Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
TW figure tot Greater rings Mountain Is desired Iran
the IHi Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
limits figure Is irom tns United States census of 1SSO.
VOL. 70 No. 45
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, November 12, 1959
Seventieth Year
Pages
Today
Established 1889
PRICE TEN CENTS
... '
WOMAN'S CLUB HONORS TEACHER — Mrs.
John H. Gamble, left, is shown above as she
received an engraved plaque from the Junior
Woman's club for service rendered during her
term of office as president of the women's or
ganization. The award, presented by Mrs. Char
les Alexander, was given as a feature of the
Teacher's Night banquet given by the local
club during the observance oi American Edu
cation Week. Mrs. Gamble is teacher of home
economics at Central high school. Mrs. Alex
ander is Junior Woman's club president
(Photo by Pennington Studio)
City Agenda
Tobdnde
Gas Sates
The cdity board of commission
ers will convene in tegular mon
thly session Thursday night at
7:30. ' i
Mayor Glee A. Bridges said
Wednesday W. C. Edwards, of
Greenwood, S. C., the city’s gas
engineer, is expected to be pre
sent and to make recommenda
tions concerning city natural gas
rates in light of an approximate
six per cent wholesale increase
the city suppler, Transcontinen
tal Gas Pipeline Corporation, is
installing November 18.
Also expected to attend the
session is Charles Harrison,
Gastonia engineer, who te ex
pected to make recommenda
tions concerning air-conditioning
of parte of City Hall.
Due for confirmation are street
improvements assessments on
several city streets.
Other scheduled business was
labeled “routine”.
Due to a scheduled Chamber
of Commerce meeting in the dity
hall courtroom, the commission
will meet in the second floor fire
station quarters.
New Phone Book
Almost Ready
A measure of the growth of
Kings Mountain and surrounding
area is (the large increase in the
number of telephone directories
that will be distributed within
the next two weeks to local sub
subscribers.
Approximately 3585 directories
will be delivered to homes and
businesses in the county, accord
ing to E. F. Farris, manager for
Southern Bell Telephone Com
pany, compared with 3238 when
the last directory was delivered.
The new telephone directory
will have many new and chan
ged listings and either helpful In
formation. Enough new direct
ories have been printed to supply
every subscriber and to allow
tor future telephone expansion.
Mr. Farris asked that as soon
as the new book Is received the
old directory be discarded and
that the new one be used when
looking up telephone numbers.
“This helps avoid the possibility
of getting wrong numbers and
saves time for both the calling
and called parties", he noted.
“Intormatdon” should be called
only when the number is not
listed In the directory, he painted
out
Lions Launch
Fndt Cake Sale
Members of the Kings Moun
tain Lions club have launched
their annual sale of fruit cakes.
Tht 1959 model cakes weigh
threee pounds and sell for $3,
slightly less than the $3.25 for
which the Lions offered a three
pound cake last year.
It's a new cake from last year's
baked by a different firm and
described by members of the
Lkms board of directors as “quite
•tasty". The directors sampled
the oake before choosing it for
sale this season.
Profits from the cake sale are
i--ed to further civic and charit
able projects.
Local News
Bulletins
KIWANIS CLUB
Swink Saunders, of Greer, S.
C., governor of the Carolinas
District of Key club Interna
itional, will address Kings
Mountain Kiwandans at itheir
Thursday meeting at 6:45 p.
m. at the Woman's club. B. S.
Peeler, Jr., has arranged the
program.
EAST P-TA
East school Parent-Teacher
Association will hold Father’s
Night at the Tuesday night
regular meeting of the group
at 7:30 at the school auditori
um. Mrs. Bruce Thorburn, as
guest speaker, will speak on
"The Exceptional Child.”
HAS OPERATION
M. L. Harmon, retired Kings
Mountain businessman, under
went an eye operation at
Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and
Throat hospital Monday. His
condition is reported as satis
factory.
CENTRAL P-TA
The regular meeting of Cen
tral Parent-Teacher Associa
tion will be held Wednesday
at 3:30 p. m. in the school cafe
teria.
SCHOOL BOARD GATHERS
Kings Mountain City School
Board will meet in regular
session Monday night at 7:30
at Central school. According
to an announcement from the
superintendent’s office, the
meeting will be a routine bus
iness session.
COURT OF HONOR
Boy Scout Court of Honor for
Kings Mountain district Boy
Scouts will be held at Central
Methodist church Thursday
nigiht, November 12, at 7:45 p.
m.
BAKE SALE
Members of the Order of the
Rainbow will sponsor a sale of
homemade cakes and pies Sat
urday beginning at 9 a. m. in
the building formerly occupied
by Griffin Drug Company.
BOOK FAIR CANCELLED
The Fine Arts Department
bias announced that the book
Fair originally scheduled for
November 20th at the Woman’s
clufb has been cancelled. The
fair may be scheduled at an
other time.
TO MEETING
Mrs. Charles Alexander and
Mrs. FUrtnan Wilson represent
ed the Junior Woman’s club at
a meeting of the county chap
ter of the Easter Seal Society
In Shelby Monday night
Bank Yule Club
May Set Record
Final payments oh the First
National Bank’s 1959 Christmas
club are due Saturday.
Mrs, Helen R. Blanton, assist
ant cashier in charge of the
Christmas club, said it appears
the 1959 Christmas club will es
tablish a record for total pay
ments.
Morgan Says
1959 Assembly
Was Stable
: - ® *
The state should continue a
prOgralm of services commensur
ate with other states within the
bounds of a sound fiscal 'policy,
State Senator Robert Morgan, of
Shelby, (told members of the
Kings Mountain Lions, club
Tuesday nighit.
Mr. Morgan, Speaker pro tem
pore of ithe Senate, declared the
1959 General Assembly a stable
one, which did a conservative
but effective job of balancing re
quirements for service against
foreseeable income.
He said many states axe hold
ing emergency sessions of their
legislative bodies in an effort to
find funds to pay bills.
Sen. Morgan defended the
state withholding tax, saying he
feared a new method of collect
ing taxes much less than a new
tax. "A tax is seldom repealed,”
he noted.
He also defended .the state’s
welfare appropriation, increased
over the previous biennium, but
slttill insufficient to prevent a cut
in certain payments.
*’Parts of the welfare pro
gram,” he declared, “and I em
phasize parts of it, I regard as
close to a national scandal.”
He said that some 2200 Cleve
land citizens receive welfare aid
today as compared to 200 in the
depths of the depression.
Sen. Morgan also defended the
legislative appropriation for a
new legislative building. He said
the Capitol, present quarters for
the legislative department, as
well as the governor and council
of state, was built beginning in
1831, at that time acommodatting
about 60 legislators. He guessed
that better accommodations Will
cut the legislative session by 15
to 20 percent, with better faci
lities for committee sessions and
hearings.
Sen. Morgan praised particu
larly North Carolina’s mental
health program, stating that on
ly three states will rank higher
than the state in this field fol
lowing plant improvemtnts pre
(Continued From Front Page)
Slater May Expand Operations Here
Clyde T. Bennett
Died Wednesday
Heart Attack
Proves Fatal
ToBrickmaker
Clyde Thomas Bennett, 55,
Kings Mountain brick manufac
turer and former contractor, died
suddenly at 3:30 Wednesday aft
ernoon, after suffering a heart at
tack at his Phifer Hoad office.
He remarked to Ken Roberts
that he felt faint, then crumpled
to the floor. Rushed to Kings
Mountain hospital, he was pro
nounced dead on arrival.
Owner of (Bennett (Brick and
Tile Company, Mr. Bennett was
a prominent Carolinas contractor
until a year ago when he virtual
ly suspended this business due to
his health. He had been an active
builder since the thirties. He
formed the brick and tile concern
in 1945 and had expanded it sev
eral times since its formation.
He was a charter member of
Resurrection Lutheran church
church and a Rotarian.
Surviving are his wife, the for
mer Etta (Bell, and two sons, C. T.
Bennett, Jr., and John David
Bennett. Also surviving are a bro
ther, W. O. Bennett, and a sister,
Miss Maggie Bennett, both of
Kings Mountain. He was a native
of Gaston county, son of the late
Mr. and Mrs. William Bennett.
Funeral rites are incomplete
but are tentatively scheduled for
Friday at Resurrection Lutheran
church. Burial will fed In Moun
tain Rest cemetery.
Ed C. Caldwell
Rites Conducted
(Funeral rites for Ed C. Cald
well, about 75, were conducted
from Boyce Memorial ARP chur
ch Tuesday afternoon, burial fol
lowing in Bethany ARP church
cemetery.
Mr. Caldwell, a Kings Moun
tain citizen for a half-century,
had lived in Bessemer City for
the past several years.
He was a son of the laite Mr.
and Mrs. Ben Caldwell and a
bachelor.
Long interested in minerals
and mining, Mr. Caldwell aided
the late E. T. Plott in his work
leading to the establishment of
the Lithium Corporation of A
merica plant on the Bessemer
City road.
During the thirties, he was
a circulation representative and
part-time advertising salesman
for the Herald.
He was a member of Boyce
Memorial ARP church.
No close relatives survive.
Mr. Caldwell was found dead
at his (Bessemer City residence
Monday morning. Death was at
tributed to a heart attack,
thought to have occurred be
tween 6 and 7 a. m.
Registration Bodes For Hospital
Bond Election To Open Saturday
Registration books for the De
cember 12 county-wide bond e
lection for hospital bonds will
open ait all county precincts Sat
urday.
The voters will decide whether
the county will issue up to
$100,000 In bonds for a 25-bed
addition to Kings Mountain
hospital which architects esti
mate will cost $275,000. If the
voters supply the county funds,
(the remainder would come from
state and federal funds.
A large registration is not an
ticipated, partly due to the fact
of (the history of light votes in
bond elections of all kinds, part
ly due to the fact that the books
were open in October for regis
tration preceding the state-wide
bond election.
Kings Mountain area regis
trars and polling places are:
Mrs. Nell Cranford, East Kings
Mountain, at City Hall court
room.
Mrs. J. H. Arthur, West Kings
Mountain, at Victory Chevrolet
Company.
Mrs. Broad us Ellis, Grover, at
Grover fire station.
Mbs. J. D. Ames, Beth ware, at
Bethware school.
AM of (the registrars will be at
the polling places all day Sat
urday ito add unregistered citi
zens to the poll books, to handle
transfers and to allow citizens to
check their registrations. The
hooks will also be open on two
successive Saturdays, November
21 and 28.
Approval of the bond issue
will enable Kings Mountain hos
pital to increase its patient ca
pacity by one-tohird, from 50 to
75 beds. The addition will be
beds only, the hospital having
adequate service facilities, such
as dietary department and oper
ating room facilities.
Many times in the past few
yeans the hospital has been tax
ed by over-capacity patient
loads, with the hallways having
been used for bed space.
Business Manager Grady Ho
ward said Wednesday that the
hospital was virtually full.
He reported that, for the year
ending September 30, the 50-bed
hospital averaged 45 patients per
day, or 90 percent capacity, ex
clusive of the newborn.
STUDENT EDITOR — Kay Mc
Carter, Kings Mountain student
at Kings Business college in
Charlotte, is editor of '“The
Broadcaster", student publica
tion, and the first co-ed to be e
lected to the post. She is the dau
ghter of Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Mc
Carter.
Mr. Monism's
Sites Conducted
Final rites for Johh Robert
Morrison, 63, were conducted
Wednesday at 3 p. m. from St.
Matthew’s Lutheran church, of
which he was a member.
Mr. Morrison died of a heart at
tack Monday at 5:45 p. m. while
at work at Bonnie Cotton Mills
where he was an overseer on the
second shift.
A Cleveland County native, he
was the son of the late IMr. and
Mrs. John Morrison.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Cora Dare (Mitcham Morrison;
two sons, Luther Morrison of
Kings Mountain and Robert L.
Morrison of Charlotte; four dau
ghters, Mrs. J. C. Mullinax, Mrs.
Eugene Camp, Mrs. Foley Cobb,
Jr., all of Kings Mountain, and
Mrs. Gary Willis of Fayetteville;
one brother, Lee Morrison of
Gastonia; and a sister, Mrs. Ma
mie Clack of Mount Holly. Also
surviving are 12 grandchildren.
Dr. W. P. Gerberding, St. Mat
thew's pastor, conducted the fun
eral rites, and interment was in
Mountain Rest oemeltery.
R. L Chaney's
Rites Conducted
Funeral rites for Rev. Robert
Laittde Chaney, 64, were held
Tuesday at 4. p. m. from Second
Baptist church, interment fol
lowing in Mountain Rest ceme
tery.
Mr. Chaney, a Baptist minister
for 35 years, died suddenly at his
home Sunday morning about 8:30.
Death was attributed to a heart
attack.
A native of Gaston county, Mr.
Ohaney was the son of the late
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Chaney.
He had served pastorates at both
East Side and Second Baptist
churches in Kings Mountain. At
the time of his death he was em
ployed by Slater Manufacturing
Company. He was a member of
East Side Baptist church.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Winnie Moss Ohaney; four sons,
Grady of Bebnont, Johnny of
□herryville, Robert of Union, S.
C., and Jack Chaney of Kings
Mountain and seven daughters,
Mrs. Clyde Gladden, (Mrs. J. D.
Rhea, Misses Peggy, Loretta,
Dorothy, and Sherry Chaney, all
of Kings Mountain.
Also surviving are four sisters,
Mlrs. Mark Haynes, Kings Moun
tain; Mrs. D. A. Bridges, Cherry
ville; Mrs. Grover Haynes, Gas
tonia; Mrs. D. A. Medlin of Char
lotte; a brother, Rev. John Chan
ey of Knoxville, Tenn., 22 grand
children and one great-grand
child.
The final rites were conducted
by Rev. A. R. Hastings, assisted
by Rev. B. F. Austin, Rev. W. P.
Shytle, and (Rev. W. H. Redmond.
Active pallbearers were J. O.
Sellers, B. T. (Brocks, Theodore
Bennett, O. H. Johnson, Harry
Stewart, and J. J. Black.
Dyeing Plant
May Be Added;
President Buys
Residence Here
Slater Manufacturing Com
pany may concentrate all of its
operations here.
Con vernations have been un
derway for the past two weeks
between Albert J. Slater, owner
and president of (the firm, and
city officials concerning city ser
vices required by Slater to add a
dyeing and finishing plant ito its
present York Road weaving
plant.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges, con
firming the talks, said the ver
bal agreements concerning city
utilities—.gas, water and sewage
services—are quite satisfactory
to the city board of commission
ers, ithough these agreements
haven’t yet been formalized.
Ralph A. Johnson, manager of
Slater’s Kings Mountain plant,
said his company would have no
Statement concerning the possi
ble expansion of the Kings
Mountain operations until ini
tial agreements are formalized.
He did say that Mr. Slater has
purchased the former Crescent
Hill residence of Dr. Paul V. No
lan and expects to occupy it
next week.
Slater specializes in the man
ufacture of plush for tops and
linings for coffins
Mayor Bridges said Mr. Slater
had told the city commission
that added itransportation costs
attendant to manufacturing the
goods here and finishing them
in Patterson, N. J„ had hamper
ed sales in a highly competitive
field of textiles.
Mayor Bridges said the board
was told consolidation of the
Slater operations here would
mean a potential employment of
150 persons.
Paving Contract
Due By June 30
The State Highway commiss
ion expects to let contracts for
paving of 9.1 miles of Interstate
85 from Kings Mountain to the
South Carolina line prior to
June 30 next year.
This piece of highway work
appeared in the listing furnish
ed the highway commission last
week by Director W. F. Babcock.
The Babcock report was a re
vised scheduling of highway
work for the next 30 months
and was made, he said, under
the federal government’s new
contract controls, made neces
sary by shortage in the federal
highway trust fund.
On interstate highways the
federal government reimburses
the states for 90 percent of their
outlays.
Also effected are planning
schedules for other roads.
Listed in the 1961 fiscal year
list was the first letting of the
U. S. 74 by-pass project, grading
and structure for four miles.
TEEN AGE NIGHT
Teen Age Night will be held
■at the Country club Saturday,
with activities scheduled from
8 to 12 p. m. Each member
may bring a guest and refresh
ments will be served at no
charge. Reservations should be
made by noon Saturday.
C Of C Meeting
Thursday Night
ELECTED — Dr. W. L. Pressly Is
new chairman of the Jacob S.
Mauney Memorial Library board.
Officers were elected Friday.
Library Board
Elects Pressly
Dr. W. L. Pressly, pastor of
Boyce Memorial ARP church,
was elected chairman of (the li
brary committee of Jacob S.
Mauney Memorial Library Fri
day.
Other officers, named at the
regular committee meeting, were
Mrs. Hunter Neisler, vice-chair
man, and Mrs. J. N. McClure,
secretary. Other meimbens ot the
board are Mrs. W. T. Weir, Hay
wood E. Lynch, Mrs. John Ches
hire, and Mrs. Tolly Shuford.
Mrs. Charles Dilling, librarian,
reported that a record number of
books had been read toy patrons
during the past six months and
the circulation reports for that
period were: May, 1245; June,
1483; July, 2489; August, 2137;
September, 1452; October, 1506
for a total of 10,312. The board
expressed itself as well pleased
with the report.
,It is anticipated that more new
'books will be added to the li
brary reading list next year via
United Fund contributions, as
$1000 in the United Fund budget
goes too the local library for
books.
Rosenstengel
To Leave Foote
William E. Basenstengel, Foote
Mineral Company engineer, has
resigned (to accept a position as
assistant plant engineer at Col
lins & Aikman Corporation’s Rox
boro plant.
Mr. Bosenstengel has been as
sociated with Foote here since
May 1954. He, his wife and three
daughters live at 114 North Pied
moret Avenue.
Collins & Aikman is a textile
firm, with several plants in
North Carolina and other states.
School Officials To Begin Work
To Establish Merger Area Lines
District committeemen from
No. 4 Township schools will be
working with County Schools
Superintendent J. Horace Grigg
this week in efforts to determine
metes and 'bounds of a special
school bond district in which a
bond election will toe held to ob
tain monies for the construction
of a consolidated high school.
The special school bond district
and election were recommended
by Assistant Attorney General
Claude Love some .weeks ago as
a means to further the proposed
consolidation of No. 4 Township
schools with the Kings Mountain
City Administrative Unit.
Supt. Grigg said Wednesday af
ternoon that he had already con
ferred with Edwin Moore, a dis
trict committeeman, and the
group will toe working out the
bounds of the proposed new
school district ‘^Presently a por
tion of No. 3 and No. 5 Town
ships are included in the No.. 4
Township district. Also a small
area of No. 4 Township is inclu/
ded in the No. 3 Township dis
trict. "*We must somehow deter
mine the overall bounds, and
when they are set, then the dis
trict committeemen can start pe
titions throughout the district to
call the (bond vote,” Mr. Grigg
said.
According to Attorney General
Love’s statements a few weeks
ago, if the schools consolidated
according to the contingent plan
formerly drawn up and a school
bond vote were not passed, the
schools would be consolidated
none-the-less, without money for
a new high school.
The bond vote first will pro
vide the money, Mr. Love said.
Other Consolidation
All other Cleveland County
schools will be consolidated tor
the 196061 term, according to an
announcement Friday by Supt
Grigg.
The County OBoard of Educa
tion made the decision after con
ferences last week with members
of the state school board.
Mr. Grigg said consolidated
high schools will be located at
(Boiling Springs, Polkville and
Fallston. Since petitions are com
ing in from No. 4 Township rel
ative to joining with' the Kings
Mountain City District,, he said
(Continued On Page Sight)
Election Set
For Officers
And Directors
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce will hold a re-organi
zational meeting at City Hall
courtroom Thursday night at
7:30.
Principal item of business will
be election of seven directors and
new officers.
A group of 24 members have
been nominated for the seven
directorships. Officer nominees
Are John Cheshire, Jr., president;
Warren E. Reynolds, first vice
president; B. S. Peeler, Jr., sec
ond vice-president; and Dr. L. T.
Anderson, secretary-treasurer.
The director nominees are
Wilson Crawford, Jonas Bridges,
Bob Maner, Hilton Ruth, Glee E.
Bridges, John Dilling, Carl P.
Finger, Ed Goter, Ben T, G<?ftwth,
Martin Harmon, Tom Tate, Char
les Blanton, Wilson Griffin, Gra
dy Howard, Paul Lancaster, Fred
W. Plonk, Fleet® McCurdy, Hoyle
D. (Snooks) McDaniel, Dan
Weiss, Odus Smith, Gene Timms,
Charles E. Dixon, Wesley Bush
and John H. Moss.
Directors are to be elected by
ballot.
Nominations for the office pos
itions will be invited frolm the
floor, according to Warren E.
Reynolds, who headed the nom
inating committee.
At * previous membership
meeting attended by more than
25 percent of the membership,
the organization had voted una
nimously to continue the or
ganization and to re-organize it.
All members are being urged
to attend the Thursday night
meeting.
United Fund
Drive Lagging
Kings Mountain’s United Fund
campaign was reported lagging
this week with few reports to
add from last week.
Chairman Sam Stallings pla
ced the total of cash receipts and
pledges at $7,500, only a slight
gain from the previous week and
less than half the $18,000 quota.
"Industry and industrial em
ployees have been quite good,
but we are disappointed in re
ports from commerieal business
houses and their employees," Mr.
Stallings commented.
He said that only one of 12 U
niited Fund solicitors in the com
mercial business division has
filed a completed report. “This
one was very good,” he com
mented.
'-/i nine lnuusinai urms agree
ing to offer employees a payroll
deduction plain, eight have com
pleted their work, he added.
Mr. Stallings said the cam
paign directors will make an ef
fort; in itlie next few days to
launch a campaign clean-up.
He reported that several cdities
in the Carolines have met or ex
ceeded their United Fund quotas,
among them Anderson, S. C.,
wihich topped a $139,300 goal,
Spartanburg, S. C., which raised
112 percent of its quota, Winston
Salem, which raised 104 percent
of irtrs quota, and Asheboro, also
reported art 101 percent of its
quota
Mr. Stallings again asked that
solicitors complete their work.
Beneficiaries of the United
Fund campaign, Kings Moun
tain’s first aggregate appeal, are
the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, Cleveland County Life
Saving Crew, special education
fund, city recreation commission,
dlty schools band, Davidson
schol band, and Jacob S. Maun
ey Memorial library.
Next Wednesday
Last Half-Holiday
Wednesday, November 18,
will mark the final mid-week
half-holiday for majority of
Kings Mountain retailers.
Following custom in vogue
for the past several years, the
merchants will remain open
all day on rthe Wednesday
prior to Thanksgiving and
they will continue on a full
six-day week (through the
Christmas shopping season.