'a (3 O Bwgraphical Sketches of candidates in Monday’s primary appear on page 19. Vote Monday— to select 10 candidates for the municipal elections May 7. twenty pages SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1957 TWENTY PAGES Town Council Give^ Go Ahead For New Municipal Building Fire Wing Not To Be Built Awarded Coker Scholarship At This Time A decision to begin construc tion of the new Town Hall was made Wednesday morning by the Town Coun(^. The decision came after many meetings and numerous hours of discussion in which the Council considered lit erally dozens of alternatives. In making the decision, the Council gave its approval to a plan that would eliminate con struction of a fire wing at this time. That part of the building, described as “phase two” of the completed plan, was eliminated in favor of a wing that includes a council room, located at the front of the building. In a letter to Fire Chief Har old Fowler, which is reprinted on this page, the Council said it would recommend to the new council, which takes office in May, that an immediate bond election be called, not to exceed $70,000, which would procure funds for the completion of the building, “hopefully at the same ^me.” Fowler had met with the Coimcil Tuesday afternoon and concurred in the decision. As it stands, the part' of the building that wUl be construct ed at this time, will cost approx imately $13(1,000. Contracts for that amount should be awarded within the next few days, ac cording to Town Manager Louis Scheipers. Mayor Voit Gilmore said the decision was made after much deliberation and “conscientious thought” on the part of every member of the Council and va rious citizens who had been in vited to take part in the discus sions. “It is, of course, a matter of deep regret to all of us that the entire building ^ cannot be built with the funds presently avail able,” he said. “We have explor ed every avenue open to us. In ttie final analysis, however, we know that not enough money is available and our combined thought is that the building that will be constructed will best serve the needs of Southern (Continued on Page 5) TEXT OF TOWN COUNCIL'S LETTER TO FIRE CHIEF HAROLD FOWLER: The Town' Council acknowledges with thanks your meeting with us on April 23 and discussing plans for construction of the new Town Hall. As was explained by our architect, Mr. Hayes, it is impossible to construct the entire building with funds presently available. Consequently, our plan is to construct as much of the total build ing as possible, utilizing plans already drawn. The architect feels strongly that to build economically and efficiently, the first construction phase should comprise police quarters, jail, public meeting room and administrative offices. Phase two would cover fire station and firemen quarters. As we of the Town Council etssured you at our meeting, we strongly desire to see the entire Town Hall buUt and if possible built all at the same time. However, since financial necessity required that we build in two phases, we conclude that the fire station should be made phase two. W& are glad that you concur in this d^ision, considering particularly that the fire department at least has reasonably adequate existing quaiders whereas all other departments are using inadequate, temporary space. To assure the soonest possible construction of the fire depart ment section of the Town HaU, hopefully in time to allow simul taneous completion, the Town Council will recommend to the new Town Council which takes office in May that a bond elec tion be held at the earliest possible date to provide sufficient additional funds. We have been assured that a bond issue not in excess of $70i000 will be sufficient to build the fire station and complete all other details of the Town Hall Plea^ emphasize two things to the firemen. First, this Town Hall will be one of'the finest an3rwhere and has been designed to serve our Town’s needs for the next twenty-five to. fifty years with the best known modem municipal equipment and layout. Second, the Town’s financial position is excellent, our credit rat- ’ ing is extremely sound, and the additional bond issue as pro posed would be well within the Town’s financial capacity. We appreciate your advice and cooperation. Joan Howarth, senior at South ern Pines High School, has been awarded a $750 William Cham bers Coker freshman scholarship at Coker College in Harts'ville, S. C. The awards, which represent the school’s top scholarships, are apportioned annually among the three rising classes and the in coming first-year class. Selection of recipients is based on scholar ship, character and leadership qualifications. Miss Howarth is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Howarth of 455 Coimtry Club Drive. An honor student at Southern Pines High Scvhool, she is serving as business manager of The Lance, school yearbook, vice-president of the Beta Club and senior repre sentative on the student council. She has served two terms as mar shal and manager of the girls’ basketball team, and secretary of the dramatics club. Her father is chairman of the local school board. She is also an FHA member and president of the young peo ples’ group in Emmanuel Church. JOAN HOWARTH WUham Chambers Coker schol arships represent the income from an endowment fund estab lished by Mrs. William Chambers Coker of Cha{)el Hill as a memo rial to her late husband, who Wcis a well-known botanist on the University of North Carolina fac ulty. He was also a son of Coker College founder Major James Lide Coker. , Town Primary Set Monday; 11 Seeking Council Positions New Industry Locates Here; Owner Got First Look At Town From Plane Band Concert At School Will Be Given Tomorrow With a varied program ar ranged, the Southern Pines High School band will present its sec ond annual concert at Weaver Auditorium tomorrow (Friday) night at 8:15. ' Numbers by Bach, Leroy An derson, Hoagy Carmichael and others are oh the program which Director Lvnn Ledden says will have something appealing to ev eryone. Proceeds of the concert will be used for future purchases of uni forms and equipment. At present there are some 50 members in the senior band, not including the majorettes, and about 25 each in the intermediate and beginner’s bands. Both, with members from the fifth through seventh grades, will perform numbers as extra features of the regular concert. Town’s Financial Position Sound, Authorities Say Just what is the financial posi tion of Southern Pines? That question^ has arisen often in recent weeks, particularly by citizens discussing the proposed new Town Hall, In response to an inquiry from The Pilot, Town Manager Louis Scheipers said this morning that the town is in excellent financial standing at this point and that the outlook is “not dim at aU” as some people would ha've it. As of July 1, 1957, the begin ning of the coming fiscal year, he said the town has the follo'wing indebtedness: Water bond& $303JI00: gen eral obligation bonds, $324.- 000: totaL $627J)00. The statutory borrowing limit for towns in North Carolina, he pointed out, is eight per cent of the total property valuation of the town. That limit is the one recommended by the Local Gov ernment Commission, and made into law by the General Assem bly, and which experts think is a safe limit. The eight per cent limit, how ever, applies only to the indebt edness incurred by the issuance of general obligation bonds; it does not include water bonds, which are of a revenue producing nature. (Actually, 'Scheipers said, a town could borrow an unlimit ed amount for water improve ments so long as people would buy the bonds). Property valuations in Southern Pines for the 1957-58 fiscal year are estimated at $7,570,000. Eight per cent of that is $605,600, which would, after subtracting the $324,- 000 representing general obliga tion bonds, leave the to-wn at present with a borrowing capac ity of $281,600. WHAT DOES THE WELFARE DO? Improvements At Hospital Complete; To Hold Opening The $481,000 expansion and im provement project of Moore C(^unty Hospital, in process for two years, was completed this week. The public is invited to an Open House Sunday, May 5, to view the new changed facilities which have increased the institution’s bed capacity by 24, added a new emergency wing, new children’s ward and rooms, new laundry and heating plant, greatly enlarged storage facilities, all in addition to the new front wing with quar ters for administrative offices, pa tient receiving desk, telephone switchboard, file rooms and can teen. Representatives of the North Carolina Medical Care Commis sion and the U. S. Public Health Service approved everything at a final inspection on Tuesday, at tended by the architects, contrac tors an dhospital officials. Only a few minor changes were sug gested. There wiU be conducted tours through the new facUities and in stallations on May 5. In addition to these, many changes will be noted by the visitors: expansion of the X-ray department, of lab oratories, and of storage space.. Following the Open House Sunday, the hospit2il will start receiving patients for the new rooms and wards the next day, May 6, Thomas A. Howerton, Hospital Administrator, said yes terday. Additional space will be made available for future needs within the course of the next few weeks when the Out-Patient Depart ment, with its offices for a num ber of physicians and surgeons of the "regular staff, is completed across the Pinehurst-Carthage (Continued on Page 5) Boarding Homes Improve State Of Needy Aged By KATHARINE BOYD There are five boarding homes for indigent people in Moore Countv. One is in Carthage, one in Robbins, one near Jackson Springs, one in West Southern Pines and one in West End. Th°se homes are not primarily nursing homes. However, of course, many of the people taken care of in the boarding homes are senile, mentally incapable of do ing everything for themselves; some are crippled, some develop illnesses while there; and most of them, as time passes, lapse into the last stages of their lives and* die in the homes. The boarding homes are not im- der the supervision of the county Department of Public Health in the sense that the former coimty- : owned and operated County Home i was. These boarding homes are j licensed by* the state and twice- yearly state inspection is obliga tory. Between times, members of the staff of the Department of Public Welfare are supposed to keep in touch with how things are going. The operators call this de partment and negotiate all diffi culties or problems through it. At the old Coimty Home, the Health Officer was the one called in case of the illness of the patients; he would ask for outside medical help from private physi cians, when this was in order. This duty, under the present sys tem, devolves directly on the phy sician of the community whom the operator simply calls in when needed. It should be added that, besides these homes listed as county boarding homes, county patients are also cared for in several of the other nursing homes situated in the coimty. This is the case (Continued on page 8) Summing up his remarks at a meeting of the Moore County In dustrial Development Committee recently, a prominent northern industrialist said: “There are literally hundreds of reasons why an industry de cides to locate in a particular spot. It is difficult to point to one single thing and say, ‘That is it.’ ” In the case of one small indus try that located here just last week, it is easy to pinpoint the reason: Southern Pines, as every one wlio lives here or has visited here, knows, is a beautiful place. And Lee Smithson, proprietor of the town’s newest industry, says that is the reason he is here now. Smithson heads a Missouri firm that specializes in supply ing fine quilted products for the furniture trade. He left Missouri about two weeks ago looking for a likely location near the furni ture producing area of North Carolina, where the great bulk of his business comes from. He first went to Albemarle and succeeded in lining up three potential locations. Like most people, however, he decided to take one final look before mak ing a firm decision. A pilot (he was a B-29 pilot during World War 2), he and his business associate, Ray Huffman, flew over the area around Albe marle and, inevitably, came to the Sandhills. Looking at South ern Pines from^ above, he was impressed with its apparent beauty and weU-kept look; he decided to come do'wn for a closer look. i About three hours later he had a real estate man in tow mid was looking for a building. Five days later he was in busi ness; the very next day he told several, people he had met that he had high hopes to enlarge the small op>eration. The new business, Story- Smithson, Inc., has established a reputation with most of the country’s top furniture manufac turers for the quality of its prod ucts. Actually, Smithson says, he is hi an extremely specialized part of the furniture business: (Continued on page 5) Carthage Youth Is Killed In Wreck; First Here In ’57 Lacy H. Stutts, 23, of Carthage, died Sunday afternoon in St. Jos eph’s Hospital here from injuries sustained early Sunday morning in an automobile accident near Manly. He was the first traffic fatality on rural roads in Moore County this year. Two others have died from traffic injuries but both ac cidents happened within the lim its of a town. According to State Highway Patrolman E. G. Shomaker, Stutts was riding viiith WiUie 'Theodore Hinesly, al^ 23, of Route 3, Car thage, in Hinesly’s car. Apparent ly the driver lost control on a curve and left the road. Shomaker said that from where the car left the road to the spot it finally came to rest was just short of 600 feet. It uprooted two pine trees and broke a telephone pole in two, he said. 'The accident occurred just north of Bristow’s Motor Court on US Highway 1. Shomaker at tributed it to high speed. Both Stutts and Hinesly were thrown from the car and were discovered by ambulance attend ants about 30 feet from the car. Stutts died Sunday afternoon. Hineriy is still in St. Joseph’s where his condition is reported as serious. Stutts is survived by his par ents, Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Stutts of Carthage; three sisters, Mrs. W. (Continued on page 5) Polls Open At 6:30; Vote Of 1500 Forecast Voters in Southern Pines will go the polls Monday to nominate 10 candidates for Town Council in the municipal elections May With 11 candidates in the pri mary, only one will be elimina ted. Voters will indicate their preference for ten on the voting machines. The polls will be open from 6:30 a. m. to 6:30 p. m. During the registration period two weeks ago, about 175 added their names to the eligible voting list. Observers think that close to 1500 people will vote. The polling place is located in the fire station on East New Hampshire A'venue. Qn page 19 of today’s Pilot bi ographical sketches of each of the candidates appear, together with their pictures. Information for the sketches was provided by the candidates themselves and the statements made are their own. Historical Assn. To Hold Annual Meeting Sheriff C. J. McDonald, presi dent of the Moore County His torical Association, has announc ed Hhat the annual meeting of the association will be held at Paint HiU Farm Tuesday, May 7, at 5:30 p. m. Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Ives, res idents of Paint Hill, have invited members of the association to stay to supper following the meeting. 'The full Board of Directors will meet immediately after sup per to elect officers for the com ing year. FIRST IN NINE YEARS High School Students Honor Irie Leonard In Annual Just Published 'The Lance, yearbook of the Southern Pines High School senior class, was distribute to students this week. It marked the first time in the past nine years that such a book has been published at the school. It was dedicated to Irie Leon ard, principal and head coach Of the football and baseball teams. In chapel ceremonies earlier this week, the yearbook staff, headed by John Chappell, re vealed for the first time its choice for the dedication. The dedication page read; “Upon you, Irie Leonard, prin cipal, coach and teacher, we, the students of Southern Knes School, bestow the Coat of Arms. “In selecting you for this hon or, we feel that you embody the enduring courage and loyal spirit of a true Knight. “You have not only coached our football team into four state championship games, but you have been a faithful friend throughout our high school ca reer and a stepping stone into our future life. “So here is to ^ inspiring teacher, an untiring coach, and a dedicated principal. . . the most outstanding Knight of all. . . Irie Leonard.” The announcement evoked considerable applause from the student body, gathered in the auditorium for the announce ment. At the conclusion of the program students freely swap ped books for the age-old custom of autographing. 'The book includes sections on football, basketball, baseball, (Continued on Page oi Six Teams Entered For Town Summer Softball League Six teams have entered the summer softball league and will begin a regular season of play in the middle of June, it was an nounced following an organiza tional meeting at the library Monday night. The six teams and their man agers are: Church of Wide Fellowship, Robert Leland; Carolina Power and Light Company, Charles Horton; Junior (Chamber of Commerce, Joel Stutts; National Guard, William Wilson; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Frank Smith; and Lions Club, Don Traylor, Jr. Cien. Pearson Menoher was re appointed co-commissioner of the league, and will serve with Morris Johnson, who is replacing Carl Holt. 'The commissioners said that several more teams would help fill out the schedule and request ed any organized group that wishes to enter to make applica tions .as soon as possible. 'The schedule is now being worked out. Only member of the present Town Council not seeking office this year is Mayor Voit Gilmore. There have been no clear cut issues drawn in the campaign which some people are saying is potably dull. The one thing that could be an issue, perhaps, is the decision made just yesterday by the Town (kjundl to begin con struction of a new Town Hall j building. Several of the candi dates have privately expressed opposition to the method of fi nancing the project Town Charter Is Ratified Tuesday The new charier for SouA- em Pines was ralifi^ by Ihe General Assembly Tuesday and is effective inunediale- ly. Rep. H. Clifton Blue had steered the bill through the House of Representatives. It was adopted formally by the Town Council late last mfonlh. Town officials said thig morning that, generally speaking, there are few changes in it that would have an immediate effect on the public. One section, call ing for the appointment of a five member school board, had held up the naming of a board until after the ratifica tion. It is now expected that the new board will be named early in May, as soon as the new Town Council takes of fice. IRIE LEONARD, principal and head coach of the football and baseball teams at Southern Pines High School, was surprised recently when the staff of The Lance, yearbook at the school. announced he was their choice fdr the' dedica tion page. Leonard is shown here being pre sented a copy of the book by John Chappell, editor, while members of the staff look on.

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view