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PRICE
10 Cents
71st Year ? No. 5
Franklin, N. C., Thursday, February 2, 1956
Fourteen Page*
DIMES DRIVE
EXTENDED TO
SETTLE DEBT
Stockton Says $7,00fr
Needed To Meet Quota,
Repay For Assistance
J. Horner Stockton this week
disclosed it wiil take an esti
mated $7,000 to clear .Macon
County's debt with the Nation
al Foundation for infantile
Paralysis.
In an effort to raise this
amount, he has ordered the ex
tension of the annual March of
Dimes drive here to February
15.
(Speaking as chairman of the
county March ox Dunes chapter,
Mr Stockton said the national
foundation twice in past years
has advanced several thousand
dollars to Macon County for
treatment of polio victims.
More than $3,000 was used
in '55 for treatment here, he
said
"We were supposed to have
repaid the money we borrow
ed," Mr. Stockton declared, "and
we hope this extension will en
able us to settle this obliga
tion "
He estimated that roughly
$7,0(10 will settle the debt and
give Macon its quota in the
campaign this year.
Meanwhile, benefits over the
county continue to pour more
money into the March of Dimes
account. This year's drive chair
man Dean Carpenter, yesterday
reported $1,594.77 already on
hand.
Contributions this week in
cluded S122.34 from the Otto
community, $127.16 from Otto
School, and $77 from the Hlg
donville community and home
demonstration women, raised
Saturday night at a benefit
amateur show at Cullasaja
School.
Tli.- drive was scheduled to
exut yesterday.
District Scout
Supper Planned
For Franklin
' Boy Scouts and their families
and leaders of the Smoky
Mountain District have sched
uled a "family night" dinner
party in Franklin on February
It. according to the district
fWd executive, Tom Speed, of
Sylva.
The covered dish meal will
be served at 7 o'clock in the
high school cafeteria.
Scouts are staging the event
to mark National Boy Scout
Week (Feb. 6-12). The Explor
ers of the Sylva troop will have
charge of the program.
Franklin Explorer Scouts, and
Cubs will celebrate the national
week by wearing their uniforms
to school.
A window display, using the
theme, "Fordward For God and
Country", is to be prepared at
Dryman's by the boys.
611 the 12th, the individual
troops and packs plan to attend
church in i body.
Meeting To Plan
First Aid Course
Is Scheduled
An organizational meeting
for a first aid course in
Franklin has been called for
Monday night at 7:30 at the
Nantahala Power and Light
Company Building.
The 18-hour course is being
sponsored by the eounty Amer
ican Red Cross chapter.
W. W (Bill I Sloan, chapter
ffrst aid chairman, urges all
interested in registering for the
course to attend Monday's
meeting so a schedule can be
worked out.
The course is free.
Macon Construction
Submits Parkway Bid
A local concern, Macon Con
struction Company, has sub
mitted the low bid for con
struction of a new Blue Ridge
Parkway link.
Its bid for the 2.82-mile sec
tion was $1,243,440. It is now
being reviewed by the U. S. Bu
reau of Public Roads office at
Arlington, Va.
The new link will connect the
X. C. terminal section and the
parkway section running from
Wolf Laurel Gap.
?Press StatY Pbolo
MEN WITH BUSH AXES axe shown tackling the thick underbrush near Otto as clearing the
right-of-way for the new link of OS 23-441 from Franklin to the state line proceeds. Weather
has been hampering operations to some extent, highway officials report, but activity is expected
to pick up soon.
Swafford Is New President
Of F ranklin Commerce Group
Verlon Swafford, businessman
and former alderman, has been
installed as president of the
Franklin Chamber of Commerce
for '56. He succeeds W. W.
Reeves, who lias held the post
for two years.
Meeting last Wednesday night
to organize for the new year,
and elect officers, the old and
the new board ol directors got
their heads together for talks
on past and future business, in
cluding preliminary planning
for the chamber's annual din
ner.
Officers who will serve dur
ing the year with Mr. Swafford
are Frank B. Duncan, vice
president, and John L. Craw
ford, treasurer.
The executive secretary posi
tion, a salaried job, has not
been filled since the resigna
tion of Mrs. Lasca E. Horsley.
Mr. Swafford said applications
are now being considered.
Other members of the new
board of directors, who were
picked in a mail election re
cently, are Stephen Bundy, H.
H. Gnuse, and J. C. Jacobs. All
were elected for one-year terms.
Hold-overs from the '55 board
are Mr. Duncan and A. A. Siler,
who are serving their second
year of two-year terms.
Before turning the president's
chores over to Mr. Swafford,
the retiring president, Mr.
Reeves, suggested the chamber's
industrial booklet be revised
and brought up-to-date. He re
orted that an industry which
showed interest in a plant site
near Otto had decided to go
.Mr. Swafford
ejsewhere and he advised that
the options on the property be
dropped.
In reviewing the work of the
chamber in the past two years ?
with emphasis on the location
here of Burlington Industries,
Inc. . ? Mr. Reeves expressed
his appreciation to the board
members who worked with him
for their cooperation and sup
port.
A committee composed of Mr.
Gnuse. Mr. Jacobs, and Mr.
Bundy was appointed to plan
for the annual dinner meeting
and to report at the next meet
ing.
?Mr. Crawford served as tem
porary secretary for the meet
ing.
February 15 was set for the
chamber'; next session.
PROGRESS WON'T ERASE ?
Singing Is Of The Mountains
Taffy pulls and hay rides
have been pushed aside by the
portable barbecue pit and drive
in theatres; spelling bees have
bowed out of the picture in fa
vor of more worldly word
games.
But, tradition has trampled
Time's changing ways when it
comes to a Sunday singing, be
cause there're some things prog
ress will never erase ? and the
old-timey mountain singing is
one of them.
Singing is as much a part of
the heritage of this region as
the rugged individualism and
storied stubborness and inde
pendence that helped carve a
way of life out of the wilder
ness.
It's easy to see that a Sunday
singing is of the mountains,
for mountain people ? a tra
dition almost as old as the
mountains themselves.
In attendance, nothing can
approach ttye appeal of a sing
ing. Hundreds pack the court
house and churches for its
morning preaching, dinner "on
the ground", and afternoon of
round-robin singing.
And Macon County stands as
a stronghold of this oldest of
the old pastimes.
Hold a singing at the court
house (like last Sunday's fifth
Sunday singing led by Jim
Rabyi here and they ? singers
and spectators ? pour into town
from counties all over the west
ern end of the state; a group
of Cherokee Indians and dele
gations from Jackson, Graham,
Swain, and "all over".
One after another, for hours
and hours, quartets and singers
take turns at the microphone
for lusty rendition of hymns
and songs, many that have
never been put to music, but
are handed down from voice to
voice through the generations.
Look out in the audience ?
all ages, from babes in arm to
men and women with faces
etched deeply by time. There's
a man 90 years old- ? watch
how his head keeps time with
the singers; see that twinkle
in his eye?
There's some things progress
will never erase.
The Sunday singings is one
of them.
Koreans To Appear
On M. Y. F. Program
Two Koreans attending Bre
vard College will appear on the
program Monday night for the
sub-district Methodist Youth
Fellowship meeting at the
Snowhill church, according to
Miss Margaret Wilson. Metho
dist worker.
One student will speak and
the other will sing, she -said.
The program emphasis will be
on the Metli'.dlst youth fund
The Snowhill M Y. F. will
have charge of the worship
service
Hour for Uie meeting is 7:30
Bowles Resigns
As Principal Of
Highlands School
Joseph E. Bowles, principal of
Highlands School since last fall,
has resigned because of illness
in his wife's family.
O. E. Summer, former princi
pal of the school and a teach
er this year, has been appoint
ed to the post by the school
committee of the Highlands
district. This is the third time
he has been principal of the
school. He resigned from the
board of education last summer
in order to take a teaching
post.
It is understood Mr. Bowles
and his wife, wi'o also has been
teaching in Highlands, have
gone to V.'! iitt.tr.
"YOUNG MAN
TO BE NAMED
FRIDAYNIGHT
Will Receive Award
At Jaycee Banquet;
President To Speak
The big question, "Who is the
'Young Man of the Year of
1955'?" will be answered to
morrow (Friday) night.
At a special banquet in the
Franklin High cafeteria, the
identity of the outstanding
young man is a featured item,
along with an address by Ed
gar (Red) Gurganus, president
of the N. C.' Junior Chamber
of Commerce.
Sponsors of the banquet are
the Franklin Jaycees, who an
nually stage the search for de
serving young men who are eli
gible for a "Distinguished Serv
ice Award" key for outstanding
community service. The young
man to be honored is picked by
a secret committee of non-Jay
cees and his Identity is not dis
closed until the night of the
banquet.
Nominations for the award
closed today (Thursday). Jaycee
C. Jack Ragan, who Is serving
as liason between his organiza
tion and the secret Judges, yes
terday said a number of nomi
nations for the award are on
hand.
All nominees will be recogniz
ed at tomorrow's banquet.
The banquet speaker, Mr.
Gurganus, is a Williamston at
torney. He plans to spend sever
al days in this area addressing
other Jaycee clubs and assist
ing the local club with exten
sion plans in Bryson City and
Murphy.
A "Boss of the Year" award
also will be made at the ban
quet. Nominees for this award
are confined to employers of
Jayceos.
Crawford Heads W estern
Carolina Alumni Group
About 15 alumni of Western
Carolina College met Monday
evening at Franklin High to
organize an alumni club for the
county.
Officers elected to head the
new organization include W. G.
Crawford, president; Harry C.
Corbin, vice-president; Mrs.
Kate Williams, secretary-treas
urer; and Dick Stott, reporter.
Robert Hall, alumni secretary
of W. C. C., was on hand to
help with organizing.
Purpose of the club is to fur
ther fellowship among alumni
here and to promote the col
lege ajnong the young people. A
scholarship plan for deserving
students also is being consider
ed by the organization.
Any person who has. attend
ed W. C. C. for the last one
quarter is eligible for member
ship. according to the officers.
No dues will be charged.
The place and time of the
next meeting will be announc
ed later.
It is estimated that more
than 80 from Macon County
have been graduated from W,
C. C. and probably three times
that many have attended at
one time or another.
Mr. Crawford
Chief Deputy Takes
Over Jail Operation
Chief Deputy Newell Pender
grass has taken over operation
of the Macon County Jail.
He .succeeds V. E. Garrett, re
signed. who held the post for
about three years.
Sinking At The Courthouse
Franklin Is Elected Head
Of Rural Community Group
28 Boxholders
On New Route
Twenty-eight box holders In
the Tellico section have been
dropped from Franklin, Route
3, and are receiving mall on
Bryson City, Route 3, accord
ing to Franklin Postmaster Zeb
Meadows. !
He said the change cuts about ;
10 miles from the local route.
The new pryson City route
comes into Macon County from
Swain to Lost Bridge, goes in- '
to the Tellico community to the
head oi Tellico, and down the
Needmore Road into Swain
again.
Franklin, Route 3, which used
to go to the county line and
back-track into Tellico, now
goes . to Carl Morgan's store in
Tellico and up the Burning
town Road.
Gibson Elected
Y. D. C. President
Sam Gibson, of Franklin, was
elected Saturday afternoon to
head the Young Democrats Club
of the county during '56.
Serving with him are Mrs.
Byrda Nell Perry, 1st vice-presi
dent, and Neil Finger, 2nd vice
president. The Rev. Bryan Hat
chett was elected secretary
treasurer, but- has since declin
ed the position.
Election of officers featured
a county-wide Y. D. C. meeting
at the courthouse.
Present at the meeting were
Lacy Thornburg, of Sylva, chair
man of the 12th Y. D. C. dis
trict, and Tom Clayton, also of
Sylva, president of the Jackson
County Y. D. C.
Local Lassies
Win 2 Games
Franklin's lasses won two
games this week while the lads
split theirs.
Friday night in Cullowhee,
the boys were defeated 74 to
33. The girls won 37 to 23, with
Lucy Henry hitting the hoop
for 22 points.
Tuesday night against High
lands, Willard Smith paced the
boys to a 58 to 40 victory. With
Henry hitting for 12 points, the
girls won their second for the
week, 27 to 21.
Tomorrow (Friday i the teams
will play Sylva High in the
Highlands gym, and Tuesday
night will meet Glenville High
at Glenville.
C. A. P. Training Meet
Is Scheduled Tonight
A training session for senior
members and cadets is on tap
tonight (Thursday) when the
Franklin squadron of Civil Air
Patrol meets.
The session is set for 7:30 at
the high school, according to
the squadron commander, A. C.
Tysinger.
ATTEND SOIL MEETING
J. S. Gray, chairman of the
board of supervisors of the Ma
con Soil Conservation District,
and W. L. Harper, soil conser
vationist, attended the state as
sociation meeting of district
supervisors in Washington, N.
C , January 18-19.
Election of Woodrow Fraak
in as president and dlscuaakm
)f an "Incentive" prize schedule
tor the '56 Macon County R?ral
Community Development Con
gest featured a meeting of the
contest council last week.
Under a new ruling adopted
oy the council, the immediate
past president of the winning
community automatically be
:omes president of the group.
Mr. Franklin was the '55 presi
dent of Holly Springs, which
not only won the local contest,
but went on to sweep the area
event.
Others named to serve with
him during '56 are C. Jack
Ragan, vice-president, T. H.
Fagg, reelected secretary, and
W. W. (Bill) Sloan, reelected
treasurer.
Discuss Schedule
Lengthy discussion centered
on changes in the '56 prize
schedule. To continue improve
ment and maintain interest, the
council decided the main prizes
should be decreased and sev
eral "incentive" prizes substi
tuted. It proposed the following
set-up of cash awards totaling
$1,200:
1st place, $200; 2nd, $150; 3rd
$100; 4th, five awards of $50
each; and 10 awards of $50 each
lor best job of increase in in
come; best accomplishment in
youth activities; best home food
supply; best community beauti
fication; best programs, com
munity participation in activi
ties and attendance at meet
ings; best balanced agricultural
program; most outstanding
community project; best 4-H
garden; best health program;
and most outstanding accom
plishments in religious activit
ies.
Ineligible For Year
Retroactive to 1955, the coun
cil decided in the best interest
of the contest, that the win
ning community cannot be elig
ible to compete for any of the
first four awards for a year. It
may, however, compete for any
or all of the 10 "incentive '
awards, and if, in the opinion
of the judges, is better than
the first place winner, will rep
resent the county in area com
petition.
In a linancial report, the
treasurer, Mr. Sloan, reviewed
expenditures for the '55 contest
< jji .396.90 ? and reported a cash
on-hnml S127.10.
i AuE 10
Tobacco School Set
Today In Franklin
Macon tobacco growers will
meet at the Agricultural Build
ing today (Thursday at 9:30
a. m. for special instruction.
With Raleigh extension per
sonnel in charge, topics slated
include new weed varieties,
chemical sterilization of plant
beds, fertilization, inspection
ahd disease control work, har
vesting, grading, and market
ing.
Monday, at 7:30 p. m., a
dairy session is scheduled at
the Agricultural Building with
representatives of Southern
Dairies,
Next Thursday (Feb. 9i. a
livestock school is planned at
10 a m with A V. Allent and
J. A Christian, specialists in
animal husbandry, in charge.
Seniors To Canvass
Tonight For Donations
For Washington Trip
A house-to-house canvass for
donations for their trip to
Washington, D. C., this spring
will be made by Franklin High
seniors tonight < Thursday!
from 6:30 to 8
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<>hM*rv?*< . iiml ?: t h> Hvdvologic
FRANKLIN
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed.. Jan. 25 39 30
COWEETA
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed . Jan 25 41 30
The Weather
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Mondnv
Tuesday
45 30 .14
61 39 .07
57 33 .49
55 24
46 25 .07
50 21
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
4a 21 .04
44 31 .10
61 38 .33
55 47 .29
54 23
46 19