McDowell
County’s
Leading
Newspaper
MARION PROGRESS
Advertising
in the
Progress
Pays
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896
MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1940
VOL. XUV—NO. 49
Picnicing And Boat Racing To
Be Featured In Celebration At
Lake James On Fourth Of July
Four Contests, A Speed Ex
hibition And WaJter Stunts
Set For Afternoon.
! NICHOLS AND HOMEWOOD
GET COUNTY OFFICES
Plans for the Marion and McDow
ell county celebration of the Fourth
of July were completed here this
week with an old-fashioned picnic | elected County Farm Agent for a
J. L. Nichols, of Marion, was ap
pointed Monday by the McDowell
County Board of Commissioners as
associate judge of the county court.
In other action taken by the com
missioners S. L. Homewood was re-
and an afternoon of boat racing an
nounced as the program for the day.
The celebration is being sponsored
by the Marion Chamber of Com
merce.
term of two years at his present sal
ary.
Mr. Nichols will fill an office that
has long been vacant in the county.
He has served as sheriff of McDowell
county and is now a United States
The picnic will be held at
James near Catawba dam '"'here,
space has been provided to now employed in the
date hundreds of people. Families
X>articipating in the picnic will fur
nish their own food. Soft drinks and
drinking water may be obtained on
the grounds.
Picnicers have been asked to re
frain from strewing the grounds
around the lake with papers and pic
nic remains. The public has been re
quested to use facilities tha^ have
been provided for the disposal of gar
bage.
The road over Catawba dam, par
alleling the lake shore, will be closed
to traffic during the boat races in the
afternoon and at other times only
one-way traffic will be allowed on the
stretch. Ample parking space has
been provided for all cars.
The boat races are scheduled to
get under way at 2:30 p. m. along
the stretch of water paralleling the
road near Catawba dam. Preceding
the races a boat parade in which all
water craft will participate will be
held.
Scheduled to begin the racing for appointment of two new
the afternoon are boats with inboard | city schools
motors. 'Tvro heats of ■five laps eachjy^gpg announced this week by Super
tax collecting division of the county
government.
The present judge of the county
cour^is Paul J. Story.
Mr. Homewood has served two
terms as Farm Agent of McDowell
county and is now beginning his fifth
year in that capacity.
The county commissioners ap
proved one petition asking for right
of way and the construction of a
state road leaving highways Nos. 10
and 70, going by J. F. Moody's house
and up the branch through D. Wil
burn Walker’s land. Petitioners stat
ed the way has been used as a public
road for 15 years.
Budgets of county administrative
units for the year 1940-41 were pre
sented to the commissioners. Action
on these proposed outlays will not
be ^ken until later in July.
TWO NEW TEACHERS
IN CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM
C OF C TO OBSERVE
BIRTHDAY, TO BECOME
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
The first anniversary meeting of
the Marion Chamber of Commerce
has been scheduled for August 5
with L. P. Dickie, manager of the
'Soutiiem Division of the United
States Chamber of Commerce, of At
lanta, to be the guest speaker, an
nounced Secretary Walter J. Cartier
this week.
The August meeting will be a ban
quet celebration which a large num
ber of old and new Chamber of Com
merce members are expected to
attend.
Before July 15 officials of the lo
cal organization are planning to
meet and change the membership re
quirements to make them more in
clusive, enablihg any resident of
Marion or McDowell county to. be
come members of the Chamber of
Commerce.
On July 16 the Chamber will begin
a membership drive to be conducted
throughout the county for three
days. All business and professional
firms in the county will be contacted.
According to Mr. Cartier, many
assurances have been received in the
local Chamber of Commerce office
that people throughout the county
are interested in joining the organi
zation. In the membership drive it is
hoped that the Chamber of Com
merce may be made truly represen
Population Of
City And County
Shows Increase
Census Figures Give Gains Of
421 In Marion And 15 Per
Cent In County.
The 1940 population of Marion is
2,888, a gain of 421 over the count
of 2,467 in 1930, according to Chas.
Z. Flack, district U. S. Census super
visor.
The population of the county has
increased approximately 15 percent
with 23,401 being counted this year
as compared to 20,336 in 1930.
The occupied housing units in
Marion number 703 this year and the
vacancies 19. Occupied housing units
in the county are 5,018 and vacan
cies total 159.
The number of farms in the county
have decreased since 1930, some 1,-
248 being recorded this year as com
pared to 1,268 ten years ago Infants
under four months of age in the
county now number 189.
Marion township has increased in
population considerably during the
ten-year period, now having 12,538
people
‘OLD-TIMERS” REUNION
TO BE HERE AUGUST 16
The sixth annual meeting of the
“Old-Timers” Memorial reunion of
the Asheville Division of the South
ern Railway will be held in the Mar
ion high school auditorium on Friday,
August 16. This meeting will also cel
ebrate the 70th anniversary of the
arrival of the first passenger train
reaching Marion in Augjist, 1870.
Special invitations have been ex
tended to widows of deceased mem
bers of the reunion and to all officers
and employees who have worked on
the Asheville Division for 30 years
or more. Employees of other divis
ions of the Southern Railway and
others who have worked in this divis
ion at any time during the past 30
years have been invited. Altogether
more than 700 invitations have been
sent out.
Officials of the Southern have ar
ranged to furnish a special train for
the convenience of their employees
and their families attending the re
union. The train will make all regu
lar stops and will leave Asheville at
St. Matthew’s Js
To Celebrate Five
Years Of Progress
Anniversary Of Establishment
Of Church To Be Observed
in Marion July 14.
The first Lutheran services con
ducted in Marion were held by Rev.
S. Keisler of Catawba county about
35 years ago in the Methodist church
From this beginning the Lutheran
church has grown steadily and is
making plans to celebrate th& fifth
anniversary, July 14, of the estab
lishment of St. Matthew’s church in
this community.
The early attempt to hold Luther
an services in the Methodist church
was found unsatisfactory and dis
continued. About 15 years ago an
other attempt to establish Lutheran-
8 a. m., leaving Marion on the return ism here was made by Rev. W. D.
tative of all business, professional
and commercial interests in the coun
ty, he said.
BU0GET REQUIREMENTS
PRESENTED TO BOARD
trip at 5 p. m.
Among the interesting persons to
be present at the reunion is the old
est living conductor, who ran a train
in this division in 1869, as well as the
oldest living superintendent and train
master. Attending also will be 12 of
IS compared to 10,899 in i
All other townships in Me-
The reunion will be called to order
at 10:00 a. m. on the morning of
Dowell increased in population with
the exception of Glenwood, which
lost 20 people during the ten year
period.
The population by townships is
as follows:
Township 1940
Bracketts __ 264
Crooked Creek __ 1,223
Peters, pastor of the First Lutheran
church in Asheville, who conducted
occasional services in private homes.
Later Rev. L. F. Frerking, while
serving in the Rutherfordton field,
made several trips to Marion in the
interest of the church. He was re
moved to Charlotte and was succeed
ed in the Rutherfordton field by Rev.
Paul A. Boriack.
Achieving no encouraging results
DEFENSE TAXES BECAME
EFFECTIVE HERE MONDAY
McDowell county residents had
their first taste of the new defense;
will be run in this division and the
race is open to boats of any type.
The second race will consist of
boats with five horsepower outboard
motors. No restriction as to boat con
struction will be enforced. Winners
in the first two races will be awarded
prizes given by the Marion Theatre.
As a semi-final speed contest for
the afternoon a 10 horsepower out
board motor race of two heats of five
laps each has been scheduled. There
will be no restrictions as to the type
of boats used. Winners of the first
four places in this race will receive
cash awards as follows: First place,
$8; second, $6; third, $4; and fourth
place, $2.
Climaxing the racing program will
be the 25 horsepower outboard mo
tor race. Participants will cover the
course 15 times in the three heats
scheduled for the race. First place
winner in the event will be awarded
a cash prize of $12. Second, third,
and fourth places will be awarded
prizes of $10, $6 and $4, respective
ly. Only run-about boats with at least
two seats and weighing at least 500
pounds will be allowed to take part
in this race.
As an added attraction to the rac
es a speed exhibition will be given
during the afternoon by Claude Jar-
rett, of Asheville, with a 185 horse
power motor and racing hull. Jarrett
promises to better the 70 mile per
hour mark on one straight run during
the exhibition.
Aquaplaning and water stunt» of
all forms will be demonstrated dur
ing the afternoon by Paul Lamer of
Canton, who will, among other
things, ride the plane while perched
on a step ladder.
Concluding the program for the
day will be a free-for-all race in
which boats and motors of any type
may be entered.
Boaters planning to enter the rac
es during the afternoon have been
extended the courtesy of the Marion
Lake Club dock and will place their
craft in the lake at that point. The
public has been requested to leave
the dock to the contestants.
Official starter for the races will
be Dave Blanton, of Marion. Judges
3,466
1930
A budget estimate asking for a 264 261
total of $248,937.06 for the opera- Crooked Creek __ 1,223 968
tion of the county and its schools | 323 717
during the fiscal year 1940-41 was j _ __ _ 559 679
presented before the county commis-1 __ __ 574 282
sioners in session here Monday. j Marion 12,538 10,899
Second largest outlay sought in the I Cove __ 745 ' 566
budget is $57,684.78 for the general j __ 1,151 928
county fund. The sum of $133,624.94 __ 1,661
has been requested for the funding, 3,763
highway, courthouse and school bonds j
and interest funds.
Approximately $8,000 less is being!
requested by city and county schools
because
a good
HI YYiiu x.=-1 condition last year. For the year , . , , 1 u i-j
social welfare 1940^41 the county schools ask f„r! Fourth of July as a ^neral ho May
, . ^ J ^! • I««Q nn and their stores will be closed Ion on liquor, and $1
work in Chicago. Miss Padgett is a, $6,61,3.00 for current expense ian- beer
graduate of Appalachian State j $900 for capital outlay. The city ] ^ ’ 1 ...
Teachers College and for five years i schools ask for , , ^
has been a member of the North 1 rent expense and $4,900.00 for capi
August 16. A group picture will bejin his new place. Rev. Boriack in
token, officers will be elected and the 11931 and 1932 investigated the pos-
next meeting place will be chosen, i sibilities of Marion as a field for
Members of the reunion will be serv-j Lutheran work. In 1932 services
ed lunch by a committee of Marion j were conducted by Marion Lutherans
ladies. jin the local Episcopal church but
discontinued because of an Episcopal
canon prohibiting the use of the
church by other denominations.
Application was made to the coun-
intendent Hugh F. Beam. Both will
join teaching staffs at the central
school.
Miss Alva Padgett, of Bostic, has
been appointed to the English de-jthis year than last year
partment of the high school, succeed- school buildings were ^t
ing Miss Kathryn Linn who has re-j condition last year,
signed to take up
STORES TO CLOSE FOR
FOURTH, GROCERS TO
Marion merchants will observe the
into effect on future manufactures
of a score of products, and “floor
taxes,” affecting the retail price, be
came effective on cigarettes, beer and
CLOSE LATER TONIGHT theatre tickets. ,
The floor taxes, applied to stocks
already on hand, are 1-2 a .cent a
package on cigarettes, 75 cents a gal-
barrel on
,422.92 for cur-;
Today, July 3,
^ • nr I Marion will be open
Cove school faculty m McDowell ;tal outlay,
county.
Miss Gladys Smith, of Harmony, j get are $6,695.00
has been added to the elementary | health fund, $26,201.42 for
ty board of commissioners, wlio con
sented to rent the courtbK>use audi>
torium _for Lutheran services. Meet
ings were held there every Sunday
for some time.
On April 11, 1932, the leaders of
the group came together at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. L. Miller and
with Rev. G. E. Long, then visitor
of the Southeast, Rev. J. L. Sum
mers, of Hickory, and Rev. H. F.
Meyer, of Asheville, present, orga
nized St. Matthew’s Lutheran con
gregation in Marion. Rev. Boriack
was called as minister and the group
All theatre tickets became taxable
grocery stores in:at the rate of one cent for each lOl^ade application to the church ex-
i until 7:00 o-jcents or fraction thereof for admi&>'^ ; .c
for the
, uu.xa>. i . ^ cents or fraction thereof for admis.:te„gio„ for assistance
Other items requested in the bud- tomght as a service to city andjsions in excess of 20 cents. As a re-, ^ chapel.
. county ^residents who are shopping j suit, movie goers who have paid no
^j^glin preparation for the picnic to be | tax when attending theatres which
county
a special expense fund.
staff at the central school. She is a
graduate of Appalachian State
Teachers College and has had six
years teaching experience. Last year j smALL SUM NEEDED TO
poor fund, and $5,895.00 for ^eld at Lake James tomorrow. | charged only 10 to 40 cents admis-|
she was employed at the Troutman
grade school in Iredell county.
BENEFIT PAYMENTS ARE
ISSUED IN M’DOWELL
Payments totaling $5,023 were is
sued in McDowell county welfare of-
sued in McDowell county by the wel
fare office to the aged, blind and de
pendent children, during the month
of June, it was announced this week
Receiving old age assistance pay
ments were 317 persons in the coun
ty. Checks distributed in this classi
fication totaled $3,902. Aid to depen
dent children was given to 54 fami
lies, representing 109 children. The
total distribution to children was
$962.
Twelve people in the county re
ceived aid to the blind payments in
the month of June ameunting to
$159.
SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL
TERM BEGINS MONDAY
REACH RED CROSS GOAL
Because Independence Day is a le- gion, began paying higher prices for
gal holiday the banks will be closed j tickets Monday.
and city, county and other offices! Levies on other products may not
will not open. effect the consumer until existing
I For three years, the ardent pleas
of the group for financial aid were
answered with “no funds” by the
church board. Services in the court
house, being (Constantly interrupted,
(Continued on last page)
The Marion chapter of the Ameri
can Red Cross lacked only $45.58
yesterday of reaching the goal of $1,-
200 set for this community in the
drive for relief funds for war refu
gees in Europe.
The campaign for relief funds in
Marion has been under the direction
of Mrs. Fred-W. Streetman, who has
been assisted by other ladies of the
town. Mrs. Streetman has urged
that people who have not contribu
ted to the cause do so at once to
enable the local chapter to reach the
$1,200 goal. She expressed apprecia
tion for the support given the work
ers locally during the drive for funds
and expressed confidence that the
goal would be reached.
The original goal of $600 set for
this community was doubled by offici
als of the Red Cross as relief needs
in Europe increased daily. The call
for help has been answered by prac
tically all Marion business and pro
fessional firms and individuals. Re-
Twenty civil cases are listed on the sponse to the appeal has been favor-
county calendar for the forthcoming | able in all parts of the United States,
McDowell county July term of civil j officials report.
court which is scheduled to begin j Contributions may be made local-
here* next Monday morning withjly to Mrs. Streetman or to the Mari-
Judge W. H. Bobbitt, of Charlotte, on Industrial Bank.
presiding.
Among the cases set for this term
of court are four suits against J. F.
Harmon and one against C. L. Tate
for the speed trials will be Grayson l^rought by the town of Old Fort,
Neal and Hugh F. Beam, both of
Marion, and Holman Sigmon, of
Morganton.
It is expected that the racing will
be completed about 6:00 o’clock in
the afternoon. No charge will be
made for spectators who will view
the races from the highway over Ca
tawba dam.
POULTRY SPECIALIST
TO VISIT IN COUNTY
T. T. Brown, state extension poul
try specialist, will be in McDowell
county next Wednesday, July 10 ,an-
The July 4th program is attracting jnounctd County Agent S. L. Home-
wide interest in this section and j wood this week. Mr. Brown will in
promises to draw thousands of visi-jsp^ poultry flocks in the county
tors to Marion from all parts of the j and recommend im^Srovements
state to enjoy the picnicing, boating, j gro'/ring and production methods
racing and swimming at Lake James, [were needed.
The postoffice and all its branches
will be closed for the day with only
special delivery mail and perishable
stocks are sold.
Confess levied these taxes so that
merchants who bought up supplies in
items being delivered. No service anticipation of the increase would
windows will be open during the day.
SUMMER SCHOOL IS TO
BE CONCLUDED FRIDAY
The summer school session at the
Marion high school ends Friday, July
5, announced High F. Beam, city su
perintendent of schools, this week.
During the term 17 pupils have
been enrolled in the summer session.
Most of these have been removing
deficiencies. Several have been tak
ing work to prepare for college en
trance.
William D. Tuttle, commercial
teacher in the high school, has been
in charge of the summer school. The
classes have been conducted six days
a week in the high school building.
have to pay just the same. The
Treasury expects to collect $4,800,-
000 from the floor tax on cigarettes
and $19,600,000 from that on liquor
and beer.
N.
C. STATE REVENUES
STRIKE ALL-TIME RECORD
Raleigh, June 29.— North Caroli-
n_ s most prosperous tax year, which
will end at midnight tomorrow, yield
ed an all-time record of $76,004,-
841.68 in state revenue—an average
Here is the increase on various! of »l>out »21.70 for every man, worn-
JOE G. KING GRADUATES
FROM ANTIOCH COLLEGE
Joe G. King, son of Mr. and Mrs.
A. R. King of Zellwood, Florida, and
husband of Mrs. Thelma King of
Marion, was one of the 81 young
men and women graduating from
Antioch College, Yellow Springs,
Ohio, in commencement exercises on
Saturday, June 29. Mr. King received
a B. S. degree in chemistry.
He has worked in the Kimberly-
Clark laboratories in Niagara Falls,
N. Y., and has done research in air
conditioning and chemical problems
for the Gray Printing Company of
Fostoria, Ohio. He plans to continue
work with this company this summer
and will begin his work toward a Ph.
D. at the University of North Caro
lina next fall.
newly-produced products, and servi
ces:
Toilet preparations, from 10 to
11 per cent; automobiles, 3 to 3 1-2
per cent; radios, 5 to 5 1-2 per cent;
mechanical refrigerators, 5 to 5 1-2
per cent; matches, 5 cents to 5 1-2
cents a thousand; electrical energy,
3 to 3 1-2 per cent; gasoline, 1 to 1
1-2 cents a gallon; lubricating oil, 4
to 4 1-2 cents a gallon; playing cards,
10 to 11 cents a pack; club dues t
initiation fees, 10 to 11 per cent.
Increases on liquor, beer and cig
arettes are the same as the floor tax
and will bring the taxes on these
products to $3 a gallon, $6 a barrel
and 6 1-2 cents a package respective-
J. Q. GILKEY’S CONDITION
IS REPORTED IMPROVED
The condition of J. Q. Gilkey of
Marion, who has been confined to
the Marion General Hospital for the
past few days, was reported a little
improved yesterday.
Mr. Gilkey became ill while in New
York on business in connection with
his work on the World’s Fair com
mittee of North Carolina. He is vice-
chairman of the State Board of Con
servation and Development and has
long been prominent in affairs of
McDowell county and the state.
)
an and child in the state.
The fiscal year revenue report, re
leased today by Acting Revenue
Commissioner Lee O. Gregory, show
ed that the state had collected $6,-
428,252.18 more than in any previ
ous year in its history. The former
record was $69,575,589.50 in 1937-
1938.
This year’s total was $7,059,709.-
11 ahead of the $68,946,132.57 col
lected in 1938-1939.
New high marks were set by re
ceipts from gasoline sales, income,
license and franchise taxes, and from
the sale of automobile license plates.
Since there has been little change iti
the state’s basic tax structure for the
last four years, the increases were
attributed solely to better business
conditions, by revenue department
officials.
General fund receipts were $40,-
147,051.01, a gain of $4,811,616.54
over last year. The previous record
was $37,627,290.46 in 1937-38.
Highway fund receipts were $35,-
847,790.67, a girin of $2,247,092.57
over the previous record set last
year.
The budget, as drawn up by the
last legislature, provided for the di
version, if needed, of $2,500,000
from the highway fund to the gener
al fund. Because of unusually large
general fund receipts, however,
highway diversion was not necessary.