North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain „ 10,320 City Limits 7,206 flw figure for Greater tings Mountain is derived from the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The City Units figure Is from the United States census of 1950. OH Pages /U Today VOL 66 NO. 34 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, August 23, 1956 Sixty-Seventh Year PRICE FIVE CENTS Thursday, Friday, Saturday To Be Dollar Days In Kings Mountain Stores Local News Bulletins UNION SERVICE Dr,. W. P. Gerberding, pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran church, will speak at Sunday night’s union service at 8 o’ clock at Central Methodist church. TO NEW YORK George E. Nickels, who has toeen serving as summer as sistant pastor at First Presby terian church, left Sunday to attend church conferences in New York subsequent to re turning to Columbia Seminary at Decatur, Ga., where he is a rising senior. MATTHEWS BETTER Eugene Matthews, Herald mechanical superintendent, has returned to work on part time schedule following ten days recuperation from a slight stroke of paralysis. THREE FIRES Kings Mountain Fire depart ment answered three calls this Week according to Ted Gamble, city fireman. Two grass fires were extinguished, one on W. Gold street Thursday, and the other on Wells street, Saturday. Friday, a call was answered to Cansler street, to extinguish a car blaze. ELECTED Bud Ware, Harris Funeral Home employee, was elected Tuesday night to serve as a volunteer fireman. The number of volunteer firemen now totals 25, Fire Chief Pat Tignor re ported. TWO PERMITS Building Inspector J- W. Webs ter issued a building permit Monday to gantt & Crawford to erect a house on Belvedere cir cle, at an estimated cost of $7, 000. A permit was also isued last Thursday, August 16, to Johnny McGill to build a car port at an estimated cost of $700. Hartsell Rites Held Saturday Funeral rites for Mrs. Bessie Wooten Hartsell, widow of Rev. Wallace H. Hartsell, pastor of Kings Mountain’s First Baptist church from 1928-31, were held Saturday morning from First Baptist church, Hickory, with in terment following in Biglick Baptist church cemetery, Oak. boro. Mrs. Hartsell died last Thurs day night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. R. K, Benfield, in Hockory. Born August 31,1882, she was the daughter of the late Silas E and Emma Crowell Woo ten. She was a native of Moores , ville. Surviving, in addition to her daughter, are a son, Rev. Bruce Hartsell, of Shepherdsville, Ky., one sister, Mrs. C. E. Coggin of Hamlet, two brothers, W. M. Wooten, of Hamlet, G. L. Wooten, of Kershaw, S. C. and three grandchildren. Final rites were conducted by Rev. E. F. Sullivan and Rev. Paul Hartsell. Cooper Pacific Faculty Member Dr. E. C. Cooper will sferve as a member of the faculty at Pacific Lutheran Seminary. Berkley, Cailf., during the fall semester. Dr Cooper, Mrs. Cooper, and a son. Rev, Edgar Cooper, left last weekend for Berkeley. Rev. Ed gar Cooper, who has been visit ing here with his parents and re latives, will return from Califor nia to Pottstown. Pa., where he is a Lutheran minister. Dr. E. C. Cooper, former presl dbnt of the Lutheran Seminary at Columbia, S. C„ is a veteran Lu theran minister. He was onetime chaplain at state prison and pas tor of Lutheran churches in Shel by and Chapel Hill. School fioaid Adopts Budget, Names Teachers The City School Board of Trus tees adopted a current expense budget of $105,183, and a capital outlay budget of $189,199.35 for the coming school term in its regular meeting Monday night. Current expenses will include $39,177.75 for instruction service, which included local teacher sup plements and supplies. Another $18,710.25 is set up for repairs to school buildings, and $2,500 is set aside for insurance on build ing and equipment. Also coming under the current expense budget was $2,525 for operations of plants and equip ment. This includes utilities, jani i torial salary supplements and l operational supplies. Some $2,400 of this budget is set aside for social security and retirement fund payments. The capital outlay budget is primarily broken up into two parts, with $149,449.35 going for purchase of building sites and new buildings, while $37,000 is set aside for additional sites for ex isting plants, alterations, pur chase oi furniture, heating plants and fees. In addition, $2500 of this money is for purchase, of new books for school libraries. In other actions, the board did the following: 1) adopted forms for assign ment and reassignment of pupils, which were recommended by the N. C. Attorney General’s officte. 2) elected "Mrs. R. S. Lennon and Mrs. Elizabeth G. Webb to fill vacancies in the city elemen tary schools. 3) authorized Supt. Barnes to fill other vacancies as soon as qualified applicants can be ob tained. (The vacancies include one fourth grade teacher, one Negro teacher, and possibly one teacher who would teach one subject in North, West, and East schools, giving the principals time off to take care of administrativte work.) 4) voted to install gravel walk ways and a gravel driveway at the new North School. 5) voted to raise Coach John Gamble’s pre-school coaching supplement to $150 from $100, and also to raise Gamble’s regular supplement to $50 per month. 6) voted a $5 per week increase in salary for Miss Gaynell Scruggs, who is a secretary in the high school principal’s office. 7) voted to buy a tract of land approximately 70 feet x 161 feet adjoining Central School proper, ty from Mrs. Henry Jones for a price of $4750, providing Mrs. Jones will sell additional proper ty in this same tract desirted by the board to straighten the school boundary lines. S) voted to pay William George a flat fee of $100 for seven days work performed before his regu lar salary began. 9) appointed a committee of Supt. Barnes, J W. Webster, and Fred W. Plonk to supervise the hiring of janitors, the setting of janitor’s salaries, and the taking of bids for work in the Central gym and plumbing work at both Central and Davidson Schools. 10) discussed the grounds situa tion at North School and agreed to ask the city to alter the water drainage system which is dump ing water from North Piedmont avenue onto the school property. MASONIC MEETING An emergent communication for work in the second degree of Fairview Lodge 339, A. F. & A. M., will be held Monday night at 7:30 at the lodge hall. Retailers Holding Dollar Days Event Many Firms Are Ottering Spedal Values Kings Mountain business firms will observe Dollar Days Thurs day, Friday and Saturday. Majority of Kings Mountain firms are participating in the trade event and many dollar spe cials dot their counters and shelves. A feature of the event will bfe a prize drawing from trade certi ficates in denomination of $5 to $15. The drawing will be conduct ed Saturday afternoon at 5 p. m. in the Railroad Avenue parking area across the street from Coo per’s, line. Charles Blanton, chairman of the trade promotion committee of the Kings Mountain Merchants association, said he was highly pleased at the advance efforts of Kings Mountain merchants to make the Dollar Days event a successful one for both customer and merchant. “Much effort has gone into the plans for Kings Mountain Dol lar Days,” Mr. Blanton said. “The degree of participation is good, both in number of firms partici pating, and depth of purchases for the three-day Dollar Days sale. Many firms are offering double bargains, both special pur chases and back-to-school bar gains. It’s a good time to shop in Kings Mountain.” Whitener, Nolan Praise Ticket "It’s an easy ticket to cam paign for,” comments Basil L. Whitener, 11th district Democra tic nominee for Congress. “I think we came out pretty good, “interposes Clyde Nolan, of Shelby, one of North Carolina’s 72 delegates to the Democratic national convention. Mr. Whitener was in Kings Mountain Monday afternoon af ter returning from Chicago, where he combined business and politics, handling a problem for a client and being a spectator at the convention. And Mr. Nolan was commenting on the results of the convention. Mr. Nolan was "right” with Estes Kefauver for vice-presi dent,' voting for the Tennesseean though majority of North Camro lina’s delegates were for S'enator John Kennedy. Mr. Whitener says he knows Senator Kefauver personally and regards him at a "fine fellow.’’ As to the uripopularity of Mr. Ke fauver among his Senate colleg ues and the Tennessee Democratic organization leaders, Mr. White ner guesses "it’s because of his liberal views.” “The Southern delegation to Congress is pretty clannish, and when a Southerner adopts views and cast votes opposed to the traditional southern viewpoint, he is in disfavor,” Mr. Whitener opines. Mr. Nolan thought the convert, tion quite successful from the Continued on Page Eight "Keefe Nice Guy", Says Gillespie Of Fzaternity Brother Kefauver Booth Gillespie, Kings Moun tain citizen, is a fraternity broth er of Vice-Presidential Candidate Estes Kefauver but doubts he’ll vote for him. “His views are too liberal for me,” Mr. Gillespie says, but he adds ‘‘Keefe is one of the nicest fellows I’ve ever known.” Mr. Gillespie’s vot^ig doubts stem mainly from the fact of President Elsenhower’s recent poor health and the" likelihood that the Republican party will renominate Richard Nixon for vice - president this week. Like many people, Mr. Gillespie notes, “I don’t know why exactly, but I just don’t like Nixon." Mr. Gillespie hasn’t crossed an | “x” by a Democratic national tic- j ket since 1932. But for Kefauver personally, j Mr. Gillespie has high regard. The two were freshmen at the j University of Tennessee in 1920 and pledged Kappa Sigma fra ternity. They were mutually haz ed as fraternity pledges are. Mr. Gillespie describes Kefau. ver as “a good eld country boy.” “Anybody would like him and everybod did,” Mr. Gillespie con tinues. “He wasn’t too much of a ladies man but he moved around I enough and was quite popular. At j that time, he was getting prepar ed for law school and if he had j any political ambitions at that time he didn’t make them! known.” I Tax Pre-Payments Now Total $21,787 City Tax Collector J. W Web ster reported late Wednesday afternoon that his office has re ceived $51,787.67 in pre-paid tax payments. Mr. Webster says a rough testimate of the amount of pre paid payments expected to come in this month would $35,000 to $40,000. Taxes pre-paid during the month of August are discount ed at a rate of two percent,/ while payments in September are discounted at a one percent rate. Money Squeeze Is Noted Here The tight money market is squeezing a little in Kings Moun tain. The prime interest rate to gilt edged borrowers in New York has advanced to four percent and this increased interest cost is be ing reflected nation-wide. F. R. Summers, president of First National Bank, said Wed nesday,- "We are taking care of our customers and anticipate handling our usual rush fail busi ness. However, interest rates are advancing a little. Note renewals are being made but we are in forming our customers future re newals will be at slightly high er rates. Naturally, new appli cants are getting a more thorough credit check or meeting more strigent collateral requirements.’’ The Wall Street Journal report ed Tuesday that the U. S. Trea sury department’s short-term borrowing costs lose to a 23-year high. The average rate rose' to 2.818% on 92-day bills. Kings Mountain’s building-ar.d loan associations are also effect fed, though in minor key. The building loans are handling no more FHA or GI loans—made at . V» percent interest—other than those on which committments had been previously made. This is a minor portion of the building and-loan business here. Ben H. Bridgfes, secretary-trea surer of Kings Mountain Build ing & Loan association said, "We are meeting our committments but money is tighter. We are mak ing no further loans at less than six percent. The situation may change, but that is the picture today.” William F. Young, assistant treasurer of Home Building & Loan association, said his firm was also out of the FHA - GI loan business. “The big trouble,” he remarked, “is inability of cus tomers to acquire the down pay ment. We’re making convention al loans when the customer meets the requirements.” Why is money tighter here and everywhere? The answer, as usual stems from supply and demand. There have ibeen heavy borrowings na tionwide and here. Meantime, the Federal Reserve bank has in creased its rate of interest, mak ing money more dear to member banks who borrow from the Fe deal Reserve bank. These highfer costs, plus the tightness of supply, mean higher borrowing costs for new borrowers seeking money. Ned McGill Heads McGills Of Gaston Ned A. McGill was elected pre sident "of McGills of Gaston at the annual reunion oil August 15. He succeeds W. Lawrence Plonk, who was inducted into the army theday of the reunion. Other officers named, wete Miss Mary McGill, vice-president, and Miss Nancy Plonk, secretary, treasurer. Miss Willie McGill is permanent historian. The members of the clan gath ered at Bethel Church arbor to hear a short address by Dr. W. P. Gerberding and to enjoy a picnic dinner . Other retiring officers were Mrs, C. S. Plonk, Jr., vice-presi dent, and Mrs. Stokes Wright, sec retary treasurer. Coronoi's Jury Clears Gardner In Franks Death Willie Junior Gardner, 30-year old Negro, has been cleared of blame in the highway death of William Lloyd Franks on the Lake Montonia road July 28 Coroner Ollie Harris held an inquest into the death of Franks at city courtroom Tuesday night at 7:30 o’clock, and a coroner’s jury relieved Gardner of all blame for the accident. Foreman B. T. Wright read the verdict of the jury as follows. "We find that the deceased came to his death as the result of a complete fracture of the skull, and we find no evidence that the driver of the truck,'Willie Gard ner, was at fault.” Members of the jury were Mr. Wright, Richard Barnette, J. C. Bridges, T. W. Grayson, William (Bill) McGinnis, and Henderson Herndon. Willie Gardner was the first witness to appear before the jury. The truck driver said he had lfeft Kings Mountain enroute to his home, which is near the scene of the accident, when he saw the car coming straight at him at a high rate of speed as his truck rounded a curve. Gardner said he was traveling about 40 miles per-hour when the car struck his truck aft of the cab. Eddie Lee Gardner, 17-year old brother of the driver, was a pas senger in the truck. He substan tiated his brother’s testimony and added the truck’s right wheels were off the pavement when the car hit their vehicle. / Mrs. Ruby Scates, a passenger in the Franks’ car, testified that she remembered nothing about the accident or the events lead ing up to-the accident. She said that she met Franks at a Gastonia mill, where he worked, by a previous appointment about 5:15 a. m. on the day of the acci dent. They came to the Silver Vil la in Kings Mountain, she said, and remained there until around 6:30 a. m. The couple left the all-night diner to pick up Mrs. Scates’ bags, which were at the train station in Gastonia, she added. Mrs. Scates said she remembered nothing following the time they left for the train station. Coroner Harris reported to the jury that he found Mrs. Scates’ bags and six cans of beer in the right front portion of the car, but that he could not determine whe ther either Mrs. Scates or Mr. Franks had been drinking. He ad ded that he did smell alcohol when Mrs. Scates was removed from the wrecked vehicle. Patrolman D. W. Spratt, who investigated the accident, was cal led and told of the location of the two vehicles following the acci dent. He had ben unable to find any eye-witnesses to the mishap. The inquest was held before some 50-60 persons in the city courtroom. Bloodmobile Trip Set September 10 The Red Cross Bloodmobile will make a visit to Kings Moun tain Monday, September 10, ac cording to an announcement by Mrs. J. N. Gamble, executive sec retary of thie local Red Cross chapter. Mrs. Gamble reported that the mobile unit will be stationed at Kings Mountain Woman’s club from 11 a. m. until 5 p. m Quota for this visit is 125 pints of blood. This will mark the first Bloo<J mobile visit to Kings Mountain since the new “blood credit-card” system was adopted by the Char lotte Regional Blood Center. Under this system, a blood do. nor receives a credit-card cover ing the donor, his dependent fa mily or dependent parents for a pferiod of six months. Only per sons with these credit-cards are eligible to receive blood from the Red Cross. If persons other than dotnors receive blood, it will be on a replacement basis. B. F Maner, Kings Mountain insuranceman, Is blood program chairman for the local unit. PRESBYTERIAN Robert A. Gordon, of Gas tonia, will speak at Sunday morning services at First ^Presbyterian church. Mr. Gor don will also speak at 9 o’ clock worship services at Dix on Presbyterian church. Gerberding Quits Recreation Body SPEAKER—North Carolina Rep. B. T. Falls, Jr., of Shelby, will address the Kings Mountain Lions club Tuesday night. Mr. Falls is expected to discuss the Pearsall Plan concerning the pu blic schools which is to be con sidered by the electorate on September 8. The Lions club convenes at 7 o'clock at the Wo man's Club. Jury Awaided Mauney $3,500 The City of Kings Mountain ! came out $3000 ahead in the liti gr.tion involving a condemnation action against Paul Mauney. which was heard in Gaston Coun ty Superior Court last week. A board of appraisers appoint, ed by Clerk of Superior Court Paul Monroe, had set a price of $6,500 for 2.56 acres of land tak en from Mr. Mauney by the city via condemnation for construc tion of a new sewage disposal plant. However, the city was not rea dy to accept this figure saying it was “excessive,” and filed an ex ception to the board’s figures. After three days of testimony, including a trip to the site of the sewage plant, the jury awarded Mr. Mauney $3,500. Mr. Mauney had contended that the construction of the plant had decreased the value of the other 98 acres in the tract of land. Attorneys for the City of Kings Mountain were J. R. Davis and Jack White, of Davis and White legal firm of Kings Mountain, and E. R. Warren of Gastonia. Mr. Mauney was represented 1 by Attorney George Thomasson of Kings Mountain and James Mullen of Gastonia. Judge Hugh B. Campbell of Charlotte was the presiding ju rist. Members of the appraisal j board, which returned a figure of | $6,5(X) for the property, were Hoke Coon, Wray Plonk, and F. J. Noblett. Mayor Glee A Bridges said Wednesday that Mr. Mauney had 10 days in which to appeal the court’s decision, but that he not been notified of any appeal. Resignation Is "Reluctant." Pastoi States Dr. W. P. Gerberding, elected last week chairman of the recent ly appointed city recreation com mittee, resigned from that body Tuesday. The St. Matthew’s Lutheran minister said he regretted to quit the commission but felt his posi tion as a minister, the fact of the commission’s limited funds and the lack of interest in an expand ed recreation program by many leaders of the city dictated his ac tion. He said he would not have ac cepted appointment to the com mission. had he made a thorough investigation of the situation be fore his appointment. Dr. Gerberding was one of five members appointed to the com mission by the city board from five civic and service organiza tions. The other members are W. L. Plonk, American Legion, Mrs. J. N McClure, Woman’s club, Dean Payne, Kings Moun tain Junior Chamber of Com merce, and Eugene Timms, Lions club. Dr. Gerberding wrote Gene Mitchem city clerk and secretary of the recreation commission: “It is with great reluctance, chagrin, and a feeling of guilt that I write this letter. I believe it is the first time in my life that have refused or quit a task which I have been asked to perform. When I was approached by the President of the Kiwanis Club to be the club’s representative on the new Recreation Committee, 1 accepted too readily, because of my intense interest in the Cause of Recreation for the citizens of all ages of our community. I be lieve my zeal for this activity has been demonstrated. I was the first President of the Little Lea gue (boy’s baseballi; I served for a timfe on the City Recreation Committee while plans were be. ing discussed and drawn for the land which the city acquired and Continued on Page Eight Bethware Fair Barbecue Set The ninth annual Bethware Fair barbecue, annual pre-fair party honoring fair program ad vetisers and supporters, will be held at Bethware school next Wednesday afternoon beginning at 5:30. Tickets were mailed to adver tisers and others this week by Stokes Wright, secretary of the fair, who also announced that ex tra tickets can be obtained at S1.50 each. Reservations should be made not later than Tuesday, Mr. Wright added. The Fair will be held Septem ber 12-15 i Saturday Last Day To Register For September 8 Special Election Only one Saturday remains to register for the September 8 spe cial election on constitutional a mendments. Kings Mountain registrars re ported more registration activi. ty last Saturday and expect ever greater activity on the forthcom ing Saturday. September 1 will be challenge day. Mrs. J. H. Arthur reported re gistration of 23 citizens at West Kings Mountain and Mrs. Nelle Cranford said she added names of 11 voters to the East Kings Mountain pollbook. All previously registered citi zens are eligible to vote. The re gistration period enables all new citizens, either via age or resi dence, to get their names on the voting books and therefore be eligible to vote on September 8. The citizens will adopt or re ject a constitutional amendment to provide education expense I grants for private schools and to authorize local elections to sus pend local schools. The amend ment, if adopted, will make effec. tive the so-called Pearsall Plan, as adopted by the General Assem bly in recent special session. In addition to this amendment the voters will also act on three others which were offered by ac tion of the 1955 General Assem bly. These are: 1) An amendment to allow limi ted necessary compensation for members of the General Assem bly. 2*A n amendment changing the date for convening of the Gene ral Assembly from January to February of each biennium. 3) An amendment to allow a married woman to exercise pow er of attorney conferred by her husband. The registrars will be at the respective precinct polling places from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m on Sat urday. Plan tentative, Pending Actual Enrollments The city schools board of trus tees adopted an assignment plan for each of the city’s public school students in its regular monthly session Monday 'night. These assignments are tenta tive, and the board may change them at the opening of school, September 4, in order to equalize school and classroom enroll ments. The plan, as adopted, says, “All children are assigned to the same schools they attended last year or would have attended provided, however, those children having satisfactorily completed the course of instruction of any school are assigned to the next succeeding grade in the school to which they would have been as signed with the following excep tions:” 1) All children in grades 1-6 liv ing east of the railroad on Gold street and to the south of Gold street who have been attending Central school are assigned to West school. 2) All children who would have attended seventh and eighth grad es at West School are assigned to Central school. 3) All children in grades 1-8 living on the opposite side of the railroad from Central School and north of Childers street who have attended Central Schoom are as. signed to North school. 4) All children living on the op posite side of the railroad from East School, grades 1 . 8, who have been attending East school are assigned to the North School except children living on First and Second streets. These children are to rfeturn to East school. 5) All children, grades 1-8, liv ing on Cleveland Avenue and east of this avenue and all child ren living on York Road and east of York road, who have been at tending Central or West Schools, are assigned to East school. 6) All children, grades 1-8, liv ing on Clinton Drive, Hill street, Gillespie street, and Baker street, who have been attending Central school, are assigned to East School. The board agreed, without for mal action, to follow the state laws set forth by the 1956 Special Session in regard to assignment and re assignment of puRils. This law says" The parent or guardian of any child, or the per son standing in loco parentis to any child, who is dissatisfied with the assignment made by a board of education may, within ten (10) days after notification of the as signment, or the l$st publication thereof, apply in writing to the board of education for the reas signment of the child to a diffe rent public school. Application for re-assignment shall be made on forms prescribed by the board of education pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the board of education. If the application for reassignment is disapproved, the board of education shall give written notice to the applicant by registered mail, and the appli cant may within five (5) days af ter receipt of such notice apply to the board for a hearing, and shall be entitled to a prompt and fair hearing on the question of re assignment of such child to a dif ferent school. A majority of the board shall be a quorum for the purpose of holding such hearing and passing upon application for reassignment, and the decision of a majority of the members pre sent at the hearing shall be the decision of the board. If, at the hearing, the board shall find that the child is entitled to be reas signed to such school, or if the board Shall find that the reassign ment of the child to such school will be for the best interests of the child, and will not interfere Continued on Page Eight Alexander Becomes Postmaster Friday Charles L. Alexander will take the oath of office as Kings Mountain postmaster Friday af ternoon. Mr. Alexander and Acting Postmaster W. T Weir said they had been informed by Pos tal Inspector Hayes that he would be here Friday afternoon to close Mr. Weir’s accounts and to turn the office over to Mr. Alexander, Friday marks the end of the postal month. Mr. Weir became acting post master on January 15, 1955.