North Carolina Newspapers

w* figs$ Watauga democrat sKss unless sooner renewed. The mute coos to 13 000 dmdIa m Democrat is operating strictly universally usrabuli Ot ?" * ? - * v*"Cf ? An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1888 tivf r??d?r? to ?ch ?m?crib?r. VOL. LXII,' NO. 8 * . BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1. 1948 ? FIVE CENTS KING STREET I BY ROB RIVERS THE FADING muzzle blast of ttie hurricane, which roared up to Carolina from Florida over the week-end, brought sheets of rain driven by gusts of wind from the east, and kept local re sidents pretty well indoors last Sunday . . . Damage to corn, to bacco and other crops, blown to the ground by the strong gale, is] said to be rather extensive, and the opening of the schools in Elk township has been postponed a, week, due to the loss of bridges across Elk Creek . . . New River, I east of Boone, said to have been I highest since the disastrous flood of 1940 . . . lawns and streets littered with leaves and twigs, and apple trees largely divested of their fruit by the raging winds . . . Sunny skies and pleasant temperatures fol low the storm . . . ushering in the month of the turning leaves and the ripening fruit and of the har vest. ? ? * AS HARVEST TIME AP PROACHES. culminating a summer of heavy rains, and general unseasonable condi tions. the status of the farmers of the county often comes into the discussions of the business men of the town as they mingle with the residents of the farm ing districts, and there is wide diveristy of opinion as to the quantities of food crops which have been provided by the farmers from the rich black earth of the mountain sides and creek bottoms . . . Most farmers say crops are definite-, ly on the short side, due to the rains . . . that hay crops have rotted, taters ditto, beef cattle prices down, no fruit to speak of. and the dairy business defi- | nitely on the blink . . . others lake a more hopeful view and see a current over production of food in the area. ONE OF THE OPTIMISTS in this regard is M. H. Edmisten of Beaver Dam township, who says the farmers in his area have a problem all right . . . that of tak ing care of the bumper crop of food which has been produced . . . Mr. Edmisten states that the dry weather in the first part of the summer did react for a "time on the growing crops, but that the bounteous rains which fol lowed, brought on a bumper pro duction . . . He finds that pota toes in his section are of fair quality, and haven't been des troyed by the continued rains, and that other crops are faring well . According to him, thel good earth has yielded from her mysterious bounty in copious quantities, despite the whimsies of the weather during the grow ing season. 1 ? m 9 HEW MAIL leav.nq Boone for the east early in the even ing gives overnight mail ser vice lo Waihington and New York . . . Meeting the main line trains at Salisbury the new service allows mailings several j hours later, yet providing de livery in eastern cities the fol lowing morning . . . Strange to relate that folks in Washing ton. Philadelphia and New York have read their copies of i the Democrat before it can reach some readers in the im- ! mediate trading radius of the town in which it is published . . . Plans, however are said to be underway to provide an im proved mail service into these adjacent areas of the county, which have so long suffered from the inadequacy and tardi ness of their postal service. ? ? SHERMAN HOLLAR, one of! the country's leading livestock; dealers, cruises by in the early morning hours with a fine Here ford steer he had bought fore breakfast. . . Says good beef' cattle still bringing good price. . . Grapevine reports of outsider selling advertising space on a> proposed menu cover, taking: away couple of hundred dollars. 1 and delivering nothing at all.! . These purveyor-; of adver-i tising. which even if delivered ,is| of questionable worth, always getl a good hand in the community.! and just why we hand over our coin so generously to these shys-1 tens, strictly "on their faces" is one of the unsolved mysteries ofj the Street. . . . Operators of high-! way postoffice. who start their run from Greensboro near the midnight hour, sleep soundly on the lawn to the rear of the post office during their rest period here. . . ? The long lines of school children along the street Tues day as ?he new term begins, and the buses lined up from the grad ed school back to King Street . . . The first graders, with their toyj six guns, dolls, marbles and sling-' shots, taking their time on their journey down into the realms of fuller understanding, and an oc casional youngster, it could be seetv just wanted to go back home "plumb bad" . . . The high school kids in sport jackets, prim, neat dresses and suits, tripping along, joyously a bit ahead of time, looking forward to a bit of dancing or other play before classes . . the new pencils, and note books, and book satchels (Continued on cage 4) SUBJECT: GERMANY Jonn J. McCloy (left). United States military governor In Germany, is greeted by United States roving ambassador. W. Averell Harri man. at National airport. Washington. D. C.. upon his arrival In Washington for top-level discussion on future civilian control of the western occupation zones. The government of the people in allied Germany has been ordered removed from the hands of the military. Germans recently held an election in which Conserva tives won out. Over Four Thousand Kiddies at Schools BARES FRAUD Record Attendance Expected As County Schools Open; Comptroller General oi the Unit 3d Slates LinrUay C. Winw teUa a Washington house committee that former army officers were involved in fraud, collusion and bribery in war contract settle ments. His testimony was part of the "five-percenters" investi gation. 750 Enrolled Al Cove Creek The Cove Creek District School- opened on Tuesday, Au-j ^u.-t 30. with an all-time record; enrollment of more than 750 pu-l pits Teachers returning from last vear are: Miss Jennie Love, Mrs. Grace B Mast, Mrs. J. D. Stokes, Miss Cynthia Stiles, Mrs. Mattie L. Wilson, Miss Roxanna Bing ham. Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hen son, Mrs. Virginia D. Strotht?, Mrs Pearle F. Horton, Mrs. Joyce 5. Davis. Robert G. Shipley and S. F. Horton. Miss Elizabeth Mc Manus from Hamlet, has been elected to fill the vacancy in the Science department due to the resignation of Gene Reese. Miss McManus is a graduate of Coker College and has completed one year of post-graduate work in Duke University. Herman Bry son has been selected to fill the vacancy as Coach and director of Physical Education due to the resignation of Carl- Fidler. Mrs. R. H Harmon will teach for Mr. Bryson until .he graduates froml Appalachian in November All of last year's teachers ini the elementary school will return: Tom J Moody. Mrs. Jamie Hen-i on, Mrs Mattie L Walsh, Mrs.j Gladyce M. Bingham, Mrs. Pearle Payne Dowling. Miss Annie Mae, Sherwood. Mrs. Dora Mast, Mrs. Susie B. Henson, Miss Ruby Mast, Miss Ophelia Bingham ?nd Mrs. Ruth B. Mast. Mrs. R. L. Tait| will also return as teacher of pi-> ano. George Harmon will teachi again at Rominger and Henry) Hagaman will return to the| Windy Gap School. The small school at Presnell has been con-i sol id a ted with Bethel and the onej teacher school at Kellerville waflj (Continued on page 8) High Waters Delay Elk School Opening The Elk and Lower Elk schools] will not open until Monday Sept ember 5th, it is announced by superintendent W. H. Walker, who states that the postponement came from the destruction of bridges and foot logs in the area during the week-end storm. BOARD MEETING POSTPONED The Watauga County Board of Education will not meet on thel first Monday of September (a | National holiday) but will meet on Tuesday, September 6. | A Full List of Tcachers Watauga county schools opened Tuesday and estimates from the office of county Superintendent W. H. Walker indicate that more than four thousand children are in attendance. As a matter of fact 3985 were ??nrolled at the close of the term last spring, and a considerable increasee is expected this year. Superintendent Walker states that all vacancies in the teaching staffs have been filled, and that considerably less trouble has been experienced this year in securing ;utors, due to the improved scale of pay provided by the last Leg islature. Following is a list of the teach-, ers for the 1949-50 term: Watauga County Schools open-' ed Tuesday, August 30. The teachers are as follows: I H? principal. ("Hie teachers of this school have been! isted in a previous issue.) Boone Demonstration ? John T. Howell, Principal; Donald C. Thompson, Earl Petrey, Ben H. Horton, Jr., Melvin W. Lashure, Mary H. Walker, Isabell Mason, Clyde Mae Goodman. Mary E.! Oibbs. Bessie Crawford. Chris-I tine H. Innings, Ennis R. Row-j !and, Ella Beshears, Grace MJ Councill, Velma M. Cottrell. Lou High School ? * st* W. Horton. Howard's Creek School ? Daisy, A. Adams. Rich Mountain School ? Chinai R. Lavender. Ruthe/-wood School ? Earll Greene, Mary Helen Cole. Bamboo School ? P e a r 1 el Cowles, Helen E. Trexler, Lucy H. Storie. Green Valley? Ola T. Thomp son, principal; Ruby T. Sherrill, Maggie E. Moretz. Winebarger School ? Ruth L. Winkler, Imogene Barden. Deep Gap School ? Edith F. Estes, principal; Lucy G. Luther, (Continued on page 8) Draft Board Closes Office The local office of the Selec tive Service system, through which Watauga's manpower was filtered during the days of war, is closed, effective as of the close of business August 26th, it is announced by Howard J. Cot trell, chairman, who stated that the move is in line with the re duced appropriation for selective service activities. It was explained that the board will continue the work of classi fication and induction, should the the latter be resumed. Youths, it is said, are yet re quired to register when they be come 18, and are asked to regis ter with Lionel Ward. Boone, N. C.. who has been named the of ficial registrar for Watauga coun ty All Watauga county registrants should address their communica tions henceforth to Local Board No. 96, Town Hall, Wilkesboro, N. C. Eighty Tar Heels Die on Roads Raleigh ? Eighty persons lost their lives on North Carolina's highways last month in the high est July toll in eight years, the Motor Vehicles Department re ported today. The 80 fatalities amounted to a 31 per cent increase over July of last year, when 61 persons lost their lives. Not since 1941, when 95 persons died. has. the July toll been so high. The Russians are reported to have a type of wheat wnich does not require reseeding each year. FAIR DATA IS GIVEN OUT AS DATE OF EVENT DRAWS NEARER Fair Association Releases In formation of Interest to Those Planning Exhibits in Blue Ridge Fair; Entries Enumerated, Dates Given So that the people over the county will know what they may bring to exhibit at the Blue Ridge Fair, listed below are articles which may be exhibited in sev eral departments. Entries in each of these departments must have been produced in 1949 and entered Wednesday afternoon, September 21. In the Garden and Field Crops department entries of corn (U. S. 13. W. Va. U63, white hybrid, I other yellow and other white), wheat, oats, rye, burley tobacco, turkish tobacco, alfalfa hay, mix ed hay. legume hay, grass hay, Sequoia potatoes, Green Moun tain potatoes, cabbage Danish |and kraut types), pumpkin, isquash .onions, peppers, beets, to Imatoes, carrots, snap beans, pole jbeans. lima beans, cucumbers, iturnips, rutabagas, and sweet po tatoes. | In the Canning department en tries of a display of assorted fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, preserves, etc.; quarts of poaches, cherries. blackberries. apple sauce, string beans, beets, toma toes. corn, lima beans, carrots, <oup mixtures, greons .asparagus, tomato juice, apple cider, pork, beef, chicken, mutton or any oth er canned meats; pints of garden English peas, pimento pepper, ap ole butter, peach, strawberry, cherry, raspberry jams and mar malades. apple, blackberry or dewberry, peach, or any other jelly, cucumber, bread and but ter, peach or any other kind of pickles. In the Farm and Garden dis play entry of an individual dis play of farm and garden pro ducts. In the Home Demonstration de partment, each Home Demonstra tion club is requested to make an exhibit showing some phase of this work. Consult your Home Agent in order that each club may have a different exhibit. In the Fruits department en tries of apples, pears and bunches of grapes. Scott To Speak At Blowing Rock Raleigh ? An address by Gov ernor W. Kerr Scott will high-j light the program of the 18th an-; nual convention of the North Car olina Motor Carriers Association! Friday and Saturday. September 1 and 3. at Hotel Mayview Ma inor. Blowing Rock. ! The Governor will be the prin-, cipal speaker at the annual baji-i Iquet at 7 p. m. Saturday. W D. Lewis of High Point,) president, will preside duringj convention sessions. Other features of the meeting; will include election of officers, directors and committees of the association and election of offic ers and committees of the North Carolina Council of Safety Sup ervisors on Saturday morning. A jjolf tournament is scheduled .for Friday and Saturday after ' noons. A buffet supper and isquare dance will be held Friday I night. i The convention will (jet under way Friday morning with a wel come by Milton M. Chapman, manager of Mayview Manor Wil liam C. Honeycutt. Black Moun tain. convention chairman, will make the response. Bids Received On River Road The State highway and public1 works commission Tuesday re-l ceived bids on the construction! of three miles of the Watauga; River road in Watauga county,! the Asheville contracting Co. bc-j ing the low bidder on the road way. with a bid of $164,532.40. John H. Brinkley of Thomasville wSs low with a bid of $52,894.10 on the structures, while Walker and Miller of Warrensville offer to move the buildings on the right of way for $3,380. Local highway officials ex press themselves as being pleas ed with the bids received, and believe that the commission will most likely let the contracts at these figures at the meeting Thursday. HOME IK OLD PANTS Vincennes, Ind. ? Every time1 Mrs Sibyl Hunley hung the clothes on the line to dry, the wrens started to build a nest in the pockets of the pants. So, to solve the problem, Mrs. Hunley hung a pair of old, worn-out pants Ion the line and left them there. jThe wrens took the hint and have (set up housekeeping in one of 'the pocketa. i YOUR HAT, M'LORD Hob-nobbing with dukes. duchesses and lords is yelling to be all in a day's work for 18-year-old Babe Shopp. Minneapolis. Miss America 1949. Misi Shopp's encounter with a real lire lord in person took place in London. Mobile XJRay Unit Is Making Chest Tests Many Questions Asked as Health Department Trailer Starts Health Campaign When the big white trailer with the "North Carolina State Board >f Health" in big black letters on cither side came into town, it started people asking questions. . . . What is that trailer? . . . Who can get X-rayed? . . . What does it cost? . . . Do you have to undress? . . . Will it hurt? . . . Are you going to be Xrayed? The many auestions soon be came action when the Mobile X ray Unite started taking chest pictures Friday morning. Au gust 26. The Chest X-ray ser vice is free to all Watauga citi zens, 15 years of age and older, ^nd the local Health Department hopes that as many citizens as possible will take advantage of this service. The Mobile Unit is open from 10:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m., daily, Tuesday through Saturday. Itis located in the parking area back nf the Court House and next to the County Building in Boone. If tuberculosis is present, a ?hest X-ray will show it before the individual notices any symp toms. Nothing but X-ray can show early tuberculosis. The tjreat advantage of finding a case of tuberculosis early is that it "an be cured in a much shorter ?ime and there is less danger of 't spreading to others The first days of the survey have been successful, hut many more people should take advan tage of this free service to help protect themselves and the com ?nunity from tuberculosis. Lastj week's Democrat carried a com Tiunity schedule and Community Health chairmen are helping the j ?v-ople know about the survey. When you are in town, even if the date is not that assigned to our community, go by the Mo bile Unit and have vour free] chest X-ray. The Mobile Unit will be at thel nresent location until September R On September 9 and 10. the Unit will be in Blowing Rock and on the Appalachian College Cam pus September 13 through 17. Remember ? It takes only a minute to be X-rayed. There is no undressing. It is free. Get vour chest X-ray today. School Heads To Meet Here An administrative conference lof all Elementary and Secondary [school principals of the county, including prinicapals of one and two teacher schools, has been scheduled Saturday, September 3. 10:30 a. m? at Appalachian High School. Discussion at this conference, according to Dr. J. Henry High smith. will be based upon the following topics: 1 The principals' elementary nnd annual reports for the session 1948-49. 2. The work of the "helping teacher" or supervisor. 3. New legislation affecting teachers and the instructional program. 4 The Handbook for Elemen tary and Secondary Schools. (Each principal should take his copy of the handbook to the meeting.) Clubwomen Sponsor Local Fashion Show Through the courtesy of Belk's Department Store the home and garden department of the Wo man's Club is sponsoring a fash ion show featuring Belk's fall fashions. All club merahtrs are invited to attend the shot? which will be held Thursday September 8, at 8 o'clock in the Belk store. Large marketings of chickens are in prospect the next few months, says the U. S. Depart ment of Agriculture. GOP CHAIRMAN W ? ? i Guy Georg* Gabrielson, GOP na tional commlttMm&n from Ber nardsvUle. N. J., was elected the new chairman o! the Republican national committee to succeed Hugh D. Scott. Veis Apply For Insurance Funds Washington. ? World War II veterans began applying Monday for shares in the $2,800,000,000 in surance refund to be paid next year. Application blanks are avail able, the Veterans' Administra tion said, in every post office, VA office, and veterans' organ ication throughout the country. A total of 16,000,000 ex-GI's and .servicemen may be eligible. All National Service Life In-| | ;uranre policy-holders or ex-pol icy holders who want to share in ithe fund must apply. 1 Entitled to payments are own ers of all policies issued between October 8, 1940 ,when the insur ance first became available, and January 1, 1948 ? provided the policies were kept in force for not less than three months. Refunds are due on lapsed and active policies alike. The money piled up because the rate of deaths is not as great as provided for under standard premium ta bles used at the start. Beneficiaries of deceased vet erans will share, but they do not apply. Their payments are be ing handled separately. The Veterans' Administration asked applicants to be especially careful to give their correct serv ice serial number. "While .hundreds of veterans may have the same or similar names, no 4wo have the same serial number designation," a VA announcement said. "Incomplete or erroneous en tries on the application forma only serve to delay payments. It is to a veteran's own interest to avoid mistakes." I The payments are to start next January and to be complet ed by July. Premium payments into the insurance fund have totaled $4. 228,000,000, and it is from a. sur plus in the fund that the $2,800, 000.000 special refund has been declared. (Gutted Mufflers Violation of Law Motorists have until Septem ber 8 to get rid of gutted muf flers, racing mufflers and other devices which make obnoxious noises, it is announced by the State highway patrol. Drivers of motorcycle^ with straight exhausts are also Effect ed, it is stated. The law states that pitted mufflers and straight exhausts are prohibited, and the Septem ber 8th date is set to allow time for changes and repairs. After that time drivers who make un necessary noises with these illeg ?al mufflers will be arrested, the patrolmen state. DR. SMITH, II TALKTOGRADS CITES THREAT TO DEMOCRACY Dean of the Law School, Co lumbia University, Tells of Need of Intelligence, Wis dom and Courage; Ninety one Receive College Degrees Ninety - one students were awarded degrees by Appalachian State Teachers college on Thurs day night. Six received master of arts degrees, and eighty-five received bachelor of science de grees. Dr. Young B. Smith, dean of ithe school of law of Columbia University, made the address to the graduating class. He said "it is appropriate to discuss Ameri can institutions and ideals in these mountains of Watauga county where so large a propor tion of the inhabitants are the Hescendents of the pioneers who founded this great nation." Trac ine briefly the birth and growth of the free society in which we live, he said "if the victories won are not to be lost, the struggle must go on. Today the belief In the durability or desirability of a free society is being challeng ed bv the advocates of some form of stateism, whether it be fas cism or communism. Already a large nart of the world is en slaved bv this new form of des potism. We must be alert to re cognize this threat to our way of life wherever and whenever it appears and to combate it at every stage. Stateism. whatever the form, is an insidious social disease because it thrives on hu man misery and fears. It promis es security and happiness to those whom it would enslave, but in the end destroys first the freedom, then the happiness, and 'inallv the security of its vic tims." Dr. Smith continued, "Our people must be acquainted with the basic facts concerning the history, the structure, the opera tion and the consequences of both American institutions and alien ideologies, in order that they may evaluate them ac curately." He stated that this would not only immunize the people against false propaganda, but will also give them a truer appreciation of the meaning of liberty and greater confidence in our free institutions. 'In the performance of this task," he said, "the teachers in the grade schools and in the high schools must take an important part, be cause it is these schools that most of our people obtain their formal "ducation. You, who are to be come teachers in these schools not only bear a heavy responsi bility. but you will have the op portunity to strike a telling blow in the present struggle between those who would preserve indi vidual freedom and initiative and those who would subordinate (the individual to the state. Never has there born greater need for men of intelligence, of wisdom, and of courage Never has It been so important that public ooinion should be shaped by straight thinking and sound judg ment. Whether we are succesa ful, or whether we break under the strain, will depend largely upon the ability of our educa tional institutions to equip our neople to recognize the truth and to extend the > boundaries of freedom to new horizons " Hospital Day September 12 Plans are going forward for the expansion of the Watauga Hospital The campaign to raise $10,000.00 locally to ma'ch the $10,000.00 from the Duke Foun dation is meeting with fine suc cess. Stanley Harris, chairman of the speciai drive. r??ports that there have been 19 pledges se cured for the $250 00 Club. Who will be the 20th? Eight teams have been organ ized in Boone to canvass the peo ple and a team will be set up for each township of the county. September 12th has been desig nated as Hospital Day and on Sunday, September 18th, all churches of the county are being asked to emphasize and take a special offering for the enlarge ment program of the hospital. Plans have already been made for the enlargement and equip ment of the kitchen, overhauling the heating system and installing a rtoker and other equipment which will make the hospital ade quate to meet all the require ment* of a first class modern hospital. It is emphasized that thtf money should be raised as ?'?y as possible in order that the work might be done before cold weather. Lions Cfob Picnic Set for Next Tuesday The annual Boone Lions Club picnic will be held at Winkler's Creek Tuesday, September 8. from 4 to 6 o'clock. All Lions and their ladies are urged to attend.