is It Working?
By Clint Fuller
Times Managing Editor
In November, 1967, the Franklin
County Board of Commissioners were
informed by a Henderson attorney
that funeral homes in the area-includ
ing Franklin County- would not con
tinue to provide ambulance service
after December 31 that year.
After a series of meeting of the
Board, including one public meeting
and private committee meetings, it was
announced on January 25, 1968 that
an agreement had been reached be
tween the County and Bryant Best,
local businessman on the operation of
a public-private type of ambulance
business.
The agreement called for the
County to subsidize the Best operation
$1250 per month through June 30,
1968. Best was to supply the equip
ment and the County was to furnish
quarters. The agreement was under
stood to be that Best operate one
ambulance. He said at the time that he
"would try it through June 30."
Eighteen months later, a look at the
operation shows that the 1968 deal
was apparently a good one for all
concerned.
The service, as far as can be deter
mined, is good and apparently satisfac
tory to t|)i? people. Since the start of
formal operations on February 18,
1968, the service has answered 604
calls, 328 in 1968 and 276 thus far
this year.
Best has added a second vehicle to
his service and has a working agree
ment with the Louitburg Rescue Ser
vice, of which he is a member. He calls
it a "backup" and explains that when
both his vehicles are out, the Rescue
Service handles any emergency calls.
He adds that he has also responded to
calls when the Rescue vehicles had
more than they could handle. He says
there are no charges exchanged be
tween his business and the ReKiie
Service.
Best employed a full-time man for a
while and says that qualified personnel
are hard to find. He relies on part time
assistance from several local friends.
The two mentioned by Best are Re
scue Chief David Minnich and Rescue
member Tommle Collie. Theae two
and some others take calls when Best
is out and often make the ambulance
trips especially when Best is on call
with the second vehicle. These people
received a small fee (or their time.
Both Minnich and Collie as well as the
others are qualified in first aid and
meet the state requirements as ambu
lance drivers.
A telephone hookup alerts Best at
his office or home and also alerts
Minnich and Collie.
Best estimates the two vehicles have
traveled about 35,000 miles since the
start of his operation. He says codec
? tions have been reasonably good al
though he still has a considerable
amount of uncollected accounts. Since
the start 18 months ago, he says he has
taken in $9,277.00 from patients and
has $2,793.00 uncollected at preaent.
All of this is however, not loat debts.
Current accounts are also included.
He speaks of the expense of the
operation. Particularly vehicle pay
ments and upkeep and insurance are
major items, he says.
Some of the calls, Best says, could
be handled by private automobile and
he mentions some calls out of town
when through a mlxup, a patient
might not be able to leave the hospital.
He shies away from talking about the
nine babies that have been delivered
on his ambulance while the mother
was en route to a hospital.
Generally, Best takes It all philoso
phically. The middle-of-the-night calls;
the trips which could have been hand
led without an ambulance; the long
waiting always prevalent at hospitals
and the pay-you-Saturday crowd, tall
into a day's work.
The County Commissioners In the
1968-69 budget upped the Ambulance
Sendee appropriations to $16,000 a
year --$1,000 increase over the original
appropriation. In the new budget ap
proved last month, the Service receives
the same subsidy.
Since 1968, the Service has made
202 trips to Durham, 96 to Raleigh,
204 in the county, 59 in town and 43
others. The Service fees are given at
$25 for a trip to Durham; $20 to
Raleigh; $15 in the county and $10 in
town. Extra is charged when oxygen is
required.
The Franklin Ambulance Service is
a going business and as far as can be
determined represents a satisfactory
arrangement between the County and
private business. Best, like most bus
inessmen, pleads hard times. The tax
payer, whose money is subsidizing the
operation, thinks his taxes are too
high. However, the public hiust have
some type of ambulance service and
here in Franklin County the marriage
of public funds and private enterprise
seems to be working in the public
interest.
Hosiery Workers Vote Out TIIWA
Employees of the Durham Hosiery
Company plant at Franklinton voted
57 to 32 against the Textile Workers
Union of America in elections held at
the plant last Thursday. The vote
means the removal of the TWUA as
representative of Durham Hosiery
workers.
The Union had contended that its
contract while the plant was located in
Durham continued to be valid when
the plant moved to Franklinton. The
company challenged this claim and
asked the National Labor Relations
Board to call or an election.
Following hearings and confer
ences, the election wm? ordered by the
NLRB (or lut Thursday.
According to reliable reports, Dur
ham Hosiery wax the last hosiery
operation In the state unionized. With
the defeat of the TWUA, the hosiery
industry in North Carolina Is void of
any unions, according to the report.
There were five challenged votes in
Thursday's elections but under the
NLRB rules since they could not
effect the outcome of the election,
they were discarded. One daim was
reported that the Union imported for
mer Company employees from Dur
ham to vote in the elections. These
were apparently the votes challenged
by the company.
It is anticipated that the TWUA will
file unfair labor practices charges a
gainst the Company asking that the
elections be set aside. A spokesman
said this is usually routine ' in such
matters. \
An October 1967 election helckhere
at the Sportswear plant is still bting
challenged in the courts and to W
N1.RB by the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers of America. The Union was
defeated in that election 121-39.
Bunn Couple Gets Appollo 11 Letter
Shown at left to ? special cancelled
envelop from the USS Hornet, the
Apollo 11 recovery ship. The letter
addressed to Mr. and Mrt N. J. VoB
mer of Rt. 4, Loutoburg, was sent by
their son-in-law, LCDR Paul D. Rae,
USN of the Communications Depart
ment aboard the Hornet. Rae is marri
ed to the former Helen VoDmer of
Bunn and they live in Lot Alamitos,
* California while he tar vet on the carri
er.
tlae wrote the Vollmen "We are on
our way back after a busy and exciting
day on the 24th of July". He laid the
Aatronauti were then on board the
Hornet and that "We are now in the
ptoceaa of defuelinf the Capeule and
preparing to off-land the quarantine
tacUltte* from the ihip In Pearl Har
bor."
He also noted that he has few
mementos that may have some histori
cal significance" which, he said he will
send to Bunn when he gets back to
Long Beach, California. He added that
only 250,000 envelopes such as the
one shown here, were sent and that
this one "Comes straight from the
Hornet."
APOLLO
MANNED
LUNAR
LANDING
-11
AS ,
506
U. S. NAVY
RECOVERY
FORCE
PACIFIC
U.?)wu.
All MAIL
Four Injured * - None Seriously
Accidents, Incidents: An Unusual Weekend
A 24-year-old man was struck by a
car on NC-&61 without serious injury;
a car almost demolished a service
station-grocery store and was driven
away; a couple of excaped convicts
were given a ride by local police and a
man, carrying ? snake in hit hand, had
trouble getting treatment here over the
weekend. Things were, one might say,
about usual here.
Last Thursday afternoon shortly
after 2:30 P.M. a two-car collision at
the intersection of NC-&6 and State
Rural sent four persons to the local
hospital but none were believed se
riously Injured.
The accident reportedly occurred
when a car carrying four Negroes
entered NC-56 near Duke's Garage and
struck a car being driven by Cornelius
D. Wilson, w/m/60. Duke suffered leg
injuries. Three occupants of the sec
ond car, identified as lona A. Wright,
c/f/37; Walter Wright, c/m/37 and
Floyd Rodwell, c/m/15, were treated
for bruises and cuts. The Louisburg
Rescue Service transported the injured
to Franklin Memorial Hospital.
Saturday night around 9:30 P.M.
????????? 1/ ; . U .. Unit
n i i u jr ii u i v (
I w I m I 24 , was
itruck by ? car
driven by Grant
Loftin, Rt. 3,
Louisburg man.
Holt reportedly
stepped into the
path of the Loftin
vehicle near High
land Memory Gar
den cemetery
'about five miles
nuL- 1 east of Loulsburg.
Holt was taken by the Louisburg
Rescue Service to the local hospital
where he was admitted although his
Injuries were not believed serious. He
has been charged by Trooper C. G.
Todd with failing to yield the right of
way. Todd ruled the accident unavoid
able.
Saturday afternoon, a car reported
ly driven by Dorothy Walker, c/f, ran
off NC-661 and almost through the
561 Sinclair Station. The building was
heavily damaged and the Rt. 2, Louis
burg woman was charged with careless
and reckless driving and driving under
the influence. A pasaenger, identified
as Palmer Yarborough, owner of the
car escaped injury. The vehicle was
slightly damaged and was driven away
from the scene.
Last Friday a car, the owner of
which was not identified, jumped the
Main Street curbing and rammed Into
Pleasants Drug store but no major
damage was done.
About 12:30 A.M. Monday Louie
burg police officers Lewis Evans and
Larry Gilliam picked up two young
convicts on Blckett Blvd. The duo
reportedly escaped from a Vance
County prison unit sometimes Sunday.
The pair were unidentified.
Monday a man Identified only aa
Eugene Wankk-k showed up at the
emergency room at Franklin Memorial
Hospital seeking treatment for a snake
bite. When it was found that he had
the snake in his hand, treatment was
postponed. Wardrick reportedly said
he brought the reptile along since he
was once bitten by a spider and could
not be treated because he threw the
spider away. An attempt to gain atten
tion at a local doctor's office hit the
same snag. Nobody, it seemed wanted
to treat a snake bite while the snake
was still around.
The man reportedly ended up on
Main Street and drew attention of the
local police Still without treatment,
he was seen at the bus station ap
parently headed out of town. A late
report says that he was finally treated
at the local hospital but only after
discarding the snake.
This morning around 3 A.M. a car
belonging to Mrs. Helen Johnson, a
local legal secretary who lives in the
Riley Community caught fire at her
home
Louisburg May Participate
In Electric Cities Project
Town of Louisburg officials indica
ted this week that they will probably
take a wait and see attitude on the
billion dollar proposal disclosed last
week which would build electric pow
er plants for municipally owned elec
tric services.
The proposal, expected to spark a
real controversy between the electric
co-ops, the private companies and the
city owned service*, came out of a
meeting in Southern Pines. The meet
ing of Electric Cities, an organization
of some 70 North Carolina cities and
36 rural electric co-ops, heard the
results of a one-year study and propos
als to build three power generating
plants in the state for use of the co-opt
and the cities.
Louisburg Mayor V. A. Peoples said
Monday that he is awaiting informa
tion on the proposals. He aid Louis
burg has participated in meetlnp of
the organization in recent years. Town
Administrator E. S. Ford said he ex
pects to get additional information on
the proposals. He says Louisburg,
while not contributing financially to
the organization, does receive the
group's mailings.
The Electric Cities organization la
apparently an off-shoot of the old
MOES (Municipal Owned Electric
Systems) which met first, according to
Ford in 1965 to protect the municipa
lities interest in the territory dispute
between the coops and the private
companies. Louisburg was represented
at this meeting held in Greensboro.
The group met in 1968 in Fayette
ville to prepare for a battle with
Carolina Power and Light Company
which never materialized. At the time,
CP & L had expressed intentions of
passing the ten percent surtax on to its
customers. Ford and Peoples say that
this latest proposal was not discussed
at the Fayettevtlle meeting.
During the time Louisburg partici
pated fonancially in the organization,
the fee was 25 cents per meter, accord
ing to Ford.
The proposal, which must be appro
ved by the cities and the co-ops, would
build three power generating plants In
the state in three different locations.
One would take care of the western
section as far east as High Point. The
second would serve ml are* which
would Include central cities such as
Fayetteville, SmlthfMd, Rocky Mount
and Louisburg. The third would cover
the eastern part of the state from
Enfield to the coast.
It was disclosed by the study that a
savings of $100 million could be realiz
ed by the cities and co-ops between
1975 and 1985. The area the new
power plants would serve includes two
million people and has been dubbed
EPIC.
The cost, according to report*,
would not require expenditures by any
of the cities or co-ops involved. Organ
ization President, J. Garner Bagnal of
Statesville said all of the money would
come by revenue bonds issued simul
taneously by the cities and market
loans by the cooperatives. The bonds
would be secured by contracts from the
cities to purchase power from the
organization.
Mayor Peoples indicated that Louis
burg will definitely be interested in the
venture if the action will lower rates as.
has been predicted.
\ County Fair Dates Set
George T. (Jolly) Bunn, manager of
the Franklin County Fair announced
today that this year's fair will be
staged September 29 through October
4.
He reported that work is now un
derway readying the fairgrounds and
building on East River Road for the
annual event.
Bunn also urged all intended In
exhibits to call 496-3292 as sooo as
possible.
Premium catalogs are being prepar
ed for distribution as usual and Bunn
says this year's fair is expected to be
the best seen here in years.
Benson: More Road Work,
More Money For Franklin
Franklin County Is slated for mora road work and mora road fundi according to
Clifton L. Benson, Vice Chairman of the State Highway OommWon and
Commissioner for ^he four county group of Wake, Durham, Oranga and Franklin.
Benson, a Raleigh businessman was quoted in today's News and Obaarver la an
article by Rod Cockshutt as being "Concerned about the long drought that the
people in Franklin County have experienced. I think thinp will (tart duping up tor
them now."
Benson, who was Vice Chairman of the Commission under former Governor
Tarry Sanford, said in the article that the uncompleted Raleigh Bettllne la a "ajajor
priority project" and he emphasized that the propoaad Ft ra larch Triangle
Expressway Is another.
At the same time, the Cockahutt article reports that "more road work and mora
money for Franklin County" la a priority project In Benaon'a district.
The Franklin Times, in a series of front page editorials and pictures In X9M,
publicized the need for road improvements in Franklin County. The series brought
some action by Dan Moore administration and Fifth Division Commissioner J. B.
Brame of Durham but only part of the promised Improvements have been mode.
It's been reliably reported that Beqaon Is Interested In Improvements to NC-M
east of Louisburg to the Nash line; improvements to NC-66 wait of Louisburg to
Franklinton and the already announced project of NC-J0, US-401 project from
Louisburg to the Vance County line. Bids have bean awarded far leeuitoclag
NC-66 1 from Centerville to Louisburg, however, work has not begun on the
project