Macon Highway Safity
Record for 1948 to Dot ?
(FrMD Sum Hijhwtj Puial r?coid?
KILLED |
INJURED ... J
Do Your Part to Keep
These Figures Liuwui
glfje ISjigWatibjei Maconian
We are never so insistent we
are right as when we know, in
our hearts, that we are wrong.
VOL. LX1II? NO. 31
FRANKLIN. N. C.. THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1948
2 POLIO CASES
IN COUNTY IS
ABOUT NORMAL'
Health Officer Explains
Measures Being Taken
Are Precautionary ?
Two cases of poliomyelitis (in
fantile paralysis l have develop
ed in Macon County during the
past week.
fn announcing that the Ill
nesses of the two children af
lected had been diagnosed as
polio, Dr. M. b H. Michai, dis
trict health officer, remarfc "I
mat two or three cases a year
i.> normal for a population the
size of this county's, adding
that there is i^o cause io?
alarm.
While precautions are being
taken, they are aimed chiefly
bi preventing tne disease from
being brought here from in
iccied areas.
"Our situation", she said In
a prepared statement, "remains
surprisingly satisfactory. To
u_.ie we nave had reported the
iollowlng cases in our district:
Haywood county, 0; Jacxson,
Macon, 2; Swain, 1. The onset
(date of becoming ill) or the
latest was July 22.
"These (ew sporadlca cases are
lrom widely scattered points,
i'or our population (in the dis
trict), we would have to have
auout au cases to nave an epi
demic, and toward tnat number
before feeling concerned enougn
to wmiaiit restricting metisuics.
Therefore, all ine meadurts wc
Ume are precautionary to help
insure thai the uiocaac '.tut I
spread into our area.
Cases Are Young Cta.iU.cu
The Macon children . >?iio ate
ill with the disease are Miltuii
Clouse, four-year old son ol
Mr. and Kirs. Uuy Clouse, who
live near ine head of Watauga
creek, FrauKi..i, Koute 4, aiid
Anita kane Holland, three-year
oid daugiiocr oi inc. -anu Mrs.
Carl Holland, of the Gneiss
community. Both were taken to
the Oitiiu^eoic nospaai m Ashc
ville.
The Clouse child became 111
July 14, and the case was disag
r.osed as polio July 22 (Thurs
day of last week). Thursday
morning his father brought him
to Franklin for an examination,
and the case was diagnosed as
? Continued on Page Six
Do You
Remember . . . ?
(Looking backward through
the files ?f The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Mr. Oeo. A. Jones and family
went to the Wine Spring Bald
.jftguntain Thursday u> spend a
week>camping out.
During the past week lumber
has been hauled to rebuild the
school house at Holly Springs to
replace the building destroyed
by fire several weeks ago.
Some parties, who are dis
posed to kick at the things pub
lished In The Press, are respect
fully Informed that "All coons
look alike to me."
25 YEARS AGO
Taking advantage of every
opportunity, making every hit
count, and having the smiles of
Dame Fortune, Taukeetah de
feated the Franklin girls on
their field this afternoon 'jy a
score of 16 to 8 in one of the
prettiest and fastest games ever
witnessed on the Patton field.
Miss Daisy Slier, star pitcher
for the town team, made her
debut as an amateur. Miss Ang- '
el, doing the receiving for Slier,
did some excellent work behind
the plate. C. Sloan hit the pill I
at will, scoring three of her
team's eight runs. Line-up fori
Franklin was as follow*: Slier,1
p; Angel, c; McFaden, lb;
Sloan E., 2b; Sloan, C, 3b; Hale
m.; McCullen, if.; Smith, M.
rf.; Cunningham, M? cf. ?
10 TEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Hlrsch, of
Atlanta, have purchased the
Franklin Terrace from Mr. and
Mrs. John B. Willis and their
daughters, Misses Mary and
Blanche WlUli, who hav? Oper
ated It for the past 23 years.
Claude Southards, Albert
Ramsey, Berlin Welch, Ray
mond Culver, Roy Fonts, Claude
Leatherman, Charles Ferguson
and Bryant McClure an at
tending the Future Farmers
camp at White Lake.
Figures Reveal Population
Gain, Increase In Number
Using Electricity, Water
The populations of Franklin
and Macon County are growing,
and more and more families are
putting electricity and water In
to their homes.
That Is the story told by fig
uies obtained this week from
the Nantahala Power and Light
company and the Town 01
' Franklin.
The Nantahala company add
ed 448 Macon County customers
to the list of users of electricity
during the fiscal year that end
ed June 30, figures compiled in
the company's headquarters of
fices here reveal.
The gain was 23 per cent.
This increase Is beielved u> be
due both to an Increase in
population and to a growing
proportion of lamilles served by
electricity.
A similar growth in popula
tion and Increase In the propor
tion of families served by pub
lic utilities are Indicated by the
number of users of Town of
Franklin water.
While exact figures on the
town's water customers are not
available, E. W. Long, town
clerk, said this week that the
town now has approximately 500
water users, and .that about 150
of that total have been added
during the past two yeais. Thai
lepresents a gain of roughly 50
per cent for the two-year period,
or about 25 per cent a year.
The power company s gain hi
customers has been hea'.ier ir.
the rural areas.
June 30, 1947, it had 1,238
rural customers in this county,
and by June 30 of this year
that number had grown to 1,
618, an increase of 3U0. The in
crease, in terms of percentage,
is 30.7, or nearly one-third.
_ Its urban (Franklin and vicin
ity I customers the last day of
June a year ago totaled 714, as
compared with 782 the same
date this year. The gain m town
was 68 customers, or 9.5 per
cent.
Reflecting the increase in the
number ol rural users of elec
tricity? and also accounting for
it, perhaps was the. increase
during the year in the com
pany's miles of rural lines.
The company had 227.99 miles
of rural lines in this county at
the end of June, 1947. Tnosi
rural lines at the end of June
this year had stretched to 282.49
The increase of 54.5 miles repre
sents a gain of 23.9 per cent.
Highlands Property
Tax Valuation It
Up By 8 Per Cent
The tax valuation of
Hifhlands property climb
ed from $563,800 last year
to $617,000 this year, it was
learned this week from the
Hifhlands town ofiice.
The Increase is $53,200,
a fain of more than 8 per
cent.
With the new tax valu
ation known, the Hifhlands
board of commissioners last
week fixed the tax rate
for the fiscal year 1948-49
at the same fifure as last
year, $2.25 on the .$100 val
uation. Of this levy, $1.50
is for feneral purposes, and
75 cents for debt service.
F ranklin
SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Following is a summary of
the past week with the Frank
lin Softball league:
Results
Friday night's games:
Burrell 3, Rotary 0 (lorfeit).
Oilers 3, Power Co. 0 (forfeit)
Monday night's games:
Zlckgraf 13, Oilers 2.
Legion 5, Rotary 4.
Cominf Games
Friday night, July 30:
Burrell vs. Legion.
Zickgraf vs. Power Co.
Monday night, August 2:
Burrell vs. Oilers.
Rotary vs. Power Co.
Teams' Standinfs
Won Lost Tied Pet.
Burrell 10 1 0 .909
Legion a.. 7 3 1 .700
?.lckgraf 5 3 1 .625
Oilers 6 5 0 .545
Rotary 19 0 .100
Power Co 1 9 0 .100
Pfc. Rogers' Body
To Arrive Today;
Rites On Saturday
The body of Pfc. Gilmer R.
Rogers, who was killed In Uer- |
many February 16, 1945, Is ex
pected to arrive here luis
(Thursday) afternoon. t
Pfc. Rogers, who was 21, was
the son of Mr. and Mrs. R. V.
Rogers, of Darrlngton, Wash.,
formerly of Macon County.
They moved to Darrlngton
when their son, who was their
only child, was five years old. 1
Mrs. Rogers Is the former Miss I
Ethel Cabe.
The funeral service will be
held at the chapel of Bryant
funeral home Saturday after
noon at 2 o'clock, and burial
will be In the Franklin ceme
tery. The Rev. J. H. Brendall,
Jr., pastor of the Franklin
Methodist church, will conduct
the service, and graveside rites
will be hi charge of the local
American Legion post.
In addition to his parents,
Pfc. Rogers Is survived by his
grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. C.
R. Cabs, of Dillard, Oa? Rout*
1.
1 <7)006 ViatT FONTAMA
FOntana Dam is the leading
httractlon among the TV A de
velopments. In June 167,000 per*
sons visited the dam.
RITES HELD FOR
JOHN OAUSER
Body Of Man Killed
In F ranee Buried
At Mt. Zion
Pinal rites for Pic. John G.
Hauser, who was killed in
France September 7, 1944, were
held at the Franklin Metho
dist church Tuesday afternoon
at 2 o'clock. Pfc. Hauser, a
native of Macon County, was
36 at the time of his death.
The services at the church
were conducted by the Rev. J.
H. Brendall, Jr., the pastor,
and Dr. Richard L. Ownbey,
guest pastor during July. An
American Legion military
guard stood at the bier from
1 o'clock until the end of the
service, and members of the
Legion were honorary pall
bearers.
Burial was in the Mount
Zion Methodist cemetery in
the Cartoogechaye community.
Pallbearers were Elbert An
gel, Clyde Bingham, C. N.
Dowdle, Lawrence Long, Ralph
Womack, Rufus Snyder,
Haughton Williams, and Wil
liam Waldroop.
Survivors include Pic. Haus
er's mother, Mrs. Betty Haus
er, of Franklin, and four
brothers, James and Quince
Hauser, of Franklin, Milton, of
Spartanburg, S. C., and Wil
liam, of Morganton.
Bryant funeral home, where
Pfc. Hauser was employed for
10 years before he entered the
armed forces, was in charge of
, arrangements.
Business houses in Franklin
closed during the service at the
church.
Macon Baptists
Plan Association
Meet August 5-6
The Macon County Baptist
association will meet at the
Highlands Baptist church on
August S and 6, it has been
announced.
Approximately four hun
dred persons are expected to
attend this two-day annual
meeting. Picnic lunch will be
served in the church dining
room.
HIRE DIRECTOR
OF RECREATION
AND ATHLETICS
Atkins to Head Programs;
Funds Fcr Projects
Are Raissd
Funds to make possible pro
grams of physical education in
the Franklin school and of
community recreation during
the summer rtionths, under a
single head, have been raised
and a director of the programs
has been employed, it was an
nounced this week.
The person employed is M R.
Atkins, a man in his late twen
ties, who comes to Frafnklin
from a similar position at
Kingston, Tenn.
Mr. Atkins, following gradu
ation from high school in Knox
ville, was graduated from Cai
son-Newman college at Jeffer
son City, Tenn., where he ma
jored in physical education. He
was captain of his college foot
ball team during his senior
year. He served about three
years in the navy during the
war, and for the past year has
oeen teacher of physical edu
cation, athletic coach and co.
munity recreation director at
Kingston.
In Franklin, he will work on
a 12-months basis at a salary
of $3,600 a year. Under the sv.
up that has been worked out,
he is employed as teacher o
physical education in the
Franklin school, for which he
will be paid by the state at the
state schedule of about $1,600
a year. The other $2,000, raised
Continued on Page Six?
Collection
Of Intangible
Taxes Slumps
Macon County and the towns
cf Franklin and Highlands will
J receive this year a total of only
about two-fifths as much as
they did last year from intan
gible taxes. The tax on intangi
bles-bank deposits, cash on
hand, notes, etc.? is collected by
the state, and the major por
tion refunded to the counties
and towns in which it is col
lected. Some intangible tax
items, however, are prorated on
a basis of population.
This county this year will re
ceive $4,771.48, Lake V. Shope,
; secretary to the board of county
commissioners; has been noti
fied from Raleigh. This com
pares with $12,306.49 refunded
to this county by the state last
year.
The figures for Franklin are:
1948, $966.56; 1947, $1,961.55.
Those for Highlands are: 1948,
$518; 1947, $949.58.
The combined totals for the
county and the two towns are:
1948, $6,256 04; 1947, $15,217.62.
Actual collections of intangi
ble taxes in this county were
even lower, comparatively, than
the figures would indicate, since
the state this year is refunding
80 per cent of the total collect
ed, while last year It refunded
only 75 per cent.
Mr. Shope was unable to ac
count for the big drop in this
tax.
The decline means that the
county and the two towns will
just have that much less to
spend this year.
HOOVERS TRANSFERRED
Marvin Hoover, of the Co
weeta Experiment Forest has
been transferred to Union, 8
C., and Mr. and Mrs. Hoover
and their son, Gary, left here
Wednesday ? to make their
home in Union.
Visitor Gives Impressions
Of Highlands Golf Course,
Sunday's Exhibition Match
By JAV MORTON
(Publisher, Hialeah, Fla., Home
News)
Imagine golfing in the cloudil
Picture, If you will, an 18-hole
courie covering almost a* many
yard* up and down a* it doci
straight ah?ad.
Think of driving off a hill
top Into ? valley? of "putting"
Into a cloudbanlt? of fairways
that bank while they twist and
turn toward their culmination
in elevated greens I
And If you've succeeded in
"Imagining" thus far, you've
begun to get a pretty lair Idea
of the golf course at the High
lands Country club.
Of course, coming from a sec
tion of the country where an
ant hill Is regarded with a feel
ing akin to a wonderment, and
where a 5-lnch downpour will
I leave almost that many lnchea
of water above the too-level
ground, you will probably und
erstand our ecstatic apprecia
tion for hills. And when th<
.hills happen to be mountains
?-?Continued on Page Tei
Four Are Jailed
I
Here As Suspects
In Robbery Series
'
Business Building
On Square Here Sells
For $50,000
In one of the largest real
estate deals put un ta? il
here recently, title to the
I two-story brick structure
that houses the Nanah ill
Power and Light company
and the A. & F. store, pars
ed from Mrs. fcliza Cobb
Grist and husband, of this
county, to 'George Noctel and
wife, of Chicago.
Revenue stamps on the
deed amounted to $55, in
dicating a sale pri.'e of ap
proximately $50,000*.
The building, situated at
the northwest corner of the
public square, stands on six
lots of the sub-division . of
the Robinson place.
ALLOT" $230,000
TO FOREST HERE
Nantahala Appropriation
Only Slightly Less
Than Last Year
The Nantahala National For
est has been allotted approxi
mately $230,000 for the fiscal
year that started July 1, it was
learned at the forest headquar
ters here Monday, following a
work planning conference the
latter part of last week.
The total is about $1,000 less
than last year's allocation.
Of the total available, $20,000
is for the purchase of additional
forest lands; $48,787 was appro
priated for road maintenance;
and $20,000 is for construction
cn roads in the forest.
Other items follow;
General administration, $36,
010; timber use, $24,000; recrea
tion use, $4,760; fire control,
$19,734; improvement mainte
nance, $19,135; reforestation,
$2,635 ; and acquisition admin
istration (for surveys, etc.),
fl5,300. An additional sum of
approximately $9,000, rperesent
ing 10 per cent of the forest's
timber sales, also is available for
forest road maintenance.
Approximately $10,000 of the
total comes from cooperative
(federal and state) funds, which
will be spent for reforestation,
timber stand improvement, and
wildlife t.ish and game) devel
opment.
At the work plans conference,
held here Wednesday ana
Thursday, plans for the year's
activities on the forest were
outlined. Attending were mem
bers of the office staff aiid the
three district rangers, George R.
Anderson, of Murphy, John j.
Olson, of Andrews, and John
Wasilik, Jr., of Franklin.
Mrs. Ellen Smith,
83, Dies At Her
Nantahala Home
Mrs. Ellen Grant Smith, 83
year old native of Macon
County, died at her home in
the Nantahala section last
Saturday night. She was the
widow of Uurnle esniith.
Mrs. Smith, who always had
made her home in this county,
was the daughter of Joe and
Mrs. Sarah t oyster Oram.
She is survived by two
brothers, Henry Grant, of
Nantahala, and Tom Grant, of
-Topton; and one sister, niv
Venie Owenby, oi the Haiiu
hala section.
Fwneral services were hek.
at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon
at the Briartown Baptist
church, with the nev. 1.
Denny officiating. Burial fol
lowed in the church cemetery.
Bryant funeral, home direct
ed the funeral arrangements.
JOS. ASHEAR IN HOSPITAL
Jo*. Ashear, widely known re
tired Franklin merchant, U a
patient at the C. J. Harris com
munity hospital, Sylva, where It
was said yesterday that he has
been seriously 111, but Is Improv
ing, Mr, Ashtar, who some
weeks ago underwent an opera
tion at Watts hospital, Durham,
was taken to the Sylva hospital
Monday.
2 Men, 2 Women Caught
With Burglar Tools
In Their Auto
Four persons two men and
two women -were arrested In
Franklin about 3 o'clock luta
day afternoon, and are being
held an the charge oi illegal
possession of burglary tools and
firearms.
Officers suspect that the four
are connected with a series of
crimes, including robbery ot
three business places in High
lands July 10.
The arrests were made by
State Highway Patrolman Pril
chard Smith, Jr., and C IV
Baird, Franklin chief of police,
when the party stopped and
inquired of the officers the way
to Highlands. At the time, the
ifficers were parked at the in
tersection of Main street and
Harrison avenue, directing traf
fic for a funeral possession.
The four gave their names as
Bern Garland, 22, of Cumber
land Gap, Tenn., Mrs Bern
Garland, 20, of Cumberland
Gap, F. L. Phillips, 40 who did
not give a home address, and
Mrs. Phillips, 26, of Appalachla.
Va.
Tney were piacea in jan nere.
and all Tuesday afternoon and
evening crowds of curious per
sons milled about the Jail, look
ing at the quarter's car and
what it contained and specu
lating on the case.
The arrest was made after
Phillips, driver of the 1948 green
Buick two-door sedan in which
the group was traveling, stoo
ped to inquire the way to
Highlands, and Mr Smith not
ed that the last three numbers
on the automobile's liccnse plate
corresponded with those given
him by Richard Orr. Mr. Orr
said he saw the numbers on a
strange green Buick parked In
front of his home in Highlands
about 1:30 a. m. the morning
Potts Brothers store, Doyle's
Self-Service, and the Highlands
Theatre were robbed
Patrolman Smith ordered the
car to pull over to the curb.
A quick search revealed that
the machine contained a .38
calibre automatic pistol and
burglar tools. As Mr. Smith told
Officer Baird that he trought
the group should be taken to
jail, Phillips turned and fteil.
He was quickly recaptured by
the Franklin chief of police
when he fell in the dense
growth in the rear of Duncan
Motor company. When captured,
Fhillips was seized with violent
? Continued on Page Six
Siler Family Will
Hold 97th Reunion
Here Next Thu.-sd w
The Siler family will hold its
P"ith annual reunion Thursday
ot next week (August 5). Mr.
and Mrs. A B. Single will ut
hosts to this year's gathering,
which will be held at the Slavic
Memorial here.
Because of the polio epidemic
in other sections of the country,
attention was called to the fact
that adults from Infected areas
ore being asked by health au
thorities not to vI.m I ivia.i.n
County, and that children from
the infected areas, should thoy
come, would be subject to a
two-week quarantine.
The Slier reunion, one of the
largest and oldest in the United
States, has met without a break
each year since the liist reun
ion.
SATURDAY INSURANCE DEAD
World War II veterans who
have lapsed their National Serv
ice Life Insurance have only
until Saturday (July 31) to re
instate under the present plan.
The Weather
Temperatures and precipita
tion for the past seven days,
and the low temperature yes
terday, as recorded at the
Cowceta Experiment station,
follow:
High Low Prec.
Wednesday 89 58 .00
Thursday 89 61 00
Friday 87 62 .20
Saturday 85 59 .00
Sunday 83 49 ,00
Monday 86 52 .00
Tuesday 86 56 .00
Wednesday ?.? 83 .Of