Full Coverage
Established 1885
The Oldest North Car
olina -Newspaper West
of Buncombe County.
The Press assures its
advertisers of complete
coverage of Macon Co.
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
IJYDEPEJVEEW
VOL. LV, NO. 17
FRANKLIN, N. C THURSDAY, APRJL 25, 1940
$150 PER YEAR
JUNIOR-SENIOR
Golf Course
Franklin Honor Pupils
Lions Club
HIGHLANDS GETS
17ATERSYST0
WPA Allotment Approved
Impounding Dam And
Reservoir Included
BANQUET HELD
Take Steps in Establishing
Information Bureau
200 Students, Members Of
Faculty And Invited
Guests Present
A gala evening of entertainment
was provided Friday .by the junior
class of the Franklin high school,
complimentary to the members of
tjie .senior class, when they gath
ered at the Tavern for the annual
juriior-senjpr banquet, with, two
hundred students, members of the
faculty, and invited 'guests present,
r The banquet hall was attractively
decorated with tulips and other
spring flowers. The ''Indian" tfeme
was used in many attractive ways
in carrying out the decorations.
Indian baskets, bracelets and bows
and arrow. were favors. '
A wigwam made of blankets
further carried out the color,
scheme. ' V
Members of the freshman class
who served the banquet were :
. Barbara Stockton, Mary Frances
Page, John Bryson, Betty Horsley,
Inez Crawford, Ida Mae Dowdle,
Byrda Nell Southards, Marie Dean,
Virginia Bryant, Jesse. Mae car
nard." Maeeie Sue Reece, Helen
Frank and Lucile Calloway.
Tre program included, Welcome,
Jennie Scott, president of junior
class ; Response, Alex Arnold,
president of the senior class;
speech, W. H. Finley, principal of
the Franklin high school; and
Turninsr Through the Album, a
speech by Guy L. Houk, superin
tendent of the Macon, county pub
lic schools.
Guests invited were Mr. and Mrs.
M. D. Billings, Mr. and Mrs. Guy
L. Houk, and Mr. and Mrs. W. H.
Finley. Others at the speakers table
were Jennie Scott; John Wasilik,
iloastmaster; Miss Catherine Sher
rill and Mrs. Kate Rhinehart, jun
ior class sponsors.
Another feature of the evening
was the. impersonation of the
teachers of the .high school. Those
taking part, were: ' '.
' . Mr. Houk, by -1 Harry 's Higgins ;
'M r Fmley, WeavrHuti't, ' Miss
Annie Bailey, Louise- Kinsland;
Miss Ruby Watkins, Osteen Rob
erts; Miss Elsie White, Dorothy
Penland; Mrsl Katherine O'Neil,
Byrda Nell Southards; Mrs Paul
Grist, Catherine Anne Huggins;
Mrs. Kate Rhinehart, Lucile Callo
way ; M rs. Marie Stewart, Jennie
Scott ; M rs. Helen Macon, Doris
Penland; Miss Charlotte Young,
Catherine Long; Miss Catherine
Sherrill, Helen Wurst; Miss Gloria
Regan, Mary Evelyn Angel; E. J.
Whitmire, Bob McClure; ,W. C.
Newton, Dick Sloan, and J. C
Hawkins, Coolidge Morgan.
Officially Opens To The
Public April 26
The Franklin Golf Course will be
officially opened to the public for
the 1940 season on April 26.
The gold course has been put In
first class condition and Major
Carmack has ' made many improve
ments to the course since he took
over the property, making it an
asset to the community in bring
ing tourists to Franklin as well as
a benefit to the local people.'
Golf course, tennis and swim
ming pool memberships may now
be obtained.
Mattress Project Planned
By Extension Service
At a meeting held at the Agri
culture building Wednesday evening
plans were discussed for setting
up a mattress . making project in
Macon county.
This program, recently inaugurat
ed by AAA, is planned to aid fam
ilies in obtaining mattresses at
.small cost.
Miss Florence Stalcup, county
home demonstration agent and Sam
Mendenhall, county agent, present
ed the . project to the representa-'
tives of federal and county agen
cies, county commissioners and
business men present.
The project is sponsored by the
N. C. extension service, cooperat
ing with federal agencies in the
county. Farm families with an in
come of $400 or less would be
eligible to work on the project
making their own mattresses under
supervision.
The setting up of this project
which would benefit a large numb
er of people in the county, de
pends upon the county commis
sioners' providing a place to house
the project. Several locations were
suggested but no definite arrange
ments were made.
Tho.se present included: Fred
Sloan, western district agent; Carl
Slagle, of the welfare board; C. L.
Blaine, county commissioner:
Messrs. Ramsey and Davis, farm
security; T. H. Fagg, assistant
county agent?4 f W. Justice and
Robert Fulton, of the AAA com
mittee; Mrs. Gilmer Jones, WPA;
Mrs. Margaret Ordway, NYA;
M iss E&telle Doyle, home super
visor farm security ; Mrs. Eloise
h ranks, welfare superintendent:
Oscar Bryant, Jess Conley, Dr. and
Mrs. W. E. Furr.
- 1 , ,
Henry W. Cabe, Jr., at left, is valedictorian of the graduating class
of Franklin high school, Miss Otella Bryson, at right, is salutatorian.
Young Cabe is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Cabe, of Frank
lin. Miss Bryson is the daughter. of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Bryson
of Cull&saja. . g '
The rainfall on Friday in this
section was the heaviest since last
summer. Streams throughout the
mountain region are swollen. An
other week-end with temperatures
around freezing followed the ex
cessive rains and high winds.
RICH MICA VEIN
IS UNCOVERED
J. F. Cunningham Finds
Superior Quality At
Old Mine
A mica vein which may prove to
be one of the richest yet found in
Macon county has been .opened by
John K Cunningham on his prop
erty in the Iotla section.
About three months ago Mr.
Cunningham renewed previous op
erations by digging a shaft about
50 feet under an old mica mine
that belonged to . his grandfather
which had not been worked since
the late 1860s. Digging 209 feet
under the mountainside, he has
now penetrated to a depth of nine
feet into a solid vein of highest
quality sheet mica four feet wide
and six feet high. If this vein is
a continuation of the old mine, it
is possible that it may be 56 feet
in depth. Some of the blocks of
mica. ilL,wfiish over lOOvpoundv
it is estimated. -- -
This property, which is located
about half a mile west : of the
Moody farm, was inherited by Mr.
Cunningham from his mother, Sally :
Campbell Cunningham, daughter of
COURT CLOSES
THURSDAYNOON
Judge Alley Presided Over
Civil Docket; Many
Cases Continued
Macon county ''civil court, pre
sided over by Judge Alley of
Waynesville, adjourned at noon
Thursday after continuing t num
ber of the cases on the docket, and
several being settled out of court.
Divorces' were granted' to the fol
lowing parties:
Myrtle White from Charlie
White.
Margaret Anderson from James
Anderso.
Lyman Moss from Mamie Moss.
Edith May Reynolds from
Glover Reynolds.
. Vernie May Franks from Char
lie Franks.
Mattie Sanders from John Sand
ers.. ....
In the case of O. E. Lawrence
v Francis C. Cary and Gladys
Mary Cary judgment was granted
in favor of the plaintiff in the
sum of $575.
' Judge Alley issued a restraining
order on complaint of residents in
the vicinity that the sheriff close
Rev. Cole Campbell, a Methodist the place operated on the High-
minister, whose family emigrated
from Virginia, and had their home
on the property long before the
war.
Ruth Vick Everett Speaker
Macon Teachers' Banquet
Cullowhee Musicians And
Others Are Featured
On Program v
"There was never a time when
education had such a chance
never a time when so many groups
have been lined up for the same
educational program, Mrs. Ruth
Vick Everett, field secretary of
N. C. E. A., told ' Macon county
teachers and guests' at the banquet
Saturday night.
"As a result, every gubernatorial
candidate is wooing the educational
vote," Mrs. Everett told her hear
ers, in a rousing speech that car
ried her audience into gales of
laughter one moment, while deliv
ering wise, terse comment the
next.
Mrs. Everett urged school teach
ers not to let themselves grow
"school-teacherish," suggesting that
more ."glamor" for both men and
women teachers may not be amiss
in winning the people's understand
ing of what they are trying to do.
"North Carolina is a rural state,
with 9 out of 10 schools in rural
communities, and 55 per cent of
the teachers teaching in rural
schools . . . teach boys and girls
how to live and how to make
living in their own communities,"
Mrs. Everett urged, as she scored
hits for vocational training, saying
"We haven't scratched the surface
yet. A prison superintendent told
me that you do not find carpent
ers, plumbers, plasterers or black
smiths in the penitentiary."
The speaker's "plea was for a
school service program that would
make every school a community
' center, .serving the community in
every way from planning home
decorations to weddings. "The eye
of the people would be focussed
on a school of this character. Show
people that what you tre doing U
worth more money, and you will get
it, Mrs. Everett predicted.
Add. By W. L. Uthtn
W. L. Lathan, district president
of N. C E. A. and superintendent
of Swain county schools, speaking
on Jur Legislative Program" said
that the people and not the teach
ers have fought the battle for edu
cation in the past. Two factors
that hamper educational progress
were cited as ignorance of the
teacher of, the community and
ignorance of the people as to what
the schools are doing.
In appealing for a retirement
plan for teachers Mr. Lathan re
ferred to the established policy of
industries that provided retirement
for employees as a business propo
sition, . and that a like provision
for the social security of teachers
was needed for the efficiency of
the schools and for the sake of
the children as well as teachers.
Mr. Lathan spoke for the pro
tection of teachers in their positions
through a tenure provision and al
so for a 12th year in the public
school system as a remedy for the
widespread unemployment among
young people turned out of the
high schools. He urged all teach
ers to register and vote.
Cur Houk Splu
Guy Houk, county superinten
dent, made an eloquent plea for
consolidation of one-teacher and
two-teacher schools in Macon coun
ty so that the children in the
county may have an equal chance
with town children.
"Of the 41 schools in Macon
county, only two provide elemen
tary school teachers for every
grade. Of 3,000 total enrollment of
the rural schools, only 150 were
promoted to high school last year.
This condition never will be rem
edied until there are teachers for
every grade," said the speaker.
New Machine Shop
Opened Recently
St. Clair Anderson, who for the
past two years has been connected
with the Bulgin Machine Shop, has
recently rented space and opened
a shop in the building occupied by
the Franklin Service Station Garage
on Palmer street, operated by Roy
Carpenter.
This new shop is being equipped
to handle all kinds of machine
work, wrought iron work and gen
eral repairing.
Mr. Anderson has had many
years experience in fine machine
work. Before coming to Franklin,
he had been employed for 22 years
by the State Department of Health,
as chief machinician at its labora
tory in Albany, N. Y.
lands road by N. A. Johnson.
Gibson Caught
By Deputy Sheriff Dills
Tuesday Night
Howard Gibson, 20, who escaped
from Macon county- jail on Tues
day night, April 16, after he had
been tried and sentenced to 90
days on the road for larceny of
chickens, was captured on Tuesday
night about ' 11 o'clock by John
Dills, deputy sheriff of Maco"n
county and Colonel Howard, who
deputized to assist in the search.
Mr. Dills said that young Gibson
was found at the - home ot his
uncle, Jim Gibson, in the Clark's
Chapel community about seven
miles from Franklin, and that he
was alone when captured, and that
he found the outside doors locked
and had to force his entrance.
The Lions Club, at its meeting
Monday night, took initial steps
to promote the tourist trade iir
Franklin and render service to
tourists after their arrival here by
establishing an information bureau.
The meeting discussed the organ
ization of a Chamber of Commerce,
all Lions agreeing that this agency
is urgently needed in Franklin nov
before the summer season reaches
its height. Lion Frank Bluxham
was called upon to tell of his ex
perience as secretary of the High
lands' Chamber of Commerce, which
he served, for several years without
remuneration. He stated that he
would be glad to do the same for
Franklin.
It was pointed out that a Cham
ber of Commerce is a community
undertaking, and that such an or
ganization should assure an equal
chance to all business and interests
to share in its activities. Inciden
tal to the setting up of the infor
mation office, a committee was ap
pointed to solicit funds to get things
started, all contributions to be
credited to membership dues, if
and when the Chamber of Com
merce gets going. This committee
is W. C. Burrell, Bob Gaines, W,
T. Moore. (
An important point discussed in
formally was the problem of park
ing, suggesting that much good
could be done if merchants and
other business citizens would park
fheir cars at the back of the store,
leaving Main street space for out-of-town
cars, as is the usual cus
tom of resort towns. Many have
had the experience of driving on
to the next town because there was
no parking space.
With the object, of getting tour
ists to stop here an information
office with - telephone, electric
lights, a list of places: to eat and
lodge, with a possible guide serv
ice and driver service to be de
veloped, was planned.
The Lions Club urges the cooper
ation of other organizations in the
important work of getting the
Chamber of Commerce started.
The following committee was
appointed to establish the informa
tion bureau: Frank Bloxham, Fred
Montony, Joel Tompkins, Jim
Averell, Woodrow Reeves.
Congressman Weaver has an
nounced presidential approval of a
WPA project allotment to build a
water system for Highlands as
follows
To construct and install a water
system in Macon county through
out and near the town of High
lands, an allotment of $34,066 is
provided. Included in the project
plans is the construction of an im
pounding dam and storage reser
voir. The funds are expected to be
adequate to supply necessary fit
tings for the water lines. Permis
sion already has been s-mreH
from the forest service by the
town of Highlands for the work on
federal property.
As The World Turns
A Brief Survey of Current Events In State, Nation
and Abroad.
BRITISH BOMB NAZI
AIR BASES
LONDON. Showers of British
bombs on five Nazi air bases over
a 400-mile radius in Germany, Den
mark and Norway blasted the way
yesterday for new allied offensive
action on the soil ot .Norway
while British infantarymen, fight
ing off a vigorous German counter
attack, were officially stated to
have clung to their rocky positions
in the Trondheim area.
CANADIANS AND FRENCH
BATTLE FOR NARVIK
STOCKHOLM. Stiff fighting
was reported yesterday from snowy
Rombak heights at Narvik where
Canadian troops and French "blue
devils" sought to deliver knock
out blow to 2,000 Germans holding
the besieged iron ore port on Nor
way's Arctic coast
NAZIS CLAIM AREA
AROUND OSLO
BERLIN. German authorities re
ported last night that their troops
controlled southern Norway be
tween Oslo and the southwestern
port of Stavanger, 200 miles from
the capital, and that the Reich's
naval and air forces had scored 57
successful attacks on Britain's
navy in the Norwegian campaign.
INVASION OF
SWEDEN FEARED
PARIS. The danger of a Ger
man invasion of Sweden has in
creased appreciably in the past 24
hours, a French government spokes
man Said last night. French mili
tary dispatches reported consider
able German naval activity in the
Baltic, but it was admitted this
might be in connection with rein
forcing Nazi troops in Norway.
.
2S DEAD IN N. Y.
TRAIN WRECK
Traveling 59 miles an hour the
New York-Chicago passenger flyer
jumped the track on a curve near
Little Falls, N. L., and crashed
with death-dealing force into a
stone embankment. The engineer
and fireman were among the 25 in
stantly killed, a 100 more went to
hospitals, some feared to be fatally
injured.
(CotfanJ m Pc Eifht)
WPA PROJECTS
DISPLAY WORK
Women's Division To Join
In Nation Wide
Celebration
At a meeting held at the Agri
culture building Wednesday after
noon, plans were made to join in
the nation wide celebration of
Women's Projects-of the Works
Progress Administration tb be held
May 20-25.
Mrs, Verayle Franks, district
WPA officer from Asheville, pre
sided and presented the plans for
the celebration to the meeting. Mrs.
Parks, area library training direc
tor, Asheville was also present for
the meeting.
Those attending were Mrs. Gil
mer Jones, supervisor of the .sewing
room, wbo has been appointed
county chairman, Mrs. Fred Slagle,
representing the board of education,
sponsor of the lunch room projects,
C L. Blaine and Lester Arnold,
of the county commissioners, spon
sor of other women projects. Mrs.
Carl Slagle, member of adult edu
cation advisory committee ; Mrs.
Frank' Murray, in charge of the
Bookmobile project, and the fol
lowing supervisors: Mrs. Leona P.
Duncan, adult education; Mrs.
Shirley Belle, surplus commodities ;
Miss Ethel Hurst, lunch rooms;
Mrs. Carrie Holt, library projects;
Horace Hurst, historical research.
Mrs. Franks, in addressing the
meeting, announced that the slogan
for this nation wide celebration is
"This Work Pays Your Commun
ity", and .the purpose is to show
how these projects are enriching
the life of the communities.
"Opaa Hoosa" Big Faatura
"Open House", on every project
during this week will demonstrate
to the public just what each pro
ject is doing. All the people of the
county are invited to visit the pro
jects on these days and see the
women actually at work. This op
portunity will be given to interpret
the work and accomplishments of
the women's WPA projects to tha
general public . '
The projects will hold "Open
House" in the Higdon building on
Main street, and will have displays
and exhibits of work done as well
(Con Unpad o Pf Eight)
Col. John S. Sewell
Resident Of Hiehlands
Dies In Hospital
News has come to The Press
from' Highlands of the death of
Col. John Stephen Sewell, United
States Army Engineer, retired, in
Lydia Memorial hospital, Brevard,
Saturday evening, April 20. Funeral
arrangements had not been maile
public, but it is understood that
interment was to have been at
Arlington National Cemetery, with
official army honors. Mrs. Sewell
and Mrs. Jean Menger have pro
ceeded to Washington with the
body. .
Col. and .Mrs. Sewell have been
residents in Highlands' for a num
ber of years since Col. Sewell's re
tirement. A distinguished engineer
and architect, Col. Sewell desicned
some of the notable public build
ings in the nation's capital.
Pre-School Clinic
To Be HelTBy Dr. Sisk
April 30
Dr. C. N. Sisk, district health of
ficer, will conduct a pre-school
clinic in the first grade room of
the Franklin school next Tuesday,
April 30, beginning at 0:30 a. m.
Parents are urged to bring their
children who will begin school next
September. It is the health deT
partment's desire to make these
examinations as helpful as possible.
and those in charge are anxious
to have parents accompany the
children to discuss the findings.
The purpose of the clinic ii to
determine the child's fitness to
enter school next year. Common
defects looked for are tonsils, ade
noids, defective sight, hearing and
teeth poor, posture and faulty nu-.
trition. These defects when found
are referred to the family physician
and effort made to have correction
made during the summer.
Mrs. Elizabeth Guffey and Mrs.
Joyce Cagle, first jgfade teachers
will care for and entertain the
visiting children.
P. F. Callahan Buys
Interest In Spindak Press
Mr. and Mrs. P. F. Callahan left
Wednesday for Spindale where
they will make their home. Mr.
Callahan has bought an interest in
the bpindale Press, a commercial
printing company owned and oper
ated by Joe Moore, formerly of
rranKim. Mr. Uallarun will become
a partner in this business whirl.
has had a phenomenal growth. The
best wishes of their friends follow
them in their new home.
"Lost Ad" r
Finds "Rin"
Quick response came from Tnt
Ashear's classified advertisement of
ms lost dog, Rin, in last week's
paper. - . .
Mrs. O. E. Lawrence, a subscrib
er in Sylva, read the "ad" in The
Press and promptly called Mr.
Ashear. She had learned from a
newsboy that a dog answering this
description had been picked up on
the street in Sylva.
The dog turned out to be "Rin.
then Mr. Ashear went Sylva and
got his dog. The boy who received
the reward, "Rin", and Mr. Ash
ear are all glad 'of the find.
Clayton Hotel
Destroyed By Fire
The Earle House, oldest hotel in
Clayton, which had been operated
about 40 years by the late J. F
Earle and Mrs. Earle, burned last
week. The hotel, on main street
had 35 rooms.