North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain City Limits 10.320 7.206 Vfc* Hyuc* la* Sntlli Unyc Moutcta to tertrod from Mw IMS Itofi Mounted* city •« rectory caucus. Iks aty limits flfura to tram tho Vtotsd Stats* caucus of 1*50. Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper ©j 1C Pagfes ID Today VOL. 66. NO. 26 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, kJune 28, 1956 Sixty-Seventh Year PRICE FIVE CENTS Local News Bulletins METER RECEIPTS City parking meter receipts for the week ending noon/ Wednesday totaled $190.29, according to a report by Miss Grace Carpenter of City Clerk’s office. Miss Carpenter said street meters accounted for $159.82 of this total, while off street meters returned $30.47. ASSUMES DUTIES Miss Phyllis Ann Wilson has accepted a position in Char lotte with Esso Standard Oil company. She is residing in Charlotte at 117 West 10th street. ACCEPTS POSITION Franklin Pethel has accepted the position of organist and minister of music at First Pres byterian church, Auburn, N. Y., and will begin his new duties August 1. Mr. Pethel, who re cently received the master of sacred music degree from Un ion Seminary of Sacred Music, N. Y., is married to the former Miss Emelyn Gillespie. BENEFIT SUPPER The Long Creek Home De monstration club will sponsor an ice creant supper Saturday night at 7 p. m. at the home of Mrs. Wayne Whitesides with proceeds to go to the Gaston County School for Handicapp ed Children. PICNIC Annual employer - employ ee picnic of the Kings Moun tain Merchants association will be held at Lake Montonia July 25th, according to an nouncement by Mrs. Elaine Queen, secretary of the asso ciation. TO HEAR HENDRICKS Dr. Paul E. Hendricks will address members of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis club at their Thursday night meeting on the subject “Heart Disease.” The club meets at the Woman’s Club at 6;45. ATTENDS CONVENTION W. A. Childers, of Kings Mountain, was among more than 300 members of the Caro li'nas (Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors association atten ding the 13th annual conven tion of the organization at Myrtle Beach, S. C., last week end. ONE PERMIT Building Inspector J. W. Web ster issued a building permit last Thursday to Douglas Hul lender to build an addition to a house on Bridges street, at an estimated cost of $2,000. I TO CONVENTION Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Welbster left Saturday night for Miami, Fla., where Mr. Webster is re presenting the Kings Mountain Lions club at the annual con vention of Lions International. UNION SERVICE Union service on Sunday night will be held at Resurrec tion Lutheran church in Cres cent Hills 'beginning at eight o’clock. The sermon will ibe - delivered by George Nickels, student assistant pastor of the First Presbyterian Church,. WINS TRIP W. G. (“'Mutt”) Smith, repre sentative of the Durham Life Insurance Company, and Mrs. Smith are at the Cavalier Club at Virginia Beach, Va., to at tend the 21st President’s Club convention. This is an annual affair attended by 150 of the past year’s top salesmen of the Company. FOOTE TO PLAY Foote Mineral Company’s semi-pro baseball team will play host to the Cramerton semi-pro boys In a game at Citv Stadium tonight at tight o’clock. The tilt, which was o riginally set for Tuesday, was rained out. Blaine Froneberger is scheduled to pitch for Foote. MOOSE MEETING Kings Mountain Moose Lod ge 1748 will hold their regular weekly meeting Thursday night at 8:15 at the lodge on Bessemer City road, according to an announcement by Curtis Gaffney, secretary. Soil Bank Terms To Be Discussed Farmers Invited 1 To Shelby Friday To Hear Details Cleveland County farmers and business leaders can learn about the provisions of the new Soil Bank farm legislation—and how they may benefit from it in the near future—at a meeting begin ning at 10 o’clock Friday morning at the American Legion Hall in Shelby. Ralph Harrill, Cleveland Coun ty ASC manager., said officials of his office, the county’s agent’s office, and others will be on hand to explain details of the program and to answer questions pertain ing to it. It is possible sign-up for imme diate payments on cotton, wheat, and tobacco will begin next week, Howard Clapp., county agent, told the Herald. However, he warned that no farmer should do any thing until discussing his situa tion with the ASC officials. The ASC is the agency charged wth responsibility in handling the program, "Don’t plow up anything until you have full information,” Mr. Clapp said. Deadline is July 20th on soil bank payments effecting the cur rent 1956 cotton crop. The provisions of the acreage reserve program which will af fect local growers follows: The farmer must: 1. Put land in the reserve that is representative of the land used for the crop. 2. Harvest less than the farm allotment of the particular crop. 2. Not permit the land to be graded, cut for hay, or cropped for the (entire 1956 calendar year. Any farmer who complies with these provisions, may become eli gible for payments if: 1. He has underplanted his allotment for cotton, tobacco, or wheat, and if he certifies that he underplanted in anticipation of j complying with the 1956 acreage reserve program, or because of adverse weather conditions. 2. An acreage of the allotment crop will not be harvested be cause of destruction by natural! causes. * 3. He plows up the crop prior to June 30 for Wheat or July 31 \ for cotton and tobacco, or the final disposition date, whichever is later. The law establishes maximum and minimum acreages that may be placed in the reserve. To de termine both his maximum and minimum, the farmer must use the larger of the figures result ing from the following formula: Tobacco—not more than one half of the allotment, or five acres; not less than 10 percent of the alltoment or two acres. Cotton—Not more than one half of the allotment, or 10 ac Continued on Page Bight Stores Will Close Independence Day Most of Kings Mountain’s uptown (businesses will be clo sed all day, Wednesday, July 4. A few of the businesses, such as restaurants, service stations, and drug stores will remain o pen. All city offices, with the ex ception of the police depart ment, will be closed, as will the" post office and employ ment office. First National Bank, Home Building & Loan, and Kings Mountain Building & Loan will also be closed. The Kings Mountain Herald will remain open and will pub lish next week's paper on its regular schedule. Pauline Plant Being Cleared The Pauline plant of Nelsler Mills division, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, is being cleared of machinery. W. M. Ford, general manager of the Neislfer division, said the Pauline plant is being cleared to make room for ‘‘other machin ery.’* Of the approximately 130 Jac quard looms at the Pauline plant, 70 are being moved to the Mar grace plant. Mr. Ford said the other 60 will be junked. He estimated the clearing of the Pauline plant and replace ment with other equipment will require about thrtee months. The Margrace plant is now be ing operated on a five-day per week, three-shift per day sche dule, though not at full capa city. Church To Occupy Old Herald Stand First Baptist church is ready ing for occupancy the former He rald building on South Piedmont avenue. Carpenters were busy Wednes day cutting a door on the North side of the building to join with the church’s educational plant, and a member of the church said men of the church will hold a “paintfng party” Thursday night to redecorate the interior. Current plans call for utilizing the back portion of the building for the church dining room. The front portion, former editorial of fices of the Herald, will be used for the church staff, minister, education director and secretary. Also being readied for use is the First Baptist Cherokee street property, which was graveled Wednesday for use as a parking lot. Jack White Boots Home A Winner In Maiden Ride In Party Politics Jack White, the Kings Moun tain Recorder’s Court judge, was in good humor this week, as he relished the final returns of last Saturday’s second primary in which Basil L. Whitener captur ed the 11th district Democratic Congressional nomination. Mr. White was flashing the smile of success—success in his S maiden voyage into politics. Serving as the district cam paign manager for the Gaston solicitor, Mr. White spent a busy four-month political season dat I i’ng from shortly after the White ner announcement of candidacy. What won the campaign? Mr. White agrees there were many, many factors and lists the major ones as D a good can didate who never stopped work ing, 2) the large Gaston County vote in the second primary which he ascribes due chiefly to volun teer help, and 3) the good work of the Shelby and Kings Moun tain committees, again with plen ty of volunteer work. Mr. White had praise, too, for the Rutherford county results, In which the Whitener second pri mary margin of defeat was con C on tinned on Page Bight MANAGED WINNER — Kings Mountain Attorney Jack White, and also judge of city court scored a victory last Saturday in his first active foray into Demo cratic politics. He served as dis trict campaign manager of Basil W hi toner, the successful candi late for the Uth district Con gressional nomination. Financial Finns To Pay $53,392 In Dividends Kings Mountain’s three finan cial institutions will pay divi dends to savers Saturday total ing $53,392.56, according to re ports yesterday from officials of the thrtee firms. Home Building & Loan associa tion dividends will total $28,075. 51, Secretary-Treasurer A. H. Pat terson reported, including $14, 965.96 on full-paid savings shares and another $13,109.55 on option al savings shares. Kings Mountain Building & Loan association payments will total $22,328.05, including $11,073. 91 on full-paid shares, and $11, 254.14 or. optional savings, Secre tary-Treasurer Ben H. Bridges said. ^ Both Mr. Patterson and Mr. Bridges said dividend checks would be posted on Friday, in order to be in the hands of'share. holders by June 30, the payment date. First National Bank will cre dit accounts of its savers with $2,989, President F. R. Summers reported. The aggregate of payments for the six-month period shows ano ther increase. Building and loan association payments for the pe riod ending December 31 totaled $46,403.64, almost $4,000 less than the $50,403.56 aggregate pay ments by the building and loan associations for the current pe riod. Two Fixes Occur At Same Time Two trucks of Kings Mountain Fire department were called into action almost simultaneously Saturday afternoon to two sepa rate fires. Around one o’clock, firemen answered a call to the Phenix Plant of Burlington Industries. Approximately fifteen minutes later and while the first truck was still out, a call was answered to a residence at 318 Watterson street to extinguish an oil stove blaze. J. S. Rotaji, superintendent of the Phenix plant, stated Wednes day morning the blaze at the plant, was cotto'n in the picker room. There was no damage to the machinery or plant, and on ly slight damage to the cotton as a result of the fire, he said. Origin of the fire, Mr. Roton further stated, was an electric spark from some electrical equip, ment in use by outside contrac tors who were working in the plant. As of Wednesday morn ing, no adjustment by insurers had been made, he said. Last Thursday, firemen extin guished a grass fire on Alexan der street. Brooks Injued In Fall Monday Aaron Brooks, Kings Mountain painter, was injured seriously Monday afternoon when he fell from a 30-foot scaffold while painting at the Spartanburg, S. C., railway depot. Mr. Brooks suffered a broken back, a broken right arm, and two broken legs. He is a patient at Spantanburg General hospital. His condition was reported im proved Wednesday morning. The accident occurred about 6 p. m. Monday. Mr. Brooks, who lives here at 125 McGinnis street, is employed by Consolidated Painters, Char lotte. Employment Office To Move The Kings Mountain branch of the North Carolina Employment Service will move into Its new quarters in the Plonk building on Railroad avenue late Friday af ternoon. ** Franklfn L. Ware, Jr., manag er of the Kings Mountain office said the employment service would be open for business in its new quarters on Monday morn-1 ing, July 2. The Pionk building, owned by j the W. L. Plonk Estate, has been completely j-enovated and rede corated. Two rest rooms have been installed, asphalt tile floor covering Installed, a hearing room partitioned, and additional electrical outlets installed. In Continued on Page Eight Whitener Defeats Gardner; Township Voters With Loser Gaidner Given 191-Vote Edge In Number 4 Kings Mountain area Demo crats stayed with the home-coun ty candidate and cast a losing vote o'n the aggregate Saturday in the 11th district Congression al run-off primary. Each of the four precincts of Number 4 Township gave Ralph Webb Gardner, of Shelby, a mar gin over Basil L. Whitener, the winvier. The township total was Gardner 955, Whitener 764. Gard. ner’s township margin was 191. A total of 1720 votes were cast in the township, compared to 1757 in the first primary May 26. As throughout the district, the total vote was much larger than a'nticipated. The county precincts: W. Kings Mt. 418 339 Kings Mountain area voting was conducted briskly and har moniously with a minor excep tion. Whittener forces complained heavily about 9:30 Saturday morning to Mrs. Nell Cranford, registrar at East Kings Mountain cenceming registration of voters Saturday who were in turn al lowed to vote. Whitener Mana ger Jack White and Supporter Bruce McDaniel contended that some of the registrants had been illegally logged in and allowed to vote. Mrs. Cranford acknowledged she had registered 13 persons and had allowed them to vote. She said she and other registrars had been instructed by J. W. Os borne, county elections board chairman, to "use our own discre tion.” However, she said, since question ad arisen, she would register no more persons. Under terms of state elections laws, some persons are eligible to register and vote on the (Jay of the second primary. These in elude persons who have qualified, either by age or period of resi dence, as citizens during the in tervening period. It also applies to servicemen. Whitener forces raised their voices in complaint when Rev. Aubrey Quakenbush., pastor of First Baptist church, was allow ed to register and vote. Mr. Quakenbush told the registrar he ' Continued on Page Eight Gardner Whitener Bethware E. Kings Mt. Grover 65 59 391 324 81 42 Cline Property Bids Increased Each of the six A. E. Cline Estate properties being sold at public auction were raised at Saturday’s re sale, and of the six, three have subsequently been rai sed the required five percent to necessitate still another re-sale. The figures, totaling $14,405 were reported yesterday by J. R. Davis, trustee who is handling the auction of the Cline proper-1 ties. Total at the first sale on * May 26 was $13,100. Saturday’s high bids were: For the business building on N. Piedmont avenue occupied by Weaver’s Cleaners, Fred Weaver, at $2840. For the business building on N. Piedmont avenue occupied by Dillfhg Heatfng Company, Mrs. Edith Cline (widow of the late Mr. Cline) , at $2640. For the five-room house on Car penter street (Tract 3) A. H. Pat terson at $1790. For the five-room house on Carpenter street (Tract 4) Grady Yelton at $1925. For the duplex at the corner of Carpenter and Parker, F. M. Rip- j py. who bid $3700. For the six-room house on Par-1 ker, B. D. Flatteree, who bid $1510. Warren Reynolds, Mr. Davis said, has already posted five per- j cent increases on the bids of Mr. Patterson and Mr. Yelton for the two Carpenter street houses, while J. E. IDoc) Mauhey has upped the bid on the Carpenter street residence by the required five percent. Deadline for raising the other bids [s July 3 (ten days after the sale). n WINNER — Basil L. Whltener. Gastonia lawyer, won the Demo cratic nomination for Congress in last Saturday's run-off primary, defeating Ralph Webb Gardner, of Shelby, by 1106 votes. B. S. Peeler Reported Better B. S. Peeler, Sr., prominent Kings Mountain lumberman who has been seriously ill in Char lotte Memorial hospital for the past week, was reported improv ed Wednesday afternoon. His son, Drace M. Peeler, said attending physicians had told him Wednesday morning they had tentatively diagnosed Mr. Peeler’s illness as "a light stroke”, and, following exhaus tive exploratory tests, had vir tually ruled out possibilities of a brain tumor or blood clot in the brain area. Surgery is not anticipated, he added. His father showed a decided change for the better on Tues day, Mr. Peeler said. Also in the Charlotte hospital for major surgery on Tuesday i was Mrs. C. W,. Drace, of Greer, S. C., Mrs. B. S. Peeler's mother. Drace Peeler said his grandmo ther underwent the operation and was recuperating satisfac torily. B. S. Peeler, Jr., flew home Saturday from the West Coast where he was attending the con vention of Kiwanis Internation al at San Francisco, Calif. SOCIAL SECURITY A representative of the Gas tonia Social Security office will be in Kings Mountain at City Hall on Monday and a gain on July 16 to handle so cial security business with Kings Mountain area citizens, it was announced by Joseph Walsh, manager of the Gasto nia office. The representative will be at City Hall at 9:30 a. m. Second Primary Voting Heavy, Campaigning Hot Basil L. Whitener made up his first primary deficit to Ralph Gardner with plenty of room to spare last Saturday as he won the 11th district Democratic Congres sional nomination by 1106 votes, according to the unofficial tabu lations. The totals were: Whitener 22,247; Gardner 21.141. Normally tantamount to elec tion, the Democratic nomination this year assures election, since the Republican party failed to file a nominee for the November general election. The close and lately heated con test to succeed Congressman Woodrow W. Jones, retiring at the end of this term, formally ended at 11 a. m. Monday morn ing, when Gardner wirted White ner his congratulations and a concurrent pledge that he would join the nominee in advancing the interests of the party in Novem ber. The message of congratulations and concession came following a 24-hour period of some doubt as to the final outcome and infer ences from Gardner headquarters of possible election irregulari ties. It wasn’t long, of course, un til Whitener forces countered with some inferences that any voting irregularities would hard ly be limited to their side. On Sunday, Mr. Gardner had indicated he might ask a recount of ballots cast in several pre cincts, including three in Gaston and one in Rutherford county. Tijere was also question about what Gardner folk termed an "election lottery” at Cherryville. Whitener forces had questioned certain voting day registrations in the East Kings Mountain pre cinct. Democrats through the district went to bed Saturday night with the vote close and five precincs from Madison county still unre ported. But Whitener had a lead which appeared insurmountable on basis of first primary totals from Madison county. Nominee Whitener continued his record of having never lost a political race. He first ran for the House of Representatives of North Carolina at the age of 25 and won. He won re-election, but then resigned to enter the navy during World War II. After the war he ran for solicitor of the Gaston-Mecklenburg district and is. completing his third four-year term M that position. He is a former state president of the Junior Chamber of Com merce and of the North Carolina Young Democratic Clubs. Whitener replied to Gard Continued on Page Eight Big Lithium Finds Employee Roll Lists 70 Percent Mountaineers A sizeable boost to local busi ness income results from Lithium Corporation of America’s opera tion near Bessemer City, accord ing to Manager Joe McClure. The company is spending near ly two million dollars a year with local interests to operate its che mical plant and mines, Mr. Me clure said. Largest single cash outlay is for wages to residents of the area who are employed by the com pany. More than $750,000 is dis tributed annually as take home pay to the 200 employees now actively engaged in processing lithium ore. Mr. McClure pointed out that Kings Mountain is receiving a large portion of the money be ing paid to workers. He says that 70 percent of the 200 workers have Kings Mountain addresses. Another half-million dollars a year is being spent with local suppliers and businesses. The rest of the total expenditure is j paid out in county and state tax es, haulage costs, special servi , ces, and employee benefits. Other funds spent for imported : materials swell the volume of business done by domestic truck and rail lines, he added. The company has made a policy of employing, whterever possible, local labor for its new and com plex process. The quality of the labor force is so good that only a handful of expert engineers, trained in lithium production, were transferred here to direct the technical phases of the opera tion, Mr. McClure said. Some seven million dollars were spent in 1954 in the construe, tion of the Bessemer City plant, which is regarded as probably the world's largest and most mo dern lithium refinishing plant. The future of lithium mining in this area, as well as the en tire state, is very good, Mr. Mc Clure said. It is now estimated that North Carolina deposits con tain 92 percent of the commercial grade ores in the United States. Uses of lithium in the manufac turing world have been broaden ed widely, and many other uses for the ore are being found. New fields now using lithium ores include the manufacturers of enamels, lubricants, air condition ing, metal purification, storage batteries, welding fluxes, phar maceuticals, and organic chemi cals. Mr. McClure said the company is well pleased with the progress made fn developing this new In dustry and credits local interest and cooperation as a material aid in this development. [Seven Firms Plan Vacation Pay, Reports Show Textile plant vacation sched ules in and around Kings Moun tain indicate that the textile bus iness is still ‘spotty.” But it could be much worse. Margrace and Pauline plants of Nelsler Division of Massa chusetts Mohair Plush Company will not close at all during the week of July 4. The Margrace plant just completed a one-week work - stoppage, during which time a quantity of machinery was moved. Mauney Mills will close Fri day and will remain out of oper ation the entire week of July 4, a spokesman said Wednesday. He j added that a bonus of four per I cent, equivalent to two week’s | pay, would be paid to all em | ployes having more than five years service, while a two per cent bonus will go to employees with less than fiye years service. Craftspun Yarns, Ino., will close June 30, and will stand un til July 16, G. C. Kelly reported. One week of this time, the first week, employees will drawn a bonus. They will be eligible to receive unemployment compen sation during the second week. "Lack of orders” was the reason given for the second week’s lay off. A bonus schedule of four and two percent will also be given at Craftspun, depending upon leng th of service. Sadie Mills will ibe closed the entire week of July 4, but a spokesman for this plant declin ed comment on bonus or un employment compensation ar rangements. Bonnie Mill will also be clos ed for one week, with work stop ping after Thursday night. This plant will reopen July 9. No bonuses will be paid to Bonnie employees, according to a report by a mill official. Lambeth Rope Corporation em ployees will be off all of next week, and those employed before January 1 will receive a bonus of a week’s pay. •Kings Mountain Manufactur ing company will cease opera tions for two weeks, with their workers receiving bonuses the first week. Mauney Hosiery Mill employ ees will work Wednesday, Thurs day and Friday of next week, a report from the mill indicated. This plant has been closed during this week, the report add ed. No bonuses will be paid. Carolina Throwing Company employees have also been idle this week, and plans for next \yeek were not available Wed nesday. However, no bonuses Will be paid, Carl F. Mauney slid. Slater Manufacturing Com pany will also give its employ ess the entire week off. But plans do not call for employee b onuses. Carlin Division of Carlton J [ills will also be closed for the w eek, stopping production after F riday's work shifts. Employees w ill receive a bonus, according tq reports from the mill. ,Park Yarn Mills will give its workers a full week’s vacation, and a two percent bonus will be paid again this year. Burlington Mills’ Phenix plant workers wil lalso be given the week of July 4th off, according to a news release last week by Bur. lington officials. Bonuses amoun- , ting to four percent will be paid to employees with o’ne to five years service with this organiza tion. Herald Open House Set For July 6 The Kings Mountain Herald will hold open house at its new building on South Piedmont avenue on the evening of July 6. The public will ibe invited to inspect the new building and the machinery employed in •producing the Herald between the hours of 7 to 9 o'clock. Re freshments will be served. In connection with the open house, the Herald will publish a special section of the July 5 edition devoted to history of the Herald—successor to Kings Mountain newspapers first es tablished in 1889 — and inclu ding other feature material on publication of the newspaper, the staff, and services of the Herald. Further information on the event will be announced in, next week’s edition.