GIVE TO THE VFW
CHRISTMAS CHEER
PROGRAM
GIVE TO THE VFW
CHRISTMAS CHEER
PROGRAM
« Two Local Men To
Tour Antarctic As
IGY Observers
Gilmore, Derby
To Leave Sunday
^ On 6-8 Week Trip
Voit Gilmore, former mayor of
Southern Pines, and Vance
Derby, news editor of The Pilot,
leave Sunday morning for the
South Pole area where they will
serve as correspondents for sev
eral newspapers and radio sta
tions in the state.
^ The trip is being made to ob
serve the U. S. Navy’s functions
in “Operation Deepfreeze III,”
part of the International Geo
physical Year (IGY). They ex
pect to be in the Antarctic for
approximately one month most
of the .time at Ellsworth Station,
one of eight IGY" stations opera
ted by this country.
Invited by the Navy to make
the trip, Gilmore and Derby will
fly to Cape Town, South Africa,
by way of Lisbon, the Belgian
Congo and Johannesburg. At
Cape Town, where they will
^)end Christmas Day, they will
board the USS Wyandot, a Navy
transport, for the trip to Ells
worth Station. Nav^ officials
said the ocean trip would require
about 15 days, half of which will
3 be through open sea and the re
mainder in “ice.”
While aboard ship and in the
Antarctic, they will write articles
for state newspapers and The
Pilot. Gilmore is representing
The Raleigh News and Observer,
the Winston-Salem Journal and
Sentinel, and the Charlotte Ob-
sei-ver. Derby will write for the
Asheville Citizen-Thnes, the
Greensboro Daily News and Ra-
^ dio Station WIPTT. He will also
file articles for The Pilot and
other newspapers when and if
items of local interest are devel
oped.
TWENTY-FOUR PAGES
^^^et)^\]SegotiationsForNew
Came Between Hi r m ^
Lace Flant Continue
PARCEL POST and mail hit a p>ealc here
Tuesday as postal clerks handled more than
150 bags going out and a similar number com
ing in. Dwight Hoskins, shown here packing
up some of the packages for delivery, said the
> -
load was handled with neat dispatch and that
patrons, for the most part, had cooperated fuUy
with the Post Office Department’s plea for early
mailing, (Pilot photo)
JUST 5 DAYS LEFT
Christmas Season Programs Varied;
Most Places To Oose On Wednesday
Christmas is a short five days to 5, and on Sunday from 12 to
(Gad Benedict, former news
editor and now asociate editor of
The Pilo^ will fill in for- Derby
during his absence.)
“Of course, we’re both thrilled
at the prospect of visiting the
South Pole,” tliey said today
“Seldom does one have such an
opportunity for adventure, and it
was imposible to turn down the
Navy’s wonderful offer, particu
larly in view of the fact that the
IGY program will end next De
cember. Winter comes down
there in February and not much
travel will be permitted after
^ that.”
Actually, summertime at the
South Pole is pretty cold. Tem-
l^eratures range from about five
or ten below to five or ten above.
At Ellsworth, closed in by ice
the year around, cold winds and
snow make Irving conditions un
pleasant, to say the least.
Ellsworth .Station was con-
structed this year, the last such
" station to be erected by Naval
forces. It comprises 18 buildings
closely grouped oh the Weddell
Sea. It is about 700 miles from
the South Pole itself. Thirty nine
men are there at present.
, Gilmore and Derby have been
informed by the Navy Depart
ment that trips by plane and hel-
• icopter over the South Pole will
.. probably be arranged. There is
also an outside possibility they
will visit Little America, Me-
Murdo Sound station, and facili
ties operated by Great Britian,
Argentina and (ihile.
IGY, a cooperative effort by
many countries, is designed to
give to the world, for the first
time, an understanding of the
weather that flows out of the
■q “arctic refrigerator.” Scientists
say there is no question but that
. antarctic cold affects the climate
of southern continents. Because
exchange of atmosphere, takes
p.iace globally, it may affect even
the Northern Hemisphere.
There are 46 IGY stations,
eight of them established by the
United States.
away and almost everybody in
this town got down to serious
preparation for it this week.
Church services, civic club
parties and last minute shop
ping, together with an eye out
for the weather, have occupied
the collective mind of the entire
tov/n.
Announcements of closing!
hours for businesses, governmen
tal agencies, and schools piled in
today and, though the list is not
complete, it indicated that most
establishments would be closed
Christmas Day and, in some in
stances, for as much as three
days..
Maxwell Rush; postmaster,
said the post office would be
open all day Saturday,. from 3:30
1 for receiving parcel post. Mail
and parcel post will also be de
livered Sunday.
Mrs. S. H. Lamboume announc
ed the library would be closed
Wednesday and Thursday so the
stuff might enjoy a holiday. It
will re-open Friday as usual
Two conmumity parties are
scheduled Sunday to which all
children are invited.
At the VFW house on New
York Avenue, Santa Claus will
arrive at 2 o’clock and distribute
BOND ELECTION OR NO?
stockings to all children present.
Officials of the organization also
said they hoped to have the fire
truck there, as in years past, to
take the children for a ride
around town.
At the Elks Club, the party,
complete again with Santa Claus
and presents for all present, will
also begin at 2 o’clock. Children
in the entire area are invited.
The Town administrative of
fices will be closed Christmas
Day as will offices in the court
house in Carthage.
Most business establishments
will be closed Christmas Day and
many will remain closed the fol
lowing day.
The Pilot will publish Monday
in order to allow its employees
a longer Christmas holiday. |
School, Alumni Set
Alumni Favored
To Win In Both
Games Dec.
The annual alumni basketball
games, in which ex-students play
members of the present teamss
arc scheduled at the high school
gymnasium here December 30
and the alumni teams are favor-
according to Coach W. A
Leonard.
Notiiwith^anding the fact that
some of the ex-students are out
of condition, he still looked for
a good game because of the large
number of standouts from pre
vious teams who have indicated
they would play.
In the boys’ game some who
have said they would play are
Roger Verhoeff, Tony Parker,
Bobby Parker, and Billy Hamel
—all from last year’s squad;
James Humphrey, Julian Pleas
ants, Bobby Cline, Bill Marley
and Johnny Watkins, 1956;
David Page, Joe Marley and
Tommy Ruggles, 1954; David
Bailey, 1953; and Roy Newton,
Gary Mattocks, Billy Baker and
Andy Page, representing other
classes.
Last year the alumni won the
boys’ game 50-36 to puU about
even in the series.
In the girls’ game, won last
year by the high school, 65-42,
Co.ach Leonard said he expected
the alumni girls to be the strong
est in recent years and gave
them an outside chance of win-
HELP NEEDED
More money and more toys
was the plea of the VFW this
morning as members hurried
along preparations for the an
nual Christmas Cheer pro
gram for the needy.
C. M. (Red) Smith, post
commander, said that contri
butions have been coming in
very slowly and unless a big
increase is noted in the next
day or two, a needy family
somewhere will not have as
bright a Christmas as the
VFW hopes for.
The toy collection is part of
the post's annual program
that is the main VFW com
munity service project each
year. The post is also collect
ing food baskets for needy
families whose names are
supplied by the Moore Coun
ty Welfare Department.
Investigation Of
Two Break-Ins At
Vass Is Underway
ning.
He can count on Patti Hobbs,
Carolyn Bryant, Anike Verhoeff
and Ullian Bullock from last
year’s .squad; Jacque Davenport,
1956; Kay Davis, Betty Morris
and Dorothy Newton, 1955; Sie
ger Herr, Patti Woodell Camp
bell, Peaches Cameron and Janet
Hamel, Class of ’53, and Pete
Dana, Betty Worsham and Bar
bara Guin, representing other
classes.
Both alumni squads have a
number of all-county players.
The game is one of the high
lights of the Christmas season
and annually attracts a large
crowd.
Coach Leonard said that some
other features would be arrang
ed along with the games and
promised a good program.
Officers are investigating two
break-ins that occurred in Vass
Monday night, at the Vass Drug
Store and Keith Hardware. En
trance at each was effected by
breaking the glass in transoms
over the rear doors.
A small amount of change from
the cash drawer was the only
thing missed from the drug store,
where effojrts to get to the con
tents of the safe were abandoned.
From Keith Hardware, $17.50 was
taken from the cash register, and
a number of tools, used on the
drug store job, were left at the
scene, some of which were badly
damaged.
The burglar or burglars chiseled
a hole through the top of the drug
store safe, but it was between the
outside door and an inner one,
which prevented their getting to
the contents. They left an axe, a
hatchet, chisels, screw drivers and
hacksaw blade at the scene, some
lying on top of the safe, others on
the rear porch. Gun shells were
scattered around, also, supposedly
taken to obtain powder for
“blowing” the safe.
(Continued on Page 8)
'Local Development
Corpor ationNames
Ewing President
Negotiations for the location of
Mozur Laces, Inc., of Trenton, N.
J., were still going on this week
as officials of the company and
the Southern Pines Development
Corporation checked into a my
riad of details.
No announcement was forth
coming as The Pilot went to press
and details of the meetings have
been shrouded in secrecy. Offi
cials of the company have indi
cated they wished to locate a
plant here, however, and mem
bers of the local group hoped a
decision would be reached at an
early date.
Pledges to date total more than
$175,000, according to a count
made this morning, and came
from almost 200 individual sub
scriptions.
The drive, conducted last week,
had an original goal of $150,000.
Officials said today that the door
still is not closed on further sub
scriptions and the more pledges
the better the local situation.
Last week, two members of the
local committee, Robert Ewing
and Norris Hodgkins, Jr., visited
the company’s plants in Tennes
see and reported both were “ex
cellent’' and a credit to the com
munities in which they are locat
ed.
The Southern Pines Develop
ment Corporation, reactivated in
view of the prospect of new in
dustry in this area, held a meet
ing last Friday and elected offi
cers, naming Ewing president.
Others are James D. Hobbs,
vice president; N. L. Hodgkins,
Jr., secretary-treasurer; and John
Ponzer, assistant secretary-treas
urer.
Members of the board of direc
tors are R. F. Hoke Pollock, Har
ry FuUenwider, D. A. Blue. John
Ostrom, N. L. Hodgkins, Sr., and
L. B. Creath.
ChristmasProgram
At Moore Hospital
Moore Memorial Hospital, dec
orated by the Women’s Auxil
iary, and aided by the Southern
Pines and Aberdeen garden
clubs and Girl Scout troops, will
be the scene of several Christmas
programs in the next few days.
Some events have already been
held, including a party yesterday
for Negro members of the staff.
Tonight is “family night,” and
beginning at 7 o’clock nurses and
employes and their children will
gather for carol singing, games,
contests and the traditional visit
of Santa Claus.
The Auxiliary is sponsoring
the Christmas Day program at
the hospital, complete with a
Santa Claus making the rounds
of wards and rooms, music, and
gifts for all patients.
To climax the program, the
medical staff is having a buffet
dance at Southern Pines Coun
try Club Saturday night, Decem
ber 28, for all members of the
hospital’s board of directors and
hospital personnel.
financing Of Town Hall Has Council In Quandary
Last k thp Tmxm j
• Gilmore and Derby will make
^ the trip back to this country by
way of South America, though
the point of entry has not been
determined as yet.
lobbs Wins Place In
! ^llionaire's Club
J. D. Hobbs, district supervisor
here for the Occidental Life In
surance Company of Raleigh, has
qualified for Occidental’s exclu
sive "Millionaires Club,” a top
Occidental production honor.
Membership in the club is
awarded to those company rep
resentatives who attain one mil
lion dollars of insurance-in-j!oree.
La.'st we^ k the Town Council
vot' d to set machinery in motion
for a ixissible bond election which
would, in effect, put any further
decisions concerning completion
of the municipal center, also call
ed the Town Hall, squarely into
the hands of the pubhe.
By unanimous vote the Council
authorized bond attorneys to draw
up initial documents which would
pave the way for the election,
and uno''ficially selected this com
ing spring as a target date for
such a vote.
Why an election at all?
Gen. Pearson Menoher, who
has carried on a running battle
>n opposition to the building —
::rst its location, a little later +he
type of construction, and now the j
cost—said last week that he felt
the entire Town Hall matter had'
been hmdled in a “most unbusi
nesslike manner since its concep
tion ”
H-’ r-i-t also that only $100,000
had been authorized by the peo
ple for the building and cited
current estimates of $200 000
eventual costs as “plain ridicu
lous.”
He added, however, that “some
thing” had to be done since the
building would be only partially
completed when the current con
tract expires next summer.
“If the people here want to see
it completed like they envisioned
when the thing first came up,
then they’ll have to authorize the
spending of more money,” he said.
“I personally feel it’s a shame
that the portion now under con
struction, and which, incidentally,
will require the expenditure of
about $31,000 more than was au
thorized in the bond election, will
have no good jail facilities or fire
station.”
Gen. Menoher’s opposition is not
all that has been voiced. Others
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SUPPORTS AND WALLS FOR THE NEW TOWN HALL ALMOST COMPLETE
have spoken out from time to
time, including at least one mem
ber of the present Council.
The best picture of what is cur
rently being done, financially, is
contained in a report made to the
Council in Eieptember, in which
Town Manager Louis Scheipers,
Jr., examined the entire situation,
analyzing the contracts which are
currently in effect, outlining the
amounts involved in completed
construction of the building, and
analyzing the present and future
bond indebtedness Of the town.
The current picture shows the
town has signed contracts for
$127,420, which includes the'gen
eral contract base bid, a “shelled-
in” jail, and heating and plumb
ing and other items. Deducts in
cluded paving at the building,
jail cells, air conditioning, and
some plumbing.
I With the architect’s fee, fur-
j nishings and landscaping, the
town owes, payable in August of
next year, $145,204.
Scheipers pointed out that in
terest had run the bond account
up to $101,000, leaving a balance
of $44,204.
The last Council decided to ex-
^ercise ite prerogative to borrow
two-thiriis of the amount of net
reduction of the town’s bonded in
debtedness for the preceding year,
an amount calculated at ^1,333.
(That sum can be borrowed by the
town July 1 and, under present
plans, will be unless a bond elec
tion is held and more fimds se
cured.)
After borrowing the $31,333, the
town will still be almost $13,000
short of the necessary funds but
j Scheipers said provisions had
I Been made for taking it from the
town’s general fund.
However, he said that almost
half the $13,000 contains within
it the $6,000 for proposed land
scaping and furnishings. Much
of the landscaping, he said, can
be done by town forces and fur
nishings can be purchased on a
lease-purchase agreement. (The
latter is something that more and
more towns are going into in or
der to avoid tying up large
amounts of money at one time.)
In another analysis, Scheipers
pointed out that the former Coun
cil had proposed a further bond
vote which would provide suffi
cient funds for the construction
of a fire wing. Under present
contracts, no provisions have been
made at all for a fire wing on the
building.
The previous Council recom-,
(Continued on page 8)
Christmas Note
From Editor
Dear Town:—
To come back home after too
long an absence and then have
to go away just before Christ
mas—What a fate!
The sun shines, the air is cri^
and good and piney. Folks come
rushing up to you: “So glad you
got down in time for Christ
mas!” they shout
You think of those three short
days ahead before you board the
old Palmland again and—well,
the only thing to do is po-etend
yo!i aren’t going.
It’s easy to pretend in South
ern Pines right now because
there is a kind of aura over every
thing. No, it's not altogether be
cause there’s probably going to
be lace made up the road in the
near future, and that future
seems a bit shinier in conse
quence. That’s added an extra
glow, but the shine was definite
ly there to start with. And it
isn’t even to be attributed to the
fact that you’ve been away so
loug and coming home is always
wonderful. It’s so good to see old
friends: the familiar faces, the
streets of home, the pines and
shiny hollies and all the rest of
what makes Southern Pines.
Even the racing collies on Ridge
Street share in your delighted
gaze.
Perhaps it’s the new look you
get of an old familiar place when
you see it again the first few
minutes after arrival. And
whether you’re seeing it differ
ently or just rememorizing it all
over again for the ninety-ninth
time: Southern Pines is a pretty
town—you can’t get arovmd it
if anybody had such a subversive
desire.
Sometimes, it seems as if we
get too used to our town, so used
to it that we forget how pretty it
is, how tnily different it is from
the average town. And you don’t
need to run down other towns
when you say that It’s a feet,
without question.
Southern Pines got started on
(Continued on page 8)