275 Baptists Attend Annual Loyalty Dinner MURPHY ? A Urge crowd of ?am? 276 memberx of First fifftlfT Church ffttfwjHi the second irnul Loyalty Dinner In the High School Lundhroom here last Thursday night to launch a campaign to push this year's record $80,000 church budget over the top. First Baptist recently an nounced plana to erect a new church here, and pea tor Wil liam J. Thompson explained this week that half of this year's budget will go for the building fund. Keynote speaker for the Division of Stewardship Pro motion of the N. C. Baptist State Convention. Sit iter's flotc~%ook was O. J. Hagler of the Director of the The folk* who accept Feb. 2 is GounAog Day ?re*ure that six more weeks of bsd wesiher ire In store, because the sunny wesiher Sunday crested plenty <* lh^?T f?r, the little forecaster. Plerty of people hereabouts, how ever, still hold to the Idea thst the real, original Go*ffld hog Day is Feb. U, , snd iVe waiting until then for their predictions. TR Feb. U is also vslentine s Day, snd store windows sre full of heart shsped cards, both witty and mushy, snd many parties are planned for the loving day. TR 1 v I ! IWI What b* uv mi ? nMtini floor fall of iwlrllqg and ?round the jytu to n/ * vc m wwi Someone heard kin mum ble 10 himself, "man, l*W mad* It to the mountain*, bit I aura would like to find the (Coot, an bach paga) "If successful, this project cubei major stride In the development of Industry else where in the United Stttes. And frail what we have seen and heard on our tour through these mountain counties, we are extremely optimistic. At die meetings in Hayes - vllle and Murphy, Bell and other officials explained that the ARA decided six months ago to select one state in the nation and areas within that state having the smallest a mount of Industry for Its ex perimental technical assist ance program. North Carolina got die nod, with the project confined to a five-county area in the west and a six - county area In the east. diaries Edwards, ARA field representative for North Car olina, said the idea back of the program was to secure the services of a large group of technicians and engineers and make them available to these areas. To be on hand for the launch ing of the program Richard G. Schmltt, chief of the ARA southeast division, came down from Washington. "The ARA," he explained, "was designed to provide communities with the means to build its economy beyond what it is, and to go as far as a community wants to go. . "I hope ? and I feel ? ] that this project we are start ing will mean hundreds of jobs for you people here in West ern North Carolina and also provide opportunities for im proving income." Efforts will be directed by the technicians, Schmltt said, to provide a good diversifi cation of industry for the area. He said that within the ARA Act, there is some place to take care of every need to help develop the area and raise the living standard. Schmltt said that here financing can't be done at die local level, the ARA will be able to step In. All of the counties involv ed have come up with an over all economic development program, which will give the I technicians something to start I on. Bell said he was quite tm- I pressed with the thidkiqg and ? planning already done by the five counties. I The pilot project is a ter minal one ? it must be ac complished in the next 13 months. "Therefore," Bell said, "we cannot waste time. We must get projects underway at once. And we intend to do ?A H SO* The officials cited Clay for having the most detailed and comprehensive program in hand of any county in die South east. And there were Indications that some of the Clay County projects may be getting under way with the assistance of the experts within a short time. Iln M Hl|h Low Jan. 39 so ii can; Friday and fal? Sunday, putty apply u soon u possible, be cause both schools may begin as soon u Feb. 10, or at the latest, Feb. 17. He explained the reasons for the announcement and ap plication date corning so soon before the beginning of the schools as due to a hold-up in funds for the projects. Both were approved last October, but the funds were released only this week, shortly be fore the beginning of both schools. Applications will be re ceived beginning Thursday at 2:00 p.m. and will be taken through the end of this week and probably run on Into next week. Two officials of the N. C. Employment Securities Com mission will arrive here on Thursday to assist in taking the applications and screen ing the applicants. Applicants should prefer ably have aseventh grade edu cation or the equivalent. All materials and educa tional equipment will be fur nished to the students select ed for each school, and trainees will receive $34 per week sustalnance pay while they are enrolled for the 16 week course. Mr. Ellis stressed the ur gency of applicants coining to the Employment office hereby the end of this week. The Ashevllle - Buncombe Industrial Education Center Is responsible for staffing, maintaining and supervising both schools. A similar ARA school In leather crafts winds up a 16 week course InHayesvillethis week. Teachers for both schools and buildings where they will be held will be announced next week. Merchants Association Meeting Set MURPHY - A meeting has been called for Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 3:00 p.m. to reactivate the Murphy Retail Merchants Association. A letter has been mailed to all former members of the Association Inviting them to the meeting. Wally Williams, a past pre sident of the Association is heading the drive to reacti vate the groif). All businessmen who are interested have been urged to attend the meeting or to send a representative or word of their iisentions and feelings about the reorganization. juncan un .atest Victim Df Looting MURPHY - A break - u? occurred at the Duncan Oil Co. office here sometime Tuesday night, and thieves prowled through desks and filing cabinets before mak ing off with a typewriter, a Notary Public stamp, some |U In small bills and chaise and a small calibre pistai. J. H. Duncan said Wecbee day that he would not be able to determine whether or not anything was missing from the adjolnirg warehouse until an inventory was ramplamd. The thieves gained entrance to the office by prising opoi a small window and climhitng through* Officer a from the Chrrnt? County Sheriffs Department are investigating the tbeft, and SSt Agent M. G. Crawford will join die Investigation whan he returns from Raleigh this week. . The Notary Pittfc stamp missing belonged to William Hall, an anyloyee ? I the cow pany, and carried Ma name on