The Franklin Times
I I
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday \ ? _\ c ? : ? ah nt e ? li:_
Serving All Of Franklin County
Tel. GY6-3283
Ten Cents
Louisburg, N. C., Thursday, September 19, 1968
(Twelve Pages Today)
99th Year-Number 62
Triple Rites
At White
Level Today
Triple funeral services for Chief
Warrant Officer Ronald Glen Collins,
35, and sons, Rocky Dale Collins, 7,
and Terry Glenn Collins, 4, of Fayette
ville, who died Saturday, will be con
ducted today at 2 p.m. at White Level
Baptist Church by the Rev. Jobe Over
ton and Chaplain Jan Friend. Burial,
with full military honors, will be in the
church cemetery.
Surviving Collins are his wife, Mrs.
Sylvia Lester Collins; his mother, Mrs.
Pency Lee Collins of Rt. 2, Louisburg;
three sisters, Mrs. Annie Lee Leonard
and Mrs. Edna May, both of
Louisburg, and Mrs. Pattie Sue Ehren
berg of Rocky Mount; four brothers,
Jake and Perry, both of Rt. 2, Louis
burg, Bill of Raleigh and Daniel Gray
Collins of Greensboro.
Surviving the sons in addition to
their mother and paternal grand
mother are their maternal grand
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Lester.
Franklinton
Man Held
In Slaying
A 34-year-old Negro is being held in
the Granville County jail after he
allegedly shot his estranged wife and
her escort early Sunday morning. The
woman's companion died.
Roy Albert White, 34, of Rt. 1,
Franklinton, an employe of a Durham
meat processing company, is being
held for investigation of murder.
His estranged wife, Jessie Weaver
White, about 35, is in critical condi
tion in Duke Hospital with a pistol
wound in her head.
The dead man is Cletis Jones, 35, of
Wake Forest.
The shooting allegedly occurred as
the woman and Jones drove up at her
parents' home in the Wilton Com
munity near Oxford. Both were shot
with a .38 cal. pistol as they sat in the
car.
White surrendered voluntarily to
Oxford Sheriff J. C. Cash.
Lions Hear
Highway
Official
The Louisburg Lions Club met at
The Murphy House last Tuesday even
ing. The speaker was Walter Wooten,
the Right-of-way agent for the High
way Commission in Chapel Hill.
Mr. Wooten's subject concerned
land grants. He gave an interesting
account of land-granting in the Gran
ville district of North Carolina during
the mid 1700's. He tlso pointed out
various regulations regarding land
grants at that time, plus some lawsuits
and other problems resulting from
some of those land grants.
The Club wishes to announce that
the White Cane drive is now in pro
gress. All citizens are urged to make
contributions, all of which, of course,
will be used for the blind. This drive
will continue at least through the
month of September.
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Bob Scott Headquarters
Sign Of The Times
As a sign of the times, trailer headquarters for the two gubernatorial candidates have been put in place here in Louisburg in
recent weeks in preparation for the coming campaign. Top photo shows the Bob Scott and county Democratic offices on East
Nash Street and the bottom photo shows the Jim Gardner Republican headquarters on Bickett Blvd. Harnett Senator Robert
Morgan, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, will officiate at ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the Democratic headquarters
Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. Plans for the formal opening of Gardner offices have not been announced. Photos by Clint Fuller.
Franklin Municipalities
To Share $28,631 Powell Bill Funds
Four of the five municipalities in
Franklin County will share in a total
of $28,631.59 in Powell Bill funds,
according to a Highway Commission
announcement. The four include
Louisburg, Franklinton, Youngsville
and Bunn. Centerville, newest incor
porated town in the county, has not
yet qualified for a part in the funds.
According to the announcement,
Louisburg will receive $14,370.84
based on a population of 2,862 and
non-system mileage of 12.24. Frank
linton gets $8,501.11 on a population
of 1,513 and mileage of 8.14. Younes
ville will receive $3,800.10 based on
596 population and 4.04 miles and
Bunn gets $1,959.54 on 332 popula
tion and 1.96 miles of non-system
roads and streets.
State Street Aid allocations totaling
more than $10-million will go to quali
fying cities and towns in the State this
year under provisions of the Powell
Bill. State Highwa Commission Chair
man J. M. Hunt, Jr. said today.
Hunt said that 425 North Carolina
towns and cities will receive propor
tional cash allotments amounting to
$10,415,342.87. Checks will be mailed
Trio Faces Charges In Still Raid
Three persons were arrested Tues
day in a raid on an illegal liquor still
about six miles from here.
Michael D. Zetts, of the Alcohol
and Tobacco Tax Division in Raleigh,
said officers arrested Nathaniel Presley
Davis, 41, of Rt. 1, Youngsville, on
charges of operating an illegal still,
possessing raw materials and ferment
ing mash.
Also arrested in the 11:20 a.m. raid
was Herbert Alexander Snead, 61, of
Rt. 2, Franklinton, who was charged
with aiding and abetting the illegal
operation.
Officers arrested Johnny Gray
Frazier of Wake Forest near Franklin
ton at about 4:30 p.m. on charges of
working at the distillery. Zetts said
other arrests are expected.
The trio will be arraigned before a
U. S. commissioner in Raleigh at
10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Zetts said the brand new distiller,
was in operation at the time it was
seized. He said it contained eight, 860
? gallon submarine-type stills and
6,000 gallons of mash.
The operation was capable of pro
ducing 240 gallons of liquor a day.
Zetts said.
from Raleigh the latter part of Sep
tember so that they will reach the
municipalities by October 1.
Funds equal to the amount produc
ed by one-half cent of the regular
six-cents per gallon motor fuel tax
levied by the State are returned an
nually to participating municipalities
in proportional shares based on rela
tive non-state system street mileage
and on the relative populations of each
of the municipalities.
Towns and cities qualifying for
participation do so by submitting de
tailed information each year to the
Highway Commission concerning ad
valorem taxes, other sources of rev
enue, budget ordinances and local elec
tions. Some legally incorporated towns
do not participate in the Powell Bill
Program simply because they do not
perform the necessary municipal func
tions required under the law.
Chairman Hunt noted that the
$10,415,342.87 being returned to the
425 participating municipalities this
year is more than twice the amount
returned to 386 participating towns
and cities at the beginning of the
program in 1951.
During the 18-year history of the
Powell Bill Program, a total of
$128,676,160.42 has been returned to
the municipalities for use on local
streets.
Hearing Set For October 7
School Board Attorneys
File Appeals Brief
Federal Judge Algernon Butler
committed "reversible error" in ren
dering his August 5 order calling for
total integration of Franklin County
schools, according to contentions con
tained in the Board of Education's
brief filed Wednesday with the Fourth
Circuit Court of Appeals. The Franklin
appeal is slated to be heard Wednes
day. October 7, at Richmond.
The brief, prepared by Board attor
neys Edward F. Yarborough, Charles
Davis and Irvin B. Tucker also con
tends "reversible error" when the dis
trict court "usurped the responsibility
placed by law upon the defendants for
the operation of the public school
system of Franklin County."
The Board asks that the Butler
order be "set aside" and that the case
be "remanded for further hearing". It
contends that the Court ruled "with
out a hearing or finding of facts on the
adequacy of the play submitted by the
defendants on July 15". It also claims
the order was rendered "without any
hearing or findings of facts as to the
educational and administrative feasi
bility of the District Court's plan of
August 5, 1968."
1 he attorneys cite portions ol
Judge Butler's order of August, 1967
in which he ordered a plan of assign
ment, at "the earliest practicable date"
and called for the School Board to
"make provision in the plan for the
period of time over which conversion
to a desegregated school system shall
be accomplished". The Board objects
to the Court's later interpretation of
this order to mean the 1968-69 school
year in lieu of the original wording of
"earliest practicable date".
"... it is equally clear that the
District Court has completely failed to
conduct any hearing or to consider in
any manner whatsoever any of the
problems relating to administration,
arising from the physical condition of
the Franklin County School Plan, the
school transportation system, person
nel, revision of the school districts and
attendance areas into compact units to
achieve a system of determining ad
mission to the public school on a
non-racial basis . . the Board con
tends.
The Board also claims that the
August 5 order, "not only jeopardized
the administration of the public
schools . . . .but has placed the school
system ... in direct conflict with the
laws of the State of North Carolina.
Among the N. C. laws cited is one that
prohibits the closing of a high school
without a public hearing and approval
of the State Board of Education.
Three high schools were closed under
the August 5 order.
The brief cites a number of Su
preme Court ruling in support of its
two major contentions in the case.
The appeal will be heard before the
full seven-judge court at Richmond.
Twice before. Franklin has been
denied relief from the high court.
Once on appeal of a ruling by Judge
Butler and a few weeks a request a
stay of the August 5 order was denied.
Work Underway
On Durham
Hosiery Plant
The Franklin County Industrial De
velopment Commission reports that
work is proceeding rapidly on the
Durham Hosiery Mills building in
Franklinton.
The masonry work is currently
being done, and the steel is expected
in October. It is hoped that the appro
ximately 70,000 square foot building
will be completed by mid-December it
the weather remains favorable.
Mr. Olif Paschall is currently man
aging their panty hose department in
the pilot plant next to Piggly-Wiggly
on Highway No. 1, south of the
building site. It is expected that this
department, new with Durham
Hosiery, will contain 40 to 50 women
and will be moved to the new plant
upon its completion.
Plans are underway to erect an
overhead water storage tank near the
site to handle their needs, plus the
eventual requirements of other indus
try locating on adjacent land. This has
been made possible by the cooperation
of the Franklin County Commissioners
and the Franklinton Development Cor
poration.
Youngsville Plant To Expand
The Franklin County Industrial Development Commission announced today that
through the efforts of the Youngsville Development Corporation and TRE'JAY,
INC., a 24,000 square foot expansion program has been approved. This will mean a
gradual increase of 100 to 150 new employees. TRE'JAY currently employs 170
people in their Youngsville plant, which is the largest of the three North Carolina
factories which are operated from their main offices in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The
other North Carolina locations are Littleton and Enfield.
TRE'JAY began operations in Youngsville in February 1967, with approximate
ly seventy-five employees and 150 wholesale accounts. Currently, they have 250
wholesale accounts spread out in the free world. Since first coming to Youngsville,
they have continually expanded their lines, to include: fancy pants, bibs, infant
diaper sets, panty hose sets, knee-sock sets, and body stockings.
Construction is due to start in thirty days with completion set for mid-to-late
January.
There is no doubt that this fine firm has had a very favorable effect on the
economy of Youngsville and all of Franklin County.
Mr. Robert Hill, manager of TRE'JAY, resides in Wake Forest with his family.
Board Of Education's Tuition Policy Criticized
The recently-adopted Board of Ed
ucation 00 1 icy of requiring tuition for
children attending county schools,
whose parents live outside the state,
has come under sharp criticism by the
two Raleigh newspapers and a Negro
graduate student at North Carolina
State University.
In an article by-lined by Jack Childs
and published in the Wednesday issue
of The News and Observer, it is claim
ed that "Some children in Franklin
County aren't going to school this year
and not because of any boycott" and
refers to the children as "victims" of
"a new policy strictly enforcing resi
dency requirements".
Harold Reld, graduate student and
part-time teacher at State, is quoted as
saying he feels the action by the Board
may be "a slap in the face to Negroes
because of the emergence of school
desegregation In Franklin." Reid is
reported in the article of having per
sonal knowledge of hardship cases,
identifying one such case as that of
Mrs. Beatrice Scott who cares for three
children. The mother of the children
"is living in a northern state" and the
"father's whereabouts is unknown."
In an article appearing in the
Wednesday issue of The Raleigh
Times, Reid is quoted as saying. "This
is mostly used against blacks. It's a
method of fighting back against the
blacks for trying to go to white
schools." Under District Court order.
Franklin schools were totally desegre
gated this fall and there are no longer
any white or Negro schools in the
county system. All schools are now
predominantly Negro in racial popula
tion.
Board attorney Edward F. Yar
borough and School Supt. Warren
Smith explained the current situation
Wednesday. The out-of-state issue
came to light several weeks ago while
the Board of Education and the school
staff were preparing a proposed plan
of desegregation to be presented to the
District Court, according to Yar
borough and Smith.
In order to draw what has been
called the "750 Plan" which called for
750 Negro students to be assigned to
the then predominantly white schools,
school officials had to search over
5800 census cards, filled out by stu
dents last year. This was done, said
Yarbo rough, in order to find the stu
dents to be reassigned.
In the process, it was noted that a
large number of students were attend
ing county schools whose parents did
not live in the county. The number,
estimated at around 250 at the early
count, was large enough to bring to
the attention of the Board of Educa
tion. The Board instructed Yar
borough to look into the legal aspects
of the situation and a ruling was
acquired from the State Attorney
General's office which clearly stated
that such children are not eligible to
attend the schools here.
Yarborough quoted portions of the
ruling: "In this situation you deal with
parents who intend to dwell per
manently in other States while their
children live with grandparents or
other close relatives because of family
economic conditions. In view of what
I have already said, these pupils are
clearly not eligible to attend the public
schools of this State."
According to Smith, letters were
sent out under direction of the Board,
informing people with these children
in their keep, of the information re
ceived from the Attorney General's
office. He acknowledges that due to
errors in many census cards, some
mistakes were made. These, however.
he says have been cleared up as they
arose.
In the meantime, a large number of
people visited the school office and
the office of the Clerk of Court in
efforts to determine proper procedures
for getting these children in school.
The Clerk of Court obtained still
another ruling from the Attorney
General's office which spelled out that
he could not appoint legal guardians so
long as there is a living parent.
Because of the shortness of time
before school opening and the evi
dence that some hardships would oc
cur. Yarborough says, the Board re
considered the original idea of strict
compliance and settled on the current
plan of tuition payments with the
warning that the condition is tempo
rary and that beginning next school
year, these children will not be allow
ed to attend school here unless their
parent lives here.
The tuition amounts. $40 for
elementary students'and $50 for high
school students was arrived at, said
Smith, by taking the amount of tax
paid per child plus equity in the
buildings which matches the amount
the average taxpayer pays.
Smith said that at last count early
this week, there were about seventy
students attending schools under the
tuition ruling. He explained it is al
most impossible to get a clear count as
to just how many children are affected
since attendance zones have changed
with some children no longer attend
ing any school in the county system.
He cited one case where a child had
put down the name of a grandmother
when the child and both his parents
lived in the same house.
Yarborough told The News and
Observer, "The Board doesn't want to
deny an education to anybody. I'm
sure it will lean over backwards in
every case in favor of the child."
The article also reported that "Two
lawyers are at work in Raleigh trying
to determine whether there are legal
avenues open to Mrs. Scott and the
others to enable them to get the
children back in school."
Yarborough said he was instructed
to check the legal aspects of the
situation on August 6 and the first
ruling arrived on August 27. Some
persons had asked for a revision of the
original provisions of the policy, Yar
borough, and this had a bearing on the
V
Board's decision to reconsider for this
year.
It was also reliably reported that
tuition for the three Scott children
was paid Monday of this week, before
the article was published in The News
and Observer. An attempt to make a
part payment was rejected by the
Board and the full tuition was paid by
a loan from a white friend of the
Scotts.
It was also noted that if Smith's
original estimate of 250 students com
ing under the new policy, is correct,
this number would represent ten class
rooms or an expenditure of some
$200,000. Under the rapid reshuffling
of students this fall, classroom spaces
are in short supply and if the atten
dance continues to climb new facilities
will have to be built which could easily
include the $200,000 for out-of-state
students.
In spite of this newest controversy
besetting Franklin School officials,
they report that schools themselves are
operating in an orderly manner with
no troubles reported at any of the
locations. Some problems still exist,
however, such as bus routes and these
are being worked on. Smith said.