Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
Tho figure for Greater Ting* Mountain I* derived from
rile 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The City
limits figure Is from the United Stales census of 1950.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
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VOL 66 NO 2
Kings Mountain N. C. Thursday, January 12, 1955
1 Q Pages
10 Today
Established 1889
Sixty-Sixth Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Rotan Assumes
Bur Mil Duties
4
Local News
Bulletins
PT-A MEETING
The East School P-TA will
meet Tuesday, January 17, at
7 p. m. in the school auditori
um.
AT MEETING
C. J. Gault, Jr., Kings Moun
tain appliance dealer, is at
tending a two-day meeting for
dealers of home appliances in
in Pinehurst this week. The
meeting is to close Thursday
(today.)
DIXON SERVICE
E. A. Harrill will be the
'speaker at Sunday church ser
ices at Dixon Presbyterian
church, It was announced toy
Rev. Pi. D. Patrick, the pastor.
Rev. 3L. A. McLaurin will toe the
speaker at services at First
Presbyterian church.
MOOSE MEETING
Regular meeting of Kings
Mountain Moose lodge 1748
will toe held at the lodge
Thursday night at 8:15 p. m.,
according to announcement toy
Curtis Gaffney, secretary.
BUILDING PERMIT
Building Inspector X W. Web
ster issued a building permit
Saturday to F. V. Webster to
erect a one story house on
Second street, at an estimated
coat ot $3,500.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The Kings Mountain City
Schools Board will hold its
regular monthly meeting at
at Central' School Monday
* night at 7 o’clock.
COURT OF HONOR
The regular monthly Court of
Honor for Boy Scouts in the
Kings Mountain District will
toe held at City Hall Thursday
night at 7:45 o’clock. A Scout
er Roundtable will Ibe held for
the Scout Leaders during the
Court. A Cuib Scout Leader’s
training course will also be
held at Central Methodist
church at 7:45 p. m. Thursday.
BEAM IMPROVING
Ben ;F. Beam, Kings Moun
tain life insurance represen
tative, was reported much im
proved Wednesday at noon,
following hospitalization early
Monday morning. Mr,. Beam is
receiving treatment at Kings
Mountain hospital for severe
hemorrhaging, resulting from a
stomach ulcer.
KIWANIS MEETING
Rush Hamrick, Jr., of Shelby,
will address members of the
Kings Mountain Kiwanis cluib
at their Thursday night meet
ing, to toe held at Masonic Din
ing Hall at 6:45. Mr. Hamrick
will discuss activities of the
Junior Chamber of Commerce.
The club will also see a sound
film covering the work of the
polio fund campaign. The
showing was arranged by
Charles Dixon, co-chairman of
Kings Mountain’s March of
Dimes campaign.
Alexandei Dies
After Home Fall
Funeral services for Willard
Alexander, 41, of Washington, D.
C., were held Tuesday afternoon
at 3:30 from Mt. Beaulah Bap
tist church, Wadesboro. Rites
were conducted by Rev. Eddie
Reynolds and .burial was in Bay
Spring cemetery, Patrick, S. C.
Mr. Alexander, brother of Ross,
Ray, Lloyd, Carlton, and Charlie
Alexander all of Kings Mountain,
died Sunday at 8:30 a. m. in a
Washington, D. C„ hospital of a
cerebral hemmorrhage caused by
a fall down a flight of stairs at
his home Saturday night. He was
a native of Chesterfield,.S. C.
Other survivors include his
wife, Mrs. Lula Alexander, three
daughters, one son, his father and
mother, Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Alex
ander, of Patrick, S. C., a brother,
J. T Alexander, of Hampton, Va.;
thrtse sisters, Mrs. Vertis Scruggs,
of Wadesboro, Mrs. Melvin Pate,
of Sumter, S. C., and Mrs. Joe
Shoreteno, of Columbia, S. C.
Belmont Native
Succeeds lathem
At Phenix Plant
James Rotan, recently assistant
superintendent of Burlington In.
dustries’ Mays plant at Cramer
ton, has assumed thfe superinten
dency of Burlington's Phenix
plant here, succeeding John Lath
em, who has resigned.
Mr. Rotan assumed his new
duties here Monday and iexpects
to move his family here soon.
Announcement of Mr. Rotan’s
appointment to the Kings Moun
tain post was made by J. D. Bar
bee, manager of the Cramferton
division.
Mr. Lathem said Wednesday his
future plans had not been defini
tely determined and hie could not
say whether he would be leaving
lungs Mountain or be able to
continue residence Were. The La
them family lives on Waco Road.
Supt. Rotan joined Burlington
Industries in 1947 as a manufac
turing apprentice at the Cramer
ton division. He subsequently ad
vanced through several manufac
turing positions and became ad
ministrative assistant on the divi
sion managers’ staff in 1953. He
became assistant superintendent
o the Mays spinning plant in
lbr.L
A native of Belmont, Rotan at
tended Cramerton High School
and was graduated from N. C.
State Textile School in 1947 w’ith
a degree in textile manufacturing.
During World War II he spent
three years in ,the Navy engineer
corps, emerging with the rank of
Lieutenant, Junior grade. He is
married to the former Avalona
Carter and they have two child
ren, Nancy, 7, and John, 3.
Burlington’s Phenix plant is a
yarn producing mill, manufactur
ing 10 to 30 . count yams.
Fire levels Old
City landmark
An old Kings Mountain land
makr was razed toy fire around
noon Wednesday,.
Fire leveled the East King
street residence of Mr. and Mrs.
Alec Gordon, a Negro family.
The residence, popularly known
at the Hagood place, was owned
by Dr. L. P. Baker and the J. O.
Plonk Estate.
Built some 50 years ago toy the
late Boyce Falls, the property was
subsequently acquired toy Louis
Hagood, onetime Kings Moun
tain banker. It was at that time
one of the community’s finer res
idences.
Cause of the fire had not been
determined. Loree Gordon, 16,
discovered the fire in the back
of the house. She turned in the
jlarm, tout city firemen were un
able to prevent total destriction
of the aged frame dwelling.
Fire Chief Pat Tignor said he
learned that $1,500 in fire insur
ance was carried on the house.
Several other calls were ans
wered this week to extinguish
grass fires. Thursday, grass fires
were extinguished on East Moun
tain street, Shelby road, and Ju
niper street, Saturday, on Church
street, Sunday, on Cleveland av
enue, and Monday, on Linwood
road.
rawNOHMVW!
300ST DIMES DBIVE — Pictured above is the soda fountain staff
of Griffin Drug Store, credited by March of Dimes Co-Chairman
Charles H. Dixon as doing a bang-up job in filling the March of
Dimes card shown. By Wednesday morning, the three had tilled the
card seven times for a total of $70, and they anticipated another fill
ing by the end of the day. Left to right are Mrs. Lonnie LowTance,
Mrs. George Ha&irick and Mrs. Herbert Kimmell.
Polio Campaign
Fifth Completed
Legion, laycee
Dimes Projects
Return $595.81
Kings Mountain’s 1956 March
ol Dimes campaign—now a week
old was reported one-fifth com
pleted Wednesday.
Co-Chairman Charles H. Dixon
placed round-figure receipts at
$1,000 against the $5,000 quota
for the Kings Mountain area.
Mr. Dixon had high praise for
the American Legion, Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts, who collaborated
in Saturday’s “blut crutch" sale
and provided $415 for the fund
to fight polio. He also praised the
Kings Mountain Junior Chamber
of Commerce for its work in col
lecting $180.81 on Sunday in the
Jaycee March of Dimes “road
block.”
“We’ve madte a good start, but
we have a long way to go,” he
noted.
Upcoming is a week’s receipts
from the city’s on-street parking
meters, compliments of the city,
and the Kings Mountain Lions
club is beginning its canvas of the
city’s business firms. Also under
way is the industrial solicitation,
under the direction of Campaign
Continued On Page Ten
McElroy Little Hurt
In Car-Cycle Crash
Michael McElroy, 11, received
first aid treatment at Kings
Mountain h os p i t a 1 Saturday
morning for slight Injuries suf
fered when he jumped from his
bicycle just before it was struck
by a car on Waco road.
Police stated the boy, son of
Rev. and Mrs. H. G. McElroy,
rode the bicycle from behind
Community Grocery, into the
path of an oncoming car.
Police listted Jonas Andy Bell,
of route 3, as operator of the
1950 Chevrolet which struck the
bicycle. The bike was reported a
total loss.
Financial Firms
Assets $8,781,313
Assets of Kings Mountain’s
thrtee financial institutions jum
ped to $8,761,313.87 at December
31, annual financial statements
at December 31 revealed this
week.
Each of the statements are
published, as legally required,
, in today’s edition of the Herald
First National Bank showed
total assets of $5,057,659.70.
Home Building & Loan asso
ciation showed total assets of
$2,022,776.76.
Kings Mountain Building &
Loan association listed • total
assets of $1,680,877.76.
For teach institution, the to
tal represents a large gain over
the figure at December 31,1954.
Coialee To Go
Into Operation
Coralee Fabrics, the expanding
knitting tenterprise of Craftspun
Yarns, Inc., will be an operating
plant next week, Craftspun Pre
sident C. H. Swan, Jr., said Wed
nesday.
Machinery is now being moved
into the former Kings Mountain
Laundry building on Childers
stretet, part of which has been
leased for the new operation.
John Chaney, who has served
as superintendent of the pilot
plant operations in the Craftspun
recrteation rooms, will continue
in the same capacity with Coralee,
Mr. Swan announced.
General offices will be main
tained at the Craftspun plant on
Linwood Road, Mr. Swan added.
METER RECEIPTS
City parking meter receipts
for the week ending noon, Wed
nesday totaled $182.65, accord^
ing to Gene Mitcham, city
clerk. Street meters returned
$157.53 of this amount and off
street meters accounted for
$25.12, Mitcham reported.
Summers Optimistic For ’56
“Business conditions for the
year 1956 will continue good,” F.
R. Summers, president of First
National Bank, told stockholders
Tuesday in his report at the an
nual meeting of stockholders.
Mr. Summers acknowledged
“there may be some letup in
spots,” but was generally optimis
tic for the ensuing 12-month pe
riod.
A large number of stockholders
gathered at the bank for the 55th
annual meeting, with bank offi
cials reporting 80 percent of the
10,000 shares of stock represent
ed, either in person or by proxy.
Following the reports, the
stockholders re-elected all direc
tors who are Mr. Summers, Dr.
L. P. Baker, G. A. Bridges, W. K.
Mauney, R. L. Mauney, B. S.
Neill, P. M. Neisler and M. A.
Ware.
Following the stockholders
session, the directors met and re
elected Mr. Summers president,
Mr. Neill executive victe-president,
R. L, Mauney vice-president, R.
S. Lennon vice-president and
cashier, and James C. McKinntey,
Mrs. Helen R. Blanton and Wil
liam G. Jonas, assistant cashiers.
In his report, Mr. Summers re
ported the outlook is for continu
ed steady textile operations here,
for further expansion of this bas
ic industry, and also called atten
tion to the large recent expansion
of the mining industry in the
Kings Mountain area. He predict
ed further expansions of this in
dustry.
He reported that the bank dur
ing, calendar year 1955, made 2,
343 loans in its installment “per
sonal” loan department, and an
additional 3,268 loans to farmers,
merchants and manufacturers.
During the year, the bank made
110 construction loans.
During 1955, the bank cleared
more than 900,000 checks of an
aggregate value of $72 millions.
During 1955, the bank had net
Income before dividends of $27,
742. 86, up from the $25,798.55 of
1954. Per share earnings wfere
$2.77, compared to $2.58 in 1954.
In each year, the bank paid its
stockholders $10,000 in dividends,
or $1 per share.
Total assets at the year tend
were $5,057,659.70, a gain of more
than $800,000 from the 1954 year
end figure, and capital, surplus
and undividened profits had risen
to $348,656.29, up nearly $16,000
over the previous year-end. Mean
time, reserve for bad debts had
risen to $19,458.51. Deposits at
year-end totaled $4,556,276.69.
The Summers report showed
that the bank’s gross earnings
were derived as follows: 62.2 per
cent from interest on loans, 24.4
percent from interest on invest
ments, and 13.4 percent from mis
cellaneous sources.
Of the total, salaries and wages
claimed 41 percent, .20.7 percent
dividends claimed 7.4 percent, tax
es eight percent, insurance requir.
ed 4.4 percent, and depreciation
three percent. Other expenses
took 10.5 percent.
Launch Major
Foreclosure,
Garnishment,
Levying Mapped
A drive—with teeth—to collect
all delinquent taxes for 1954 and
prior years will be launched by
the city February 1, Clarence E.
Carpenter, city tax supervisor,
said Wednesday.
Mr. Carpenter said he had in
structions from the board of city
commissioners to proceed to col
lect all overdue taxes by what
ever legal means proved feasible
Mr. Carpenter said he would
proceed February 1:
1) To garnishee wages to ob
tain payment of deliquent person
al property taxes;
2) To levy on'personal proper
ty to obtain payment where gar
nishment was not feasible; and
3) To foreclose on real estate
for deliquent realty taxes.
Mr. Carpenter noted that 1955
tax bills were due net on October
1 and are payable net through
February 1. On February 2, penal
ty of one percent applies to un
paid 1955 tax accounts. State law
provides further penalty of an
additional one percent in March,
and added penalties of one-half of
one percent per month until the
accounts are paid.
"I want to urge all citizens to
pay their accounts prior to Feb
ruary 1, whether they are for
prior years or for 1955,” Mr.
Carpfenter stated "Prompt pay
ment will save the taxpayers
money.”
Building Permits
Totaled §928,750
The City of Kings Mountain is
sued building permits during 1955
at an aggregate value of $926,
750, Building Inspector J. W. Web
sfer reported this week.
Mr. Webster listed the building
permit purchases as follows:
70 residences valued at $480,
000;
15 additions and alterations val
ued at $19,850;
4 garages valued at $2,400;
7 commercial and public build
ings valued at $424,500.
Public buildings for which per.
mits were purchased included the
new North elementary school and
the major addition to Kings
Mountain hospital.
Permits issued for new com
mercial and industrial establish
ments included those for the new
Kings Mountain Herald building,
Gault Brothers Grocery, the new
A&P Super Market, and large
additions to Mauney Mills (to
house Carolina Throwing Com
pany) and Slater Manufacturing
Company.
Mrs. J. 7. Gamble
Rites Thursday
Funeral services will be held
Thursday at 3 p. m. at Garrison
Memorial ARP church $or Mrs.
Ida Oates Gamble, 83, prominent
Bessemer City woman, and moth
er of several Kings Mountain
citizens, who died at hter home on
Ragan Mill road Tuesday night
after an extended illness.
Mrs. Gamble was the daughter
of the late J. R. and Mary Deck
Oates, and the widow of J J.
Gamble, who died in 1921.
Survivors include two sons, Ro
bert E. Gamble of Bessemer City,
and Thomas L. Gamble of Kings
Mountain; two step-sons, J. N.
and J. E. Gamble, both of Kings
Mountain; a step-daughter, Mrs.
B. D. Ratterree of Kings Moun
tain; and a brother, T. R. E.
Oates of Bessemer City.
Dr. J. W. Garson, Dr. W. L.
Pressly of Kings Mountain, and
the Rev. L. P. Knox of Gastonia
will officiate. Burial will be in
Pisgah Cemetery. The body will
go home from Sisk Funeral Home
at 10 a. m. Thursday and will lie
in state at the church for one
hour prior to services.
Mrs. Gamble was a chater
member of Garrison Memorial
ARP church, and the Ida Gamble
Circle of the church was named
for her.
CITY AUTO TAGS
A report from city clerk's of
fice Wednesday revealed that
262 city auto tags have been
sold. The City board last week
placed a deadline of February
15 for motorists to buy these
tags. The tags are on sale for
$1 at both the clerk’s office and
police headquarters.
SURVEY WRECKAGE — A group ol unidentified
people are shown looking at the wreckage of an
Akers Motor Line's truck in which Phillip E.
Whetstine of Kings Mountain met his death Mon
day, The truck was struck by Southern Railway's
Piedmont Limited train about 1:20 p. m. Monday
at the Ragan Mill crossing between Gastonia and
Bessemer City. Reports indicated that Whetstine
did not see or hear the approaching train, which
spread the wreckage of the truck over a one-half
mile area. Whetstine left his wife and two small
children. (Photo by Forney Lowe, Jr., of Bessemer
City.)
Phillip Whetstine, 29, Dies
After Truck-Train Crash
R. L Spencer
New President
Of Montonia Club
R. Lee Spencer, of Gastonia,
was elected president of Lake
Montonia Club, Inc., following
annual meeting of stockholders
held at City Hall Tuesday night.
Mr. Spencer succeeds IX C. Mc
Swain, also of Gastonia.
Other officers elected were:
Harry E. Page, of Kings Moun
tain, vice-president; and George
Houser, also of Kings Mountain,
secretary - treasurer. Mr. Houser
succeeds James A. Houser.
The stockholders elected two
new directors to the six-man
board, Carl F. Mauney, of Kings
Mountain, and W„ D. Todd, Sr.,
of Gastonia. They succeed R. Lee
Spencer and J. Pat Tignor.
Holdover directors are Mart S.
Reid and B. S. Neill, Jr., both of
Gastonia, and Arnold Kiser and
George W.. Mauney, both of Kings
Mountain.
The stockholders voted to con
tinue in effect for 1956 all prior
year membership rules, including
dealine of April 30 for renewal of
associate memberships. Under
present rules lapsed associate
memberships, of which there
were 41 December 31, are non
renewable.
In a written report previously
mailed to members, Retiring
Continued On Page Ten
Rites Are Conducted
For Parton's Sister
Funeral rites for Miss Cola Par
ton, about 75, a sister of H, R.
Parton, of Kings Mountain, were
held Tuesday at Collinsville, Ala.,
Methodist church.
Miss Parton died early Monday
as a result of bums. Relatives
here said details were sparse but
it was indicated Miss Parton’s
clothing ignited while burning
brush on the farm of her broth
er, Cleveland Parton, with whom
she resided.
Burial was in Collinsville.
Towner Foote
Production Chief
Special to the Herald
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., — Wil.
Ham B. Towner has beten appoin
ted general production manager
of Foote Mineral Company and
will be directly responsible for
'operation of its three producing
units at Exton, Pa., Sunbright,
Va., and Kings Mountain, N. C.,
according to announcement by F.
B. Shay, vice-president in charge
of production and engineering.
The newly created position will
not affect present organization
but the change is expected to
bring about a closer co-ordination
of function between the com
pany’s three operating units, Mr.
Continued On Page Ten
City Spends 60.6 Percent Of Budget
In First Six Months; Revenue High
The City of Kings Mountain
collected 70.5 per cent of the
year’s estimated income during
the first six-months of the fiscal
year.
This was brought out in a mid
year financial statement present
ed to the City Board of Commis
sioners at its meeting last Thurs
day night.
This rteport, which was prepar
ed by City Clerk Gene Mitcham
and Asst. Clerk Joe McDaniel,
also showed that the city had
spent 60.6 per cent of budgeted
expenditures for the year during
this six-month period.
The comparison of receipts with
budget estimate sheet revealed
that $107,235.02 or 75.5 per cent
of 1955 taxes have been collect- '
ed and that $12,692.64 or 211.5
per cent of the budgeted $6,000
for prior year’s taxes have been
received.
Other items on thfe list showing
over 100 per cent collection in
cluded equipment rental which
has $1,655.61 collected for a 331-1
per cent ratio of the $500 esti
mated in the budget: and sales
and services fees* for city equip
ment and workers doing private
work, which has returned $6,761
59 against $1,000 estimated in the
budget.
Street assessment receipts also
are running ahead of estimates
with $12,274.22 having been re
ceived against a budgeted $5,000.
As of December 31, the city had
received $351,833 in revenue aga
inst an estimated $498,963.33 an
ticipated for the entire year.
A comparision of expenditures
against budget appropriations
shows that the administrative de
partment of the city spent 57.9
pier cent of its $18,925 budget
during the first six months. City
Clerk Mitcham explained that this
was due to the fact that the de
partment had purchased most of
its supplies for the year during
Continued On Page Ten
Kings Mountain
Tracker Struck
By Fast Train
Funeral services were held
Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock
at First Wesleyan Methodist
church for Phillip Eugene Whet
stine, 29, of 212 Carpenter st., who""
was killed in a ^rain-truck acci
dent near Gastonia about 1:20
Monday afternoon.
Whetstine was driving an Ak
ers Motor Line’s truck which was
struck by Southern Railway’s
Piedmont Limited, which was hea
ded South, at the Ragan Mill
crossing between Gastonia and
Bessemer City.
Mr. Whetstine, the son of Mr.
and Mrs. W. W. Whetstine, was a
native of Gaston County, and a
World War II Navy veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs.
Joyce Lovelace Whetstine; a son,
Darrell Wayne Whetstine; a
daughter, Karen Denice; three
brothers, Johnny, Floyd and Hen
ry Whetstine, all of Kings Moun
tain; and four sisters, Mrs. J. R.
Van Dyke, Mrs. John Herdt, Mrs.
Howard Leigh, all of Kings Moun
tain, and Mrs. Dwight Herdt of
Augusta, Ga.
The Rev. H. E. Smith, assisted
by the Rev. A. J. Argo, officiated.
Burial was in Mountain Rest Ce
metery.
St. Matthew's Holds
Its Annual Meeting
St. Matthew’s Lutheran church
held its annual congregational
meeting Sunday night, electing
four new councilmen, delegates to
Synod and Conference, and hear
ing reports of 1955 activities.
The congregation elected as
new councilmen Ben H. Bridges,
A. S. Kiser, James Lybrand, and
William Lawrence Plonk. Carl F.
Mauney and Jacob Cooper were
named Synod and Conference de
legates.
Annual reports showed that,
during 1955, the church received
31 new members, lifting the to
tal at year end to 330, that Sun
day school attendance increased
15 percent, and that receipts for
all causes were $42,000.
New councilmen will be instal
led at Sunday morning 11 o’clock
services, and the council will hold
its organization meeting at the
parsonage Monday evening at
7:30.
Dr. W, L. Mauney is newly elec
ted president of the Men’s Broth
erhood, succeeding Joe Hedden.
This group will meet Sunday eve
ning at 6:30.