. 4
Chance of Rain
The weather will continue hot and
humid and partly cloudy through
Thursday. In the 90s today, the low 70s
tonight. A 40 percent chance of rain
today and tomorrow.
Vol. 57, Number 41
ILOT
Index
Books, 2-B, Church Calendar, 3-B;
Classified Ads, 10-15-C; Editorials, 1-
B; Entertainment, 4-5-C; Obituaries, 7-
A; Pinehurst News, 1-3-C; SandhUls
Scene, ^5-A; Sports, S-OC; Spotlight,
5-A.
46 Pages
Southern Pines, North Carolina Wednesday, August 10, 1977
46 Pages
O
Price 15 Cents
t,.
/
Phone Rate Hike
Is Asked By United
Storm Brings Rain Here
But Water Curbs Remain
tmM
A $2.05 a month increase for
most telephone customers here is
being sought by United
Telephone Company.
The company on Monday
asked the North Carolina
Utilities Commission for in
creased rates which would
FH-oduce about $1.4 million in
additional annual revenues.
The commission wiU probably
call for a public hearing on the
rate increase within a few weeks.
, Joe Kimball, district manager
^ ''S^them Pines for United
• Telephone Company of the
Cdrblinas, said about 80 percent
of the company’s customers are
“one party residence” and in
Southern Pines the requested
rate increase is from $9.40 to
$11.45 per month.
All Incumbents Expected To File
For Council As Time Draws Near
Monday and Tuesday night’s
electrical storms brought rain
which was fairly general all over
Moore County, and although it
raised the level of the Souttiern
Pines lake a small amount it still
did not end the emergency water
situation here.
There was minor damage from
the storm and power was out in
two areas of town for from 20 to
45 minutes.
A few trees were blown down
and several large limbs were
broken off by strong winds which
accompanied the thunder and
lightning.
The lightning was reported to
have struck several trees,
including a large swamp poplar
at the comer of Crest Drive and
Swoope Ave., in Knoll wood.
Mrs. Mildred McDonald, the
interim town manager, said that
the water level at the town’s lake
wmt up from .20 to .30, which is
still three feet below normal.
She reminded Southern Pines
water customers that the
ordinance restricting the use of
water is still in effect and will
remain so until the Town Council
finds that the emergency
situation no longer exists and
takes action to remove the
restrictions.
“The rains last week, while
giving some help to lawns,
gardens and shrubs, did little in
the way of increasing the lake
level,” Mrs. McDonald said.
“Until there is sufficient rainfall
(Continued on Page 13-A)
to
Filing for the Town Council in
the Southern Hnes municipal
primary and election this fall will
begin at 12 noon on Friday, Aug.
19, and it appeared this week that
all of the incumbents will seek
reelection.
Mayor E. J. Austin appeared
somewhat hesitant, however,
saying, “I think I will but I have
not fully decided.”
Two of the youngest Council
members-Michael Smithson and
Hope Brogden-are definite in
their intentions, and two
veterans. E. Ear.1 Hubbard and
Emanuel "Sr-Oouglass, are
expected to file.
Candidates will have until 12
noon on Sept. 9 to file for the
biennial election.
If more than 10 candidates file
a non-partisan primary will be
held on Oct. 11, with the 10
highest vote getters on the ballot
in the election on Nov. 8.
Proposed new rates will differ,
however, for subscribers in Vass,
Whispering Pines, Pinehurst,
Carthage and Robbins.
The request for a rate in
crease, filed in Raleigh on Aug. 8,
is the second time in 19 years that rri v
the telephone company has X ODRCCO
sought permission to increase its
rates. The last request was in
January, 1971. -*■
The petition said increased
costs, continued inflation, higher
Roads Hearing Set
At Carthage Monday
Election Officials Named
For Precincts In Moore
Precinct election officials for
the next two years have been
announced by Angus M. Brewer,
chairman of the Moore County
Board of Elections.
Registrars and judges.
Democratic and Republican, will
serve for two years.
Following is the list for the 22
Moore County voting precincts.
The first name is the registrar,
the second is the Democratic
Judge and the third is the
Republican judge:
East Aberdeen: (American
Legion Hut No. 72) - Mrs. Lillian
S. Ransdell, Aberdeen; Alton P.
McDonald, Aberdeen; Mrs.
Sandra J. McLaughlin, Aber
deen.
West Aberdeen: (Aberdeen
Municipal Bldg.) - Mrs.
Elizabeth B. Mofield, Aberdeen;
Ervin Workman, Aberdeen;
Mrs. Linda F. Boles, Aberdeen.
4^Continued or: Page 14-A)
Train Speeds Raised
By Board In Aberdeen
■,45
The Aberdeen Town Board
voted Monday to permit trains to
raise their speed from 35 mph to
45 mph coming through
Aberdeen,
Commissioners Gschwind,
Harris, Styers and Singleton
voted for the increased speed,
after hearing it called necessary
to get over the hill to Southern
Pines. Commissioner Blue cast
the lone vote against the
increase.
Willard Formyduval, with the
Aberdeen and Rockfish
Railroad, appeared before the
Board and introduced Ed S.
Wilkes, Superintendent, and
Zane Winters, with the Seaboard
Coastline Railroad.
Wilkes and Winters spoke to
the Board and requested the
speed limits be raised.
They said if the request were
granted, they would see that the
(f oiiiinueU on Page 14-A)
Southern Pines is the only
municipality in Moore County
which has provisions for a
primary. The other towns have
non-partisan elections on Nov. 8
on a plurality basis.
Mrs. Doris Fuquay, supervisor
of elections for the Moore County
Board of Elections which con
ducts all of the municipal elec
tions in Moore County except for
Vass, which conducts its own,
said this week that persons living
in the newly annexed areas of
Southern Pines are eligible to
vote in the primary and election
without further registration.
“They are welcome to call the
Mrs. Ray
Dies at 73;
Rites Set
Mrs. Dixie Battley Ray, 73, of
180 Murray Hill Road, stricken
suddenly Monday afternoon at
her home, was dead on arrival at
Moore Memorial Hospital.
Funeral services will ^ held at
11 a.m. Thursday at Brownson
Memorial Presb^erian Church,
conducted by the pastor, the Rev.
Harold E. Hyde, with burial in
Mt. Hope Cemetery.
(Continued on Page 13-A)
Board of Elections and their
cards will be stamped as to their
eligibility,” Mrs. Fuquay said,
adding that it is not necessary,
however. On the day of the
election the registrar and judges
in the precinct polling places will
have maps showing the new town
boundaries and they will check
each voter as to eligibility, she
said.
(Contiuued on Page 14-A)
Town Grant
Southern Pines has received a
planning and management grant
of $6,300 from the Department of
Natural Resources and
Community Development.
Secretary Howard N. Lee
announced the grant and 169
others to local governments this
week.
Mrs. Mildred McDonald,
acting town manager, said the
grant would be used by Marvin
Collins, town planner, in general
planning work for the town.
interest rates and commission
actions have eroded earnings to
the point that the company can
not continue providing adequate
service without additional
revenue.
As an example of increased
costs, the petition cited employe
wages, saying that the average
wages per employe have in
creased by more than 65 percent
since the last general rate in
crease six years ago.
The petition also pointed out
that the company has had to
make large investments in
facilities as its service areas
have grown and as its customers
have demanded “the newest type
facilities and sophisticated
services.”
The company’s North
Carolina investment has in
creased by more than 147 percent
in six years - from $18.9 million
to $46.8 million, according to the
(Continued on Page 13-A)
Climbing
Prices for better grades of
tobacco moved upward on
Moore’s tobacco markets this
week, but lower priced poor
quality leaf still predominated in
auction offerings.
At Carthage the average on
Monday was in the mid-90s, with
a high of $1.37 per pound
reported.
At Aberdeen where only four
sales have been held thus far in
the season the average is only
$72.30 per hundred. A major part
of the tobacco at Aberdeen
consisted of ground primings,
however.
A high of $1.36 per pound was
reported at Aberdeen.
Frank Bryant of the Carthage
market said that the Cooperative
Warehouse recorded an average
of $1.01 per pound on Monday,
and he said good primings were
selling in the upper $1.20s per
pound. Good lugs were even
(Continut d on Page 14-A)
North Carolina Department of
Transportation officials will
condu^ a public meeting in
Carthage to provide area
residents with an opportunity to
participate in the annual update
of the State’s Highway
Improvement Program.
Scheduled for 2 p.m. on
Monday, August 15, the meeting
will be held in the Moore County
Court House, in Carthage.
The meeting will be chaired by
Mrs. Martha C. Hollers of
Candor.
Mrs. Hollers was appointed to
the Board by Governor James B.
Hunt, Jr. recently to represent
Highway Division 8, which
encompasses Chatham, Hoke,
Lee, Montgomery, Moore,
Randolph, Richmond, and
Scotland Counties.
The Highway Improvement
Program is a planned and
programmed course for highway
construction that balances
anticipated revenues against
estimated l^way project costs,
in the coming years.
The Carthage meeting is one of
14 scheduled throughout the
State to provide maximum
(Cuutinufd on Page 14-A)
Inspection Is Approved
But It’s Not Mandatory
The Moore County com
missioners in special meeting
Monday decided to establish a
permissive, rather than man
datory, building inspection
pro^am, and at the same time
employed the county’s first
building inspector.
He is Thomas Elwin Blue, 51,
of Carthage, Rt. 1, one of four
out of 12 applicants invited by
the board to come before them
for a personal interview. He was
the first to come, and he got the
job.
Blue, a Moore County native,
was apparently well and
favorably known to the com
missioners, through personal
knowledge or by reputation. He
came highly recommended, and
the commissioners made plain
they felt his business
background was such as to make
up for his lack of actual ex
perience in construction.
Tony Parker, the com
missioner who had pushed the
hardest for a building inspection
(Continued on Page 14-A)
Well Use Not As Easy
As Town First Thought
Farmers Day Draws Big Crowd
THE
PILOT LIGHT
BOYS CAMP-The Carolina
Boys Camp near Candor will
remain open until December.
' That decision was made late
Tuesday when Governor Jim
Hunt met with the parents of a
boy at the camp and Secretary
Sarah Morrow of the Department
of Human Resources.
The camp had been ordered
dosed as of Monday, Aug. 15,
following announcement of a
controversial contract with a
private foundation from Florida
* to spend $3.1 in state funds to set
up four therapeutic boys camps.
The Governor said he was
asking Secretary Morrow to
study an alternative proposal
made by the operators of the
Carolina Boys Camp to keep the
camp open for a comparative
study with the Eckerd System of
Florida.
GOVERNOR - Governor Hunt
met on Tuesday at the
Mansion with several of his
suH)orters from campaign days
and assured them that he plans a
series of meetings to re-establish
contact with the people of the
state.
A meeting in each
congressional district is planned
for this fall.
HOLSHOUSER-Former Gov
ernor James Holshouser has
been mentioned as a possible
Republican candidate for
Congress from the Eighth
District, but if he does decide to
rim he will first have to change
his voter registration.
(Continued on Page 14-A)
Mrs. Dixie Ray
Accepting a large, productive
well from a private citizen, to
provide the town water system
with a supplementary supply of
Jobless Up
Unemployed young people
swelled the labor market and
caused a slight increase, from 4.6
percent in May to 5.1 in June on
the unemployment rolls in Moore
County.
This is still far better thap the
unemployment nationally, which
is over 6 percent.
In June, the labor force
reached 19,990 in Moore County
and 18,970 of them had jobs,
according to the office of Frank
Burch, of the Employment
Security Commission. There
were 1,020 persons unemployed.
pure sand-distilled water is
neither as simple nor as inex
pensive as it might seem at first,
the Town Council learned in
regular meeting Tuesday night.
The offer of an industrial-sized
well owned by Howard Butler, to
be connected to the town system
at a cost of $25,000, was made by
his son, Dan Butler, to the
council at the close of their
special meeting of July 28.
The well reportedly was
producing 100 gallons per
nwute, which might be upped as
high as 200 gallons, was seen as a
boon to the town, which has been
in a water emergency most of the
suihmer.
Without time to discuss the
offer, which came at the time the
special meeting was about to
(Continued on Page 13-A)
BY VALERIE NICHOLSON
Thousands of people, many of
them wearing old-fashioned
costumes, thronged the streets of
Robbins Saturday morning to
watch the 22nd annual Farmers
Day parade creep at snail’s pace
along downtown streets.
The leisurely pace was due to
the fact that this energy-saving
parade consisted of a dozen or
more genuine old covered
wagons, with all sorts of other
wheeled vehicles of bygone
years, with motive power sup
plied by horses, mules and
ponies-no gas-burners allowed.
Also featured were many
single riders, from a three-year-
old girl on a small Shetland pony
on up to fancy-riding men and
women in snappy western garb.
It was a day of old-time
hospitality, for which the people
had come from many counties
around, and several states, for
nostalgic enjoyment.
Curtis Hussey, wagonmaster
since the start of the event in
1957, greeting the crowds on the
wooded hillside where the parade
came to rest, told them it was the
biggest one yet, and the crowd
that had come out for the square
dancing the night before was also
the biggest, numbering into the
thousands, and “they had the
best time ever.”
Many of the paraders had
arrived Friday evening, camped
out on the wooded park and
(Continued on Page 14-A)
New Hope For Dropouts
BY ELLEN WELLES
There’s a new hope for
dropouts in Moore County.
liie Moore County Schools’
Extended Day Program, begun
in January 1976, has added two
teachers to its staff and expects
approximately 100 students to
begin the program this faU,
according to EDP Coordinator
Jimmie Smith.
This program is designed for
16-to 18-year-olds who have
dropped out of school and wish to
come back and earn a high
school diploma. Smith said.
Students attend classes from 5 to
9 each night of the week and are
able to work during the day.
“There’s no question that it’s
been a great benefit to the
students,” said Philip McMillan,
Pinecrest High School’s prin
cipal. “Mr. Smith has done a fine
job in getting these students to
come back to school. The most
gratifying part is that they come
back committed to pursue their
high school diploma. When Uiey
dropped out they couldn’t have
cared less, but when they come
back they are serious students
for the most part.”
McMillan praised Smith’s
work as coordinator.
“The program has really
grown: from two teachers and
Mr. Smith to four teachers and
Mr. Smith. This is all due to Mr.
Smith and his dedication. Before
now, all the students had was the
GED (High School Equivalency
Program) at Sandhills Com
munity College; now they have a
real high school diploma to work
foward. It means a lot more,” he
said.
Although there are other ex
tended education programs in
North Carolina, this one, held at
(Continued on Page 14-A)
~ Ritter, in old-time bonnet and dress
leads her pony, Dusty, with her first cousin, Olivia Claudette Hussev
F°ar?eu\mer’ and^nr°^^^^‘ daughter of Mr. and Mri’
tarrell Ritter, and Olivia s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie M
Hussey, all bobbins, Rt. 1. The little girls and the pony were a pretty
sight in the Robbins Farmers Day parade, and Stacie won the trophv
for best-dressed girl. -(Phot by V. Nicholson).