Bvy
Christmas Seals
5
) ‘r
Lon^ 3-Day
Holiday To
Be Enjoyed
Mosl Businesses/
Offices To Close
Friday To Monday
A long Christmas weekend hol
iday is in prospect for most resi
dents of Southern Pines and this
area. With Christmas Day falling
on Friday, most business firms
^ and offices throughout the area
will remain closed until Monday.
The Citizens Bank and Trust
Company here will remain open
from 7:30 to 8:30 p. m. Christmas
Eve (Thursday) for the conve
nience of merchants in making
deposits. The bank will be closed
Friday and Saturday, a schedule
to be followed also by other banks
in the county.
Banks here and elsewhere will
also be closed Friday of next
week, New Year’s Day.
The post office, probably the
busiest place in town this week
with incoming and outgoing
Christmas mail, will deliver pack
ages on Christmas Eve and all day
Christmas, but there will be no
regular city mail delivery Christ
mas Day. Postal employees have'
been granted a half-d»y holiday
Thursday, but the parcel post
window will remain open until
6 p. m; and the office will oper
ate with substitutes and a skele
ton staff, said Postmaster Gar
land Pierce. There will be no dis
tribution of mail to boxes on
Christmas Day, but outgoing dis
patches will be made as usual—
something new this year. Satur
day hours at the post office will
be 8 a. m. to 1 p. m. Carriers,
who made an extra' delivery Sun
day, expect to make double de
liveries Thursday.
The Southern Pines and Moore
County libraries will be closed
Friday and Saturday, but will be
open to 5 o’clock Christmas Eve
(Thursday).
As told in detail elsewhere in
today’s Pilot, the courthouse at
Carthage will close at noon,
Thursday,
Monday.
PRICE—TEN CENTS
Work To Be^in Dec. 31
On First Unit Of New
^50,000 High School
‘Phase A’ Cost
11 MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I Glen Rounds’s vigorous
dogs, pacing intently toward
an important destination
an important destination,
could be symbolic of The
Pilot’s holiday best wishes go
ing cut to our readers. To all
of you from everyone at The
Pilot—a Merry Christnaas!
Artist Rounds, formerly of
Southern Pines and now liv
ing at Pinebluff where he
continues to write' and illus
trate books for children, pro
vides, for the second succes
sive year, a front-page draw
ing for The Pilot’s Christmas
edition.
Is 1126,644;
Contracts Let
Alumni - School
Basketball Game
Set December 30
Date for the High School-Alum
ni game has been set for Wednes-
day night, December 30.
This game, played annually
during the Christmas holidays,
continues a tradition started back
in the 20’s with the college bas
ketball set mangling with the
High School basketball players.
The games are intense, at times
I bitter, and withal some of the best
basketball gf the year will be
played this coming Wednesdav
night. Fans and spectators know
that and turn out in droves. So do
the parents of participants involv
ed, and so do the college and
younger set. And so do party
planners who have long since
learned not to plan a party the
night of the “Game” if they wish
their party to be a success
This year’s game looks to be
:he best frcm the basketball fans’
/iewpoint in years. The Alumni
joys’ line-up will be the most for-
nidable in years, Superintendent
Dawson, in keeping with the tra-
lition of having a faculty mana-
:er for the Alumni team, has stars
n depth for every position
Assisted by Alumni Cantain
Jary Mattocks, Dawson will have
o headaches from finding a
tarting team or a finishing one
)r that matter
Coach Dub Leonard for the
igh School teams hasn’t the
roblem of starq mnninff
: htrarsVthe^theSd t°he
igh School boys’ and girls’ teams
ill have the advantage of better
amwork and coordination. After
slow start and loss to Red
jrings High, the Blue Knights
ive improved in every game, but
ill are an unknown quantity. In
ars past the Alumni game has
en the proving ground for the
services at St. Anthony’s Catholic
Church and Emmanuel Episcopal
Church are announced elsewhere
in today’s paper.
, Christmas parties for children
were held Sunday by the John
Boyd Pest, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, and Wednesday at the
Southern Pines Country Club by
the Southern Pines Elks Lodge.
Children from the entire Sandhills
area were expected at the big Elks
party.
Council Enacts Sewer Service Charge
Affecting AU Users Of Town System
A major step toward stream
lining Southern Pines’ antiquated
tax structure, in accord with ap
proved practices aimed at munici
pal solvency, was effected by an
ordinance passed Tuesday after-
Two Churches To
Hold Services
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day services at two Southern
Pines churches have been an-
nounc^.
At St. Anthony’s Catholic
Church a midnight mass will be
held Christmas Eve, preceded by
a half hour of Christmas carol
singing, starting at 11:30 p.m., the
Rev. Peter M. Denges announces.
On Friday morning, Christmas
Day, low masses will be held at
8, 9, 10 and 11 o’clock.
A Holy Communion service will
be held at Emmanuel Episcopal
Church at 11:30 o’clock Christmas
Eve and again at 11 o’clock Christ
mas morning, it is announced by
the Rev. Charles V. Covell, rector.
The Rev. Thaddeus A, Cheat
ham, D. D., rector emeritus of the
Village Chapel at Pinehurst, will
assist at the Christmas Eve serv
ice. Mrs. Arthur Eakins will play
a 15-minute organ recital before
this service. Special Christmas
music will be presented by the
church choir under the direction
of Mrs. P. T. Barnum.
The Christmas morning service
wiU be conducted without the
choir. Mrs. Eakins will play the
organ for singing of Christihas
carols by the congregation.
noon adding sewer service
charges to water bills.
The charge will be equal to half
the water bill for in-town users
with sewer service and the full
amount of the water bill for out-
of-town users cf the sewer sys
tem.
It will in effect transfer the
cost of operating the. sewage sys
tem to those using this facility
in proportion to their use—a
load hitherto borne mostly by ad
valcrem taxes collected within the
city limits.
It will pave the way for a pro
posed reduction in property taxes
of slightly less than 20 per cent
pty Manager Tom E. Cunning
ham told the town council, hold
ing their special meeting at the
City Hall, that he plans to recom-
mend a reduction of 40 cents per
$100 valuation, bringing the rate
down from $2.20 to $1.80, when
he presents his budget to the
council in May.
The new service charge goes
into effect January 1, 1954, ap
pearing first on water bills to be
sent out April 1 for the first qua?-
ter.
Small Attendance
Passage of the ordinance, which
will hit large out-of-town users
hardest, was made against a min
imum of protest. Only eight or ten
victors attendod the council
meeting, and the only one speak
ing up very strongly against the
in-town resident,
J. B. Marsh. He protested that for
the average water user the in
stallation of a special meter for
watering the garden and lawn
i would be impractical, and that
• (Continued on Page 4)
C/Qf C. Electing
Eight Directors
Ill Vote By Mail
COURTHOUSE CLOSING
The county courthouse at Car
thage 'will be closed from noon,
Thursday, until Monday, for the
Christmas holidays. The court
house will also be closed on Fri
day of next week. New Year’s
Day. Recorders court wiU be held
as usual Monday, December 28.
::ounty officers and employees en-
oyed an informal Christmas
larty at the courthouse late Wed-
lesday afternoon.
(Continued on page 5)
i
Tax List Takers
Are Appointed
List takers for Moore county, to
head the annual task of listing
taxes during the month of Janu
ary, have been appointed by the
county commissioners for each of
the townships as follows:
Carthage, Mrs. R. W. Pleasants;
Bensalem, Mrs. Nina C. Monroe;
Sheffield, W. A. McLeod; Ritter,
A. L. Poe; Deep River, James M.
Campbell; Greenwood, J. A.
Shaw; McNeill, Mrs. D. J. Blue;
Sandhill, Mrs. Adelaide Schnell;
Mineral Springs, Edwin B. Black.
The list takers attended an in
struction session held by Miss
Maida Jenkins, county accountant
and tax supervisor, at the court
house last Friday. Most are veter
ans on the job, with just two new
ones named this year, Mr. McLeod
of Sheffield township and Mr.
Black of Mineral Springs.
Mr. Wicker 'Only Mildly Inleresied'
Election of eight new directors
for the Southern Pines Chamber
of Commerce is under way by
mail, to be completed by Tues
day, January 5, when the board
will hold jts first meeting of the
new year.
The ballots were mailed out last
weekend to the membership, list
ing all those eligible to serve. The
list includes individuals who have
joined the Chamber during the
past year and heads of the mem
ber firms, or representatives
whom they have designated.
Firirs holding two memberships
are represented by two names on
the list.
Excluded are those now serving
16 names of their choice, and re
tiring.
Members are asked to check the
16 names of the ir choice, and re
turn the ballots promptly. A good
many have already been mailed
back, it was learned from Miss
Alice Baxter, Chamber secretary,
whoJs holding them unopened for
the January 5 meeting. They will
be canvassed at that time by the
election committee headed by
Earle B. Owen and J. Graves
Vann, Jr. The top eight will be
named as the new directors,
working down the list and giving
those unalsle to serve opportunity
to say so.
The new directors will be in
stalled Tuesday night, January 19,
joining holdover directors to form
the new board. Officers will be
elected at that time.
The system' of election is a new
one, dispensing with the old
method of nomination by a slate
(Continued on Page 8)
Women Voters To
Make Survey Of
Town Government
The League of Women Voters of
Southern Pines announces that its
first project, a survey of the town
government, is now under way.
Mrs. C. A. Smith, president of the
local unit, says that in accordance
with the national policy of the
j League, this will be a factual sur
vey of area's covered and how the
local government operates and
will not comment on how the
present regime is operating.
Aim of the survey is to give
League members an understand
ing of the essential structure of
local government, so that they
will be better able to cooperate
as active citizens and make the
best use of services provided.
While this information is being
gathered primarily for its mem
bers', the League hopes to make
the material available to the pub
lic when the survey is completed.
It should be particularly useful
at a time when Southern Pines
has embarked on a new type of
government, members believe.
An open meeting of the local
unit of the League of Women
Voters will be held Tuesday, Jan
uary 5, at 3:30 p. m. at the Civic
Club. This meeting is designed to
familiarize new members or any
interested in' becoming members
'^ith the policy and program of
(Continued on page 5)
Tates Building
One-Mile Track
On Midland Road
A one-mile flat training track
for their horses, now under con
struction at Starland Stables on
Midland Road by Mr. and Mrs 1---'- /ruase o ouuaing is
Lloyd P. Tate, will probably rooms will be reached by
eomnlpfpfl in « i_ n/r.. I outside corridors on not./
Construction is expectW to
start December 31 on “Phase A”
of a new Southern Pines High
School building that, when fully
around $250 -
000 A C. Dawson, Jr., superin
tendent of local schools, said this
week.
The “Phase A” portion of the
building, which will run parallel
to Massachusetts Avenue at the
May Street comer, near the pres-
ent High School structure, will
cost $126,644. Plans call for occu
pancy of the building at the be
ginning of the 1954-55 school year
next September.
structure,
which will run parallel to May
Street, adjoining the “Phase A”
building, after the present high
school building Has been com
pletely removed, is set for com
pletion by September, 1955. The
school will, with crowding, be
able to utilize the Phase A build-
ing while the second adjoining
structure is being built, the super
intendent said.
recently for the
Phase A building are: general con-
®o<^win, Inc., of Dunn.
$92,650; electrical, Harris Electric
Co. Aberdeen’ $9,565; plumbing,
Oyde H. WhiUey, Albemarle,
$4,915; heating, Fayetteville
Heating, Fayette
ville, $12,346. These contracts, to
gether with architect’s fee, six per
cent of the contract, bring cost of
the building to $126,644.
Leslie N. Boney of Wilmington
IS the architect.
The heating contract is for an
oil-fired hot water system that
will heat both the Phase A and
Phase B buildings. The furnace
will burn a newly developed No.
5 fuel oil that will mean fuel
economy, the superintendent
pointed out.
Following the slope of the site
from east to west along Massachu-
setts Avenue, the Phase A build
ing will be two stories in height
for a little more than half of its
length, fronting on May Street.
The second floor will run back in
to the slope and be connected by
a covered walkway to the gymna
sium building.
The entire new school building
will be of brick construction in a
modified Colonial design. Phase
A will have a 57-foot front on May
Street and wiU run back about
142 feet on Massachusetts Avenue.
The long Phase B structure will
run 191 feet parallel to May
Street. An interesting feature of
the two-story Phase B building is
completed in about a week, Mr.
Tate said Tuesday.'
Visible from Midland road, be
tween the road and the big white
stables building, the track will be
used for training the Tates’ race
horses, a type that is receiving
increasing attention in the Sand
hills.
Most of the work in construCt-
outside corridors on the east side
of the building. 'The outdoor cor
ridors—following a school plan
much used now in the South and
Far West—wiU run under a 10-
foot overhang of the roof.
The entire building is being
built in two phases, the superin
tendent said, for two reasons—
money is lacking to do the job all
emthl®^ once and under the two-phase
.. “O'plan, the .schnnl win 1
ing the tract consists in earth +1, '■"'w-piiase
moving and levelling operations. school will not have to
Flora Macdonald Home Discovery Disputed
Tt T? / .1 « ■
R. E. Wicker of Pinehurst said
this week he is “only mildly in
terested” in the assertion of Er
nest Parsons of Troy that the
Pinehurst man has placed the
plantation where Flora and Allan
Macdonald lived, in what is now
Montgomery ,County, some three
and a half miles from where Par
sons says it really was.
“If anyone can change the loca
tion according to the tsipe of evi
dence we used, let’s move it,” Mr.
Wicker said. “But I am only mild
ly interested in another story
about Flora Macdonald, without
documentary evidence.”
Using nothing but authentic rec
ords, garnered from a search of
I8th century county archives and
from other documented sources in
the United States and Scotland,
Mr. Wicker and a group of inter
ested Tar Heels—^including Paul
Green and PhiUips Russell of
Chapel Hill and Malcolm Fowler
of Lillington—have placed the lo- I act spot.
cation of Flora Macdonald’s dwell- Mr Wicker mad a if +v,-
I-'': Si
1774-1776, about one and a half
miles east of Pekin crossroads, on
Cheek’s Creek, some lO miles
from Mount Gilead in southern
Montgomery County.
Following announcement of this
discovery, which was first pub
lished in The Pilot three weeks
ago, Mr. Parsons stated at Troy,
in a news item widely circulated'
throughout the state, that the
homesite Mr. Wicker and his
group were seeking is not where
they say it is, but is about five
miles north of Pekin crossroads
on Macdonald Creek which emp
ties into Cheek’s Creek one mile
to the west.
Mr. Parsons said that his great
grandfather was born there in the
Flora Macdonald house. He said
he would be glad to act as a guide
to show the Wicker group the ex-
Pilot, that he does not want to get
into a controversy about the Flora
Macdonald home site.
We have collected evidence
from all over the state to support
our choice of the site we found,”
he said, and I think we have it
all. We’ve searched every possible
source.”
The Pinehurst historian reveal
ed something of the extent of that
search when he related how he
first became interested in the
Flora Macdonald home site in 1915
when he went with Ralph Page to
Richmond County where W. R.
Coppedge, superintendent of
schools at that time, had collected
affidavits from old people placing
the site on Mountain Creek in
Richmond County, supporting the
contention of the lawyer, James
(Continued on Page 5) | in local s'tor°e7.'
The 40-foot wide, one-mile-long
track will be perfectly level. Plans
call for a fence around it, Mr
Tate said.
As reported in The Pilot re
cently, the Tates have five prom
ising yearlings, three colts and
two fillies, acquired this year.
58 Baskets For
Needy Prepared
Fifty-eight bushel baskets, full
to overflowing with food pack
ages, were to be delivered to
needy families in the Southern
Pines area by members of the
John Boyd Post Veterans of For
eign Wars, Wednesday evening.
Fred Hall, chairman of the pro
ject, and his committee finished
packing the Christmas baskets
Monday night. Toys will be in
cluded .in those baskets going to
homes with children.
The post extended its apprecia
tion to all who had helped the
project with cash donations or
food or toy gifts in barrels placed
use improvised facilities, after the
present high school building is
torn down.
Over-all plans for the new
(Continued on Page 5)
Jones To Leave
Police Position
Resignation of W. Graham
Jones, assistant chief of police
was announced today by Chief c!
E. Newton, effective December 28.
Jones said in his letter of resig
nation that he was leaving to take
a job that would require fewer
hours on duty. It is understood
he will go to the Sanford police
department which has an eight-
hour shift for officers. Local offi
cers have a l2-hour shift.
Jones joined the Southern Pines
poUce department August 7, 1948,
and later was promoted to assist
ant chief.
City Manager Tom E. Cunning,
ham said that, while the town will
appoint an experienced officer to
fill the vacancy, the appointment
wiU not carry with it the assistant
chief designation.