#ftmklin ?fr
fEJjt IjigWan^jS URarottian
WhtMPMmMt
DOUBLE DITTY
DOLLARS
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL 1
INDEPENDENT
VOL. LIX? NO. i?
FRANKLIN, N. C? THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1944
$2.00 PER YEAR
Dr. McDonald Favors
W. C. T. C. Expansion
Democratic Candidate Fo,r
Governor Speaks In
F ranklin
Dr. Ralph McDonald, candi
date for the Democratic nomi
nation for governor, spoke to
an enthusiastic crowd at the
courthouse here on Monday af
ternoon, placing strong empha
sis on Western Carolina public
schools, particularly stressing
the importance of expanding
Western Carolina Teachers col
lege at Cullowhee ? thus provid
ing wider educational opportun
ities for the people of the west
ern area.
With Cullowhee the only state
educational institution in this
section and not having adequate
facilities for the large number
of students entering college
each year, many of our boys
and girls are forced to go to
another state or university to
get their education, he there
fore proposes an enlargement
for Western Carolina Teachers
college and a broader curricu
lum, which will enable our boys
and girls to receive an advanced
education In their home region.
Mr. McDonald pledged his ad
ministration, if he is elected, to
help the- tourist trade in three
ways. First, he proposes to im
prove the highways; second, to
establish small state parks .
tnrougnout tne western region,
and third would be the pro
gram of state advertisement. He
further proposed a highway im
provement program after the
war, which would get the far
mers out of the mud and en
able them to get their produce
to a ready market.
One of the principal reasons
Mr. McDonald is so interested
in public schools, is that it is
one of the best ways to build a
greater state and thus give a
more abundant life for the av
erage family. While a tremend
ous progress has been made in
all educational phases, there
are several counties that have
not gone as far as they could
have and especially in that of
erecting more and better school
buildings.
Mr. McDonald proposes an
agricultural test farm west of
Asheville. Also an institution or
hospital for the feeble minded
children like the institute at
Caswell Training School at Kin
ston.
There are also two kinds of
taxes that Mr. McDonald is op
posed too. The first is that on
real estate and the second is
the sales tax.
Mr. McDonald was introdued
by J. Lee Barnard, a merchant
of Franklin.
Enlists War Workers ,
In Franklin, May 16-17
Frederick Sheetz, civil service .
representative for the Norfolk
Navy Yard and other agencies
In that area, will be at the lo- :
cal United States Employment ;
Service Office in Franklin on :
Tuesday and Wednesday, May ,
16-17 for the purpose of recruit- i
lng workers from this section :
to fill essential positions in ,
Washington, D. C. ]
Clerical and professional work- ?
ers are particularly needed to ,
fill positions in numerous gov- <
ernment agencies, and especial
ly the stenographers are urgent
ly needed for employment In
government agencies in Washlg
ton, it was stated.
WARNING!
Keep Your Tire
Inspection Record
It Is being circulated over
the county that since the
periodic Inspection of tires
has been removed, that it is
not necessary to keep the
tire inspection record any
longer. This is causing the
War Price and Rationing
Board and car owners a good
deal of unnecessary trouble
as this record Is still to be
used when applying for tires
and gosollne. Also a new car
owner connot get gas un
less he holds the receipt for
the gas which was issued to
the previous owner and the
tire Inspection record of the
previous owner.
Ralph McDonald
SCHOOL SERMON
SUNDAYNIGHT
Graduation Exercises T o
Be Conducted On
May 19
The Rev. W. Jackson Huney
cutt, pastor of the Franklin
Methodist church, will deliver
the baccalaureate sermon to
members of the graduation
:lass of the Franklin high
school Sunday evening at 8
j'clock at the Macon Theatre.
Invocation which will be given
jy the Rev. J. F. Marchman,
pastor of the Franklin Baptist
:hurch, and the Rev. Carl W.
Judy, pastor on the Franklin
ilrcult, will give the scripture
reading, after which a prayer
will be given by the Rev. A.
iufus Morgan, rector of St. Ag
,ies Episcopal church. Benedic
Jon will be pronounced by the
ftev. Marchman.
Commencement exercises will
se held May 19, at Franklin
ligh school, beginning at 8
j'clock. The Rev. Carl W. Judy
urill give the invocation and the
salutatory address will be made
jy Marie Waters. Talks will be
made by Myra Slagle, Bill Raby,
Lillian Jones and Inez Craw
t'ord, followed by the announce
ment of awards by J. F. Pugh,
principal.
Music on both programs will
Se furnished by the Glee club.
Boy Scouts
To Present Play At
lotla Schoolhouse
"Turkey Stealing of Water
melon County," and "Eliza
Rosenwater's Divorce," negro
farce entertainment of two
court cases, will be given by
the Boy Scouts of the lotla ele
mentary school, at the lotla
school house on Friday evening,
May 12, at 8:30 o'clock. A
small admission fee will be
charged and the public is In
vited to attend.
Special Mother's Day
Program Franklin M. C.
A special Mother's Day pro
gram will be given at the
Franklin Methodist church on
Sunday morning at 11 o'clock,
with "Mary, The Mother Of
Jesus," used as the subject by
the pastor, Rev. W. Jackson
Huneycutt.
"Mother, Mine,'' a special girls
quartet will be rendered and
the music will be under the
supervision of Miss Virginia Sla
gle, organist.
Guy L. Houk
Elected Lay Leader
Guy L. Houk was elected Lay
Leader of the Waynesvllle Dis
trict at the District Conference
held last week at the Bethel
Methodist church, near Waynes
vllle. Mr. Houk succeeds J. Rob
ert Long of Bryson City, who
has held this office for approx
imately twenty years. This offi
ce carries the responsibility of
supervising lay work in the Dis
trict.
NEWS OF OUR
MENwWOMEN
IN UNIFORM
1st Lieut. Mack S. Setser, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Setser, is
stationed somewhere in the Pa
cific area.
Pfc. George F. Waldroop, son
of Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Waldroop,
is now stationed in England. He
has been in service since 1941.
2nd Lieut. George H. Setser,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Setser,
recently spent a short leave at
home. He got his wings while
stationed at Selma, Ala.
Pvt. Thomas E. Setser, son ol
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Setser, is now
stationed at Harlington, Texas.
| Continued On Page Two ?
4-H Leaders ? Members
Attend Special Lecture
On "Food For Freedom"
The eleven 4-H clubs were
represented at the council meet
ing held last Saturday in the
Agricultural building by ninety
two club members and 4-H ad
ult neighborhood leaders.
The members of the council
invited leaders and other club
members to attend the special
lecture demonstration "Food Fcrr
Freedom'., given by H. R. Nis
wonger, in charge of Horticul
tural Extension, State College
Station, Raleigh.
Miss Violet Barnard, presi
dent of the 4-H council, presi
ded at the meeting with Mar
garet Setser acting as secretary.
The following officers were
elected for the coming year:
President, Johnny Smith of Pine
Grove club; Vice President,
Frances Crunkleton, of High
lands; Secretary, Mary Frances
Dalrymple, of Cartoogechaye
club.
The Rev. Jackson Hunnicutt
gave the devotional. Miss Doris
Dalrymple of Cartoogechaye, re
ported on the 4-H church Sun
day program that was given by
her club last year.
At the end of the program,
recreation was directed by the
president, Miss Barnard.
Poultry Meeting To
Be Held On May 17
Farmers and farm women
who are Interested in Poultry
Extension for the State will be
will be glad to know that C. P.
Parrish who is in charge of
Poultry Extension for the State
will be in Franklin on Wednes
day, May 17, at 2:30 in the af
ternoon of that date he will
conduct a meeting at the Agri
cultural building.
The purpose of this meeting
will be to discuss the poultry
situation and to make plans
for the year's poultry work.
Everyone who is interested in
poultry is urged to attend this
meeting as Mr. Parrish will have
valuable Information for all ol
US.
Mrs. Amanda Gibson, 100
OLDEST WOMAN
IN MACON DIES
AT AGEJF 100
Funeral Service Far Mrs.
Amanda Gibson Held At
Buck Creek Church
Funeral services for Mrs. Am
anda Elvira Gibson, 100, were
held on Thursday afternoon,
May 4, at 3 o'clock, at the Buck
Creek Baptist church. The Rev.
J. Oscar Nix, officiated. Inter
ment was in the church ceme
tery.
Mrs. Gibson, the oldest living
woman in Macon county, died
at the home of her son, Ben
Gibson, in the Cullasaja section,
Wednesday evening, at 8 o'clock,
following an illness of three
months. Her death was attribu
ted to the infirmities of old age.
December 5, 1943, Mrs. Gib
son celebrated her 100th blrth
i day anniversary with a dinner
at the home of her son and
' was able to enjoy the occasion.
? Contained On Pag* Sic
N. C. Board Of Assessment
Replies To Commissioners
i
KILLED IN ACTION
Tech. Sgt. George C. Gray
TECH. SGT. GRAY
DIES INACTION
Son Of
Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Gray
Franklin, Route 2
Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Gray of
Franklin, route 2, have received
a message from the War De
partment stating that their son,
Technical Sergeant George C.
Gray, 21, was killed In action
in England on April 22.
The message read, "The Sec
retary of War advises me to
express his deep Tegret that
your son. Technical Sergeant
George C. Gray, was killed in
action on April 22 in England.
Letter follows."
Sgt. Gray volunteered for ser
vice in the Army Air Corps on
October 25, 1942, and received
his basic training at Gulf Port,
Miss. He also took special ad
vanced training at Loreda, Tex
as, where he received his 8ilver
Gunnery Wings on May 14, 1943.
He was then transferred to Tus
can, Arizona, for a three-weeks
training course and his final
training for combat duty over
seas was completed in Scotts- i
bluff, Nebraska.
T/Sgt. Gray had served as aeri
al engineer on a B-24 bomber
overseas since October 24, 1943.
In March of this year he wrote
his parents he had been on his
19th mission.
Sgt. Gray was one of the
promising young men of Macon
county, and had helped his fa
ther on the farm for two years
after graduating from Franklin
high school in the class of 1942.
He was a member of the Pres
byterian church, and was a boy
well liked by all who knew him.
In many of his letters home
he spoke of wanting to finish
the fight before returning home
and of how the Red Cross was
ever ready with their assistance.
Surviving are the parents and
two sisters, Misses Catherine
and Betty Sue Gray and one
brother, Eugene Gray, all of
Franklin, route 2.
Sgt. Gray was a first cousin
to Cadet Henry W. Cabe, Jr.,
who was killed in training at
Valdosta. Ga.. in August, 1943,
and Lieut. Kenneth R, Cabe.
who was reported missing in
action over enemy territory in
Europe, in November, 1943, sons
of Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Cabe
of Franklin.
Lions Club Receive
Charter For Cub Scout*
The charter for the Cub
Scouts was presented to the
Lions Club, the sponsoring or
ganization, in a meeting held
in the basement of the Frank
lin Methodist church on Friday
night..
The presentation was made
by the Rev. A. Rufus Morgan,
who is an official of the Dan
iel Boone Council
Francis Smith, of Asheville,
assistant executive of the Dan
iel Boone Council, was present
and took part on the program.
Several membership cards
were presented to the Den Mo
thers and Den Chiefs. Also
badges were presented to Cub
Scouts and the requirements to
receive the badges was that the
parents be present at this
meeting.
Upholds Taxpayers' Right
To Appeal On Power Co.
Assessment
Gus Leach, Chairman of the
Board of County Commissioners
of Macon county, has received
the following answer to a letter
written to the State Board of
Assessment in regard to an ap
peal to the County Board of As
sessment to increase the as
sessment on the property of the
Nantahala Power and Light Co.
This appeal was printed a few
weeks ago The correspondence
concerning the matter is here
given in full:
Franklin, N. C.,
April 17, 1944.
State Board of Assessment,
Raleigh, N C.
Gentlemen:
Will you please advise what
power, if any; that the Local
Taxing authority has in the
matter of the assessment of
the Hydro-Electric property of
the Nantahala Power and Light
Company in Macon County.
There is some dissatisfaction
among pur citizens, In the as
sessed valuation of this prop
erty, some saying that the local
board has the power to assess
this property others saying that
this power is in your body.
Thanking you for your atten
tion and for an early reply.
Yours very truly,
Board of County Commis
sioners of Macon County.
By Gus Leach, Chain.
April 27, 1944.
Mr. Gus Leach, Chairman
Board of County Commissioner#
Macon County
Franklin, North Carolina
Dear Sir:
This will acknowledge your
letter of April 17th, In which
you inquire as to whether the
County or the State Board of
Assessment should value the
property of the Nantahala Pow
er and Light Company in Ma
con County.
and 1612 fully cover the op
1605, 1606, 1607, 1608, 1609, 1010
andand 1612 fully cover the op
erations of the State Board of
Assessment in regard to the
valuations of public utilities.
The power company returns all
physical or tangible properties
to the local County Tax Super
visor, that are within the
bounds of the County where the
property is located. The valua
tion of this property is assess
ed by the County Tax Supervi
sor. The power company files a
report with the State Board of
Assessment, which board makes
an over-all valuation of the
company, which takes in consid
eration their physical and tan
gible properties, and if this val
uation is larger than the value
made by the various counties
in which the property is locat
ed then the State Board certi
fies to the local units the cor
porate excess along with the
local valuations. If the State
Board does not find that the
over-head valuation should be
any greater than the value ap
proved by the County Tax Su
pervisor, the State Board mere
ly certifies the lofjl listing back
to the County.
In 1943 the Nantahala Power
and Light Company's local val
uation in Macon County was
$2,563,959. As the State Board
did not Increase the total val
uation listed locally of $4,335,
442, there was not any corporate
excess to certify back to Macon
County.
If the County Board of Com
missioners and the power com
pany could not agree on their
local valuation then, of course,
the taxpayer would hare the
right to appeal to the 8tate
Board of Assessment for a re
view and a final decision as to
the value of this property.
I trust that this letter fully
answers all the questions as
set out in your letter of April
17th and if there is further in
formation or any help that the
Board may render to your
County Board of Commissioners,
do not hesitate to advise us.
Very truly yours,
Signed,
J. C. BETHUNE,
Secretary.
?Contlnned On Fftfi Ms