?It Mist) Hon A fflcrru OH|ristmaa
The News ?*r 3rd
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON i901
82nd Year No. 51 " PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N C WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1983 1 5* Per Copy
SANTA CLAUS left his sleigh and
reindeer home and arrived in Mar
shall by boot last week. Saint Nick
distributed candy to children during
Friday's parade.
Hunt Blames Reagan For
Shoe Plant Closings
BY KOBKKT KOENUi
The Reagan administration
is responsible for the closing
of Melville Corporation shoe
factories in North Carolina ac
cording to Gov. Jim Hunt. The
governor charged the ad
ministration "left the
American footwear industry
to the mercy of unfair foreign
competition" at a Thursday
press conference in Asheville.
Hunt was commenting on
the announcement earlier this
month that the Melville
Footwear Corp. will close
down operations at its plants
in Hot Springs, Sparta, Boone
and Wilkesboro, N.C. and
Mountain City, Tenn. The
decision to close the shoe
manufacturing plants will
mean the elimination of more
than 2,000 jobs. Hunt charged
that the closings were a result
of the Reagan
administration's failure to
renew a 1977 trade agreement
limiting shoe imports. The
governor said, "The Reagan
administration could have
renewed the agreement for
another three years in 1961,
and the U.S International
Trade Commission recom
mended such an extension. In
stead. the administration
allowed the agreement to ex
pire. The shoe industry has no
protection whatsoever. Since
the middle of the 1981, the
country had been flooded by
import footwear. Imports are
up 17 percent this year alone."
Imported shoes currently
account for 65 percent of ail
sales in the U.S. Hunt said that
the closings of the three
Melville plants in North
Carolina will cut the number
of shoe manufacturing
workers in North Carolina in
half.
Hunt called for the ad
ministration to take steps to
protect the domestic shoe in
dustry. He told reporters, "I
think there should be some
f_
reasonable regulations. We
shouldn't be the only country
irf the world without any. We
need sotne lair protection for
our shoe industry or else the
day is doming when there will
be no shoe industry."
The governor pledged that
his office would work with
Melville officials to find
buyers for the North Carolina
plants. Hunt said at his office
had not contacted Tennessee
officials concerning the Hot
Springs plant. While the ma
jority of the workers at the Hot
Springs plant are Madison
residents, almost forty per
cent of the plant's 240 workers
live in Tennessee. "We
haven't contacted them, but
we would certainly welcome
any assistance they could of
fer us. Since the plant is
located in North Carolina,
however, the bonus of the
responsibility will be on us."
Hunt also mentioned recent
closings of plants in Sylva anc
1
Asheville. bul said he did not
think that employment had
reached its peak in Western
North Carolina. Hunt told
newsmen, "We're pleased
that the economy is picking
up, though we're concerned
about the growing national
deficit."
Hunt also disputed a recent
claim made by Lieutenant
Gov. Jimmy Green that he
was never put in charge of the
operation of state government
during Hunt's absences from
the state or during his
hospitalization. "There's
perhaps a little bit of
misunderstanding," Hunt
said, "The constitution pro
vides that the lieutenant
governor is the acting gover
nor when the governor's out of
state. It's automatic and you
don't have to do anything."
Hunt said that his staff nor
mally handles routine
business when he is out of
1 state on business.
The governor was also ask
ed his opinion regarding the
situation in Clay County and
whether he believed that the
governor should be given the
power to remove convicted
public officials from office
Hunt said, "I haven't studied
the stituation there enough to
have formed an opinion. It is
my understanding that the
sheriff there is still in office. I
believe that this is legal. A fin
ding of guilt is not final until
the appeals process is finish
ed. 1 realize that a lot of people
feel differently about that "
Regarding the power to
remove convicted officials
from office. Hunt said that the
general Assembly would have
to decide if it were necessary.
Hunt, who is still an unof
ficial candidate for the Senate
in next year's election, said he
would be happy to debate Sen.
Jesse Helms after the May
primary.
Hunt: Raise Teacher Salaries,
Return Discipline To Schools
North Carolina needs to
raise teacher's salaries and
reiratitute discipline in the
schools according to Gov. Jim
Hunt. The governor called for
increasing teacher salaries at
a Thursday press conference
at the University of North
Carolina at Asheville.
Hunt was on the Asheville
campus to attend a public
meeting of the Commission on
Education for Economic
Growth help Thursday after
noon at Lipinsky Auditorium.
In a prepared statement
read prior to the press con
ference, Hunt said. "To at
tract the best, I call for a
higher base pay for teachers.
To retain the best, I call for a
salary structure that allows
teachers to earn more as they
demonstrate excellence and
assume greater respon
sibilities."
Hunt called for a return to
discipline in the schools and
said he supported corporal
punishment in some in
stances. "We've got to have
stronger discipline." Hunt
said, "We need teachers who
will be firm and require
silence in class. We have to do
what it takes to operate our
schools and offer students who
want to study, the opportunity
to learn. We've got to have
principals who will back their
teachers and superintendants
who are behind their prin
cipals."
The governor added that
discipline was also a respon
sibility of parents.
Asked where funds for in
creased educational spending
would come from. Hunt said
he believed that additional
revenues from economic
growth could pay for most of
the programs.
Hunt said that North
Carolina was not losing poten
tial industrial development
because of the quality of
public schools, but warned
that the state could suffer in
the future if it did not make
improvements.
The governor said that
education would be a key issue
in next year's elections. "The
primary responsibility for fun
ding the schools is on the state
and local level. All policy deci
sions are also made on the
state and local level, and
that's the way it should be. But
a great deal of vocational
education funding comes from
the federal government, I
think there's got to be an addi
tional' commitment on the
federal level."
Commission Hears Suggestions
For Improving Education
Higher teacher salaries,
smaller classes and better
laboratory equipment were
just a few of the suggestions
Gov. Jim Hunt and members
of the statewide Commission
on Education for Economic
Growth heard from speakers
at a public meeting held at the
University of North Carolina
at Asheville Thursday.
The committee heard
reports from business leaders,
educators and the public dur
ing the four-hour meeting held
in Lipinsky Auditorium. An
estimated 400 people attended
the hearing and more than 40
audience members addressed
the hearing with suggestions
for improving public educa
tion.
Harry Clark, president of
Western Carolina Industries.
Inc., complained of job ap
plicants who couln't spell the
name of the high school from
which they had graduated, but
said the teachers were not to
blame. "The system has made
our teachers ineffective,"
Clark said. "Cut two-thirds of
the paperwork and get so
meone else to do the other one
third and you'll get some
teaching done."
Several teachers addressed
the committee and called for
increasing teacher salaries
and further limiting class
sizes. Many teachers called
for limiting classes in
NOTICE 1
I , . si
In Celebration of Christmas Day, THE
NEWS RECORD OFFICE WILL BE
CLOSED MONDAY, DECEMBER 26
Deadline for the Dec. 28 issue wW be
Friday. Dec 23 at 5 p.m The News
Record rtflce will i Tuesday
Dec 27 at 8:30 am
kindergarten through third
grade to 15 students and to 20
students in grades four though
nine.
Several public speakers sug
gested that the state found a
western branch of the High
School for Science and
Mathematics based in
Raleigh.
Mars Hill residents Smith
Goodrum and Julie Long both
spoke to the committee regar
ding funding for programs
benefitting gifted and talented
students Goodrum suggested
opening up programs for the
gifted to other students in
order to help identify gifted
students.
News Record Editor Bob
Koenig also addressed the
hearing, calling for a change
in the present system of
alloting teachers on the basis
of total enrollment.
College Dean ,
Former Coach
I Swap Charges
A conflict at the Mara Hill
poat office on Tueaday after
noon has led to charges
against two participant*.
Michael O'Brien and
Claude Gibaon. O'Brien ia the
of student development
| at Mars Hill College i Gib
"fi
at the school
cident. Cibson took out a war
rant with the Madison County
magistrate charging O'Brien
with assault by pointing a gun
Gibaop alledges that O'Brien
pulled out the gun and said.
Tin going to shot you" after
being confronted by the
former coach in the poet office
lobby
Questioned about the gun op
W ? . n told Ttie
\pws He. -i ??. "Aafnratl'm
News
Record
Goes To
25?
Newsstand and subscription
prices for The News Record
will increase in January, ef
fective Jan. 3, 1964. the single
copy price of The News
Record will increase to 25
cents.
The one-year subscription
price for residents of Madison
and Buncombe counties will
increase to $6.50 while other
one year subscriptions will in
crease to $9.50.
Higher production costs
were cited as the reason for
the increase.
Car Wreck Kills
I Mars Hill Teenager
A 16-year old Mars Hill resi
dent was killed Tuesday after
noon when he lost control of
the car he was driving on
Fisher Lane Rd. Robbie
Capps. 16. was pronounced
dead at the scene of the acci
dent. A passenger in the car.
Jeffrey Lane Flynn, 16 of Mar
shall was taken by ambulance
to Memorial Mission Hospital
in Asheville. Hospital
spokesmen said Flynn suf
fered a fractured leg. He was
reported to be in satisfactory
condition on Monday.
According to State Highway
Patrol Trooper T.E. Dudley.
Capps was driving a 1962 Dat
sun 280-Z at a high rate of
speed on Fisher Lane at the
time of the accident. Trooper
Dudley said that it appeared
that Capps lost control of the
car, which then ran off the
right side of the road and over
turned several times. Capps
was thrown from the car.
The two teenagers were
members of the Madison High
School varsity basketball
team. They were on their way
to the school for a game at the
time of the accident. Madison
High School officials cancelled
the Tuesday evening games
when they were informed of
( Continued on Page 3)
ROBBIE CAPPS
Weaverville Town Council
Honors Former Members
The Weaverville Town
Council honored two former
members during its Monday
night meeting. The council ap
proved resolutions honoring
former councilmen Robert. L.
Cheek and Bill Shope for their
years of service to the town.
Cheek completed his sixth
term on the council in Nov.
and Shope retired after serv
ing five terms on the town
board.
After approving the resolu
tions, the council also approv
ed m motion exempting both
the former council members
from paying town water
charges. Active council
members receive free water
service in lieu of a salary for
performing their duties. The
council also approved free
water service for David Bell,
the town'a former
for Cencom to assume opera
tion of the cable service on
Feb. 1. 1984
While meeting with Miller,
the council members asked
him about some problems
Weaverville residents have
reported with the present
cable operator. Miller said
that subscribers were sent let
ters asking for reports of pro
blems six months ago with
their monthly bills
Miller told the board, "We
tried to follow upon the people
who have had problems, but
apparently we've missed
some " MHIer said there were
some problems with a con
tractor the company had hired
to install cables to homes, but
that he believed the early pro
blems had been resolved.
Barry Babcock of Cencom
toM the council that his com
I declined to say which areas
would be included. He told the
council, "Part of the financing
plan for this system calls for
expansion. We're planning to
add quite a few areas. We're
not coming in here lean."
The resolution Miller sought
would have given the council's
approval to a plan to transfer
the franchise to Cencom.
Similar resolutions will be re
quired from the Woodfin Town
Council and the Buncombe
County Board of Commis
sioners. After some discus
sion. the council tabled a deci
sion on the resolution until
their next meeting, scheduled
for Jan. It.
Ben Clark was reappointed
to serve as Weavervllto's
representative on the
Metropolitan Sewer Board.
The council also approved
not order supplies in 1*1,
creating the low figure upon
which Sprinkle made his
budget estimate.
Sprinkle added that the town
currently has some $124,000 in
unappropriated funds.
The council also approved
the use of . $4351 in federal
revenue sharing funds for the
purchase of a new copier
machine for Town Hall.
Sprinkle said that the town's
present copier no kmgnr
meets the needs of the town.
He said that the town new
needs a copier capable of
reproducing from computer
printout sheets. The machine
will be bought throt?h a state
contract.
Weaverville employees