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The Hoke County News- Established 1928
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOLUME LXV NUMBER 12
RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
4 PER YEAR 10 PER COPY
THURSDAY, JULY 31. 1969
Around Town
Demand Higher Wages
BY SAM MORRIS
CORRECTION The Scout News in
last week's paper was in error according
to Mrs. Clarence Willis. The article staled
that Mitchell Sports was the leader of the
scouts at Camp Tom Upchurch for the
week. She states that Scoutmaster Sports
has done more than his duty for the
scouts hut that Ernest Haire had acted as
leader for the encampment.
Mrs. Willis also gave us a list of the
scouts that were attending camp. They
are Martin Best, Franklin Jordan, Randy
Waits, Wayne Willis, Freddie Parker,
Teddy Parker, David Avery, Steve
Wilburn, John Campbell and Neil
McNeill.
The inlormation for the article last
week came from Cape Fear Area
headquarters in Wilmington and we thank
Mis. Willis for the correction.
I guess this column will have to fold
after this week because D. R. Huff, Jr.
came and moved his wagon last Saturday.
Now 1 won't have anything to write
about, but this will let folks know I
didn't hold a raffle.
R. E. (Dick) Neeley, squire of Puppy
Creek, informed me last week that I was
as bad as a farmer crying for parity when
I requv .:.d vegetables through this
column. It made me feel good to know
that Neeley had someone read the
column to him.
The trip to the moon as stated here last
week will show in the future how great an
accomplishment it turned out to be.
I istening to TV Sunday Michael Collins
stated he would like to return to Hawaii
under different circumstances. He said
that in the past several days the
astronauts had seen many things, but the
beauties of Hawaii were something to
return and see. The trip to the moon and
outer space hadn't changed man's mind
concerning a lovely lady. I believe they
ctt. '' 'hen -! t the -ije, h ,aute that
Teijiaik shows they are normal.
The recreation program this summer
was very successful. Everything went off
very well, but as usual one or two small
incidents will put t black mark on a good
thing. The comments heard for the first
few weeks were top notch and then last
week one little incident happened and all
the good things went down the drain.
A few of the boys that bo to
recreation, or use that as an excuse to get
their cars, last week decided to use
Magnolia Street as a drag strip. They
would start from the parking lot it the
Raeioid Elementary school and go up
Magnolia to the Presbyterian Church and
return. Crossing the intersection it
Prospect is dangerous but skidding
around cars and people in the parking lot
is worse. If the drivers of the cars were
the only ones endangered that would be
fine, but many more are involved.
The funds for running the program are
donated each year through the United
Fund and are given to help all the young
people of the county have fun during the
summer. The supervisors can't be two
places at the same time. They are doing a
good job. But if the summer program is
to continue, then the ones that really
appreciate it should in no uncertain terms
put thumbs down on the few smart alecks
that are trying to destroy it.
As the old saying goes - It is too late
to lock the gate after the horse is out.
French Exchange Student
Returns Home Next Week
By Margaret Ann Lamster
The legend that Frenchmen are suave,
handsome and very poised has become a
fart to the members of the Raeford
V?
A.
PHI I IPPI I HI H THE A U
n ACQ fil trl
LABOR DISPUTE AT TURKEY PLANT - Leonard Frahm, plant manager, informed
the protesting employees that unless they return to work in 10 minutes the plant
wiukl assume thct the workers liave quit their jobs. Over 100 workers walked off
their jobs for two nours on Tuesday asking for higher pay.
Volunteer Fire
Departments
To Be Honored
Volunteer firemen from five Raeford
and Hoke County communities will be
honored at a dinner sponsored by the
Raeford - Hoke Chamber of Commerce
on August 1 5 at 7 p.m.
The purpose ot this dinner according
to Harold Gillis, manager of the Chamber
of Commerce is to "show the
communities appreciation fur the service
these men voluntarily give."
The dinner is open to the public and
14 4-H'ers Depart
For 4-H Congress
Monday morning found fourteen
anxious 4-H'ers waiting to leave Raeford
for the annual 4-H congress in Raleigh.
The fourteen youngsters attending the
meeting are Donna McMillan, Jimmy
Maxwell, Debbie Morris, Tony Stone,
Dale Jones, David Willis, David
Dombkowski, Sammy Young, Mike
Matlock, Barbara Plummer, Danny
McGougan, Joe McGougan, Debbie
Vanhoy and Tim Young.
Debbie Anderson, Hoke County's
senior Queen of Health, will attend
Tuesday's events which include the health
pageant. On Wednesday Ellen Willis,
home agent and Wendell Young, farm
agent, will attend some of the activities.
Mrs. Grover McMillian, senior Stonewall
4-H Club leader, plans to attend the
events on Thursday.
Three adults will accompany the group
throughout the week. They are Brenda
Abrams, assistant home agent, Joy
Crissman and Talmadge Baker, assistant
farm agent.
community after meeting Philippee
Marcell Piere Bertheau, Hoke High
School's foreign exchange student.
Philippee, the American's image of a
Frenchman, attended Hoke High last year
as a senior and according to all reports he
was enthusiastically received by all those
who knew him. In two weeks Philippee
will be going home and the citizens of
Hoke County are that much richer for his
friendship.
Although Philippee will not receive any
credit in France for his year of schooling
in America he feels "it was well worth
it."
"I've gained more experience in this
year that I had ever hoped to," he said. "I
have been very lucky."
Throughout the year Philippee has
been keeping a diary and according to
him, he now has well over 300 pages of
experiences to remember.
Philippee felt that the young people of
both countries were much (lie same. "It is
more in the older people where the
differences are most noticable."
Philippee felt that the people in France
were more individualistic. "There are
more diversities in families in France, I
think."
the featured speaker will be Elwood
Inscoe, director of Fire and Rescue
Training for the North Carolina
Department of Insurance.
On Saturday, August 16 from 2:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the departments will
give demonstrations on fire prevention at
the W.T. Gibson school parking lot. The
five departments involved are Raeford,
whose members will give a gas fire
demonstration; North Raeford, whose
members will be showing a ladder rescue;
Hillcrest, whose members will
demonstrate a barrel fill; Puppy Creek,
whose members will put out a smoke fire
with air packs and Rockfish, whose
members will demonstrate methods of
extinguishing a gas, Kerosene and fuel oil
fire under pressure.
Before the demonstrations the firemen
will assemble at the J.W. McLauchlin
School for a parade down main street at
2:15 p.m.
According to Gillis, the dinner and
demonstrations are taking the place of
the Firemen's Day competition.
The Friday night dinner will cost S 1 .50
and anyone interested in attending the
dinner is to contact the Chamber of
Commerce office for tickets.
Rural Cancer Drive
The Rural Hoke County cancer drive
ended last week with donations totaling
$776, according to Talmadge Baker,
chairman of the drive. The annual drive
uarted on Sunday, July 13 and ended in
the latter part of last week. Many of the
4-H clubs in the area along with citizens
throughout the county helped with the
drive.
"The social classes in France ire more
important than here and I social class is
made up more by someone's name and
ancestry thin by how much money he
has," he continued.
"Of course we have no racial problem
in France," Philippee said. "I think the
only solution to this problem in America
is education."
When asked to describe the American
that he had come to know, Philippee gave
the following description.
"American's are more materialistic
than Europeans. They care mow about
tilings than French people do. I don't
mean that this is bad, it's just the way it
is. Americans are also more realistic -Europeans
are dreamers."
"The spirit of the community is
something that is new to me." he said.
"In France we do not have clubs within
community. I think this spirit helps to
curtail any abuses I capitalistic form of
government, as you have, could impose.
This fall Philippee will begin college.
He is planning a career in commercial
advertising, which is a fairly new and
growing field in France. According to
See STL DLNT. Page II
Workers Complain
At Turkey Plant
Booster Club
To Meet Mon.
The Hoke High School Booster Club
will meet Monday, August 4 at 8 p.m. at
the W.T. Gibson School cafeteria
according to an announcement made this
week by Charlie Hottel, president.
Preparations for the annual feed will be
concluded at this meeting, Hottel said.
Floors
Markets Open
Prices Higher
The Border Belt tobacco markets,
delayed three days by a lack of buyers,
finally got underway Monday in a way to
gladden fvrmers' hearts.
Farmers averaecd 79 cent per pound
which is about $2 to S3 a hundred higher
than on opening day last year.
The Flue-Cured Stabilization
Cooperative received very little
tobacco-less than live per cent of the sales
at Lumberton according to Bob
Thompson, sales supervisor there.
The co-op operates the price support
program. When a pile of tobacco tails to
bring at least one bid above the support
price, it goes to Stabilization unless the
grower rejects the sale.
P.R. Floyd, president of the Border
Belt Warehouse Association, estimated
that co-op receipts might run as high as
15 per cent on some markets. A high
percentage of the receipts, he noted,
consisted of tobacco with high support
prices.
Sales were full on all Border markets -
Local Merchants
Plan Promotions
The Merchant's Division of the
Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce
met Tuesday morning to discuss future
promotions, according to Harold Gillis,
Chamber manager.
The members decided to begin the
"Back to School" promotion on August
14th and to continue it throughout
August and into September. A "Labor
Day Extravangana ' for the town
merchants is now in the making to run
August 29th through September 1st.
All Raeford merchants will be
contacted and asked to participate in
these two promotions.
Kfi- J. . v t V ?
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I I .Till I ,1 III .1.11
hORKFRS DECIDE b'HA T TO PO XEXT - A few of the more talkative worker that
tlie& next move in the woje dispute. Some of the workers complaining were high st hool
within the next few weeks.
Bach To Work For 3 Days
Awaiting Directors Decision
Workers at the Raeford Turkey plant voiced their dissatisfaction Tuesday alternnon
when workers from the packing and slaughter departments demanded higher wages.
Upon returning from lunch the workers refused to go back to their jobs until they
were promised higher wages. Leonard Frahm, plant manager, told the group that only
the company's board of directors could give the approval for higher wages.
Full
Chadbourn, Clarkton, Fair BlulT,
Fairmont, Fayetteville, Lumberton,
Tabor City and Whiteville - and they are
expected to be full for the remaining
three days of auctions this week.
Border warehousemen had attempted
to get the season under way last
Wednesday but quickly suspended sales
when an insufficient number of buyers
appeared. Federal graders were on hand
by order of Federal Judge Algernon
Butler of Clinton.
The crop in the border belt, now better
than 80 per cent harvested, is described as
a "good smoking crop," with thin body
and low nicotine lever. It is considered
one of the most desirable crops in years.
Heavy Rain
Hits Town Mon.
Although rain was in demand in the
Raeford area the cloud hurst that befell
the community Monday night was maybe
a bit to much. Around 5 inches of rain
covered much of the area and flooded
many yards when ditches became to small
to drain the areas.
According to some reports two or
three yards in the College Drive area were
flooded. Mr. and Mrs. Mike Pegrain's yard
was completely submerged alter the early
evening rain.
Robert Gatlin, who lives on Harris
Avenue, reported three and one half
inches of rain during the early evening on
Monday. W. J. Coates, of North Magnolia,
also reported three and one half inches
during this storm. The next morning
around 4 a.m. Gatlin reported another
inch of rain fell on the southern part of
Raeford.
.4
7
"1 promise you that I will bring your
complaints before the board as soon as
possible," Frahm said. "But if you
continue this we must assume that you
are quitting your job."
After talking to the workers about the
wage problem Frahm told the workers "if
you are not back to work in 10 minutes
we will assume you have quit."
Frahm then went back to the office to
await the workers decisions.
The group, which seemed to have no
central spokesman, milled around in the
parking lot discussing their next move.
Such comments is, "They can't push us
around" and "With what we get paid we
are working for nothing" were voiced.
Shortly after Frahm voiced his
ultimatum workers began returning to
their jobs. Younger workers, many of
them summer employees, voiced
opposition to the returning workers.
"You're losing more by going back -then
they'll think you'll take anything
they give you," was the reaction shouted
by one young man.
The workers felt that the minimum
wage now being paid was not enough for
the "lousy" working conditions they
were putting up with, although they felt
with an increase in pay they could put up
with the poor working conditions.
Minimum wage is SI. 60 an hour and
some workers felt that this amount
should be raised because of the
skyrocketing cost of living.
Some of the workers said they had
been asking for a raise for months and
"all we received were promises."
"1 can't give them a raise right on the
spot," Frahm said. "I don't own this
business. It's up to the board of directors
to decide on wage adjustments."
Frahm stated that "Raeford Turkey
Farms is paying as much if not more than
any turkey processing plant in the state
and surrounding area. '
"If they refuse to return to work we
will have to curtail production until we
can fill the openings," he said. "We
received no group complaints about
wages until this afternoon.
The majority of the approximately 100
workers who participated in the protest
returned to their jobs around 2:30 p.m.
This left a hard core of about 30 to 35
workers still holding out.
ground 3 p.m. the remaining workers
returned to their jobs, issuing the
following statement.
flTW do not get some action in the
next, three days from the board of
dfscctoft we will walk out again."
s i
walkej out at the Turkey plant discuss
undents who will he returning to school