67TH YEAR ? Western North Carolina's Oldeit Weekly Newspaper e If fatt Win . y " *sb $h* IjiflljlantijS Baconian CIRCULATION LAST WEEK ----- 2720 Year Ago Last Week - 2343 VOL. LXVII? NO. 2 1951 RECEIPTS AT POST OFFICE SHOW 15% GAIN Every Quarter Last Year Better Than Same 1950 Period Business at the Franklin pout office in 1951 was 15 per cent better than it was in 1950. Figures compiled by E. W. Long, acting postmaster, show a gain in postal receipts of 53, 662.93. Postal receipts genexally are considered an excellent bar ometer of business generally. A substantial gain was shown in each of the four quarters in 1951 over the corresponding quarter in 1950. The figures follow: 1950 1951 1st qt $5454.91 $6226.95 2nd qt 5232.24 5748.66 ird qt 5722.24 6576.16 4th qt 7516.84 9037.39 Totals $23926.23 $27589.16 16 Selectees In First '52 Draft Group Macon County's first draft contingent for 1952 left Tuesday morning for Charlotte and in duction into the army. Those making up the 16-man contingent included Ralph E. Baldwin, Harold J. Dendy, Har old J. Cope, Kenneth E. John son, Otis P. Welch, Wayne F. DeWeese, Max D. Cruse,' Oba diah N. Moore, Howard E. Car penter, Don W. Henry, Doyle G. Peek, William Y. Bryson, Paul R. Craine, Herbert G. Southard, Jack Grant, and Harry R. Tali lent. ! A 15-man contingent from 1 here will leave February 15, I selective service officials an nounced. It also was announced that a pre-indnction call1 for 25 men for February 25 has been re ceived. According to Mrs. Gil mer A. Jones, board secretary, a number of reclassified mar ried men, with no prior service in the armed farces, will be in r- eluded In this number. Since the reactivation of the local board in August, 1950, 89 men have been inducted from here, selective service figures show. In addition, 155 men reg istered with the board have en listed ' in some branch of the armed forces. Study Group On Parent Education Set For January 23 The Franklin Parent-Teacher association has extended an in vitation to all parent-teacher ' groups in the county to attend a county-wide parent education study group at the East Frank lin school Wednesday, January 23. The session will be held from 10 a. m. to 2:30 p. m. Luncheon will be served in the school cafeteria for 25 cents a plate, it was said. Mrs. Weimar Jones, education chairman, will direct the study groups. Interested persons are invited to attend. WIUBring Body Of Guest, KQled In Korea, Home ? . The body of Pfc. George E. Guest, 23-year-old Macon Coun ty soldier, who was killed in ac tion in Korea October 17, 1951, Is being returned to this coun try, the Defense Department has notified his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Coley Guest, of Franklin, Route 4. Special services will be con ducted when the body arrives far burial. j /Franklin, Chapel Teams ^"To Play Saturday Night i Franklin elementary and ' Chapel (Negro) school cagers ui!l take to the hardwood Sat urday night at 7:45 o'clock in ! the Franklin High gym for a i 'loop classic that promises to i i a thriller. Admission will be < 25 cents, school officials said. i 1951 Macoti Birth Rate Nearly Triples Deaths The birth rate in Macon County during 1951 was, almost triple the death rate, vital sta tistics in the register of deed's office show. A lively boost was given the county's 16,000-odd population by the birth of 354 babies. The death rate totaled 123 persons, counting 11 still births. In only one Macon township did the death .rate outrun the births. That was in the High lands township, where nine births were recorded, as against Macon Teams Have Games Friday Night ? Basketball in Macon County will be rough and ready for the next couple of months as Frank lin High and Nantahala move into the strong ends of their schedules. Tuesday night in Jackson county, the Franklin lads and lassies racked up a two-way victory over the Sylva High male and female cagers. The lads tucked away at 48 to 31 Win, and the lassies came out on top of a 26 to 24 score. Franklin High boys' and girls' teams take on Coach Blaine Denton's Robbinsville cagers at the Franklin High gym tomor row (Friday) night at 7:30 o'clock. Another home game Tuesday night at the same hour will pit the locals against a strong Murphy aggregation, under the coaching hand of "Ike" Olson, a former Western Carolina Teachers college cage star. Pre game predictions give the Mur phyites a slight edge over the locals, but Coach Ray Lowe this week promised sportg fans that, predictions or no jffeffictions, his teams woul had lived after retir ing in 1946 as a member of the Eur?c-:? c::d *> ? i ? ii .i.c;; the time to ?SS MO. 3. PAGE 12 * outcry ror i\ew courthouse Has Been ! ' a.c Here, From Time To Tim-:, Fc H*r.'-Ce->ry ??M/'/ i'hot' ?? / . . /i.U./.V A "famous landmark" or an "architectural monstrosity"? Macon County's rcd-brick courthouse built in 1881, still survives the half -century old cry for a "n?"v courthouse". By J. P. BRADY The persistent outcry that Macon County "needs a new :ourthouse" is nothing new. Its seen going on for years The county's old "horse-and suggy-days" courthouse, built n 1881 and condemned for a jrief interval in 1936, started :oming under fire about 50 irears ago, and the clamor still joes on. Behind the history of the red >rick structure, costing $8,933 - 15, including bond interest, stand almost countless grand jury recommendations advocating a new building; the ordered in- 1 dictment of responsible oflicials j if measures weren't taken to re- ! pair the building; and a spe- ' cial election in 1941. The most recent lambasting 1 of the old landmark came dur ing the December term of su- | | perior court here when the j i grand jury branded the struc- I ture a "disgrace" and recom- ! mended the construction of a ! 1 new oiie as soon as possible. Records show that such rec- 1 ommendations have been the voguo :ri thi? county for a !on;> time. In 10W. during the April term, the grand jury took up the song 'the county need.-,, and should, as soon as possible, build, a new, better, and more eorn-> dio; - c3urthou.sc a:.d jail." Then, ( in the same year, at the August tt m, when the grand jury once again reiter ated the rather warn recom SEE NO 1, PAGE 4 Outlines Zoning Plan At Meeting i Directors And Officers Of Bank Are Reelected Members of the board ol di rectors of the Bank of Frank lin and the officers of that body have been reelected for another year. Renamed directors at a stock holder's meeting January 9 were A. B. Slagle, M. L. Dowdle, H. W. Cabe, Fred M. Arnold, Grover Jamison, Sr., R. S. Jones, and L. B. Liner. At a directors' session the fol lowing night Mr. Slagle was re elected chairman; Mr. Dowdle, president; Mr. Jones, vice-presi dent; Mr. Cabe, cashier, and George Dean and Grover Jami son, jr., assistant cashiers. Mr. Cabe reported at meeting that business at the bank in 1951 was considerably higher than the previous year, on the basis of the number of accounts | with the bank. Dimes March Campaign Is I Started Here The annual March of Dimes ! polio campaign got under waj in Macon County this week under the leadership of Countj School Supt. Holland McSwain Macon's goal is $3,500. Pointing out that a n^ ic. wide increase in polio in. t.u past several years has outjiacec contributions, the county chair man said: "Th^ fisht against polio ii one 1rot -can be won if every one will pull together. Tliis dis I e->.?e strikes rich and poor alike regardless of race, creei, oi politics. I feel that it is every one's 3uty, not 'just a fe.v in dividual*, to pitch in and com bat polio. "Although I am a compara tire stranger here, I understanc that this county has gone ove the top in past drives. I fee i confident that the same will b< Idone again this year " The chairman plans to con j duct this year's Campaign on i j county-wide basis through i j special committee in eaci township. March of Dimes coir envelopes will be distributee throughout the county. Mr. Mc Swain said, and Macon's school. | will have an important role ir i the collection of funds for th( drive. Following are township com ; mittee chairmen, appointed thi: by the county chairman: i ...nklin township. J. Home ioi ,::on: Millshoal. Mrs Waltei .T; ? lor. Ellijay. Miss Mari< Jennings; augarfork, Mrs. Fay< Mashburn: Highlands, the Rev Robert E. fcu;ly; Flats. Mrs Fred Vinson; Smithbridge, Mrs Carl Howard; Cr.'tco^'vhpye ? ii-.- Rev. A. Rulus Morgan; N'a - tuhal^. Warren O^enLy; Burn !" jt^vvn. T. A. feiagle; ana Cp we3, T. M. Rickman. Township committees will be fippoinied by . hese chairmen to at? st with the drive, Mr. Mc owuin saii.. Members of the commiliees will be announced later. Person^ desiring to mail con tributions may send them io Claude Bolton, March oi Dimes treasurer. Franklin. N. C. Nantahala P. T. A, Hears McSwain, Mrs. Richardson Talks by County School ?Supt. Holland McSwain and Mrs. j. Richardson, of Andrews, high lighted the January meeting of :he Nontahala Parent-Teacher ?ssociation.. Mr, McSwain spoke briefly on ' he importance of education, 1 ind Mrs. Richardson's theme' vas character training and ' spiritual drvelopment. Their ! peeches developed thy theme ; hat home, school, and church, , ieed to work more effectively o produce strong, informed, ,nd spiritually-minded citizens, apable of meeting and solving j he difficult problems faced in j 1 he world today. P Sloan Explains Program; No Opposition Voiced By 75 At Season Approximately 75 persons at tended the public zoning hear ing Tuesday night and there was no visible opposition to the proposed zoning ordinance, pre sented by Franklin's five-man zoning and planning commis sion. The questions that arose dur ing the hearing appeared to | have been prompted by a de | sire far clarification of the ? I points raised. Presiding at the session, held j in the Macon courthouse, was Zoning Chairman W. N. Sloan. Mr. Sloan read the highlights ? of the zoning ordinance and ex plained the zoned areas- -resi t dential, business, ani industrial ? by use of a map of the town. The spirit of the ordinance, the chairman explained, is to protect residential areas from the spread of business and in dustry. Residences may be prect ed in business and industrial areas, but commercial ventures and industry are restricted from invading residential areas A section of the ordinance al I low'lg for the construction of 'o-.irist courts in re-iden'ai an-a*; rro'.iipted questions i ora the i audience. It was suggested that tourist courts "of th" wrong. I kind" could become mrs-mces. H. H. Plemmons, a .r.embir of tthe commission, sai w~ imission felt that it .o'idn't restrict the build n ? , Oiishnienlo, * Franklin's economy ' on the tourist trade." ? The commission sard, how- ?' ever, that any iv courts built would rev y far the comfort of the : the proposed ordinance fcrc.ds filling stations, pu'. ic j rants, soft drink stands. et3., in connection with a tour.st court, in the residential area. Any disputes arising out of f the ordinance would be heard by a board of adjustment. " which would hear grievances 1 and could handle hardship cases, ? J if not in violation of the spirit 1 of the ordinance, Mr. Sloan said. v ? s j In broad terms,, the proposed , 1 ordinance is designed not only *? " to zone ths toxn as to the three 1 types of construction, but also ? 1 to regulate the height and size 1 of buildings, percentage of the 1 loi I hat may be T>"-upied by 1 the building, the siz? oC Uie ? yards, and density of pOpuia- J s tion. I 11 The in istrial area is con.'in J ' ed to a strip along the Little Tenn.? e ri.er, and embracing ' Depot street; the business area s extends aiong Main and Palmer: streets, from the et:cte'n tc 'Jt? ' western lun.ts'of the town and : the remainder of the town is ! limited to resident.*; construc tion. Under the set-up, the resi dential area has top priority ? ? no new business or industrial ' buildings may be constructed > ? in that aiea. The business area comes next ? no industrial struc- ?* tuies may be put up in that * area. Bigness houses may be built in the industrial area, 7 however, and homes may be , built in any of the three areas. ' j The commission plans to rec- J ommend to the board of alder- J men the adoption of the ordi nance. Prior to its adoption, it is unJerst< -ii. ili? aldermen will gi/e :t care ul consideration, ]? and possibly may hold another fl hearing. ^ Follcw ng is a b.ief summary, *, 1 I by districts, of the main points ' ] of the ordinance: *J Residental: No building or land shall be - SEE NO. 4, PAGE 12 The Weather Temperatures and precipitation toi um past seven days, and the low temperature yesterday, as recorded at the Cowerta !"*? periment station. Wednesday Thursday ' Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday High 58 30 4b. 3 55 59 67 66 Low I 47 32 1 13 29 42 51 49 43 'ct. .57 .01 .02 f ranklin Rainfall Wednesday, trace. Thursday, '???" 1.33; Friday, Saturday. Sunday. Monday, none; Tuesday, trace; Wednesday, .05.