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^Baconian
PROGRESSIVE
LIBER.1L
INDEPENDENT T
VOL. LXII? NO. 25
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 1947
M'CARTY NAMED
MAYOR PRO TEM
OF HIGHLANDS
Mrs. Merrill Resigns
As Clerk At Board
Executive Meet
At an organization meeting
Monday night, the new board of
aldermen of Highlands chose
Alderman Sidney McCarty as
mayor pro tern.
Following the business session,
an executive meeting was held,
after which It was announced
that Mrs. Virginia P. Merrill
had tendered her resignation as
town clerk, effective June 10.
Her successor has not been
liamed.
James O. Beale, Highlands'
new mayor, was sworn in at
the meeting by W. H. Cobb, out
ftoing mayor.
Mr. Cobb also administered
the oath of office to Aldermen
J. E. Potts, W. A. Hays, Joseph
W. Reese, Jr., and Sidney Mc- I
Garty. The fifth board member, 1
J. D. Burnette, was attending
the graduation of his daughter
lrom the Woman's college of
the University of North Caro
lina, Greensboro. He was sworn
in upon his return to Highlands.
Death Claims
Mrs. Jennie S. Shook;
Rites Friday
Mrs. Jennie Stanfield Shook,
72, died at 5 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Ennis Tllson, of
Franklin.
Mrs. Shook had been ill for
about two months. She was the
widow of A. E. Shook, who died
11 years ago.
Survivors include five daugh
ters, Mrs. Tllson, Mrs. Eugene
Henderson, of Erastus, Mrs.
John Morgan, of Frankltn/?.Mtt
Mrs. Ray Hays and Miss Dorothy
Shook, both of Atlanta; one
son, E. C. Shook, of Franklin;
12 grandchildren, and five
g reat-grandchildren .
The funeral services will be
held at the Buck Creek Baptist
church Friday morning at 11
o'clock, with the Rev. Frank
Reid officiating. Arrangements
are under the direction of Bry
ant funeral home.
SILER SLAGLE RECOVERING
Siler Slagle, who was serious
ly injured in a tractor accident
a fortnight ago, is recovering
satisfactorily, members of his
family said Thursday. Mr. Slagle
is a patient at Angel hospital.
Do You
Remember . . . ?
, (Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Rev. C. A. Ridley returned
home from Wake Forest college
last Wednesday and will spend
his vacation here.
Dr. F. L. Siler and Clerk Lee
Crawford came together in a
sort of semi-collision on their
bicycles last Thursday morning
and bath went to grass. The
, doctor had. to perambulate on
one leg for a few days due to a
sprained knee.
25 YEARS AGO
Macon county is so different
from Buncombe county. Bun
combe has eleven state high
schools and is still trying to
organize more. She is spending
much money building large
school houses and making fine
parks and lawns for the school
children and the community at
large, to enable them to visit,
rest and be together. Where are
? Macon's three high schools giv
en to her in 1910 by her repre
sentative, Iotla, Cowee and Elll
Jay? Only Iotla remains.
10 YEARS AGO
The Franklin library will
hereafter be known as the Ma
con County library, according to
the action of the county com
missioners in called meeting on
Tuesday of this week when a
resolution of the Franklin Li
brary club was adopted recom
mending such action. There will
, A>e no financial obligations laid
1 upon the county by this action.
The following committee pre
sented the matter to the county
commissioners, Mrs. T. W. Por
ter, Mrs. Reby Tessier, Mrs. J.
C. Barrtngton, J. 0. Roblaon, and
the Rev, Frank 0. Bloxhatn.
$12,000 Modern Abattoir
Here Nearing Completion
I A $12,000 abattoir, under con
I struction in the Rabbit Creek
section, Ls expected to be com
pleted within the next two
weeks.
This modern slaughter house,
which will produce native meat
slaughtered under sanitary con
ditions that comply with the
North Carolina health laws, with
pre- and post-mortem inspection
by a licensed veterinarian, is
being built by J. R. Franklin
and his sons, Ray and Wood
row Franklin. They will operate
It under the lirm name of the
Franklin Packing company.
When completed, it will be
one of the few abattoir's in op
eration in Western North Caro
lina.
The plant is constructed of
concrete blocks, and is floored
throughout with cement.
With the exception of the
plastering, electric welding, and
ihe installation of the refriger
ator doors, all of the construc
tion work has been done by the
Franklins.
The slaughter room is 18 x 21
feet and equipped with knocking
pen, blood pits, and sanitary
draining facilities.
The carcasses will be taken
next to the chilling room, by
means of an overhead traveling
crane, where it' will be chilled
at a. temperature of from 32 to
34 degrees. This room Is refrig- I
erated by means of a blower
coil.
From there, the meat will go
to the aging room by crane,
I where it will be kept for ten
! days at least at a temperature
of 38 to 40 degrees. Mr. Frank
, lin said that this room will
have a storage capacity of ap
I proximately 8,000 pounds and
that when operating at capac
ity load could handle this
amount ^very ten days.
The plant was inspected Tues
day by Dr. M. B. H. Michal, act
ing district health officer, W.
F. Hart, sanitary engineer for
the state health department,
and S. W. Mendenhall, county
agent.
All three were high in their
praise of the project, and Mr.
Hart commented not only upon
the sanitary and health fea
tures, but remarked that it has
been so efficiently planned that
the operators will utilize every
part of .a butchered animal
"except the squeal".
One example cited is the in
stallation of a pressure cooker
which will enable the Franklins
to transform blood and offal in
to blood meal, a highly desir
able fertilizer.
The owners, who hope to have
the plant in operation in the
near future, explained that they
will do both custom and com
mercial slaughtering, and that
every piece of meat released by
the plant will bear a licensed
veterinary's stamp as evidence
of having been slaughtered
under conditions that comply
with the state law.
Reese Heads
Legion Post
At Highlands
Coleman M Reese was elect
ed commander of Highlands Me
morial Post No. 370, American
Legion, and Carter E. Tailey,
vice -commander, at a meeting
held Thursday night at Linda's.
Other new post officers in
clude John H. C. . Perry, adju
tant; James O. Beale, finance
officer; Charles E. Potts, his
torian; Louis A. Edwards, serv
ice officer; John B. Westbrook,
publicity officer; Thomas R.
Hunt, sergeant-at-arms; and
Glenn Shuler, chaplain.
Composing the executive com
mittee are Edward J. Baty, John
D. Burnette, C. Doyle Burgess,
L. Q. Appley, and W. L Watson.
Manning Succeeds
Hill As Methodist
Sunday School Head
Oeorge H. Hill last Sunday
announced his resignation as
superintendent of the Frank- !
lin Methodist church Sunday 1
school, and introduced his suc
cessor, Louis W. Manning, who
took over the superintendency
Immediately.
Mr. Hill explained that he was
resigning because he and his
family plan to leave Franklin
in the near future.
Parents Find Infant,
Aged 3 Months, Dead
Mr. und Mrs. Fred Carpenter,
of Scaly, found their three
month old baby dead in bed
Friday night. The baby's death
is believed to have been caused
by hives.
F ranklin
SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Results
Friday, May 30:?
Burrell Motor, 29; Nantahala
Power 9.
Zlckgraf Hardwood, 17; Vet
erans, 15.
Monday, June 2:?
Rotary, 8; Nantahala Power, 3.
Oilers forfeit game to Zick
graf. ,
doming Games
Friday, June 8; ?
, Oilers vs Burrell.
Rotary vs Veterans.
Monday, June 9; ?
Nantahala Power vs Zlckgraf.
Veterans vs Burrell.
V. F. W. HOLDS MEET
MOREHEAD CITY? Veterans
of Foreign Wars, more than
1,000 from all parts of North
Carolina are attending the 17th
annual state encampment on
Atlantic Beach thla weak.
100 Attend
Shell Oil Dealers' Meet At
Panorama Court
Approximately 100 Shell oil
dealers from this region attend- I
ed a banquet at Panorama |
Court Friday evening, of last
week.
Cannon Brothers, of Dillsboro,
Shell distributors in this area,
were hosts at the annual din
ner meeting, and Cole Canhon,
general manager of that firm,
served as toastmaster.
F. A. Adkins, of Charlotte,
state Shell representative, and
Preston R. Phoenix, also of
Charlotte, district representa
tive, were speakers.
FIVE FROM MACON
GRADUATED FROM
WOMAN'S COLLEGE
Five Macon County young
women were graduated from
Woman's college of the Univer
sity of North Carolina Monday.
They are:
Miss Betty Jane Waldroop,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Har
old Waldroop; Miss Margie
Blumenthal, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. M. Blumenthal; Miss
Sarah Louise Pendergrass,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.
L. Pendergrass; Miss Jessie
Anna Potts, daughter of
Frank H. Potts; and Miss Mar
garet Corbin, daughter of Mrs.
Pearl Corbin.
LICHTENSTEIN
ACQUIRES MICA
PROPERTY HERE
I
Plan $300,000 Mining
And Processing
Operation
| The mica properties of Andy
W. Reid and others have been
I acquired by R. G. Lichtenstein,
of Oil City, Penna., and associ
ates, and a corporation is being
formed to mine and process
mica here, it was announced
this week by Mr. Lichtenstein.
The original investment of
the firm, which will have its
headquarters in Franklin, will
approximate $300,000, Mr. Lich
tenstein said. The plant to be
constructed and equipment to
be used in connection with op
ln the neighborhood of $200,000,
he added. v "
Incorporation papers for the
firm, to be known as Mica Pro
ducts corporation, were filed
this week with the secretary of
state in Raleigh. The charter
calls for an authorized capital
stock of $150,000.
Approximately 700 acres in
Mill Shoal and Cowee townships
has been acquired, either in -fee
simple or as to mineral rights.
Plans call for the construction
of a scrap mica plant just be
low the Nantahala Power and
Light company's dam, at the in
tersection of Watauga creek I
with the Little Tennessee river.
and of a pattern and punch
erating the mines will cost
shop, at which sheet mica will
be processed for use in the elec
trical and other industries. The
location of the latter has not
been decided. Meanwhile, Mr.
Reid's scrap mill at Iotla bridge,
which also was bought, will be
operated.
While progress will depend
largely upon availability of
equipment, Mr. Lichtenstein said
mining will get under way on |
a small scale at once. He em- j
phasized that the most modern
equipment and "methods will be
employed by the company.
Ultimately, the firm expects
to employ about 100 men, he
said.
Mr. Lichtenstein, former vice
president of the Continental Re
fining company, of Oil City,
and Mrs. Lichtenstein already
have moved to Franklin. They
are stopping at Hotel Hearn.
The firm has employed Behre
Dolbear company, of New York
City, as mining engineers, and
representatives of . that firm
have been here and done con
siderable exploratory work.
Thad D. Bryson, J"r., has done
the legal work in connection
with the deal, in association
with the law firm of Boyd and
Holbrook, of New York City.
MACON BOY VISITS BELGIUM I
Hurshell M, Wilson, seaman, '
first class, USN, son of James :
H. Wilson of Franklin, is ser- I
ing aboard the cruiser USS
Wilkes-Barre, which has visit- |
ed Antwerp, Belgium, on a tour
of European waters.
New Phone Directory Out;
Contains 1,300 Listings
New telephon'e directories were
distributed this week by the
Western Carolina Telephone |
company to subscribers in the
six communities it serves ?
Franklin, Highlands, Clayton,
Ga., Bryson City, Sylva, and
Cullowhee.
The directory contains more
than 1,300 telephone listings.
The total number of phones in
use is even larger, Manager
Russell E. McKelvey, said, ex
plaining that pay stations and
extension telephones are not
listed in the directory.
Phones listed in Franklin
total 380, which included 24
Forest Service listings. High
lands has 122, including seven
Forest Service listings.
Totals for the other towns
are: Sylva, 383; Clayton, 208;
Bryson City, 186; and Cullo
whee, 27.
The number of telephones in
service In the company's system
as present is slightly more
than 16 per tent greater than
it was on June 1, 1946, Mr. Mc
Kelvey said. The number has
increased by 108 in the five
months since January 1. And
this expansion, Mr. McKelvey
pointed out, has occurred dur
ing a period when telephone
equipment has been extremely
difficult to obtain.
Examination of the listings
in the Franklin directory re
veals that Pendergrass is the
longest surname, while Ray is
the shortest. It also shows a
surprisingly large number of
four-letter runners-up for the
position of shortest names. Sur
names in the directory contain
ing only four letters Include
Ashe, Gray, Cabe, Fagg, Hall,
Hays, Holt, Houk, Hyde, Lane,
Land, Long, Lyle, Nave, Neil,
Peek, Slsk, Swan, West, and
Wood.
The name Angel occurs most
frequently, eight times, in the
Franklin directory, while Bry
son, with seven listings, is a
close second.
An even dozen Franklin busi
ness concerns listed in the
phone book start their firm
names with the word Franklin,
and six start with the word
Macon. Thirteen firms In the
Highlands listings start with
the name Highlands, but there
are no Macons.
The 28-page 1947 directory,
nearly SO per cent larger than
\ the 20-page 1945 edition, was
printed by The Franklin Prew.
Parking Meters
To Be Installed
.lu
115 Ordered For Installation Along Main Street, One
Block Of Phillips; Water Rates Raised; Clerk's
Salary Cut; Produce Row Dropped
The I'.v.i'klin toarc' of alder
men Monday night voted to in
stall parking meters in the busi
ness district of the town, and \
Mayor T. W. Aijgel, Jr., signed
a contract fqr purchase and in
stallation of 115 meters.
The board, at a session which
lasted until midnight, also in
creased the rates charged con
sumers of water by about one
third, slashed the salary of the
town clerk by more than 20
per cent, and reappointed town
employes not hired at the
board's organization session
three weeks ago.
The water rate increase, it was
emphasized, is designed to raise
sufficient revenue to make it
possible for the town to provide
water and sewer facilities for
taxpayers within the town lim
its who now have no such faci
lities.
The proposal, made at the pre
vious meeting that a produce
row be established on the coun
ty lot between Main and church
streets, was dropped, following
the reading of a peitition sign
ed by 16 business persons, op
posing the project.
The parking meters contract
is with the M. H. Rhodes com
pany, of Hartford, Conn., and
Ben Weeks, firm's representa
tive, who was present, said in
stallation of the meters can be
begun within about 30 days.
The meters, which are the
manual type, cost $62.50 each,
plus an installation charge of
$5 each. Under terms of the
contract, the town will make no
down payment. The funds col
lected will go to the Rhodes
company until the installation
charge has been paid. After
that, the company and the town
will devide the funds equally
until the full price of the 115
meters ($7,187.50) has been paid.
After that, of course, all the
revenue will go to the town.
Provides Trial Period
The contract also carries a
guarantee on the meters for a
year, and a trial period of six
months is provided. Should the
town be dissatisfied at the end
of that period, the company
would remove the meters, re
pair the streets where the iron
posts on which the meters will
be fastened are placed, and the
town would retain its share of
the money collected.
In parking spaces where there
are meters, motorists may park
for 12 minutes by depositing a
penny; 24 minutes for two
cents; or an hour for a nickel.
If they remain longer than the
time paid for, the meters will
show red, indicating a traf
fic violation.
The plan is to install the met
ers along both sides of Main
street from Duncan Motor
company to the post office, and
along the west side of Phillips
street, from Main to Palmer,
restricting parking in that block
to the west side of the street.
None In Square
The county owns the public
square, and no meters will be
installed anywhere on the
square.
Parking meters originally were
designed to regulate parking in
congested areas, but the revenue
they produce has proved a po
tent argument for their instal
lation in municipalities all over
the country.
Mr. Weeks told the aldermen
that contracts have been sign
ed within the past two weeks
with Bryson City, Sylva, Wayn
esvllle, and Morganton.
Decision to install the meters
was on motion of Alderman L.
B. Phillips, seconded by Alder
man W. C. Burrell.
Would Expand Service
The water rate increase was
suggested by Mr. Burrell, "in
order to raise funds with which
to give water and sewer facil
ities to those" who are now
having to do without these town
services, a sentiment that ap
parently met with genera)
agreement from board members,
since the vote to raise the rates
was unanimous. The decision
came shortly after Gene Pan
nell, of East Franklin, had ap
peared before the board to re
peat prevloui request* for sew
er facilities Many others in re
cent months have asked for
water and sewer service.
Board members explained that
funds derived from the recent
sale of bonds are earmarked
for projects promised when the
bonds were voted, and that at
present the town has no lfunds
for additional water and sewtr
extensions.
New Rates
Under the new rates, which
will become effective July 1, the
minimum charge (for not more
than 1,000 gallons* will be $1.25
per month, instead of the pres
ent minimum of $1. For the next
5,000 gallons, the rate wijl be
four cents per hundred Gal
lons; for the next 10,000, three
cents per hundred; and for all
over 16,000 gallons, one and a
half cents per hundred.
Under the present rates, users
of 1,000 to 10,000 gallons pay 25
cents per hundred gallons; and
users o( more than 10,000, one
and one half cents per hundred.
Consumers outside the city
limits will pay a minimum of
$2 a month, and for amounts
over 1,000 gallons, will pay 50
cents more than persons living
In town.
The board also instructed
Clerk E. W. Long to wrtte let
ters to water consumers who
are delinquent in their pay
ments by as much as one
month, notifying them that
service will be discontinued if
their accounts are not paid by
July 10. ,
Cut Clerk's Salary
The board reemployed C. D.
Baird as police chief and T. W.
Phillips as night policeman, at
their present salaries of $200
per month each. It reduced the
salary of the town clerk from
$200 to $162.50, with the pro
viso that it will be further re
duced January 1 to $150, and
that the clerk must handle the
tax- list, for which the town
previously has appropriated $65.
On this basis, the board gave
E. W. Long, clerk since 1941,
"refusal" of the job. Mr. Long
requested, and was given, until
July 1 to make his decision.
The motion, made by Alder
man Russell Cabe, and sec
onded by Alderman Burrell, was
carried unanimously.
Other Applicants
The board had before it the
applications of five others ?
Frank Leach, Mrs. Mary Louise
Sherrill, Frank I. Murray, Miss
Mildred M. Cabe, and Dean H.
Carpenter ? for the position of
clerk. In addition to the two
men reappointed, E. H. Corpen
ing, I. L. Easton, and Homer
Cochran had filed applications
for the police jobs.
The board made an agree
ment with Lester Thomas, Ne
gro, to handle garbage collec
tions for $275 per month, Thom
as to furnish his own truck.
The truck the town is presently
using is said to be in bad re
pair, and its operation has been
costing the town about $40 per
month. The town has been pro
viding the truck, and paying
Thomas $115 per month, and
James Thomas, his helper, $110
per month.
Ilorsley Reappointed
Dr. H. T. Horsley was reap- ,
pointed ' health officer. The
board accepted the suggestion
of Mayor Angel that the town
try to work out an agreement
with the county board of com
missioners for a joint town
county electrical Inspector.
The applications of John Bul
gin to inspect water meters,
tanks, etc., for $30 per month,
plus $1.50 per hour for other
work on the water system, and
of O. H. Jackson, for $75 per
Continued To Page Nine ?
Undesirable Outsider
Appears in Tar Heelia
A dangerous outsider in North
Carolina waters is causing con
cern among officials of the Di
vision of Game and Inland
Fisheries. It is water hyacinth,
which has wiped out fishing and
boating on many streams In
other southern states where it
has taken hold since Its Intro
duction Into this country from
the eastern hemisphere.