Sell Your Tobacco
on the Boone Market
Do Your Shopping
with Your Home Merchant*
VOLUME LXV1I1?NO. ?.
An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Ettablithed in the Year Eighteen Eighty-Eight
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1K5
School Board Makes Tour
Building Progress Listed
lii wl i - *
Inspection tour* of the count?
school* are currently being made
by member* of the County Board
of Education a* a mean* to better
acquaint board member* of the
need* of the varioua *chool* a*
well a* to give them an opportun
ity to meet and talk with the
itudenU, teacher*, and principal*
of the variou* schools.
The ichool facilities at Valle
Crucit, Cove Creek, Mabel, Bethel
and Green Valley have already
been inspected by the board and
the remainder of the school* are
on schedule to be visited prior to
the first of the year.
Dr. Charles Davant, Jr., chair
man of the board, pointed out that
these Inspection tours will enable
the board to know more about the
urgent needs of the schools and
serve a* a guide in the expendi
ture* for renovation* and improve
ments throughout the current
school year. Dr. Davant said: "Ev
ery effort will be made to ade
quately maintain and equip all
schools as rapidly as funds be
come available." Already, paint
has been purchased and personnel
employed to begin a county-wida
painting project. Some of the
most urgent need* for paint seem
to be in the rest rooms, around
windows and doors and in some
classrooms that are dark due to
inadequate lighting fixtures as well
as darkened wall*.
Many classrooms throughout t?e
county are in urgent need of new
furniture and this condition will
be corrected as rapidly as funds
become available. Already this
year, $3,96710 has been expended
(or new furniture. A large part of
this amount was used in the new
building at Valle Cruets. Attrac
tive walls, good lights, and good
desks are a valuable aaset in mak
ing the student more comfortable
and thus better equipped for a
learning situation.
Some of the major projects
which have been completed thus
far or which are planned for com
pletion in the very near future
include the following:
Repairs to the roof at Cove Creek
High School. .
Repairs to the boiler at Cove
Creek Elementary School.
Posts and wire have been pur
chased for the installation of a
fence to separate school property
from private property at Bethel
and Valle Crucis schools.
Labor has been contracted to fill
in a large hole at the Parkway
School resulting from erosion on
the playground.
The lunchroom at the Cove Creek
Elementary School has been en
larged and repainted.
Door locks and door closers have
been installed la many classrooms
throughout the county system.
The playground area around
the colored achool has been im
proved and the classrooms painted
prior to the opening of school.
New and used furniture has been
placed in the Cove Creek High
School, Blowing Rock School, Val
le Uracil and Bethel.
window pane* have been replac
ed in many of the claaarooma
throughout the county.
County-widf paintiifg project
now in progreac.
Repairs to itepa at Blowing Rock
School now in progreaa.
Automatic water feeders have
been purchased for the boiler at
Cove Creek and Mabel schools.
Emergency plumbing and heat'
ing repaiit.
The Board of Education had
high praise for the teachers and
principals who have taken the ini
tiative to make many improve
ments in painting and repairs to
classrooms throughout the schools
visited. In some instances the
building looked bad from the out
side, however, through the work
and time spent by individual teach
ers, most rooms throughout the
county looked very attractive and
showed that a lot of time and ef
fort has been spent in making this
condition possible.
The board is somewhat limited
in the amount of money available
for maintanance of buildings and
the purchase of needed equipment
and furniture. Every effort is be
ing mde to intelligently expend
the money as it becomes available
and the board, as well as the coun
ty superintedent, invite the cri
ticsm of all patrons of the school
regarding the manner in which
the schools are being operated.
E. T. Downs Apps
To Win Annual
Burley Classic
Johnson City, Tenn.\ Nov. M ?
East Tennessee State punched
across a second-period touchdown
(Allowing a poor Appalachian pbnt
today to win the 11th annual Bur
ley Bowl football game, 7-0, be
fore about 6,000 tana.
East Tennessee State began the
winning drive after Mountaineer
halfback Jim Ollis had punted oa
ly 19 yards from his own 25. Har
old Joe returned the punt 2 yards
to put East Tennessee in strong
position.
Six plays later quarterback How
ard Tippett scored from the one
on a' quarterback sneak with 4:41
left in the half. Guard Tom Rock
placekicked the conversion.
Appalachian's main threat came
in the fourth period when it set
sail from its own five after full
back Jim Kiser had picked off an
East Tennessee paas. The Moun
taineers drove to the ETC 34 for
its deepest penetration of the day
but there quarterback Aubrey
Elam had a pass intercepted by
Trippett on the ETS five.
Kiser's interception had stalled
another ETS threat. Jim Ollia and
Elam mixed signals while under
an ETS punt on their own IS and
the 'ball feel free and was recov
ered by ETS. Four plays later,
however, Kiser moved into the
breach to steal the pass.
The game left Appalachian with
a season's mark of 8-5
Israel has formally aske4 the
United States to sell her arms
"under the most lenient condi
tions."
Vote Planned For
Soil Supervisor
D. F. drMtle. chairman of the
Walaiiga ' Sbtl Conservation Dis
trict supervisor*, announce* the
election next week, December 5
10, of a supervisor for the county.
The supervisor will serve for a
three year period.
Henry Taylor ?f Valle Crucis,
present district supervisor whose
term expires December 31, has
been renominated by a petition
containing twenty-five endorsers.
Any eligible voter is entitled to
vote in this election.
Ballot boxes will be located at
the following places: ASC Office,
Clyde Perry's store, Owen Little's
store. Deep 'Gap Post Office, Jones'
store at Sands, Sherwood and
Glenn's store, Valle Crucis Co.
store, and Watauga FCX.
The supervisors administer the
Soil Conservation District program
for the county. Thia program i*
aimed at bringing about the beat
use of all land within the county,
to prevent aoil loaa from erosion,
and to bring about best posaible
water management. The program
is designed to make uae of all edu
cational facilities in alerting every
one to the need for aoil and water
conaervation, and to provide tech
nical assistance to farmers in car
rying out good land use programs.
The program operates under N. C.
state laws, enabling local people
to carry out their own aoil and
water conaervation measures.
Present supervisors are D. F.
Greene of Sugar Grove, Tom Jack
son of Meat Camp townahip, and
Henry Taylor of Valle Crucis.
Safe-Driving Day
Is Being Observed
The second national observance
of Safe-Driving Day, iponaored by
the President's Committee for
Traffic Safety, is being held Thurs
day in ah attempt to prove that
voluntary individual and commun
ity action can hold traffic deatha
and injuries well below the nor
mal toll.
Safety leaders hoped that the
S-D Day record this year would
show an improvement over the IS
per cent reduction in deatha
t achieved on S-D Day last year.
Here are some potentially dan
' geroua driver action! to watch for:
1. Excessive speed, especially at
night, in bad weather, and in
? heavy traffic. t
2. Passing several cars at once,
or on hilla, curve* and intersect
ions where there is not a clear
> view ahead.
3. Following too closely. ,
I 4. Weaving and sudden lane
i (Continued on page eight)
Two Classes Mail May Be Posted
Together Under New Regulations
A method of mailing two c!uhi
of mail together is provided in a
new postal regulation, which b
noted by Acting Postmaster Lyie
B. Cook, who states that spechl
envelope* or container* are re
quired.
The present method is being re
tained, but a new alternative, con
venient method for mailing mixed
classes has been adopted and will
be effective November 28, 1995.
1. Enclosures mailed with sec
ond-class publications.
a. Letter* or other pieces of
fir* or third-class mail may be
mailed with second-claas publica
tions. They may be:
(1) Placed in the outside enve
lope or wrapper with a single
copy. ? j
(J) Secured inside an unwrap
ped copy, er.
(3) Enclosed In a bundle of
copies.
Postage at the appropriate first
or single pice* third-class rate
must be paid for each separata en
closure.
2. Enclosures mailed with third'
and fourth -class ; -eels.
a. Letters may be enclosed in a
third or fourth-class parcel. Post
age at the first-class rate must be
paid for each letter.
h. Third-data mail may be en
closed in a fourth-class parcel.
Postage at the single-piece third
class rate must be paid for each
The enclosure should be placed
oa too of other Items in the parcel
when practical, and pottage for
the enclosure must be placed on
tfat outside at .the panel. It may
be adttd to the portage for the
! ' " '
parcel and the total amount paid
together, or the pottage for the en
closure may be a/fixed separately
from the pottage for the parcel.
At any rate, the mailer must
place the endonement "Fir*t-Claai
Mail or Third-Class Mail" enclosed
on each parcel "below the postage
and above the address. The en
dorsement may be handstamped.
handwritten, typewritten, printed,
or put on by any other method.
If postage is not paid at the ap
propriate rate in the manner pro
vided (or by section 139 31 and
139.12 of the Postal Manual for
letters or other pieces of first or
third-class mail, the second-class
publications or the third or fourth
class parcels in which they are en
closed will be subject tb the high
er rate applicable to the enclosure
m&SSM&S J 25 'A
Sugar Grove Man
In Attendance
At Geneva Parley
CARLTON H. SWltr
Carlton H. Swift, of ? Sugar
Grove has the distinction of at
tending the recent Geneva confer
ences by virtue of his position
with the State Department.
In a tetter to his mother, Mr.
Swift says:
"Arrived in Geneva two days
ago and have been busy ever since.
If it is not an official function then
its social and Geneva night .life,
which is very gay and very much
like Paris.
"Last night I attended the Mar
ine Ball and dinner. There are
about 30 Marine guards here and
in honor of the 160th anniversary
of the Marine Corps they had the
dance and dinner for the entire U.
S. delegation. Th*re must have
been about a hundred of us pre
sent. Secretary Dulles made a
brief speech, also Stassen. Then,
with a sword, Dulles cut the big
cake.
"My mission here won't keep me
but about two more days. Anyway
we Just got the word that the con
ference will be ending Wednes
day, rain or shine. There hasn't
been much accomplished here, I
guess, but net too many people
really thought there would be!"
Mr. Swift, a son of Mr*. R. Dean
Swift and the laie Mr. Swift at
tended Cove Creek High School
'and in June 1009 graduated from
the University of North Carolina.
He spent two yean in the Navy.
Opening Burle
Bring Average Of
Two Are Chosen
As Boone Rotary
Boys Of Month
v'*, . i' ?'
Roy Minton of Cfve Crack High
School, and J. W. Wellborn, of
Appalachian High School have been
?elected b ytheir raapectlve (tudent
councils as "Rotary Boys" /or the
month of December. These boys
will be dinner guests of the Boone
Rotary Club on Thursday, Decem
ber 1, at their regular supper meet
ing
Roy and 1. W. were selected for
their outstanding work in the fields
of scholarship, leadership, char
acter and service in their schools,
and are being honored by the Ro
tary Club of Boone in their pro
gram of recognising outstanding
boys each month from the two
schools. x
Roy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Grady
Minton of Vilas, is treasurer of the
National Honor Soeiety, member
of the Student Council and Annual
staff. He also played basketball
for two years. He plans to attend
college after his graduation from
high school. Roy Is taking a sci
ence curriculum.
JT. W? son of Mr. and Mrs. John
Welborn of Boone, is a member of
the National Honor Society, Stu
dent Council, "A" Club. Band,
Glee Club, Social Dance Club and
was selected as Mr, Appalachian
hia senior year. He also played
football three years, baseball iour
years, and was on the wrestling
J?Mn four yean. J. W. was presi
dent of his class two yean. After
"W graduation he plans to attend
college and study dentistry. Mi*
curriculum in high school is col
lege preparatory. 4
' More picnic areas on hation't
highways are urged.
Bethel Community
Gets Progress Award
Bethel community was selected
as the winner in the Community
Development Program in Watauga
county last week. The community
will receive $90.00.
Some of the things that have
been accomplished as a result of
Community effort are: Erection of
community signs, built and painted
fence around cemetery at, Bethel,
cleared and reseeded two other
cemeteries in the community, se
cured additional land for expan
sion of school btyldings and play
ground, erected standard mail box
posts, 42 families ordered name
plates to be used under mail boxes,
and planned for a comunity recre
ation program.
The judges, Mrs. B. W. Suitings,
Wade Brown, and the Rev. E. H.
(continued on page eight)
Farm Group Heads Give
Views On Tobacco Law
Heads of the Watauga County
Farm Bureau and the Grange
have protested warehouse fee i on
the tobacco markets of the State,
and call attention to the intent of
a law, since declared unconstitu
tional.
Mr. I. B. Wilson, Farm Bureau
President and W. R. Vines, deputy
master of the Watauga County
Grange have released the follow
ing prepared statement:
"The Burley tobacco farmers ap
plied to the Generaly Assembly of
North Carolina In the session of
1995 for the relief of excessive
charges on Burley tobacco markets
in North Carolina, and the bill
limiting the charges wis prepared
and presented by Representative
Bennett of Yancey and Represen
tative Haleombe of Madison. This
bill had the active support of both
the North Carolina Farm Bureau
Federation -and the North Caro- 1
Una Grange. This bill was hltfcrly
fought by the burley tobacco mar
kets of this state but was finally |
paaaed and the burley tobacco
growers felt that no longer would
they be charged a weighing fee
and an auction fee, but through 'a
technicality in the wording of this
bill, and evidently smart legal
minda of the warehousemen have j
secured from the Attorney Gener
al * ruling that the bill in ita
wording la uAconstitsitional. How
ever, the warehousemen knew the
intent of thia act and have ignor
ed the same and are today charg
ing not only a weighing fee but
?n auction fee and the hurley to
bacco farmers of North Carolina
feel that the tobacco warehouse
men are not keeping faith with the
growers."
Two Watauga Men
Enlist In Navy
It was recently announced by
Eugene Chapman, navy recruiter
from the Lenoir office, that James
Bennett Steelman, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Howard S. Steelman of Deep
Gap, and James Ernest Vannoy,
Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. James
Ernest Vannoy, Sr., of Route No.
3, Boone, had volontarlly Misted
in the U. S. Navy.
These young men are at the Na
val Training Center, Groat Lakes,
111. Here they will undergo nine
weeks of recruit training, includ
ing such subjects as small arms,
gunnery, seamanship, sea survival,
boat handling, and numerous other
things that will help them through
out their naval career.
Recruiter Chapman stated that
be has openings, for qualified men
under various programs in differ
ent fields, and would be glad to
talk them over with interested men
at the post office la Boone on
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Bob Davis Winner Of
Sports Car Hill Climb
Bob Dtvii and bit rice-winning (ports ear
Bob Davis, driving hli home
made sports car ipoclal, won the
CUu C hUlcllmbing event at Pilot
Mountain Sunday, when he climbed
the two and two-eaUis mile track
in 2:28.2. He won over 33 other
?port* cart- which had entered the
race iponaored by the North Caro
lina region of the Sport* Car Club
of America.
Bob, who work* ai a mechanic
at Andrews Chevrolet, Inc., in
Boone, ran this track last year
and placed second in that event.
He received a beautiful loving cup
trophy for his racing Sunday.
Coming in second was George
H?hn of Hickory, in ? Thunder- ,
bird, who did t^ie route in two ,
minutei, 32 and t-8 seconds. Third
wis Johnny Belk, Greensboro, in ,
a Jaguar who was a second behind <
Hahn. i
Drivers came from North Caro- |
iina, Tennessee and Virginia.
One bit of excitement was furn- I
ished the crowd which witnessed i
the race when Tommy Neal of I
Guilford spun his car out on a turn
and slipped into a ditch. Specta
tors lifted his MG out of the ditch 1
and he went on to win third place 1
ia the Class 0 race with only lfi !
seconds of time lost.
State Makes Survey
School Bus Routes :
L. W. Alexander, Sute Bus
Route Supervisor, has recei. jr
completed ? Survey of all Khool
bus routes in the county, it was
announced by Guy Angell, superin
tendent of county schools. The sur
vey was requested by the County
Board of Education for the pur
opse of eliminating any buses trav
eling over the same road and to
aid the board in making any ad
justments on roads used by the
county and not approved by the
state for safe transportation.
Every road in the county used
for bus transportation was care
fully surveyed by Mr. Alexander,
John Harrison, and the principal
of each individual school which
has buses assigned to them. Defi
nite line* were also established for
each school district to take care
of the itudent assignment changes
made earlier this year.
Watauga county now operates
52 buses which travel a dally
mileage of 1,481.4 miles or an aver
age daily mileage per bus of 27.8
miles. A total of 3,148 students
are transported daily in the coun
ty out of a total student enroll
ment ef approximately 4,200.
Due to the crowded condition an
certain buses a?d road conditions,
many of the buses make two trips
per day. The 82 buses assigned to
the county new make 78 trips per
dsy snd transport an average of
40 students per trip.
The county transportation ?ys
tem is under the direction of Mr.
Harrison, who hat a crew of three (
mechanic! to help service the ,
buses.
Due to the increase in the num- ,
ber of buses now in operation and (
the crowded facilities iii the pref |
cnt school bus garage, the Board t
of Education and the County Board
of Commissioners are currently
making a study of the coat of '
building an additional building ad- '
equate to take care Of this vital <
phase of the school program The I
present facilities under the Coun- <
ty Office Building are crowded 1
and additional space is badly need,
ed during, the school year as well
as parking area for the buses dur
ing the summer.
'%
tfCEA Group To
Gather Friday
The Watauga County Unit of
the North Carolina Education As
sociation will hold it's next gen
eral meeting on Friday, Decem
ber 2, at 2:00 p. m , at the Appala
chian Elementary School.
There will be discussion groups
for the different grades.
A quarter of a million foreign
plants have been introduced into
the United States .since the year
1800, when USDA started to keep
a record on them.
First Sale Best
In History Of *
Local Market
By V. G. ROLLINS
(Democrat Staff Writer)
The Boone burley tobacco mar-,
let opened the 1086-56 selling tea
ion Tuesday morning with what
vas described as "the moat satis
factory opening sale in the history
>f the market" by R. C. Coleman,
>perator o I the local burley mar
set.
Total figures for the day wen
not available at press time, bat a
rheck of more than fifty represen
tative baskets said Tuesday mass
ing showed aa average of well
ibove $55.00 pet hundred, with
the top baaket up to that time go
ing for ?M.M.
Lower grades were also telling
very good, Mr. Coleman said, and
prices are expected to be aa high
ir higher for the remainder of the
week.
There is always plenty of room
on the floors of the three Boone
warehouses for farmers to unload
tobacco any time they care to
bring it in, he pointed out, ytd
with a sale every day, Monday
through Friday, there will be an
ibsolute minimum of delay in sell
ing the leaf. ?
A full set of buyers Is operating
>n the Boone market, and salea are
?? a 3W hour dally baals. The
ichedule permits sale of MM baa
kete or 101,400 pounds a day.
Government price support levels
will average 46.2 cents per pound
thia year, down .2 of a cent from
last year.
Government obaervers have fore
cast a total burley production In
the eight-state belt of 919.P1S.000
pounds, a decrease of 147,290,000
rrom last year's record crop, due
to an acreage cut of 29 per cent.
If the forecast stands up, the
irop will be the smallest in the
last five years, but R. C. Coleman
?nd associates are confident that
the new five-day weekly schedule
of sales here will result in the
biggest season in several years for
the Boone market.
Experts have called the current
western North Carolina burley
crop tops In quality over the past
?everal years, and the local ware
housemen expect Boone prices to
maintain a high level throughout
the season.
? '
Yoder Attends
Indiana Meet
Indianpolis, Ind. ? In attendance
st the annual meeting of the Na
tional Council of Geography Teach
ers is Dr. J. C. Yoder, Profesaor
of Geography at Appalachian
State Teachers College, Boone, N.
C.
Almost every state is represent
ed at the convention as well aa
delegates from Cuba, Canada, and
other countries.
The average 1094 income of 90,
900,000 men who had some income
was $3,200 and for some 28,000,000
women, the average figure was
i bout $1,200. This waa about the
is me as in 1993, but was consid
erably higher than in 1949.
llL
Land Drainage Program Is Money
Maker For Beaver Dam Farmer
By E. D. GREENE
From almost nothing to twenty
ton? of aiiage par Mr* in one year
i* one o 1 the benefits tile drainage
has been to Edmund Farthing of
the Bethel community. In 1964 (a
dry seaaon) the only crop one
field on hia farm would produce
waa awamp graaa hay. Since the
corn on hia upland waa Buffering
from lack of moiature and the hay
in his lowland was suffering from
rh moisture Mr. Farthing
tt was time to take action.
were two things Mr.
FartUng could do. He could buy
costly irrigation equipment and
pat enough water on the hills to
grow god) crops of com. or he
could drain his swamp land and ;
move hi* corn off the hill* to the
level land. He choae the Utter.
The level Und wit not *ub)?ct lo
?ever* ero*loa a* wai hi* hill*. The
toil via more productive both in
it'* preaent condition wat not pay
ing the taxe* on the field!
Mr. Farthing contacted the
Agricultural Stabilization and Coo
aervation Committee to determine
if they wottW help dure the coat
of draining the field. The Commit
tee told him W| would (hare the
ewt If he would imtall the tile
according to tba specification* of
the Soil Conaervation Service The
Work Unit Conaervationlat visited
Mr. Farthing'* farm to help him
determine the kind of drainage
needed, the proper amount of
, . . ... ; ? . ? ?
(lope the til* should have, the
location of Uie ditches and the cor
rect way to cut the ditches and in
stall the tile. The Job wqs com
pleted in the (all of 19M.
This field, which waa swamp
land the year before, waa planted
to ailage corn in the spring of
1*59. The wet summer did sot
aeem to hurt the corn and at ailo
filling time it was estimated the
field would produce more than 20
toos o* silage par acre.
"1 >?ould .never have thought
that field would make that much
corn in a dry season much leaa a
season like thia year has been. II
has more than paid the coat of
drainage the flrat year." Mr. Party
ing stated || ttXgEf
' '