The Frafiiilth Times
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday
Serving All Of Franklin County
Telephone Gy 6-3283
Ten Cents
Louisburg, N. C., Tuesday. August 5, 1969
(Eight Pages Today)
100th Year-Number 49
Franklinton
Man Hurt In
Wake Wreck
A former Raleigh city councilman
received minor injuries and a Franklin
ton man was more seriously hurt in a
three-car collison at 3:20 p.m. Friday
on Rock Quarry Road.
Former councilman John Wesley
Winters, 49, of Rt. 3, Raleigh, was
treated and released at Wake Memorial
Hospital. His car was struck by a
vehicle driven by James Cbnady of
Franklinton. Canady, who received
head and leg injuries, was admitted at
Wake Memorial Hospital. His condi
tion was reported as fair by medical
officials Saturday.
Officer Charles Hairr, who investi
gated the mishap, said the Canady car
moved into Winters' path, bounced off
the Winters vehicle and struck a park
ed car beside Rock Quarry Road.
Canady was charged with driving left
of center.
Telephone
Company
To Expand
Centerville ? Improvement and ex
pansion of the Centerville telephone
exchange is now underway.
Howard Pitts, local manager for
Carolina Telephone, said today that a
$30,000 program is in progress to
expand the company's central office
equipment here.
Included in the project will be
installation of equipment to provide
facilities to serve 320 new telephones
for subscribers in this area and permit
better grades of service to preMnt
subscribers.
Pitts said that the growth of the
Centerville area in recwrt years has
brought about an increased demand
for telephone service. This demand has
taxed the capacity of present equip
ment.
Telephones in this area have in
creased from 590 to more than 775
since service was inaugurated from the
exchange in 1966.
"The construction program here is
in keeping with Carolina Telephone's
continuing program to fulfill the tele
phone needs of the communities it
serves," he pointed out.
Pitts said. "The new improvement
and expansion program at Centerville
was engineered to allow for telephone
growth in the future."
Georgia Governor Invites
Board Chief To Meeting
Georgia Governor Lester Maddox.
disturbed over recent events by federal
authorities in the are* of school de
segregation, has invited a number of
leaders in Southern states to a seminar
in Atlanta on August 16. Invited from
Franklin County is Board of Educa
tion Chairman Horace Baker.
In a letter, dated July 29, Gov.
Guess What's Missing
Thieves Hit
Bunn School
With all the conversation In recent
days about chickens getting the air
conditioners taken from the county
courthouse, it is interesting to report
that thieves entered the Bunn High
School over the weekend and walk off
wlth-you guessed it -an air condition
er.
The unit was taken from a window
in the office of School Principal W. H.
Kelly. The same chickens-thieves
branched out to bigger things at Bunn
Elementary School where they hauled
away a riding lawn mower. Sheriff
William Dement 's office is investigat
ing.
Pranklinton Police Chief Lao Ed
wards reports that thieves entered Red
Front Grocery and carted off 26 car
tons cigarettes sometime Saturday
night. These chickens apparently tailed
to note that cigarettes may be hazard
ous to their health.
The Pranklinton department la In
vestigating this latest break-in than.
Robbertea have declined in the ftank
llnton area In recent montha and tMs Is
the first reported In sometime.
Maddox states . .we are at a crucial
time in the hiatory of our great Nation
and wonderful Southland; a time that
demands nothing less than all of the
courage leadership, integrity and duty
to country that true statesmen in
government and education can
muster."
Gov. Maddox says he is inviting
"the U. S. Congressmen, U. S. Sena
tors, 'State School Superintendents,
State School Board members, and
Board Chairmen of the individual
school systems from the states of
Alabama. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana.
Mississippi. North Carolina, South Car
olina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia,
along with the governors "
The Georgia chief executive says
the anawer to the problem is: "Federal
aid without federal control of public
education." He says "Social reform
has been placed ahead of education
and the well-being of our children."
"Directives, decisions and guide
line* from HEW and other areaa of our
National government have brought
chaos and diiwdw to many of the
school systems in the South", the
Maddox letter says.
The seminar to be held in Atlanta
starting at 9:30 A.M. is slated to Iwt
all day. Baker did not disclose hia
plans and the matter was not dlacussed
at Monday's meeting of the Board of
Education here.
In a flier, contained with the letter,
certain sections of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act and some promises made
by President Nixon in last year's cam
paign were quoted.
Quoting from the Act, the docu
ments says it limits the juried iction of
the courts and HEW: "Deaegregation
shall not mean the assignment of
students to public schools in order to
See MEETS Pkge 8
Staff photo by Astor Bowden
Rain-Slick Highways Bring Accidents
Louisburg Police Officer Ned Lloyd is shown above directing traffic on busy Bickett Blvd. Saturday afternoon following a
crash into the Tar River bridge by the Mustang, driven by Dottie Finch, w/f/26 of Route 3, Louisburg. The woman suffered
what was described by rescuers as not serious injuries The Louisburg Rescue Service transported the victim to Franklin
Memorial Hospital for treatment following the accident. The car, which skidded into the bridge abuttment in a downpour of
rain, was heavily damaged.
Slick highways also contributed to an accident at White Level around 6:30 P.M. Monday. Roy Stewart, Louisburg barber, was
hospitalized following a two-car crash which practically destroyed Stewart's 1966 model Mustang. The crash reportedly occurred
when Stewart's car struck a 1959 Chevrolet reportedly driven by Willie Lee Nash. Nash was not injured, according to reports.
Board To Purchase Land At Gold Sand
The Franklin County Board of Ed
ucation agreed to purchase 11.7 acres
of land adjoining the Gold Sand High
School property in Its regular monthly
meeting held here Monday night. The
land, to be purchased from C. C.
Perry, is slated* to cost just under
$12,000.
Superintendent Warren Smith in
formed the Board that all teaching
positions In the unit have been filled
except four. He listed open positions
at Bunn Elementary, Edward Best
High School, Epaom and Gold Sand
High School. Each has one vacancy at
present. The Board expressed satis
faction at the teaching situation noting
that it is better than in previous years.
In other actions, an hourly wage of
$1.50 was approved for janitors and
maids and the American Defender Life
Insurance Co. was approved to sell Tax
Shelter Annuities to teachers In the
Franklin system.
The County's Comprehensive Plan
for Special Education Program and
Services was approved and Smith was
authorized to present the plan to the
State Department for final approval.
The start of the fall term was set
for 1 to 3 P.M. on August 28 with
Teacher-Pupil Orientation. Buses will
operate on that day as pupils are
required to attend.
The fee schedule was also approved
for the coming term as follows: ELE
MENTARY: Supply, $2.00; NDEA,
$2.00: Insurance (optional) $3.00; and
Activity, $2.00; HIGH SCHOOL:
Supply, $2.00; NDEA, $2.00; In
surance (optional), $3.00; Home Ec.,
$2.00; Agriculture, $2.00; Science,
$1.00; Typing. $13.50; and Activity,
$2.00.
Tentative teacher assignments were
approved by the Board but announce
ment of such assignments was with
held.
Franklinton To Fully
Integrate This Fall
The Franklinton City Board of Ed
ucation has pasted a resolution to
totally integrate the two schools in the
unit this fall, according to reliable
reports.
Explaining that Board attorney Bill
Pearce is expected to release details of
'he newly adopted plan in the next
few days, a high unit official confirm
ed that grades 1 through 5 will be
housed in the former Negro B. F.
Person-Albion school buildings. Grades
6 through 12 will be contained in the
present Franklinton High School
buildings.
Franklinton had the top three
grades totally integrated last year at
Franklinton High School. The Frank
linton system is under jurisdiction of
the Health, Education and Welfare
guidelines. Further details of the plan
are expected to be disclosed this week.
Local Option Sales Tax
Vote Set For November
Franklin voters are going to get the
chance come November 4th, to vote
on an additional one-cent sales tax.
The recent General Assembly passed a
f>ill which requires all 100 counties in
the State to vote on the issue.
Counties whose voters approve the
additional sales tax will receive half
the tax to be divided among the
municipal and county governments
The other half will go into a State pool
and will be distributed to all counties
whqae voters approve the Issue on a
per capita basis.
The bill was a compromise measure
supported by the League of Munici
palities and the North Carolina Asso
elation of County Commissioners
When the main issue these two organ
izations wanted -that was a state wide
one-cent tax-met heated opposition
from Governor Scott and others, the
two groups pushed for the one-cent
optional tax.
Mecklenburg Is the only county In
the State with the one-cent tax at
present. It's been reported that Meek
lenburg derives around $6 million an
nually from the extra one cent sales
tax
Should Franklin voters not approve
.the issue In November, the county, of
count, will not participate In the
revenue. However, countits defeating
the issue the first time, may vote again
later.
The tax will be collected by the
State Department of Revenue just a*
the three-cent state tax ii now col
lected.
Some criticism of the General As
sembly is heard in some quarters.
Many believe that the lawmakers
should have paced a statewide one
cent addition to the present three-cent
tax. They say the money should have ?
been collected by the state and re
turned to the county from whence it
came.
These same people contend that' It
will be impossible for any county to
determine until after the vote just
where It will stand when the money Is
doled out. Most agree that the small
counties have a slight edge over the
larger ones. However, few believe that
this possibility Is going to be strong
Enough to cause the voters to approve
the proposed new tax.
iSie League of Municipalities spon
sored several other local-oriented legis
lations in the recent General Assem
bly. The tally, according to the organ
izatlon's official publication
"Southern CHy" is 18 bills passed into
law and five bills that failed.
I
Union Vote At Durham
Hosiery Plant Thursday
Workers at Durham Hosiery plant
at Franklinton will decide whether or
not the Textile Union of America will
be their representative in a special
election Thursday. The vote is slated
between the hours of 2:30 P.M. and
4:15 PM
The TUA represented workers
when the plant was located in Durham
but many of the employees did not
continue with the company when
operations were moved to Franklinton
last year. The company contended the
Union no longer was the proper repre
sentative of plant employees in Frank
linton. The Union claimed the old
contract carried over from the Durham
plant to the new Franklinton opera
tion.
The impasse led to a request by the
company to the National Labor Rela
tions Board for an election, according
to reliable reports. Sources say the
Union objected to the request. At a
subsequent hearing before the Board,
an election was ordered and the vote
was set for August 7. The Union
contract expires on August 31, accord
ing to reports.
Some bitterness has accompanied
the controversy proceeding the elec
Hf\rt onrf n vior?ri'"i:; mmnaicn has been
underway by Union forces to mutter
support of the now unaligned workers.
A meeting of Union forces was held in
Pranklinton last Sunday afternoon.
Reports say that attendance was poor.
Management has held in plant meet
ings to present its position and both
sides predict- victory in the coming
election.
George A. Cralle is President of
Durham Hosiery and said in July,
1968 when his plant move was an
nounced that he was leaving Durham
because the plant there was "com
pletely insufficient and inefficient for
use as a hosiery mill."
The new one-story modem plant is
located on U. S. 1 North at Pranklin
ton. It is well equipped with a modern
snack rest area, modern lighting and
other functional equipment for the
manufacture of ladies hosiery.
In the only other union vote held in
the county in recent years workers at
the Sportswear plant in Louisburg
defeated a bid by the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers of America 121-39
on October 12, 1967. The case is still
in the hands of the NLRB and even
tually is expected to be decided by the
courts.
And The Rains Came
William Shakespeare wrote in the
Twelfth Night: "For the rain it raineth
every day". If he were alive today, he
might well write the same about
Franklin County. It has rained here
twelve out of the past 15 days.
In the 24-hour period ending this
morning at 7 A.M., the area had
received 2,50 inches of rain at the
Louisburg reporting point. In some
sections of the county, the downpour
was obviously much greater. This is
heaviest rainfall to hit the area since
May 22, 1966 when 2.55 inches fell.
G. 0. Kennedy, Louisburg weather
man, reports that the modern record
was set on November 7, 1963 when
3.85 inches fell in a 24-hour period.
The Tar River is rising at a rapid
rate, although at this stage, the rise is
not alarming. From a slightly above
normal of 3.85 feet Monday, the Tar
measured 12.25 feet this morning.
Kennedy says he predicts it will rise to
18 feet before it recedes.
Several years ago, when waters rose
above south main street and poured
over in the basement of Murphy's
Super Market on E. Nash Street, Ken
nedy says the river measured about 21
feet. His prediction falls short of this
flood stage
Rainfall as reported by Kennedy
for the days in August are as follows:
August first reading. .95; August 2,
.66, August 3, .26 and August 4, 2.50.
Today's measurement will be taken
Wednesday at 7 A.M. He reports the
normal height of the Tar River It
between 2'/i and 3Vi feet.
Sidewalk Sale
Ten Louisburg merchants, members
of the Franklin County Business Asso
ciation and Oedit Bureau, are plan
ning to stage the second annual Side
walk Sale here Thursday. The event,
termed a huge success last year, has
been looked forward to by merchants
and customers alike for several weeks
now.
The participating businesses have
said they expect to have a sizable
display of sale merchandise on the
sidewalks as well as inside their stores
for the event. Last year's sale blocked
sidewalks throughout town and em
tomers poured out into the streets in
many cases.
Veteran merchants reported it was
the biggest sales event held here In
modern times.
Sttff photo by Attor Howdrn
Doubtful Gl Issue
S(t. Billy Harris, one of around 200 local area National Guardamen, la ahown
above following hla unit's return Sunday from a two-week training encampment at
Fort Sill, Okla. As the photo shows, Harris brought a bit of the old weat back with
him. Although he appeared in too big a hurry to be questioned, it I* doubted that
the ten-gallon lid is 01 iasue. Locals landed at Raleigh -Durham Saturday aftaraoon.
Many of the men from Ix>uisbur|, Youngsville and Zebulon areaa were mat by
family and friends but some traveled home by 01 truck. "Hie Louiaburg section
arrived around & P.M. Reports say this year's tour was void of any accident* at
mishaps but most CJusrdsmen avoided using the term "pleasant" In describing the
experiences. TTiey did report that Oklahoma heat was still holding out strong.