Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Feb. 4, 1960, edition 1 / Page 2
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«. The Kings Mountain Heiald .‘ Established 1889 A weekly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and published for the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit of the citizens of Kings Mountain and Its vicinity, published every Thursday by the Herald Publishing House. Entered as second class matter at the postoffice at Kings Mountain, N. C-, unde^Act of Congress of March 3, 187&. g0rr0I£AL department Martin Harmon . Bditor-Butollsher David Baity..... Advertising Salesman and Bookeeper Miss Elizabeth Stewart.Circulation Manager and Society Editor Neale Patrick.Sports Editor MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT Eugene Matthews Horace Walker Wade Hartsoe, Jr. Paul Jackson Monte Hunter TELEPHONE NUMBERS — 167 or 283 SUBSCRIPTION RATES PAYABLE IN ADVANCE ONE YEAR—$3.50 SIX MONTHS—$2.00 THREE MONTHS—$155 BY MAIL ANYWHERE TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE Let ua 8earch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Lamentations S:i0. Proceed With Voting For almost a year now, possibility of consolidating schools of this area again has been on the agenda. It has been roundly discussed and, by this time, there should be few citizens within the bounds of the proposed new district who aren’t familiar with the proposal and with its alternatives. Indeed, there are many citizens who have waxed impatient at the seeming delay in bringing +he matter to a vote in order that it may be settled, one way or another. Most will agree, however, that the long period of discussion on the proposal has been beneficial. Physically, it’s pretty impossible to manipulate the legal barriers :n haste and not make mistakes which could be disastrous, both to the plan itself and to the will of the people. Educationally, it’s important that all citizens have a clear understand ing of benefits—and disbenefits, if any— of the proposed plan and its alternate. A similar merger plan, advanced in 1954, was nullified quickly. Many of those who helped defeat the idea in 19 54 are among its most ardent backers today. It means they’ve had a chance to examine the idea from all standpoints and now feel it worthy. Actually, it was unfortunate that the idea wasn’t adopted in 1954, for it would have been cheaper. At that time, all units which would have been affected by a township merger had some constru ction money. There wasn’t enough to construct a high school plant to serve the whole area, but a goodly portion of the amount was in hand. Much of these funds have been spent for needed addi tions to the county unit plants and, in Kings Mountain district, for building North school. For the county units which would join Kings Mountain, the alternative is a consolidation with Number 3 for high school plant, posing a distance problem which is less than desirable. The alter native for Kings Mountain is to make some additions to present plants, in some instances not desirable. The general feeling is that just about everybody can anticipate a better ed ucational opportunity with a joint pro ject for a consolidated high school. It would make available present buildings and classrooms for the burgeoning school population for some years to come and would provide a high school of sufficient enrollment for an expand ed faculty and, concurrently, a much broader curriculum than is offered in any of the high schools now being op erated. Let’s proceed with the voting. Bus Blues Sad reports continue to emanate on the sad condition of the city schools ac tivities bus. Knowing how people tend to speak broadly about the ailments of an old ve hicle, ft is possible some of these reports have been exaggerated. However, it is not unusual, we understand, for the oc cupants to put their shoulders to the old girl in order to get her started. Then there was an untoward report that the bus went fast enough to war rant a speeding call-down. A sideline comment was immediate: “Must have been going down a long hill and trying to get enough momentum to go up the next." It does, appear that, from these re ports, and from the facts of age and pre vious condition of servitude that the school needs an activities bus that is somewhat more reliable than the one now in use — which has been hauling athletic teams, bands, and other groups to perform away from home for 13 to 14 years. Whether the school has the money or not has not been checked, but it. would be in order for the board of education to do a little checking to see. If some money is available, maybe the civic clubs would help out a bit in augmenting to obtain the necessary dollars. It’s not right to have athletes leaving their games on the highway. Hitch-hi king should prove less de-energizing. Interest Rotes With tight money, there is a move ment in North Carolina to raise the legal interest rate above its present ceil ing of six per cent per annum. High rates being paid on federal gov pressure on savings institutions, banks, ernment treasury bills and notes have put pressure on savings institutions, banks, and others as the spread has nar rowed between rates charged borrowers and rates of dividends and interest which must be paid to attract money. Indeed, there have been reports of in vestment of North Carolina money in California Savings & Loan associations, which are advertising a four and one half percent dividend. Here the allow able interest rate is the reason, as these California firms can charge more than six percent. Indeed, their spread be tween dividend and loan rates, at 4.5 percent, is greater than that of local a rea firms paying four percent. The increased demand for money has caused some firms to recoup by adjust ing upward the so-called closing costs, which include inspection fees, and other charges. How much momentum the movement will gain to escalate the legal maximum on interest rates in this state depends largely on the situation which exists next year when the General Assembly convenes. If money has loosened, the movement will have dissipated for lack of need. If not, then it is possible the General Assembly will escalate the max imum rate. First reaction from potential borrow ers will be a loud “no”. Their second re action might be “well, maybe”, if it ap pears a higher rate would make cash a vailable when they need the cash from lenders. Scarcity of money causing its cost to rise is not as readily understandable as, for instance, a scarcity of eggs. But the supply-demand balance, or imbalance, is the chief factor setting the cost. In the instance of money, it shows in interest rates. Fund Rebuilt Unemployment compensation, a pro duct of the New Deal and initially hated by business interests, has grown of age. It is doubtful that many employers — who pay the full amount of the bill would now want to see this program a bandoned. There’s good reason. In periods of poor business, such as the 1958 reces sion, it enables an employer to keep his organization together, even though he may be able to provide only 50 percent of employment time. For the worker, of course, this job in surance protection is invaluable. In slack periods, he can still eat. Col. Henry Kendall, state employment security commissioner, recently report ed the status of North Carolina’s em ployment insurance fund at the end of 1959 and the report is an enheartening one. Items: 1) The fund had a balance of $177 millions at year-end, having recouped all but $4 milions it had dropped during the 1958 recession. 2) North Carolina’s fund is among the 10 to 12 strongest in the nation, a result of the state’s built-in legal provisions which changes rates on the basis of em ployer and fund experience. Col. Kendall says that the fund is in quite good shape to weather a future re cession, if any, as difficult as was 1958’s, which it obviously is. Even during rough 1958, the fund’s net balance dropped on ly $14 millions, while the agency was ex pending $46 millions in benefits to job less workers. The unemployment compensation tax is one, at least, from which can be seen direct and quick benefits. The same can’t be said of all of them. Our best wishes to Rev. Thomas Droppers, who is chairman of the 1960 heart fund campaign here. Heart ail ments remain the Number 1 killer of A merican citizens. Much progress has been made, via research, in developing both remedial and preventive techniques for heart diseases. This research is made possible through contributions to the Heart Fund. A liberal contribution is in order. MARTIN'S MEDICINE By Martin Harmon Ingredients: bits of news, wisdom, humor, and comment Directions: Take weekly, if possible, but avoid overdosage. Paul McGinnis had a pleas ant surprise in his first-of-the month bank statement. A quick look at the balance showed the •bank’s record Had his inhank wherewithal some $1300 more than he thought he had. A care ful check showed the bank in error. Paul checked carefully, because he’s found the errors are usually his, as I do. m-m No, it couldn’t be. m-m A call to the bank s book keeping department revealed t?iat MoGinnis Furniture Store, when making a deposit, had mistakenly inscribed the name of the depositor as McGinnis Department Store. Paul eschewed the fun of calling his brother, Abie, and thanking him for the gift He let the bank do it. xn-m It reminded Paul of the time some years ago When M. H. Bi ser was at the bank making a deposit for Ware & Sons. Rufus Phifer came in and he and Biser began passing the time of the day. At the subsequent first-of month, Mr. Phifer found his balance $600 up the ladder from What it should have been and he went to the bank to de termine who his generous friend might be. Mr. Biser was already there, checking a $600 shortage. m-m A check of the deposit slip showed that Mr. Biser had kept writing while talking and had inadvertently inscribed the name of Rufus Phifer. m-m Another easy mistake to make, and I’ve caught myself doing it several times, is when filling out a Check for a custo mer. Out of check-writing habit, it is quite easy to proceed to sign your own name. m-m f. • - In nearly 15 years, I’ve never found the bank in error but once. A check for another Har mon was charged to my ac count. And it was a reasonable error to make, for the other Harmon fellow’s signature was about as 'hard to decipher as mine. From many times of finding that the 15-cent or 39 cent discrepancy was mine, I always assume the bank state ment to be correct. m-m Tuesday morning’s report of the troubles of the late Daddy Grace reminds of another bi zarre tax incident which oc curred with internal revenue. The internal revenue boys checked a Brooklyn brothel’s records and decided Uncle Sam wasn’t being paid properly. The final internal revenue determi nation was that the owner of the firm (a hotel) was liable for $500,000 in unpaid income taxes. Subsequently, the case was tried in federal tax court and required 18 days of testi mony. Charlie Markham, bro ther-in-law of Tolly Shuford, was one of the internal revenue lawyers. mm "How did you catch ’em?” I asked Charlie. m-m According to Charlie, the fa tal error made by the defend ant was in its laundry account. Laundry bills to the hotel in dicated twice the gross revenue reported. m-m Charlie confirmed that the testimony in the case was quite interesting. m-m There couldn't have been a soul in this area who wasn't overjoyed to see Monday morn ing’s bright sunshine after as nasty a weather weekend in memory. There was some 'hope the sunshine would help slay the "flu” bug. m-m February is the month of many famous anniversaries, in cluding the birthdays of Abra ham Lincoln and George Wash ton. George, incidentally, was a unanimous choice for Presi dent, and I daresay such unan imity hasn’t been exhibited in this country since. in-in And the New York Times re ports Lincoln to have remarked, "Many times I’ve gone to my knees to pray, for I didn’t seem to have any other place to go.” "Strangest Weather I Ever Saw" -—. -- i l.ii.1 ■ r i.r 11 i,i i - f Viewpoints of Other Editors LARGER SCHOOL? BETTER "A recent purvey of North Carolina high sclw'ls substanti ates what educators have been saying for a long time: “The larger the school, the better chance a student has of getting a good basic education.” So began a story recently in some of the state’s larger news papers concerning a survey ma de by the Nonth Carolina Depart ment of Public Instruction. The subject of the survey was specifically limited to the study of advanced mathematics in the high schools of the state. The survey sought to determine just how many and which schools are offering solid geometry, trig onometry and advanced algebra. It found that of the 829 public high schools in the state there were 243 or 29.3 per cent offer ing advanced math last year. As the size of schools increas ed in terms of student enroll ment, the greater the percentage of them offering advanced cour ses in mathematics. Dr. Charles P. Carroll, State superintendent of public instruc tion, said: “It is reasonable to assume that the situation relatives to mathematics is typical, and that a similar situation obtains for other basic subjects ,— science, English arid social studies.” He added, “Size of enrollment does not automatically assure a better school but it does contri bute to a better setting for a good school.” The survey showed that all 15 public high schools with 1,000 or ; more students offered solid geo metry, trig and/or advanced al gebra. In sharp contrast, only four or 4.2 per cent of the 95 high schools having less than 100 pu pils offered advanced mathema tics. This information* is of sf>ecial interest here in Stanly County, where it is anticipated that a bond election will be held in the spring which will have as its principal objective the consoli dation of the county’s high schools. If the people of Stanly County desire the best possible in edu cation for their children they will support the consolidation program. Evidence of results obtained in other counties where consoli dation is already a reality sup ports the findings of the survey and the contentions of educators that larger schools afford child ren better opportunities. — Stan ly News and Press. THE PAVEMENT BUTCHERS You get a nice feeling when, one day, the street and highway people show up with asphalt e quipment, steamroller, etc., and start fixing some chewed-up, bumpy piece of road that’s pla gued you for month or years. A happy day is when they move off, leaving a smooth black ribbon ito ride upon. It’s a sheer delight, and you want to write a complimentary note to the highway department. But experience has taught you that you’d better enjoy that smooth, floating sensation while you can. It won’t last too long. The pavement butchers will see to that. Their purposes are many. They'may be laying a gas line, a water une, a sewer, who knows? Whatever it is, they’ll cut a big gash in the brandnew roadway. Temporarily, you’ll swing around it, or go climbing over boards. Then comes that moment when the interlopers are done. Do they restore the original, al most glasslike surface? They do not It’s against their rules, obvi ously, to use the same materials as are used in the original pave ment. They look for rougher stuff. And the technical problem erf making a patch level with the rest of the road escapes them totally. As long as we’ve had roads, they’ve been fumbling around. Guess they’ll never get It— Len oir News-Topic. CHILDREN WHO RIDE FROM DARK TO DARK North Carolina has established a reputation in the nation for the most successful dealing in the South with the situation cre ated by the Supreme Court school integration decision. It has escaped explosions and dif ficulties of Arkansas and Virgin ia yet has avoided the attitude of defiance which did more harm than good in other states. How ever, at the moment the case to which most sharp attention is being drawn in the North is that of Yancey County which main tains no schools for Negroes but sends all Negro children, little and big, 40 miles each way ev ery day to school in Asheville. A recent page advertisement in The New York times showed a small and weary Negro girl a bove the caption, “80 miles and 11 hours—that’s a long school day for a six-year-old.” And it is. Obviously, it is not going to be easy to defend a school assign ment situation which requires 27 school children (21 elementary school children) to go from Burnsville to Asheville every day to attend any school at all. And a similar situation involving In dian children, who have to ride every day from Harnett County to schools in Sampson, recently got explosive publicity. These bus route situations in volve race and the emotional and legal factors which attend it. But these Negro and Indian chil dren are not the only ones who in winter have to ride from dark to dark to attend school in North Carolina. Some of them ride long distances not in the name of in tegration but in the more pleas ant sounding name of consolida tion. The fact is, however, that there are today approximately 358 school bus routes that are 30 miles or more in length each way. Of course, on most routes, not every child rides the whole 30 miles. Some homes axe nearer the school than the end of the route. Also State officials care fully point out .that the State has no responsibility in the as signment otf children or the rou ting of the buses. There are local matters. But neither critical peo ple far off from North Carolina nor tired children in it may be expected to pay much attention to such distinction in authority. It is likely to be pretty diffi cult to convince any courts that “good faith" Is maintained in school assignments which re quire all the children of one race to ride to another county to school. And it is not easy to con vince anybody that a consolida tion is wonderful which requires many children, white as well as Negro, to ride from dark to dark to get an education in North Car olina. Attention is being brought to this matter by racial questions. More attention should be brought to the whole business of children who hardly see their homes by daylight because they are required to ride such distan ces to school. ~ News and Ob server.. 1 n years ago 1 V/ THIS WEEK Items of news about Kings Mountain area people and events taken from the 1950 files of the Kings Mountain Herald. Work on the construction of Kings Mountain's 50-bed 24-room hospital began Tuesday. Ollie Harris and L. E. Abbott ’vill serve as cochairmen of tne 1950 Red Cross Fund Drive, it was announced this week. A large delegation of Kings Mountain teachers attended a leadership conference of the Nor th Carolina Education Association in Lincolnton Wednesday. Social and Personal The Woman’s Club building was the scene of the First Brown ie Play Day to be held in Kings Mountain on January 28 from 9:30 to 11:30 a. m. Mrs. Charles A. Goforth en tertained the members of the Col onel Frederick Hambright Chap ter DAR at her home on Wednes day afternoon. Milk Is Cheaper In Glass If your favorite gro cer doesnrt stock this handy Container, Coll Sunrise Dairy UN-7-6354 TOR THE BEST SOUND IN TOWN" TUNE IN DAILY TO “Soundhouse” FROM SUNRISE TIL SUNSET OVER 1090WATTS OMYOUBDIAL Kings Mountain Telephone Talk br FLOYD FARRIS row Telephone Manager A Salute to Scouting There are a group of men in this county who are due the heartiest congratula tions of all of us. that is those men who sp end so much of their time in the molding of our boys into good citizens through the meuiurn oi scouting, scouting in Cleveland Coun ty is a very dynamic force and these men who give so liberally of their time to it are to be con gratulated on this the Fiftieth Anniversary of Scouting. The local organization is known as the Cleveland District Boy Scouts of America. C. D. Forney is Chairman in this County with Ernest Harrill and George Mauney as secretary. The Cleveland organization is made up of 30 troops, 8 cub packs, with 130 cubs, 15 explorers in two posts and 40 units made up of 750 boys. Last year 868 merit badges were awarded and ten boys advanced to Eagle Rank. One out of every four boys between the age of eight and eighteen belongs to boy scouts. There are over three million youngsters in America to day on their way to being good citizens by having scout training. Scouting is another of the fine organizations of Cleveland County that receives its support from the United Fund. We of Southern Bell salute not only the Boy Scouts but the 500 volunteer workers in this County who donate their time and talents to this splendid organization.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Feb. 4, 1960, edition 1
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