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HARNETT COUNTY NEWS
CONSTRUCTIVE... Haraett^’c Only CoimtyMat Nawipapar ... PROGRESSIVE
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Vol. XXXII—No. 23
$2.00 PER YEAR—Sc A COPY
Lillingtont N. C.*/Tfeursday, June 8, 19S0
*Tf It
Harnett, IPs In THE NEWS^
In and
Out of
Lillington
HOUSEBUILDERS NEED HOMES
Even the builders of houses
sometimes are found seeking homes.
It's not exactly a case of the shoe
maker's family going barefooted, but
it happens that builders often find
themselves away from home.
The huge building program in
progress at Fort Bragg, which is in
tended to house a thousand fatnilies,
has brought almost daily inquiries
for homes in Lillington.
It reminds us of the time when
the v.-ar-building was going on at the
Fort. A .steady stream of inquiries
came this way for living quarters.
Even now, however, with all the
homes that have been built here
since the end of the nar, available
living quarters for newomers are at
a premium.
This town is growing!
TOB-ACCO’S GROWING TOO
For some days now Ave have been
feeling a bit uneasy about the to
bacco situation in Harnett county,
what with the lateness af the season
when farmers finally transferred
their plants from beds to fields, the
lack of rain, and ons thing and
another.
But the picture has (hanged quite
a good deal within the past several
days. Our agent. Mrs. Blanche John
son. was in The News office one day
last week and told us that folks had
finished putting out tobacco plants
and that the “bright leafs’* were
growing to beat the baid.
That sounds good, and everything’s
all hunky-dory.
* * *
EXCX^SE OUR PLAIN SFORDB
Not so long ago The News had an
editorial in which It ivas explained
that as far as possible' little, bitty,
teeny words were used—not the big
one that twisted the Jaw or brought
on a cough.
In other words, five-cent words
(two tor a nickel before the war)
were our choicest.
The News’ idea is tliat the plain
est words will make a news story or
an editoaial more understandable to
all readers—including such folks as
ourself, preachers, farmers, day la
borers,- and on up tbe line.
You can possibly imagine our
chagrin, scant though it was, when
we learned that a certain fellow who
regarded himself as highly educated
bemoaned that "some things should
be written in a different way.’’
As Little Abner would say, “Bless
his little heart!”
« • «
rRABGRASS
Enemy No. 1 Just now, with farm
ers and gardeners, is crabgrass.
More than one member of those two
classifications has wondered time
and again where all tbe stuff comes
from.
Out our way, at lunchtime, friend
ly John Harris, the “Tarheel Gar
dener,” was discussing crabgrass and
stated that it could be gotten rid of
by simply chopping it up before it
goes to seed.
For once our good liousewile beg
ged to differ with him. She declared:
“Why, that stuff seems to come from
nowhere, and there's 'io end to tbe
supply. It would grow on the texp of
this house if the rairs didn't keep
the roof washed off.”
• • *
ANOTHER VERSION
A local householdei couldn’t get
a stand of “society grass” to covey
his lawn, so he went i.o his favorite
seed dealer and called for some
crabgrass seed.
“That's one kind of seed 1 haven’t
got," he said, “but if you’ll scatter
some cotton seed in ycur yard you’ll
soon have a good si.and of crab
grass.”
LUCKIEST CANIMDAIFB
Robert Morgan considers himself
the luckiest candidate of all in the
1950 Democratic teats
When the primary campaign start
ed off, Robert bad oppoelUou. But
before voting time his rival. It. iU.
Chaffin, withdrew. That left Robert
the Democratic nominee by unani
mous acclamation.
“Nevertheless, 1 consider myself
the luckiest because ia fact I was a
candidate, and if Mr. Chaffin hadn’t
withdrawn I would have faced a
hard campaign.”
Robert Morgan is one of Harnett
county’s finest young men.
TO CONDUCT REVIVAL
Rev. Reuben Jonen, well known
evangelist, will conduct a series of
meetings in Wilson beginning 't’burs-
day night. Mr. Jones will be assisted
by members of his choir.
Executives Have
Unusually Quiet
IkstMimdayMeet
COMMISSIONERS
APPROVE SEVEN
ROAD REQUESTS
Also Vote To Pay
Registrars $1- Hour
For Copying Names
Two Weeks Civil Term
To Convene Monday
At their regular first Monday meet
ing in June, :he County Board of
Commissioners received a minor
flood of road petitions which kept
them busy for a major >part of the
morning session. For the most part
the petitions were given approval by
ihe Board and then filed until the
new road allotment for the county
is set by tbe Highway Commission.
The Board approved seven road
petitions, five of which were placed
on file, and the other two returned
to the persons submitting them.
They -were:
To extend the road In Stewart’s
Creek townshijp as it now runs from
Buffalo out and to the Old Wire
road and where it connects with the
Joe Williams road.
To hard sur;.’ace that road in Aver-
asboro township from highway 310
to the forks of the road near Mingo
Creek, a distance of 1 3.-4 miles.
To grade and have maintained by
the state that road in Duke town
ship that runs from U. S. Highway
421 beginning at Bill’s Place to the
old Dunn-Brwin county road, a dis
tance of 230 yards.
Tb improve with top soil and with
asphalt that road in Averasboro
township that ■ runs from Highway
301 to the Jonesboro road, a dis
tance of 1 mile.
To have put in traveling condition
and have maintained by the state
the road in Upper Little River that
runs from Elmo Newton’it tobacco
barn to Arnold Nordan’s home, and.
is known as Bai-les and Nordan road,
a distance of 3-4 mile.
To treat with an all-weather sur
face the oad in Neill’s Creek town
ship that leads off of N. C. Highway
421 at H. C. Rogers’ store and runs
in a northerly direction to its in
tersection with N. C, Highway 210
near Neill’s Creek Baptist church,
a distance of approximately 4 miles.
To hard surface the road in John-
sonville township from road N. C. 27
at Johnsonvilla to Lee county line,
known as the Olivla-Johnsonvllle
road, a distance of 6.8 miles.
Several persons appeared before
the board with other than road pe
titions. Count? School Supt. C. Reid
Ross came be tore the Board and re
quested that a transfer of |’l'2600i be
made from the Current Expense
Code 652-1 i.o the Capital Outlay
Budget. This request was granted
by a close vote of 3 to 2.
Shug Averj^ and Francis Duncan
appeared before the Board In the
interest of establishing a Sanitary
District from Black River to the
Erwin Cotton Mills line for water
and sewer.
(Continued on page eight)
Two weeks civil term of Harnott
Superior Court will convene next
Monday morning with Judge Chester
Morris of Currituck presiding. This
will be !ast of the Spring Terms. The
Fall Terms begin with the first week
in September a one-weejj^ term for
trial of criminal cases.
OFFICERS TAKE
NINE STILLS
DURING MAY
1,070 Gallons of
Beer Captured in
Liquor Still Raids
Nine stills in the county were
taken during the month of May by
deputies and constables along with
1,070 gallons of beer. Stewart’s
Creek lead the list with fo-ur stills.
In Averasboro a haul of 400 gallons
of beer was taken along with the
capture of a single still.
The list of stills, and the arresting
officers, Includes:
Deputy K. C. Matthews, one still
Upper Little River, 60 gallons of
beer.
Deputy E. L. Jackson, one still in
Stewart’s Creek, no beer.
Constable Wade Stewart one still
in Lillington, 100 gallons of beer.
Constable C. C. McDonald, one
still in Barbecue, 300 gallons of
beer.
Constable Preston Porter, three
stills in Stewart’s Creek, 210 gallons
of beer.
Constable R. H. Butler, two stills
in Averasboro, 400 gallons of beer.
During the month of April there
were 17 stills captured in the county
along with a large amount of beer
and 28 gallons of whiskey. Averas
boro, which headed the list for April
with seven stills taken, only had two
found there in May. *
Cemetery Cleaning
At Spring Hill
All members of Spring Hill Me
thodist Church and all others inter
ested are asked to help in cleaning
up the cemetery there tomorrow
(Friday) beginning at 1 o’clock In
the afternoon.
Power Off
In order that new equipment may
be installed, power service in the
Coats, Buie’s Creek and Lillington
and rural areas will be interrupted
from 4:00 to 7:00 o’clock in the
morning next Sunday, June 11.
This announcement was made by
H. M. Tyler, manager in the Dunn
office of the Carolina Power and
Light Co.
Visitors to Courtliouse Monday
Got Smell of Fresh Paint
Fresh paint looks a lot -better than
it smells—that was the concensus of
opinion of visitors to Harnett’s
courthouse Monday—though where
new paint is as badly needed as It
has been for a long time at the
county’s capitol building, little or no
complaint Is heard of the strong
odor.
Painters began Monday morning
on the Job of caritylng out the Grand
Jury’s recotamendation that the
courthouse be freshened up. They
started in the lobby, and visitors
habitually congregating there were
seen to huddle at points where there
was less likelihood of being “coated”
themselves.
For sometime the Grand Jurors
have been recommending that the
courthouse be renovated and rtf-
palnted, naming epecifically certain
points about the building that need
ed such attention.
The Jurors, at the May term—^Isurt
session until September—urged that
the work be done before the nmEt
criminal term of court. No hint w«e
given as to what might take place
should their recommendations not oe
carried out, but tn their report to
Judge Chester Morris the Jurors did
say .that the recommendations had
been renewed after several months
delay since said recommendations
were made.
The Board of Commissioners have
been hailed before the court before
for not fulfilling orders comipg down
from that tribunal, and the present
paint Job is calculated to forestall a
sharper court order that might be
issued next September.
Certain visitors to the courthouse
Monday were heard to remark that
“A new courthouse would be a tine
thing.” Just how strong that senti
ment runs through the rank and tile
of taxpayers would be difficult to
ascertain without a referendum.
However, the members of tbe Board
of Commissioners have been taking
steps to get architects’ drawings and
estimate on remodeling plans.
” We’ll have to get an architect to
tell us what we can do with the
building before we take any definite
step toward rqmodel.ing>” one Board
memiher told The News.
MONDAY; JUNE 12
SET AS P|E-T|UAL
HEARINdS DAY
La8t Spi^nir Term
Of Supericitr Court
To Begin Monday
1
The June term of the Harnett
Superior Court will begin on Mon
day, June 12, but there will be no
Jury trials on Monday due to the fact
that that day has been set aside by
presiding Judge Che3|ter' Morris as
Pre-Trial Hearing Day. This session
of civil court will be the last of the
Spring Terms afid the next time
Supei-ior Court will meet will be the
first -Monday in Septenvber.
The Court Calendar was so fixed
at the calendar meeting that the
Pre- Trial Hearings Day was not set,
but left up to the ditcretlon of the
pre.siding Judge. 'The ij>urpose of this
day of court Is for the court to take
up all matters of motions, settling
of issues, matters oi reference, ad
missions of facts Sand I of documents,
matters of Judicial notice, and all
other matters which may aid in the
disposition of any cases coming up
Smith Gives ffint That
Re WiU Can For Second
Primary For Senatorship
It Looks Like a Run-off
lU the court term; All attorneys who
are on record as appearing In cases
set for trial on the June calendar
iiave been requested to appear in
court on the Pre-lfe-ial Hearings Day.
On Tuesday tb|' court gets under
way with the be^nning of the Jury
trials. First on the docket come 11
uncontested divorce cases, and when
they are dispensed with then all
other types of civil cases.
There is only one disputed divorce
case coming up on the calendar for
the June term, and that is the case
of Malcolm >Hod|;e3 vs. Mankle W.
Hodges, which fbould come into
court about Wednesday.
There are five separate suits
which will come up in court next
week that all grow out of the same
incident. They ate suits • by Avant
Tart, Wayland Mitchell, V. M.
Hodges, and Sam Norris, all against
D. Archie Edwards ,et al. All of these
suits against Edwards result from
the same auto •frwck.i
All. in all, there are 32 cases on
the calendar for the first week of
court, and 46 cpses set to come up
during the entire two-w-'ek term.
HEARING TO BE
HELD ON ZONING
ORDINANCE
Proposed Zoning
Of Lillington
Under Consideration
Notice is being given of a public
hearing for the purpose of consider
ing a tentative zoning ordinance and
map for the to'wn of Lillington.
The liearing is to 1^ held in the
Town Hall (M'unicipaii Building) on
June 27 at 'Si p. m. i
O. S. Atkins is chairman of the
town's Zoning Commission, and tbe
town authorities are calling the meet
ing sponsoring the hearing.
It is urgently, requested that all
who are now or may become Inter
ested in adopting a zoning ordinance
be present at the meeting.
An expert on plalining for the
operation of town apnlng will be
present to explain the plan.
Members of the Zoning Cewn mis
sion are: 0. S. Atkins, chairman;
Caviness O’-Quinn, seeiiretary'; S. G.
Howell, Billy Byrd and Leon Kelly.
S. Leigh Wilson,, flejld representa
tive of the North Carolina Municipal
League, with offices il Raleigh, has
prepared a tentative map outlining
a zone system. This, j of course, is
subject to any modifl^tlons or al
terations which may be adoptejd at
or following the public hearing.
Register of Dc^eds
Submits May Report
Business was about 'as usual dur
ing the month of May in the Register
of De^s office, acedrding to { the
monthly report turned lb by Mrs.
Inez liarrington to the Board of
GommissionerB. The greatest chiange
came about in the dejcrease In the
number of recel^jts rectirded, and the
45 per cent increase ip the number
of marriage licenses Issued o^er the
mouth of April.
Mrs. Harrington's report showed:
For recording receipts, 8834.5&; for
16 marriage licenses, no report;, for
7 discharges, no fees; iotai receipts,
88'3i4.55. '
The receipts for thej marriage li-
‘censes are reported- the end, of
every quarter, the pr^ent quarter
ending on June 36. |No fees''are
charged by the Regls^^r of D^s
tor recording servicemeiji’s discl^airge
papers.
iTELLS FRIENDS
THAT HE MAY GO
' along WITH THEM’
Crowd Gathers At
Smith Home Urging
Him to Run Again
SENATOR PRANK P. GRAHAM
CHALLENGER WILLIS SMITH
ROSS DECLINES
TO CALL FOR A
SECOND PRIMARY
Fell 115 Votes Short
Of J. R. Young In
Primary May 27
Charles Ross of Lillington, runner-
up in the Democratic primary May
27 for the State Senate, has handed
to The News a statement in which he
does not desire to put'his friends to
ihe trouble and the county to the
expense of holding a second primary
to decide the final winner of the
Senate seat.
Mr. Ross fell 115 votes short of
Mr. Young, the tabulation showing:
Young 2174, Ross 2069, Jernigan
2026.
Being the second hlighest in the
vote count, Mr. Ross would have the
right to call for a second primary to,
decide whether he or Mr. Young
would be the Democratic nominee.
Tlie statement by Mr. Ross is as
follows:
June 5th, 1950.
To The Democratic Voters Of
Harnett Gounty:
1 wish to express my appreciation
for the vote given me in tbe State
Senatorial Primary. While I fell 115
votes short of Mr. Young, tbe lead
ing candidate, I have the satisfaction
of knowing that my vote was entire
ly voluntary, as I did practically no
(-ampaigning. I do not desire to put
my friends to the trouble or the
county to the expense of a second
primary, and ask that all my friends
Join me in loyally supporting Mr.
Young in the general election In
TAX COLLECTIONS
DURING MAY TAKE
SHARP DECREASE
Collector’s Report
Shows Only Half As
Much As For April
November.
Again I
thank you.
Sincerely,
CHARLES ROSS.
The collection of taxes during the
month of May took a sharp drop
from, the collections made In April,
according to the May report turned
in to the Board of Commissioners by
Tax Collector D. P. Ray.
Total tax collections for May came
to only $6,2'58.78. as compared to
the 614,704:0'9 for April, a decrease
of $8,445.31. In other words, not
even half as much came into tbe tax
f-ollpotor’s office during May as did
in April. Of the total $6,25'8'.78, this
amount was divided with $4,171.68
coming from current taxes, $2,084.95
from delinquent taxes, and $2.15
from real estate sales.
Collection of 1949 taxes are still
slightly below what they were at the
same time last year. 1948 taxes col
lected through the month of May in
194-9 was 90.lO p^r cent, while col
lections through May lO-OO- are 89.16
per cent, less than one per cent less.
The balance of T9-49 taxes still un
collected up to date comes to $62,-
265.78, or 10.85 per cent of the total
assessments.
The report turned in by Tax Col
lector Ray shows that other revenue
for the county was accounted for in
the following manner: General Coun
ty Fund, $6,597.20; County School
Fund. $6,636.42; Aid to Dependent
Childen, $9,355.50; Old Age Assist
ance, $14,678.25; Veteran Farmers
Training Fund, $14,506.-36; and
Child -Feeding Program, $10,166.42.
Angier Man Dies Leaving
Unexpected Cash in Bank Box
V
An Angier man who was found
dead on his kitchen porch on May 27
left behind him quite a tidy sum of
money and bonds, officials discover
ed when they opened his safety de
posit box the following Monday.
When Clerk of the Court L. M.
Chaffin, bank officials of the Plrst-
Gltizens Bank and Trust Company,
of Angier, and relatives of the
deceased, J. N. Flowers of near
Angier, opened the safety de
posit box in the bank they found
somewhat more than they had ex
pected. There was $820 in paper
money In the box, Thwe were also
three bags, which, when opened,
were revealed to contain $642 all In
flfty-cent pieces.
Also in the safety deposit box were
■found $1,325 in United States War
Bonds and |2,0b0t in United States
Postal Savings Bonds. All In all the
total amoun.t oi curnency and bonds
found in Flowers’ deposit box'came
in $4,687.
The case first caime to light when
Flowers was found dead on the kit
chen porch of his two-room house
near Angier. He bad been seen on
Friday evening May 26, when he
stopped plovfing and went to the
porch to lie doiirit on a bench. Th«
next morning he was found dead on
the bench in the same position that
he was last seen the evening before.
-Clerk Chaffin was called to An
gier, and immediately upon arriving
on the scene, he appointed Everett
Barnes as collector for Flowers’
property. Flowers had no close re
latives, but there are one neice and
four nephews who lived in and out
of the state. The neice and nephews
arrived later and it was discovered
that Flowers had a safety deposit
box in the Angier -bank. Two trips
out to the house were necessary be
fore the key to the box was found,
and Monday morning the box was
opened in the presence of Clerk
Chaffin, bank officials, the niece and
Willis Smith, Raleigh lawyer
whose total vote in the Democratic
piimary May 27 for the U S. Sena
torship fell 53.383 below that given
Senator Frank P. Graham, is re
ported as having given his friends
a definite hint late Tuesday night
that he will demand a second pri
mary.
Some 400 or 500 of Smith’s
friends gathered at his home and
urged him to make a statement.
Smith spoke to them, saying:
“I know you mean what you say
when you say you want me to run
again. I know you mean to go down
the line all the way with me. Now
you've almost convinced me I ought
to do it.”
Earlier it was stated from Smith’s
headquarters that a statement would
be made Tuesday. The statement was
not forthcoming, and excuse was
given that the candidate waa so
busy with other importani matters,
including conferences with his sup
porters. that it was impossible to
reach a decision.
At his home late Tuesday night, It
was reported, Smith made a definite
promise that he would Issue a state
ment “sometime Wednesday.”
In order tliat subscrlliecs uay
road their paper on publication
day (Thursday), The N«»ws goee
to press on Wednesday. Because of
the indefinite hour at w'hich the
Smith statement might come, The
News did not wait through Wed
nesday to get it—thereby causing
the paiier to reach its readers a
day late.
In order that readers may have a
clear idea of the handicap which
Smith faces in entering a second
primary, the following official fig
ures of the vote tabulation are*
given;
The State Board of Elections,
after canvassing the returns, gives
Graham 3q3,605, Smith 250,222,
Reynolds 6S-,762, Boj’d 5,900—mak
ing a total of 618,479 votes cast in
the primary May 27. ,
This gives Graham a lead of 53,-
883 over Smith. However, of the
total vote cast, Grahant lacked 5,-
636 votes of receiving a majority
which would have given him the
nomination.
In the May 27 primary, Graham
was tbe favorite in Harnett county,
received 3529 votes to 2602 tor
Smith, 434 for Reynolds and 34- tor
Boyd. Political observers here pre
dict that in the event of a second
primary Senator Graham will receive
an even larger proportion of the
votes in this county.
It is generally believed here that
Mr. Smith will call for a second pri
mary. Many also believe, and have
been heard to predict, that the sec
ond race will become “even tougher”
than the first*.
Decisions handed down by the
United Slates Supreme Court Mon
day, dealing with segregation of the
races, is thought to have made an
impression on the Smith forces, and
it is thought likely that tbe race is
sue will be brought into focus more
Uraphatically in the second primary.
Citizens of Harnett county, how
ever, who recall that the race issue
has been dead since the turn of the
century, are not of a mind to believe
that its injection into a political
campaign in 1950 will not prove
beneficial to a candidate.
In the event of a second primary,
there will be run-ofis in th» Third
and Fourth Districts for County
I Commissionerv and for Constable in
nephews, and collector Barnes.
(On Wednesday Mr. Barnes was: Duke Township,
appointed as administrator for the J- E. Womble
estate by Clerk Chaffin.
Clerk Chaffin said that Flowers
had been in tbe habit of keeping his
money at his house, but that he had
been robbed a few times and so late
ly had been putting bis savings In
tbe bank instead. When an investi
gation was made $85.12 was found j
on the premises. All the rest of, ter. who got 218 votes in the first
Flowers* negotiable assete were in;primary, will run off with -BuUer,
the safety d^sit box in the bank who received 262 votes in a four
in Angler. !“«» race.
will contest the
nomination in the Fourth with
Worth L. Byrd, who ran far ahead
of him May 27. In the Third, Jtafus
L. Mangum will call for a run-off
with C. G. Fields, who led him in
the first primary.
In Duke Township a run-off for
constable will be held. Preston Por-
■
i.
itmi
mm