North Carolina Newspapers

Sunday will be John Charles McNeill Day at old homeplace of poet near Wagram. -Page 6-D. Jug Uiqhrall! jlendon Ttqreond Cof^fiaqa / t- ^^MlsOpqs. Cameron gyb uAnto/’vaii Index Book Page, 2-B; Church Calendar, 3-B; Classified Ads, 9-15-C; Editorials, 1-B; Entertainment, 4^; Obituaries, 7-A; Pinehurst News, 1-3-C; Social News, 2-6-A; Sports, 1-4-D. Vol. 57, Number 50 54 Pages Southern Pines, North Carolina Wednesday, October 12, 1977 54 Pages Price 15 Cents Douglass Leads Primary; Incumbents Survive Vote 4-: I? u ECONOMIC CONFERENCE — Secretary Thomas Bradshaw of the State Department of Transportation addresses a Moore County economic conference in the Southern Pines town hall. Other participants were (left to right) Mayor E.J. Austin, Chairman W.S. Taylor of the county commissioners and Talmadge Baker, Moore Extension chairman. —(Photo by Glenn M. Sides). Varied Views On Industry Aired At Economic Meet BY ELLEN WELLES A sizeable group of citizens attended the conference on the economic situation of Moore County Monday at the Southern Pines Town Hall at which Secretary of Transportation Tom Bradshaw represented Governor Hunt. This was one of the 100 county meetings being held throughout the state between Oct. 6 and Nov. 8 to allow individual citizens to tell state government what they believe the local economic problems are and what area, state and federal governments should do to solve them. These conferences are forerunners to a larger statewide gathering set for January, 1978 and a later White House Moore Towns Will Get $241,079 In Road Funds Moore County municipalities will receive a total of $241,079.20 in Powell Bill or street maintenance funds from the one-cent gasoline tax allocation this year. The largest amount comes to Southern Pines, which has an Council Meet A special meeting of the Southern Pines Town Council has been called by Mayor E.J. Austin for tonight (Wednesday) at 8 o’clock at the Town Hall. Engineer Les Hall will present the report on the Sandhills area water feasibility study which has been under way for some time by the firm of Henningston, Durham and Richardson. The regular meeting of the Town Council will be held on Thursday at 8 p.m. estimated population of 7,960 and 56.49 miles of streets, and will receive $114,910.26. Secretary Thomas W. Bradshaw Jr., of the State Department of Transportation iiade the announcement of the annual allocation of state street aid funds. Allocations for other municipalities in Moore are as follows; Aberdeen, estimated population of 2,250 and 16.92 miles of streets, $33,144.83. Cameron, estimated population of 210, 2.29 miles of streets, $3,598.04. Carthage, 1,090 population, 9.03 miles streets, $16,637.69. Foxfire Village, estimated population of 50, 6.37 miles of streets, $4,915.22. Pinebluff, 740 population, 11.94 streets, $15,345.38. (Continued on Page 7-A) Lunch THE PILOT LIGHT SUCCESSION — Members of the staff of Governor Jim Hunt are fairly optimistic about passage of the gubernatorial' succession admendment, but some warnings against such optimism were voiced this past weekend by such state leaders as House Speaker Carl Stewart. Stewart was quoted as telling persons attending the Vance- Aycock Dinner in Asheville that if the election were held today the succession amendment would be defeated. Speaker Stewart felt, however, that some active campaigning for the amendment could result in a favorable vote. BOND ISSUES — An informal survey across the state showed a favorable opinion for the $300 million road bond and $230 million clean water bond issues. Both will be voted on at the Nov. 8 election. No opposition to either bond issue has been voiced, and both have strong support from county and municipal leaders in various parts of the state. DEMOCRATS — The Constitutional amendments and the bond issues will be discussed at a gathering of Eighth District (Continued on Page 7-A) Invitations are being mailed this week to the Friends of Weymouth luncheon on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Pinehurst Country Club. The luncheon will launch the fund-raising campaign for the purchase of Weymouth, the home of novelist James and Katharine Boyd, and its conversion into a Sandhills Cultural Center. The Friends of Weymouth have an option to purchase the estate from Sandhills Community College for $700,000. Among thoK who have endorsed the Weymouth project are Governor Jim Hunt, Secretary Howard Left of the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, President WiUiam Friday of UNC, President Terry Sanford of Duke University, former Governor Robert Scott, and Playwright Paul Green. Medical Charges Case Is Mistrial The trial of Jordan Calvin Mercer, 53, of Asheville on two counts of false pretense, which started Tuesday in Moore Superior Court, and went to the jury at 10:10 a.m. Thursday, ended at 1 p.m. Friday when Special Judge Robert L. Gavin withdrew a juror and declared a mistrial. Judge Gavin called the jury in several times during its hours of deliberation to ask the foreman to say how the count stood. though without revealing how it was leaning. It was 10 to 2 from 11:25 a.m. Thursday until the final count Friday, when it was 11 to 1-and, in the foreman’s opinion, “hopelessly deadlocked.” General feeling among the few persons left in the courtroom appeared to be that it favored conviction, and this was later confirmed to this newspaper by a member of the jury. (Continued on Page 10-A) Richardson Is Reelected In Light Vote At Vass conference. Present to aid discussion were W. S. Taylor, Chairman of Moore County Board of Commissioners, E. J. Austin, Mayor of Southern Pines, Marvin Collins, Southern Pines Town Development Director, Talmadge S. Baker, Agricultural Extension Chairman, and Charles Musselman, Executive Director of Moore County Economic Development Committee. A lively discussion followed reports from Peter Runsey of the State Policy Development Board and Charles Musselman. “What the Governor wants to do is to have a statewide program for economic development,’’ Bradshaw explained at the beginning of the discussion. “North Carolina is often called the Sunbelt and it has several good points: “We have hard-working people, good climate, railroads and a dispersed population. But some of the bad points are that one-fifth of the adult population can’t read and even though we did come up from 41st to 38th in per capita income, that’s still too far down for most of us. “One of the biggest assets is that North Carolina has the (Continued on Page 7-A) Weymouth In Tuesday’s municipal election at Vass, Mayor J.P. Richardson was reelected for a second term, winning by only four votes. He had 61 while his challenger, the Rev. Jesse Mansfield, had 57. Voting was light, as only 124 voters turned out, returning to office not only the mayor but the three incum^nts who had filed for the town board. These were Joe Frye, who led with 106 votes; A.G. Edwards, Jr., 97, and Ray Jackson, 73. Also elected were Russell Tate, returning to the board after 11 years’ absence, with 78 votes, and James Key, with 73. Also- rans were Jesse Coore, Jr., 56; Arnold Futrell and Wendell Enzo, tied with 46 votes each, and N.C. Parker, Sr., 12. The newly elected officials will be sworn into office the second Monday in December. Two incumbents who did not seek re-election were JoAnn Hipp and Buster Jessup. Vass conducts its own election. All other municipalities in Moore County have their elections conducted by the Moore County Board of Elections. STICK TO KNITTING — Election officials at the South Southern Pines Precinct had a'lot of time to tend to their own knitting as voting was light in Tuesday’s primary. Judge John Sledge (center) just sits while Lynn Taylor and Mary Chatfield do needlework.—(Photo by Valerie Nicholson). Three Mayors Without Opposition On Nov. 8 Axe Handle Said Used Three incumbent mayors have no opposition in Moore County municipal elections on Nov. 8. They are Mayor J.M. Taylor of Aberdeen, Mayor W.M. (Billy) Carter Jr., of Carthage, and Mayor John H. Carpenter of Pinebluff. There are contest for mayor in Cameron and Robbins, but in Cameron the five candidates for the town council are unopposed. The Moore County Board of Elections conducts the elections in all of the towns of Moore ex cept in Vass, which conducts its own. There are no primary elections in any of the towns, except in Southern Pines. With the filing deadline of Friday noon for candidates in the Nov. 8 election, here are the candidates in the various towns as announced by Mrs. Doris (Continued on Page 10-A) In Slaying Of Husband Region Education Center May Locate In Carthage James Edward Mclver, 44, of Carthage Rt. 2 was found dead with numerous head wounds, early Saturday in his home in the Haw Branch section northeast of Carthage. Shertff C.G. Wimberly said that Mclver’s wife, Emma, 41, had been arrested on an open charge of murder, and, on a magistrate’s order, had been carried to Dorothea Dix Hospital at Raleigh for psychiatric examination. An autopsy was performed Saturday afternoon and, though it was incomplete. Coroner A.B. Parker said it established that Mclver had died of multiple blows to the head and a stab wound in the left temple. Mrs. Mclver went to her sister’s house near her own about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, and told her sister she could not rouse her husband. Members of the family returned with her to the house, where they found Mclver’s bloodcovered body. The sheriff was notified. Mrs. Mclver told the in vestigating officers that she and her husband quarreled after they went to bed, and it turned into a fight, with each one threatening the other. While she made no (Continued on Page 10-A) BY VALERIE NICHOLSON The Moore County Board of Education, meeting Monday afternoon in the library of the Carthage Elementary School, were excited by the possibility that the Region IV Center of the State Department of Public Instruction will be established at Carthage. Supt. Robert E. Lee told the board that plans are moving ahead for the State Department to disseminate some of its ser vices about the state through establishment of four regional centers, as already approved by the General Assembly, which has provided $60,000 in start-up funds for each one. He said Dr. Craig Phillips on a recent visit inspected the Moore County Education Center and (Continued on Page 10-A) Fair Will Open Monday; Over $4000 In Premiums Aberdeen Board Approves Highway Shopping Center Aberdeen Commissioners made way for a new shopping center Monday night by ap proving the change of property on the West side of US 15-501 from residential to Neighborhood Shopping. Request for the change was made by Bill Seymour, who proposed the Center. His family now owns the nearby Center Park Shopping Center. Mayor Taylor read a letter from Parker Lynch, Public Works Director for Moore County, who sa>d that the new County Waste-v ter Treatment System is expected to be com pleted by December 1. They will also be ready to treat and dispose of Aberdeen’s sewage on this date, Parker said. Discussion of the User Charge System will be discussed at a special meeting Thursday after the Board has studied the report and Les Hall of Henningson, Durham and Richardson presents a Feasibi lity Study at 4 p.m. Mr. and ^s. Charles Burger of 1105 N. Poplar St. appeared before the Board to complain of dogs running loose in their neigh borhood and barking at night. The Board agreed that a leash law would be enforced and that Commissioner Singleton and Police Chief Whipple have a pen and house built to impound dogs (Continued on Page 10-A) Gates will open at 5 p.m. Monday, October 17 at the Moore County Agricultural Fair sponsored by the Carthage Jaycees. Over $4000 in premiums is offered during the Fair, which lasts until midnight Saturday, October 22. School children will be ad mitted free Tuesday until 6 p.m., when a free bicycle will be given away to school children and Bill Deal and the Rhondels give a free performance at 7 p.m. The free performance will be repeated at 10 p.m. Tuesday, gates are open at 3 p.m. Judging will take place Tues day morning with a modified Danish system the policy. Pre miums will be paid at the Jun ior Chamber of Commerce booth on Sunday at 1 p.m. Exhibits will be received in exhibit buildings at the Fairgrounds Sunday, Oct. 16 from 1 until 6 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (Continued on Page 10-A) They Stand On Moore Buses But It’s Legal BY ELLEN WELLES Although the official seating capacity on a Moore County school bus may be 60, all seats could be filled with only 50 students aboard, according to Assistant Superindentent of Schools Gene Riddle. He explained that to determine the seating capacity of a bus, the state counts the number of adults it can seat and adds 20 percent for standee capacity. The county has 123 buses which carry approximately 6,500 students on each trip and travel approximately 25,000 miles per week, Riddle said. Bus capacity on most buses is 60, 67 or 75, although there are two or three with 45. “I believe it’s always dangerous to have people standing up,” he said. “But this year we have fewer standing up than ever before. We try to en courage the principals to schedule the buses so they don’t have passengers standing for very long. At least that’s safer than having them standing the whole trip.” About one-fourth of the drivers are adults and three-fourtha are students. Drivers are paid $2.47 an hour and receive both classroom and on the road training from a representative of the State’s driver education program before they become bus drivers. The length of bus routes varies from about 20 minutes in most elementary districts to one and three quarter hours to a school such as Pinecrest or Westmoore. Riddle said the size and density of the district determines the distance traveled and the number of standees. “Right now we need a bus for the Aberdeen area because that is where our main problems are with standees. The population is very dense there compared to other districts such as the one for Westmoore,” he said. Riddle explained that the state will replace any bus that has worn out but the county must buy the first bus and right now the county lacks the money to buy another bus. He said another small bus is needed to serve the special education students who attend the schools in Pinehurst. Students are picked up from all over the county for the han dicapped and gifted schools in Pinehurst. They have only a 15 passenger van to transport them in now. Riddle said state officials have said even with student drivers. North Carolina has one of the best safety records in the nation. Although discipline is always a problem on buses. Riddle said he has not noticed any more problems than usual and the principals do a good job con trolling the kids. He said they usually have most buses running (Continued on Page 10-A) All five incumbents made it into the top 10 in Tuesday’s primary for the Southern Pines Town Council, but if it had been a final voting day, two of them would not have been reelected. In the totals from four precincts. Mayor E.J. Austin and Michael Smithson were in a tie for seventh place. In the voting to whittle the list of 14 candidates down to 10 for voting on Tuesday, November 8, mayor pro tern E.S. Douglass, the council’s only black member, led going away with 886 votes, while the newest and only woman member, Hope Brogden, who was appointed to the council last winter, came through her first election a strong second, with 722 votes. In the third spot, C.A. “Mac” McLaughlin, a former coun cilman defeated two years ago appeared to be making a strong comeback with 689 votes. Fourth with 641 was Earl Hubbard, incumbent councilman and former three-term mayor, while fifth place was captured, with 623, by Jack Carter, a challenger from one of the newly annexed areas. Voting was light throughout the day, as only 1,262 out of a registration of 3,049 made it to the polls. The 10 surviving candidates, whose names will be on the (Continued on Page 10-A) Duncraig Post Held By Stone Dr. Robert Stone has become social worker-clinician for six boys and girls from 10-16 years of age at Duncraig Manor, and four of the emotionally disturbed youngsters are now enrolled in the public schools. Two others are being tutored in the home, he said Monday. Working with Director Harriet Harrison, Dr. Stone sees as his job the devising of treatment that will enable the Manor to put these children, that are disfunctional at home, at school or in the community, back into a normal pattern. That four are now in public school he sees as definite progress. The children now number six, with alternating pairs of houseparents, a cook, a secretary, a person for psychological testing plus a parttime psychologist. As many as nine can be cared for at Duncraig Manor, a former residence on 17 acres on Connecticut Avenue Extension. The children come from a 11-county primary area, and those from eight other counties can be accepted when there are vacancies. The children are not dangerous to themselves or others. Dr. Stone, a former counselor at (Continued on Page 10-A) id FULL BUSES — School buses in Moore County are full, with many students standing. But school officials say those standing are within legal limits.—(Photo by Glenn M. Sides).