Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10.320
City Limits 7.206
nm figure fo. Onalw Vug* MonataJa Is IhM bM
mo NM Bug* MmMa city directory census, na Cttr
UafiM figure is from U» Hsited States oensus of NM.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
Wj/Ff 'kj
JEL
1 Q Pages •
10 Today
VOL 68 No. 6
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, February 7, 1957
Sixty-Eighth Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTS MEMBERS — Kings Mountain bigb
school chapter of the National Honor Society Inducted two new
members and elected new officers recently. Pictured, left to right,
are Mary Ann Beam, rice ■ president, Jane Osborne, Doris Clonin
ger. Jeanne Plonk, a new member and recently - elected secretary.
Mrs. W. T. Weir, chapter advisor. Curtis George, past president, E.
L. Brown, high school principal, Pat Owens. Peggy Joyce Reynolds,
and Sybil Stringfellow. David Baity, kneeling, a new member,
was elected president of the organization.
Local News
UONS TO MEET
The regular meeting of
Kings Mountain Lions Clulb
wiH be held Tuesday night at
7 o’clock. The club meets every
second Tuesday at Kings
Mountain Woman’s Club.
ORDAINED
Dewitt Hambright was or
dained an elder by Dixon
Presbyterian church at Sunday
services. Other elders are Dan
Wells, J. V- Stewart, and Gor
don Hughes.
attends meeting
®ev. P. D. Patrick, pastor of
First Presbyterian church, at
tended a meeting of Presby
terian Synod’s Council at White
Memorial chUTch, Raleigh, on
Friday.
MOOSE MEETING
Members of Kings Mountain
Moose lodge 1748 will hold
their regular weekly meeting
Thursday night, at 8:15 at the
lodge on Bessemer City road,
according to an announcement
toy Curtis Gaffney, secretary.
sumn
.Women of the Church of Dix
on Presbyterian church will
serve hotdogs ^nd cold drinks
in the church .fellowship hall
Saturday night beginning at 6
o’clock p m., it was announced
toy Mrs. Wayne Wells, presi-"
dent of the Women of the
Church.
TO CONVENTION
. Mrs. George Morrow leaves
Sunday for Durham to attend
the State convention of Hair
dressers and Cosmetologists
Association, a trade and educa
tional convention scheduled
Sunday through Tuesday at
Washington - Duke Hotel. Mrs.
Morrow is a member of the
staff of Helen's Beauty Shop
here.
KIWANIS MEETING
Laxton Hamrick, superinten
dent of the Mt. Holly City
Schools, will be the guest
speaker for the weekly meet
ing of Kings Mountain Kiwanis
Clutb this week. The club meets
at Kings Mountain Woman’s
Cluib Thursday evening at 6:45.
TIED FOH TOP
| Bethware boys basketball
team defeated f'allston in a
six - point thriller Tuesday
night to move into a three-way
tie with Fallston and No. 3
high for top spot In the coun
ty basketball league.
SHAREHOLDER meeting
Annual meeting of share
holders of Kings Mountain
Building A Loan association
will be held Tuesday afternoon
at 4 o’olock in the offices of the
association.. \
NEW PRESIDENT — Charles
Dixon. Victory Chevrolet Co.
salesman, will head the Kings
Mountain Merchant's Association
daring 1957-58. Dixon was elect
ed to the presidency last week
by local merchants. He succeeds
Paul Walker as president.
Dixon Will Head
Merchant Group
Members of Kings Mountain
Merchant’s Association last week
selected Charles Dixon, Victory
Chevrolet Company Salesman, to
succeed Paul Walker as president
of that organization.
Mr. Dixon, who served as vice
president of the association dur
ing the last year, was selected
over Fleete McCurdy in balloting
by local merchants.
Oflier officers of the organiza
tion elected for the coming year
are: Jonas Bridges, vice-presi
dent; directors elected for two
year terms included, Dick Mc
Ginnis, Odus Smith, Gene Timms,
and John Warlick.
Hold-over directors with a year
left to serve are Charles Blan
ton, Vates Harbison, Menzell Phi
fer, and Ed Tutor.
Mrs. Elaine Queen is secretary
of the local merchant’s group.
These officers and directors
will be Installed at the associa
tion’s annual banquet on March
11.
COMPLETE COURSE
Nine high school Home Eco
nomic students have completed
a Red Cross course in home
nursing conducted by Mrs. W.
P„ Sweezy for the local Red
Cross chapter. Completing the
course were Ellen Baker, Joyce
Hope, Helen Morrison, Barbara
Smith. Jeanne Plonk, Shirley
Ann Whitaker, Nellie Sue Nor
man, Judy Yarboro, and Joyce
B. Hord.
City Election
Speculation -
Is Undeiway
At least one new face will ap
pear in the next city administra
tion.
J,. H. Patterson, completing his
second term as Ward 2 commis
sioner, announced this week he
would not he a candidate for re
election.
■Majority of the other members
of the present administration are
expected to seek re-elction,
though W. G. Grantham, com
pleting his second term as Ward
5 commissioner, is telling friends
he doubts he will offer again.
However, he made no formal an
nouncement.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges is ex
pected to seek a third consecu
tive term, though he says he
would step down “if the right
man offered".
For the Ward II spot, several
names have been mentioned. A
monig them are Hilton (Ruth, W.
S. .Fulton, Jr., and A. D. Cornwell.
There has (been rumor of an
opposition candidate to Mayor
Bridges, the names having in
cluded J. I,ee (Roberts and Hay
wood E. Lynch. Ward 3 Commis
sioner T. J. Ellison, as he did two
years ago, has also been report
ed considering a race for the top
spot, but is generally regarded
as a candidate for re-election as
commissioner. Expressing disin
terest in seeking the mayor post
have Ibeen Ollie Harris, Wilson
Crawford, and W. M. Gantt.
In Ward 4, where Paul Ledford
is expected to run again, Ben H.
(Continued On Page Ten)
l
Linebeigei,
And Di. Gial
Missioners
Kings Mountain’s two Luther
an churches reported plans com
plete this week for their Luther
an Evangelism Mission activities
which begin Sunday morning.
Members of the committees in
charge for St. Matthew’s and
Resurrection Lutheran churches
have been working on their re
spective projects for the past
three months.
Both churches will have visit
ing missioners who will preach
on Sunday morning at 11 o’clock
and at evening services at eight
o’clock, Sunday through Thurs.
day.
Coming to St. Matthew’s is Dr.
Paul Graf, of Minneapolis, Minn.,
described by Dr. Gerberding as
“one of the outstanding ministers !
in America.” In New York for the
past ten days on business of the j
United Lutheran Church in A
merica, Dr. Graf will come to l
Kings Mountain by plane on Sat-!
urday. He is a member of the
ULCA foreign mission board and
pastor of the large Holy Trinity j
church of Minneapolis.
Coming to Resurrection is Rev.
Corley R. Lineberger, of Hender
sonville, described by Rev. R.:
Douglas Fritz as a busy minister
with a wide range of civic as well
as ministerial activities. A musi
cian, the minister played in an
army band in World War II. He
is chaplain of the Hendersonville
VFW.
In addition to the preaching
services, each church has a visit
ing committee which will con
vene at their respective church
for supper each evening, Monday
through Thursday. Subsequently
they will visit prospective mem
bers and invite them to qttend 8 i
o’clock services.
Mornings will be devoted to a
Pastor’s Bible Study, to be held
at St. Mark’s Lutheran church in
Charlotte.
The Lutheran Evangelism mis
sion, which is being conducted
(Continued On Page Ten)
Bethwaxe Patrons To Vote Again
April 17 On Split Term Question
Bethware school patrons will
vote again April 17 on the split
term question.
The county board of education
has ordered the election on peti
tion of 31 patrons.
Patrons will get one vote per
child enrolled in the Bethware
school district, which includes
both Bethware and Patterson
Grove schools, with the exception
of 12th grade students.
Several years ago, Bethware
district patrons soundly defeated
a proposal to abolish the split
term, which has been operative
(or many years. The school holds
a summer term, then suspends
during fall harvest season. At
the time of the previous election,
however, the issue of possible
consolidation of Bethware high
school with Grover and Kings
Mountain high schools was invol
ved. Such a proposal has not
since been advanced by school of
ficials of either community.
Signing the petition for the
split-term election were:
Mrs. Rufue Doster, Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Bell, Mrs. John Jones,
Mrs. Charles Goforth, Mrs. How.
ard Randall, Mrs. Frank Hern
don, Mrs. T. H. Bowles, Mrs.
Leonard Patterson, Mr. and Mrs.
Bayne Randall, Mr. and Mrs. W.
F. Stone, Jr., Mi’s. John Rudisill,
Jr., Mrs. Hill Lowery, Mrs. De
witt RanoaD, Mr. and Mrs. Char
les M. Fisher, Jr., Mr. and Mrs.
Eugene Bell, Mrs. Tom Ledbetter,
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lovelace, Mrs.
Howard Champion, Mr. and Mrs.
C. B. Clary, Mrs. Lyman Champ
ion, Mrs. Lonnie Butler, Mrs.
Ralph Towery, H. J. Champion,
and Myers Hambright.
Mauney Lot Bought By Bell
For Future Dial Exchange
Unemployment
Pay Claims Up;
Textiles Spotty
"Claims are heavy," Franklin
L. Ware, Jr., manager of the local
office of the North Carolina Em
ployment Security Commission,
reported Wednesday.
“The four-week period ending
January 25 was especially heavy
due to the signing of many work
ers during Christmas lay-off,” he
added.
His report for thS four weeks
showed 1834 claims for unem
ployment compensation were
processed during that period,
fhis is an average of 458 per
week.
The report also showed that 115
persons applied for work during
that period, bringing the num
Der of persons in file seeking
work to 354. Only 50 openings
were reported, with 36 of these
positions being filled, Mr. Ware
stated.
“The textile field is fluctuat
ing, while other industries are
remaining steady,” Mr. Ware
said in explaining the increase
in unemployment compensation
claims.
Several local plants are under
going changes and temporary
lay-off conditions, according to
reports from various sources.
Craftspun Yarns, Inc., is in
stalling new machinery and at
the present time only about 50
percent of its employees are
working,. Mr. Ware said the iplant
was using a rotating method
whereby one-half of the workers
work each week.
Ralph Johnson, Slater Brothers
manager, reported Wednesday
that some 23 or 24 employees,
mostly women, have ibeen tem
porarily laid-off at that plant.
Mr. Johnson blamed the lay-off
on slow orders, and explained
(Continued On Page Ten)
Fanners Rush
To Bank Cotton
Cleveland County’-s farmers
nave been flocking to the ASC
office in Shelby since last Friday
to bank their 1957 cotton crop.
Wednesday morning, Secretary
Ralph Harrill estimated that the
original allotment of $460,550
would be exhausted pometime
Thursday.
The pace of sign-ups, however,
had slowed somewhat Wednes
day morning, Mr. Harrill said.
Using a number system on a
first - come • first • served basis,
the ASC official said there was
much less of a jam-up Wednes
day than had occurred on the
previous three sign-up days.
One Kings Mountain farmer
isaid he was at the ASC office
Monday at 5 a.m. It was 3:30 p.
m. when he completed his soil
banking transaction.
Mr. Harrill emphasized that
farmers who wish to soil bank
their cotton should continue to
sign up, even after the original
allotment funds are exhausted,
x'here are two reasons: 1) Cleve
land’s allotment of cotton soil
bank funds may be increased,
and 2) some farmers who have
signed soil bank agreements may
change their minds and thereby
release soil bank money.
The score through Tuesday’s
sojl - banking showed farmers
had soil banked 5,060.9 acres,
with $126,824.80 of the $460,550
remaining.
Farmers will get one of four
figures as their cotton soil-bank
payments: $52, $59, $65, or $72
per acre. Mr. Harrill said the
figures were set "per farm’’ by
the county ASC committeemen,
who based decisions on a normal
year yield, the operator himself,
his work force and his equip
ment. It was noted that if a far
mer feels he should have a high
er acreage payment he can file
application and have his com
plaint considered.
A farmer may soil bank either
30 percent of his allotment or 10
acres, whichever is the larger
figure. Mr. Harrill noted that a
farmer who wanted to soil bank
a very large allotment should
make application at the time he
banks tne permissible amount.
When a farmer soil banks his
cotton for 1957 he agrees to 1)
let the soil banked acreage lie
fallow, or 2) plant on it a con
serving crop under ASC super
vision. Mr. Harrill noted that the
ASC would pay half the cost of
the soil improvement practice.
GRADUATED — Demauth Blanton, left, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wiley
Blanton, has received the degree of Bachelor of Divinity from South
eastern Seminary at Wake Forest, and Bobby P. Huskey, right, son
of Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Huskey, Covington, Tenn.. received the degree
of Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering from N. C. State
college.
Junior Woman's Club
For Fluoridation
The Kings Mountain Junior
Woman’s club voted Monday
night to endeavor to acquaint
Kings Mountain citizens with
the arguments in favor of
fluoridating.
The organization becomes
the third to endorse fluorida
tion. First was the Kings
Mountain Kiwanis club and
the medical staff of Kings
Mountain hospital shortly fol
lowed suit.
Proponents contend that
fluoride in drinking water will
prevent the formation of cavi
ties Irt teeth and will thereby
cut tooth decay and lower the
community’s aggregate dental
bill.
Opponents contend that fluo
ridating is harmful to older
persons, causing the formation
of calcium deposits in joints
and thereby producing arthri
tis and rheumatism. (See edi
torial page, this issue.)
Scranton Lace
Diversifying
Scranton Lace Company,
Scranton, Pa., parent company of
Craftspun Yarns, Inc., and Cora
Lee Fabrics, Inc., of Kings Moun
tain Wednesday announced it
had acquired 100 percent of the
common stock of Southwestern
International Corporation, there
by obtaining a substantial inter
est in companies manufacturing
a wide variety of products, as
well as an interest in industrial
properties at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.,
and St. Louis, Mu
The acquisition was made
through the issuance of common
stock of Scranton Lace Company.
The purchase price was undis
closed.
Diversification of activities by
Scranton Lace was the motiva
tion behind the acquisition, Carl
Swan, Craftspun president said.
It is probable, he added, that this
first step in enlarging the .scope
of operations will result in furth
er diversification in the products
manufactured at the Scranton
plant.
Blanton, Huskey
Get Diplomas
Two Kings Mountain men re
ceived degrees in recent college
commencement exercises.
Demauth Blanton, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Wiley Blanton, was
graduated from Southeastern
Seminary at Wake Forest and
will be ordajned a Baptist min
ister at March 3rd church serv
ices at First Baptist church. A
graduate of Mars Hill Junior col.
lege and Wake Forest college, he
is chaplain at State Hospital in
Raleigh. .
Bobby P. Huskey, son of Mr.
and Mrs. W. B. Huskey of Cov
ington, Tenn., formerly of Kings
Mountain, received a bachelor of
engineering from North Caro
lina State college at Raleigh and
received a reserVfe commission as
a second lieutenant in the Air
Force. Mr. Huskey was designat
ed a distinguished air force mili
tary cadet in his senior year and
upon graduation was designated
a distinguished military grad
uate which entitles hjm to regular
commission upon entering active
duty. He plans to do research
work with the Agricultural Engi
neering department at State col
lege until being called to active
duty in the Air Force.
Mr. Huskey is. married to the
former Mjss Laura Lane Morris,
of Kings Mountain.
1956 City Tax Levy
Is 80 Percent Paid
City of Kings Mountain col
lected approximately 80 per
cent of its $163,184.85 personal
property tax levy before penal
ities were added February 2,
■according to a report iby City
Tax Collector J W. Webster.
Mr. Webster reported that
$130,386.73 of the total levy has
been collected.
January 30, 31, and Febru
ary 1, last three day.s of collec
tion prior to penalty date
brought in $6,952.07 in a last
minute rush of business.
Penalty of one percent is
added to delinquent tax bills
after February 2, and one-half
of one percent is added for each
additional month of delin
quency.
Chamber Of Commerce Membership
Drive Underway; 37 Have Joined
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce launched a member
ship drive Monday night and
Fleete McCurdy, membership
committee chairman, reported
Wednesday at noon that the
membership list totaled 37.
He said many reports from the
eight - man committee are still
to be received and predicted that
the membership list will total 60
by the time of the next member
ship committee meeting, set for
Monday night at 7:30 at City
Hall.
"The 37 - member figure repre
sents cash - in - hand member
ships,” Mr. McCurdy explained,
“and does not include many per
sons and firms who have indicat
ed they will join the organiza
tion."
Members of the membership
committee present for Monday
night’s session and now actively
seeking members were the chair
man, John Cheshire, Acting Pres
ident Dan Weiss, Martin Harmon,
Charles Dixon, Sam Collins, Dr.
U T. Anderson, acting secretary,
and Robert Hoffman.
The public is invited to attend
Monday night's membership
committee meeting.
“Any citizen interested in the
progress of Kings Mountain is in
vited to join the Chamber of
Commerce,” Mr. McCurdy con
tinued, “and is also invited to at
tend the forthcoming Monday
night meeting.”
Dues have been set at $25 per
year and the aim of the commit
tee is a first - year membership
of 200 members. Larger business
and industrial firms are buying
several memberships, listing
them in the names of key execu
lives and employees.
The Chamber of Commerce
currently is in the "acting” stage.
When the bulk of the member
ship work is completed, perma
tent officers will be elected who
vin assume the responsibility of
managing the organization.
"I feel very encouraged over
the response the membership
campaign workers are meeting,”
Mr. McCurdj^ added. “Kings
Mountain citizens recognize the
need for a Chamber of Commerce
here and supporting it. There are
nany directions in which such
an organisation can toe of bene
fit to the Kings Mountain area.”
Dial Sendee
Is Indicated
By 1959-60
Southern Bell Telephone and
Telegraph Company has pur.
chased from W, K. Mauney a lot
Bell intends to use for building
a dial telephone station jn Kings
Mountain.
Southern Bell bought the larg
er portion of the Mauney lot at
the comer of Mountain and Cans
ler streets. The lot fronts 173 feet
on Mountain and 212 feet on
Cansler. The purchase price, Mr.
Mauney said, was $20,000.
Purchase of the lot was first
announced by Floyd Farris, man
ager of the Kings Mountain ex
change, in the course of an ad
dress to the Kings Mountain Jun
ior Chamber of Commerce Tues
day night.
Mr. Farris guessed that dial
system telephones in Kings
Mountain are “two to three
years” away, but said a repeater
station to be used in connection
with the company’s Charlotte
Shelby toll line service would be
constructed soon.
Construction of a dial station
will be begun on completion of
necessary engineering studies and
is contingent, Mr. Farris added,
on growth of the Kings Mountain
area and the company’s finan
cial resources.
Mr. Farris also noted that in.
stallation of dial service in Kings
Mountain wj'.i not cost any em
ployees their Jobs. .“All employees
will be retained by the company,
Mr. .Farris said. "Dial service
itself creates jobs.”
The site purchased by South
ern Bell is known to many citi
zens as the “Hambright proper
ty.” Mr. Mauney still retains a
port Jon of the property, fronting
about 150 feet on Cansler street.
For several years, many citi
zens have encouraged Southern
Bell to build a dial exchange here.
Some five years ago, Bell's Char
lotte district manager told a
group of citizens Kings Moun
tain would evept^ully get dial
service. However, he said at that
time dial service for Kjngs Moun
tain was several years away, due
to the fact space was at a great
er premium in other exchanges.
Since that time, Bell has added
numerous stations in its Kings
Mountain manually operated ex.
change.
On completion of engineering
work—which not only wjll in
clude building plans but specifi
cations on the made-to-order
equipment the company will pur.
chase from Western Electric
Company — the company likely
will announce a specific date for
the starting of construction and
a target date for cutting the
Kings Mountajn phones over to
dial.
Mr. Farris said the dial equip
ment would be of latest type and
would be able to handle long
distance dialing.
Boy Scout Week
Underway Here
Kings Mountain Boy Scouts
and their leaders are joining in
the world - wide observance of
Boy Scout Week, commemorat
ing the 47th anniversary of
Scouting.
Rev. J. B. McLarty, Kings
Mountain district chairman, an
nounced this week that the an
nual Boy Scout banquet, far Boy
Scouts and citizens interested in
Scouting, will be held on Febru
ary 14 as a joint session with the
Kiwanis Club.
Featured speaker for the ban
quet will be M. G. Boswell, depu
ty regional executive for region
six, of Atlanta, Ga. Tickets for
the banquet are $1 and reserva
tions should be in the hands of
J. H. Patterson, chairman of the
Kiwanis house committee, by
Monday.
Sunday will be “Boy Scout Sun
day” and majority of the city’s
churches will take note of Scout
ing in their Sunday morning ser
vices. Boy Scout troops and Cub
Scout packs customarily attend
these services in a body.
The annual fund drive for the
Kings Mountain district will get
underway February 15, with a
$2,000 goal. J. H. Patterson is
serving as chairman of the fi
nance committee and as fund
drive chairman. Sam Stallings is
co-chairman.
Currently in the Kings Moun
tain district there are four active
(Continued On Page TenJ