McDowell
County’s
Leading
Newspaper
MARION PROGRESS
Advertising
in the
Proflrres^
Pays
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896
MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1940
VOL. XLIV—NO. 35
Full-Time Health
Unit For County
Discussed Here
State Health Officer And As
sistant Point To Advantages
To Be Gained.
COMMITTEES OF TRADE
FESTIVAL ARE TO MEET
Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, state health
officer, and Dr. R. E. Fox, assistant
to Dr. Reynolds, discussed with
members of the McDowell County
Board of Health here Tuesday night,
the establishment of a full-time
health unit in the county.
Dr. Fox explained that the unit
could be conducted in cooperation
with some adjoining county, or inde
pendently. A health unit conducted
with some adjoining county would
cost McDowell about $4,500 a year,
he said. An independent unit would
cost more. The estimated cost of op
eration for a two-county health unit
was placed at $18,738 for a year.
Of this amount $9,238 would be sup
plied by the state and federal agen
cies, he said. The figures do not take
into consideration the equipment
of the health offices, he said.
With a two-county unit McDowell
would be required to have a full
time health officer, a sanitation offi
cer, a county nurse, and an office
clerk, he said. The county physician
would be retained for jail and other
county patients.
Among the health programs that
would be conducted in the county
under a full-time health unit, Dr.
Fox listed the following: School
health supervision with the examin
ation of pupils; immunization service
against slnallpox, typhoid, and diph
theria; a program for reducing ma
ternal and infant death rates with
the supervision of midwives; vener-
«al disease clinics in cooperation
wtfch the local agencies; supervision
-of environmental sanitation; investi
gations as to the source of disease;
15 weeks of dental service to school
children between the ages of six and
13; and educational, medicinal, nur
sing, and correctional aids to the in
digent.
Dr. Reynolds explained the edu
cational qualifications that were ne
cessary for all health officers that
would be employed in the county.
He emphasized the importance to the
county of an educational program
on health, stating that a health unit
Further plans for the Marion
trade festival, to be held April 18-
20, will be made tomorrow night
when all special committees for the
festival will meet in the Town Hall
at 7:30 o’clock.
According to plans announced for
the trade program, three full nights
of entertainment will be offered to
all persons visiting Marion from
April 18 through April 20.
Th^ program for the festival is as
follows: '
Thursday night, April 18, a band
concert, window displays in stores to
be judged for sales appeal, a treas-
fire hunt to be conducted through
the stores and all stores to be
open for the display of goods but no
sales to be made.
Friday night, April 19, a band
concert, a style and equipment show
at the Marion high school auditor
ium, and all stores to be open for
sales.
Saturday night, April 20, a band
concert, a parade of new cars, an
automobile show, a prize to be
awarded to the largest family' in
town, all stores to be open until
about nine o’clock for sales, and
street dancing on Main street from
about nine o’clock to eleven.
Th3 festival is being sponsored by
the Marion Chamber of Commerce
with the cooperation of local civic
clubs. Five committees have been
appointed to handle the details of
the program.
Prizes to be offered by local mer
chants in the treasure hunt will be
on display in Marion within a few
days.
According to Walter J. Cartier,
secretary of the Marion Chamber of
Commerce, all merchants and towns
people are cooperating in working
out the program and there is much
enthusiasm about the event.
MAN KILLED NEAR OLD
FORT BY LOCOMOTIVE
Tete Hollifield, of Andrew’s Gey
ser, was instantly killed about 11 o’
clock Tuesday morning when he was
struck by Southern passenger train
No. 22, about eight miles west of
Old Fort.
The man had apparently bieen sit
ting on the tracks and had not no
ticed the approaching train, said
Sheriff Grady Nichols, who investi-
grated the accident.
The body of the man was brought
to Marion by the passenger train
McDowell would enable teachers land sent to a local undertaking es-
the schools to receive instruction IHis identity was not
health methods and how to teach learned until late Tuesday after-
Election Boau'd
Calls For New
Registration
Favored Over Relisting Plan;
J. W. Streetman, Jr., Named
Chairman New Board.
A new registration of McDowell
county voters prior to the coming
Democratic and Republican prima
ries was ordered yesterday by the
McDowell county board of elections
A new registration was considered
necessary and advisable by the
Board after studying the present
books and listening to requests from
both parties.
The 1939 General Assembly pass
ed a law requiring either a new reg
istration or a relisting in every coun,-
ty. In either case, there will be three
registration books—one for Demo
crats and one for Republicans to be
used in pi'imary elections, and one
for both Democrats and Republicans
to be used in the general election.
J. W. Streetman, Jr., was elected
chairman of the board at an organ
ization meeting held Saturday. G.W.
Kirkpatrick was named secretary. G.
F. Washburn is the Republican mem
ber of the board. The board will
meet on April 6 for the purpose of
appointing registrars and judges of
the elections and to make arrange
ments for the primaries on May 25.
The members of the board atten
ded a district meeting of election of
ficials in Asheville Monday when
representatives of the western coun
ties met with State Chairman W. A.
Lucas to receive instructions regard
ing the latest changes in election
regulations.
HALL CAT.LS FOR PEACE
AND ADEQUATE DEFENSE
State Figures On
Unemployment
Payments Given
Marion Office Has Paid Out
In McDowell $231,382 In
Checks, Records Show.
The Marion Employment Service
office, which serves the area em
braced in McDowell copnty, has de
livered $231,382.54, included in 33,-
604 checks to unemployed or parti
ally employed workers in that area
in the past two years and two
months, through Febmaryj figures
compiled in the central office of the
N. C. Unemployment compensation
show.
SINGERS ARE TO HOLD
CONVENTION IN MARION
An . all-day singing convention,
sponsored by the McDowell county
singing society, will be held in the
courthouse in Marion, Sunday, April
7th.
The program for the convention
will be dedicated to the late Profes
sor George Sebren, of Asheville, a
promoter of singing conventions,
publisher and composer of hymns.
The program is scheduled to be
gin at 10:00 a. m. Sunday morning
and is expected to last until about
4:00 o’clock in the afternoon.
Taking part in the singling conven
tion will be singers from McDowell
county, other counties in the state,
and from South Carolina and Ten-
ne|see. Selections will be presented
by quartets, duets, soloists, and sing
ing of the entire assembly will be
led by guest musicians.
The convention is held twice a
yeai’. The program on Api'il 7 is un
The 46 white Employment offices,
with 10 colored branches in as
cities with large colored populations ! McDowell county
,006 checks singing society. Other officers of the
organization are John C. Burnett,
vice-president, and Mrs. D. T.
Roughton, secretary.
them.
He pointed to the program of the
State Board of Health, vrorking
through county health units, for the
hospitalization and rehabilitation
of crippled children, for the forced
treatment of syphilitic persons, and
for pre-natal and infant care educa
tion to mothers.
Declaring that any county without
a full-time health unit suffers a so
cial and financial loss, he stated that
such a health organization would
not be injurious to any local physi
cian. The state laboratory saves
the counties of the state $2,000,000
a year, he concluded.
A discussion about the proposed
health unit for McDowell county
was conducted by members of the
county Board of Health and the vis
iting state officers. Members of the
county Board of Health taking part
in the discussions were I. L. Caplan,
N. F. Steppe, Zeno Martin, Dr. J. F.
Miller, Dr. P. D. Sinclair, and Dr. D.
M. McIntosh, all of whom have been
appointed by the county Board of
Commissioners to investigrate the de
tails of a health unit for McDowell
county.
noon.
Funeral services will be conduc
ted from the home this afternoon at
2:00 o’clock.
Surviving are his father and moth
er, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Hollifield;
six brothers, Clyde, Charley, Greene,
Carl, Wood and Clay Hollifield; and
two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth White
side, and Mrs. Pearl Williams, all
of North Cove and vicinity.
EASTER SEAL SALE IS
COMPLETED IN COUNTY
The sale of Easter seals for the
benefit of crippled children was com
pleted here last week. Half of the
funds derived from the sale of the
seals in the county will be kept here
to be used for the benefit of county
children. The other half will go in
to a national fund.
Chairman of the seal sale was
Mrs. G. W. Kirkpatrick, who this
week expressed appreciation for the
cooperation she had received in the
sale campaign.
CLOSING DATES, HOURS
FOR STORES STUDIED
Recommendations for closing days
and closing hours for business es
tablishments in Marion were made
Tuesday by a committee appointed
for that purpose by the Marion
Chamber of Commerce.
According to Walter J. Cartier,
secretary of the Chamber of Com
merce, the committee discussed the
Wednesday afternoon closing of
stores during the summer time, holi
day closing, and closing hours on
Saturdays and other days.
The plans drawn up by the com
mittee will be presented to the
Chamber of Commerce and the Mer
chants Association at the next meet
ing of those groups. To go into effect
the plans must be approved by those
two organizations.
' The committee, in making recom
mendations for closing dates and
hours for local stores, sought to
eliminate much misunderstanding
that has been experienced by merch
ants over the observance of holidays
and closing hours.
The American Ltsgion stands for
peace and it is more eager for peace
than other democratic groups in
America because its members have
experienced the horrors of war, said
H. Dave Hall, speaking to members
of the McDowell Post of the Ameri
can Legion at its twenty-first anni
versary celebration here last Thurs
day night in the Community build
ing. Mr. Hall is Americanization offi
cer of the North Carolina Legion
and is from Belmont. He has been
proposed as a candidate for com
mander of the North Carolina Legion
next year.
To preserve peace in the United
States, he said, an adequate army
and navy is necessary. These armed
forces are necessary for the same
reason that we now have police to
combat crime.
He pointed to the work of the
American Legion in training young
people in democratic ways to take
over the work of their elders, and in
teaching older men and women to
work that the future welfare of their
children might be made better. Mr.
Hall was introduced to the assembly
by R. K. Davis.
The welcome address for the Aux
iliary was given by Mrs. H. C. Man-
gum,^ president of that group. The
address of welcome on behalf of the
Legion was given by J. P. Dodge,
senior claims agent of the State'
Highway and Public Works Commis
sion.
Toastmaster for the birthday ban
quet celebration was Robert W.
Proctor, Marion attorney. The in
vocation was given by Mrs. Preston
Rabb.
Group singing of old war songs
was led by J.K . Giles. The progiam
for the celebration was arranged by
R. K. Davis, Mrs. Ben Hendley and
Homer Beaman.
distributed 1,
$13,204,094.11 in the same two
years and two months, less the 18,-
684 checks for $215,095.21 sent to
residents outside the state who had
previously accumulated reserves in
North Carolina. The distribution for]
January was 49,209 checks for
$285,382.35 and for February, last
month, it was 59,775 checks for
$308,145.51.
In January, the Marion Employ
ment office delivered $5,008.12, in
eluded in 964 checks, and in Februa
ry 1,023 checks for $4,610.00 were
distributed.
The white offices serve the terri
tory outside the immediate area of
the colored offices in ten centers by
means of itinerant services to outly
ing points, the representatives on
these weekly trips handling business
for both white and colored residents.
Benefit payments of $13,436,933,-
89 had gone to unemployed workers
in the state of North Carolina
from January, 1938, through March
20, last week, from the State Unem-
plojrment Compensation Commis
sion, it was announced. Contribu
tions and interest on the state’s bal
ance in the U. S. Treasury amounted
to $33,149,830.03 through last
Wednesday, leaving a balance in the
state fund as of that day of $19,-
712,896.14, Chairman Charles G.
Powell reports.
Baise Allots
Road Damage
Repair Fund
This Division Is Given $149,-
300 For County And State
Roads.
Raleigh, March 22. ^— Chief High
way Engrineer W. Vance Baise yes^
terday allocated $1,887,000 among
North -Carolina’s 10 highway divis
ions to repair damages caused by
snow and cold weather last winter.
At the same time, Baise said that
a recent 3,800-mile survey of the
highway system had convinced him
that the state was not protecting
properly its investmnet in roads. He
estimated that $10,000,000 would
be needed annually, in addition to
regular maintenance appropriations,
to prevent highways from depreciat
ing, and that $50,000,000 for widen
ing and elimination of curves would
be required to bring the roads up to
Guest musicians will be enter- stendard.
Damage last winter, the engineer
said, was slight compared with the
winter of 1935-36.
“This survey has definitely shown
that many of the paved highways,
particularly of the higher type, which
were built from 15 to 20 years age,
are rapidly fatiguing, and in many
cases wearing out,” he added. “This
condition is due not so much to the
tained at a Sunday luncheon, spon
sored by the Marion Kiwanis club.
BAPTISTS TO HOLD
ASSOCIATION MEET
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
The Blue Ridge Baptist Associa
tion will hold a semi-annual meeting
at the Clinchfield Baptist church on i adverse weather as to old age.
Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock,
March 31, 1940. All of the churches
in this Association are expected to
send representatives. The meeting is
Sees Greater Need
“It will, undoubtedly, require a
large amount of funds during the
next few years to maintain properly
Canada’s
000.
population is 10,376,-
RABB’S HAS INSTALLED
FROZEN FOOD EQUIPMENT
GRANGE MEETING APRIL 2
The Pleasant Gardens Grange
will hold its regular meeting Tties-
day evening, April 2, at 7:30 o’
clock. The Boy Scouts who are spon
sored by the Grange, will have
charge of the program.
Clarence E. Poteat, of Garden
City, 40, died suddenly of a heart
attack Wednesday afternoon. Fun
eral services will be conducted at
Clear Creek Baptist church this af
ternoon at 3:30 o’clock with the Rev.
Summerlin, pastor, officiating, assis
ted by Rev. Julius Henline. Inter
ment will be in the church cemetery.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Alice
Lewis Poteat; his father, Frank E.
Poteat of Dysartsville; two daugh
ters, Victoria and Charlotte Nell Po
teat, of the home; three sons, Ray,
Monyon and Douglas Poteat, of the
home; three brothers, Jones Poteat
of near Marion, Dewey Poteat of
Busick, and James Poteat of Mont-
fords Cove; and three sisters, Mrs.
Thomas Curtis of near Marion, Mrs
Charles Gaddy of Marion, and Mrs.
Jonathan Ledbetter of Alexandria,
Virginia.
held primarily for the purpose of j^any of these old pavements. If the
stimulating the work sponsored hyi^j.^jjjf highway system is to be
the Association. W. R. Chambers, | abreast of the times and in ad-
moderator, will preside. Rev. L. S. > equate condition to take care of the
Redding, pastor of Dysartsville and I ever increasing traffic demands, it is
going to be necessary to spend a
very large amount of funds on stan
dardization work as well as for
maintenance in taking care of accel-
lerated deterioration.”
The money to repair the winter
damage was allotted recently by
Governor Hoey from the highway
fund surplus. The total made avail
able by Hoey was $2,000,000, but
$113,000 was earmarked for repair
to the Wright Memorial bridge, lead
ing to Dare county, which was dam
aged during the winter by ice jams
and a storm-tossed barge.
The remaining $1,887,000 as di-
ey for Missions and in Mission study jvided by Baise among the 10 divis-
courses. Dr. B. F. Bray, pastor of jons, includes:
the First Baptist church of Marion, | Division No. 9 (Burke, McDowell,
will report on the Biblical Recorder, j Rutherford, Polk, Cleveland, Goston,
Rev. G. A. Condrey, president of the | Lincoln, Catawba, Alexander, Ire-
Baptist Ministers Conference of thejdeH) — state highways, $80,800,
Association will lead a discussion onLounty highways, $68,500.
Associational Missions. Division No. 10. (Avery, Mitchell,
Rev. Nane Starnes, of Asheville, j Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, Hen-
Nebo Baptist churches will conduct
the opening wor^ip. A. H. Mitchem
will speak on the orphanage. Dr. D.
H. Crawford will discuss the Lord’s
Acre plan. Rev. L. V. Bradley, pres
ident of the Sunday School Conven
tion, will review the work now being
done in the Sunday Schools. W.
Gordon Wilson, president of the
Baptist Training Union, will an
nounce his plans in the B.T.U. work.
Mrs. R. O. Wilson of Nebo, presi
dent of the Women’s Missionary Un
ion, will give some interesting sta-
GARDEN CITY RESIDENT tistics of the w'ork now being done
DIES OF HEART ATTACK 1 by the women in the raising of mon-
DEBATING CONTESTS TO
BE CONDUCTED MONDAY
The Rabb Grocery Company has
recently installed equipment for the
handling, of frozen foods. Facilities
at the ^ore are now adequate ^6
take care of a lairge stock of frozen
foods, among which the store fea
tures frozen vegetables, fruits and
meats.
The storage equipment of the Rabb
Grocery Store is automatically con
trolled to aissure customers that they
will always receive froaen foods that
are as represented.
The annual debating contests for
schools in McDowell county will be
held Monday night, April 1, at 7:30
o’clock. Debates will be held at the
Glenwood, Old Fort, Pleasant Gar
dens, Nebo, and North Cove schools.
The subject to be debated will be
“Should There Be Government
Ownership of Railroads.” In the
Monday night Contests a team from
each school will meet a team from
another county school, debating the
opposite side of the question. Each
school will debate both sides of the
question, one team being required to
visit another school and one present
ing its side of the debate at its own
school. ■
The county school winning both
the affirmative and negative sides of
the debating will go to Chapel Hill
on April 19 to compete in the state
contest, where winners from each
county in the state will take part.
one of the outstanding Baptist min
isters of Western North Carolina,
will close the meeting with an inspir
ational address.
LOCAL HOSPITAL GETS
DUKE ENDOWMENT FUND
The Marion General Hospital has
received an appropriation of $3,313
from the Duke Endowment fund, it
was announced this week.
At a meeting in New York the
trustees of the Duke endowment ap
propriated $961,250 for 120 hospi
tals and 42 orphan homes in the
Carolinas. According to an announce
ment released from Charlotte, the
120 hospitals receiving appropria
tions reported 40 per cent of their
work as charity in 1939 as compared
with 43 per cent in 1938.
Eighty-three other hospitals in
North Carolina shared in the appro
priations. Since the establishment of
the Duke endlowment, $13,833,342
has been appropriated to hospitals.
derson, Transylvania, Haywood,
Jackson, Swain, Macon, Clay, Cher
okee, Graham) — State highways,
$90,100, county highways, $59,900.
Division highway engineers and
commission members wil Isupervise
the allotment and expenditure of
funds within the various divisions.
Most of the repair work will be done
by the commission, rather than being
let out to contractors.
B. T. U.
MEETING TO BE
HELD SUNDAY APRIL 7
Patronize home merchants.
An Associational Baptist Training
Union meeting will be held at the
First Baptist church in Marion on
Sunday, April 7, at 2:30 o’clock.
Contests will be held for Better
Speakers, Intermediate Sword Drill,
and junior memory work. The win
ners will represent this Association
at the regional meeting in Gastonia
Saturday, April 13th. All who wish
to enter are urged to be present.
Plans will be made for transporta
tion to the regional meeting in Gas
tonia April 12th and 13th.
GOAL FOR BOY SCOUT
DRIVE MAY BE REACHED
Approximately $400 has been
turned in for the McDowell county
Boy Scout fund, announced S. J.
Westmoreland, chairman of the
drive for Scout funds, this week.
Several committees have yet to
report their collections, he said, but
indications are that the goal of $800
set for the campaign will be reached.
All civic clubs in Marion have co
operated in the drive to raise funds
that Boy Scouts of the county might
enjoy summer camp work and pajf
their equipment expenses. The driv»
was begun last Thursday by mem
bers of local clubs.
MITCHELL CHOIR WILL
GIVE PROGRAM HERE
The Mitchell College a cappella
choir of 68 voices, under the direc--
tion of Prof. E. B. Stimson, will sing
at the First Presbyterian church next*
Sunday evening at eight o’clock.
The choir has conducted programtT
before in the Presbyterian church,-
before large audiences.
All members of the choir are stu
dents at Mitchell (College.