North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 7,206 the figuft for Greater Kings Mountain Is derived from the 1965 Kings Mountain city directory census. The City Limits figure is from the United States census of 1950. 10 Pages IU Today VOL. 68 No. 32 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, August 8, 1957 Sixty-Eighth Year PRICE FIVE CENTS .MANAGE HOSPITAL--Pictured are ten of tne 12 members of the board of directors of Kings Mountain Hospital, Inc., the recently-organized non-profit corporation which operates Kings Mountain hospital on lease from Cleveland County. Standing, left to right, are Commis sioner Hazel Bumgardner, ex officio member, Lamar Herndon, W. L. Plonk, Holmes Harry. Burris Keeter, George Tnomasson, and George H. Mauney. Seated, left to right, are Charles Neisler, Hugh Davis, and George W. Mauney. Absent for the picture were Luther T. Bennett, director, and Dr. P. G. Padgett, president of the medical staff and also an ex officio member. (Photo by Pennington Studio) Local News Bulletins X-RAY UNIT Cleveland County mobile X ray unit will 'be in Kings Mountain in front of Belk’s De partment store Thursday, Au gust 15th during the hours of 10 to 12 noon and 1 to 4 o’ clock p. m. (LODGE MEETING IFairview Lodge 339 AF & AM Will hold its regular meeting for 'Work In the second degree on Monday night at Masonic Hall, according to announce ment iby (Denver King, lodge secretary. CAKE SALE The Young Married (Ladies class of iPatterson Grove Bap tist church will sell cake and ice cream at Patterson Grove school Saturday (beginning at 6:30 p. m. Proceeds Will go to the church Ibuilding fund. , SUPPER ! Penley’s Chapel Methodist church will sponsor a chick en supper at Grace Methodist 1 Youth Center Saturday from 12 ( noon to 8 o’clock p. na., with proceeds to go to the Penley building (fund. The menu will include fried chicken, green beans, slaw, (French (fried po tatoes, tea or coffee, and des sert. Prices are $1.25 for adults and 75c for children plates. COURT OF HONOR Court of Honor for Kings Mountain district Boy Scouts will be held at City Hall Thursday night at 7:45 p. on. Scout leaders and explorer roundtables will feature the session. VFW MEETING IA11 eligible persons interested in reorganizing a V1F1W in (Kings Mountain are urged to meet at the (Legion Hall Mon day night at 7:30 p. m. to dis cuss plans for the organiza tion. MRS LENNON ILL Mrs. iR. S. Lennon, city schools faculty member, is a patient in Kings Mountain hosipital. She (became ill last Saturday but her condition was said to toe improved Wednesday. Her illness jhas been tentatively diagnosed as a heart condition. ATTEND GA CAMP Diane Roberts and Naomi Kir by, of Kings Mountain church, iwere among the 360 girls to at tend the Intermediate GA camp last iweek at Fruitland. IN. C. They represented First Baptist churoh at the camp. MONTONIA PICNIC Annual picnic for members of Lake Montonia, Club, Inc., will toe held at the club picnic area on Wednesday, August 14, be ginning at 7 p. m. Members of the dlub. their families and friends are invited to attend toy club official* ATTEND CAMP Eddie Ross, George Allen, Nell Ross, and Ruth Ann Sides have returned from Mender ville where they attended a week’s conference. They repre sented Grace Methodist chur ch at the camp. MOOSE MEETING Members of the Kings Mount » ain Moose Lodge 1748 will hold their regular weekly meeting Thursday night, at 8:15, at the lodge, Bessemer City road, ac cording to an announcement. Hospital Now Has Investment Oi $576,000. i » Kings Mountain hospital, only slightly more than six years in use, represents an investment on the part ol the county’s citizens of $576,495 and has an annual payroll of $105,000. The hospital, operated under the county board of hospital trus. tees until July 1, is now managed by a non-profit corporation,, the newly-formed corporation having leased the facility from the coun ty for d five-year period. Officers of the Kings Moun tain Hospital, Inc., are George W. Mauney, president, W. L. Plonk, vice-president, and Hugh Davis, secretary . treasurer. Directors are the officers, Charles Neisler, Lamar Herndon, Luther Bennett, Holmes Harry, George H. (Mau ney, George Thomasson, and Bur. ris Keeter. Exofficio members are Dr. P. G. Padgett, chief of the medical staff, and Hazel B. Bum. gardner, county commissioner from District 2. Since the hospital opened it Was treated 11,800 patients, ave raged more than 300 births per year, and averaged more than 550 operations per year. On the medical staff are physi cians from Kings Mountain, Cleve land County, and Gaston Coun. ty. Eleven are listed as active staff members, while nine are listed as consulting staff mem bers. Another active adjunctive or ganization is the hospital auxil iary, organized April 1956. The auxiliary numbers more than 200 area citizen who give free time to numerous hospital duties. Mrs. H. C. Mayes is president, Mrs. W. G. Grantham, vice-president. Mrs. Howard Jackson is co-chairman of the pink ladies organization. TWO FIRES Kings Mountain iFire depart ment extinguished two grass fires Friday. The first call was received around 12:55 p. m., to Phillips drive. The otheT call was received around 3:55 p. m. to the residence of Ernest Map les, Bethleherp Community. TO CHINA GROVE--John Rud isill, for the post nine years Beth wdre school principal, has ac cepted the prindpalship of China Grove Elementary school. Rudisill Accepts China Grove Post John Rudisill, for the past nine years principal of Bethware school, has accepted the prind palship of China Grove elemen tary school in the Rowan County system, effective at the beginn. ing of the 1957-58 term. Mr. Rudisill and his family will move to China Grove Friday. The China Grove school is a consolidated 26-teacher elemen. tary school. Mr. Rudisill is a former Kings Mountain high school football coach, a graduate of Lenoir. Rhyne college. Mr. Rudisill earn ed a Master of Arts degree at Appalachian State Teachers coll ege. ' Mrs. Rudisill has resigned her ppsition as clerk-stenographer at Sadie Cotton Mills. HEADS COMMITTEE J. It. Oavis, Kings Mountain attorney, iwas appointed iby county commissioners Mon day to head a five man group to work with architects on a plan to improve county court and office facilities of the Cleveland County Courthouse. Commercial Firms To Take Power Rate Complaints To City Fathers - By MARTIN HARMON Representatives of numerous Kings Mountain comme r c i a 1 firms will ask the city commission Thursday night to revoke, or at least to adjust downward, the new commercial power rate adopted last Februrary. Advance indications are that the commercial firms may have a difficult task in store. Three commissioners—Ben II. Bridges, Boyce Gault and Cole, man Stroupe—have indicated in the past few days they had no part in the power rate increase but didn’t wish to disturb it. But Boyce Gault, electrical commissioner, contended he had an “open mind” on the question, as did the others who commented. Power bills for many commer. dal firms started jumping with the advent of summer weather, which brought air-conditioning tum-ons and taxed refrigeration. The high point was reached last Thursday, when commercial firms received their August 1, billings. Indications of reluctance to ad just the commercial rate—upped in the base schedule from -88 cents per kilowatt hour to 1-4 cents—were given when the com missioners began studying the 1952 recommendations of Max Miller, electrical engineer. In a general rate revision study on in. structions to maintain the same income, Mr. Miller recommended consolidation of the city’s many power rate schedules into two schedules, one for residential users and another for commercial users. Mr. Miller also recommend ed use of “demand” meters, a de vice whereby the users are as sessed penalities for heavily vary ing demand for power. When the rates were established, the city commission received heavy com plaint from bpth residential and commercial users. The “demand” charge—assessed briefly an estL mate and without benefit of me ters—was particularly excoria ted. Result was elimination of the demand charge and an across-the board slash in both rate sche dules by 20 per cent. These rates were charged up to February 1957 and, during the fiscal year ended June 30, returned the city a net operating profit of approxi. mately $100,000, including cost of power, cost of all operating ex (Continued On Page Bight) Foote Mineral To Hike Wage Scale -,---.4 Mayes Facing Two Charges After Wreck * A telephoned complaint to the city police department launched a chain of events early Saturday morning which resulted in a two. car collision, hospitalization of four persons, and charges of two traffic violations against Dewey Stokes (Buddy) Mayes, 20. Mayes Is charged with reck less driving and with failing to stop for a stop sign. Four persons were hospitalized at Kings Mountain hospital and another received out-patient treat ment. Hospitalized were Mrs. Emma Wallace, of 400 Hill street, Mrs. Lois Payne of Dilling street, Mayes, of 503 E. Ridge street, and Jimmy Caveny, E. King street. Darrell Austin, of route 1, Gas tonia, received out-patient treat, ment for a sprained ankle. Mrs. Wallace, who was the most seriously injured of the five, is still hospitalized for multiple con tusions, a bruised kidney and several broken ribs. Dr. John McGill, attending physician stat ed Wednesday that she is con tinuing to improve and is now out of the oxygen tent in which she had be eh placed to aid her respiration. Mrs. Payne and Caveny were released from the hospital Sat urday. Mrs. Payne was treated for bruises to the head and face. She also received a broken tooth; Caveny received treatment for lacerations of the forehead. Mayes’ injuries were cuts, brui. ses and shock. He was released from the hospital Sunday. When the accident occurred, a round 12:55 a.m. Mayes, opera ting a 1957 Oldsmobile, was being pursued by police. He crashed broadside into a 1955 Ford driven by Mrs. Wallace, when police charge Mayes failed to stop for a stop sign. * Mrs. Payne was a passenger in the 1955 Ford. Caveny and Austin were passengers in the Oldsmobile. The chase sprang from the call which reported that several boys were at the Deal Street Pool. As the prowl car approached, ac cording to Officer Paul R. San ders, the boys scattered, at least four jumping into the Oldsmobile. and three others running into the darkness. The driver sped away, spinning his car wheels for a distance of 23 paces. The officers gave pur suit and stated that their patrol car was in second gear, “doing all it could”, when the crash oc curred. Officers said they were a half block from the crash. The Ford, traveling south on Dilling Street, was hit in the left causing an estimated damage of $1800 which is a total loss. The Mayes’ car damages were esti mated at $1,000. Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Wallace were enroute home from a Bel mont textile mill where both are employed on the second shift. Trial for Mayes, Who was re leased on a citation, has been scheduled for City Recorder’s Court Monday. No Rash Here For FHA Paper As far as Kings Mountain fi nancial houses are concerned, the federal government’s effort to spur home-lbuilding Iby a iboost in the allowable FHA interest rate and concurrent cuts in down payment requirements woa't have any effect. Neither of Kings Mountain’s three (financial institutions indi cate they will begin (processing 'PilA-financed loans. Ben 51. Bridges, secretary-trea surer of Kings Mountain Savings & loan association, noted that the ibig trouble, as far as his association is concerned, is the low down payment requirement. ‘We want a third down,” Mr. Bridges commented. ‘We discon tinued making (FHA loans a year or so ago, and we don’t believe the one-quarter of one percent increase will be sufficient to cause our re-entry, particularly since we’re paying 3% percent on savings. Demand for loans un der our conventional plan at six percent interest is o. k.” A. H. Patterson, executive Vice president of Home Savings & (Loan association had similar comments. He said. 'We’ll not be running after FHA loans. G! loans have made us (better loans than (FHA-type. Besides, we have a good demand for conventional loans at six percent interest.” (F. R. Summers, president of (First National Bank, said his •bank is limited by law on the type of mortgage loans it grants, says the National won’t handle any FHA loans as “construction” loans, a conventional device used iby long-term lenders during the (Continued On Pag* tight) Ford Resigns Manager Post Of Massachusetts Mohair Bumgaidner Rites Conducted Funeral rites for Austin Lee Bumgardner, 48, were conducted Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock from Central Methodist church, interment following in Mountain Rest cemetery. Mr. Bumgardner succumbed Saturday afternoon at Kings Mountain hospital. Death was at tributed to a heart attack. A native of Cleveland county, he was the son of the late Thomas Edward and Nettie Blanton Bum. gardner. A former employee of Margrace Mill, he was employed by City Floor Service, and was a member of Central Methodist church. Surviving are his wife, a son, William Lee Bumgardner, of the Air Force at Myrtle Beach, S. C., a daughter, Phyllis Bumgardner, of the home, nine brothers, Hazel, Edward, Ray, George, Ralph, Clyde, William, and John Bum gardner, all of Kings Mountain, and J. O. Bumgardner, of Shelby, and a sister, Mrs. E. S. Hardin, of Shelby. Rev. James B. MeLarty and Rev. P. L. Shore, Jr., officiated. Pallbearers were Jonah Falls, June Cloninger, Doc Byars, Mar. vin Byars, Roy Howard, bale Thornburg, Fletcher Wright, and Bobby Fletcher. Manning In Dark On Sacking Reason General John Hall Manning, re. cently sacked by Governor Hod ges as adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, and to be replaced by Capus Way nick, of High Point on August 16 said here Tuesday he didn’t know “what is wrong” between him and Governor Hodges. General Manning had served as adjutant general of the Nation al Guard for a number of years. The replacement by Waynick has been criticized by some seg ments of the National Guard and has been attributed in some quar ters to "politics”. Governor Hod. ges is being mentioned as a can didate for the U. S. Senate in 1960 against Senator Kerr Scott. Mr. Waynick has been a Scott supporter in several campaigns. TO CHIMNEY BOCK Twenty members otf the youth choir of Macedonia Baptist church will return Thursday (from Chimney Rock where they were accompanied by Dan (Huffstetler, director. (Mrs. Huff stetler, Stevie (Mitcham, and Miss Mary Ann Beam.1 Horvath Says Successor To Be Named William M. Ford, for about 18 months general manager of Neis ler derision of Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, has re signed effective Monday, it was announced Tuesday iby Ernest 'Horvath, president. 'Mr. Horvath was in Kings Montain Tuesday and informed employees that the seven-plant division would Ibe operated by heads of departments until a successor to Mr. IFOrd is named. (Mr. Ford was not available for comment as to his future plans. The interim operating commit tee includes: C. F,. (Hershey) Flowers, Kings •Mountain Fabrics operation. Thomas iA. [Roberts, Rile Fab rics operation. Archie T. Wilbanks, yarn pro duction. James E. Amos, administra tion. IMr. Horvath said Mr. Ford’s resignation was “sudden” and that the resigned general man ager indicated illness in his and his wife’s families dictated his resignation. Mr. Horvath, who lives in (New York city, said applications for the general manager’s position will be received and that he hop ed to employ a manager versed in all phases of the Massachus etts Mohair Neisler operation and also an “expert in adminis tration”. Commenting on the market conditions, Mr. Horvath said yarn operations'have ibeen good, added he hoped for a fall piek lup in fabric orders. He said new Iwisting machinery is '.being in stalled at the Margrade plant to improve its yarn operation and that an addition is currently be ing constructed to the Pageland, S. C., plant. Mr. Horvath noted in his let ter to employees: “‘Until a new general manager is appointed the mills will be operated by those persons Who have normally operated as heads of their departments. This group will work as a committee. “Everyone is requested to con tribute his or 'her best effort for our mutual benefit. “Any suggestion or recommen dations you may wish to make to management thru your over seers will ibe most welcome ’’ Payne Resigns Recreation Post Dean Payne, Jayoee represent ative and chairman of the city recreation commission, is resign ing this position, he said this week. Mr. Payne said he would leave for Clearwater, Pla., Sunday, where he has accepted a position with an appliance firm. Under current policy the city commission asks five organiza tions to recommend appointees to the city recreation commission. Mr. Payne has been associated for many years with Cooper’s, Inc. He said his family will join him in Florida when accommo dations can be obtained. SPEAKER--State Senator Robert F. Morgan, ot Shelby, will ad dress meetings of Two Kings Mountain civic clubs on Thurs day and Tuesday. Moigan To Speak To Civic Clubs State Senator (Rolbert IF. Mor gan, of Shelby, will address two Kings Mountain civic eluibs at their regular meetings this week. Kings Mountain Kiwanians will hear Mr. Morgan at their regular meeting Thursday night at 6:45 p. m. Mr. Morgan will ad dress members of the iLions club at their regular meeting Tues day night at 7 O’clock. Both or ganizations convene at the Wo man’s club,. Mr. Morgan, who just comple ted his third term as State Sen ator from Cleveland county, is in business with his father in operation of Morgans Feed & Seed Store, Sheliby. Board Session Agenda Listed The city board of commission ers will hold its regular August meeting Thursday night at 8 o’ clock with chief items on the a - genda consideration of the com mercial power rate schedule and decision on a winter season city recreation program. Other items include decision on two re-zoning requests, a lot at the comer of W. King and Tracy streets, and another at the comer of E. King and Dllling streets. City Clerk Gene Mitcham said he would report to the board on condemnation action involving the Baker-Plonk building at the comer of Mountain and Cherokee streets, and on similar action in volving two vacant houses owned by the Maude E. Hord Estate on S. Piedmont avenue. Mr. Mitcham will also discuss with the commission possibility of replacing the city's utilities billing machine. REUNION Annual .Ware reunion will be held Sunday. August 18, at the home off Woodrow Ware in the Oak Grove community section on route three, according to an nouncement yesterday. Driving License Expiration Day Unhappy One For Area Citizens (For several weeks, Kings (Mountain area citizens with drivers licenses expiring have been finding the license exam iner missing at his customary station at ICity lHall on Thursday and Friday. If they inquire, they find that the examiner’s regular visits to BELIEF PROMISED Edward Scheidt, state motor vehicle commissioner, was quoted by Mayor Glee A. Brid ges Wednesday as promising immediate “relief” on the situ ation whereby the county’s driver license examiner has susipended his visits to Kings Mountain. Mayor Bridges said he had complained to Major C. A. Speed and had received an equivocating reply. He talked with Mr. Scheidt by telephone. Subsequently, he called Mr. Scheidt who told the Mayor he hadn’t ibeen ful ly apprized olf the situation and "will remedy the situation tomorrow”. Kings Mountain have been sus pended. This situation is causing in increasing amount of com plaints from motorists. The difficulty. Sgt. J. B. Kuy kendall of the State Highway Pa trol said Wednesday, is caused iby the illness of Examiner W.1 C. Willis, a patient at the North Carolina Sanitorium at Black Mountain. Examiner (Lee Nolan is the only man on duty and must maintain a five-day-per week schedule at the county seat in Shelby. When will the situation be remedied? Sgt. Kuykendall isn’t sure, sees possibility ctf relief in two di rections: 1) employment of an additional driver license exam iner as authorized toy the 1957 General 'Assembly, and!/or 2) ob taining of a temporary relief ex aminer from Asheville. Employment of another exam iner offers ibest 'permanent hope. Sgt. Kuykendall said he current ly has three applicants for the position, and that it would re quire a minimum of two weeks to train the applicant selected. He thinks it possible the Ashe ville examiner might toe tempor arily assigned to Cleveland County about September 1, when vacation season is over. Sgt. Kuykendall said he under stood Mr. Willis’ condition is not particularly aggravated, tout that medical reports indicate he will be confined to the Black Mount ain hospital for "some little time.” Hourly-Rated Workers To Get Eight-Cent Raise <Neil Johnson, general man ager of 'Foote (Mineral Com pany's Kings Mountain opera tion, notified hourly-rated em ployees last week they will re ceive an eight-cent per hour in crease in pay effective Septem ber L. In addition. Mr. Johnson’s let ter to employees said, hourly rated employees will receive an additional holiday each year, bringing the total to six. The additional holiday will ibe tihe employee’s (birthday. In event the birthday falls on another paid holiday, an additional holiday with pay will ibe granted. Mr. Johnson said the wage in crease will up to 1.58 per hour the average 'wage of hourly-rated employees. It will add aibout $27,500 per year to the company’s annual payroll which totals $776,000 exclusive of (bonuses. Mr. Johnson said earning (bon uses increase the company’s an nual payroll to approximately $1,000,000. In addition to paid holidays, the company also grants em ployees annual two-week vaoa-“ tions for those in the company’s employ three years or more and one week for other employees. It also provides free hospitilization, medical, health and accident and life insurance coverage, and (has a company-paid employee re tirement plan. iFoote Mineral Company’s Kings Mountain plant establish, ed ibo’h production and cost re cords during the six months end ed on June 30, the company re cently reported. Roaid Gets Armory Facts iwmie Kings Mountain is (book ed ifor the [first National Guard Armory in the fiscal year begin ning July 1, 1958, it is an unlike ly probability that this schedule will be met. This was the word of General John Hall Manning, chief of the North Carolina National Guard,, to the city commissioners at a special session Tuesday morn ing. The General explained that 'Armory construction must clear numerous (bureaus and federal government establishments and that “local” funds now available for building armories throughout the nation would require a fed eral appropriation of $105,000, 000. He said an appropriation of $35,000,000 had been asked. Under the Armory-building set-up, the General said, the fed eral government furnishes 75 per cent of the funds, (while the other 25 percent must be “local”, sup plied by state, county, and city governments. (He said Kings Mountain’s proposed armory is ibooked for a Type *1A” Armory, including 12,800 square feet olf clear floor space, and expected to cost from $120,000 to $125,000. He said the state National Guard would furnish 7.5 percent of the funds, from recent General As sembly appropriations, and that 17.5 percent would have to be furnished from county and/or municipal sources. He suggested that a 50-50 .share (basis for county and city had proved prac tical. (He said the site of the present (National Guard motor pool ap peared adequate for a Type "A” Armory. “(I have a suggestion,” he com mented. “Be ready to do your part.” ‘lit is not impossible that the (Kings Mountain Armory could (be built on present schedule, the General noted. He said Alabama, for instance, will have Armories for all its guard units at the end of the current fiscal year, as a result will no longer (be partici pating in the federal allocation. The General also noted that it is (possible for this community to obtain an Armory over and a bove the minimum Armory spec ifications. In this event, the fed eral government does not share in cost for more than the basic square footage. (He explained that the National Guard unit commander has sole responsibility for conduct of the Armory, its rental to outside groups, and its management. General Manning and mem bers of his staff flew to Kings (Continued on Page Eight) Jaycees To Have Paper’Drive Sunday Kings Mountain Jaycees will conduct a paper drive pick-up on Sunday with area citizens urged to deposit scrap paper outside their homes. Announcement was made by » B. F. Maner, Jaycee official, who invited persons who have any amounts of scrap paper to contribute the paper to the Jay cees. Members of the Junior Cham ber of Commerce will conduct the pick-up Sunday or citizens may contact Mr. Maner or any other Jaycee to assure pickup of their paper donations.