ii
Page 2—KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD—Tueeday, September 28, 1979
PUBLISHED EACH TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
GARLAND ATKINS
Publisher
DARRELL AUSTIN
General Manager
LIB STEWART
Oo-Editor
GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
MEMBER OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION
The Herald Is published by Herald Publishing House, P.O. Box 782, Kings
Mountain, N.C. 28086. Business and editorial offices are located at 431 N. Piedmont
Ave. Phone 739-7496. Second class postage paid at Kings Mountain, N.C. Single copy
IS cents. Subscription rates: $10 yearly In state. $5 six months. $11 yearly out-of-
state. $8.80 six months. Student rate lor nine months $7.80. USPS 931-040.
Letters to the editor
KM traffic light city
to the editors,
eDITORIWS&OPIMIOrK
Food stamp abuse
Someone Is always saying they saw,
or heard about, food stamp recipients
carrying out their groceries to
Cadillacs.
The “Information” comes from
citizens who are friends of the program,
but worried about abuse, and from
others who consider It an unnecessary
hand-out.
In Kings Mountain, folks are probably
more sympathetic to the program than
In the bigger towns and cities. However,
some of us are fretting about the long
lines we Incur at the post office on "food
stamp days.” Several postal patrons
told us at a recent meeting of the
Welcome Wagon newcomers club that
they were quite pleased with Kings
Mountain but hated to wait In line at the
postoffice over an hour to mall a
package. We told them to take their
complaints to the postoffice.
The "handout” opinion Is shared by
some members of Congress and when
the food stamp program was revamped.
Congress Imposed annual spendings
ceilings through 1981, based on late 1976
economic projections. Higher than
estimated food prices and caseloads
reoulred a llftlnK of the celling of $620
million this summer to avoid cutting one
month of benefits. More Congressional
hesudngs are slated.
Overseers of the program, that gives
low-income families help with food
budgets to the tune of $7 billion a year,
say that the food stamp program Is far
from being “a giveway” and benefits
average only 33 cents per meal.
Unfortunately, as In the case with
every massive federal program, the
food stamp program Is beset by ad
ministrative confusion and a degree of
abuse.
A democratic system of government
must deal with such fundamental
problems as hunger.
Some of the Cadillacs are probably for
real, but every effort should be made for
a compromise situation to help those In
real need while removing some of the
taxpayer oppression.
FIGHT GLAUCOMA WITH CHECK UP
Being a native of Kings Mountain quaUflea
mo to make criticism of my homo town.
KM could now be known as "the traffic
light city” Instead of "the historical city.”
We have been bombarded with criticism
from out-of-townors about the traffic lights
and the congested traffic.
I’m sure everyi.no concerned la anxiously
awaiting the by-pass. But what about after
the by-pass goes there. Are we KM citizens
still going to have to tolerate all those traffic
signals then?
There are still more traffic lights going up
In the city. We could become another
McAdenvlUe, only the year-round Instead of
Just at Christmas. We won’t need ornaments
or lights for Christmas If traffic lights keep
going up at every Intersection.
Th mo. those traffic Ughts seem to cause
congestion rather than stagger the traffic
and keep It moving smoothly.
I think I understand the need for signals at
school zones, but after school has let out,
especially during summer vacation, there
Isn’t any need for these Ughts to operate. It’s
senseless and frustrating to sit at a stop light
at night and wait for the light to turn green,
when there Isn’t a car In sight for blocks or
mUes.
What about It Mayor? What about It city
councUmen? Help us citizens keep our
sanity.
It Is my belief that a good education should
promote a child’s social, emotional, and
academic development. All are of equsd
Importance. A teacher who has no concern
for a child’s social and emotional develop
ment can not motivate a child to do weU
academlcaUy.
A principal or teacher should understand
that a parent who takes time to come to
school on behalf of his child Is concerned.
That parent doesn’t want to be verbaUy
attacked or falsely accused. Sarcasm from a
principal or teacher doesn’t appear to be
ethical to a concerned parent.
I beUeve that a principal should be able to
listen to a parent’s view point and remedy
situations without asking that a parent
bother Mr. Davis, Supt., or the School Board.
If a principal recommends a parent to go to
Mr. Davis, Supt. then the principal should go
with the parent. There should be no backing
down on the principal’s part.
The Kings Mountain Schools are on touchy
grounds when a few children are selected
and labeled as the gifted. Such a program
can weU stir up friction. Some very In
telligent chUdren may be made to feel In
ferior because there was no room In the
program for them. This may become an ego
builder for parents rather than doing the Job
for chUdren. Parents are already bragging
about their gifted chUd. I’ve heard such
bragging.
deficits have totaled $298.7 billion and the
public debt has grown from $487.8 billion to
$889.2 billion. Just $47.1 billion has been
handed out In the name of revenue sharing to
states and clUes, most of which enjoy budget
surpluses.
This flow of money vanishes without a
trace In local operating budgets, violating
the fundamental principles that public ex
penditure should be publicly accounted for
and cities become ever more dependent on
Washington.
Enactment of revenue sharing was a
mistake. Continuing It after It expires would
be a catastrophe.
What’s your opinion as a reader of the
Herald?
Hasn’t present conditions told even the
citizens of the historical city anything?
EVERE’TTE PEARSON
Kings Mountain
School spirit
Tto the editors.
DAPHNE L. STOLL
Nearly 66,000 AmeiTcams are blind
from glaucoma, the "sneak thief of
sight.” Two million others have the
condition, but half don’t know It. While
drugs are the main defenses against the
visual loss glaucoma causes, glaucoma
patients don’t always stick with their
treatments, because some of the drugs
have unpleasant side effects.
Kings Moimtaln Lions Club, In an
effort to encourage adults to use their
best defense against glaucoma, are
sponsoring a free clinic ’Thursday, Sept.
27, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at First
Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
Lions point out that two of every 100
Americans over 36 have glaucoma. The
risk Is four times as high after age 66.
'Hie risk Is twice as high In diabetics.
Glaucoma runs In families and usually
later generations get It earlier.
According to Robert Amelkin, M.D. of
Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center In
Brooklyn, New York, blacks get
^aucoma three times more often than
whites; they get it earlier and suffer
more severely from It.
W.K. Mauney, Jr., chairman of the
Lions promotion, smd Lion President
Tim Gladden advise that our best
defense against glaucoma Is a checkup
every two years.
KEN WILSON
Education
Revenue sharing
To The Editors,
Dear Reader Dialogue,
Should revenue sharing end?
Being a recent graduate of Kings Moun
tain Senior High, I have seen school spirit
displayed In many ways. But upon attending
Friday night’s football game against East
Gaston, I saw one of the true meanings of
school spirit.
I would like to publicly congratulate the
Kings Mountain cheerleaders for their
outstanding devotion. It has to be a great
feeling for the players to know that whatever
the weather, whatever the score, there Is
always 12 strong voices backing you all the
We hear much about top quality education.
lOngs Mtn. parents should certainly expect
this for their children.
Revenue sharing was originally conceived way. Keep up the good work girls,
as a means of sharing the federal surplus
with state and local governments. JEFF L. MOSS
Since enacted In 1972, Federal budget Kings Mountain
I glanced at mother-in-law
Picking up accident reports at the
local police station the other day I was
reminded again of some of the driver
excuses which appear on reports of
investigating officers.
As proof that people are the same the
world over, I clipped from a column In
’The Asheville Citizen ’Times a list
compiled In Germany of direct quotes
from accident reports submitted to
insurance companies by holders of auto
liability policies.
Lib
Stewart
coming the other way.'
THINGS CX)ULD BE WORSE
“ex-
LOOKinC
m:\i
From the Sept. 24,1953 edition of The
Kings Mountain Herald
Sgt. First Class Bailey Gillespie, 23,
who was released In the POW exchange
in Korea esu-ller this month. Is
scheduled to arrive at Charlotte Airport
Friday at 1:30 p.m. Relatives and
friends from the Kings Mountain area
are expected to be on hand when the
young soldier lands.
A printer’s simple typographical
error got Kings Mountain nation-wide
attention during the past weekend.
A missing "g” In the headline on a
ticket for a Saturday night "all Night
Singing” changed the ticket title to "All
Nigh Gospel Sinning.” By the time some
Imaginative publicity seekers and
tongue-in-cheek newsmen finished with
It, the All-Night Sinning was an advance
sell-out, new tickets had to be printed,
and news of the approaching sinning
spree was spread to the four comers of
the United States, at least.
A trip to the grocery store Is pretty
depressing In terms of what It does to
your pocketbook these days. It’s enough
to make you come home, flop In the
chair and just sit. While you’re sitting,
consider how It would be If you were
living elsewhere.
Remember that pound of beef for
which you paid $2.19 a pound? In Great
Britain you would have paid $8.03 for It,
In France $3.94, In West Germany $2.46
and In Japan (are you ready for this?)
$9.09.
If you bought a loaf of bread for 30
cents you’ll be depressed to know It
would have only cost 20 cents In West
Germany, but In Fiance il would be 62
cents and In Japan, 61.
Incidentally, the gas > eu had to buy to
get to the store might have cost you $1.00
I had read some of the same
cuses” here.
“’The guy was all over the road. I had
to swerve a number of times before I hit
him.
"I thought my window was down, and
found It was up when I put my head
through It.
“Coming home, I drove Into the wrong
house and collided with a tree I don’t
have.
"’The pedestrian had no idea which
direction to run, so I ran over him.
‘ ‘The telephone pole was approMhlng.
I was attempting to get out of Its way
when it struck my front end.
"I had been driving for 40 years when
I fell asleep and had the accident.
"I pulled away from the side of the
road, glanced at my mother-in-law and
headed over the embankment.
"To avoid hitting the bumper of the
car In front, I struck the pedestrian.
"I told the police I was not Injured, but
on removing my hat, I found I had a
fractured skull.
"The Indirect cause of the accident
was a little guy In a small car with a big
mouth.
It
"My car was legally parked
backed into the other vehicle.
“I was sure the old fellow would never
Make sure you’re between stakes
•••
Major Loftln of Kings Mountain has some
a gallon or close to It, but In Britain It good advice for any woodcutters who are
■vC-v-,
would be $2.60 and In France $2.80.
’There now, you see things could be
worse. It’s time to get up and put away
the groceries. When you finish you can
watch your television for which you paid
$600. In Japan you would have paid $800
and In France Ji,146!
Poets
Corner
Social and Personal
Johnnie Reed Caldwell, son of Mr. and
Mrs. John Caldwell, celebrated his first
birthday Sept. 2.
Miss Pauline Mauney, piano teacher
In the Salisbury Schools System, was
weekend guest of her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Mauney.
Mrs. Walter Harmon entertained the
Queen of Clubs at her home Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Childers, Rt. 2,
announce the arrival of a daughter.
Sept. 21, Garrison General Hospital,
Gastonia.
OUR SINCERE THANKS
-Today’s Bible Verse-Known unto
God are all His works from the begin
ning of the world. The Acts 16:18
Perhaps you sent a lovely card.
Or sat quietly In a chair.
Perhaps you sent a funeral spray
If so, we saw It there.
Perhaps you spoke the kindest word.
As any friend could say.
Perhaps you were not there at all.
Just thought of us that day.
Whatever you did to console our hearts.
We thank you so much whatever the part.
CLYDE ADAMS, SR. FAMILY
cutting firewood In the area of the Highway
74 bypass. '
"Make sure you’re cutting the right
wood,” said Loftln.
Loftln wasn’t cutting In the right place
recently when he was ordered off some
property near the site of the new Herald
Publishing House.
"I asked one of the state Inspectore If It
was allright to cut wood off the by-pass right
of ways,” said Major, “And he said It was.
There were probably nine people cutting
wood there. The Inspector said to msdte sure
we stayed between the stakes and we did.
But a man who said he’d leased the property
there said I was on his property and told me
to ‘get off or I’ll see you In court.’ "
Loftln, of course, quit cutting, and hopes
he doesn’t land a day In court because of It.
“I Just want to prevent other persons from
getting In trouble,” he said.
-oOo-
Something that gripes me, and probably
you too:
It seems every time I go to the trash dump
these days, I run Into one or more of the
following;
One, I can’t throw my trash Into the
dumpster without running the risk of
throwing It on top of someone who Is Inside
the dumpster searching through the gar
bage;
'Two, I can’t get my car within a decent
distance of the dumpster because those
doing the searching have theirs blocking the
driveway;
-Three, the dumpster Is full (and probably
has been for days), all the trash Is spilling
over into the drive and I either have to Uke
GI^RY
9T€Wf^RT
back home or add to the
the garbage
problem.
Those of you living Inside the city and
having regular garbage pickup may not be
fe miner with what I’m talking about. But
others living out In the country are ex
periencing this same problem.
The only dumpster In our end of the
county, as far as I know. Is on the Margrace
Road near Mldplnes. These problems I
mentioned have existed there for years and
there Is probably no easy solution.
Once as 1 was dumping my trash, I saw a
man sitting In a new pickup truck and
tolklng on a CB radio while his wife and
children were searching through the dump
ster for old clothes. I beUeve If the man could
afford the truck and CB he could afford to
buy his family some clothes.
If the people searching through the
dumpsters are really In need, they could
seek out the proper authorities and have
their needs taken care of.
And, on the other hand, Uie county could do
a little better Job of keeplnii the dumpsters
empty, or adding more. If n ccisary.
As for the people Inside the dumpsters:
Someday maybe you’ll find a f<'rtune. If you
don’t...someday, somehow, when vou least
expect It, smile...somebody may throw a ton
of garbage on top of your head.
/ Toi
I
make It to the other side of the road
when I hit him.
"An Invisible car came out of
nowhere, struck my vehicle and
vanished.
"I collided with a stattoqary truck^
Best yet!
‘That was the advance billing on the
Bethware Fair and It can serve, too, for
the actual report of the event, which. In
Its 32nd season, topped all others fro
attendance, tiring out kiddles, people
signing tickets for no-strlngs-attached
prize drawings and just about any other
phase of this growing community event.
Not being a farm expert, exactly, I am
disinclined to compare crop exhibits of
prior years, except to say that this
season’s looked good to me.
Next week, of course, the big, colorful,
bigger and older brother of the Beth
ware Fair, the Cleveland County Fair,
comes to Shelby.
But, the Bethware Fair was a good
sample, and a tribute to many, many
people of the Bethware Community who
had a hand In It.
o
V
t «
V
/
-That young fella with the sheepish little
grin on the front page (and In the photo
above) Is Hal England, Kings Mountain
native and star of stage and screen. He was
In town last week to promote the United
Fund.
n