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$1 )t ]?igl|latib;ei Baconian
VOL. LXIU-NO. 28
FRANKLIN. N. C.. THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1948
T own Cuts T ax Rate, County's Same
SCHOOL BOARD
TO BUY 1.000
SCHOOL DESKS
Vote To Kuruuie 2 N?w
Buses; Commissioners
To Provide Funds
The county board of educa
tion Tuesday voted to buy 1,000
first quality modern chair desks
to replace home-made and
worn out desks now In use In
schools In this county. The
cost is estimated at $9,000.
The action followed a tour of
inspection of the schools made
over the week-end by some
members of the board.
It also was decided to pur
chase two new school buses
one for the Ellljay run, and
one for use at Highlands The
board voted to buy the larger,
21-foot buses, which will cost
approximately $3,300 each.
The board of county commis
sioners, meeting Jointly with the
board of education later In the
morning, unanimously voted to
make the funds available for
these purchases.
Motions for both purchases
were made by Boo Sloan, both
were seconded by Ed Byrd, and
both were unanimously.
In suggesting uie new desks,
Mr. Sloan pointed out that buy
ing them is a permanent im
provement, and Li nut like
BUILDING GOING UP
The dour-room addition to
the Franklin school build
ing is taking shape rapidly.
The foundation has been
compleu.u, and boUi the
outsiue .ud partition walls
are going up this week and
will be completed in time to
start .-.uiing the building
by M?u?i.iy, County Supt. G.
L. Bouk said Tuesday. He
expects the structure to be
completed by August 1.
spending money on an old
building, a temporary measure.
He added that the seats can be
moved to new buildings when
they are constructed. He re
marked that an uncomfortable,
unsatisfactory seating arrange
ment tends to interfere with
study, and added that the desk
situation is worse, perhaps, in
the Otter Creek, Kyle, Clark's
Chapel, and Negro schools.
County Supt. Guy L. Houk re
marked that few new desks had
been put in the schools in recent
years, with the exception of the
? Continued on Page Six
Do You
Remember . . . ?
(Looking backward through
the files ?( The Press)
SO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Sam Kelly has gone to Chapel
Hill, to complete his course at
the University. Sam will soon
be a fully equipped Legum
Doctor. .
Col. John Ingram died Sun
day evening at 3 o'clock at his
home three miles east of Frank
lin, at the age of 77 years. He
was one of Macon County's
most prominent citizens and
had been for many years close
ly Identified with the county's
public interests.
The biggest and most com
plete program of Fourth of July
events ever staged in this sec
tion of the country was pulled
off here last Wednesday, thous
ands of people from all over the
county, as well as other states,
being present and taking part
in the celebration. Events In
cluded in the day's program
were an auto parade, baseball
game, boxing match, street
dancing, games lor all, and
fireworks display.
10 YEARS AGO
At the recent meeting of the
Franklin Oarden club, Saturday,
July 30 was selected as the
date to hold the annual flower
show, it was announced by Mrs.
R. M. Rlmmer, president of the
club. The exhibition will be held
in the new Agricultural build*
lng on church street and Is
open to all flower loveri In
Macon County.
Ends Long T eaching Career
With Deep Faith In Youth;
Contrasts 1899 With 1948
For all the progress made in
education, there still Is plenty
wrong with North Carolina's
public schools, and perhaps even
more wrong with the average
home ol 1948. "But in spite of
it all, most of the "younger gen
eration' will turn out to be
pretty fine citizens."'
That is the conviction of
Miss Laura M. Jones, who has
seen it happen with one ??young
er generation"- always the de
spair of their elders after an
other, during the half-century
she has been a teacher. And
not only will they turn out all
right; "many of today's young
people", she adds, "from the ]
lirst grade through the twelfth, j
are as fine characters as you
would find in any generation."
Miss Jones, who retired last
month and came back to Frank
lin to live, Interestingly com
pares the child and the school
of 1899, when she began teach
ing, with those of 1948. 1
"Most of the children in
school 50 years ago studied
tew really study today", she
said in an interview.
For that dilference, at least
three factors are responsible,
iiie believes.
In the first place, half a
century ago it was usually ture
that "only the children who
wanted to study were in school.
Today they are all in school?
those who want to study, and
those who don't;- those who
have the mental capacity to
absorb a formal education, and
those who haven't.
"And there are so many more
distractions now. I don't see
how children today study at ail
Many of them try to study in
a room where the radio is go
ing. A lot of them, especially in
the cities, think they must go
to a movie every day. And
? Continued on Page Ten
TOURISTS FILL
ALL SPACE HERE
Hot Ju.y 4th Week-End
ir'osstoly Best In
i s History
The July Fourth week-end
Holidays, plus heat that was al
most unbearable elsewhere ?
Sunday it was 99 in Atlanta
and cnattanooga, 98 in Vicks
burg, and 97 in Birmingham
and Charlotte served to till
Franklin to overflowing with
lourists.
It was probably the biggest
tourist week-end in the town's
history.
It was hot in Franklin, tao.
At the Coweeta experiment sta
tion, the thermometer hit 93
during the day, a possible rec
ord here. But, as is usual in
the mountains, the mercury
didn't stay at that point long,
and, with the dropping of the
sun below the horizon, it be
gan to fall rapidly. The low for
the night, here, was 73 degrees.
How unusually warm a night
that was for Franklin is indi
cated by the fact that the. mean
low temperature for other
nights during the past week was
56 degrees.
The town was full Friday
night, and Saturday and Sunday
night there wasn't an available
empty room in or near Frank
lin, Frank I. Murray, chamber
of commerce secretary, report
ed. He added that families here
who never before had taken
tourists opened their homes to
make sure that every visitor
had a place to stay. Nobody had
to sleep in his automobile, Mr.
Murray said.
Saturday night, he added, "it
took him until 11:45 to find
places for all those inquiring at
the chamber of commerce booth,
and still others, unable to find
accommodations In other West
ern North Carolina towns, ar
rived after that hour. Night Po
liceman Tom Phillips helped
them to find places.
Sunday night, Mr. Murray
said, he and Chamber President
B. W. McOlamery and Director
W. C. Burrell were on the phone
all evening finding accommo
dations. Some of the visitors
were sent miles Into the coun
? Continued on Page Six
Lawrence Liner
Chosen A Director Of
Bank Of Franklin
Lawrence Liner, farmer and
business man of the Iotla com
munity, was named on the board
of directors of the Bank of
Franklin at a meeting of the
board last Thursday night.
Mr. Liner was appointed a
director to fill out the unex
pired term of the late C. F.
Moody. A. B. Slagle recently was
elevated to the chairmanship of
the board, a position held by
Mr. Moody at the time of his
death last February, but no ac
tion was taken until the meet*
Ing Thursday to fill the vaoaney
on the board.
Famed Golfers Will
Play Benefit Match '
In Highlands July 25
Two of the biggest names
in American golfdom, Bobby
Jones and Miss Louise
Suggs, will headline a bene
fit golf match to be played
at the Highlands Country
dub Sunday, July 25. Pro
ceeds from the match will
go to the Highlands Com
munity hospital fund. Other
members of the foursome
will be Miss Dorothy Kirby,
prominent Atlanta woman
golfer, who has engaged in
tournament play through
out the nation, and Dick
Gariington.
Bobby Jones, one of the
immortals of American golf
fans, who was the first man
to win golf's "Grand Slam"
consisting of the British
and Amerie&n Open and
Amateur championships, and
Miss Suggs, w.ho recently
won the British and Amer
ican amateur champion
ships, .will be the main at
tractions of the event.
Big Bear Ambles Across
Highway In F ront Of Car
There are b'ars in these here
hills. And if you doubt it, just
ask W. L. Hall and members of
his family.
Thursday night of last week,
as the Halls were driving'
across Cowee mountain toward
Franklin, a big, black fellow
slowly ambled across the high- j
way in front of their car. The
bear was seen near Clark's
place, on the Jackson county
side of the Cowee gap.
COUNTY'S LEVY
AGAIN FIXED AT
$1.10 PER $100
Is Fourth Year Without
Rate Change; Approve
Request For Schools
The board of county com
missioners Tuesday set thJ
county-wide tax rate for the
fiscal year July 1, 1948, to June
30, 1949, at the same figure it
was last year $1.10 per $100
property valuation.
This will be the fourth suc
cessive year the rate has been
$1.10.
I Persons who live in Franklin
township will pay the sheriff an
additional 30 cent per $100 valu
ation to retire township bonds
voted in 1915, making their rate
$1.40 (The municipal tax rate
? Continued on Page Six
'Dear Ruth'
Given Fine
Reception
More effective than word In
gauging the favorable reaction
of the capacity audience to the
presentation of "Dear Ruth"
Monday night by the Highlands
Community Theatre, were the
deafening applause that follow
ed each scene and the final
curtain calls.
Several theatregoers, who saw
the play during its eight weeks'
run on Broadway remarked that
Monday night's presentation was
in many ways the equal of the
New York show.
The leading roles were played
by Elizabeth Newton and Craig
Cranston, as "Dear Ruth" and
''Lt. William Seawright", but
hardly any one actor could be
singled out as best. Col. Ralph
Mowbray as "Judge Wilkins"
was excellent; then there were
his wife, played by Mrs. John
H. C. Perry; their younger
daughter, "Miriam", who was
the cause of most of the fam
ily's trials and tribulations,
played by My ma Cobb; the
frenzied acting on the part of
the rejected suitor, played by
Herbert P.aul; and the support
ing parts of Ann Anderson, as
"Martha Seawright", and . her
fiance, "Sergeant Chuck Vin
cent", played by Arnold Keen
er. And of course not forget
ting Mrs. W. H. Cobb, who gave
the Wilkins family perfect maid
service as "Dora."
The stage settings were ex
quisite and, all in all, Monday
night's play set a high goal for
the two succeeding plays to be
given this summer by the
Highlands Community Theatre.
Highlands may well be justly
proud of its "home talent",
which seems to be going places
this summer, under the guidance
of Director Fred Allen.
In a play so superbly given
as ''Dear Ruth", there is al
ways a production staff to
which much credit should be
given. Without that staff Mon
day's play could not have been
such a great success.
What's Wrong With Schools?
Macon People Give Opinions
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This
is the second of three artic
les -on replies of Macon
County persons to the State
Education commission's
questionnaire on public ed
ucation in North Carolina.
The questionnaire was pub
lished in The Press last
April, and replies were mail
ed to the oommiaeion's of
fice In Raleifh.)
"What are the two or three
moet serious weaknesses or
handicaps of the schools of the
state?"
Macon County persons ans
wering that question on the N.
C. Education commission's ques
tionnaire about the North Caro
lina public school system gave
widely varied? and, In' many
cases, quite emphatic? answers.
Many of the answerers wrote
In comments on the question
naire margin, and others set
forth their views at length
in letters. One attached an ed
itorial from The Press which
suggested that county boards
of education should be chosen
in non-partisan elections.
Following are some of the re
plies:
"Poor personnel; Inadequate
buildings."
"Run down school buildings,
playgrounds, and heating sys
tems."
"Laclc of proper facilities for
adequate teaching; teachers who
think more about the checks
they draw than helping the
child."
"Inadequate buildings, partis
anship; school law; county su
perintendent doing part-time
work."
"Poor counties hav Inadequate
buildings and poor personnel;
over-crowded conditions."
"Not enough physical educa
tion; school rooms too crowd
? Oonttnued en Fiji Fotir
HEADS ROTARY? W. W. (Bill)
Sloan last night assumes his
duties as 1948-49 president of
the Franklin Rotary club.
SLOAN HEADS
rotmy CLUB
r akci Up President's
Duties; Committees
For Year Named
W. W. Sloan took over the
duties of president of the
Franklin Rotary club, a post to
which he was elected several
weeks ago, at last night's meet
ing. Mr. Sloan, who succeeds R.
S. Jones as president, is employ
ed by the Nantahala Power and
Light company as its agricul
tural representative. He has
served the club as secretary
treasurer for the past two years.
Other officers whose terms
began Wednesday night are R.
S. Jones, who automatically be
comes vice-president; and Nor
man Blaine, secretary-treasuier.
Directors who will serve dur
ing the next 12 months are
Thomas H. Fagg, John M.
Archer, Jr., William Waldroop,
and John B. Ray.
The important aims and ob
jects committee, which outline
the club's work for the year,
is made up of the president,
secretsfry, and chairman of the
other four major committees,
and Mr. Sloan appointed the
four who had been elected as
directors to head these four
committees: Mr. Fagg, clut
service; Mr. Archer, vocational
service; Mr. Waldroop, com
munity service; and Mr. Ray,
international service.
Mr. Sloan announced the ap
pointment of other committees,
subject to approval by the board
of directors, as follows, the first
nameu in eacn case being uie
chaiunan:
Classifications, John D. Alsup.
Club bulletin, the Rev. J. i>.
Brendall, Jr.
Membership, H. W. Cabe, Cari
S. Slagie, and H. Lee Guifey.
Sergeant-at-arms, J. C. Jacobs.
Program, Harmon H. Gnuse,
Jr., Ed McNish, E. W. Renshaw,
and E. J. Whitmire, Jr,
Fellowship, J. S. Conley, Roy
Geoghegan, and Carl S. Slagie.
Rotary Information, Guy L.
Houk.
Public information, Weimar
Jones.
Magazine, Flamen Ball.
Attendance, S. W. Mendenhall
and J. C. Jacobs.
Employe - employer relation
ships, Roy Geoghegan.
Competitor relationship, T. H.
Callahan.
Customer relationships, Wil
liam Katenbrink.
Youth, Gilmer A. Jones, Rufus
Snyder, John D. Alsup, W H.
Flnley, and a. L. Biyunt.
Crippled children, Reid Wom
ack.
Boy Scouts, Russell E. Mc
Kelvey, John D. Alsup, and R.
S. Jones. I
Girl Scouts, Ross Zachary,
Weimar Jones, and Mack Franks.
Slagle Memorial building, A.
B. Slagle, Harmon H Gnuse, Jr.,
Ross Zachary, and Grant Zlck
graf.
Rural youth, Fred Slagle and
Clyde West.
Revlsta Rotarlan, A. L. Ram
sey.
Paul Harris foundation, Ouy
L. Houk.
Institute of International Un
derstanding, R. S. Jones.
L. B. Phillips, who under
went an operation Tueiday at
the Angel hospital, u reported
to tM rtoovtring iat|if?ctorlly,
ALDERMEN VOTE
TO REDUCE LEVY
15* ON THE $100
Valuation, Up $88,000,
Is Now Just Under
$2,000,000
The Franklin board of alder
men Monday night voted to re
duce the Town of Franklin tax
rate from the $1.25 in effect
last year to $1 10 per $100 prop
erty valuation for the liMa-49
tax year.
The rate was set following
innoiincement by Mayor T. W
Angel, Jr., that the valuation
of property Inside the corporate
limits has increased by $b?,54u
during the past year, and the
adoption of a, budget calling for
estimated expenditures amount
ing to $73,932.50, an increase of
$7,129.42 over last year's budget.
The increase in valuation,
Mayor Angel told the Aldermen,
brings the total taxable valua
tion of property in Franklin to
just under two million dollars.
The exact figure is $1,972,641.
Bills approved for payment by
the aldermen at their Monday
night meeting Included an item
of $3,555 for drilling and test
ing the new town well just dug
in East Franklin.
The board voted to buy a
pump for the well; accepted the
PAVING MAIN STREET
The long-delayed resur
facing of Main street here
got under way Tuesday. The
work is being done by the
town, through the State
Highway and Public Works
commission. The Asheville
Paving company has the
contract.
resignation of Tom Phillips as
night policeman, effective fol
lowing the August term of su
perior court; endorsed the
chamber of commerce's efforts
to obtain house delivery of mail
in Franklin; and transacted a
number of items of routine
business.
Following study of bids made
by two firms on a well pump
designed to produce 45 to 50
gallons of water per minute at
a 200-foot depth, the Virginia
Pump and Well company's bid
of $2,260 was accepted. Tnis
figure Includes the cost of in
stalling the pump in the new
.veil, but with the understand
ing that the town will provide
such common labor as is neces
sary in connection with the in
stallation.
The aldermen voted to hive
speed limit signs placed on *.ne
old Georgia road; approved ihe
employment of an extra in^n,
during the summer months, ~y
the street department; and ua
thorized purchase ol new t. es
and tubes for the fire truci..
Attending the meeting were
Mayor Angel and Aldermen .V,
R. Cabe, W. G. Burreii, utid
Erwin Patton.
Hit By Golf BaL,
Boy Is In Hospital
With Skull Fracture
Howard Webb, sun 01
Hampton Webb, of High
lands, received a fracture Ji
the skull Saturday when he
was hit by a golf ball. 'I he
ball was driven by i. J.
Patrick, of Rossville, U>., at
the Highlands Country club.
The boy was brought to
Angel hospital, where his
condition Wedntsd .y was
reported as satisfactory.
The incident occurred
while young Webb was cad
dying on the Highlands
course.
The Weatlier
Temperatuics uiid precipita
tion for the past seven days,
and the low temperature yes
terday, as recorded at the
Coweeta Experiment station,
follow:
Wednesday 83 59 .20
Thursday 83 55 .12
Wednesday 59 .00
Mean monthly temperature
(Or June, 08.8 degrees.
Max. Mln. Pree.
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
88 54 .00
87 56 00
93 73 .00
92 57 .00
89 52 .00