THE MARION PROGRESS
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896 MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1944
VOL. XLIX—NO. 2
Open Drive For
Funds To Aid
In Polio Clinic
Junior Woman's Club Taking
Leading Part In Raising
Funds For Building Center.
For the past several weeks citizens
of Marion and McDowell county
have been vitally concerned about
the polio epidemic in the Piedmont
section of this State. Several weeks
ago as a precautionary measure the
McDowell County Board of Health
placed a ban on group activities of
children under the age of 15 years
in an effort to combat the spread of
this dread disease.
At least six cases of polio have
been reported from McDowell coun
ty and several of these victims are
receiving treatment at the polio clin
ic at Hickory. Expert medical cai-e
and 24 hour a day individual nurs
ing are provided at the polio clinic
in Hickory. Citizens of Hickory,
Caldwell county, surrounding coun
ties, and in fact, a large percentage
of the counties of the State have
rallied to the support of the polio
clinic in Hickory, Gastonia, and
Charlotte.
Even though these institutions
have received the generous support
of our citizens their need is still
great. In view of this fact the Jun
ior Woman's Club is taking a lead
ing part in an emergency drive for ]
funds to aid the polio clinic at Hick
ory. Yesterday members of the
Junior Woman's Club displayed a
"March of Dimes" board on Main
street for the purpose of receiving!
donations from any interested per- j
«on who is willing to make a contri
bution to aid our boys and girls who j
are afflicted with polio.
The "March of Dimes" board will j
remain on Main street until late Sat- j
urday afternoon. It is the hope of
the young ladies managing this pro
ject to have the "March of Dimes"
board completely filled by Saturday.
You are urged to give generously in
support of this most worthy under
• taking.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR
ROTARY HERE FRIDAY
i
An address by District Governor
Henry Shaw from Sumter, S. C.,
was the principal feature of the re
gular meeting of the Rotary Club
at noon Friday. Mr. Shaw spoke on
"The Influence of Rotary." Guests
at the meeting were S. R. Cross,
Frank Goldsmith and Fred Morris.
Howard Hawkins, manager of the
Western Auto Store, was presented
to the club as a new member.
On Thursday night Mr. Shaw con
ferred with the club's officers and
committee chairmen regarding Ro
tary work and their program for
the coming year.
MARION SOLDIER IN
ITALY COMPLETES
18 MONTHS SERVICE
Corporal Edgar G. Hollifield,
whose wife, Marie, lives in Marion,
recently completed a year and a
half overseas with an outstanding
Fifth Army ordnance unit, it is an
nounced by the Public Relations
section, with Fifth Army, Italy.
Since the African invasion in
1942 his outfit has repaired trucks
and tanks in its field shops through
out the Tunisian, Sicilian and Ital
ian campaigns.
For their work under fire while
on the former Anzio beachhead in
Italy his company was recently
awarded the Fifty Army Plaque of
Excellence.
PROGRAM PLANNED FOR
MERCHANTS MEETING
At a meeting of the board of di
rectors of the Marion Merchants
Association held last Friday even
ing, with the president, Dean Taint
er, presiding, an interesting pro
gram was planned for the next re
gular meeting of the association
which will be held on Thursday ev
ening, August 10. Details of the
program will be announced next
week. All merchants ane urged to
make plans now to attend the meet
ing.
RED CROSS ESTABLISHES
REPORTING SERVICE
The American Red Cross has es
tablished a Welfare Reporting Ser
vice and the McDowell county chap
ter will receive daily reports on all
patients from this county being
treated at the Emergency Hospital,
Hickory, and Gastonia Hospital, an
nouncement received from Mrs. B.
G. Carr, executive secretary, stat
ed.
This service is available to the
families of children hospitalized for
infantile paralysis at these centers.
The service, which is a natural
Disaster Preparedness obligation,
has shown its need at these hospit
als through the many calls made by
parents daily. It is not possible for
parents to visit their children dur
ing the period of isolation and the
nurses and doctors must be relieved
of the responsibility for answering
telephone calls, letters and personal
calls so that their full time and ef
fort may be devoted to the pat
ients.
Messages received by the local;
chapter will be relayed to the re- j
spective parents, Mrs. Carr explain
ed.
Parents or relatives interested in j
patients hospitalized in the Hickory,
Clinic should contact Mrs. Carr for j
information concerning these pa
jtients after two o'clock each day.
WAR RELIEF SOCIETY
GIVES AID TO VICTIMS
OF BOMBS IN ENGLAND
I
With the German robot bomb of- i
fensive bringing to the people of
London and Southern England suf- j
fering, devastation and other trials j
reminiscent of the blitz of 1940-41, j
the British War Relief Society, one
of the participating agencies in the i
United War Fund, has stepped in;
and is aiding victims to the full limit
of its resources, Mayor J. F. Wil- .t
kinson, local United War Fund!
chairman, said today.
A report by Bertram Cruger,;
vice-President of the Chase Nation
al Bank and Landon chairman of i
the British War Relief Society, re
ceived by Mayor Wilkinson, disclos- :
es that 336 ambulances of the Soc
iety are on 24-hour duty in Britain, j
caring for the injured. In addition,!
British War Relief Society mobile
kitchens are feeding persons bomb
ed out of their homes, and the Soc- ]
iety is responding to calls for cloth-;
ing, bedding and other articles es
sential to bare existence.
Flying to the United States to!
report on latest British war relief
needs, Cruger said that as British1
| censorship is relaxed "The American
people are now beginning to realize
| the great damaged caused by the1
I Nazi robot bombs in London and all,
| of Southern England. Countless
homes are being destroyed, thous
ands have been killed and injured,
, and many of the survivors have not
| only lost their homes but have seen j
wiped out all the accumulated pos- :
isessions of a lifetime, their clothing,;
j their household furniture and all the
things which civilized man has so
j long cherished under the name of
home and family.".
Chairman Wilkinson said that in-1
] formation reaching him shows that
j the American-made and donated
j ambulances of the British War Re
lief Society are taking an impor
tant part in supporting the invasion
,of France as well as in meeting the
| robot plane emergency. When the
I cars are not operating, di'ivers sleep
Jin them, ready for immediate duty.
! One of the vehicles taking a
i wounded soldier to a hospital was
'struck by a piece of flying steel
jfrom robot bomb which came down
i almost in the path of the ambulance
! and burst one of the tires. By
'making a quick change of a wheel,
jthe driver was able to proceed to the
j hospital with his charge. Routine
work of the ambulance corps in
cludes blood transfusion service,
distribution of penicillin, evacuation
of hospitals hit by the indiscrimin
ately-aimed robots, and conveying
wounded soldiers to hospitals.
j Mayor Wilkinson pointed out that
'the mounting destruction and suffer
ing in England resulting from the
pilotless planes and from the invas
ion — conditions similar to those
■ which inspired the establishment of
the British War Relief Society —
call for a renewed effort on the part
of the people of this community to
contribute to the urgent needs of
the British through local United
War Fund and the United War Fund
| of North 'Carolina.
Dr. Hahn And
Crabtree Guest
Dr. Hahn Described Work Be
ing Done At The Polio Cen
ter In Hickory.
The Marion Kiwanis club held its
weekly meeting at the Community
building Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.
m. The Meeting was held as a joint
affair with the Rotary club. The
physicians of Marion and Old Fort
and members- of the McDowell coun
ty Board of Health were special
1 guests.
S. J. Westmoreland was chairman
i of the program committee and he1
presented Dr. A. Gaither Hahn, one i
of the officials of the Hickory polio j
'clinic, and C. H, Crabtree, North;
j Carolina representative of the Na-:
| tional Foundation for Infantile Pa- j
; ralysis, who were the guest speak- ]
ers.
Club
Dr. Hahn spoke at length and de
scribed in detail the work that is be
ing done at the polio center in Hick- j
ory. He explained how they had |
started with no equipment at all and
built up the facilities and personnal
until this clinic had become one of
j the best equipped polio centers in
! the state, and perhaps in the nation. |
< Dr. Hahn stated that he had received j
| the highest type of cooperation from 1
j local citizens, citizens of nearby j
| communities, the army, nationally j
' recognized medical schools, the j
i American Red Cross and the Nation-j
; al and State Foundations for Infan
i tile Paralysis. He was also high in j
his praise for the work that civic
clubs were doing to assist this un- j
dertaking. Churches and many oth-)
er organizations were also listed as
taking an active part in this work. [
Mr. Crabtree stated that the na ;
tional foundation was footing the
bills for all costs in operating the
emergency plant at Hickory, as well
as in Gastonia and Charlotte. He
| i
i said that these costs included pay
ments for specialists, nursing staff,
medicines, and equipment. He fur-,
i ther stated that no charges will be
made to families who cannot afford
| to pay for hospitalization, and none
i will be made for the care and treat
J
ment of the children of service men.
Mr. Crabtree advised the Kiwan
; ians, the Rotarians and their
friends, that the polio center in
; Hickory was being transformed
; from an emergency unit to a perma
nent organization, and that although
1 no funds were being solicited for the
care and treatment of polio victims
that any contributions are being
welcomed in order to finance the
permanent buildings which are be
' ing constructed in Hickory. He es
' timated the building costs of this
project would amount to approxi
mately $40,000.00.
TO ELECT DISTRICT
SOIL CONSERVATION
SUPERVISORS AUG. 5
'
An election for three supervis
ors of the Catawba Soil Conserva
tion district, consisting of Alexand
er, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and
McDowell counties, will be held
Saturday, August 5, between the
hours of 8 a. m. and 5 p. m.
T. W. Stacy has been nominated
for re-election from McDowell
county. S. C. Bennett of Morgan
ton is the nominee from Burke
county, and Geo. F. Wiese of Led
gerwood is the nominee from Cald
well county.
Ballots may be mailed to or cast
at the county agent's office at the
court house in Marion.
J
WINBORNE PROMOTED
John Wallace Winborne, Jr.,
Lieut, (j. g.) in the U. S. Navy, has
been promoted to Lieutenant, ac
cording to word received by his
father, Justice J. W. Winborne, Sr.
; Lt. Winborne has been serving
overseas for ten months and is now
performing the duties of an execu
tive officer on an S. C.
He served as Ensign in the Intelli
gence Division for a period of one
year at Miami, Florida and was pro
moted to Lt. (j. g.) He then re
ceived training for active sea duty
at Boston and Miami before begin
j ning active sea duty.
Budget Adopted
By County Board
For Coming Year
i
Approves Budget Of $261,
929.83 For New Year; $1,
369.44 Less Than Last Year
At a special meeting of the board 1
of county commissioners on July 24 |
a budget of $261,929.83 was adopt-1
ed fbr the fiscal year 1944-45. The |
budget for the coming year is $1,-'
4469.44 less than last year's budget j
of $263,399.27.
The biggest items in the budget
are $82,104.63 for highway debt
service, $45,158.50 for general
i county fund, and $40,884.98 for
ischool debt service.
Other items in the budget require
jments are: $7,035.00 for special
: expense fund, $5,328.75 for county
| health fund, $11,927.00 for county
poor fund, $8,988.00 for old age as
sistance, $3,000.00 for aid to de
pendent children, $7,263.13 for
i county funding debt service, $13,
! 434.04 for court house debt service,
I $15,130.80 for current expense of
| county school fund, $3,700.00 for j
capital outlay of county school fund,!
$11,975.00 for current expense of i
Marion City school unit, $6,000.00 [
j for capital outlay of Marion City j
' school unit.
! I
POLIO COMMITTEE
OPENS DRIVE FOR $500
I j
j
j The McDowell County Infantile!
Paralysis committee met Saturday I
i afternoon and agreed to ask that j
! at least $500 be raised from con-;
| tributions to be sent to the Infan
tile Paralysis foundation.
I According to a financial state
ment by J. N. Morris, treasurer of
the McDowell County Polio Chap
ter, 230, derived from the proceeds
of previous President's Birthday
; Balls, March of Dimes and Birthday
greeting cards, has been sent from
this county to the Infantile Para
lysis foundation.
More funds have been requested,
howpver, and the goal for
this county has been set at $500.
1 Every citizen of McDowell county
is asked to contribute as liberally
as possible. Donations may be
made to J. N. Morris at the First
National Bank.
i Patients from McDowell county
are eligible to be entered at one of
j these hospitals for treatment free
i of charge. It was also stated that
patients from this county are now
receiving treatment at these cen
: ters.
A motion was also passed to make
! recommendations to the McDowell
County Board of Health that a
quarantine officer be appointed for
ithis county.
PVT. HERBERT WALL
KILLED IN ACTION
! Pvt. Herbert E. Wall was killed
j in action in France on July 3, ac
; cording to word received here last
week by his wife, the former Miss
! Margaret Lisenbee.
| Pvt. Wall had served overseas
I since March of this year and was a
'member of Co. B 315th Engr. Bn.,
'serving with the 90th Division. He
went into the Normandy Campaign
on June 6.
i Before entering military service
he was employed by the North Car
olina State Highway and Public
j Works Commission as inspector,
j having been on several of the ma
jor projects in this district,
j He was the son of the late Lloyd
O. Wall and Mary Cuthbertson Wall
of Old Fort.
He is survived by his widow; two
sisters, Miss Ola Wall, of Old Fort,
|and Mrs. R. R. Wright of West
I Asheville. '
! OPENING OF COUNTY
SCHOOLS POSTPONED
l
l
The opening of McDowell County
'schools, scheduled to open August 7,
has been postponed until a later
date, it was announced yesterday
from the office of the county super
intendent of schools. The announce
ment was made pending the decision
with reference to the polio band
now in effect.
CANNED CORN BACK
ON THE RATION LIST
The Office of Price Administra
tion has ordered canned corn back
on the ration list, and made grape
jam, tomato preserves and tomato
marmalades ration - free, effective
at 12:01 a. m. Sunday.
Price Administrator Chester
Bowles said the return of points to
corn was "an emergency action
taken to keep retailers' stocks from
running out."
A new value of three points for
the generally used 12-ounce can
was assigned for whole kernal, va
cuum - packed corn, while other
canned corn gets a value of five
points for a 20-ounce can.
When point values were removed
from corn last April 30, the 12
ounce can of whole kernel, vacuum
packed corn had a value of six
points. Other corn was valued at
six points.
Printing of the new processed
food charts for next month has been
delayed until August 13.
Bowles said that grape jam, which
has had a value of four points for
the popular two-pound container,
was made ration-free "because the
supply will be more than enough to
last until 1944 production reaches
the retail level."
Tomato preserves and tomato
marmalades also had values of four
points for two-pound containers.
OPA said that even though the
supply of these products is small, it
still exceeds present consumer de
mand. 1
Canned vegetables remaining ra
tion-free are green and wax beans,
beets, carrots, spinach and mixed
greens.
PVT. PARKER WO^yOED
IN ACTlOiSjlN FRANCE
Pvt. Andei'son Parker, 2, was
wounded in action in France on
July 1, according to word received
from the War Department by his
mother, Mrs. Fannie Parker, of
Cross Mill, Sunday.
Mrs. Parker also received a let
ter from her son Tuesday stating
that he is in a hospital in England
and that he is recovering nicely. He
also wrote that he had received the
Purple Heart and would send it to
her as soon as possible. •
It was stated that Pvt. Parker
was the first volunteer from the
Cross Mill community to volunteer
for service before Pearl Harbor
and the first known to be wounded
from that section.
He received his basic training at
Camp Polk, La., and was then sta
tioned at Camp Crowder, Mo. be
fore being sent overseas.
In civilian life he attended Cross
Mill school and was later an em
ployee of the Cross Cotton Mills.
PFC. BAILEY AWARDED
THE PURPLE HEART
Pfc. Ivey W. Bailey has been
awarded the Purple Heart, for
wounds received in France on July
4, according to word received by
his wife, Mrs. Ruth Patton Bailey.
In a recent letter, Mrs. Bailey
learned that her husband was in a
hospital in England and his condi
tion was reported improving.
Pfc. Bailey entered the service
September 7, 1943. He received
his training at Camp Van Dorn,
Mississippi and * Camp Brecken
ridge, Kentucky before being trans
ferred overseas in April.
THREE MORE RATION
STAMPS BECOME VALID
Three more red ration stamps
each worth 10 points became good
for buying rationed meats, fats and
dairy products July 30.
They were A-5, B-fi and C-5 in
War Ration Book Four and repre
sent the housewife's quota for a
period row set at four weeks—July
30 to August 27.
OPA said July ration point value
| charts for meats and fats and for
| processed foods would remain in
iuse at least until August 13. The
16 point value for one pound of
creamery butter, established on July
i 23, continues in effect.
MISS REID APPOINTED
QUARANTINE OFFICER
j Miss Sadie Reid was appointed
quarantine officer at a meeting of
the McDowell County Board of
j Health this week. Dr. J. F. Jonas
who was recently appointed to this
(position declined the appointment.
I
Motorists Urged
To Save Gasoline
By Car Pooling
With A Limited Amount
Available Car Pooling Of
fers Best Way To Save Gas.
During 1944, despite the best ef
forts of industry and .government,
crude oil production will be only
eighteen percent greater than irv
1941. Yet in 1944 military de
mands for aviation, butadiene for
synthetic rubber, tolene for TNT, all
made from crude oil, will be increas
ed more than 900 percent over 1941.
For example, fifty gallons of pe
troleum are required daily for every
soldier abroad; the amount of gaso
line burned by a Flying Fortress in
an hour's flight would supply the
average "A" ration holder for al
most three years; three tons of gas
oline are required to deliver one ton
of explosives on Berlin.
In view of the facts set out above
only a limited amount of gasoline is
left available for the home front,
and this amount must be distributed
fairly and used wisely. It is need
less to say that a car owner driving
without passengers is not using his
country's gasoline wisely. The best
way a motorist has of using his car
wisely is to pool his car. Car pool
ing offers the biggest opportunity of
saving gasoline. Gasoline saved in
this way could be used to increase
rations for hard-pressed "B" cartf
holders who use their cars in the
| course of their daily work and who
' desperately need more gasoline to
! earn a living. The potential savings
i in car pooling are enough even to
'raise the "A" rations for all car
i owners, many of whom find that
| their basic ration is barely enough
! to meet the requirements of essen
itial household driving.
| The local office of the War Price
and Rationing board is insisting
that every effort be made to arrange
car pools, and states that this is
necessary for all persons who are
allowed supplemental gasoline. It
may be that the board will find it
necessary to issue supplemenal gas
oline for period of only thirty days
instead of ninety days as has been
the custom in the past.
CHANGE IN SCHEDULE
OF TRAINS HERE
Schedule changes put into effect
by the Southern Railway system
Sunday affects the time of arrival
of two passenger trains reaching
Marion daily.
East-bound train No. 16 from
Asheville arrives in Marion at 5.25
p. m. instead of 5.43 p. m. as here
tofore.
Train No. 12, an east-bound local
from Asheville, arrives at 3:50 p.
Im. instead of 3:58.
I
}
CAR OWNERS URGED
TO CONSERVE TIRES
j
The McDowell County War Price
and Rationing board announces that
ithe automobile and truck tire situa
i tion is almost critical. The smallest
I allotment of tires in several months
! has been made to the local board for
!the month of August.
j All county quotas of large truck
|tires (8.25 and larger) have been
• wiped out for August, and large
tires, farm tractor and implement
tires may be obtained only by re
i quest to the district office.
In view of this situation all auto
mobile and truck owners are re
quested to conserve tires in every
possible way. Only trips that are
absolutely necessary should be made
and all driving rules that aid in the
conservation of tires should be
strictly observed.
LEFEVRE IS TANK DRIVER
Technician Fifth Grade Walter
H. LeFevre, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter W. LeFevre of Old Fort, is
a tank driver in the First armored
division in Italy, according to a dis
patch received here.
LeFevre participated in the bat
tles of Cassino, Anzio, Rome, Civi
tavecchia and Grosetto. He holds
the combat infantryman's badge.
He was a student at Mars Hill
(college prior to entering the service,.