Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / May 30, 1941, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE ALLEGHANY NEWS is first in news, first in lo cal pictures, first in circu lation and first in advertis ing in Alleghany county. The Alleghany News A NEWSPAPER DEDICATED TO COVERING THE NEWS AND PROMOTING PROGRESS IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY SPARTA NEEDS NOW . . . an industrial plant, a mo dem howl, a federal post 1 V ’ office building and a civic club. Let’s go after them! VOLUME 2, NO. 16 $1.00 a Year in Alleghany County SPARTA, N. C., FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1941 $1.50 a Year Out of County PUBLISHED WEEKLY People YOU KNOW In Alleghany By Staff Writer JOHN L. JOINES Mention the name of John L. Joines in almost any group of in dividuals in Alleghany county and someone in the group will be bound to say, “Now there’s a really fine old man. You ought to know him.” But most everybody in this sec tion of the mountains knows him already. Mr. Joines, with his snow-white whiskers, is a famil iar figure to both *young and old. And he really is a fine old man. Back there before there were any automobiles and the town of Sparta was hardly more than a place on one side of the road, Mr. Joines was driving a team of horses across the rugged moun tains of Alleghany and surround ing counties, selling farm pro ducts to 'the families along hfe TOute: Disagreeable weather nevtr kept him from making his period^ leal rounds. In fact, it was often necessary to spend the night out on a mountain when the rains came and the mud got too deep for the wagon. Mr. Joines, in his youth, worked for quite some time as a carpen ter, but the greater portion of his life has been spent as a farmer and cattle raiser. Overshadowing his means of livelihood, however, has been his invaluable activity as a member of the Masonic lodge of Sparta. Having been a member around 50 years, he has held, at one time or another, practically every of fice in the local organization. "Without fear of contradiction, it is safe.to say that he undoubted ly is the best Masonic worker in Alleghany county. In honor of his great Work, a huge photograph of him hangs in the Masonic hall here today. (Continued on Page Four) COTTON FOR MATTRESS PROJECT EXPECTED SOON Cotton needed in the manufac ture of mattresses at the project’s headquarters here still has not ar rived, it was learned yesterday, and those persons holding appli cations, entitling them to material, are advised that the lint is expec ted to arrive certainly within the next week. Several hundred peo ple in the county have made mat tresses, and several hundred more are expecting to do so. Deadline for applications was April 30. falMtiMciiHni OFFICIALS CLOSE HIGHWAY NO. 18 Highway lg was dosed to traffic early this week prepa ratory to top surfacing the fin ished section out of Sparta; which Is nearly two miles long, it was announced yesterday. Officials of the state high way and public works com mission are in charge of the present work on Highway IS. Other work on the highway j was accomplished by the WPA. Another section to Galax is i slated to be completed and tea i if. for surfacing at an early date. Improvement on several oth er roods In the county is going forward rapidly through the use of WPA worker? and pris oners in the county. B.-.. USO Organized In County; Drive For Funds Begins Tues. Service Organization Proposes to Foster Morale Among Defense Workers. TRANSOU CHAIRMAN Fortified by the wealth of ex perience gained through their ac tivities in the last war, the six great welfare agencies of the na tion have joined their efforts through a single coordinating bo dy— United Service Organiation for National Defense—and an ap peal to the people of Alleghany county for needed funds will be made during the three-week per iod beginning June 3. Last weekend a county USO was organized with Eugene Tran sou as chairman, Rev. R. L Ber ry as secretary, Mrs. Marjorie Choate as treasurer, and Rev. C. W. Ervin as publicity secretary. A canvassing committee has been organized also, which includes a solicitor in every community in the county. t Agencies asked to cooperate in the program are the Young Men’s Christian association, the Young Women’s Christian association, the Salvation Army, the Jewish Wel fare board, the National Catholic Community service, and the Na tional Travelers Aid association. Meeting Tomorrow Canvassers whose names are listed in this story are urgently invited to attend a meeting in the county office and assembly build ing tomorrow aftemoop at 3 o' clock. At the meeting, the work of the USO will be explained in detail and suggestions offered to community canvassers, j The USO plans to expand the activities of the six agencies by setting up units adjacent to oampe, naval stations, apd defense indua tries throughout the United States and Its overseas basis, so tbjjtthe influence and comfort of the America^ home community may be brought to those who have been separated from their homes in the service of their community. In buildings provided, furnished and equipped by the government for the purpose, the USO consti tuent agencies will only fur nish their own community re sources for. the maintenance of morale. Their activities, benefiting not only the men but the women in volved in our national defense program, will include religious service; personal counsel and guidance; social events and en tertainment; group activities in dramatics, music and crafts; dis tribution of literature; informa tion facilities; transportation and other aid to service men on leave and other workers in transit. Mowey Needed To pay for these activities, USO has undertaken a national cam paign to raise $10,765,000. This amount, which is exclusively for their budgets for these expanded and emergency operations, will coyer the projected defense cen ter activities of the constituent agencies for a year. Alleghany county’s share in the funds to be raised is $125, but officials are hoping to raise even more. Following are the names of per sons, in each community, who have been authorized to assist in the campaign for funds: Sparta, (Continued on Page Eight) MAY BE DRAFTED Dent B. Pugh, ol Topia, who made an outstanding record at the Piney Creek high school from which he graduated in 1940, is one of the county’s registrants now in line for drafting in the near fu ture. His senior year in school, Dent was president of the senior class, president of the F. F. A. chapter and president of the Ep worth league at Piney Creek. Town Asks For Hearing With R. £. A. Officials Board Jf et This Week and Dis approved of Proposed Sale vOf Utilities Co. At a special meeting of the Sparta town council, held in May or Floyd Crouse’s office Tuesday night, the •benrd*'want on record as disapproving the proposed sale of the local power company to tile Blue Ridge Electric Mem bership corporation, which is sla ted’to become effective in July. It was pointed out that the Northwest Carolina Utilities has been giving the towns of Sparta and Roaring Gap excellent ser vice and that the rates charged are reasonable. At the same time, the board authorized that a request to the REA co-op for a hearing be made. Some of the important questions raised are: Will the REA expert the present town customers to pay a $5.00 membership fee? What will be the rates of the REA? How will operation and service be maintained? Suggestions of the possibility of the town buying and operating the local power franchise were made. It- was further pointed out that the town and county will lose a good taxpayer if the pur chase goes through. No date for the hearing has been set. The Blue Ridge co-op has agreed to buy most all of the pro perty of the Northwest Carolina Utilities in Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga counties for $170,000. It was also proposed to launch a $100,000 improvement program on these lines, and to maintain branch offices. The co-op is now serving around 500 farm families in this county and a total of 3,200 farmers in four counties. It is said (Continued on Page Four) British Navy Scores Big Hit; Nazis Fight Hard For Crete This week while tlfe attire world listened with interest to the vow by President Roosevelt thet the U. S. would deliver arms safely to England by any step needed, activity in Europe switched to the sea where Tues day, the British sunk the new 35,000-ton German battleship, Bismark after five days of sea warfare. Thus was avenged, in such a furious display of British naval might as had not been seen be fore ki this war, the'one great victim of the Bismarck’s short ca reer, the 41,100-ton British battle cruiser Hood. She carried 1,300 men and the German Admiral Guenther Luet jens, and her loss was the great est suffered at sea by the Nazis estimated At 18,000, enlarged their hold on a seven-mile stretch of plain around Malemi and Britain announced loss of two new cruis ers and four destroyed in Cre tan waters in history’s greatest air-navail battle. The Nazi invaders are constant ly being reinforced by new para chutists, but Britain also is rush ing up fresh manpower, while the fleet’s sacrifices have blocked German attempts to land from sea, the British said. The ships lost, all apparently since the war began. A like pursuit went on today for the 10,000-ton German cruiser Prinz Eugen, which apparently fled and left the Bismarck to fight it out all alone. Possession of Crete hung in the balance last night as air-borne (Continued on Page Four) Tax Books List 16,892 Head Of Livestock Here Valuation is $264,785, Figure Considerably Lower Than That of Last Year. BEEF CATTLE NEXT In Alleghany county thefe are 16,892 head of livestock, includ ing horses, mules, sheep, hogs, milk cows and all other cattle, with a tax valuation of $264,785, a check-up of the recap figures yesterday revealed. This figure represents 569 few er animals in the county than in 1940, and the valuation naturally is much lower. Last year there was listed a total of 17,461 head of livestock with a valuation of over $325,000. A considerable gain was shown in the milk cattle column. Listed for taxation this year are 4,465 milk cows, valued at $128,691, as compared^with 4,198 in 1940, val ued at $125,924. As for beef cat tle, the figure of 5,116 represents 288 fewer animals, but the valua tion is $141,183, as compared with $100,000 in 1940. Sheep showed a gain of 31 in number over last year, and an in crease in valuatipn of $1,416. The present number is 3,253, with a valuation of $11,039. Other livestock is listed as fol lows: horses 1,275, valued at $72, 223; mules 92, valued at $5,480; goats 939, valued at $939; hogs 1,752, valued at $21,052. Rabbits and poultry in the county number 23,116, with a valuation of $10,498. Dogs number 192 and are valued at $2,678. A total 'Of 904 motor vehicles are listed, with a valuation of $143,335. Those paying poll tax number -1,345, amounting to $2, 690. Acres oi land nsiea on ine books number 138,345. This land is valued at $2,736,014. Real and personal property is listed at $3H 891,719.: Average valuation of land per acrfe in the county is listed at around $19.00 GCCdamp Oets ' More EnroHees Welfare Department Sends 14 Young Men to Join Corps at Laurel Springs. With the CCC camp at Laurel Springs ready to operate with a capacity enrollment of 195, the county welfare department dur ing the past week has sent the camp a total of 14 men and may, it is understood, send more later. Accepted for enrollment last week were Howard Crouse, of Glade Valley; Don Dancy, Coy Mabe, Clarence Pruitt, Dean Tay lor, Laurel Springs; Clarence Mc Grady, Edwards Crossroads; Wade Miles, Cherry Lane; Ares Tay lor, Charles Whitaker and Ray mond Woodruff, Sparta. Enrolled on May 22 were Geo. Farley, of Whitehead, and Wayne Roberts, of Ennice. Bert Richard son, of Barrett, and Ray Tomp kins, of Ennice, were enrolled on Wednesday of this week. Altogether, the Laurel Springs camp was perpared to receive 28 new men on Wednesday. Glenn Richardson, junior fore man at the camp, stated in town this week that a new army camp is now being constructed beyond Spruce Pine on the side of the mountain. Five buildings are be ing erected. A large number of boys from Ashe, Wilkes and Surry counties were also enrolled. Last Rites Held For Mrs. Choate Prominent Resident ol County Is Laid to Best In The Joines Cemetery. Death came Monday morning to Mrs. Martha Jane Choate, 78^ of Whitehead, and burial was on Tuesday afternoon in the Joines cemetery at Whitehead. Services were held in the Whitehead Union Baptist church and conducted by Elders Coy Walker and Johnny Toliver. Mrs. Choate had been in ill health for a long while. She had many friends and relatives throughout this section of the mountains. / Surviving her are her husband, William Choate, of' Whitehead; four sons, Guy Choate, of Bel Air, Md., John, Joe and Greeley Choate, of Sparta; three brothers and two sisters. » U. S. Built War Planes On French Isle Scores of U. S. Built war planes, sold to the French last year when they were battling the Nazis, ate pictured in a meadow on the French island of Martinique in the Caribbean sea. Reports that an infiltration of Nazi technicians was al legedly taking place on the island prompted some U. S. sen ate leaders to suggest the taking over of all French posses sions in the Western Hemisphere, with the aid of the 21 other American republics. Record May Drought Doing Much Damage In Alleghany Draft Quota For June Announced As 10 Selectees Largest Group of Men Yet Called to Go to Ft. Bragg Next Month. State selective service head quarters informed the local draft board early this week that Alle ghany county will be expected to send 10 white registrants to Fort Bragg on June 11. Whqn these men leave, the county • will have sent 34 to the army through the operation of the i selective service program in Al leghany. Three of these have been Negroes. The quota for the coun ty until July 1 is 39. With seven volunteers having entered their names with the draft board, and one registrant expect ing to be transferred from another state, indications are that the draft board will not be required to conscript more than two men for the next call. In line for conscription are Wi ley Edison Mabe, of Furches, and Dent Bowie Pugh, of Topia. To date a total of 672 question naires have been mailed out to registrants, leaving less than 250 forms to be handled between now and July 1. The draft board is to meet again this morning and pre pare 100 more questionnaires. Next draft registration day has been set for July 1, according to Mrs. Robert M. Gambill, secre tary to the draft board. BIBLE SCHOOL BEGINS MON. Next Monday a Daily Vacation Bible school, similar to the one which is closing in Sparta today, will get underway at the Laurel Springs Baptist church and last until June 13. The school will be conducted by Rev. and Mrs. V. W. Sears, as sisted by several members of the church. Crops, Gardens and Pastures Are Severely Damaged. Rain Is Predicted. Continued absence of rain or moisture in Alleghany county is going to mean untold damage to gardens and pastures, small grain and other farm crops, County Ag ent R. E. Black said yesterday. “The situation Is really becom ing serious,” Mr. Black said, “and unless we get' some rain right away our pastures and meadows are going to ruin.” Moisture is badly needed f6r garden crops and small grain. Com also could use,rat& to ad vantage, but at the present stage' can withstand drought fairly welt If die drought is not too pro longed. Tobacco farmers are finding it impossible to set out plants in hot, dry soil. Hundreds of mountain flowers, now supposed to be in full blossom, are withering and dying. Hot weather remained yester day, but the temperature was not as high as on some days earlier this week. Breezes helped to keep the temperature down. The total rainfall during the month of May has been much less than one inch, which is a record low. Already it is estimated that' the hay crop has been damaged fifty percent and the productivity of pasture lands is said to be off about fifty percent The weather report holds out some hope for thunder showers today and tomorrow. JOHN COCKERUM HONORED SUNDAY ON 94TH BIRTHDAY Last Sunday John Cockerum, one of the oldest citizens in Alle ghany county, was honored on his 94th birthday by a group of 75 friends and relatives at a birth day dinner at his hime. Mr. Cock erum, though almost completely blind, is otherwise in reasonably good health. Rural Mail Carriers To Have Fish Fry Tomorrow Afternoon Rural mail carriers in Allegha ny county, their families, and state highway officials are plan ning to hold a fish fry at Cum berland Knob park on the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow after noon at 4 o’clock, it was an nounced yesterday. Ordinarily the mail carriers of the county have a banquet for their annual get-together. Carl Ir win, of Twin Oaks, president of the rural letter carriers associa tion, is in charge of arrangements for the affair. Mr. Irwin is asking'the carriers, together with special guests who have been invited, to meet in Sparta at approximately 3:30 and go to the picnic grounds from there. Following the supper, a busi ness session will be held, at which time problems peculiar to mail carriers will be discussed1 and new officers elected for the coming year. Plans were being made yester day to secure one of the highway commissioners as principal speak er. Twin Oaks Woman Passed Saturday Funeral services were held at the New Haven church last Sun day morning for Mrs. Mary Shu mate, aged resident of Twin Oaks community, who died Saturday morning following an extended illness. Although Mrs. Shumate had been ill for quite some time, she was still active around her home and could claim many friends throughout this section. She is survived by her Emory Shumate, of Library Changes Schedule During Vacation Months Mrs. Jones and Miss Wagoner Will Both Serve as Libra rians This Summer. PLAN STORY HOUR Beginning Monday there will be a slight change in the schedule of the Sparta public library for the summer months. This change will give the people of the county an opportunity to use the library more as it will be open longer hours each day. Mrs| Carrie Hamm Jones and Miss Madalyn Wagoner will both serve as librarians this summer. Miss Wagoner was the librarian at the Sparta elementary school last year and Mrs. Jones has served as public librarian for some time. In addition to their own collet* tion of books the library has a good collection of books from the North Carolina library commis sion and a new collection of 15 children’s boks belonging to WPA, but loaned through the library commission. The library is also adding new titles to its own col lection each month. An additional attraction for the young people this summer will be a story hour conducted two days each week by Miss Wagoner and Mrs. Jones. This will be held at the school building except to rainy weather when the library can be used for this purpose. Children between the ages of five and eight years will come on Tuesday from 1:30 to 3 p. m. and children from eight to twelve years are invited to come on Thursday from 1:30 to 3 p. m. A number of interesting things have been planned for the entertain ment of the children and all are invited to. attend. The new schedule is as follows: Monday—open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. continuously. Tuesday—open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. continuously. , Wednesday—closed all day. Thursday—open from 9 a. in. ?&S&S0KSl.. -.« 9 p. m. continuously. Saturday—open from 10:30 t« 12 a. m.—12:30 to 5 p. m. Farmers Urged To Mail Cards Letters are being mailed out of the county agent’s office this week urging the farmers to re turn the “live-at-home” cards which, when signed, express their willingness to cooperate with the agricultural workers council to the program to raise all food and feed stuffs at home during the re mainder of this year. Of the 1,500 cards mailed to farmers, only approximately 500 have been returned to B. E. Black, who is president of the council. “We want all our farmers to enroll 1n this program," Mr, Black said. “They owe it to our young men who are in camp." ANTIOCH CHURCH PLANS TO CLEAN fP CEMETERY Members of the Antioch church, together with other interested parties, are planning to meet there next Monday morning for the pur pose of cleaning the cemetery, it was announced yesterday. Tools needed must be brought along. During the remainder of tho growing season, members of the church are planning to get to gether and clean the cemetery on the first and fifteenth of each month. 4&/S SWELL BASEBALL WEATHER. IS GONNA CAUSE A HEAVY TOLL ONOFf/CE BOYS' F/cmmr grandmothers .. ... i j]jfcujti^' ^ sMii • t- NtyrA'$s~,i- ?^|z§
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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May 30, 1941, edition 1
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