The Kings Mountain Herald
Established 1889
A weekly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and published
for the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit of the cltiEens of Kings Mountain '
and Us vicinity, published every Thursday by the Herald Publishing House.
Entered as second class matter at the postoffi^e at King* Mountain, N. C., under Act
Congress of March 3, 1813.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Martin Harmon EdItor-PubHsher
Charles T. Carpenter, Jr. Sports, Circulation, Mews
Miss Elizabeth Stewart Society
Mrs. Thomas Meacham Bookkeeping, News
, MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT
Eugene Matthews Horace Walker David Weathers Ivan Weaver*
Charles Miller ' Paul Jackson
(?Member of Armed Forces)
TELEPHONE NUMBERS ? 167 or 283
SUBSCRIPTION RATES PAYABLE IN AiW^ NCE -
ONE YEAR? $2.50 SIX "MONTHS ? <1.40 THREE MONTHS? 75c
BY MAIL ANYWHERE
TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE
And not only so, but tve glory in tribulations alto: knowing that tribulations worketh patience.
Romans 6:3. ' . . " .
? ? ? ? ? ? . ? i . - ..
Business Outlook
With half of 1954 now ready for the
history books, there is a rash of review
ing of the first six months' activity in in
dustry and commerce coupled with the
inevitable guesses projected into the fu
ture.
Roger Babson, the economist who es
tablished his reputation for able econo
mic phrophecy by predicting the 1929
crash, published a detailed look-see
ahead, and, generally, thinks the pace
of business for the remainder Of .1954
will not be bad. Important to Kings
Mountain, he notes that sOi't goods have
continued to move in high unit volume,
though frequently at sacrifice prices for
both manufacturer and merchant. In
ventories moving out make room for
new goods. Further indications that
there should be improvement in textiles
in forthcoming months are slight firm
ing of prices in recent weeks for some
classes of goods.
Money is "easy", in contrast to the
initial hard money policy of the Eisen
hower administration on its inaugura
tion. Interest rates have been cut heavi
ly by the banks of large cities in order
to keep money in the hands of interest
payers, and insurance companies, with
their large cash holdings, have become
real "peddlers'' of cash.
Construction is heavy throughout the
nation, and has been the backbone of the
economy during the first six months of
" the year. It is evident in Kings Moun
tain, as a tour of the area will quickly
show. It includes residential construc
tion, commercial and industrial build
ing, and public works by city, school,
and state agencies. Construction mean?
payrolls and payrolls mean customers
for cars, window curtains, apparel, good
food and all the many aids to a high
standard of living.
If the textile industry emerges from
its recession which started early this
year, Kings Mountain will be -a prosper
ous community during the last half of
1954.
Is Southern Bell practicing the old
governmental trick of asking for much
more than it expects in order to assure
receipt of what- it really wants? As the
Utilities Commission considers the Bell
appeal on the 1953 rate increase, South
ern Bell has filed request to raise its
rates even more. Few telephone sub
scribers will know how, nor care, to ana
lyze the technical matter Of rate of re
turn on Southern Bell's invested capital,
but they are sure they don't want to see
their phone bills hiked. In Kings Moun
tain, where many people are chomping
at the bit for dial service, the company
can well expect more pressure for the
more modern installation.
Dividends paid yesterday by Kings
Mountain's two building and loan asso
ciations on savings shares for the half
year totaled more than $3G,000, which
adds up to a nice twice-yearly payroll in
its own right. Some of the money will be
- ploughed back into savings of one kind
or another, while some of it will enter
the local stream of commerce. The sav
ings totals of Kings Mountain citizens
continue to grow, reminding once again
that regular, systematic saving is the
only way most folk can accumulate sur
plus iunds. And that's the way a majori
ty of the shareholders of the two build
ing and loan institutions have amassed
their funds.
Congratulations are in order to C. D.
Blanton, Kings Mountain druggist, re
cently elected second vice-president of
the North Carolina Pharmaceutical as
sociation for 1955 56, an elevation from
his present position of third vice-presi
dent.
Thursday, July 1st, is deadline day for
getting the full two percent discount on
1954 city tax bills.
The City Budget
At first glance the city's 1954-55 bud
get appeared alarming to some citizens,
who looked with more than a little un
happiness at the total and the eleven
percent increase over the estimate for
the year just ending. It followed the.
news of a 40- cent increase in the tax
rate, approximating 30 percent oyer last
year.
It would be good if the city would pub
lish, when the budget is finally adopted,
its breakdown sheets on department dis
bursements, for a clearer picture would
be available to the taxpayers on where
the money is going, and it would also
diminish some of the cries of anguish.
The Herald cocked the eye at the large
increase in police department appropri
ation over the estimate for last year.
But a ch*?ck 'A the breakdown indicates
that the $48,000 appropriated, against a
request for more than $53,000, is not
"fatty" after all. Major portion, of
course, will go for officer pay at a maxi
mum of $250 per month. With 14 officers
on the force a year's payroll would be
about $42,000. The force could be cut,
but the officers now are on duty eight
hours daily, six days per week. In addi
tion, they are subject to call for special
duty ? in event Of emergency, funeral,
or other need ? on their off-day. Some
officers are not yet at the top pay scale,
but regular increments are provided for
longevity each six months. Actually, the
police budget increases only slightly ov
er the actual expenditures of the depart
ment during the year just closed, indi
cating the 1953-54 estimate was unreal
istic. ? .
There should be no complaint over the
$5,000 increase in estimates of expendi
tures for water and sewer operations,
basic services of the city which are
greatly needed in many areas. Some
bond money is available for these need
ed line extensions, but plant construc
tion will claim the major share of the
available .borrowings.. And were it not
for the available bond money, the puny
planned expenditures for capital equip
ment would be subject to criticism.
On its estimates of income, the city
may be slightly pessimistic on some
items. Powell Street aid should return
perhaps $1,(XX) to $2,000 more than the
$2T^XX) anticipated, and the $75 expecta
tion from parking space rentals will be
more than double that figure. However,
these are quite minor additions, in rela
tion to the total of $472,431.
One spot which looks shy is the anti
cipated revenue from street assessments
at $2,500. Of course, property owners as
sessed for streets tvhp don't mind the in
terest payments can take ip to three
years to pay the assessments, but sure
ly, with some considerable street-paving
mapped and other assessments on the
books, the receipts from this category
will be increased over the estimate.
At any rate, a budget is primarily a
work sheet and is subject to forced
change, either by uncontrollable situa
tions such as less collections than anti
cipated, acts of G<yi (e. g., last year's
water shortage), and similar events.
The city's books for the year ending
yesterday will show some red ink, the
city clerk reports. ,It is not wise for a
governing board to cut estimate figures
too recklessly. However, the administer
ing should be handled with a tight hand
on the reins.
A cordial welcome to the community
to Dr. James M. Lane, today joining Dr.
Paul E. Hendricks, the hard working
Kings Mountain physician, in the gen
eral practice of medicine. The arrival of
two additional general practitioners will
materially enhance the availability of
medical service, reducing the average
number of citizens per doctor in the area
served by Kings Mountain medical men
to 1,500 plus, estimating an area popula
tion in excess of 11,000 persons.
10
YEARS AGO Items of new* about Kings Mountain area people and events
THIS WEEK taken from the 1944 files of the Kings Mountain Herald.
Dr. W. S. Rankin, director of July 4th, according to report of
the Duke Endowment of Char-] J. G. Darracott, president of the
lotte, painted a gloomy picture of Kings Mountain Merchants Asso
the success of a hospital for Kings ciation.
Mountain at the Kiwanis meeting Social and Personal
last Thursday. Glee A. Bridges was host at a
Most Kings Mountain stores stag slipper Tuesday evening at
and business houses will be closed his home on Gold street celebrat
? " ? ? jr.y
i ?
Wv 1 1 ?. * ' - ' 1 v ''\9 * i;'"V < - " "y
ing his 50th blrtKday. About fifty
guests attended. ,
Mr. and Mrs. James Thompson
and son, Jimmy, of Bradenton,
Fla., are spending the week with
Mrs. Thompson's parents, Mr. and
Mrs. E. J. Stewart.
MARTIN?
M EDICIN E
By Martin Harmon
Ingredient*: bite of netoe,
urttdom, humor, and comment.
DtrmetifnM: Take weekly, if
poeeibla, but avoid
overdosage.
Sunday will be the 178th anni
versary of the signing of the
Declaration ol Independence,
commemorating the day when
a group ol idealistic mfen in
short britches and powdered
wigs affixed their names to a
rebellious document declaring
themselves and the people they
represented to be free and inde
pendent ol Great Britain, at
that time the most powerful
empire on the known face of
the globe.
wa-m
It had never crossed my mind
before, but the sttep was a dan- '
gerous one for more reasons
than the fact of fighting. Had
the colonists lost the war, as
was Imminent until the Battle
ot Kings Mountain four years
I and more later, each of the
signers may well have lost his
life as a traitor.
- m-m
Thomas Jefferson, John Han
cock, and the other signers
must have known the possible
result when they signed their
n ntes. It was a life-or-death
step, bred out of many incidents
and events in which the mother
country treated her American
subjects like red-headed step
I children.
m-m
Equally as important for the
generations of ancestors today
is the fact that the ideals of
these men have been met' In the
continuing history of the na
tion. The gradual evolvement of
the dignity of the individual and
his freedom to do as his con
science dictates, has been en
hanced by the years. There are
still those who seek to abridge
freedom, amend It, apply it to
special situations only, but thfey
are in the minority and few of
this kind of thinking hold pub
lic positions of responsibility,
m-m
But this piece was not meant
for serious philosophizing.
msn
Not too many years ago the
fact of Independence Day's arri
val on the Sabbath would have
been a source of grfeat disap
pointment to the great majority
of young folk the nation over,
and many older ones as well.
Independence Day was one of
great celebration, with flags
flying not only from evtery pub
lic building and store front,
but from almost every home as
well. The flags were of conven
ient sizes, from huge replicas
of Betsy Ross' handiwork to
tiny ones suitable for waving
by the smallest toddler.
m-a
Independence Day usually
was a work day for the politi
cian, almost every office-holder
orating in the sun in bombastic
tones. Community picnics and
barbecues, preceded by contests
of skill and dtxterity such as
catching the greased pig, pole
climbing, foot racing and horse
racing wtere the order of the
day. Some communities still
practice the city-wide celebra
tions. employing variations of
the old forms of celebrity, in
cluding fireworks and popping
firecrackers. In my day, when
a Yankee moved South, a dis
turbing custom for his thinking
was the presence of popping
firecrackers at Christmastime,
and their absence on July 4th.
m-a
Of course, my memory does
n't stretch quite as far back as
the big celebrations, but, as a
child, I remember my special
sizjed Fourth of July flag, and
I remember, too, the big family
reunions at Uncle Charlie Har
mon's home In the BeUlah com
munity, with loads of rich food,
horseback rides In the pasture,
and, wheg Frank Harmon's
dam hadn't washed out, a birth
day-suit dip in the delicious
waters of a cretek which was
making its way to Buffalo.
m-m
Baseball of some kipd is a
long-term July 4th feature, and
it was here In the days when
the Margrace team was cavort- -
ing successfully in semi-pro cir
cles with Zeb Plonk catching,
Skinny Jenkins at second bast,
Coman Falls, Red Ormand, B1H
Huffstetler and others lacing
enemy pitching.
One big July 4th celebration
I remember was a mammoth
barbecue for employees of the
Dllling mill, on July 4th, of
1929, at what is now Karyae
Park, I believe. I had looked for
ward to the day with keen an
ticipation, and pitched horse
shoe, ate barbecue, and drank
soda pop with the complete
abandonment and enjoyment
known only to the youngster.
\ Don Blanton, the pharmacist,
was reminiscing nostalgically
for the old-time celebrations the ?
other day, and wondering If
some revival of them couldn't
be arranged. Today, Indepen
dence Day means holiday, golf
course, trip to the bead), drive
through the mountains, or put
tering around In the' gardener
at odd household chore*. Per
haps times have dictated the
change, but many long for the
good old day* ? when celebra
tions on Independent Day
caused major travel only for
the kin and friend who had left
The Passing Scene by Lepper
a*.c
Am Travtuii Sor?1( MrviM
, ? . ~n r ? r ? I
*V? aaMiifl to bm kM o# a lltH? gam* widt Fred ? to far,
he'* been Ml by Connecticut, Vermont, New York and
Oklahoma drivers!"
Viewpoints * of Other Editors
WAR MAY BE NEARER
Ten young men from Stanly
county left last Thursday for the
induction center, and it is our
understanding that the number
going into the services each mon
th will be stepped up consider
ably in the near future.
At- the same time, quite a few
young men are being released
from the services each month, so
It is difficult to determine wheth
er the size of our armed forces is
being increased to any great ex
tent.
Certain columnists have been
saying in recent days that this
country may be at war within a
matter of weeks, and it is known
that our military leaders, are rec
ommending that we take a hand
in the situation in Indo-China. It
would appear to us that perhaps '
we have waited too long to inter
venfe.
Our leaders are facing a most
critical time in the nation's his
tory. The continent of Asia can
swallow up ten million of our men
quickly, and we can make little
impression on that vast area. The
people of this country know this,
and any military move now would
be far from popular. Thte Repub
licans spent a great deal of time
characterizing the struggle in Ko
rea as "Truman's War", and now
they are confronted with a need
to undertake an "Eisenhower
War" in southeast Asia.
No one knows what Russia
would do in case our sea and air
forces struck in Indo-China, yet
it is jyetty generally known that
Interceptor planes In strategic
points along our northern border,
and In Alaska are manned 24
hours a day. .
More than anything else in
these critical days, we need unity
in Washington, with Republicans
exerting the leadership which
they assumed when the country
sent Eisenhower to the White
House, and with the Democrats
offering the experience which
they gained through twenty years
in directing the nation's affairs.
The feeling of frustration in the
hearts and minds of millions of
citizens will swetep the Republi
cans out of Congressional con
trol this fall unless President
Elsenhower takes complete char
ge of his administration or unless
some terrible fate overtakes us
beforte the November elections,
making such a "sweep" unneces
sary. ? Stanly News d Press
THEY SHOULD SEE OURS
The American Mosquito Con
trol Association meeting in Atlan
tic City, which has long had the
reputation of being the unofficial
mosquito capita) of America, had
been told that Northern mosqui
toes are larger but Southern
members of the race are more nu
merous.
The Florida mosquito is cited
as an example of Southern speci
mens Inferior in size to their Nor
thern cousins.
Nothing is said of South Caro
lina mosquitoes, and apparently
the authorities nave not made full
and thorough investigation o t the
species in this State. We do not
claim to be a mosquitologist. bat
we do recall after a storm on the
coast seeing mosquitoes around
Columbia that would rival a hum
ming bird for size. ? The Colum
bia 7 8 . JQ State
PARTY LINE
Wf have often wondered Why
telephone companies designate a
single telephone circuit connect
ing several subscribers with the
exchange as a "party line." .
Now we know. . - j
; A party la defined aa: "A com
pany or association of parsons, aa
for social enjoyment." Yep, some
of the subscribers on a party line
certainly dferive social enjoyment
and bring into being association
of persona by this very means. ?
Marion FrojfWl
home firesides and wouldn't
have missed the home celebra
tion for any manner of been
WlMliiit. . ri' .. . > ,0
HOME TOWN VIEW OF
SENATOR ERVIN
In Senator Sam Ervln do we
| have a "conservative" or a "liber
al" or a "middle-of-the-roader" in
Washington?
Most North Carolina editors
have put the "conservative" label
on the new Senator, though some
have hastened to say that Mr. Er
vln is not so conservative as Mr.
So-and-So or Mr. Such-and-Such,
well-known conservatives of the
Old Guard. A few editors have
made Senator Ervin a Mr. In
J3etween ? to the lteft of Politician
"A" but to the right of Politician
"B".
What do the folks who know
Sam Ervln best think o fhim?
Listen to this from the Morgah
ton News-Herald, the new Sena
tor's home town paper:
"In a county which favored
Umstead's opponent in the guber
natorial race and which rejected
his earlier senatorial appointee
In the May primary, there's not
a man to be found but* who will
agree that the Governor demon
strated unsqrpassed wisdom in
the selection of Sam Ervin and
feels that by that act alone the
present Administration achieved
its highest measure of- success,
"The unanimity of rejoicing ov
er his appointment 1 6 the Senate
didn't come from an impersonal
or forced respect fdr ability. It
has a much warmer, friendlier
basis in the nature of thle man
himself. Sam Ervin loves people,
and they know it. His neighbor
liness and ready wit mix well
with a heavyi sprinkling of pa
tience to endear him to Morgan
tonians as an unaffected friend
who has nevter gotten too big to
listen to their most trifling trou
bles. ... '
I "In this atmosphere of small
town neighborliness, there has
been no need to try to classify
Judge Sam Ervin's political
views, and the current label of
" conservative-liberal" <or vice
versa), tagged on him since his
appointment, suitd the home folks
all right. They know he is a mid
dle-of-the-roader, being neither a
wild-eyed radical nor a mossback
ed reactionary. If pressed for a
classification, they would prob
ably consider him a little right
of center, * Whatever that may
mean, but they never had felt the
need for cataloguing him. They've
Just had the feeling that because
of his love of people the human
i race has nothing to fear from
' Sam* Ervin." ? SmUhfield Hearli
JUST ABOUT SHOT
We feel impelled to relay a
reader's comment on that A. P.
story that read:
"In Grand Rapids, Mich., a
grandfather and grandson were
watching a Jungle show on tele
vision when a tiger appeared on
the screen. Grandpa grabbed his
grandson's B-B gun. fired, and
ruined thle set He said he didn't
know the gun was loaded."
Writes the reader; "
"Never mind the gun; what
about grandpa?" ? The AaheviU*
dtium
\ i ?
Fat your best looks Soprani!
Yoh'll always appear to your bwt advantage whoa your
clothes are skillfully dry-cleaned by our thorough (but 9*u
Ue) methods. Colors retain that like-new sparkle and depth
... all of the original richness of the texture Is preeorred.
The result looks so much like brand-new clothes that only
Tour budget can tell the difference! Salute Pall with a com
pletely renewed and refreshed wardrobe. Look like a million
WEAVER'S CLEANERS
Phono 910 ? * 310 If. Piedmont At*.
The way kids pick up grime in summer you
really need a super-duper laundry to keep
clothes clean and fresh I Try our efficient
service ? prompt, careful and budget-wisel
Enjoy your own vacation from washdays!
DRIVE CAREFULLY
PROTBCT OUR CHILDREN
NOTICE: We Will Be Closed
July 5-10? Reopening July 12
We Will Appreciate Your Cooperation
i PHONE 1151 |
Finger Laundry
EVER PAT A mi TWICE?
r can bo lost or
raj /?A..-.:-:'5* 1
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