1940 Census
1940 Census
Population of
Macon County
15,880
Population of
Franklin ,'-
1,250
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
fNDEPENDEN T
VOL. LV1, NO. 10
FRANKLIN, N. C THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1941
$1.50 PER YEAR
FONTANA DAM
NOT TO BE BUILT
Power Co. Notifies Com.
Intention To Abandon
Project
The Nantahala Power and Light
company notified the Federal Pow
er Commission on Wednesday that
the Aluminum Company of Amer
ica subsidiary had abandoned its
intention to construct a $35,000,000
hydro-electric project at Fontana,
on the Little Tennessee river. The
notice was signed by J. E. S.
Thorpe, president.
In asking for its withdrawal of
declaration of intention to con
struct this development in Swain
and Graham counties, the com
pahy asked the commission to dis
continue the proceedings "without
prejudice."
The commission had scheduled
arguments to begin next Monday
on , the company's motion for a
re-hearing following 'a -.ruling, of
the commission concerning the
navigability of the stream which
would require a federal license, for
the construction.
. The Fontana hearing was ex
erted to revolve around a recent
ruling of the supreme court that
required a - license if the stream
could be made navigable within
"reasonable costs." ..'
The Fontana dam was proposed
as an addition to the Nantahala
and Glenville dams now under con
struction. The commission ruled
that these projects did not require
a federal license.
Random Poll
Reveals Almost 1.00 Pr. Ct.
For Aid To Britain
A random poll taken this week
of Macon citizens, verbally in
answer to the question, "Are you
in favor of the lend-lease bill?"
revealed that all who expressed a
positive conviction, one way or the
other, declared themselves in favor
of immediate aid to Britain.
Both men and women but a
large proportion of men repre
senting a variety of professions and
groups 'were questioned. Approxi
mately ten per cent of these said
they had not read or thought
enough about the subject to ex
press an opinion. One farmer said
he had been working too hard on
the farm to think about anything
.else. Several were vague about the
lend-lease bill itself, but wanted
to send prompt aid to Britain., One
favored immediate aid with a defi
nite amount stipulated. Among
those polled were doctors, mer
chants, lawyers, farmers, mechanics,
clerks, business men and, women
and housewives, Democrats' and Re-
As The World
A Brief Survey of Current
and Abroad.
WAR WEEK
Tension mounts on all fronts
today as:
A great Balkan war is 'expected
to break out any moment as Ger
inaiii 'iroops concentrate on Bulgar
ian Black Sea ports and Greek
frontiers, where 150,000 men are
collected: and more coming with
1700 aircraft photographing Greek
and Turkish frontiers.
Greeks reject mounting German
pressure for a separate peace with
ltlay, declaring she stands with
Britain as Foreign Secretary An
thony Eden leaves Athens.
Great Britain b teaks off rela
tions with Bulgaria.
Stalin moving to counter Hit
ler's move into Bulgaria. .
Weygand arrives, from Africa
to report to Petain in Vichy.
Tension mounts in far east as
French fail to reply to Japan's de
mand for French Indo China
Thailand peace conference.
Ethiopians route Italian garrison
of 20,000 near Addis Ababa in re
volt "spreading like wildfire."
British prepare for "the Battle
of the Atlantic," which Hitler is
about to launch with swarms of
the new "suicide submarines" to
break the backbone of Britain's
jea power and open way for knock
out invasion.
PANAMA BASES
Panama has given permission to
the U. S. to establish air bases
and air defense stations on Pana
ma territory to strengthen the bul
warks of the Panama Canal.
HITLER IN SOUTH AMERICA
Chairman Dies has reported that
the house committee on un-Ameri-
American Legion
To Send Home Paper To
Men In Service ,
The local past of the American
Legion has undertaken to see that
as many- as possible of the men
in military and naval service of
the United States receive news
from home .through their weekly
county newspaper.
The Franklin - Press and High
lands Maconian is cooperating with
members of the Legion in this
work by making a special rate-for
subscriptions 'to solders and sailors
of 90 cents a year. Beginning this
week, this rate will be allowed to
anyone sending the paper to a
boy in service.
In June of this year there will
be 228 men from Macon county
in the service, and in order to
send The Press to each of these
the Legion is asking all who are
interested in keeping the boys in
touch with what is going on at
home to help in this work. Fam
ilies and friends of men in the
service are asked to supplement
the efforts of the Legion and The
Press' to see that every man rev
ceives the paper.'
Subscriptions J may be left with
the post adjutant, A. R.' Higdon,
post officer, C. Tom Bryson, post
commander, Gilmer A. Jones or
at the Press office. The boy may
be designated by the donor, or
the Legion will furnish his name.
Crop And Feed Loans
For Flood Victims
Macon county farmers who suf
fered from the flood last summer,
along with others, can now ar
range to secure Emergency Crop
Loans at the office of S. R. Grif
fin, Jr., supervisor, in the court
house.
Mr. Griffin's office is in position
to make loans up to $400 for seed,
feed and fertilizer and the interest
rate is only four per cent. The
only extra fee charged is $1.50 to
take care of notary fee, acknowl
edgment by the clerk and regis
tration of the papers. The loan is
not due until October. 31
Mr. Griffin says that the loan
program has been1 liberalized to
take care of farmers suffering
from the flood, and that more
money is being loaned ' per acre
in this section than last year. He
says that a lien is taken on the
growing crop, and that there is
absolutely no mortgage executed
on land, livestock or equipment.
Those desiring loans should file
their applications at once, he stat
ed.'
Mr. Griffin, who is also in
charge of Jackson, Graham, Swain,
Cherokee, and Clay counties, has
annointed receiving agents at each
county seat, for the convenience
of farmers living in earh of these
counties.
Turns
r
Events In State, Nation
v
can activities has information that
Hitler already has German busi
ness men and others in' South
America organized into military
units, arid that there are "more
than 1,000,000 Germans there upon
which the Reich can absolutely de
pend." U. S. AND MEXICO
The U. S. and Mexico govern
ments have begun conversations on
mutual defense against aggression.
LEND-LEASE
AMENDMENTS
The Senate ended debate on the
Lcnd-Lease bill, andvoted to tigh
ten congressional control over ex
penditures under the bill, and bit
terly debated amendment opposing
use of American troops outside
the Western hemisphere. The ad
ministration opposed this proposal
on the ground that it would be
a blow to British morale and en
courage Japan in aggression ' in
Pacific
HOLLY RIDGE
STRIKE ENDED
Work was resumed Wednesday
after a two-day strike of from 4,
000 to 6,000 craftsmen walked off
their jobs on the $13,000,000 anti
aircraft firing center at Holy
Ridge on the eastern seaboard of
the state.
RECORD TRAVEL
IN SMOKIES
A total of 1JL394 persons travel
ing in 6350 cars broke the record
for winter travel in the Great
Smokies during February, is re
ported by pork officials. Winter
sports are given credit for a large
part of the increase.
SPENDING BILL
WINS APPROVAL
Favorable Committee Re
port On Liquor Refer
endum Received
The general Assembly in' Raleigh
has started a big push towards
final adjournment.
A favorable report on the com
promise $166,000,000 spending bill
was given Wednesday by the
joint appropriation committee by
a rousing voice vote.
The bill calls for record-breaking
expenditures for $11,000,000
more than the current budget.
However it is a million less than
the original more than 167,000,000.
The compromise, endorsed with
out qualification by Governor
Broughton, was effected by a sub
committee. Broughton said he was convinced
that the bill would result in a bal
anced budget, and that no high-,
way funds would have to be di
verted to the general fund. The
bill provides for the diversion, if
needed, of $1,150,119.
A liquor referendum bill receiv
at a favorable committee report on
Tuesday but indications are said
to be against chances to pass be
cause the state is counting on the
taxes on liquor to furnish nearly
$5,000,000 towards next biennium's
budget. It was referred to the house
finance committee. .
Many local bills have been pass
ed. . . ... ;
FEDERAL FUNDS
BENEFIT MACON
Social Security Payments
Under Four Divisions
Reported
Funds distributed in North Car
olina through four divisions of the
Social Security Act in three and
one half years and unemployment'
compensation in three years total
ed $34,902,030.74, at the end of De
cember 1940.
In Macon countv. individuals
have received benefits from these
four main ' divisions totaling $105,
208.38 throuch December, 1940, di
vided as follows : old aee assistance,
$61,331.10; unemployment compen
sation, $23,504.28; aid to dependent
children, $18,308.00; aid to the
blind, $2,065.00.
These four major divisions, in
cluding .unemployment compensa
tion, old age assistance, aid to
dependent children and aid to the
blind, account for about 82 per
cent of the- amount distributed
through the 10 social security pro
gram divisions to the end of the
year. The other six divisions are
the five "services", including mat
ternal and child health, crippled
Children, child welfare, vocational
rehabilitation and public health
services, and old age and survivors
insurance, which isr destined
through the years to become one
of the more important of the fiv.e
major divisions.
Broken down bv sources, thi
$34,902,030.74 was furnished, $16,
79232020 or 48.11 per cent, bv
North Carolina employers; $S,55K,
164.43, or 24.52 per cent, by the
Federal Government; , $5,021,683.82,
or 14.39 per cent, by the State of
North Carolina ; $4,529,362.29, or
12.98 per cent, by the ,100 counties
of the State. '
The unemployment figures do not
include $378,040.59 paid to former
N. C. residents, with wage credits
in the State, who received bene
fits while living in other states.
This information is supplied by
the Public Assistance Divisions of
the State Board of Charities and
Public Welfare, the State Com
mission for the Blind and the Re
search and Statistics Jivision of
the UCC, Mr. Powell said.
Macon Baptists
Meet Next Thursday
The annual Macon County Bap
tist associational conference will be
held at the Franklin Baptist church.
Thursday, March 13, from f4 to
9:30 p. m.
Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Washburn
of Nashville, Tenn., two of the
southwide workers, . will be here,
also Nane Starne of Raleigh, who
will be speakers at the meetings.
All associational officers, pastors
and Sunday school workers are
especially urged to be present, as
this is an important meeting. A
larje attendance it expected.
HOLD ELECTION
Mayor And Six Aldermen
Will Be Elected
On May 1 6
At the regular meeting last
Monday the board of aldermen of
the town of Franklin ordered an
election to be called for the elec
tion of a mayor and board of ald
ermen on Monday, May 6.
No new registration was ordered,
and notice was given that the
registration book will be' open in
the town office in the Ashcar
building oh Saturdays, April 12,
18 and 26. Challenge day will be
Saturday, May 3, 1941.
R. M. Ledford was appointed
registrar and George A'. Mash
burn, and Tom Leach judges to
hold the election.
Mendenhall Addresses
Farmers Federation
"The Farmer and National De
fense" was the subject of an ad
dress . delivered by S. W. Men
dcnhall, Macon county' farm agent,
at .the annual meeting of the Ma
con county stockholders of the
Farmers Federation in the ware
house on Palmer street last Sat
urday.
Mendenhall emphasized the need
for soil conservation during the
present period of raising farm
prices in order to prepare for
skimps later on. He said that all
Macon farm families ought to raise
plenty of good food at home in
order to build the health of their
children in this critical year.
Jerry. Franklin was renominate
by the stockholders as a director
6f the Farmers Federation from
Macon county, and Ed Byrd was
renominated . as director-at-large.
Carl Slagle is also a director of
the Federation from Macon, but
his term catries over, for another
year. . . "
Election of an advisory commit
tee was part of. the program. The
ten members chosen to this board
were: Carl Slagle, chairman; Elias
Amnions, Ed Byrd, J. R. Hol
brook, James Young, J. I. Vinson,
J. S. Conley, Jerry Franklin, Rob
ert Bennett and Lawrence Ramsey.
Robert Bennett was the only new
member, the others being reelected.
Speeches, were also made by
James G. K. McClure, president of
the Farmers Federation; Horace
Nolen, Federation i manager at
Franklin; and Max M. Roberts;
educational director of the coopera
tive. McClure emphasized the Fed
eration's program of quality seeds,
quality poultry, and quality live
stock for Western North Carolina
farms.
"And the greatest thing we
want," he said, "is quality in our
own lives. Christian character in
the lives of fathers and mothers
will carry, by contagion into the
lives of their chidlren. And they
are our finest crop of all."
In a .stockholders' drawing Char
ley Elliott won 30 baby chicks, G.
R..Hnson 20 and J. I. Vinson ten.
Music was supplied by the Farm
ers Federation string band of
Pender Rector, Gaither Robinson
and H. A. Parrish.
Mrs. Watkins Passes
Saturday At Home
Mrs. Sarah Angeline Watkins,
82, died at her home at Cullasaja
last Saturday afternoon, following
an illness of four years. She de
veloped pneumonia Wednesday
which caused her death.
Funeral .services were held Sun
day afternoon at 2 :30 o'clock at
the Sugarfork Baptist church. The
Rev. George W. Davis, pastor, and
the Rev. Edward Parks officiated.
Interment was in the church cem
etery. Mrs. Watkins, widow of P. T.
Watkins, was the former Miss
Sarah Burnette. She was a mem
ber of the Pine Grove Baptist
church.
Pallbearers were John Bryson,
R. L. Holland, Elbert Holland,
Lester Reed, Oran Holland and
Furman Holland.
Surviving are two daughters. Mrs.
Frank Holland and Miss Hattie
Watkins, of Cullasaja; four sons,
G. G. Watkins, of Franklin, and
Walter, Arthur, and P. O. Wat
kins, of Cullasaja; one brother,
Henry Burnette, of Oak Grove ;
seven grandchildren and two great
grandchildren. Otto P. T. A.
To Meet March 13 .
The Otto P.-T. A. will meet at
Otto school building Thursday,
March 13, at 3 o'clock.
City Garage
To Build On Junaluska
Property On Main St.
The City ' Garage, operated 'by
Roy Mashburn and .'Earl ..English
has purchased a Main street front:
age of the old Junaluska hotel
property and are beginning con
struction tin a -modern garage and
filling station.
The lot has been cleared tlii.v
week, and already work has begun
under Walter Angel and Jim Swaf
ford, foremen, on a one -story
building, 40 Jeet by 70 feet, of tile
and brick construction. . The own
ers state that . they hope to com
plete the building in 60 days. They
recently purchased the lot from
M. L.Dowdle, Jim Perry and the
Bank of Franklin, joint owners.
The entire investment is estimated
to amount to $10,00(1 when ' the
building is completed.
A Shell service station will be
operated by the firm, which handles
Plymouth and Chrysler cars and
operates an up-to-date ."' garage.
Their present location is in -the
old Log Cabin garage . at the turn
on. lower Main street.
Tourist Season
Already Beginning
Early beginning of the 1941 tour
ist season is shown by opening of
Gatlinburg hotels. The chamber of
commerce of that place reports
inquiries from prospective visitors
up 115 per cent over this time last
year.
T. D. Bryson, Jr.
Becomes Lions' President
AtLast Meeting
T. D. Bryson, Jr., vice-president,
became president of the Lions
Club at , the last meeting, .succeed
ing the late Fred M on tony.
Vice-presidents of the club are J.
A. Sutton, 1st vice-president;
Claude Bolton, 2nd vice-president ;
Frank Duncan, 3rd vice-president.
Home Defence Organized
At Court House Tuesday
Macon Farm and Home
Demonstration Clubs
Launch Program
More than a hundred members
of farm organizations and home
demonstration clubs of Macon
county met on Tuesday at the
court house to take first steps to
ward cooperating for local parti
cipation in the national defense
program. Morning and afternoon
sessions were held.
Home Defense Committee
A farm andhomc demonstration
committee for national defense was
elected as follows : Harley Stew
art, chairman; John. Roane, Carr
Bryson, Mrs. Prelo f)ryman and
Mrs. Jim Gray.
The duties' of the county com
mittee and of community commit
tess were defined broadly as the
responsibility for the growth and
development of the farm and home
demonstration programs to assist
in every way to carry the program
to others.
Four points were, outlined by Mr.
Fagg for community committees as
follows: (1) Give the man that
needs help' some" assistance; (2) (
See that all record books are fill
ed out and reports turned in on
time; (3) attend meetings; (4) sec
that each . farmer is meeting his
responsibility in the proper manner
by keeping records of community
farming, t
Mrs. Sherrill pointed out that
national defense is not only a
man's ob, and answered the ques
tion as to what is national defense
as being, within women's scope,
the raising of the standard of liv
ing, of food production and preser
vation, of working toward better
homes, better prepared meals for
nourishment, and the duty of home
demonstration club women to be
come leaders in their communities.
She referred to Miss Harriet El
liott of North Carolina as being
on the National Defense commis
sion and directing the problems of
consumers.
Mr.- Mendenhall reminded the
large gathering assembled from
every part of the county, "The
people who live in the countries
at war can't hold a meeting like
this without the police, nor can a
group get together on the street
without police interfering. We are
Still living under the Bill of
Rights with freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly and freedom
of the press."
He told the farmers, that their
SPRING TERM
JURORS DRAWN
List Of Those Who Will
Serve At April Term
Superior Court
.The following is the list of jurors'
for the April term of -Superior
Court .as drawn by the county
commissioners ;il their regular
meeting last Monday, which will
convene Monday, April 14: '
Firt Week
Don L.. Henry, Franklin; Paul
Morgan, Route 4; I.. T. justice,
Route 2; M. A. Hicks, Kyle ; J,
Ned Teague, Prentiss; Jim Hyatt,
Franklin.;. D. V. Loc, Route 1 ;
Clyde I ons, Route 4 ; T. M .
Kickman, West's .Mill; Kd McCoy,
Etna ; ". II. Cabe, Uoute 2;- C.
B. Kinsland, Route 4; T, M . Mass,
Franklin; M. I.. Dowdle, Franklin;
Earl '-English, Franklin ; ' T. E.
Brecdlove, Etna;, Fr.il- Henderson,
Route 2; Frank' lrwii, Route
? 1 r M slot... I I
I Crisp,' Route .5; Floyd .-.M.cC'all,
I '-Highlands; I. F. Wilson, Flats; J.
i L. Bryson, Highlands; V R. Wat
; kins, Cullasaja; Floyd Jacobs,
j Franklin; W. L. Ramsey, Route
3; Joel L. Dalton, ' West's Mill;
D. A. Ledford, Route 3; Floyd
Houston, Gneiss; R. I). Wells,
Route 1; G. R. Henson, Route 2;
James E. Taylor, EJlijay ; J. H.
Swafford, Route 3; Harvev Games,
Stiles; J. E. Bradley, Etna; D. C.
Rogers, Route-2.
Second Week
J. D. Burnette, Scaly;: Robert L.
Carpenter, Prentiss; Fred S.
Moore, Route 1 ; J. R. Parrish,
West's Mill; Lorenz Moses. Elli
jay ; Ell Tallent, Franklin; A. R.
Higdon, Franklin ; Walter Dean,
Franklin; . Robert L. Ledbetter,
Route 2; Claude Roper, Route 3;
Wiley Clarke, Cullasaja; Zeb
McClure, Prentiss; Sam Sweatman,
Route 3; Sanford Mann, Route -2;
J. M. Emory, Route 1; ' L. B.
Liner, Franklin ; E. B. Picklesimer,
Route 3; E. B. Byrd, Stiles.
work - for national defense could
not be expressed in better terms
than to make this country a better
place to' live by improving their
land. "Your children can pay no
better tribute to any one of you
than to be able to say, "My
father was a soil builder."
Rev. ' J. L. Stokes 11 addressed
the meeting on the need for spir
itual as well as physical prepared
ness for diversion and relaxation
from the daily routine if there are
to be strong minds in strong
bodies.
WPA Hot Lunch ,
Miss Ethel Hurst, director of
WPA lunches in the schools cited
the marked improvement of under
nourished children after the hot
lunches, were put in schools shown
from .charts' of weight kept by
her. She also noted the effect of
home demonstration clubs on can
ning and gardening, appealing to
women to plan gardens, that will
furnish all the jiecds of the family
for fresh and canned vegetables.
Fred Sloan Outline Needs
Fred Sloan, district farm agent,
made a strong appeal for a better
agricultural program for home '
consumption. He stressed the first
need as milk and the second, eggs,
in the child's, diet and the nec
essity for strengthening our people
to take care of their needs from
their farms. Mr. Sloan referred 'to
the alarmingly high percentage of
men turned down by army and
navy because of bad health, bad
teeth and diseases of malnutrition.
He stated that 'Germany is today
applying 15 times as much phos
phate to land as U. S. farms.
Health And Sanitation
Dr. E. N. Haller, health officer,
gave practical directions tp improve
sanitary conditions on tne larm
and in the rural schools, towards
removing the menace of polluted
water supply, flies, disease breed
ing spots and the dangers from
tuberculosis in man and cows. He
urged a higher standard of clean
liness in and outside the house. He
stated that Walter Hart, county
sanitary officer is glad to advise
families about their water supply
and better sanitation.
Among others speaking were
Charlie W. Henderson, chairman
county AAA committee; Gus
Leach, chairman county commis
sioners; Mr. Threlkeld, represent
ing WPA; Mrs. Margaret Ordway,
supervisor NYA; E. J. Whitmire,
teacher of agriculture at Franklin
high school, Albert Ramsey, farm
security supervisor.