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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
? VOLUME LXVII NO. 44 RAEFORI), HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA SS PER YEAR THURSDAY. MARCH 4 1976
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The warm weather for the past
two weeks has been setting records
for this time of year. New York City
had the highest reading Saturday of
66 degrees breaking a record that
was established in 1903. Many
other places reported the same over
the United States.
The golf course, tennis courts
and any other place for outdoor
activities were jammed over the
weekend and reports are that this
warm weather will continue for this
week.
t It will be hard to take cold
weather again, but if my memory
serves me right, March brings forth
more snow and sleet than any other
month in this county. So don't pack
up the winter togs yet, cold weather
hasn't left us completely.
The program at the Kiwanis
Club meeting last Thursday was
given by the Vocational Dept. of
Hoke County with Harold Gillis in
charge. The teachers of this subject
from Upchurch Junior High School
gave a very informative program
concerning their work with the
students at the school.
This work does not go into the
skillful operation of machines or
tools but acquaints the students
with the things so that they will be
prepared to take the full course
when they enter Hoke High.
This is one course that seems to
me that is well worth the time and
money that it takes to carry it out.
We still must have reading, writing
and arithmetic, but in this day and
time we also need to know some
trade or skill to get along.
Don't forget that World Day of
Prayer observance is Friday, March
t5. Go by the Raeford Presbyterian
Church any time during the day
and use it for this day. Literature
will be available and the sanctuary
is available for your use.
The annual Booster Club Golf
tournament will be held at the
Arabia Golf course next Saturday
and Sunday, March 13 and 14. If
you like to play tournament golf
and will be in town for that
weekend get in touch with Ashwell
Harward or Raz Autry and make a
date to play.
Don't forget the County Demo
cratic convention to be held at the
courthouse Saturday, March 6, at
one o'clock. This is the second step
on the nomination for president of
the United States on the Democrat
ic ticket.
Be sure to attend!
More details elsewhere in the
paper.
For all the basketball fans in this
area don't forget that the ACC
tournament is on for the weekend.
Ttie semi-finals and finals. Friday
and Saturday night, will be on
television. The tournament is being
played in Maryland this year and it
is ithe first time it hasn't been
plSved in North Carolina.
One reason this is being men
tioned in this column is to prepare
wives who don't like basketball to
either take a trip home to visit
relatives or go out and purchase
another television set. of course to
the wives who like basketball, just
forget that the above was written.
If Carolina loses the tournament
would you people that have been
sending sympathy cards and flow
ers to Hoke Drug, when this has
happened before, please save your
money because Mike and Walter
have stopped taking the game or
the Tar Heels serious.
Gets Yes'
The Hoke County Board of
?Commissioners officially endorsed
the industrial revenue bonus, con
stitutional amendment number,
two, and urged passage of the issue
which is on the March 23 ballot.
t The unanimous vote of the
commissioners came on a motion
from John Balfour during their
Monday meeting, who declared it
would bring in a broader tax base
from increased industry and would
not cost taxpayers anything.
150Jobs To Open Up
Burlington Invests $5 Million
Burlington Industries' Raeford menswear plant announced
Monday a five million dollar new equipment installation which will
create another 150 jobs locally within the next 60 days.
"The future looks the best it has in three years," Jack Bradford,
plant manager, told a group of about 12 dignitaries invited to the
luncheon announcement.
Bradford said the new investment will be primarily for shuttleless
weaving equipment. Some units are already being installed and all
will be in operation by summer, he said.
The added employment will be in both wage and salaried ranks,
and combined with the 450 workers employed at the Raeford Dyeing
Plant, will bring Burlington's total local employment to nearly 1,700.
Menswear division is a major manufacturer of both woven and
knitted fabrics for the apparel market, with headquarters in
Clarksville, Va.
"The new equipment is the very latest on the market, it's fast, it's
quiet, it's versatile and especially suited to our production," Bradford
said.
"We're already interviewing for job slots, and we'll be in training as
equipment moves in. By mid-summer we should have these units in
full Droduction." he sairi
BOARD MEMBERS DISCUSS BUDGET - Hoke Courtly School Superintendent G. Raz Autry goes over the proposed
budget for the 1976-77 school year with members of the Hoke Count}1 Board of Education at their regular meeting
Monday night. Pictured are: (left to right) Wilton Wood. Asst. Supt. J.D. McAllister, asst. Supt. Ernest Sutton, Autry,
Robert L. Gibson, and Dr. Riley Jordan.
Board Of Education Approves
Possible Record Budget
The Hoke County Board of
Education approved a tentative
budget for the 1976-77 school year
at their regular meeting Monday
night.
If approved by the Hoke County
Commissioners next month, the
budget, totaling SI,976,804.43 ex
cluding a total for the school debt
service, may be a record amount.
School Supt. G. Raz Autry said
the current expense fund is
budgeted at $1,799,304.43 and the
capital outlay fund was set at
$177,500.
He said these figures, made up of
local, state, and federal funds, will
be added to the debt service
budget, which can not yet be
compiled.
Autry made it clear that this was
not the final budget, but only that
the board of education had
approved it to be brought before
the Hoke County Commissioners.
The total for the current year
budget is $2,108,929.30 which
includes the debt service fund of
$105 717
Autry said he hopes to approach
the county commissioners on a
"one-to-one" basis before he met
with the full group because he felt
he could explain the budget better
individually.
In other business, the board
approved the hiring of June Dolan,
Arteria Osling. Sandra White and
Jesse Bratcher for lunchroom posi
tions in various schools.
A standard nutrition policy of
the state was also approved by the
board.
The final action of the board was
to go into executive session to
discuss personnel matters.
The meeting was reopened after
about ten minutes and was then
adjourned.
In other business, two members
of the SAE Club of Hoke High
School attended the meeting along
with their advisor in order to
observe the procedure of a board of
education meeting.
Autry and board members ex
plained the procedure of the
Ground Hog Was Wrong
unusual weather occurred here
for February, which made the
month the driest and warmest on
record, according to meteorology
buff Robert Gatlin.
The scant 1.5 inches of rainfall
was the least since daily records
have been kept, and only one night
of below freezing temperatures on
Feb. 23 is believed to have made
February the warmest February
ever in Raeford, according to
Gatlin.
Although no daily temperature
readings are made here, new highs
were recorded for Fayetteville
Wilmington, and Raleigh during
the month.
"The legend has been turned
around. The ground hog came out
on Feb. 2 and saw his shadow but
we will not have six more weeks of
winter". Gatlin observed.
meeting and how the board is
structured.
"We are a very congenial board,
more or less non-partisan." said
D.R. Huff, board chairman.
"Politics don't enter into it at
all," he added.
Demos Gather Mar. 6
The Democratic party county
convention will convene at the
courthouse at 1 P.M. Saturday,
March 6.
The officers of the County Exec
utive Committe and party chair
man will be elected, along with
delegates and alternates to the
Congressional District Convention
and to the State Convention.
Delegates at the county conven
tion will elect a member to the State
Executive Committee, and two
members to the Congressional
District Executive Committee, the
Judicial District Executive Com
mittee, the State Senatorial District
Executive Committee, and the
House of Representatives District
Executive Committee.
The Congressional District Con
vention will be May 8 in Lumberton
and the state convention is sched
uled June 12 in Raleigh.
Action Urged On City Blight
The city council agreed to nudge
owners of dilapidated buildings
and make a renewed appeal to the
A&R Railroad to clean up property
in the downtown area after a
womens group and the local Bicen
tennial commission declared action
should be taken to clean up
eyesores on the eve of the Bicenten
nial observance.
The appeal to clean up the
downtown area came during the
council's three hour Monday night
meeting from Iris Davis, co
chairman of the Bicentennial com
mission. and Eloise Carter, head of
the Raeford Womans Club steering
committee for Bicentennial Week
in April.
"The unsightliness is very ap
parent to newcomers." Mrs. Davis
told the council. She listed the area
around the A&R depot on Main St.
and Central Ave., and a dilapi
dated house owned by Neil Mc
Donald on Central Ave. as particu
larly unattractive in the downtown
area.
"We would like to see the area
cleaned up, even if it takes condem
nation proceedings, or whatever.
Those potholes behind Home Food
Market, we understand all that is
owned by the A&R," she said.
Mrs. Carter said she had con
tacted A&R president William
Formyduval and said he was sym
pathetic to the problem and prom
ised to help, but Mayor John K.
McNeill expressed skepticism.
"We've asked him time and time
again. All he's got to do is lease it to
us, and we'll clean it up," McNeill
said, referring to the railroad
property and depot, which was
permanently closed last spring.
Building and zoning administra
tor Bill Sellars argued against
condemnation, saying "it'll be 18
months before you get them torn
down," while Bicentennial commis
sion co-chairman Carson Davis, Jr.
urged vigorous enforcement of the
city code.
"We've got buildings that need
to be condemned and removed," he
said.
Mrs. Carter told the council
mutual cooperation would be more
desirable than the threat of legal
action, a view shared by council
man David Lovette.
"Perhaps you ladies have hit on
something, sometimes when govern
ernment makes requests, people
have a tendency to become hard
nosed. There's a good chance you
may get more cooperation than the
mayor," Lovette commented.
Three decaying structures built
along the A&R tracks which came
under criticism are not owned by
the railroad. Mrs. Carter told the
council, and the railroad claimed it
had no authority to tear them down
because the railroad doesn't know
who built them, she said.
Mrs. Davis urged the House of
Raeford Farms poultry plant on
Central Ave. be required to control
turkey feathers from scattering
outside the plant grounds.
Cablevltlon
In other business, the council
agreed to allow Raeford Cable TV
to use city hall as a bill collection
point and close their Raeford office
on E. Edinborough Ave., but was
reluctant to grant a two-step in
crease in monthly rates requested.
Charles Carter of the Cablevision
franchise told the council the
amount of business here did not
justify keeping an office open two
days a week, and said the move
would in no way affect service,
because the telephone number for
Afrinv iiDrcn -?
County Cool To West Hoke Fire District Proposal
County commissioners backed
off from endorsing the West Hoke
Fire Department's planned FmHa
loan, a request from the sheriff to
boost a secretary's annual salary by
$1,000. and a request for approval
of salaries for Sandhills Mental
Health Center during their three
hour monthly meeting Monday
morning.
The request from the fire depart
ment, a plan to purchase a pumper
truck and meet state requirements
for a 9-A rating, drew concern from
Chairman Ralph Barnhart and
Commissioner John Balfour, since
the amount of the loan is $25,000.
"How are they going to pay the
interest on that and still have
enough left to operate?" Commis
sioner Tom McBryde asked.
County manager T.B. Lester
said the current tax levy for the
district was $2,400, but by increas
ing to a four mile radius, this
amount would rise.
The board agreed to table the
matter on a motion from McBryde
until further details on the FmHA
financing could be learned.
Also tabled on a motion from
McBryde was Sheriff D.M. Bar
rington's request to raise the salary
of nis office secretary from $6,500
to $7,500. Four deputies last month
received increases ranging up to
$600 yearly after the commissioners
approved a similar request.
McBryde's motion calls for the
board to take up the request
again in April.
Approval of proposed salaries for
the Sandhills Mental Health Cen
ter. which Lester described as
conforming to a state standard
plan, failed when commissioners
agreed they didn't have enough
information about the costs.
"They're asking us to approve it.
and then they'll decide later what it
is we've approved." Barnhart said.
In other action, the board:
Formally approved a resolution
not to charge a tap-on fee to low
income persons in the area planned
for sewer extensions under the
application for community develop
ment funds;
Agreed to follow the recommen
dations of the recent grand jury
report and paint rooms in the
courthouse and carpet the Clerk of
Court's office;
Appointed McBryde. Balfour,
and Lester to the land committee
created by the city last month to
find a suitable tract for the
proposed new National Guard
Armory;
Set April 5 as date for meeting of
the Board of Equilization and
Review;
Received notice from state utili
ties commission that Carolina Tele
phone and Telegraph Co. will
submit proposed rates for Fayette
ville-Ft. Bragg-Raeford extended
area service request by March 19;
Approved a state request for a
hike in the county's share of the
Local Government Employees Re
tirement contribution from 7.09
per cent to 7.26 per cent;
Accepted a bid from Western
Auto in the amount of $589.65 for a
lawnmower for use on the county
office building grounds;
Requested Lester to obtain price
quotations on Venetian blinds for
the county office building offices
after hearing complaints about
sunlight;
Gave authorization for finance
officer to attend conference in
Chapel Hill and tax collector to
attend school in Chapel Hill;
Requested the state add to its
road system the Culbreth Road of
Hwy. 211 and route 1468 con
necting U.S. 401 and 401-B in the
Hillcrest community;
Okayed tax releases in amounts
of $447.63 and $2,852.24 for
deceased and insolvents lists, re
spectively;
Set an all-day hearing for April
13 and a half-day hearing for April
15 on the budget for fiscal 1976-77.
Tabled
A request from Jimmy Morrisey
that the county give United In
dependent Credit Union, a minor
ity lender cooperative, office space
in the old county office building on
W. Elwood Ave, was tabled after
county attorney Charles Hostetler
expressed doubts.
"The county, in the past, has not
provided office space to any chari
table organizations," Hostetler said
after determining the credit union
was non-profit, but not charitable.
Morrisey, who said the credit
union has assets of about $5,000,
told the board he had been advised
by Four County Community Ser
vices to ask the county for space.
Hostetler agreed to investigate
the possibility and report back his
findings.
Commissioners also tabled a
request from Raeford Auto Co. to
buy a small tract of land adjacent
to the civil defense office, and a
planned discussion of the evalua
tion report of the Council of
Governments.
Barnhart presented a copy of a
petition asking for Sheriff D.M.
Barrington's resignation which he
said he received by registered mail
last week. The board had no
discussion of it.
The next regular meeting of the
commissioners is April 5.
World Prayer Day
On Friday. March 5, Raeford
will join in observing World Day of
Prayer.
This is an observance that began
in the U.S.A. in 1887 and is now
celebrated in 169 countries to show
united faith among Christians. The
World Day of Prayer is sponsored
by Church Women United who,
this year, chose as the theme
"Education - For All Of Life.".
The sanctuary of the Raeford
Presbyterian Church will be open
all day in order that everyone will
be able to enter and pray and
meditate privately and personally.
Ladies from the Baptst. Methodist
and Presbyterian Churches will
welcome all who come, provide
them with a suggested Prayer
program, give them an opportunity
to sign a register of those who pray
and provide an opportunity for a
free ? will offering. The offering will
go to a fund used by Church
Women United for Intercontinen
tal Missions which is interdenom
inational.