i
Macon BigKwoy Safety
Record for IfiS to Dct*
* -^l^Q^ute Hishwey Petrel feeerdi)
Kiu pn ? o
INJURED ?
Dp Your Part to Keep
These Figures Down!
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IJjujblanb# JBacottian
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
, INDEPENDENT
[-NOJ
I'KANKLIN, N. C- THURSDAY. JANUARY 15. 1948
$2.00 PER YEAR
MACON COUNTY
BIRTH RATE
DROPS AGAIN
Total For 1947 Show?
Decline For Third
Year In Row
For the if A consecutive year,
the birth rate in Macon UjuiUj
has declined, according to the
reports turned in to the office
|of Lake V. Shope, Macon coun
Ity vital statistics registrar
I Last year's total number of
fifths was 418, as compared
wltfr~42(T -tfQr 1946 and 437 for
1945
Howevef , the dev^th rate show
ed a greater decrease than the
birth rate during the past year,
as there were only 106 reported
deaths, as compared with 143
last year.
While the figures seem tt.
licate that there is a trend'
a declining birth rate
county, births during
[ast year outnumbered
almost four to one.
jlrth rate per thousand
(1940) census) for
Jour years was:
rate in Macon
County p?F ' thousand popula
tion was 7.5 in 1945, 8.2 in 1948,
and 6.8 in 1947.
The 1947 figures by townships,
follows:
Birth* Deaths
'Franklin 223 s. 57
Millshoal 16 4
ElUjay 2t 2
Sugarfork 16 2
Flats 3 2
Highlands ... 8 6
Cartoogechaye 28 9
Burningtown .... 22 4
Smiths Bridge 10 7
Cowee 32 10
Nantahala 37 4
t tuiu
^ Tot
Total .....1416 106
Community
pt Tonight On
Hospital Project
iiins of the High
oomm unity are mvit
to attend a community
|eeting at the school the- '
tonight (Thursday) . at
t'ctock, it was announced
k week.
open forum discns
of the topic, "Do You
| Want a Hospital", is plan
' nen.
Vctive solicitation tor the
spital fund win be be
the meeting, it was
led.
*r . . . ?
(LookingJgSckward through
the fifes of The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
The quantity of Georgia
"high bead" that is reported to
?-have been peddled out In town
one night last week is variously
estimated at from 125 to 200
gallons.
W. H. Waldroop "left Monday
for the southern market with
14 head of mules.
Bryson Green and Charley
(Rankin left last week for At
, lanta, It Is said to Join the
| United States Army.
AGO
Enjoyable af
t held In
_ time was
last Satur
? the Hotel Frank
lin by the Board of Trade. The
banquet was la charge of com
mittee of ladles and they should
be given much credit for the
excellent manner In which the
i affair was handled. When the
feast of good things to eat was
-disposed of, short talks were
made by Messers M. D. Billings,
A. J. Smith, Sam L. Rogers,
Wilson Brown, K. B. McCollum,
and others. Mr. R. W. Shields,
president of tlie Board of Trade,
ed as tiistmaster.
lo FEARS AGO
irge crowd attended the
party at tfu Kelly Tea
aursday evening, given
fie Kelly to help
funds tor the Franklin
Jbrary. sixteen dollars and
enty-flve cento wm realised
the party. Mrs Paul H
wu winner of ths high
the woman, and Jamai
(or tba aim.
ar
Gymnasium
Pledges Now
Total $2,582
Pledges amounting to $2,582
1 by Highlands individuals (or
purpose of constructing a school
gymnasium there were reported
Monday by W. A. Hays, member
of the finance committee.
Mr. Hays said that these re
turns were not complete and
said that he felt that It was
particularly encouraging in view
of the fact that the committees
for soliciting funds were ap
pointed only last week
Those making pledges, as re
ported by Mr. Hays, are:
F. H. Potts $150, C. J. Ander
son $150, Mrs. C. C. Potts $o00.
W. A. Bryson $150, W. R Potts,
$150, C. C. Potts $50, Tom Har
bison $200, W. H Cobb $200, S.
E. Potts $50, L. A. Edwards
$100, Mr and Mrs. W. Ed
wards $50, Otto F. Summer
$100, Mrs. Henry a. Evans $100,
C. F. McKlnney $50, Bill Holt
$25, Harry Holt $25, Fred Lit
tleton $25, Roy Potts $25, Mar
shall Reese $25, Mrs. Henry
Whltmlre $10, Jimmy Crawford
$10, eleventh grade $12, W. A. I
Hays $400, and J. A. Hodges $25.
FSinds are being solicited
throughout Highlands township
by committees appointed by the
Highlands district school com
mittee.
In order that every person
Interested In contributing to the
construction of the building be
given a chance to contribute,
Highlands school children have
volunteered to write letters to
assist In contacting all possible
contributors.
Since all the children are not
expert typists, the committee
asked anyone receiving a letter
containing an error to overlook
the mistake and remember
that "the spirit was willing
even if the fingers did not
strike the right keys."
Earl Munday
Dies Here Following
Short Illness
Harry Earl Munday, 56, died
last Wednesday at his room at
"Dixie Hall" where he stayed.
His death came following a
brief illness.
Mr. Munday, a native of
Franklin, was the son of Mr.
and Mrs. S. A. Munday, mem
bers of a pioneer family of this
community. His father was one
of the town's first merchants.
Funeral services were held
Friday at 2 o'clock at the Bry
ant funeral home, with the Rev
J. H. Brendall, pastor of the
Franklin Methodist church, con
ducting the services. Burial fol
lowed in the Franklin cemetery.
Pallbearers were Dr. Frank
Justice, C. N. Dowdle, Harry
Thomas, B. L. Sherrill, T W.
Angel, Jr., and Lee Barnard.
Survivors Include one daugh
ter, Mrs. Claude Clayton, and
two grandchildren, of Tupelo,
Miss.; four sisters, Mrs. J. C.
Brown and Mrs. James A. Fowl
er, of Knoxville, Tenn., Mrs.
Louise Carter, of Franklin, and
Mrs. Ethel Ray, of Dallas, Texas;
and one brother, Boyce C. Mun
day, of Hollywood, Fla.
Funeral arrangements were
handled by the Bryant funeral
home.
Franklin School
To Have Baaeball
Team This Spring
For the first time in several
years, Franklin high school
plans to field a baseball team
this spring.
Due to the fact that there
| has not been a high school
team for several years, Coach
i Frank Plyler Is not sure just
I what this year's prospects are,
but local sports enthusiasts feel ,
that Franklin should have a I
batter than average team with
an especially strong pitching
staffr
Harley Moore Stewart and
Furman Corbln are both count
ed on to do plenty of pitching,
having had experience hurling
for local amateur nines.
One of the problems facing
Coach Plyler Is equipping this
year's teams. If any ideal mer
chants or business firms wish
to assist by furnishing uniforms,
i It will be greatly appreciated,
Mr. Plyler said. He added that
ths uniforms would be kept at
the school and would become
| ths property of the athletic
dspartmsnt, to b? used from
raw to fHt.
Board Members Take Oath
LOCAL MAN SWORN IN? A. B. Slagle (right), Macon
County man who recently was appointed to membership on
the State Board of Agriculture, is pictured here as he took
the oath of office in Raleigh last Friday. Left to right in the
photo are Justice M. V. Barnhill, of the North Carolina su
preme court, who administered the oath, David Townsend, of
Rowland, sworn in as a new member of the board at the same
time, and Mr. Slagle.
! Polio Drive
In Macon To
Start Today
The annual March of Dimes
campaign will get under way
in Macon County today (Thurs
day), with J. H. Stockton, of
Franklin, county director, and
Mrs. Jack Brockway, of High
lands, co-director for the High
lands community.
Funds raised in the campaign
will be used for the work of the
National Foundation for Infan
tile Paralysis? the fight against
polio, and to repair the crip
pling ravages of that disease.
The county's 1948 quota is
$1,620.
Last year's quota of $1,215
was oversubscribed by several
hundred dollars.
Letters are being sent to citi
zens throughout the county,
with a view to giving all an op
portunity to contribute, Mr.
Stockton said. Each letter is
accompanied by a special check
the donor may fill out, or bills
may be clipped to the check
and sent in the self-addressed,
stamped envelope inclosed in
each letter. All checks should
be made tp Claude Bolton,
treasurer.
In addition, coin cards for
the use of pupils are being dis
? Continued on Page Eight
HEADS COLLEGE CLUB
Miss Jvadell Norton, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Mann B.
Norton, of Franklin, Route 2,
recently was selected president
of the Home Economics club of
Western Carolina Teachers col
lege at Cullowhee. Miss Nor
ton's major is home economics.
Miss Norton is also president of
the Wesley club, a religious or
ganization on the campus.
P. T. A. To Meet
Monday at Agricultural
Building
The Franklin Parent-Teacher
association will hold its Janu
ary meeting Monday night at
7:30. ?*
The meeting will be held at
the Agricultural building.
Mrs. Giles W. Cover, of An
drews, former member of the
lower house of the North Caro
lina general assembly, will be
the guest speaker.
CRAFT CLASSES
GET UNDER WAY
Miss Barr Gets Cinter
On Cartoogechaye
In Operation
Craft classes at the Nonah
craft center on Cartoogechaye
opened last week under the di
rection of Miss Francis Barr,
who has had several years' ex
perience at the Penland craft
center in this type of work.
Miss Barr said that regular
classes would be opened at 10
o'clock each week day morning,
and that during the late after
noon classes would be held for
teachers and high school pupils.
All persons who are interest
ed In craft training are asked
to come and discuss plans with
Miss Barr.
Particular attention will be
paid to hand weaving.
Jack Taylor
Dies At Elkins, W. Va.;
Plan Rites Friday
Jack C. Taylor, 23, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Hood Taylor of East
Franklin, and a former Macon
County resident, died Tuesday
In a hospital in Elkin, W. Va.,
after an, illness of two weeks.
Death resulted fn^n menin
gitis.
Mr. Taylor, who was employ
ed on construction work in Elk
ins, was married to Miss Mil
dred Franklin, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Jerry Franklin, of
Franklin, Route 4, December 6,
1942.
Funeral services will be held
Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock
at the, Holly Springs Baptist
church, with the Rev. Charles
E. Parker, pastor of the Frank
lin Baptist church, and the
Rev. D. P. Grant, pastor of the
Franklin Methodist circuit, con
ducting the service. The body
Is expected to arrive in Frank
lin Thursday.
Survivors are the widow and
two small daughters, Jackie
Sue and Judy; the parents; one
brother, Willard, of Tallulah
Falls, Ga.; the maternal grand
parents, Mr. ind Mrs. Cole
Brooks, of Franklin.
Funeral arrangements will be
handled by Bryant funeral
home.
86 In This County Getting
Social Security Benefits
Eighty-six persons in Macon
County are receiving social se
curity benefits, according to an
announcement by D. W. Lam
bert, manager of the Western
North Carolina field office of
the Social Security Board.
Of this number, 60 are women
or children, so that only two
out of every five recipients are
men.
Mr. Lambert pointed out that
factors which contribute to the
low number for this county, as
compared with the higher per
centage of recipients in indus
trial areas, are the facts that,
under the existing law, agricul
tural employment, self-employ
ed persons, government work
ers, school teachers, and all oth
er public employees are exclud
ed from coverage.
\ He added that many West
ern North Carolina people who
|k* qualified for benefit pay
ments have worked only part
time in a Job covered by the
law. This fact, with the rela
tively low wage scale, makes
the average benefit lower than
in the regions where a high
er wage scale exists.
According to the field man
ager's report, on a monthly
basis in Western North Caro
lina, 1,183 retired workers re
ceived $24,722, 386 wives of re
tired workers receive $4,250, and
1,816 children of deceased or
retired workers receive $16,706.
Estimates supplied by the cen
tral Office of the Social Secur
ity Board show that at the end
of 1647, 1,975,000 persons
throughout the nation were re
ceiving monthly benefits at an
average monthly rate of $38,
100,000. This compare! with 1,
642,000 beneficiaries and an av
erage monthly rate of $31,081,
000 on* year ago.
Place $1,000 Bond
In Education Fund
Jmoky District Is
Winner Of Scouters*
Cup For Sixth Time
For the sixth time in
seven years, Scouters (adults
who assist in sponsoring
the local Boy Scout work)
from the Smoky Mountain
district won the large stiver
cup which is given each
year at the annual confer
ence of Scouters from the
Daniel Boone Council.
The cup is given to the
group which has the largest
eprcentage of attendance,
with credit given for the
distance traveled.
Thirteen persons from
Franklin were among the
group of more than 50 peo
ple from this district who
attended the conference in
Asheville Monday night.
Those attending were the
Rev. A. Kufus .Morgan, Mr.
and Mrs. Ross Zachary, Mr.
and Mrs. R. S. Jones, Mr.
and Mrs. Emory Humiicutt,
Bobby Porter, James Haus
er, J. D. Alsup, E. W. Ren
shaw, W. L. Nothstein, and
Rufus Snyder.
EVANS CHOSEN
AS RED CROSS
CHAPTER HEAD
1
Succeeds Parker; 1947
Fund Drive Quota
To Be $2,230
The Rev. Hoyt Evans was
elected chairman of the Macon
County chapter of the Red '
Cross, at a meeting of the
chapter's executive committee
Tuesday night. Mr. Evans, who i
is pastor of the Franklin Pres
byterian church, succeeds the >
Rev. Charles E. Parker, who re
signed.
Mr. Parker explained to the
committee that his time is too
full to permit him to devote
the necessary attention to Red
Cross work, and asked to be
relieved. The committee then 1
chose Mr. Evans to fill the un- 1
expired term. 1
It was announced that Mrs.
Louise Blaine Gray, who was
elected secretary of the chapter
at the recent annual meeting,
was unable to serve, and the
committee named Mrs. Mary Jo
Sloan to serve as chapter sec
retary, in addition to her duties
as executive secretary of the
chapter's executive committee.
Mrs. Sloan announced that
the chapter's quota for the
fund drive, set to start March
1, has been received, and is
$2,230. This is slightly below last
year's quota of $2,410.
Grant and Parker
Head Overseas Relief
Drive In Macon
Appointment of the Rev. D.
P. Grant, pastor of the Frank
lin Methodist circuit, and the
Rev. Charles E. Parker, pastor
of the First Baptist church, as
co-chairmen for the Overseas
Relief drive in Macon County
was announced this week by
the North Carolina Council of
Churches, which is sponsoring a
state-wide "Fill a Ship With
Friendship" campaign, January
25 to 31.
| Mr. Grant and Mr. Parker
will organize the county for
collection of clothing, bedding,
! shoes, and household goods for
shipment through Church
Work Services, official Protes
tant overseas relief agency..
The Macon County chairmen
said collection plans have not
yet been completed but that a
place of deposit for all items
will be announced next week.
Materials will go from here
to New Windsor, Md., where
they will be packed for ship
ment.
During the year Just ended,
3,712,764 pounds of goods were
processed at the Church World
Service Center located there.
It was said that all gifts will
be channeled through Church
World Services to the destitute
overseas. He added that dlstrl
| button win be on a basis of
'need, without reference to re
| liglon, raca, or poUtloa.
Scrap Iron War Award
Interest Will Aid
Young People
The $1,000 war bond earned
by the people of Macon Coun
ty for gathering the most scrap
iron on a per capita basis dur
ing the wartime scrap drives
will be placed as a part ol the
educational fund of the Ma
con Memorial Association, it was
announced this week.
This educational fund has as
its purpose offering assistance
to the sons or daughters of
veterans of the first World war.
The ' decision was reached at
a called meeting of the Macon
County Scrap Iron committee
last Saturday. All members
present voted to adopt the mo
tion, made by James L. Hauser
and seconded by J I. Vinson.
Mr. Hauser's motion is as fol
lows:
"I move that the bond earned
by the people of Macon County
as a reward for gathering scrap
iron be placed as a part of the
educational fund of Macon
County Memorial Association,
the principal of which shall be
kept invested and the interest
to be loaned by the trustees to
worthy young men and women
of Macon County for the pur
pose of obtaining a higher edu
cation."
A member of the committee
explained that the benefits
from the bond would be the
same as those applying to the
Memorial Association, except
that these benefits will be open
to all young people, instead of
just to the descendants of vet
erans of World War 1.
Members present at the meet
ing were S. W Mendenhall,
chairman, Mrs. Florence Sher
rlll, secretary, J. L. Hauser, Boy
Mashburn, Gilmer A. Jones, and
J. I. Vinson. W. H. Cobb, of
Highlands, was absent.
Cobb Heads
C. Of C. At
Highlands
W. H. Cobb was elected as
president of the Highlands
chamber of commerce at a
neeting held Tuesday at the
Highlands drug store.
Members of the board of di
rectors, chosen to work with
Mr. Cobb, include W. R. Potts,
retiring president, Dr. William
A. Matthews Charles J. Ander
son, W. A. Hays, and R. B. Du
Pree.
The secretary and treasurer
will be named by the directors
at a later meeting.
At Tuesday night's meeting,
which was marked by much in
terest, plans were outlined for
an active chamber year.
Senior Boy Scouts
Do Thinning Work
For Forest Service
Ten members of Franklin's
senior Boy Scout troop are aid
ing in Western North Carolina's
forestry program by doing a
thinning operation for the Nan
tahala National Forest on the
white pine plantation in Pop
lar Cove, on the east side of the
Nantahala mountains.
Under the technical super
vision of W. l; Nothstein, the
group worked all day December
31, and camped overnight in
the plantation that night, but
were forced to suspend opera
tions the next day on account
of bad weather. They will fin
ish the job on week-ends, it
was said.
The local forest office pro
vides transportation and sub
sistence, and officials report
that the boys were delighted
to find that "K" rations were
a part of the subsistence furn
ished.
The Weather
Temperatures and precipita
tion for the past seven days,
and the low temperature yes
terday, as recorded at the Co
weta Experiment station, follow:
High Low Prec.
Wednesday ...... 50 18
Thursday 59 17
Friday 58 43
Saturday 47 33
Sunday 44 8
Monday 50 25
Tuesday 43 33 1.50
Wednesday ? ??mi mi 14 ....