North Carolina Newspapers

Jwdlson County Libre ry Mershall, N . C, 28753 A i-: ji U LAJ Volume 72 Number 29 . Marshall, N.C. August 2, 1973 H ot Springs Responds To Criticism By BOB TERRELL Citizen Start Writer Stung by repeated ac cusations of irregularities in the operation of its liquor store, the Hot Springs ABC board has made a strong defense of its operation to Dr. L. C. Holshouser, chairman of the State Board of Alcoholic Beverage Control. R. W. Ponder, chairman of the Hot Springs ABC Board, which includes T. A Russell and a Catholic priest, F Jeff Burton, refuted charges of nepotism, conflict of interest, and inflated salaries in a letter to Dr. Holshouser "We can't understand why they keep pushing this thing," said C. E. Anderson, supervisor of the Hot Springs ABC store in which he and his brother, Fred Anderson, are the only employes "Our house is in order." Ponder said "We know the laws under which our system is to operate and we enforce these laws. We have complied V ' '. t'.'" . , X t V ' iiimilt-Brnrwri 'iff 1 ' ' ' JUNK CAR REMOVAL VEHICLE for Madison County is now in operation and will be in the Mars Hill area next week. Anyone desiring their junk car to be picked up may call 689-2301 (Mars Hill City Hall). This continuous service is being sponsored by the Madison County Health Department. A complete schedule of junk car pickups will be published later. License Tag Office To Remain In County It was announced this week by Joe I. Morgan, chairman Madison County Republican Executive Committee, that an automobile license .Lag office wouki continue in the county in a geographically cen tralized location under the management of a local person who will soon receive two Helms To Lift Asks Beef Washington - U S Senator Jesse Helms R-N C l has called on President Ninon to lift the price freeze on beef Hrl told the President in a letter that many of the B.600 restaurants in North Carolina have had their orders for beef canceled by midwest sup pliers. "Dire circumstances hart resulted in the restaurant business in North Carolina," Helms wrote, "and I am sure, every other state " Helms said most of the restaurants in his state have about a seven day to two week supply. He noted that North Carolina has over 200 beef specialty restaurants that wiO have to dose when the supply on hand is gone. . He said suppliers havt In dicated that cattle producers rc withholding their cattle from the market awaiting the scheduled September 12 ttfUnf of the freese. That means that North Carolina restaurants may not be able te serre beef for weB ever a month," Helms told the President. "Many economically marginal Qrme WiS undoubtedly fail whOe under their handicap and more than twe hundred beef specialty houses will close absolutely daring this lit 1ms says this could lead to temporary or permanent 1 with the new rulings set down by the new state board and would now like to be left alone to go about the business for which we are designated." Anderson said he felt many of the accusations directed against his operation were purely political. "After all," he said, "we are in Madison County, and you know how many persons feel about Madison County. We're fair game for anyone who wants to take a political shot at us. But that doesn't make us criminals. We're trying to run a sound ABC operation here. That's all " On the charge of nepotism, which simolv means favoritism shown to relatives, Ponder wrote Dr. Holshouser: ' Being brothers has nothing w hatsoever to do with the fact that they work in the same store One brother did not hire the other. This board claims that authority. . . To state that brothers cannot work together weeks of training in Raleigh An announcement will be made later relative to the new seller of tags and where the office will be located within the county It was further stated that the economy of the county and the convenience of the public are fundamental considerations in retaining the auto tag office in the county INixon Freeze unemployment for at least 4,000 food workers I strongly urge you to exempt beef from the price freeze immediately and to classify it with other raw agricultural products under the Phase IV regulation," Helms told the President. COACHING STAFF of the Madison High School "Patriots" is pictured above. Left to rkht, Ronnie Wt!!!ti, John Fisher, Roy Yates Amnions, Head Coach; -Charles ToIIey an J C r.e Hall. Tee "Patriots' will open the 1973 season on August 24 against Harris High at Spruce Pine. ABC Unit in the same store is the same as robbing them of their constitutional rights." He added that "it is very difficult in our town of 1,000 citizens to find personnel who are willing to undertake the duties that have been assumed by our store employes." Ponder told Dr. Holshouser that he has knowledge that brothers and a father and son are working together in other ABC stores in the state. "There seems to be no interest from your board concerning these systems," he said. Concerning conflict of in terest, Ponder said C. E. Anderson had held the dual positions of chairman of the board and supervisor of the Hot Springs ABC System for 10 years until last spring when a ruling came down that holding both positions con stituted conflict of interest, and Anderson, like many other men around the state, resigned one of the jobs. He gave up the chairmanship of the board. "You have requested that the salaries of these two men be reduced to $6,000." Ponder wrote Dr. Holshouser. "This is absurd. In 1963, C. E. An derson began working for the ABC store as supervisor at the salary of $6,000 a year, and over a ten year period has worked up to his present salary (of $13,800). In 1967, Mr. Fred Anderson began working for the ABC store at the salary (of $11,400). "These men perform the duties of porter, warehouse man, clerk, secretary, book keeper, assistant manager and supervisor. They work without the benefit of sick leave, medical insurance, life insurance or retirement benefits. These two men are in complete charge of the operation of the store. They regularly work 13 hours a day, six days a week. We feel strongly that their salaries are a substantial savings for our system rather than out of proportion." Ponder said Dr. Holshouser had also questioned decreasing sales at the Hot Springs store and C. E. An derson explained: "One of the main reasons our sales decreased 30 per cent in 1967-68-69," he said, "was because the Madison County Sheriff's Department placed deputies at the Gulf station across the street from the ABC store and these deputies stopped and harrassed most of our customers. "Another factor was that Interstate 40 was opened, bypassing traffic around Hot Springs. Since that time, in the past three years, our sales have leveled off. Our sales for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, were greater than for the year ending June 30, 1972." Anderson said the Hot Springs store's sales decreased in May and June of this year, and attributed this "to the mess that the new State ABC Board has made by changing the state -warehouse." "We have not been able to receive adequate mer chandise," he said, "since February of this year. Our last shipment, Friday, July 20, was exactly 10 percent short Shipments before this have been short as much as 25 per cent. If you don't have the merchandise to sell, you'll soon be out of business." He cited figures to show that the Hot Springs store, since it opened through June 30, 1972, has made a net profit of $132,658, distributed as follows: $44,219.31 to Madison County, $42,008.39 to the Town of Hot Springs, $33,164.50 to Hot Springs School, $6,632.90 to Spring Creek School, and $6,632.90 to Hot Springs law enforcement. Also, he said, the state of North Carolina has received $247,958.76 from the Hot Springs store. "That," said C. E. An derson, "is the view from this end. We just wanted to get it on record." Holshouser Plea For Region B By JAY HENSLEY atizen-Times Staff Writer BREVARD Executive action to expedite Lead Regional Organization (LRO) status for North Carolina's Region B Planning and Development Commission was urged here and in Hen dersonviile Saturday as Gov. Jim Holshouser wound up his three-day "people's tour" of mountain counties. Holshouser made no promises about a specific course of action, and told one questioner he isn't sure the roadblock to Region B's LRO status lies within the State Department of Ad ministration. Transylvania and Hen derson are two of the four counties in Region B. The others are Madison and Buncombe counties. Asheville and a number of other municipalities within the four counties are also part of the state's Region B Planning and Development Commission. And of the 17 regions in the state, it is the only one that has not been designated as lead regional organization with authority to handle such federal funds as those coming down to local governments on a regional basis from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Those funds are now han dled by the Asheville Buncombe County Metropolitan Planning Board, and hostilities between the smaller units of government end MPB have tanned the f f v 'II' THE NEW DIRECTOR of Dr. Hough, Mrs. Logan Associate Superintendent Jones, COP secretary. fires of controversy at times. However, an agreement was worked out more than a week ago between Re.on B of ficials ai.d' MFV wuch ap peared to have settled that problem, and most observers since that time have insisted that the next step toward qualifying the planning and development commission for LRO status is up to the State Department of Ad ministration. A letter to Holshouser, along with a copy of the agreement, was dispatched the day the resolution was adopted. But the governor said Saturday neigher the letter nor the resolution have come to his attention "And I'm not sure that all the hangups are in the Department of Ad ministration. It's been a long time coming," Holshouser said of Region B's LRO status, and referring to the fact that efforts for it were un successful during Gov. Bob Scott's administration. Holshouser was replying to questions from William Primm at a courthouse stop in Hendersonville Primm is a Republican, and a member of the executive board of Region B Planning and Development Commission. Primm was urging Holshouser to take a personal hand in the matter and get the commission off the ground by ordering LRO status for it. The Henderson County official said past disagreements with Asheville's MPB should be set aside and a working relationship established "so we can go on from here. Our people are getting a little uptight," he said. Here in Brevard at the Transylvania County Cour thouse stop James W. Simpson sounded more than a little up tight about the Region B controversy. Simpson, a secondary member of the planning and development commission, urged the governor to take action in the matter and said that while urban-rural problems have been part of the trouble, politics is at the heart of the matter. He said the organisation Is now "working beautifully," ' end only "petty politics in jected by one outsider' is blocking final action. f Sbnpaon was referring Is State Sen. Charles Taylor of Brevard, who has been ac cused by others ot holding ap action en the request Holshouser told a reporter Saturday that the cbargt. acainst Taylor is false. - the COP poses with his staff. Standing left to right, Delaney, associate director, James A. Clark, of Asheville City Schools: Seated, Mrs. Zenobia Hears Primm had given Taylor a copy of the agreement bet ween Region B and MPB at the courthouse stop in Hen uersonville, and1 Holshouaer said when he gets back to Raleigh he will look into the matter. Mrs . Gentry Is Appointed To S. S. Board Mrs. Beulah N orris Gentry of Marshall has been ap pointed as a member of the Madison County Board of Social Services effective July 1, 1973. She was appointed as the fifth member of the Board by the other four members Mrs. Gentry succeeds Mrs Geneva James whose term expired June 30th. Mrs Gentry has previously wtrked at the French Broad Chevrolet Co as bookkeeper She is the wife of Edward Gentry and has three children At the July board meeting Mrs. Christine Stamey Keener of Route 2, Hot Springs was elected chairman of the board for the coming year Mrs Keener was appointed to the Board by the State Board of Social Services and has served five years. Other members of the Board are Dr R. Bruce Sams of Mars Hill: Knox Brig man of Marshal and Burns Cook of Route 3, Marshall. Recent additions to the staff of the Social Services Department are Donald F Harrell of Mars Hill, Social Worker: and Mrs. Jonas Chandler of Mars Hill, typist No Set-Aside Of Land For Next Year In order to assure adequate supplies for domestic and export markets. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Nats has announced that there will be no Government's set-aside of land for 1974. This win free farmers to go all-out to product feed grains, soybeans, wheat and cotton. This announcement wfH else . " permit farmers te begin '- making plans for 1974 crops. 1 .- Other effects of the eav r noancernent art -as foQowst L There win be no set aside of land in 1974 for feed : grains, wheat or cotton. S. The maintenance of an established conserving base will not be required as a condition et eligibility te uIlj D. M. ROBINSON, former Manager of French Broad Electric Membership Cor poration, has been selected by the U. S. Department of Agriculture to attend the tint National Rural Development Leaders School to be held on the campus of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, August 5-11, 1973. Mr. Robinson was selected from over 800 applicants because of his Interest In rural development and his leadership ability. He has played a very Important role In the field of rural develop ment In Western North Carolina, Including social, economic, and industrial growth which has effected the lives of many people In this Koad Meet Set At Oak Ridge On Saturday Highway officials and property owners along the Ivy Bend Road will get together at the Oak Grove Community Center at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 4, to discuss the condition of the four miles of unpaved road which extends from the Laurel Branch Church and Ivy River to the Jupiter Road in Buncombe county. There are fifty homes along this circuitous secon dary road as well as two churches and two school bus routes. Mr Jerald C. Fisher, a resident along Ivy Bend Road, is coordinator of the meeting AH residents who live on Ivey Bend Road are welcome at the meeting, Morgan said. receive price support or program payments. Ex ception: Conserving use requirements wiO remain in effect for CAP agreements which are not terminated. S. Producers with existing CAP agreements which conttnoe through 1974 and subsequent years wflLat their spoon, have the opportunity to terminal! aoch agreements. , ; Set-eside and conserving base requirements remain ia effect through 1971 "As we leers inert about the programs for 1974 we will let ear farmers know," said Mrs. NOa Mann, Acting County Cxecettve Director, Madison A3CS. COP Moves Into Fourth Year At Mars Hill College MARS HILL - The Career Opportunity Program will move into its fourth year with a new director. The new director is Dr. John M Hough, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Mars Hill College and one of the authors of the original COP proposal. Hough, an alumnus of Mars Hill College when it was a two year school, received his bachelors degree from Wake Forest University. He received both his masters degree and Doctor of Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Hough formerly was chairman of the Education Department at the Baptist related college, being named to the Associate Deans position last year As Associate Dean, he oversaw the entire admissions operations as well as directed the summer school and the one-month, one-course January Short Term Since the program started in the summer of 1970, 27 graduates will have earned their college degrees by this August. "We began the Career Opportunity Program with three goals in mind," commented Hough. "First, we needed elementary school teachers. There was a scarcity of elementary teachers at the time we began the program. Secondly, we needed people who could relate to the problems of inner city students and the third area was to provide aid to those who wanted to enter the program and thereby increase their own income as well as help us solve our problem." The students are employed during the regular school year as teacher aides in the Asheville city schools, Bun combe County schools, and Madison County schools, with McLeod Is Speaker At Historical Society John A Mcleod of Mars Hill reviewed the historical background of the western counties at the summer meeting of the Madison County Historical Society held on Saturday, July 21, 1973, at the Marshall School picnic shelter McLeod described the gradual movement into the western area of settlers and the motives behind the moves The first "free" group in North Carolina were the signers of the Abington Declaration which was signed on January 20, 1775. This became the Watauga set tlement The English and west European Origin of many of the settlers to this region is evident in family names, many of which have altered both in spelling and pronun ciation Mobility and in difference account for great loss of information on families, and McLeod urged families of this area to put to record all family history known to living members. Origins and activities or events will be lost forever unless those now living are willing to preserve facta. Historians encounter con siderable indifference today in eventi are that art important to history. Reasons for moving into the area that is now Madison County were varied: most were men of integrity end pride and were poasisstd of strong drive and ambition to make a good Mfe for their familes; some sought place safe from tht Conflicts of (he Org War (no battles were fought U tht arte and the wilderness provided perfect ' protection); tome were dmrters and came simply te hide set anta tht war ended. The stories ot Ue in these mounts Ins during the y- nf tht Civil V'sr nvVe rr- J for c(mnCf s voluiTrf $ no other area i more v an the tew. V 1 3 d-r on tw au"U:'" f.T ''' -z versions of -re o( t i ' -and incikr.U of search g f t six students employed at the Orthopedic Hospital's school. Model City has been paying the salary of the 32 students teacher aides in Asheville with the rest of the students' salaries being paid by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Since the students put in a full day during the regular school term, they carry a reduced academic load. However, they do receive credit for several courses while assisting the classroom teacher, and attend others in the late afternoon and evening In the summer, the students carry a full academic load and re. nt changes in summer schci allow them to carry more hours than had normally been allowed Hough was also excited with the addition of Mrs Iogan Delaney to the staff. "She is well acquainted with the program and its objectives," commented Hough, "and will being her experience into the program when it is needed most." That the program is working can be seen by the low number of drop-outs. "We've only had one or two fall by the wayside," observed Hough, "and none of these were due to academic problems." Hough attributes this to the fact that the students are older than most college students, more settled, and less likely to leave the program because of the benefits in salary and in the need they see themselves filling in the school systems. Superintendent W. P. Griffin has been extremely pleased with the results of the Droeram and has commented that COP "has provided us with excellent teachers in a most difficult area " the men who refused to go to war was well as stories of sacrifice and survival were related Existing written records are being sought for verifying others. Of interest to county residents is the fact that Mars Hill is the oldest educational center in Western North Carolina in existence. In conclusion, McLeod described the evolvement of county lines as they exist today and old ties that influence habits of residents today. The county organization was established "to preserve knowledge of the history of Madison County and its en viron and of the Inhabitants and to encourage, promote and assist the preservation ot historical sites, monuments, buildings, and to encourage appropriate marking of such places or things to sid the public in finding, identifying and appreciating them!" Members were asked to assist and direct families to provide "loose-leaf paper histories for the use of tht society. Tht next meeting of the society will be on September IS, 1973, st t p.m. at Wolfe Laurel when a study will be made of tht people and events who pioneered and developed that area of the county. Dr. Evelyn Underwood of Mars Hill to president, and Mrs. Prances Buckner, Route 7, Marshall. Is Secretary ". . Mars Hill -Receives .'b40,625.C'" si r. r - ! t hl t-n rv S'j-tr O f .'' - cf..-,.!CAt; I i r i i.t