VOL. 28 NO.
Maternal Welfare
' Committee Plans
Tag Day Saturday
Funds Sought
For Mothers, Babies
As Need Increases
22 PAGES THIS WEEK
Southern Pines. N. C- Friday. May 9. 1947.
22 PAGES THIS WEEK
TEN CENTS
It is again the week of Mother’s
Day, Sundiay, May 11, and the
Moore County Maternal Welfare
committee is following their an
nual custom of holding Tag Diay
on the Saturday before. May 10.
On this day, this county organ
ization will sell tags on the streets
of all the towns in Moore county,
the proceeds from which will go
to support this supplementary
help given our county health de
partment in carrying on the work
in this field.
In charge of the work will be
local committees, under the lead
ership of the main coimty group
composed of Mrs. James Boyd,
chairman, Mrs. Paul P. McCain,
vice-chairman, Mrs. L. T. Avery,
secretairy, Mrs. F. H. Underwood
of Carthage, treasurer, and Mrs.
Jiames Swett, Mrs. J. H. Towne,
Mrs. Jack Carter of Pinehurst,
Mrs. Walter MacNeill of Pine-
bluff and Mrs. Talbot Johnson of
.Aberdeen.
Assisting in the sale of tags in
Southern Pines will be the Beta
club, high school society, while
many shops are planning to dec
orate their windows as back
ground for the posters, being
made by bpth the public school
and the Ark school students, to
call the attention of the public
to this needed county work.
Need Increasing
‘We hope very much that this
Tag Day will be a great success,”
stated Mrs. Boyd. “While right
now and for the past year in
comes have been up, with work
plentiful, so that many mothers
hawe basn able to afford the
care of private physicians, there
are many signs that this condi
tion is due to change. Already
attendance at the pre-natal and
well-baby clinics is increasing.”
“Wo want to be able to carry
on our work and to maintain the
high standards set in the past but
also” she added “we feel it is
extremely important that we
should be prepared for the ex
tra calls that may come.”
The committee states that this
is the only drive for funds made
by their group. The money is
used to supplement the traveling
allowance of Mrs. Worth MtLeod,
the county nurse-midwife, whose
specialized training was made
possible by the committee, and
(Continued on Page 5)
FUN FOR KIDS
Want to see that fine pro
gram of summer recreation
for the children and youn$
people of Southern Pines,
and West Southern Pines,
get going again?
If you do. be ready to back
the drive of the Council of
Social Agencies to raise
money for it. Their goal is
$2500.00. and with that they
will be able to engage Mr.
Dawson and Miss Todd as su
pervisors. and to buy all the
equipment necessary for all
the kinds of games the chil
dren enjoy so much.
Whether you look upon
this as an education in citi
zenship. as a constructive
program in the battle against
juvenile delinquency, or as
just plain fun for the kids,
you will want to give it a
boost.
Checks may be sent to E.
C. Stevens, chairman of the
Citizens' Committee, to June
Phillips, treasurer, or to Miss
Elii<dilia Bai|r, president iff
She Council.
Mrs. Robert Page
Is Laid To Rest
At Old Bethesda
Two Boys and Loaded Pistol
Add Up To Near-Tragedy Here
M'rs. Robert N. Page, Sr., of
Aberdeen, widow of Congress
man Robert N. Page, and one of
the most beloved women of the
Sandhills section, died Saturday
afternoon at 4:30 after an illness
of several weeks.
Mrs. Page suffered injuries in
a fall some six months ago and
was recovering nicely until about
three weeks ago, when she suf
fered a stroke. She died at the
home of 'her son, Robert N. Page,
Jr., in Aberdeen.
Funeral services were held
from Page Memorial church at
Aberdeen Monday afternoon at
4 o’clock, with her pastor. Rev.
C. W. Worth of Bethesda church,
in charge, assisted by Rev. J. O.
Long of Page Memorial.
The hymns were of Mrs.
Page’s own choosing, as she had
looked forward to death without
fear and planned for her service.
They were her favorites, “Rock of
Ages” and “How Firni a Foun
dation.”
Pallbearers were her nephews
Ralph Page, Frank Shamburger,
Henry Graves and Robert Wilder.
At the graveside the choir of
St. Joseph’s AME church of Aber
deen sang “Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot.”
Beside Husband
Burial was in the Page family
(Continued on Page 5)
A story of two teen-age boys,
friends from childhood, and a
loaded pistol, which could have
been a tragedy, appeared yester
day to be well on the way toward
a happy ending, as George Straka
Jr., was reported at the Mbore
County hospital to be out of dan
ger from an abdomen wound, and
Gene Poe, who allegedly fired
che pistol, was home again from
a sudden, frightened flight.
The shooting, which occurred
about 4:30 Saturday afternoon,
was said to have been an acci
dent, the result of play at the
Poe home.
The boys found an old .38 re
volver in a drawer at the home,
■omehcw it went off and the
bullet struck George in the
stomach.
Called Ambulance
Gene called Dr. Vida McLeod,
who, told him to call an ambu
lance at once. He phoned the
Sandhills Funeral home which
despatched its ambulance with
Clarence Bozeman, attendant
and driver.
Uncertain of the exact address,
Bozeman informed Yates Foe,
Gene’s uncle, who accompanied
nim to the house.
On seeing Poe, George’s first
words were, “TeU Gene not- to
worry, it was just an accident.”
He was taken to the hospital,
where an operation proved that,
by a miracle, the bullet had miss
ed all vital organs in penetrating
his abdomen. It had skirted a
rib and emerged at the back.
He is still a patient at the hos
pital and yesterday it was said
he would have to stay there
about 10 days longer.
He is the 14-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. George Straka of
Morganton road, a first year high
school student at the Southern
Pines school. Gene, also 14, is an
eighth grade student.
Gene’s parents, Mr. and Mrs.
(Continued on Page 5)
Henry Page Jr.
Lost From Boat
On New River
Search Conlinues For
Aberdeen Man
Believed Drowned
Page Elected Mayor, Blue Added To
Board As Caucus Slate Goes Through
The entire Sandhills section
was deeply ^shocked to hear, Mon-
of the presumed death by
day.
Carthage Elects Sabiston Mayor;
Voting Generally Light In County
TOWN BOARD
The new town board came
together for its first meeting
Wednesday momingl when
Mayor L. y. O'Callaghan
installed Chan Page as his
successor, and Eugene
Stevens, Joe Steed, Charlie
Patch and A1 Blue as com
missioners.
The process was then re
versed as Mayor Page swore
in O'Callaghan as a member
of the board.
Reappointment was made
pf Howard Burns as -town
clerk, C. E. Nawton as chief
of police and Mrs. J. H. Tilgh-
man as tax collector.
The board then adjourned,
to hold its first regular meet
ing next Wednesday night.
Grades Present
Music Festival
Thursday Evening
Voters Of Vass
Draft Cameron;
Pinebluff Has Tie
Locke Is Winner In Carolinas Open
(Photo by Humphrey)
Left to right—^Locke, Cosgrove, Palmer, Alexander
A brilliant array of profession-
al and amateur golfers, with a
'1 wide gallery of interested specta
tors, gathered at the Mid Pines
club last weekend for the Caro
linas Open (PGA) tournament,
outstanding event of the golf
year in this part of the country,
held Friday, Saturday and Sun
day.
The biggest crowd was drawn
Sunday afternoon when Bobby
Locke, South African titlist, con-
^■tinued his record of playing each
round under par, finishing up the
72-hole total with a score of 274.
Though 14 strokes under par
for the rugged Mid Pines course,
it was closely followed by the 282
chalked up Johnny Palmer of
Badin, and the 287 of Skip Alex
ander, defending champ, of Lex
ington.
Money Added
The $1,000 given by Frank Cos
grove, Mid Pines manager, as
prize money for the tournament
in actuality came to a little more
than that, for in two cases of a
tie the higher of two consecutive
prize amounts was given each
player for equal prize money.
Locke played the four 72-par
rounds in 67-71-67-69. Troubled
with putting since coming to this
country, he did well on the local
greens, running into real trouble
on only one round when he en
countered turf soggy with re
cent rain.
!;It was the first tournament
Victoria fo^ Hhe player from
Johannesburg since coming to
the United States to play in the
Masters’ tournament at Augusta,
Ga., Easter. He has been touring
the southeast playing exhibitions,
and following the Carolinas Open
enplaned for Greensboro to fill
his next date.
Other players, many of them
familiars of the course fromi last
year’s tournament and other
(Continued on Page SI
The annual music festival of the
Southern Pines public school mu
sic department will be held
Thursday evening at the school
auditorium in the form of a pa
geant in which all the elemen
tary grades will take part.
The performance, which will
begin at 8 p. m., is open to the
public. It is given under the di
rection of Miss Hope Bailey, head
of the music department, who
will also direct the high school
glee club in several numbers.
“Children of the World” will
be the name of the pageant in
which all grades from first
through eighth, will take part,
singing songs they have learned
throughout the year including
many beautiful folksongs.
The children will be shown as
sembled at the court of Father
Time, to whom they will bring
gifts as they sing to him the songs
of their ‘ homelands.”
Voting was light in county
communities electing municipal
officers Tuesday, except for Car
thage where a record vote was an
indication of what seemed the
only real contest of the day.
W. B, Sabiston, attorney, run
ning against the incumbent, E
J. Burns, polled 312 votes to
Burns’ 164. Burns has completed
one term as mayor.
Of eight contestants for toVlrn
: commissioner, the five leaders in
cluded three iVien new to the
town’s government, making the
election results a real upset.
The new commissioners, with
their votes, are; Bill Carter, 401;
L. A. Lawhon, 394; D. Carl Fry,
367; H. J. Hall, 364; Wilton H.
Brown( 318. Fry and Hall are
holdovers from the old board.
A total of 461 votes were cast.
At Aberdeen, of 261 votes were
cast, 213 were given to Forrest
Lockey for mayor. Of those cast
ing no vote for mayor it was be
lieved most thought their vote
went to Lockey without designa
tion since he was unopposed.
The new commissioners, and
their votes, are J. M. Taylor, 210;
A. J. Smith, 193; J. B. Edwards,
166; Dr. E. M. Medlin, 164; E. O.
Freeman, 158. All are from the
old board except Smith, a former
cormnissioner, who replaces J. D.
McLean, resigned.
At Vass, the caucus had failed
to produce a turnout large enough
to nominate so the incumbents
were perforce the only nominees,
with the exception of A. M. Cam-
(Continued on Page 5)
drowning Sunday evening, of
one of its most prominent citi
zens, Henry Page, Jr. of Aber
deen.
Mr. and Mrs. Page had gone to
their house-boat at Snead’s Ferry
on New River, near Jacksonville,
for the weekend. Sunday was the
second anniversary of the death
of Mir. Page’s son, Henry Page,
III, and the day when the chimes
he had presented to the Page
Memorial Church in memory of
his son were to be dedicated. The
father felt unequal to the strain
of the occasion, preferring to pass
the day on the river where he
and his son had often been to
gether. With the Pages were Mr
and Mrs. Edgar Ewing and Mr.
and Mrs. Ralph Trix of Southern
Pines.
Fell From Boat
According to reports, Mr. Page
was roasting oysters on the stern
of the boat, when, rising sudden
ly, he stubbed his foot against
the low rail, lost his balance and
fell into the water. He rose about
ten feet from the boat and a life
preserver was immediately
thrown, followed by a chair. Mr.
Page was seen to catch both and
called that he was all right.
The party had spent the day
going up New River to Swans-
boro and had left the skiffs be
hind, so they were without a boat.
On the return trip, as they near-
(Ccntinued on Page 8>
Meeting Be Held
For Discussion Of
Field Floodlights
A public meeting will be held
at the schoolhouse Friday night.
May 16, at 8 o’clock for discus
sion of the need of floodlights for
the town athletic field, and ways
and means of financing such a
purcl;jase
•disable.
if it is deemed ad-
Local Team Tees Off
For Decisive Win
The local team of the Sandhills
Golf league, playing its first
home match of the current series,
garnered a decisive win Wednes
day afternoon when it took the
Richmond County Country club
team 41-4 at the Southern Pines
Country club.
Thirty were in the local dele
gation, and Felice Torza, club
amateur who has been in the
headlines lately for his good
golf, shot low score. Tommy Grey,
a senior at the Southern Pines
High school, made an even par
71, the best game of his
young life and a good omen for
the local entry in the high school
tournament this weekend.
This makes four wins and two
Ipsses for the Southern Pines
team in the 10-match series.
BANK HOLIDAY
The Citizens' Bank and
Trust company will be clos
ed May 10 in recognition of
Memorial day. a federal holi-
day.
Plant Expansion
At Robbins Mill
Earnings Are Up
Two additions are being built
to the Robbins Cloth Mill at
Aberdeen, one of them; almost
completed, to expand the soaking
and drying • department, the
other, a little over half done, en
larging the warping department,
according to Superintendent W.
P. Saunders.
Work done in these depart
ments is part of the processing
of rayon crepes, which the mill
manufactures in large quantity
and for which there is reported
an increasing demand.
The enlargement will necessi
tate the addition of “a few more”
employees, Saunders said.
The Colonial Cloth Mills, Inc.,
of which the Robbins mill is a
principal unit, recently announc
ed authorization of an increase
in common stock from 500,000 to
1,000,000 shares, representing a
two-for-one split. Of these, 755,-
218 shares will be outstanding.
Fiscal earnings for the first
quarter ending February 27 were
announced as a record $1,627,948,
or $4.30 a share on 378,609 com
mon shares. This compared with
$451,000, or $1.20 a share, a year
ago.
This will be a follow-up of dis
cussion held by the citizens’
planning committee at a called
meeting at the Civic Center Mon
day night, at which it was decid
ed to ask for an expression of
public opinion before a recom
mendation is made.
.With one of the finest athletic
fields in this section of the state,
improved this spring by the ad
dition of a field house, it was
felt the next logical step is the
floodlighting of the field for night
events if such a move can be
:’ound practicable.
There has been a demand
among the eitizens for such flood
lighting, and the meeting Mon
day night was in answer to num
erous requests and for a study of
costs, ways and means.
Coach A. C. Dawson told the
committee that a tentative foot
ball schedule calls for four games
here this fall, two or three of
them to be played at night if pos
sible. Scheduling of night games
would also lend vitality to base
ball playing here, a considerable
factor when games of the high
school conference. Peach Belt
leaugue and others are to be
played here, and in view of the
fact that Southern Pines has been
mentioned prominently as the
logical Place for regional semi-
pro playoffs.
Its good location and excellent
diamond, combined with flood
lighting, could make the town a
center for regional play and for
numerous sports events it could
not attract otherwise, it was de
clared.
Studying a set of blueprints
and a field layout, with a report
which set the cost of floodlight
ing the field at an estimated $14,-
000, the committee, led by Chair-
an L. V. O’Callaghan, decided
that a project of this proportion
should be placed before the pub
lic for discussion.
The meeting will be open to
all groups and individuals hav
ing interest in the matter.
110 Voies Of
475 Registered
Are Cast Tuesday
Caucus Votes On 2 For
Mayor, 18 For Board
C. N. .PAGE
Town Team Plays
First Game With
Robbins Thursday
The Southern Pines Town base
ball team will make its debut
here next Thursday afternoon in
an exhibition game with Robbins
at the Southern Pines Athetic
park. Game time is 3:30 p. m.
Admision is 50 cents for adults
and 25 cents for children of school
age.
The local club will play an ex
hibition game with Robbins at
Robbins at 3 p. m. Sunday, May
18.
If the Southfjrn Pines entry
into the Peach Belt League shows
up anywhere near as well in com
petition as they are said to be
now doing in practice, the local
baseball fans will really see some
ball playing this summer. The
infield, with Ed Newton at first,
Frankie Buchan at second, “Jun
ior” Dunn at short, Walter Harp
er at third, and Fred Hall catch
ing, is reported to be shaping up
in good style, with the way they
are fielding and handling their
throws auspicious of a good sea-
n.
The opening day of the Peach
Belt League, Wednesday, M^y
12 will find Southern Pines play
ing Aberdeen here, game time 4
J. ;n.
High School Golfers
In Tournament Here
Teams-of four from 14 North
Carolina high schools gathered
here this morning for the annual
North Carolina High School golf
tournament, under auspices of
the North Carolina High School
Athletic asociation and with the
Southern Pines school as host.
Coaches met at the school at
11:30 a. m. to draw for the pair
ings, and play was scheduled to
begin in the afternoon at the
Southern Pines Country club.
The 16 young people compris
ing the entries will play Friday
also. The guests are being quar
tered in local hotels, and some
social events are also being plan
ned for them.
Nominees of the Southern
Pines town caucus of Friday were
voted into office at the Tuesday
election, and Wednesday morn
ing at 11:30 the following were
sworn ;'n:
C. N. Page, mayor; Eugene C.
Stevens, J. N. Steed, L. V. O’Cal
laghan, D. A. Blue, Jr., and C. S.
Patch, commissioners.
A total of 110 votes were cast,
most of them for the full slate as
it was presented, a few scattered
among write-in candidates.
This was less an one-fourth of
ihe 475 i'egistered.
For mayor, votes for Page tal
lied 106. Write-in votes were for
Garland Pierce, 2; Dante Monte-
santi, 1; Hoke Pollock, 1.
The count for board members
was: Stevens, 109; Steed, 109;
O’Callaghan, 108; Blue, 108;
Patch, 104. Write-in votes went
to James E. Newton, 3; John Bug
gies, 2; Garland Pierce, Ethel
Jones, Hoke Pollock, W. E. Kiv-
•;tte, 1 each.
All but one of the elected com
missioners are from the old
board. Replacing A. B. Patterson,
who declined to run again, is
Blue, a veteran of World War 2.
O’C^llaghan, the former mayor,
changed places with Chan Page.
*rhe new mayor is the owner of
the Page Motor company here,
and a half owner of the McDon-
ald-Page Motor company. He was
born in Richmond county, near
Hoffman, but moved with his
family in a few years to Eagle
Springs. As a young man he liv
ed in Pinebluff, and worked in
Aberdeen for his cousin, Ralph
Page, supervising the operation
of farms and orchards. He then
entered the automobile business
in Aberdeen with his brother,
and in 1930 came to Southern
Pines to open his own business.
He is married to the former
Catherine Dowd, of Weston, W.
Va., and they have three sons
and a daughter.
Town Caucus
Voting was quiet as well as
light. Most of the election inter
est centered about the caucus of
Friday night, which had a record
turnout of more than 300.
It was opened by Mayor O’Cal
laghan, who reviewed the ac
complishments of the outgoing
board, stressed the responsibili
ties of the people themselves in
the governing of their municipal
ity and reiterated his own deci
sion, announced some weeks ago,
not to run for another term nor
to accept a place on the board.
Having decided to retire, for
a time at least, after 20 years of
service. Mayor O’Callaghan, was
given an enthusiastic round
of applause by the people, who
then promptly, at their earliest
opportunity, voted him back on
ihe board.
This opportunity was given
them following the choice of a
caucus chairman, John Howarth,
with S. B. Richardson also nomi
nated. Alton Blue was elected
(Continued on Page 5)
Four Posts Sponsor Sandhills Team
For American Legion Junior Baseball
The four Moore Codnty Legion forms to fill out nor red tape to
posts will cooperate on the for- go through, but the names mqst
mation of a Sandhills American be in hand so they may be given
Legion Junior Baseball team, due notice of practice times when
with Southern Pines as headquar- these are set.
ters for all home games and the j Practice will begin at the end
Southern Pines post taking ac- ; of this month, when school base-
tive charge, it has been announc-: ball is over, and the season will
ed by C. S. Patch, Jr., athletic ^ start officially June 9, to contin-
officer of the local post. j ue through August. Schedules are
With cooperation of the posts to be made out by the athletic
at Cameron, Pinehurst and West' commission of the state depart-
End, a team will be formed of ment, which has divided the state
boys from all over the county, ■ into four areas for league play,
with the only requirements being | Southern Pines is in Area 3,
that they be natives of the county j which includes also Albemarle,
and born not earlier than Janu- Asheboro, Burlington, Greens-
ary 1, 1930. boro, Hamlet, High Point, Kan-
A number of applications have
already been reported. Patch „ hladiwn, hfocksville,
said, asking that all boys inter-; Reidsvilld Rockwell, ^hsbury,
ested get in touch with the ath-
letic officer or any member of a coach for the Sandhills team
their nearest post. There are no will be selected soon. Patch said.