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PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL
INDEPENDENT
VOL. LI I, NO. 16
FRANKLIN, N. C THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1937
$130 PER YEAR
r ii tin vv i ii k
TRADE BOARD
ORGANIZATION
Membership Campaign Is
Being Conducted
This Week
At a meeting Tuesday night of
the directors recently chosen to
organize a chamber of commerce,
John Archer was elected chair
man and Ri V. Miles, Jr., vice
chairman. T. W. Angel, : Jr., was
elected treasurer.
The board of directors is com
posed of the following : John Arch
er, R. V. Miles, Jr., A. R. Higdon,
Miss Lassie Kelly, John Cunning
ham, J. E. Perry, and T. W. Angel,
Jr. "
A committee, consisting of J. E.
Perry, Miss Lassie Kelly and A. R.
Higdon, was appointed to investi
gate the matter of securing a sal
aried secretary. . ' ' . ' .
A membership campaign is being
conducted this week and it is ex
pected that at least 100 pledges
can be secured and reported to the
meeting of directors next Wednes
day night.
It is planned to call a meeting of
the entire body at an early date,
at which time a president will be
chosen and a complete program
announced. Also it is thought that
some well known speaker who is
familiar with chamber of commerce
work will be invited to address the
meeting.
Rotarians
Elect New Officers and
Directors
The annual election of officers
took place at the regular weekly
meeting of the Frankuil Rotary
club on Wednesday. Those elected
will take their respective offices
for the new year .beginning July 1.
Officers are as follows : George
J. Johnston, president; Guy L.
Houk, vice-president ; Lester Hend
erson, secretary and treasurer;
John Archer, R. V. Miles, Jr., A.
B. Slagle, and Sam Mendenhall,
board of directors,
Wednesday evening, April 28, at
8 o'clock, the wives and sweethearts
of the Rotarians will be special
guests for their annual ladies'
night.
Several Rotarians, together with
their wives, are planning to attend
the annual district conference to
be held this year in Columbia, S.
C. ,- on May 2, 3 and 4.
At the district conference, the
Franklin club will present Guy L.
Houk as a candidate for district
governor, nominee of the 58th dis
trict of Rotary International.. Mr.
Houk has been a member of the
Franklin Rotary club since 1928.
He has twice been president and
has taken a prominent place among
the leaders,, of Rotary, in the 58th
district.
Franklin
Proline Market
(Prices listed below are subject
to change without notice.)
Quoted by Farmers Federation, Inc.
Chickens, heavy breed, hens 13c
Chickens, light weight, lb. . . 9c A
Eggs, doz. ................. 17c
Corn, bu. ................ .. .$1.20
Wheat, bu. .$1.25
Potatoes, No. 1, bu. . . . .. . . .$1.35
Field peas, bu. .$1.65
Crowder peas, bu. . ...... ,..$2.00
Yellow Mammoth Soy
Beans, bu. $1.65
Lorida Beans, bu. ........ $2.60
Onions, bu, ............... .$1.00
Walnuts, per 100 lbs..l .$1.20
Quoted by Nantahala Creamery
Butterfat, lb. ............... 30c
Pageant
At Methodist Church
Next Sunday Night
On Sunday night, April 25, 1937,
at 8 o'clock there will be present
ed in the auditorium of the Meth
odist church of Franklin a radio
broadcast of the pageant "Metho
dism Marches On."
This service will be in commemo
ration of the 89th anniversary of
the sailing on April 24, 1848, of the
first Southern Methodist mission
aries for China. The pageant will
depict the incidents connected with
the sailing of these missionaries,
the founding of the mission, and
some of its subsequent achieve
ments. The broadcast will be given by
local talent over an amplifying sys
tem temporarily installed in the
church for this purpose. Appro
priate music will be sung by the
choir during " the presentation of
the broadcast.
The public is cordially invited to
attend. . !
Superintendents
Of Roads from 7 Forests
Meet Here
Road Superintendents from seven
national forests of the southern
region are meeting at the head
quarters of the Nantahala national
forest this week.
Various problems in mountain
truck trail construction will be dis
cussed during the week's , confer
ence. Actual study of the various
road projects in the Nantahala is
also included. v v f, 4
" The Regional' office at Atlanta,
Ga., is represented by R. E. Pid
geon, R. J. Reibold, H. W. Rainey,
W. M. Gordon, R. Black. The va
rious national forests are represent
ed as follows : Pisgah, A. R.. Kin
ney ; Cherokee, Grady Siler, . Jr. ;
Nantahala, H. Dunbar; Sumter, L.
Vernon; Chattahoochee, B. Wit
lock; Ouachita, C. F. Mussey; Oz
ark, A. Sellers.
Injunction Sought Against
Appointment of Delinquent
Tax Collector for County
Judge F. Donald Phillips signed
an order in Macon county Super
ior court Tuesday directing the
Macon county board of commis
sioners to appear before him in
Hayesville Tuesday to show cause
why a restraining order should not
be granted enjoining them from! ap
pointing a delinquent tax collector,
as provided in a bill enacted at the
recent session of the general as
sembly. : 1
The injunction was sought in a
complaint filed in behalf of 35 tax
payers and residents of Macon
county. It sets forth claims that
the delinquent tax collection bill,
enactment of which was sponsored
by Representative R. A. Pattori, is
unconstitutional on four points:
1. That "taxes on property shall
be uniform as to each class of
property taxed." ,
2. That "no man, or set of men,
are entitled to exclusive or special
emoluments or privileges from the
community but in consideration of
public services."
3. That the law violates a section
of the North Carolina constitution
regulating the power of the gener
al , assembly to enact private or
special legislation. ...
4. That it is discriminatory.
The Pattori bill authorizes arid di
rects the county commissioners at
their regular meeting in May to
appoint a delinquent tax collector
at a salary not to exceed $200 per
month. He would be charged with
the collection of delinquent taxes
for the years 1927 through 1934
and empowered to settle tax delin-
(Cootimud on Paft Eifht)
SCHOOLS CLOSE
FRIDAY. NIGHT
Large Class to Graduate;
Operetta to be Given
Tonight
The closing exercises, of the
Franklin schools began Wednesday
night with the baccalaureate ser
mon by Rev. J. A. Flanagan, pastor
of . the Franklin Presbyterian
church, which was delivered in the
Methodist church. Thursday (to
day) at 8 p. m., pupils of the ele
mentary grades will present an op
eretta, "The Flowers of the Na
tions," in the high school auditor
ium. The graduating exercises will be
held Friday evening in the school
auditorium, when the following
young men and young ladies are
to receive their diplomas :
Girls Grace Baird, Leeida Be
shears, Alice Bennett, Opal Breed
love, Ruby Calloway, Kate Cox,
Marie Crisp, Eleanor Dalton, Hel
en Daves, Cassie Dills, Alice Dean,
Dorothy Daves, Ethel Hamby, Hel
en Henson, Mary Bess Higdon,
Ruth Higgins, Mae Hurst, Mildred
Houston, Helen Justice, Hazel
Keener, Josephine Martin, Pauline
Meadows, Jean Moore, Katherine
Ray, Jean Smith, Kate Stiles", Eliz
abeth Stockton, Eugenia Teem,
Elizabeth Vinson Katherine Vin
son, Mary Louise Wurst
Boys Billy Blaine, Clinton
Brookshire, Bill Conley, John
Crawford, , . Frank Dean, -Mil ton
Fouts, Frank Higdon, Jr., Carter
Hurst, Norton Justice, Herrell Led
ford, Boone Leach, J, B. Lenoir,
Jr., Thomas McConnell, Harold
Morgan, Charles Palmer, John Lyle
Palmer, Billy Parrish, Dennis Pen
land, Willard Pendergrass, Jimmy
Perry, Bill McCoy, Lloyd Sanders,
Joe Shope, Siler Slagle, Billy Smart,
W. R. Shope, Charles Slagle,
Dwight Wilson, Edwin Young.,
GOLF CLUB TO
OPENSUNDAY
Golf Course and Tennis
Courts Have Been
Improved
Major J. F. Carmack has been
working overtime since his arrival
in Franklin three weeks ago to
get everything in tip top shape for
the spring opening. .
He has had a large crew of
workmen going - over the tgolf
course, cutting the- rough! oiling
the greens, repairing, fertilizing
and sewing grass seed on the fair
ways. . "y, '; ;.
All benches, yardage markers 'and
signs have been repainted, new
flags and poles purchased arid put
up on the greens and a ball wash
er installed. . ' '".
Carpenters, are enlarging' and re
modeling the caddy house and a
(Continued on Page Eight)
Ladies of St. Agnes to '
Hold Rummage Sale
A rummage sale by the ladies of
St. 'Agnes' church, will be held
Saturday, April 24, and again Sat
urday, May 1, in the Munday
store room building recently oc
cupied by C. T. Blaine.
A large' assortment of useful
articles of clothing and for house
hold use will be on tale.
Plan Proposed for
Refunding Bonded
Debt of County
Full Text of Agreement As Approved By State Local
Government Commission and by a Majority
Of the Bondholders
Following will be found complete details in regard to the bonded in
debtedness of Macon county and the proposed plan for refunding the
indebtedness as agreed to by the county commissioners and more than
50 per cent of the bondholders. The plan has also been approved by
the local government commission of North Carolina ;
Macon county is at present in default on part of its principal and
interest which matured in 1932 and subsequent thereto, and it has been
impossible for the county to remove the default out of current revenues
and at the same time carry on the necessary functions of government.
Macon county is located in the western part of the state, it has no
large towns (the largest being Franklin with a population of 1,094) and
has little manufacturing. Most of the county's population is dependent
either directly or indirectly on agriculture for support. During recent
years the federal government has purchased approximately 34 of the
acreage of the county as part of its forest area and it is estimated that
this percentage will soon reach 50 per cent as the federal government
has many more acres under option to purchase. The population of
Macon county according to the 1930 census was 13,672. About one-sixth
of the county's total population lives either in Franklin, the county
seat, or in other very small towns in the county. Lumber manufactur
ing in the county, formerly a substantial industry has been materially
curtailed as 'most of the virgin timber has already been cut. This has
resulted in a considerable loss of revenue to the county.
The indebtedness of the county as of January 1, 1937, is as follows:
County Wide District Total
Unmatured Principal ........ .$740,000.00 $81,000.00 $821,000.00
Principal in default 75,000.00 75,000.00
Notes due State of North Caro- .
hna School Building Fund .. 10,800.00
Past due interest coupons and
accrued int. due Jan. 1, 1937 131,222.44
Total ...$957,022.44 $92,000.00 $1,049,022.44
The property valuation, tax rate, tax levies and the collections for the
past three years are shown in the following statement:
Fiscal Property Tax Taxes Collections for
Year f Valuation Rate Levied Past 3 Years
1936-37 $5,526,209.00 $1.05 $68,939.54 $22,65421
1935-36 5,678,767.00 1.00 67,584.39 55 778 12
1934-35 .............. 5.629,764.00 1.00. 66,848.99 59,692.80
The county has on deposit impounded, under order of the United
States District Court more than $70,000.00 available for debt service
purposes of the county and Franklin township. The county also has a
contract with the state ' highway and public ' works i commission of
North Carolina under which the county will receive in semi-annual
installments over a period ending May 1, 1943, the sum of $143,167.50.
This amount under said contract is applicable exclusively to the debt
service of Macon county.
PrtopMed Plan
Macon county presents the fol
lowing plan for the readjustment of
its indebtedness and that of
Franklin township in that county.
New refunding bonds of the coun
ty will be issued and exchanged,
par for par, for the principal of
all bonds constituting county wide
obligations, now outstanding, includ
ing those reduced to judgment.
New refunding bonds of Frank
lin township will be issued and ex
changed, par for par, for the prin
cipal of all bonds of Franklin
township now outstanding.
All interest claims accruing r
payable on or (before January 1,
1937, whether or not represented
by judgments, will be reduced to
50 per cent of their par value and
paid in cash - when the outstanding
bonds are deposited for exchange.
The bonds to be issued under
this proposal will be dated Janu
ary 1, 1937, will mature January 1,
1967 and will bear interest payable
semi-annually on January 1 and
July 1 at the rate of 4 per
annum.
In order to preserve the identity
of the bonds to be refunded there
will be three issues of refunding
bonds of Macon county and one of
Franklin township of he following
amounts and designations :
Designation Amount
Macon County Refunding
School Bonds . . . . . . . $86,500.00
Macon County .Refunding
School & Road Bonds.. 93,000.00
Macon County Refunding
Road & Bridge Bonds.. 635,000.00
Franklin Toynship Re
funding Road Bonds .. 81,000.00
Said bonds will be redeemable at
par and accrued interest on any in
10,800.00
142,222.44
11,000.00
vest, payment date, prior to ma
turity, in whole or in part, at the
option of the maker upon 30 days
published notice. All new county
bonds will constitute general obli
gations of the county and the full
faith, credit, . and taxing power
thereof will be pledged to their
payment.
The township bonds will consti
tute general obligations of Frank
lin township, and the full faith and
credit thereof, and the, taxing pow
er applicable thereto will be pledg
ed to the payment of the bonds.
The refunding bonds will be
coupon bonds of , the same denomi
nations as the bonds to be refund
ed, registerable at the option of
the owner as to principal only.
The principal of and interest on
the new bonds will be payable in
lawful money of the United States
of America. All payments will be
made in the City of New York.
If less than all of the three is
sues of new county bonds shall be
called for redemption at any time,
or if less than all of the Franklin
township issue shall be so called,
the bonds called shall be chosen by
lot by the Interest and Sinking
Fund Depositary hereinafter refer
red to.
The approving legal opinion of a
recognized bond attorney will ac
company the new bonds on deliv
ery. Local laws permitting the ac
ceptance of bonds and Coupons on
taxes, have been repealed so that
the county will be on a cash basis.
In order to service the debt rep
resented by the county bonds to be
issued under this plan, the county
agrees to levy in each fiscal year
so long as any of said bonds" re
(Continutd on Pag Two)