Newspaper Page Text
CAIRO, GEORGIA
The Best City of Its
Size In the Entire
United States
U.50-S2 A YEAR. IN ADVANCE.
iqLUME XLVI.
TRIPLE-G' CLUB WINS STATE
[OMMUNITY AWARD, SSOO
Imrnal’s Prize
ird In Grady
4-H Clubbers In
Atlanta For
Contests
Outstanding state recogni
tion again come to Grady
county Wednesday night in
Atlanta when the now fam
ous "Triple-G" 4-H Com
munity Club, in the Pine
Park community in the eas
em pari of the county, won
the 1949 Atlanta Journal
state community improve
menl award, which includes
$500 in cash. The award was
made at a brilliant dinner
meeting at an Atlanta hotel
as a feature of the annual
state 4-H Club Congress in
session fhere this week in
connection with the South
eastern Fair.
‘Triple G” won the Atlanta
fournal district community im
irovement award back in 1946,
nth a cash benefit of $300, and
hus qualified itself for
cmpetition. The Wayside 4-H
llub in this county also won The
lournal’s district award, with
(300, in 1947. Thus the latest
mccess is the third time an At
anta Journal award has come
o Grady, with cash benefits
stalling $1,100.0(5.
(.varies ** Ward, the “Triple
k" president, was at the dinner
n Atlanta Wednesday night,
ing risers, with two of the club ad
Mrs. D. P. Ward and Early
prady, and the extension work
:s, Miss Myrtle Walters, County
(Lome Demonstration Agent,
pounty Agent S. E. George and
Iiis assistant, Harold Daniels.
| Tthtr Charles Ward was there with
local 4-H Clubers as state
kinner in a soil conservation
tontest to compete for regional
it national honors. His state
Jin gave him a $50 U. S. Savings
P° nd - with a college scholarship
is a possible award for higher
Jonors.
Other 4-H Clubers competing
the state Congress for state
lonors, after winning district
^petition falter Lundy, at Americus, control; Billy are:
Stringer pest
(immediate past “Triple
J president), sweet potato elec
r ‘ c Plant bed demonstration;
Jayne es and Faircloth, marketing; vegetable Emogene grad
Strickland, home improvements
pressing unit for 4-H Club girl
lnd improvements for every
f tlanta om in her home, as pictured in
Journal last Sunday) Beth
rtanfill, breadmakmg; and Mary
- ; 1. better methods (ironing
nen ’ s shirts).
All of the Grady
e ^ntians -t early attending the Congress 9
home Tuesday and will r
Li -n from Atlanta Friday.
' ne outstanding achievements
J t the
“Triple G” club are num
jous ' a ,te award and interesting. of the For the
ial Atlanta Jour
for community improvements,
d §es used a score card with
$oo of'the numerous Tommuni
Nae
f Jss ' m P r °vements counted in sue
Of the Grady Club but gen
i3c tors also 'Counting exten
lvely therein might be briefly
Un ‘marized as follows:
Club’s outstanding leader
'■P in community-wide progress
2 developments; Act
' ive and effective parti
fjtion t ° caI of dub in county as well
.1 > d ^ving community affairs to
' problems meet
? and
ne ods;
'
Ability of the people of
^ dlp community, under club lead
’. t0 sit down togther co
rativiy t without being handi
Pe„ by pettiness and personal
ngs - to set up worthwhile
Continued on last page)
Slip sCairo TBimum
Th# Official Organ of Grady County.
"The man who wandereth out of the way of advertising shall remain in the congregation of the dead."
SIXTEEN PAGES
Local Draft Board
Moves Office To
Court House
The local draft board moved
its office this week to the third
floor of the Court House, W. J.
McClenny announced, and the
office will be open on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays from
1:00 to 5:00 p. m.
Chairman McClenny emphasiz
ed that the draft law was still in
effect, and all boys are required
to register within five days of
their 18th. birthday.
Frank White is the secretary
of the board, and Raymond John
son is the other member.
Explosion Rocks
Church Here
First Methodist
Damaged $1,000
in Gas Blast
j , An explosion rocked the base
ment of the First Methodist
Church here,last Saturday morn
ing about 9:30, bringing dam
ages estimated at approximately
$1,000 to the kitchen, doors, win
dows, and plaster of the base
ment; but fortunately no one was
injured,
The apparent cause of the ex
plosion was the accumulation of
gas from the gas stove in the
| closed kitchen which was touch
ed off by a spark from an elec
trie motor, also in the kitchen,
when the motor was switched on
in the main auditorium of the
Church by Mrs. Dwight Brown,
to operate the organ. Mrs.
Brown had gone to practice on
the organ, and instantly upon
switching on the motor she re
lated, the whole church was
shaken with the terrific explo
sion in the basement.
j E Forsyt h, of the J. E. For
syth Insurance Agency, which
insures the church, said no place
where gas might have escaped
on the stove or the pipes leading
to the stove could he discovered,
all of the jets on the stove being
completely closed, and no leaks
found in the pipes.
However, it is certain that gas
had. escaped from some source,
and filled the closed kitchen.
When the electric motor was
switched on, apparently a spark
from the motor touched off the
explosion of the accumulated gas.
The door of the kitchen was
blown off its hinges, down a nar
row hallway some 30 feet, and
completely through another door.
The double windows, facing in
to the recreation hall of the base
ment, were blown out, including
the casings, the basement doors
leading to the front of the church
were loosened from their hinges,
and much of the plaster on the
basement ceiling was jarred
loose. Also the pressure of the
explosion came on to the outer
doors of the church and ripped
the iron pin out of the bottom
P art °t the doors.
There was no one in the base
| ment or near the room when the
! explosion occurred, Luther
White, jaintor, having just walk
ed outside into the church yard,
therefore no one was injured.
Rev. Rainey, Pastor, was in
his study on the basement level
at the front of the Church, but
was not affected, other than re
porting that it was some time
before he could hear normally
again due to the terrific blast.
I Mrs. Ralph Carlisle, Church
j Secretary, was in her office, also
on the basement level, but was
not injured by the blast.
The damages were completely
covered by insurance, Mr. For
syth said.
CAIRO. GRADY COUNTY, GA.. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 7, 1949.
Community Chest
Meeting Soon
Grady County Community
Chest will have a special meeting
early next week to complete its
official set-up for 1950 and to
make plans for the 1950 Fund
campaign which is to begin about
the middle of October.
Three new directors will be
elected, on the rotation basis, and
the directors in turn will name
the officers .including a cam
paign chairman. Steps to orga
nize the campaign workers will
follow.
Needy Here Gel
1145,785 Aid
County Operating
Net Cost Only
$1,618
The annual report of the Grady
County Welfare Department for
the fiscal year ending June 30th,
prepared by the Director, Miss
Mary Louise Maxwell, pust ap
proved by the County Welfare
Board, and made public this
week, reveals that the Depart
ment during its last year dis
bursed a total of $145,785.59 in
relief from all sources to approxi
mately 900 needy persons in the
county.
During the last month of the
year, June, 516 recipients of Old
Age assistance received grants
totalling $9,265.50, an average of
$17.95; 29 recipients of Aid to
the Blind assistance received
grants totalling $586, an average
g( $22.04; and as03 children in 71
families received Aid To Depen
dent Children assistance totalling
$2,030, an average of $10. per
child. This does not include gen
eral assistance aid to a varying
number of people from month to
month nor a wide variety of oth
er welfare services by the depart
ment to a large number of people,
counsel only being the objective
need in some cases.
As required by the Social Se
curity Act, to partially meet the
basic needs of recipients in the
three categories—Old Age, Aid
To Blind and Aid To Dependent
Children—assistance funds and
operating expenses come from
three sources— 60 per cent Fed
eral funds, 35 per cent state funds
and 5 per cent county funds. The
report shows the
and operating expenses, insofar
as use of county funds is con
cerned, were last year only 1.58
per cent of the total funds ad
ministered and relief given, with
the net cost to the county for ad
ministrative and other expenses
of only $1,618 for the year.
These and many other interest
ing facts are revealed by the re
port, recently approved by the
County Welfare Board, now com
posed of W. G. Bullock, chair
man, Mrs. L. H. Foster, L. M.
Barrett, R. S. Jones and G. L.
Prince.
The 1948-49 fiscal year total of
all assistance disbursements ex
ceeded by $31,328.50 the benefits
paid during the immediately pre
ceding fiscal year. Twelve years
ago a few families in the county
were receiving direct pauper aid
distributed by the County Com
missioners. Since that time*, 2,-
200 case records have been set up
in the Welfare Dept, files, with
services rendered to countless
families in which a case record
was unnecessary. During the
past year, 325 applications were
received and handled for all types
of services, the report shows,
Since there were 590 active cases
at the beginning of 1948-49 year
this means the Director and
Worker investigated an average
of 76 cases per month, a case load
much too heavy to enable them
to give the maximum time and
service desired.
In addition to handling assist
ance for the three main categories
previously listed, the Welfare
Dept, disburses a nominal amount
of what is termed general assist
ance and also provides import
ant miscellaneous services that
include a crippled children’s pro
gram ;child welfare services in
addition to those otherwise ac
counted for; home studies for
(Continued on last page)
Interest Here In
Fuller's Earth
Car Shipment May
Lead To County
Operations
After smoldering for some time,
interest in fuller’s earth in Grady
county evidenced a sharp uptrend
this week, with some prospect
i that extensive mining and or
processing operations may be de
veloped soon.
J. W. Walden, of Cairo, last
week loaded and shipped a freight
carload of fuller’s earth to a large
concern for full-scale final tests
of its quality for various com
merical uses. He said a repre
sentative of the concern told him
that if the carlot shipment veri
fied results of tests on a smaller
scale recently he will likely re
quest additional carlot shipments
as steadily as possible for proces
sing elsewhere “until a plant can
be established locally.” He said
the representative added that if
a processing plant is established
j here it will likely be larger than j
that in operation at Attapulgus,
southwest of Cairo, for years,
with possible employment of 400
to 600 people.
The carlot shipment last week
came from a point near Wolf
creek, between Cairo and Whig
ham, and between the highway
j (u. S. 84) and the A. C. L. rail
road. It is known that deposits
of fuller’s earth lie also along
Big Tired Creek, between Cairo
and Whigham, and along Bar
nett’s creek, near Pope’s store,
northeast of Cairo. Tests have
been made recently of fuller’s
earth from several different
points and preliminary indications
point to various deposists being
of sufficient commerical quality
and extent to warrant large
scale mining and or industrial
operations. Several large con
cerns have already evidenced in
terest, it is said.
The Chamber of Commerce
here more than two years ago
sought to compile data on the
county’s soil resources, including
fuller’s earth, some bentonite and
some limestone, and some inter
est was developed or revived at
that time in developement or uti
lization of these resources. How
ever, industrial contacts at that
time evidenced little interest in
fuller’s earth for several reasons,
mainly that available sources be
ing utilized were sufficient be
cause synthetic products had
come into the picture. Now, how
ever, fuller’s earth by-products
are being utilized in a commercial
way and there seems to be real
interest in developing new sources
of fuller’s earth itself.
In discussions this week several
of the landowners who have ful
ler’s earth deposits, either under
or not under lease, said they hope
all of the landowners involved
will work together toward assur
ing the establishment of a proces
sing plant or industrial operation
in the county, either at Cairo or
Whigham, or between the two
places, or at whatever point the
prospective developer thinks best,
everything considered, rather
than just a mining operation to
ship the raw product elsewhere
for processing. There are possi
bilities that brick clay or other
soil resources in the county might
be utilized, along with fuller’s
earth by-products, for the manu
facture of a considerable variety
of finished products.
Tbe new interest will be watch
ed keenly here.
Miss Martha Sholar has entered
the University of Georgia, Athens;
she is a transfer from G. S. C. W.
in Milledgeville.
The many friends of Mr. J. W.
Willis regret to know that he is
confined to his hon% with pneu
monia.
Miss Blanche Olliff, of Jackson
ville, Fla., is the guest of her
sisters, Mrs. J. E. Stuart and Mrs.
E. L. Greene.
SIXTEEN PAGES
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ROBERT P. (BOB) WIGHT, well
known farmer and pecan grow
er of Grady County and Com
mander of the local Legion Post,
assumed his official duties as
postmaster at Cairo Saturday,
Oct. 1st.
Bob Wight Assumes
Duties As Cairo's
New Postmaster
Robert P. (Bob) Wight, local
pecan grower and farmer, former
pharmacist and life-long resident
of Grady County, assumed his
official duties as the new post
master at Cairo last Saturday,
Oct. 1st. The appointment was
confirmed by the U. S. Senate
some time ago.
Mr. Wight succeeds J. S.
Weathers, who retired two years
ago. Charles L. Browne, assist
ant pastmaster, who was not an
applicant for the postmastership,
has been acting postmaster, and
has now been reinstated to his
former position as assistant post
master.
The new postmaster is a na
tive of Grady County, having
spent most of his life here, with
the exception of a few years in
Washington, D. C. Part of the
time there, he was in Hospital
work, and the remainder he
worked with the O. P. A. as a
business specialist in the Drug
and Chemical branch.
For seven years, Mr. Wight
was owner and manager of
Wight & Browne Drug Store here,
severing this connection in 1929.
He attended Emory --at-Oxford
two years, and Georgia Tech one,
and later studied Pharmacy at
Macon.
Mr. Wight is the son of the
late Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Wight,
Sr. J. B. Wight, Sr., was prom
inent in Grady County education
al circles and -a well-known
nurseryman of this section.
Robert Wight has six broth
ers and sisters, most of them
well known in Grady County:
Ward Wight of Atlanta, John and
Slater of Cairo, Leleah (Mrs. W.
F. McIntyre) of Thomasville, Ed
Wight of Newark, N. J., and
Warren Wight of Quitman.
In addition to being postmaster,
Mr. Wight is Commander of the
local American Legion Post. His
wife is the former Miss Cecilia
Hunt, a native of Cumberland,
Maryland. They have three
children, Bobby, 12, Louise, 10,
and Richard, 6.
Banks Close Here
Next Wednesday
Announcement was made
this week that both banks
here. Citizens Bank, and the
Cairo Banking Co., would be
closed all day next Wednes
day, Oct. 12, in observance
of Columbus day.
Miss Jacqbeine Brim, of Whig
ham, student at Brenau College,
Gainesville, has been pledged to
Alpha Chi Omega sority.
Mr. and Mrs. C. Ward Wight,
of Atlanta, and Mr. and Mrs.
Warren C. Wight, of Quitman,
spent last week-end here with
Mr. and Mrs. Slater Wight, Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Wight and Mr.
and Mrs. John Wight.
GRADY COUNTY
Greatest Diversified
Farming Section
In America
SINGLE COPIES, 5 CENT!
NUMBER 39.
Grady Has Four
State Winners
Miss Myrtle Walters advised
the local Chamber of Commerce
from Atlanta at noon Thursday
that Grady 4-H Clubs won a
total of four state first places, as
follows:
Love Rehberg, poultry achieve
ment; Wayne Faircloth, vegeta
ble grading and marketing; Wal
ter Lundy, livestock pest con
trol; and Charles Ward, soil con
servation.
All receive free trips or other
prizes. This is believed to be a
new state record for one coun
ty.
Fire Prevention
Program Is Set
Appreciation For
Fire Dept. Gets
Emphasis
Next week, Oct. 9th-15th, in
clusive, is Fire Prevention Week,
nationally, and plans were com
pleted here this week for a
special local observance official
ly proclaimed by Mayor Walter
Williams as “Fire Prevention
and Fire Department Apprecia
tion Week.” Mayor Williams’
proclamation appears elsewhere
in this issue. The observance
will be sponsored jointly by the
City of Cairo and the Cairo Fire
Department, with the cjo-oper
ation of the Chamber of Com
merce, other civic agencies, the
schools and local fire insurance
underwriters.
Preventable fires will kill some
10,000 Americans and cause dam
age of $700 million or more this
year. Experts say 90 per cent of
these losses can be prevented by
proper practices. The observance
next week will seek to encourage
everyone to acquaint themselves
fully with effective prevention
practices and then to carry out
the recommended practices.
In addition, Mayor Williams,
in his proclamation, urges week every- to
one to take time next
show appreciation for Cairo’s
>ut:ta:iding lire J)epa tirnot.
which nas now been outstand ng
for almost half a century. The
department is well-equipped, personnel,
with some well-trained
but an effective part of it is the
semi-volunteer group of firemen
that renders invaluable service
almost entirely because of com
munity patroitism. Some mem- for
bers of the group have served
years, at considerable personal
sacrifice, to maintain Cairo’s Fire
Department on its splendid status.
Everyone connected with the De
partment deserves the heartiest
commendation of the people of
Cairo, generally, although they
seek no such recognition or re
ward, only the satisfaction of the
sacrifical service they render for
the great benefit of everyone,
Mayor Williams points out.
Fire Chief Aulden Hawthorn
next week will lead a series of
special investigations and inspec
tions, particularly of all public
property and buildings where
(Continued on last page)
Syrupmakers To Meet Quincy
Tonight; Tied Thomasville
Surprise Turn Of Events Gives Cairo
Undefeated Record Up To The Present
In the fourth game of the sea
son for the Syrupmakers, with a
surprising turn of events giving
them an undefated record to
date, the local Eleven will go to
Quincy, Fla., to play Friday
night, Oct. 7th.
The surprise turn came when
Valdosta forfeited the game play
ed there Sept. 23rd, because one
of their players was discovered
too old to play high school foot
ball, changing the score from a
27-6 defeat for Cairo into a 1-0
victory.
In an old gridiron rivalry be
tween the Cairo Syrupmakers and
the Thomasville Bulldogs, Cairo
last Friday night there in the first
conference game of the season,
took the Bulldogs by surprise and
held a 13-0 lead right up to the
last minutes of play, only to have
their opponents come back in a
Valdosta Gives
Cairo The Game
One Player Found
Too Old, Changes
Score to 1-0
News came Tuesday of this
week, in a letter addressed to
Supt. J. H. House, to the effect
that the Valdosta High School
was voluntarily forfeiting to
Cairo the football game played
there Sept. 23rd., giving the
Syrupmakers technically an un
beaten season to-date.
The reason given was that one
of Valdosta’s players, Jack Al
bert Mote, who was instrumental
in running up the 27-6 victory
over Cairo, had been discovered
ineligible to play high school
football, because of his age.
The letter, in full follows:
Valdosta High School
Oct. 4, 1949.
Supt. J. H. House
Cairo Public Schools
Cairo, Ga.
Dear Mr. House:
My attention was called this
past Saturday to the fact that
one of our football players, Jack
Albert Mote, was born Oct. 17,
1929.
I called this boy into my office
Monday morning and asked him
to produce a birth certificate,
He has been unable to get this
certificate, so I presume that he
is ineligible. I have declared
him ineligible until he produces
this birth certificate,
| Please accept my sincere apoli
I gies and forfeit for the game
j played your school.
I assure you that playing this
boy was unintentional.
Sincerely yours,
N. R. Haworth,
Principal & Asst. Supt.
Copy sent to:
S. F. Burke, Thomaston, Ga.
Executive Secretary,
j Ga. H. S. Association.
, The rule on age limits specify
that a boy is not eligible to play *
. . . school football if he has
I reacned . , the , age of 19 by Sept,
1st, of the playing season,
If the Valdosta player, Jack
Mote, was born Oct. 17, 1929, on
Oct. 17, this year he will be 20
years old, and was 19 on Oct. 17,
last year. This would mean that
he just got under the eligible
line by a little more than a
month for last season, and there
fore is not eligible to play high
school football this season.
I The scor e in a forfeited game
i j is 1-0, in favor of the team to
j which the game is forfeited.
| This gives the Syrupmakers a re
^ cord to-date of an 18-0 victory
: over Pelham, a 1-0 technical vic
I tory over Valdosta, and a 13-13
tie with Thomasville, adding up
to an undefeated season up to
now.
fighting spurt and tie the final
score 13-13.
With a record crowd of Cairo
fans to cheer the local boys on,
Coach J. P. Miller’s Syrupmakers
jumped in front in the first period
when Billy McCorkle passed to
John Hester for 12 yards and a
touchdown. The pass followed
another for 62 yards from Mc
Corkle to halfback Red Rogers.
McCorkle then hit Hester for the
extra point, bringing the first
period score to 7-0.
In the second period, McCorkle
scooted over from the 12 after
Raymond Sholar had carried the
ball there on a 39-yard dash, to
jump the score 13-0 in favor of
the Syrupmakers.
At the opening of the third
perior Thomasville took the of
(Continued on last page) i