Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Dec. 6, 1951, edition 1 / Page 2
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Ik* JKnutklfat nub VOL. 1.X VI Number 49 Published every Thursday by Hie Franklin Press At Franklin, North Carolina Telephone No. 24 Entered at Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter. WEIMAR JONES -Editor BOB S. SLOAN : Buttneaa Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One Year $2.00 Six Months $1.25 Three Months. .75 Single Copy... .0? Obituary notices, card? of thanks, tributes o i respect. by ledhrldnala, lodpes, churches, organizations or societies, will be regarded aa adrertfcing and inserted at regular classified advertising rates. Suck notices wiH be maifcsd adv.M in compli ance with the postal requirements. EDITOR'S NOTE Published on this page are the five entries given honorable mention in The Press editorial contest. Prise-winning entries appeared in the issues of last week and the week before. It has been found impracticable to publish all of the 25 articles submitted in the contest. A few of the non-winning entries, however, will appear in next week's Press. Those to be published, though they are all excellent pieces, were chosen by the editor not primarily on that account, bat because of the variety of viewpoints they present on "Macon County as a Good Place to Live". The authors of the five honorable mentions published this week are: Miss Jo Ann Henderson, ninth grade Franklin High school student, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Henderson. Miss Gladys Vinson, tenth grader at Highlands High school, daughter of Ralph Vinson, of Scaly. S. W. Mendenhall, Macon County farm agent. E. N. Evans, formerly of Kyle, now of Bryson City. Mrs. Margaret Ordway, well known Franklin resident. Our -Progressing County IN the last hundred years our county has not kept * up with the rest of the world. A small per cent of Macon County had most of the modern conven iences. About 27 years ago one of our most prominent farmers nearly left Macon Countv because of its backwardness. And many others before and after , then have left Macon County because of the very same reason. '' It is a vicious circle in which the people of Ma con have revolved for the last century. When mod ern conveniences came out, the price level dropped. Our farmers had no modern conveniences, so they could not raise their crops and sell them at the new price level and still get a profit. Today we are beginning to break out of that circle. We are still behind, but we are progressing. We have learned what it is to have modern conven iences ; to have good schools ; good roads, and mod ern machinery. We are spending huge amounts todav for new, modern .schools, and graveled and paved roads. We have awakened to the fact that we have many good resources, such as the tourist trade, good locations for factories, and cattle and chicken raising. People are now building tourist cabins and homes. Stores and practices are being established. A few years ago, tons of rich top soil was being washed away ; trees were being cut and slashed out without thinking; mines were being mined to their greatest extent. All this was being done for money. People were putting very little into the soil for .what they got out of it. Did you realize that this happened in your own county, this wastefulness? Now men have found ways to conserve our for ests and soils. Th'ey are beginning to enrich the land and make it pay. They are finding other ways to make money besides raising corn, beans, and po tatoes. In Macon County we have now some of the ? most modern farmers and dairy farmers in West ern North Carolina. They have found that by rais !? ing different crops and milk cows they can enrich their soil and make a living, too. The grass planted ? ... for the cows also holds the rich top soil in place. Farmers have found that raising beef cattle pays, tdo. They are finding new ways evfry day to make ?v the most of things but still be conserving. Now we have many organizations to help us use f<- oar resources to the best advantage. We have the Vi farmers associations, 4-H clubs, courses in agricul " ture and home economics at school, and men and women paid by the state here to help lis. Are we going to help ourselves to progress more by using our advantages to their best uses, or are w# going to drift along and take life easy and stay htth'e same old rut? Let's get out of that rut and * keep progressing ! JO ANN H1NDERSON. - ^ Our American Civilization Arguing that we cannot rdluce the national t - budget by economy because most of the expendi ,-v . tures are for defense; forgetting that the adage | about taking care of tbe pennies and the dollars will t&t care of themselves might apply to both de *?d domestic expenditures. W "* ?? .. Macon, The Progressive County QUR people are working for and accomplishing ^ a fuller life as is shown by the number of new churches, new homes and modern conveniences, good roads, new and modern school buildings, rural electrification, increased farm income and pride in the appearance of the farmstead. Diversified farm enterprises and improved meth ods have changed our farming from subsistence farming to a system returning substantial cash in comes. Our corn acreage has been decreased by half with no decrease in total yield. Poultry, that once was a side line, is now our major industry, with an annual net income approaching a million dollars. Dairying has grown from two dairies to an annual production of approximately five million pounds, with an additional income from the sale of dairy cattle in this and other states. The quality of our beef cattle is becoming widely known as shown in recent shows and .sales when our animals are de clared grand champion and .sell for well over the thousand dollar-mark. Pastures that once took five acres to graze one cow have been improved by proper fertilization and Ladino clover until now one acre furnishes abundant feed for one cow. Land taken out of row crops has gone into pasture, thus reducing erosion. This county continues to lead all others in reforestation with one half million trees planted annually. This progress is reflected in our youth. More boys and girls are active in 4-H work than e\fer be fore. The membership is approximately 700. 4-H and F. F. A. members are actively engaged in proj ect work, and the majority of them are in the blue ribbon class in all types of competition. What bet ter record could be asked than that approximately 100 of our boys and girls went out of our county this fall to different schools and colleges? It is understood that Macon County ha9 the highest number of college graduates per capita of any county in the state. Our county valuation has nearly doubled, our tax rate is low, and our county is in good sound finan cial condition. Since it is a rural county, the farm family has had much to do in keeping our county sound and increasing our valuation. In measuring progress, it is necessary to show gains in material things, such as buildings, yields and incomes. We forget far too often the human element, the desires, hopes, aspirations and down right hard work. Why is Macon a county of progress ? The answer ? is simple. Our people want it that way. S. W. MENDENHALL. Macon As A Place To Live CINCE I have lived in Macon County almost all ^ nry life, I .should think it the best place to live, but I don't. There are several improvements to be made before it will be the best county to live in. First, I think we should have better roads. Some are cracked, some too narrow and almost all of them need paving again. Tourists or anyone com ing to Macon County would think "if they can't keep good roads, then this surely isn't an ideal place for a vacation." Second, our tourists, and the people that live here the year around, want entertainment. We should have more activities so our tourists will like Macon County and want to come back again. This will increase our population greatly. We need, too, factories to work in so these peo ple will stay the year around. They want jobs so they can support their families. If we had more fac tories, more .people would come to work and this, too, would increase our population. After these people find their jobs they look next to see if there is a good school for their children to go to. We should improve our schools all over Macon County. These newcomers want good neighbors, too. All of us should become more interested in the church work and do everything we can to help. All moth ers and fathers want to raise their children right, but if they are in a mean neighborhood they are sure to be guided, sometimes, in the wrong way. GLADYS VINSON. ? ???,? Macon County ? Present And Future DERHAPS people who have moved into Macon * County are more aware of its characteristics than those who were "born and raised" in the area. The exceptional friendliness of all who "belong" is very noticeable, and the welcome accorded strang ers is the county's greatest asset. Climatically, scen ically, agriculturally, it is on a par with other mountain counties. Then why have so many, MANY of the younger generation moved away? The answer to that is Macon's tragedy ? the lack > of opportunity to make a living. The denial, to per sons prospecting for plant sites, of cooperation in establishing new industries. The assumption that ? Franklin should retain its rural atmosphere for the enticement of tourists. Perceptibly the tourists' in terest has declined. Often the town appears to be a stop-over for those heading for the Cherokee drama and the Park. Is it for this that our sons and daughters have ..been forced to find employment far from home? rouFbEMOeaACY-^WM., |THRIFT makes the man "TW^T fcUlLDS*OOUA?S ANft cents* ?icuaiTy, bur Bevomo that it #WLPS HllMAM VALUES AND SATISFACTIONS ll' NT OUVWtlAH ITS MATERIAL RtvV/^.^fS. O.i .. .1.11 I ' To THE MAN WHO HAS MAO 8 ) PROVISION FOR. HIS FAMILY ( j THROUGH LIFE INSURANCE, ' US. BONOS AND OTHER SAVINGS, 1 THRIFT KRJNGS PRJDE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, A SENSE 1 of self-reliance, peace OF MIND. And a man's knowing THAT HIS FAMILY has SOMETHING TO FALL BACK UPON, GIVES HIM GREATER FREEPOM TO VENTURE ANP TO MAKE - HIS OWN OPPORTUNITIES. . Who have married and located permanently in dis tant states? How often we hear those who have returned for a brief visit ^vith the old folks say: "I'd rather live here ? but you know there's nothing I can do for a living". What is the remedy? To make Franklin the busiL ness hub of Macon County! MRS. MARGARET ORDWAY. Our Macon County '"THIS is a story of the natural resources of Macon County, and why it is a good place to live. Nature has blessed it with a favorable climate, abundant soil, rich in deposits of minerals, large areas of grassland, many lakes and rivers, fine for ests and a great variety of wildlife. Within the county there live about sixteen thousand people, who are the most important of our resources. This county is sparsely settled if we take into considera tion the land area which is 332,800 acres, of which 265,500 are in forests. Under the improved methods of farming and trucking, there is room for twice as many people. The customs and traditions, literature, music, art, religion and .skills, are also a part of our heritage. Our natural resources and our human resources are closely related to each other and supply us with our many "wants". We have learned to use them wisely, therefore the climate, soil, minerals, water, forests, grass and wildlife are friendly and we are friendly towards them. They furnish us with an endless number of things, food, radios, telephones, cameras, movies, refrigerators, fans, books and newspapers. They also furnish us materials to make comfortable homes and to build good schoolhouses and churches. Our county is a land of opportunity to most of the people who live in it, to some it is a land of disappointments. We must know the strong points and the weak points that confront us and take up our problems and face them with courage and promptness. Our county will be what we make it.1 Macon County was 'organized in the year 1828 and named for Nathaniel Macon, statesman and soldier. In the 1500's De Soto's expedition passed through this region and Spaniards who followed in 1560 are believed to have mined for gold. Franklin, the county seat, is situated on a ridge overlooking the Little Tennessee Valley, is a thriv ing mountain resort community and lumber center. Lumber companies and dogwood-shuttle mills near town provide a market for much of the timber. The Van Raalte plant furnishes work for a number of people. The Nantahala Power and Light company head quarters are in the center of town, and the Forest Service offices are in the post office building. The economic minerals produced in the county are mica, kaolin, asbestos and corundum. There are many precious and seml-prepious stones found and both the Indians and white men have mined for gold. The waters include the Little Tennessee and Nan tahala rivers, fed by the Tellico, Cowee, Cullasaja, Coweeta, Middle, Burningtown and many other creeks ; also Emory and Aquone lakes. Surface sup plies are abundant and their qualities are excellent. Power is furnished by three hydroelectric plants, one near Franklin on the Little Tennessee river, the other two on the Cullasaja and Nantahala rivers. Oaatlnned On rag* Tbm Business Making News ^ ? By BOB SLOAN Currently, you hear from peo ple In all different walks of life that Communism must be de feated ? that the defeat of R"?- I ila and the complete suppress sion of Communism must be our ultimate goal. Do these people really mean this? If so, what ire they actually willing to do bo bring it about? Let's examine some of the different groups and fee what they are doing and what are their opportunities. Military Leaders ? Repeatedly, tljey have warned thafc--W*r ^ forces are inadequate, and that ' to resist the Russian Bear we must Increase our military might. This time the American people cannot say, as before, that they were not warned. Also, against considerable oppo sition, oar military leaders have managed to bring about a sort of semi-universal military train ing. The program seems to be well administered, in that Amer ican troops in the field today are described by many as the best trained troops we have ever had. Judging by the results over Korea, American aviation is still ahead of the Russian in qual ity, although Russia seems to be gaining. However, our military leaders do not seem to be pushing the Korean campaign with vigor. If the defeat of Russia is our goal, we must remember that every day we are losing men in Korea while Russia is not. To allow ourselves to become tied down here in a long and costly cam paign could be the play that Stalin wants us to make. The State Department ? Since the creation of the Marshall plan, the campaign against the spread of Communism has been very successful. Shortly after the end of World War II, Rusr. sia seemed to be on the way to ^ gaining control of all of Europe. But the Marshall plan has turn ed the tide against Stalin's minions in France, Italy, Greece, and West Germany. Also, through the leadership of our secretary of state, Stalin's first thrust of aggression in the Far EaSl ? Korea? has been, kept r contained by troops of the / United Nations. This action on the part of an international body to prevent aggression by a national state may well be heralded by generations in the (Turn to Back Page 1st Section) Do You Remember? (Looking backward through the files of The Press) DO U REMEMBER?? Ed P 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK At a poke supper on iotla last Wednesday evening the sum of $25 was .realized to be used In starting a public school library at the Iotla High school. Col. A. A. Howe, the tonsorlal artist, went to Asheville last Wednesday to spend Thanks giving. It is the first time that the Colonel has attempted a trip so far away from Franklin since he "lit" among us several years ago. Messrs. Jess and Ben Myers returned from the Great West last Wednesday. There's no place like Macon to those who wander away in quest of happiness and fortune. 25 YEARS AGO Loganvllle and Franklin are still pitching horse shoes. Why not take in Petersburg and make it unanimous? After 23 years In one place of business, Sloan Brothers and company moved this week Into more commodious quarters ad jacent to their old store room. Sale of the Franklin Bakery and Restaurant by R. E. Pat tillo, owner and manager of that concern for the past two years, has been announced. George Mallonee, M. M. Mc. Knight, and Frank I. Murray are the new owners. 10 YEARS AGO New Bank of Franklin Com pleted (streamer headline). The Highlands High school basketball team wishes to thank the "Major Bowes" program ?? given last week at the school theatre, which netted $20 for the team. A box supper for the benefit of the Red Cross roll call was held by the people of Weat'a Mill community at the school - - house last FrlOay eveiflng.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Dec. 6, 1951, edition 1
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