Murp hy Carnegie Library
Peachtree Street
Murphy, N.C.,.28906
4-73
r
United Fund Drive Is Starting Monday
The annual fund drive of the Cherokee County
United Fund, Inc. will begin Monday, according to drive
chairman Horace Cannon.
The local organization, voted the best in the State of
North Carolina last year based on its financial
performance, is headed by H.L. McKeever, president,
Lee Nichols and Horace Cannon, vice president, James
T. Gentry, secretary, and John Jordan, treasurer.
The goal this year, Cannon stated, is $32,000. Last
year the group raised $30,962.67 and gave substantial
financial aid to 22 local and 14 state and national
charities.
Cannon announced that James Tommy Gentry
would head the Murphy retail drive, H.L. McKeever the
county-wide Advance Gifts and Industrial Drive. At this
writing the chairman of the Andrews area campaign had
not been named.
Chairities participating locally are: Murphy and
Andrews Lions Club, Rescue squads. Boy and Girl
Scouts, Midget-Mite Football, Recreation and Christmas
Cheer programs; American Red Cross, Cherokee County
4-H Clubs, Murphy Kiddie Park, and others.
Each year the United Fund, through its Budget and
Appropriations Committee headed by FiC. Bourne, Jr.,
of Murphy, invites requestsfrom all local charities.
Budget requests from the various charities, accompanied
by a report from each chairty on its proposed charitable
activities and service to the community, are screened by
the Bourne committee, and the final budget figures are
then developed by the committee.
Every resident of Cherokee County is given an
opportunity to make one gift each year, which allows
him to donate to all of the charities involved. Each
person is urged to give his "fair share", which is defined
as "One day's pay".
The campaign is scheduled to be completed in two
weeks, Cannon said, with more than 100 volunteers
participating and soliciting pledges and donations.
The
Cherokee
Scout
14 Pages - 15* per copy
and Clay County Progress
Volume 81 - Number 11 Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 - Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina - Thursday, October 8, 1970
GOP Campaign Flight
>: Top state Republican leaders left
Wurphy-Andrews Airport early Monday
morning for an across-the-state
speech-making trip to Manteo. A hardy
band of local Republicans braved the
frost and early hour to see them off.
Left to right are state Rep. Bill Bradley
of Clay County, Senator Herman (Bull)
West of Murphy; State GOP Chairman
Jim Holhouser of Boone, Senate
Minority Leader Harry Bagnal of
Winston-Salem; Clay Cheriff Hartsell
Moore; and Charles White, Republican
candidate for sheriff in Cherokee.
Phone Workers Strike
Westco Telephone employes
in Murphy walked off their
jobs Tuesday morning as part
of a wildcat strike which has
affected all the company's
offices in Western North
Carolina.
The strike began Tuesday
morning in Murphy, Sylva,'
Franklin and Clayton , Ga. and
by Wednesday employes at
Marion, Weavervilie and
Burnsville had also joined it. A
company spolesman said 75
percent of the plant force and
operators were off their jobs.
Westco's contract with the
Communications Workers of
America does not expire until
June of 1971, the spokesman
added, and it contains a "no
strike-no walkout-no lockout"
elfcuse.
And he pointed out that
while the contract with the
union covers all the employes,
under North Carolina law they
have a choice and are not
required to join the union. The
strikers, he added, include both
union members and employes
who are not union members.
Two meetings Tuesday
between Westco management
and representatives of the
employes, both union and
non-union, failed to produce a
settlement. More meetings
were expected Wednesday.
The issue which resulted in
the strike is the manner by '
which a recent job vacancy at
the Sylva office was filled.
According to usual procedure,
where the company has a
vacancy it posts a notice so
employes can see it and they
can then apply for that job,
moving up if they are qualified
for ? better job.
On the particular job in
question, the company ays it
posted the required notices and
nrue of the employes who
applied were qualified for the
job. A person from Washington
was hired. Hie company is also
concerned because it says the
union is not sticking to
established grievance
procedures.
Members of the union say
that some of the employes who
' wanted the job were indeed
qualified and add that the
notices were not posted in all
the places they should have
been. Some feel that if they do
not strike, the company will
hire more people from outside
the system and their chances
for promotions will be reduced
harply.
With the operators gone,
telephone management
personnel are manning the
switchboards and callers are
urged to use the direct distance
dialing method where possible.
Fire Prevention
Week Proclaimed
Mayor Cloe Moore has proclaimed this week as Fire
Prevention Week in Murphy.
With the full support of the Murphy Volunteer Fire
Department, Mayor Moore urges that all homes,
businesses, hospitals, schools, churches and other
buildings be checked to determine and eliminate
possible fire hazards.
He says the records show that the loss of lives and
property due to fire in North Carolina decreased last
year but to keep the figures down this year, "we must
make every effort to teach the importance of fire
prevention."
Town firemen noted that Winter is the worst time for
louse fires as heating systems, after being idle during
the warm months, are re-kindled. Overheated stoves and
faulty chimneys are two of the worst culprits, they say,
in causing houses to burn.
STOMP THE
YELLOWJACKETS!!!
National 4-H Week
The 275 4-H members in Cherokee
jnty aire celebrating 4-H Week in a
pty of ways, these two Peach tree
!-H members working for the week at
vidence Hospital. Left to right are
Kathy Lunsford, Nurae Edith
Lovingood, Patty Little and Siiter
Fidel it, photographed as they prepare
supper trays in the hospital kitchen.
(Staff Photo)
Commissioners
To Check All
Tax Listings
By Wally
Staff Wi
riter
The Cherokee County
Board of Commissioners
Monday decided to examine
the inventory figure filed with
the state tax office in Raleigh
by every business in Cherokee
County. The commisrkinets
looked at figures in their
meeting last February that
showed major auto dealers
filing a large inventory with the
state office but a smaller figure
with the county tax office.
However, the commissioners
had taken no action against the
dealers, giving them several
months in which to make
adjustments. Monday they
learned only two dealers had
made any adjustment at all,
Burch Motors in Murphy and
Reece Motor Co. of Andrews.
After much discussion the
commissioners agreed that the
dealers are probably not the
only businessmen in the
county who have been listing
low inventory figures with the
county tax office and decided
that it would be unfair to crack
down on the dealers and let
other businesses go free.
The commissioners have not
decided what rate they will
adopt but indications were that
Cherokee County business
firms will be taxed by the
county at some percentage, not
the full amount, of what they
have listed in Raleigh. And
since the present board of
commissioners will be going
out by December, they Intend
to have the 1969-1970 figures
in band and make their
decision on the percentage at
the November meeting.
Commissioner Emogene
Matheson of Andrews, in the
lengthy discussion which
preceded the decision to send
someone to Raleigh for the
inventory listings, noted that a
similar arrangement is used in
Clay County. She warned that
such information is
"privileged" and not to be
printed in a newspaper.
Tri-County Tech President
Holland McSwain, State
Senator Herman (Bull) West
and members of the TH-Tech
board of trustees appeared
before the commissioners to
discuss financing the local part
of a building program at the
school.
McSwain said that Tri-Tech
has been informed that federal
Appalachia money is available
on an 80-20 matching basis,
currently $300,000 approved
for Tri-Tech. Hie local 20
percent which must be raised,
he said, is $75,000.
McSwain added that there is
a possibility that the federal
money might reach $400,000,
in which case $100,000 would
have to be raised to match it.
He pointed out that Sen. West
got $50,000 for the school
from the last Legislature and
this money is available.
With the state money
figured in, McSwain said it
boils down to raising $25,000
locally 4b get $350,000 or
perhaps raising $50,000 to
bring in $450,000. The money
will be used , he said, to put up
new buildings for the school at
Peachtree and "do away with
the prison look."
McSwain said he will also
ask the commissioners in Clay
and Graham counties for
money for the program,
although Cherokee bears the
bulk of financial support for
the school.
Sen West urged that the
county take advantage of the
federal money, saying "it is
vital to the welfare of
Cherokee, to help our people
learn a trade and make a living.
I don't see how we can pass it
up."
W.T. Moore, chairman of
the Cherokee commissioners,
said much would depend on
whether or not the counties are
able to shift the welfare
program to the state, thereby
having more of the tax
revenues available for other
purposes.
McSwain suggested that
money can be borrowed from a
state Literary Fund for school
purposes, the interest rate is
reasonable and the loan is
repayable over a 10-year
period. The commissioners
asked that he check about such
a loan and report to them at
their November meeting.
Dollar General
Store Opening
A new store will open in
Murphy this weekend, the
Dollar General Store on
Tennessee Street.
Mrs. Barney Henaley will be
the store manager and there
will be about three employes.
For the grand opening Friday
and Saturday, the hours will be
from 9 a.m. until 9 pjn. daily.
A spokesman for the
17-etate chain said the Murphy
store's hours will be adjusted
after the grand opening but
added that the store wfll be
open six days a week and may
be open until a later hour than
most Murphy businesses.
The Dollar General chain
owns 246 stores, as it does the
one in Murphy, and also
furnishes merchandise to
another 250 Dollar General
stores which it does not own
comdeteiy. It extends westward
to Oklahoma, north to Illinois
and is bounded on the south
by stores in Georgia.
One of the obvious
procedures of a Dollar General
store is that all prices are in
even dollar figures. There are
no prices of $1.99 or $2.95,
rather everything is priced at
$1 or $2 or two for $4 or three
iteni for $5, etc.
Another hallmark of the
Dollar General operation,
according to Cal Turner, Sr.,
who heads the operation from
offices in Scottsville, Ky., is to
fill the needs of customers
"shopping for bargains."
His stores sell a variety of
clothing, shoes, toys and
hardware and there are
absolutely no credit
arrangements, no lay-away
buying. "We don't rent out
money. We stick to buying and
selling goods," Turner said.
"We buy dose and make our
profit on mark-up."
pnW "eS?rt
Opens Frid?V
Inn Open
An Atlanta physician, Dr. Robert M.
Bretches, has purchased the Hiwassee Dam
Village and renamed it Bear Paw Resort, opening
a renovated restaurant there for business this
weekend.
Dr. Bretches says he wants to "try and
involve local people" in his Bear Paw Resort
Village. He says his crews will be renovating all
the cottages and the "first-class restaurant" will
cater to civic clubs, weddings, birthday parties,
etc.
The restaurant, to be called the Bear Paw Inn,
will open for business on Friday night, will serve
all three meals on Saturday and will offer
breakfast on Sunday and a big buffet noon meal
on Sunday.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Alex Pow, right, president of
Western Carolina University at
Cullowhee, and Cary Hall, head of the
federal Department of Health,
Education and Welfare in Atlanta, are
shown enjoying a light moment
together at the reception which
followed the dedication of the Marble
Mental Health Center on Sunday
afternoon. (Staff Photo)
Mental Health Center
Dedicated At Marble
A mental health center was
dedicated Sunday afternoon at
Marble and the people who had
a hand in it were commended
for getting the work done
themselves rather than
demanding that the federal
government do it for them.
The featured speaker was
Cary Hall, director of the
federal Department of Health,
Education and Welfare in
Atlanta, Ga. The Marble health
center is a joint project of the
Western CArolina University
Mental Health Center, the
State of Franklin Health
Council and the "We Care"
group of Cherokee, Clay and
Graham counties.
Hall commended them all
for their efforts in renovating
an old two-story house at
Marble, which is owned by he
United Methodist Church nd
leased at $1 per year for use ast
a mental health center. The
inside of the house has been
replastered, painted, carpeted
in some rooms and furnished
with curtains and furniture.
"The federal government
can help but it cannot solve
your problems for you," Hall
said. He congratulated the
volunteer workers, pointing
out that it was a local effort
and was not directed either
from Atlanta or Washington.
Hall said millions of dollars
have been set aside for
construction of mental health
centers, but added that as far
as he knew, only about $500 in
federal money has been spent
on the Marble facility.
WCU President Dr. Alex
Po? was also on the program,
speaking briefly to the crowd
of about 75 at the Marble
school auditorium for the
occasion. He noted that the
project has seen an excellent
display of cooperation between
all agencies and groups
involved.
Dr. Pow said the mental
health program has been in
effect for some time but
patients had "to wind their
way to Cullowhee for
treatment." Now some of them
can be treated at Marble, he
said, and it will mean the
difference between treatment
and no treatment at all, since
many could not make the trip
to Cullowhee.
Psycho-therapy group
sessions are being conducted
once a week at the center and
more mental health services are
expected to go into operation
there shortly.
Much of the speech-making
was in thanks for the work put
in by volunteer labor on
getting the house ready and the
donations of skilled labor or
materials by area business
firms. Mb. Cloe Moore of
Murphy, president of "We
Care" and Father David
Glockner of Andrews listed a
number of people who helped
on the project.
8,057
Register
The loose-lear
registration of voters in
Cherokee County ended
Monday, the total passing
8,000.
According to unofficial
figures, the Board of
Elections has registered
4,170 Democrats, 3,493
Republicans and 394
Independents to vote in
the November election.
That makes for a total of
8,067 registered voters.
On Monday, the last
day for registration before
the election, 235 voters
were signed up ? 113
Republ icans, 79
Democrats and 43
Independents.
Festival
Set At
Hiawassee
The Fail Music Festival is
set for the weekend at
Hlawaasse, on the pounds of
the Georgia Mountain Fab,
ponsored by the Towns
County Liona Club.
The event begins on Friday
>?*
night at 8 o'clock with
country musk show, I
the beat of ana talent.
be
tin merits nf i
There wtt be
ni
Fall Festival Headliners
Rosie Rozell, seated at right, sang
with the famous Statesmen gospel
group for 17 years and has now struck
out on his own, accompanied by the
Searchers. They will be headlining the
gospel sing which will be the final event
on Sunday afternoon of the Fall Mianc
Festival at Hiawafeee, Ga. One of the
Searchers is also a familiar face In thfc
area, standing at left, Sandy Davenport
of Blairsville, Ga.