Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 8,008
This figure tor Qiwln Kings Mountain is derived from
tbs 1US Kings Mountain dty directory census. The city
limits figure Is from the United States census of I960.
U Pages
Today
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOL 72 No. 34
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, August 31, 1961
Seventy-Second Year
Expanded School System Enrolls 4164 Pupils
Local News
Bulletins
SALE
Women of the Ladies Bible
Class of Grace Methodist chur
ch wil serve hotdogs and home
made cakes all day Saturday
beginning at 11 a. m. Satur
day morning in the church fel
lowship hall.
SERVICE
A special communion service
for Kings Mountain students
going away ito college will be
held at First Presbyterian
church Sunday, Sept. 3rd, at
7:30 p. m. All students in the
community are invited to par
ticipate, Dr. Paul Ausley, pas
tor, said.
EARLY COMMUNION SERVICE
Saint Matthew’s Lutheran
church will observe an early
communion service Sunday at
9 a. m.. There will be no ser
mon. The regular Sunday mor
ning worship .service will be
held at 11 a. m. with a sermon
by the pastor, Dr. W. P. Ger
berding. All communing mem
bers of the church are urged to
attend.
PHILLIPS ON WKMT
Sermons of Rev. J. W. Phil
lips, pastor of First Wesleyan
Methodist church, will be
broadcast via Station WKMT,
Kings Mountain, at 11 a. m.
Sundays during September.
ON VACATION
Mrs. Charles. Dilling,. librar
ian at Jacob S. Mauney Memo
rial, library is on vacation this
week and resumes her duties
) Tuesday. In her absence, Miss
Judy Cooper is serving as li
brarian. The 'library will be
closed Labor Day.
HARRIS TO TEXAS
J. Ollie Harris, Jr., will leave
for Houston, Texas, Thursday,
Where he will join Bob Harris
Enterprises, Inc., realty devel
opers. He has been associated
with his father, J. Ollie Harris
at Harris Funeral Home and is
a former salesman for Liggett
& Myers Tobacco Company.
Mrs. Harris and their son, John
Harris, will go to Houston
when a residence is obtained.
NO FIRES
Kings Mountain Fire Depart
ment had no alarms during ithe
past week, according to a re
port Wednesday morning by
Fireman T. C. McKee.
PERMIT ISSUED
A permit was issued Thurs
day to Marion Johnson by
City Building Inspector M. H.
Biser to build a one-story
frame house on Bennett Drive.
Estimated cost of the five
room structure, contracted by
Elco Industries, Inc., is $6,000.
LEGION MEETING
Regular meeting of Otis D.
Green Post 155, American Le
gion, will be featured Friday
night at 8 o’clock by a civil
defense film "The Night of
Trial”, a film prepared and
distributed by Southern Bell
Bell Telephone & Telepfraph
Company, according to an
nouncement by Adjutant J. H.
McDaniel, Jr.
HAYES REUNION
The Hayes family reunion
will be held here Sunday at
ithe home of Mr. and Mrs. Bill
Moss and family on Grover
road. Picnic lunch will be
spread at the noon hour.
KIWANIS CLUB
Kings Mountain Kiwanians
Will see two films on Civil De
fense at theiT Thursday night
meeting at the Woman’s cluib.
The club convenes at 6:45 p. m.
DUNLAP REUNION
Descendants of John James
Dunlap will gather for the an
nual family reunion Sunday at
Antioch Methodist church near
Ogden, S. C. Picnic lunch will
be served at the noon hour and
a program will follow in the
| afternoon.
METER RECEIPTS
Parking meter receipts for the
week ending Wednesday at
noon totaled $125.49, included
$96.24 from on-street meters,
$16 from over-parking fees,
and $13.25 from off-street me
ters, City Clerk Joe McDaniel,
Ji, reported.
Powell Says Merger Dissidents
Won’t Appeal Riddle Decision
Attorney Says
Reversal Won't
Aid Main Aim
By DAVID BAITY
Denial of petition for writ of
mandamus to dissident patrons
of Ithe Kings Mountain consoli
dated schools will not be appeal
ed to the state Supreme Court,
according to a statement Wed
nesday afternoon by A. A. Pow
ell, attorney for the dissidents.
The writ, brought to force the
Kings Mountain board of educa
tion to call an election in the
rural area of the city administra
tive unit on revoking a 20 cents
per hundred dollar property val
uation supplementary school tax,
was denied by Superior Court
Judge H. L. Riddle, Jr., of Mor
ganton, in an order signed Au
gust 1.
Deadline for appeal of the de
cision to the state high court is
September 1.
Attorneys for the dissidents,
after the denial, indicated they
i had laid groundwork for an ap
peal.
Attorney Powell said Wednes
day the group had decided not
to appeal for several reasons.
| “The appeal would be expen
sive; if granted, the election
would be expensive; and fulher*
more, ali the group would ac
complish if the election went in
their favor would be relief from
the 20 cents tax,” he said.
Mr. Powell explained the dis
' sidents in the outlying rural a
rea would still be in the Kings
Mountain Administrative unit
and no closer to their original
objective of merging with No. 3
High school near Earl.
The group plans no further re
course "at this time”, he said.
Mr. Powell said this group hopes
a county-wide school merger will
bring realization of their aims.
Prepayment
Notices Mailed
Area citizens who last year
prepaid 1960 county ad valorem
taxes and others who have re
quested pre-payment notices
should receive them Thursday or
Friday, County Tax Collector Ro
bert Gidney said Wednesday.
Normally pre-payment notices
are mailed by mid-August, Mr.
Gidney noted, but delay has
been occasioned this year due to
laite shipment of tax forms for
this area. Special forms had to
be obtained due to the area
school merger.
“We regret the delay in mail
ing pre-payment notices to Rings
Mountain area citizens,” Mr.
Gidney said, “but it simply
couldn’t be helped. Citizens re
ceiving notices will be accorded
th full two percent discount
granted in August if they re
turn checks immediately.”
Mr. Gidney said .some $300,000
in county taxes have been cre
dited and reported a heavy mail
influx otf pre-payments Wednes
day.
The pre - payment discount
specified by law is two percent
in August, one percent in Sep
tember and one-half of one per
cent in October.
City law provides the same
discount schedule.
City Tax Collector. M. H. Biser
reported Wednesday that pre
payments on city tax bills for
1961 totaled $54,165, against an
estimated levy of $168,000.
Both tax officials said they an
ticipated a heavy pre-payment
rush through Friday.
Gas Cut-On Fee
Is Now Cut Rate
Natural gas heating custo
mers can save money during
September by ordering service
cu't-ons, it was announced this
week by Corbett Nicholson, gas
system superintendent.
During September the cut-on
fee will be $1.
Customarily it is $3.
Mr. Nicholson said the cut- j
rate offer is made to encourage
eut-ons in advance of cold j
weather.
“It’ll be impossible to give
everyone cut-on service on the j
first cold day of winter,” Mr.
NiebcQson commented.
Water Cost Study
Asked By Bridges
; WINS DEGREE _ Luther Bara- j
! es, son of Mr. and Mrs. B. N.
Barnes of Kings Mountain, was
graduated with bachelor of arts
degree with major in business
administration Friday from Len
oir Rhyne college. Hickory.
I
Annual Meeting
j Of UF Thursday
Annual meeting of Kings
Mountain United Fund, Inc., will
be held art City Hall Thursday
night at 8 o’clock, it was an
nounced this week by Bob Ma
I nor, president.
! All member-contrubutors to
the fund are invited to attend,
I Mr. Maner said.
| Agenda for the annual meet
I ing includes (reports by officers
and election of directors for the
coming year.
Other officers are J. C. Bridges,
vice-president, Wesley Bush, sec
retary, and R. S. Lennon, treas
urer.
Directors include the officers,
J. Ollie Harris, Rev. H. D. Gar
mon, and W. S. Fulton, Jr.
President Manetr reported that
$12,531 representing 75 percent of
the 1960-61 budget has been paid
to the several participating or
ganizations. He added that he
anticipates additional income
from contributions will enable!
the United Fund to pay from1
eight to ten percent more to these
organizations which will make I
results of the United Fund’s sec-j
ond year comparable to the first
one.
Participating organizations andj
(Continued On Page Eight J I
Study Prelude
To Discussion
Rate Problems
By MARTIN HARMON
Ben H. Bridges, member of the
city board of commissioners, said
yesterday he had asked City
Clerk Joe McDaniel, Jr., and M.
H. Biser, tax supervisor, to col
laborate on a statistical analy
sis of city water costs.
He also said he hopes study
will be a preface to a general
discussion of water service pro
blems, including rate schedules, |
for industrial customers.
Comm. Bridges added that in
dustrial customers known to
•have service or irate problems
will be invited ito meet with the
commission with the hope that
the problems cap be solved..
If necessary, he continued, he
will recommend that the com
mission retain an engineer.
Comm. J. E. (Zip) Rhea con
curred.
“We want to know the prob
lems and intend to solve them,”
Comm. Rhea commented.
Massachusetts Mohair Plush
Company’s NeiSler division has
been unhappy since the city es
calated bath in-cit.v rates and
the outside-city differential. The
company reports it is occasional
ly waiter-sihy.
Lambeth Rope Corporation re
ports low-pressure difficulties.
Recently, the firm’s boiler cut
off automatically due to lack of
water and it required two hours
to get sufficient water in the
boiler for it to be re-fired.
Comm. Bridges also said that
Carl F. Mauney, of Mauney Hos
iery Company and Carolina
Throwing Company had indica
ted these firms will require wa
ter service of the city as a resuilt
of the expansion of these two
firms, which is now underway
with construction of a major
building addition.
Charles Blanton, president of
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce, last month told the
board of commissioners that the
Chamber of Commerce favors lo
wer industrial water rates to es
tablish “a favorable industrial
climate.”
Massachusetts Mohair’s Mar
grace plant is served by a six
inch city line which connects at
the south city limits to an eight
inch county-owned line.
Lambeth Rope Corporation is
(Continued On Page Eight)
City Net Book Value $1,868,355;
1960-61 Income Topped Expenses
The city’s net worth or net
book value at June 30 was $1,h
868,355, up $145,146 from the pre
vious year, according to audit re
port of A. M. Pullen & Company,
Charlotte accountants.
Assets totaled $2,478,182, up
$115,426 from the previous year.
Mentime, liabilities totaled $609,
827, off $29,720 during the 12
mor.th period. These liabilities
included $520 due to the recrea
tion commission, $29,306 in con
sumer deposits for utilities, and
$580,000 bonds payable.
Asset® included physical prop
erties at purchase or estimated
price of $2,305,608, the cemetery
perpetual care fund of $30,495,
cash totaling $56,118, securities
totaling $32,116, accounts receiv
able of $38390, and taxes receiv
able of $15,453 after reserves for
losses.
As of June 30, water and sew
er lines claimed biggest share of
die city's capital investment at
$084390. Street and paving equip
ment was valued at $578,226, and
water and sewage disposal plants
and equipment at $627,069. City
parks were valued at $158,970.
, The city had automotive “rolling
stock’’ valued at $80,208 and City
Stadium was on the books at
$19*654.
; (Bond repayment schedule calls
lor $30,000 in principal and $16,
815 interest during 1961-62.
Gross revenues lor the year
totaled $690,399, up $45,274, while
expenditures were $653,520, up
$13,840 over the previous year. |
Revenue exceeded expenditures
by $36,879.
Major income item was sale ol
utilities, sales ol water and pow
er and sewage lees returned
$409,055. Other income items in
cluded $6,240 from water and
sewer tap lees, $1,840 from auto
licenses, and $21,503 in street as
sessments.
Lawbreakers "contributed’’!
$8,838 ,to the city in court costs, |
and purchase of cemetery lots
and grave-digging lees put $5,
286 in city coffers.
Virtually all city departments
underspent budgeted appropri
ations. General expense exceeded
the budget by $2012 and debt
service account was overspent by
(Continued On Page Eight) I
Operating Profit
Of Gas System
Was $73,892
City natural gas system gross
revenues set a new record in the
fiscal year ending June 30, as
did gross operating profits.
(Figures revealed in the annu
al audit of A. M. (Pullen & Com
pany, Charlotte, show gross rev
enues of $174,371, and gross op
erating profit of $75,892.
Sales of natural gas accounted
for $171,697, and other revenue
was $2,674.
(Major expenditure was pur
chase of gas from Transconti
nental Gas Pipeline Corporation,
totaled $80,141. Labor and ad
ministrative expense total $$1.
866, supplies cost $2,793, and the
system paid its engineer $1,800.
Gas sales came from these
sources:
Residential sales $88,840, small
commercial customers, $25,101,
large commercial customers, $9,
641, interruptible contract cus
tomers, $39,781, and public build
ing customers, $8,333.
On June 30, gas system reven
ue bonds outstanding totaled
$380,000, with $10,000 payable
dtiring the upcoming fiscal year
The system 'had $150,500 invested
in Kings Mountain’s two savings
& Loan associations.
Assets at June 30 totaled $710,
108.
Customers at year end totaled
719 up from 620 the previous
June 30.
Fall-Out Shelter
Inquiries Up
Some Kings Mountain citizens,
spurred by the hotter Berlin cold
war and by the call-up of 76,00C
reservists, have indicated interest
in building fall-out shelters, J
Ollie Harris, civil defense direc
tor for the city, reported this
week.
Mr. Harris said he had sup
plied ten to 12 citizens with civil
defense booklets detailing sev
eral different plans for constru
ction of falll-out shelters.
Another spur ito shelter-build
ing came from Look Magazine
this week, which made some
frightening estimates of possible
casualties should shooting war
begin and atomic and hydrogen
missiles be employed.
Mr. Harris says he has a good
supply of the instruction book
lets and welcomes inquiries for
them.
Dathia Sanders several months
ago completed construction of a
fall-out shelter at his residence
on Dixon road.
Employment
Seivice Pared
The county board of the state
employment service has discon
tinued its Tuesday morning itin
erant service here due to insuffi
cient activity, Manager John
Fleming said Wednesday.
Mrs. Violet Dixxm has been
conducting the Tuesday morning
service for several weeks on an
experimental basis.
Mir. Fleming said the Tuesday
afternoon spot point service and
Thursday general service will
continue, with employment serv
ice representatives at City Hall
courtroom.
Don't Follow Fire
Wacfon Too Closely
Following a fire truck within
a block is a violation of city
statute, Fire Chief Pat Tignor
noted this week, and future
violators will be hailed to
court.
Chief Tignor noted that at a
recent fire volunteer firemen i
had to park their autos a block
away from the blaze.
City ordinance provides that
violation is a misdemeanor, !
punishable by fine andl or jail
term.
Chief of Police Martin Ware
has told me he will see that fu
ture violators are punished,”
Chief Tignor said.
Two Negio
Students Seek '
Central Entry
By MARTIN HARMON
Kings Mountain district school
officials have received their first j
formal applications for entry of
Negro pupils to all-white Central
high school.
Two families asked admittance
c-f three high school students,
but the parents of the one high
school child asked that the ap-,
plication be returned, Fred W.
Plonk, chairm \n of the board of
education, sa:.i Wednesday after
noon.
lApplic r.-r,, ^ one family for
admission to Central of two high
school students remains among
a total of unusually small num
ber of transfer applications with-,
in the district.
Chairman Plonk reported that
a total of only 19 transfer appli
cations and one of these was fi
led in error. One student had
asked for assignment to a school
to which he was already assign
ed, Mr. Plonk reported.
Chairman Plonk declined to
-release the name of the parents
of the Negro children who seek
admittance to Central high
school, nor the names of the chil
dren, pending a meeting of the
board of education.
He said no action has yet been
taken on any transfer applica
tions, guessed the board would
j convene in special session for
1 action on the applications with
in a week to ten days. He noted
that this is customary board po
licy and that, to solve grade load
problems, students often are ask
ed to attend other schools.
Though other members of the
board Of education were not con
tacted, and though Chairman
Plonk declined to guess board
! action on the Negro children’s ad
mittance application, prior indi
j cations by the school trustees
are that the Negro applications
' will be denied.
I At the July session, when Wil
liam Orr, a Negro patron, threa
tened the board with' Negro ap
plications for Central, there was
| no comment indicating Negro
! students would be admitted to
! Central for the 1961-62 term.
Several remarks concerned the
J fact that Central is crowded, and
. that while pupils who live within
' the city limits are being trans
ported outside the city to school
i this year, as are Negro high
I school pupils to the merged Ne
| gro high school at Compact.
Ruth Little's
Rites Thursday
Ruth Elizabeth Little, 10-year
old daughter of (Mr. and Mrs.
Franklin H. Little of Asheville,
former Kings Mountain resi
| dents, died Tuesday at 12:30 af
| ter a six-months illness.
I 'Funeral rites will be Weld
: Thursday at 2 p. m. from Ashe
ville’s St. Mark’s Lutheran chur
ch. Interment will be in Hickory
I In addition to her parents, the
: child is survived by four broth
ers, Charles, Clay, Howard and
William Little and one sister,
Sally Jane Little. Her grandfath
j er, W. H. Little of Hickory, also
i survives.
'Before joining the Asheville
Federal Savings and Loan Asso
ciation, Mir. Little was associated
with Home Savings and Loan
Association here.
GRADUATES _ Miss Barbara
Welch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Lester Welch, was graduated
Thursday from Charlotte Memo
rial Hospital School of Nursing
and is now a member of the hos
pital's staff in the Obstetrical
Department. She graduated from
Kings Mountain high school in
1958.
Insurance Plan
Effective Friday
Safe drivers of North Carolina
will receive recognition for it heir
good driving_insurance prem
ium wise _ under the Safe Dri
ver Insurance Plan which be
comes effective Friday, Septem
ber 1.
.The safe driver’s along with
everyone else, however will be
initially penalized an additional
18 per cent on auto liability pre
miums effective the same date.
The 18 percent rate hike on au
to liability insurance was neces
sitated by high loss ratios of in
surance companies serving North
Carolina.
Under the Safe Driver plan, an
operator of an automobile can
receive a premium discount of
10 per cent; or if he is constant
ly cited for traffic violations, can
hike his insurance premium - -
a good driver is rewarded for his
good driving and a bad driver is
penalized for bis violations.
The premise of the Safe Dri
ver Insurance Plan is that safe
drivers should be rewarded and
that past, convictions for traffic
violations is an index of the pro
bability of future auto accidents.
In order to utilize past acci
dents and convictions in the de
termination of insurance pre
miums, a point system has been
devised. If a driver has no points
to his credit, he receives a 10 per
cent discount. A high number of
points increase his liability in
surance premium.
Points assigned for moving
traffic violations include: eight
for any felony, including homi
cide or assault, in the commis
sion of which a motor vehicle is
used; or highway racing or
knowingly lending a motor ve
hicle to be used in highway rac
ing; six points for driving a mo
tor vehicle while under the influ
ence of intoxicating liquor or
narcotic drugs; failing to stop
and render aid when involved in
an accident resulting in bodily
injury or death (hit-and-run
driving), transportation for the
purpose of sale of illegal intoxi-,
eating liquors by motor vehicle;!
or operating a vehicle during at
period of revocation or suspen-j
si on of license or registration;
(Continued On Page Eight) i
Most Local Filins Already Paying
$1.15 Minimum; A Few To Benefit
By DAVID BAITY
The new minimum wage law,
effective Sunday, will effect few
Kings Mountain employees a
Herald survey showed Wednes
day afternoon.
Most Kings Mounattin manu
facturing firms have wage scales
equal to the new minimum wage
of $1.15 per hour, the survey
showed.
Ten to twelve of 90 employees
at Mauney Mills will get a wage
hike, George H. Mauney reported.
‘There will not be a big chan
ge at Bonnie Mills”, commented
W. K. Mauney. He said the wage
rate of most of the firm’s 70 em
ployees is already $1.15 or more
per hour.
iA Lambeth Rope spokesman
reported only two of the firm’s
58 employees will be effected,
and they are recently-hired
learners.
Kings Mountain Manufactur
ing Company reported 10 to 12 of
their 75 employees will be raised
by the new law.
Sadie Mills also reported a
1 very few of its 110 employees
would be effected.
Park Yarn Mill officials had
not yet figured the effect of the!
new law, and A. J. Slater, of Sla-!
ter Mills, reported very few of
the firm's 42 workers would be
effected.
“Our lowest echelon jobs al
ready pay at least $1.15 per hour
or above and have for eighteen
months,” commented Jim Amos,
comptroller at Neisler Mills Di
vision of Massachusetts Mohair
Plush Company, Inc.
Mrs. Sue Young, manager of
Eagle’s 5-l0-25c Store, said she
was informed by the Eagle's
Stores central office that the
Kings Mountain branch would
not be effected.
P. H. Wilson, manager of
Rose’s 5-10-25c Store was not a-j
vailiable for comment Wednes
day afternoon.
The law, enacted in the current i
congressional session, applies to1
all businesses engaged in inter-!
state commerce and certain other
large retail firms.
Load Problems
At Minimum,
Barnes Benoits
Tuesday enrollment at the
nine Kings Mountain area
schools totaled 4164 pupils, less
by 136 than school officials had
guessed this years school popu
lation.
Superintendent B. N. Barnes
loted, however, that enrollment
tends to increase through the
school year, particularly during
the first few days of school.
Supt. Barnes termed (the open
ing successful.
■'We’re crowded,” Mr. Barnes
commented, ‘‘but no more crowd
ed than we anticipated At the
Central plant, erection of the
second prefabricated building
for vocational instruction will
alleviate the space problem ma
terially. Erection is scheduled to
begin Thursday morning. At the
same time, we have, without this
added building, a classroom for
every class and a teacher for
every classroom.”
The Central plant, with eight
eighth grades numbering 237 pu
pils and all the district's 854
high school pupils has by far the
largest one-plant population
with 1091 pupils. Supt. Barnes
noted 'that the building has hou
sed larger numbers of pupils in
previous years.
Under-guessed was the popu
lation of the newly-merged Com
pact high school, which, on Tues
day, listed 200 pupils, up 13 from
the anticipated enrollment Com
pact elementary school listed
371 pupils.
Following are other Tuesday
on rol lmeut figures:
Bethware element a ry 393.
East elementary 437.
Grover elementary 395.
North elementary 404.
Park Grace elementary 207.
West elementary 328.
Davidson elementary S38.
Supt. Barnes reported what
he termed surprisingly few load
problems. Among them, are East
school second grade with 71 pu
■I»ils, East third with 47, and East
fifth grade with 72. On an aver
age aim of about 30 pupils per
room, the East plant finds its
second and fifth grades with
slight overloads for two grades
each, but with a twoiteadier un
derload in Grade 3.
At Park Grace school there are
79 seventh graders, with three
seventh grades, for an under
load. Mir. Barnes said it may be
possible to obtain sufficient vol
unteer transfers from Park Grace
seventh to other district schools
to enable elimination of one of
Park Grace’s split-grade situa
tion.
Conversely, there are only 16
third grade students at Park
Grace.
Legion Member
Goal Is 361
Otis D. Green (Post 155, Amer
ican (Legion, hopes to have 361
members for 1963 by November
11, two percent more than the
1961 membership.
To date, 55 eligible veterans
have paid the $4 annual member
ship fee for ’62, Adjutant J. H.
MsDaniel, Jr., reported.
Post members signing 10 new
or renewal members will be hon
ored at a steak dinner in Char
lotte.
(Mr. McDaniel said it is hoped
that the annual district “Go-Get
ters” dinner will be held here.
Vice-Commander !H. O. (Toby)
Williams is ex officio Chairma.l
of the membership campaign.
Veterans of World War 1,
World War II, and the Korean
War are eligible for membership.
The inclusive dates are:
World War 1—April 6, 1917, to
November 11, 1918.
/World War n — December 7,
1941, to September 2, 1945.
Korean War — June 25, 1950,
to July 27, 1953.
Alston Bridges will be caterer
for the dinner.
Merchants Observe
Labor Dciy HcFiday
Kings Mountain merchants
will observe Labor Day holi
day Monday, with a few ex
ceptions.
Kings Mountain Drug Com
pany will be open all day. Grif
fin Drug Company plans Sun
day operating hours, and Med
ical Pharmacy had not decided
Wednesday afternoon.
All financial institutions will
be closed, as will the post offi
ce.
Mayor Kelly Dboon said Wed
nesday the city offices will be
dosed in observance of the
holidays.
County offices also will ob
serve the day off.