CIRCULATION
Net raid
Last Week
3056
UjiaWatibiS Jflacottian
ON THE 'NSIDE ?
UPEP jOR court
d is pom is may be found on
F;i :e 3 s week.
74th Year ? No. 20
Franklin, N. C., Thursday, May 14, 1959
Price 10 Cent*
Sixteen Papes
HOLLAND McSWAIN. former
-school superintendent here,
stopped by for a chat with old
friends Tuesday on his way back
to Murphy.
SOME TELEPHONE users will
have their dialing fingers worn
down to the first knuckle by the
last of next week.
RUMOK HAS had The Franklin
Motel sold for a couple of weeks.
Isn't so, at least not yet, although
a deal is in the making.
JUST TO PROVE that the teen
agers are interested in the con
struction of the proposed teen
center at Franklin Memorial Park,
the first ar.d third period English
classes of Mrs. Anne P. Biddle
will turn out to work at the park
Saturday morning.
THE LABOR survey conducted
last week by the chamber of com
merce turned up about 200 appli
cations. The chamber also plans
to sign up all the graduating
seniors, which will add about 158
to the list of job seekers.
BILL# SHARPE, editor of THE
STATE, Is up from Raleigh gather
ing material and pictures for a
future edition of his magazine on
Macon County. Ranger Bill Noth
stein ' had him in tow Monday
covering some of the forest points
of interest.
EVEN HIGHWAY patrolmen
have flat tires to contend with.
Patrolman Lemming was shaking
his head at one on his interceptor
Tuesday afternoon;
EVERYONE is watching with
interest. What? Why, the swimm
ing pool race between the town's
biggest motels. The Town and The
Franklin.
THE SWIMMING pool at the
Franklin Lodge and Golf Course
was supposed to open Saturday.
However, the town is working on
"Big Betsy." and has asked that
the pool not be filled until the
?well is back in operation. If
things go well, the pool probably
?will open Saturday week for the
season.
AS USUAL, most of Franklin
High's seniors aren't too happy
-about graduation, although they
act like they are. Graduation for
most will mean leaving Macon
if they're to find work and make
a living. That's hard to swallow.
AS A FINAL shot at the school
SEE NO. I, PAGE 8
Dial Telephone Change Set Sunday
SHOTS ARE REQUIRED ?
Bueck Reminds Parents
Of Polio Vaccine Law
School Supt. H. Bueck this week
called attention to the recently
enacted compulsory poliomyelitis
' polio) vaccination law, which re
quirts a child to be vaccinated
before entering school.
He particularly cited four con
clusions reached by the attorney
general, Malcolm B. Seawell, con
cerning the 'hew law:
(1) The law is applicable only
to children between the ages of
two months and six years. So far
as the necessity of polio immuni
zation in order to enter school is
concerned, the law would relate
to six-year-olds entering school
for' the first time next fall. It
would not apply to older children
who have been to school bafcre.
(2) Vacc.: ;,' ps-rh-'sd pursuant
to an allocation of iU.i '.j ;.cm the
constingency emergency fund, as
provided in the above referred to
law. could be used only for
the group of children
covered by the act as described
above. Of course, if the series of
"shots" is commenced before the
child enters school, the free vac
cine could be used to complete the
series after school starts. There
is no authority in this particular
law to provide, free vaccine foi
older children.
<3> There is no requirement in
the law that a parent who is
unable to pay must first present
the child to a physician and then
be referred to the county health
director. A parent may take ths
child directly to the health di
rector without, consulting a private
physician.
(4> The questions of the ability
to pay is one that would be de
pided by the parent and the health
director. If the parent presents a
child to the health director, and
states that he is unable to pay. I
?would think that the health
director ordinarily would accept
such statement at its face value
unless he had personal knowledge
leading him to believe that free
treatment would not be in order.
This is primarily a matter of
health department policy to be
worked out and followed in a
practical manner. Any effort to
make any extensive investigation,
I am informed, would be more
costly than the polio vaccine.
THE RETAILER SHOWS ?
'59 March Sales And Use
Tax Collections Higher
Gross sales and use tax collec
tions in Macon County this March
rose more than $2,500 over the
same month in 1958, according to
figures supplied by THE RE
TAILER, publication of the N.C.
Merchants Association
The March, 1959, collections
came to $10,431.39. as compared
with $7,718.84 in '58.
March collections this year, how
ever, weren't quite as high as in
February, when they were $11,
116.26.
AT FRANKLIN FIELD ?
Little League Opening
Games Slated Saturday
Franklin's 1959 Little League
season opens Saturday at the
Franklin High athletic field
with a double-header.
At 3:30, the Thunderbirds,
coached by Grady Corbin, will
take on the Wildcats, who are
coached by the Rev. Earl Crowe,
Jr.
Coach Corbin will call on the
"Whitey Ford" .of his pitching
staff, Hamp "Whitey" Childers,
so says 'MR. MACONIAN"
Hy-ya Neighbors:
More .power to these folks down on Burning
town with their road buildin' project.
They've been talkin' a connecting road through
there for years. But talk, they discovered, didn't
get the road built. Now they're trvin' a little ac
tion.
Which gets us around to sayin' that now we'll
know if action speaks louder than words.
And I thank you,
Mr. Maconia'n
who will go agains the Wild
cats veteran hurler, Hugh
"Warren Spahn'" Franklin.
Following the opening game,
the Reddys and the Jaybirds
will clash. The Reddys coach,
Jack Hudson, will send Danny
"Bob Turley" Chase ? to the
mound. The Jaybirds fast-ball
ing righthander, Terry "The Pi
rate" Mashburn, will be started
by Coach Naaman Elliott.
-ni> aamission is cnargea to
Little League games and every
one is invited to turn out and
get the season off to a big
start.
The league president, Robert
C. (Bob) Carpenter, this week
said interest in league play has
been "extremely high" this year
and the managers had a "tough
time" cutting their squads to
the required 15 players.
Single games are scheduled
Monday, Thursday, and Friday
for two weeks, beginning at 5
p. m.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Jack Carpenter, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ed Carpenter, of Franklin,
has recently been promoted to
associate professor of mathematics
at North Georgia College, Dah
lonega.
I.ITTI E I.EAGUE captains are ready for the opening of the '59 season Saturday afternoon.
They are <L to R>, Andy Norton. Kedd#s^Kega n Amnions, 1 hunderbirds; Ben Grant, Jaybirds;
and Bab Walton, Wildcats. (Staff Photo >
WAVING A GOOD-BYE to the 1,400 subscribers are a couple
of the operators being replaced by the dial system. Miss Evelyn
Joines and Miss Mildred Burch. Watching is the chief operator,
Mrs. Gertrude Gailey, who will go with the commercial office.
? . , . (Staff I'hoto)
PUTTING THE FINISHING touches to a maze of circuits in
preparation for Sunday's change to the dial system is A. 0.
Tysinger. Watching him is Harley Carpenter, Jr., (left), area
I manager, and Neville Wooten. (Staff Photo*
S. B. I. HELPING OUT ?
Break-ins In Franklin
Are Being Investigated
r
An investigation is under way
into break-ins early last Thurs
day morning at Macon Tractor
Company and Franklin Frozen
Foods on West Palmer Street.
Entrance was gained to both
establishments through back
windows, according to investi
gating officers.
Less than $5 was taken from
the tractor company, but about
$275 in cash and a quantity of
checks were taken from the
foods concern. Some checks
were recovered along the high
way nearby and behind Slagle
Memorial Building.
A bloodhound from the local
prison camp tracked the guilty
party (only one set of foot
prints was found i for some
time before losing the scent.
S. B. i. Agent M. O. Craw
ford, of Murphy, is assisting
the city police department and
the sheriff's office with the in
vestigation.
The break-ins occurred about
4 o'clock.
A DO-IT YOURSELF JOB -
Burningtown Folk
Are Building Road
Citizens of the Burning
town section, with some fi
nancial help from Franklin
merchants, have gone into the
road building business.
They've roughed cut a two
mile section of roarf that
shortens the trip from Nan
tahala to Franklin about 18
miles. It also cuts consider
able t;.m.e between Franklin
and Andrews.
What they're trying to do
is interest the State Highway
Commission in doing still
more improvements on the
rink and adding it to the
state system.
Right now the road is pass
able ? proving that such a
link is feasible ? but there is
a limit to how much private
citizens can do with a bull
dozer and .*300 in confrifiu
tions. The dozer spent thr?*<*
days last week . cutting the
roadbed over national forest
lantf frcm the end of the
It'irningtown Creek Road to
the state road in liurning
town Gap.
Several Burningtown men
gave time and labor blasting
rock from the roadbed while
the dozer worked.
The men backing the proj
ect hope the State Highway
Commission will reward their
efforts by taking over the
section and making the im
provements needed to turn it
into a good secondary road.
"After all, there's a limit
to how much we can do with
S30O," declares Owen Ray.
"This shows that the job can
be crone."
Another Burningtown citi
zen, Lester Crawford, offers
to donate all' the gravel need
ed on the new road, if the
state will put it down.
Meanwhile, the road build
ers of the Burningtown sec
tic-n have their finders cn;<ss
e 1, and are still in need of
cash donations to continue
work on the road.
Donations may be sent to
William 'Hill) Bryant, in
Franklin, Paul Swafford, Kill
Burnette, Owen Kay, and Ce
cil Baldwin.
?y
1,400 Local Subscribers
Ready For Digit Dialing
In the early hours Sunday morning, while the rest of Macon
County sleeps, a group of telephone men will switch the Frank
lin exchange to the dial system, completing the final phase of
a 10-year expansion program by Western Carolina Telephone
Company in the western area.
The change will take place at 2:01 a. m. and immediately
after the local exchange's 1,400 subscribers must dial seven
digits with the code name La
* * * fayette.
Only One Phone
Was In Use . . .
Franklin's first telephone
was an achievement unto it
self. It was a singte crank
type instrument on a line
that ran from Dillsboro. It
was the only connectioin with
the "outside world", save a
hard ride on horseback or in
a buggy. This was just prior
to 1900 and this amazing in
strument for talking was lo
cated in Green Trotter's store
(where the S and L Store is
today).
Then, in the early, 1900's,
?yam Kelly, brother of Miss
Lassie Kelly, built and oper
ated a private system of tel
ephones. Miss Kelly helped
out iin emergencies at the
exchange.
The Kelly system went
through several owners, in
cluding San Munday and Bill
Jones. About 1915, W. L. Mc
Coy purchased it from Mr.
Jones. The telephone office
?at that time was in the up
stairs of the buikfing now
housing Shorty Mason's store.
In the mid-20's Mr. McCoy
sold out to- a group of men
who formed Western Caro
lina Telephone Company.
ffilLdSBl. ? LJ ~~ "" *.' H
Al TO IN rVVITltK
Considerable interest was noted
Wednesday in the "automobile in
tht? nland pasture" on Palmer
Street. Steve Higdon lost control
of the can during a rain about
10:30 Tuesday night and it jump
ed the high wall, went between
posts supporting a sign'.' and re
mained upright, down through the
steep pasture.
Goodbye Girls!
"Lafayette's" long-awaited ar
rival also will signal the end
lot the human element in the
busy world of telephoning.
Franklin's switchboard and its
19 operators will "die" at 2:01.
Thereafter, all local calls will
be handled by a massive jumble
of wires and circuits running
through the back room of
Western Carolina's spanking
new commercial building on
Main Street. Long distance calls
will be beamed through an ex
change in Sylva via an ad
vanced microwave radio trans
mitting system. The 40-foot
tower at the side of the new
building will beam the message
to a similar tower on Cowee
Bald and the Cowee tower will
retransmit it to Sylva.
Harley Carpenter, Jr., area
manager, said all of the local
operators were offered transfers
to the long distance exchange
in Sylva. However, most have
found jobs elsewhere.
Gertrude Staying
The chief operator in the
Franklin exchange, Mrs. Ger
trude Gailey, will be with the
company's commercial office
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 8
Expansion
Of Plant
Announced
An expansion program at the
nearly Dillard, Ga.. carpet. plant
of James Lees and Sons has been
announced.
A r.ew v.in;; of about 20 00.')
square fret Will bt' constructed on
tlje Clayton side of the present
plant for the storage of raw
aiiiiteriafs and finished goods. The
boiler house also will be enlarged.
IM* ?mnniMimuM
.SAFETY;CH?Cifa
CHECK LANE (FREE) IS OPERATING
Yesterday (Wednesday), a free automobile safety check line
went into operation on West Main Street in Franklin. It also
will be open today .and tomorrow between 10 a. m. and 4:30 p. m.
Franklin High driver education students are assisting local
mechanics at the lane. (Staff Photo!
rhc plant manager, Norman
Dawson, says the .expansion will
be Completed by -early 1960.
The Weather
FHANXI.IN
Wed.-. 6tli
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
?S'.ir.f'ay
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
High Lew Rain
85
Bi
as
76
72
1H
7(5
Wed., 6th
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday '
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
COWETA
80
83
85
86
63
61
51
50
, 51
57
60
58
$6
53
*9
50
57
5 r,
53
54
58
HIGHLANDS
F:i . 8 h
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
62
63
69
70
.00
00
00
.00
,0!>
00
.00
15
00
.00
.00
.00
.19
.02
.02
1.08
52
52
53
55
54
58
? no record
Pictured is a portion of t Lu- roughed out link at Biirnin^town.
? ' (Stiff i'hoti)