E.S.C. quarterly

              3 6 1\ - i-
THE
ESC QUARTERLY
VOLUME 26 NUMBER 1-2
North Carolina State Librgn
Raleigh
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JSTATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CASWELL BUILDING
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE
EDITION
CHAIRMAN'S
COMMENTS
Henry E. Kendall
Chairman
N. C. Employment
Security Commission
KENDALL
During the 1930's, when the nation was recovering
from the harsh austerity of the depression, proponents of
a nationwide system of public, non fee-charging employ-ment
services could hardly visualize the manpower
problems that would confront the United States three
decades later.
Thirty years ago who could foresee billion-dollar
expenditures for manpower development programs, and
what politician could have predicted such sweeping social
legislation as civil rights and equal opportunity laws?
"Disadvantaged—hardcore—anti-poverty" are the ring-ing
expletives of the '60's.
It seems, looking back now at the turn of the decade,
they have sprung at us at once! New departments such as
Health, Education and Welfare, the Civil Rights Com-mission
and the Office of Economic Opportunity have
become principal federal agencies and have gained
enormous regulatory powers.
Supported primarily by private funds, the North
Carolina Fund sought the solutions of unemployment and
now another agency, the Manpower Development Cor-poration,
attacks the problem through occupational
training. Many State and national agencies attempt to
improve the employment and living conditions of thou-sands
of persons, and so do scores of local community
action committees.
As an affiliate of the Department of Labor, the U. S.
Employment Service is delegated assignments and respon-sibilities
within practically every Congressional manpower
act. The states, through r,heir public employment offices
or special representatives, implement their parts of the
programs, and at no time in the 30 year history of the
public employment system have the needs for its services
been greater. At no time have the demands for our time
and personnel been more intense.
So, this issue of the ESC Quarterly can be called the
Employment Service issue. Each office manager has
submitted information about local activities to include in
this magazine, the first time we've given this publication
over almost entirely to one division of the Employment
Security Commission.
We are also pleased to include in this issue an article
submitted by an official of the Veterans Administration
Hospital in Salisbury about a new job referral plan for
mental patients. Explaining that about 50 patients a
month will be referred to Veterans Employment Repre-sentatives,
Dr. Ralph Gardner, Coordinator of Counseling
Psychology at Salisbury, believes that the cooperative
venture between the hospital staff and the Veterans
Employment Service will provide a major job placement
service to patients who in the past have encountered
extreme difficulty and employer rebuff. Employer "pre-judice
and fej " reports Dr. Gardner, "is a pervasive fact
of the job market; and this is quite an obstacle to their
(patients) employment."
TH E
ESC QUARTERLY
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE EDITION
Volume 26, No. 1-2
Issued at Raleigh, N. C, by the
EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION
OF NORTH CAROLINA
Commissioners
Billy Earl Andrews, Durham; Charles L. Hunley,
Monroe; James W. Seabrook, Fayetteville; Henry
E. Kendall, Raleigh; Harold F. Coffey, Lenoir; R.
Dave Hall, Belmont; Samuel F. Teague, Raleigh.
State Advisory Council
Public representatives: James A. Bridger, Bladen-boro,
Chairman: Sherwood Roberson, Roberson-ville;
Mrs. W. Arthur Tripp, Greenville. Em-ployer
representatives: Mrs. M. Edmund Aycock,
Raleigh; Joseph D. Ross, Jr., Asheboro; Carroll
V. Singleton, Henderson; and G. Maurice Hill,
Drexel. Employee representatives: Melvin Ward,
Spencer, AFL, and H. D. Lisk, Charlotte, CIO.
HENRY E. KENDALL Chairman
R. FULLER MARTIN Director
Unemployment Insurance Division
ALDEN P. HONEYCUTT Director
State Employment Service Division
H. E. (Ted) DAVIS Editor
Public Information Officer
Sent free upon request to responsible individuals,
agencies, organizations and libraries
Address: E.S.C. Information Service,
P. 0. Box 589, Raleigh, N. C.
The Employmer
Security Commi
sion administe,
two major Stai
programs — Ui
employment h
surance and th
State Emplo,
ment Service. Tl
Employment Se
vice provides e.
pense free jc
placement to a.
plicants through 54 local offices of the Commissio
Unemployment insurance covers approximate
1,600,000 workers in North Carolina, providing the
with benefit payments in case of involuntary unei
ployment. The Unemployment Insurance program
supported by payroll taxes contributed by appro:
mately 43,000 Tarheel employing companies, fin
and corporations. The Commission has operated sin
the mid '30's when it was established by the Genei
Assembly as the Unemployment Compensation Cot
mission.
ESC QUARTERLY
f
Those who think of adult basic
education in terms of a literacy pro-gram
for the middle-aged and elderly
can have a broadening experience by
dropping in to visit the North Carolina
State University Adult Learning
Center.
The center is the location of the
NCSU Adult Learning Resources
Project. This is a unique special experi-mental
and demonstration project
administered through the University's
Department of Adult Education and
funded by the U. S. Office of Educa-tion
(USOE) under provisions of
Section 309 of the Adult Education
Act of 1966.
The fast pace and variety of work,
ranging from planning, writing and
programming of lessons to individual-ized
teaching—via the latest educa-tional
media, including computers
—
illustrates graphically what Project
Director Dr. J. B. Adair means when
he says "adult education is a field in
motion.
"Our work here is part of a pattern
designed to be on the cutting edge of a
national effort to clear a path of
progress toward meeting the socio-economic
challenges of our modern
technological society." Dr. Adair con-tinues.
"Adult educators must help
build a bridge to span the gulf.between
undereducated Americans and the
type of productive job employment
that can make these millions of citi-zens
self-reliant and less dependent on
others."
Dr. Edgar J. Boone, head of the
University's Department of Adult
Education and chief campus adminis-trator
for the project said "the special
project is not merely an extension but
an integral part of the research and
development program in the Depart-ment
of Adult Education. It is a
beacon signaling future developments,
not only for our University efforts in
adult education but for all the other
many, varied programs concerned with
education for American adults."
Adult Education's general target
population is some 100 million Ameri-cans,
18 years or older, who have
failed to complete high school. Special
focus for adult basic education pro-grams
is on the more than 24 million
people, who, according to the latest U.
S. census, have less than an eighth
grade education.
Students in adult basic education
classes cannot be described by statis-tics
alone, however. Adulthood has to
be measured in accord with the obliga-tions
an individual is carrying, not by
the number of years he has lived. If
the person is self-supporting or the
head of a family, he is considered an
adult, whether he is 18 or 58.
The student may be a high school
drop-out, an unskilled worker, an
immigrant, a migrant, a working
mother or a non-working father. He is
an individual who, because of social
and economic circumstances, fails to
possess even the basic skills he needs
to help him lead a productive life.
For this student, whose needs vary
from culture to culture, city to city,
the flatlands to the hill country and
from one job opportunity to another,
many different basic education pro-grams
are being designed.
The NCSU project is one of 10
special experimental and demonstra-tion
projects initially funded by
USOE. Primary goal of all the projects
is to determine how to build the kind
of bridge Dr. Adair described, in the
quickest, most economical way. Each
of the projects differ in organization
and operation, however.
The official USOE designation for
the NCSU work is "Developmental
and Demonstration Project in the Use
of Modern Educational Technology
for Instruction of Undereducated
Adults." The shorter description,
NCSU Adult Learning Resources Pro-ject,
was coined by the project staff.
Specific and unique objectives for
Project Director Adair and the special-ists
on his staff are identification,
development, demonstration and eval-uation
of innovative curriculum mater-ials
that will enhance and accelerate
learning for undereducated adults.
Results are disseminated, through
various training programs that reach
not only students but teachers and
administrators as well. Numerous
ESC QUARTERLY
Staff members Dr. Wallace Nave, Paul Kirby, Dr. Ron Sherron, Dr. J. B. Adair, Faye
Humphries, Hazel Small and James Camp direct the adult education program.
types of publications are prepared to
provide information and records on
project findings.
Emphasis is placed on the use of
electronic teaching media in the indivi-dualized
teaching-learning situation.
Individualized teaching, research has
shown, is more important to adults
than most learners.
Some reasons include: (1) The
undereducated adult student is not
only academically handicapped but
functionally handicapped, as well, in
that he has yet to develop the pre-requisite
skills and learning patterns
necessary to complete the learning
process; (2) He has already experi-enced
repeated failures in the tradi-tional
group learning pattern and has
insufficient self confidence or motiva-tion
to deal with that type of situation
again and (3) His learning is a self-directed
experience so he does not
need to compete with others; competi-tion,
in fact, leads to further embarass-ment
and insecurity.
Educational media in use at the
project include an IBM 1500 Compu-ter
Assisted Instructional System.
Computer assisted instruction (CAI)
programs are designed for individual-ized
instructional purposes and
demonstrate the unique role of the
computer in the teaching-learning
situation.
Capabilities of CAI systems permit
unlimited variations in teaching tech-niques.
Drill and practice; tutor and
teach; games, a fun type approach
which results in "rewards" for accur-acy
and simulation, which requires use
of lesson objectives to deal with life
experiences, are among CAI learning
elements. An exciting new element is
learner-controlled instruction, which
allows the student to chart and pursue
the path of knowledge he finds most
challenging.
Additional teaching media expand
the project's capacity to offer and
evaluate individualized teaching stra-tegies.
These include the Victor Elec-trowriter,
a remote electronic black-board;
the Language Master, an aural-oral
approach to reading and speech
remediation; various programmed text-books
for use in the center's learning
laboratory, a process called Pro-grammed
Instruction (PI) and video
tape recorders.
The project location at 733 West
Hargett St., Raleigh, is within easy
access of students. This was planned
because, in general, adult learners like
to stay near their home communities.
They would also have difficulties with
transportation if the center were at a
distant location. The learning center
facilities are arranged to allow students
to take advantage of individual instruc-tion
in both the learning laboratory
and at CAI terminals. An instructor,
usually a graduate student, is always
nearby to answer questions or help in
any way possible.
Students who come to the center
are volunteer learners. Any adult, age
18 or more, who wishes to improve his
basic educational and social skills, is
eligible to enroll. Study schedules are
conveniently arranged from 8 a.m.
until 10 p.m. Each student is enrolled
in a program designed to meet his
personal needs and goals.
Currently available self-directed and
programmed instructional materials
are in reading, computation (math),
home and family life, consumer educa-tion
and citizenship. Curriculum objec-tives
are in keeping with the overall
adult basic education goal and aimed
at helping the student relate what he
learns to his life situation.
New instructional materials in
present and other fields of study are
being developed, adapted for pro-grammed
or computer assisted instruc-tion
and used, in research designs to
test their effectiveness with adult
learners.
A project dimension called "out-reach"
is an important component
because this is how project activitie;
and results are communicated to othe
institutions, agencies and individual;
involved in local, state and nationa
private and tax-supported adult basi(
education programs. "Outreach'
includes training and other oral an<
written communication.
Dr. Wallace K. Nave, an NCSl
faculty member who is one of nin<
University Resource Specialists ii
adult basic education in the nation, ii
training coordinator for the project
He is in charge of such activities a
in-service institutes, seminars anc
workshops for adult basic educatior
teachers, teacher trainers and adminis
trators. These are conducted on local
state and regional basis. A nationa
CAI workshop is being planned fo
this summer.
While these training efforts arc
usually cooperative ventures wit!
other groups, project staff member
are requested to serve as consultant
and participating lecturers. All facet
of the project work are explained t(
training institute participants an(
tours of the center are held to demon
strate the project results.
Additional training is possible a
several community colleges involved ii
the Electrowriter program. Electronic
sending and receiving units have beer
or shortly will be installed, through ;
special telephone line network, at th<
following institutions: Central Pied-mont
Community College, Fayettevillt
Technical Instutute, Lenoir Countj
Community College and W. W. Hold
ing Technical Institute. One instructo
at the center's master control systen
can teach groups at all the location
simultaneously.
Teaching per se is not the only us
the remote electronic system is put tc
Conference planning sessions are als'
conducted. Both visual and aural intei
relation is involved.
Dr. Nave demonstrates one of the teach-ing
aides, a Victor Electro-writer, a
"remote electronic blackboard."
ESC QUARTERLY
James (Jay) Camp is learning center
ordinator. His work is directly
solved with the instructional process
the learning laboratory, as it con-rns
both teachers and students. He is
charge of recruitment, counseling
d curriculum planning for each
ident. He also relates project goals
and from learning laboratory exper-ices.
Like Dr. Nave, Camp helps relate
e NCSU project work to that being
me by other agencies involved with
e adult basic education target popu-tion.
These groups include the N. C.
nployment Security Commission,
apartment of Public Health, Depart-ent
of Welfare, Department of Public
struction, Department of Corn-unity
Colleges and other agencies
ch as local branches of the New
areers program and Head Start.
Identification and development of
•propriate curriculum materials for
e target population in the project
ea is a task which requires attention
om the whole staff. Curriculum
^ordinator, Mrs. Hazel Small, heads
e effort. She has the assistance of a
lected group of creative graduate
Instructor Nadine Wheaton uses
another modern training device to
increase a student's reading pro-ficiency.
In the left photo, Mi-chael
Rogers and Paul Kirby place
a program disc into the center's
IBM computer. The Computer
Assisted Instructional System per-mits
unlimited variations in teach-ing
techniques. Terminals of the
system may be located at points
outside the center.
students seeking degrees in adult
education and, when necessary, ser-vices
of professional commercial
consultants.
Systems Programming Coordinator
Paul Kirby is in charge of getting the
curriculum materials "coded, on line,
debugged" and a host of other activi-ties
involved in getting a CAI program
ready for use. Selected graduate and
undergraduate students at the Univer-sity,
as well as IBM systems specialists,
are involved in this phase of the
project work also, as coders, key-punchers
and computer consultants.
Research Coordinator Dr. Ronald
H. Sherron heads efforts to evaluate
both curriculum materials and instruc-tional
strategies. This is a before and
after process, applied to materials and
strategies developed as part of project
work and also to those adapted from
other sources.
Educators, potential students and
others may arrange to visit the project
by calling Dr. Adair at Raleigh tele-phone
number 755-2810. Written
inquiries should be addressed to 733
West Hargett St., Raleigh, N. C,
27603.
Employment Law
Revisions
Introduced
A bill containing major revisions to
the State's unemployment insurance
program was introduced before the
General Assembly in March by Senator
Frank N. Patterson, Jr., of Albemarle
and Representative Perry Martin of
Northampton County.
Containing several amendments to
the State's Employment Security Law,
the bill would raise the maximum
unemployment insurance benefit pay-ment
from $42 to $50 a week, provide
a lower tax schedule for liable
employers, and make available for the
first time unemployment insurance
benefits to certain jobless workers
enrolled in vocational training.
Under the current law, a jobless
worker loses his unemployment insur-ance
entitlement if he becomes
enrolled in vocational training. The
amended law would permit the Em-ployment
Security Commission to
make payments to eligible workers if
they enroll in Commission-approved
vocational schools or training pro-grams
to learn occupational skills.
Many of these individuals lack job
skills, and proponents of the bill
believe this amendment would actually
encourage the worker to attend voca-tional
classes. They will be referred to
job training for occupations which
have reasonable employment oppor-tunities.
Payments to trainees will not be
charged to employers' unemployment
insurance accounts.
The new provision would also let
the Employment Security Commission
disqualify a claimant for 4-12 weeks of
unemployment insurance payments if
he refuses to take suitable and avail-able
vocational training, or if he quits
without good cause or is separated
because of misconduct.
The bill states that without this
opportunity to pursue vocational
training many claimants would remain
in the ranks of the unemployed for
many months or even years.
The amount of unemployment
insurance benefits an eligible worker
may draw is determined by wages or
salary earned in covered employment.
Another revision contained in the bill
would increase from $4200 to $4600
the earnings needed for a claimant to
collect the maximum $50 weekly pay-ments.
The increase is needed so
payments can keep pace with the
general trend of rising wages and living
costs.
(See AMENDMENTS, Page 53)
ESC QUARTERLY
Dr. Leo Jenkins, President of East Carolina University in Greenville, is a leading
exponent of eastern Carolina industrial development. The following address was
delivered before the annual convention of the International Association of
Personnel in Employment Security. In it. Dr. Jenkins urges Tarheel easterners to
exert regional pride and states conditions which he feels will unify the area in its
search for economic growth.
College Administrator Jenkins Calls For Unity In Rural East
One could not ask for a more
interesting and important topic than
the one assigned to me—my proposals
for improving living conditions in rural
North Carolina. That is what East
Carolina University is all about, for
even though we are vitally concerned
with urban problems, we realize that
there will not be much significant
progress in our cities unless the rural
areas also have an opportunity to
grow. The best way to improve con-ditions
is to recognize problems and
then try to discover solutions to these
problems.
Since the most predominately rural
section of North Carolina is in the
east, I should like to confine my
remarks to this part of the state. One
extremely serious problem confronting
eastern North Carolina is its tremen-dously
bad image not only among
other areas in the state and the nation,
but also within its own boundaries.
Because of this very difficulty, it will
be necessary for me to accompany a
group of business and professional
men to New York State next week for
the purpose of trying to convince
several hundred highly skilled people
to move their families into the
Greenville area. It is my understanding
that they are reluctant to follow an
industry here because of the uncom-plimentary
information they have
received regarding our secondary
school system. An executive of ano-ther
firm told me that our highly
unfortunate medical care situation in
the east causes many college trained
employees to feel reluctant to accept
transfers here. Others complain about
lack of adequate recreation facilities
and cultural opportunities as deter-rents
to new industry.
To be very frank about it, eastern
North Carolina has all too often been
referred to as Siberia. Before rural
living can be improved, this negative
image must be changed. We must take
seriously this thing called "Regional
Image." To bring about this change,
we may begin by cataloging all of
those things that are worthy, that are
fine and progressive, and use this
information to paint a new picture of
the east. We must use all media of
communications to reveal the tremen-
ESC QUARTERLY
dous resources that exist in this area.
For instance, there is an overgrowth of
timber in eastern North Carolina; but
not enough data has been gathered to
be of a sales benefit in attracting the
furniture industry, the pulpwood
industry, and the plywood industry in
eastern North Carolina.
Numerous illustrations could be
given to show the extent to which our
true potential is often hidden under a
barrel; therefore, I would make my
first proposal be that of a massive
program of public information. Call it
"Operation Image," if you will, but
use all the media of communications
to let the world know the real poten-tial
of this area that we call rural
North Carolina. A program that would
spell out the fine qualities of our
people—our great heritage, our resour-ces,
our favorable economic location,
and everything else that would go into
the so-called infrastructure of a region
must receive the benefits of our best
talent. Other states have been able to
do this. Other regions have been able
to paint the good picture. That must
be one of our most urgent tasks.
My second proposal, and I should
say that these are not particularly
listed in order of importance other
than the first one, would be that of
developing our waterways so that we
could attract the major water transpor-tation
industries into rural North
Carolina. These are, in the vast major-ity
of cases, the highly sophisticated
industries, such as chemicals, petro-chemicals,
extractive industries, etc.
Here, too, we can learn a lesson from
other states and other regions. Long
range planning in Washington and
throughout the world, for that matter,
calls for new ports to be built off the
Continental Shelf of the United States
where vessels having a draft of 100
feet or more could moor. This would
ideally fit into our situation, in that
industries located along our inland
waterways could have access by barge
to these ports. This development of
our waterways is an entire field of
study in itself and a very fascinating
one—one that would, if successful, do
much to improve living conditions in
rural North Carolina.
My next proposal would be that of
taking this thing called tourism mor
seriously by developing and rigorous!
projecting to the rest of the world on
many attractive areas. Success in th
great business of tourism could resul
in a substantial income factor in ou
economy. It is a well established fac
that, with the exception of Nei
Hanover County, the coastal countie
of North Carolina are the mos
economically depressed. They are th
places where the standard of living i
lowest. Yet, it is these very countie
that have the greatest potential for th
development of tourism. The probler
appears to be one of the absence of
coordinated planning effort. Adequat
facilities to attract tourists have no
been built, and outside capital has no
been attracted to this area. It is ou
responsibility to help correct thi
situation.
It might well be suggested that
Coastal Planning Commission be estah
lished not only to plan but also to see
financing and do cooperative advei
tising. As one rides down Highway 11
for example, he should be bombarde
with reminders of the beauty of th
coast which is nearby. Our historic*
sites should be developed an
summer theatre programs should b
multiplied. In this very city c
Wilmington, for example, is the state
oldest theatre—the beautiful plac
called Thalian Hall. It should be a yet
round attraction for people seekin
good theatre. People on their wa
north and south should be encourage
to make this one of their places for
visit.
Another proposal is that of subst
tuting regional pride for local pride.
)
know it is important for us to love 01
crossroads, our neighborhood, 01
little community; but we must not 1<
this love become a stumbling bloci
We have done this all too often. It
not to our advantage to have evei
incorporated community try to t
everything to all its citizens when th
results in creating inadequate ar
often grossly inferior facilities ar
services. For example, every loc
community cannot have an airport,
large industry, a college, a museur
and a hospital. It will often be bett
for all when many of these thin
:eive massive regional attention so
it the resulting benefit can more
»sely approach that which is excel-it.
It would be well, for example, if
•tain communities would assume
;cific tasks for the entire region,
:h as building a regional airport or a
;ional cultural center. Allocating
ious needed but expensive facilities
different areas within a region could
rmit the pooling of funds which, in
n, may result in adequate facilities
each instance.
Mr. Sloan of General Motors is
;ged to have said several years ago,
: we do anything wrong at General
)tors, it is that we do not plan big
Dugh." We must plan big in rural
rth Carolina.
My next proposal should be labeled
csearch." As you know, phosphate
> been discovered in the Beaufort
unty region and lime has been
covered in the Jones County area,
ge chemical complexes should
relop around these deposits. These
coveries might well indicate the
ssibility of other chemicals and
nerals present beneath our surface,
ich more exploration in the field of
jlogy is needed. It is conceivable
it there may exist large clay deposits
eastern North Carolina which, in
n, could present the potential for
reloping this area into an important
ck-producing area. This would do
ich for lifting our economy.
Further studies about underground
ter resources would also be useful in
racting water-using industries. This
means that both the state and
leral governments and private indus-
' should be encouraged to pump
iss sums of money into mineral
:earch in rural North Carolina.
Another proposal might be called
lilitary-Civilian Transition." Eastern
>rth Carolina has approximately
)00 military personnel being re-ised
at its military bases annually,
ese people are often highly trained
electronics, computer operations,
ichinists, and many other skills in
art supply in eastern North Carolina
d great demand by industry. Many
these men have married local
)men and are often desirous of
rsuing a civilian career here.
I realize that the Employment
curity people are well aware of this
:t and are assisting many of these
in. It is reasonable to assume, how-er,
that a well glamorized program
ght well cause many more of these
ople to stay here. And this, in itself,
uld be used to attract new industry
d thus create new jobs for our rural
ople. The possibilities here for a
?ver promoter are quite real and
ould be studied.
My next proposal deals with high
lool and grammar school drop-outs,
lis, of course, contributes to the
;ious cycle of poverty and bad living
nditions. Much of the instruction in
our public schools, perhaps because of
historical reasons, is college-oriented.
The absence of the concentration on
vocational orientation leaves the drop-out
often totally unprepared to seek
worthy employment. It seems reason-able
to assume that if greater efforts
were made toward vocational educa-tion
programs some of these people
may not end up in the drop-out group,
but might well eventually leave the
school system with marketable skills.
Our technical institutes are beginning
to make a dent in this problem.
Perhaps more attention should be
given toward a massive effort to
decrease the drop-out problem in all of
our school systems.
JENKINS
My next proposal is probably one
of the most serious I have to make,
and that is adequate medical care. I
have been treated with scorn by
people who should know better for
merely telling the truth. It is readily
apparent that the deplorable situation
described by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in his message to Congress
in 1939 is still rampant in eastern
North Carolina. Let me quote:
"I have been concerned by the
evidence of inequalities that exist
among the states as to personnel and
facilities for health services. There are
equally serious inequalities of resour-ces,
medical facilities, and services in
different sections and among different
economic groups. These inequalities
create handicaps for the parts of our
country and the groups of our people
which most sorely need the benefits of
modern medical science."
A few statistics will tell you why
we are not going to do much improv-ing
until we take seriously the
imbalances and the inadequacies of
medical care that exist in rural North
Carolina. I believe the time will soon
come when our people will become so
indignant about this that they will
demand that which they should right-fully
have now.
Serious imbalances are found in
comparing numbers of dentists, nurses,
and allied health professionals in the
east with those in the remainder of the
state. An example of this regional
imbalance is seen in the fact that in
1967 there were 208 active physical
therapists in North Carolina; 16 of
these were in the east as compared to
175 in the Piedmont.
Any assessment of health man-power
must include an assessment of
educational resources to produce
needed manpower. There is no institu-tion
in the east to produce physician
manpower. Of eight baccalaureate
schools of nursing in the state, only
one is located in the east—at East
Carolina University. Two out of
twenty-one diploma schools of nursing
are found in the east. There are sixteen
baccalaureate programs in medical
technology in North Carolina, but
only two are located in eastern North
Carolina—at East Carolina University
and at Wilmington College. North
Carolina has two programs to train
physical therapists—a Baccalaureate
Degree Program at the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a
Master's Degree Program at Duke Uni-versity.
These two schools can accept
only 36 per cent of students who have
applied for admission during the past
three years. There is no program in
North Carolina to produce occupa-tional
therapists and only one program
for medical record librarians.
Throughout eastern North Carolina
deficiencies are found in health facili-ties.
Several of the more populous
eastern counties have hospitals larger
than 200 beds; most of the 23
counties with hospitals, however, con-tain
a hospital facility smaller than
100 beds. The hospital bed/population
ratio for the entire state is 1/273; in
eastern North Carolina the hospital
bed/population ratio is 1/414. Similar
imbalances exist in numbers of nursing
homes, extended care facilities, and
community mental health centers.
Sophisticated diagnostic facilities
are extremely scarce in the east. This
area fares poorly when compared to
the rest of the state in facilities for
cardiac monitoring, comprehensive
medical laboratory tests, and equip-ment
for doing complex diagnostic
X-Ray studies. A reason for these
deficiencies in diagnostic facilities is
apparent when one examines the
number of small hospitals serving only
one county. Adequate staffing of these
hospitals for routine services is ex-tremely
difficult; financial support and
staffing for complex, sophisticated
diagnostic procedures is virtually
impossible.
When one realizes that rural eastern
North Carolina is larger in population
(See JENKINS, Page 52)
ESC QUARTERLY
ALDEN HONEYCUTT
Director
JOHN W. FLEMING
Assistant Director
EDSON BATES
In Charge, Field Operations
N. C. State Employment Service
Local Office Operations
North Carolina's Employment Security program is administered
through the Employment Security Commission central office and a
system of public employment offices whose chief function is to offer
assistance to workers looking for jobs and to employers seeking
workers.
In North Carolina there are 54 full time offices strategically located
across the State and part time offices serve 87 other widely scattered
communities, with services available to every county. In addition,
Smaller Communities mobile offices provide employment services in
selected rural areas. At the end of 1968, six offices were opened in the
Concentrated Employment program to provide comprehensive man-power
services for disadvantaged workers. An out-of-state clearance
system is also provided.
Placing workers in suitable jobs, the State Employment offices offer
many associated services. Employment counseling is given, general
aptitude tests administered, jobs are analyzed and studies are made of
labor supply and demand. The State also participates in nationwide
special service programs for veterans and ex-servicemen, the under-22
age group, workers 45 years old and over and the long-term
unemployed and disadvantaged groups.
In 1968, the State Employment Service placed over 104,600
applicants in non-farm jobs and placed farm workers in over 441,600
farm jobs.
A second basic function of the Employment Security offices is the
taking of unemployment insurance claims when the unemployed
worker seeks to establish his benefit rights. Such benefits are designed
to tide the eligible claimant over temporary periods of unemployment.
The year 1968 was characterized by a continuation of the business
rise, declining unemployment, further tightening of the labor supply
and more intensive efforts by local office personnel, through new
programs, to reach and serve the disadvantaged worker.
ESC QUARTERLY
PHILLIP R.PENLAND
Area Supervisor
Asheville
ESC Administrative Area
JACK EDWARDS
Asheville
FRED RIDDLE
Bryson City
CHARLES ERWIN
Hendersonville
DAVID GRAY
Marion
NED LAFEVERS
Morganton
GRAHAM HENDRICK
Murphy
DAVIS NICHOLS
Spruce Pine
DEBRAYDA FISHER
Waynesville
ESC QUARTERLY
MADISON-BUNCOMBE
MAKES STRIDES
The Asheville local office is the
community manpower service center
for approximately 160,000 residents
of beautiful and historic Buncombe
and Madison Counties. This is a geo-graphical
area abounding with peaceful
valleys, clear cool mountain streams
and towering mountain ranges—all in
breath-taking panorama.
This mountainous area is traversed
by the Blue Ridge Parkway, inter-sected
by Interstate Highways T40 and
T26 and ready access is provided by
five federal highways. Transportation
needs are met by the Southern Rail-road,
three major airlines, 33 motor
freight lines and bus services by four
inter-state carriers.
In years past tourism and agricul-ture
were the main sources of income
for this area. However, the develop-ment
of excellent transportation facili-ties,
ample sources of electric power
and natural gas, abundant water
resources and the availability of
skilled, unskilled and trainable man-power,
have all contributed to the
steady economic and industrial growth
and development of the Buncombe-
Madison County area.
Today, with a total work force of
over 67,000 persons in the geo-graphical
area, agricultural workers
number only 3,100 to 5,000, depen-dent
upon seasonal requirements.
Manufacturing of durable goods, in-cluding
electrical machinery and
controls, instruments, plastics, furni-ture
and lumber and wood products
and others, utilize a work force of
7,400. Manufacturing of non-durable
goods, including chemicals, textiles,
apparel, food and other non-durable
goods, utilize a work force of more
than 13,900. The total non-manufacturing
work force is over
63,000 and includes trade, services,
construction and other non-manufacturing
enterprises.
There are 160 manufacturing firms
in Buncombe County and Madison
County, employing wage and salaried
workers at an annual total wage of
$98,000,000. Chief industries of city
and surrounding territory include
tourism, manufacturing, lumber, and
tobacco. Principal manufactured pro-ducts
of city and vicinity are blankets,
cotton and yarn goods, flour and feed,
electric organs, furniture, mica pro-ducts,
packing products, printing and
publishing products, instruments,
cigarette papers, rayon and nylon
yarn, cellophane, paper, electronic
parts, molded plastics, paper apparel,
machine items, food products, silicon,
ASHEVILLE
parachutes, baby foods, glass con-tainers,
Cashmere sweaters, roller
bearing and electrical machinery.
In the socio-economic community
of Buncombe and Madison County the
Asheville Employment Security Com-mission
has a long and enviable heri-tage.
Opening in the early 1930's with
a small staff, the office now has a
trained staff of 22 employees. The
organizational pattern consists of a
manager, an assistant manager, Unit A
(professional, managerial, clerical and
sales), Unit B (construction, transpor-tation
and services), Unit C (manufac-turing),
facilitating and reception unit,
youth services unit and the U. I.
Division. Other functions represented
in the office are employment coun-seling,
testing, MDTA services,
veterans employment representative
and labor market analyst. Office space
is also provided for the area supervisor,
a claims deputy, a claims appeal
deputy, a farm placement represen-tative,
an auditor and a field represen-tative.
To insure quality service a full staff
meeting is conducted weekly to im-prove
inter-office communications and
to present program emphasis. Weekly
meetings with supervisors and tech-nical
staff are held to verify progress
and assist in problem solving. Super-visors
also conduct weekly Unit
meetings in order to insure under-standing
and cooperation of individual
staff members. Optimum utilization of
the staff is accomplished by having all
personnel, insofar as practical, trained
and utilized in second line duties
which increases the effectiveness of
the Employment Service and provides
for uninterrupted services during the
absence of the staff member respon-sible
for a specific activity.
Recognizing that the success of the
Employment Service is directly related
to the relations of the agency with
employers, and the community as a
whole, the Asheville local office has a
strong employer relations program and
considerable time is devoted to work
with community, industrial, profes-sional
and civic groups. Individual staff
members are active participants in
veterans' organizations, community
action agencies, the Neighborhood
Youth Corps, the N. C. Department of
Vocational Rehabilitation, the Flynn
Home of Asheville, the Ashevillt
Buncombe County Ministers' Fellov
ship, Model Cities, and Mountain Mai
power.
Yes, in years past, tourism an
agriculture were the major sources (
income for this area. However, due t
the efforts of progressive communit
minded groups, team work and a "g<
up and go" philosophy of intereste
individuals, the Buncombe-Madisc
County area is now noted not only ;
a vacation resort area, but also it is
center of industrial growth and ec<
nomic progress. The Asheville loci
office is proud of the role it has playe
in the expansion of the broad<
economies of the industrial wester
North Carolina area.
Bryson City
Serves Cherokees
The Bryson City local office serv
the area of Swain County and tl
Cherokee Indian Reservation. F
unemployment insurance we ser
Macon County one day of each wee
which usually requires the service
two staff members one full day
each week.
Our office is located in a ne
modern building erected during ti
early part of 1968 and occupied
July.
We presently have five staff mei
bers including a manager, interviewi
interviewer-stenographer and t\
counselors. The two counselors £
assigned to the Cherokee Indian Rest
vation at which they carry on a i
program of ES activities.
Our local office manager is rati
new on the scene. Fred J. Rid<
transferred from Spruce Pine
Bryson City on December 9, 1968.
has been with the Employment '
curity Commission approximately I
years and we have every reason
believe he will add vim, vigor, visi
and vitality to the efforts of c
programs and progress.
Our interviewer I, Mrs. Aileen
Farrell, is a native of Swain Cour
and has been an employee of f
Commission for 22 years. She is vi I
10 ESC QUARTERLY
rained in practically every phase of
5S and UI activity. Because of our
inique situation she not only serves as
eceptionist but also as an application
aker and a selection and referral
nterviewer. She takes job orders,
nakes varied UI reports, and quite
>ften "holds the fort" during the
tbsence of other staff members.
Kathleen Booker has worked
ipproximately 16 years as inter-viewer-
stenographer, serving occa-iionally
as interviewer-in-charge. Her
ob duties are perhaps as varied as her
lobbies. She has worked as an appli-
:ation taker, has taken job orders,
;elected and referred applicants,
ldministered tests, and on occasions
las made the varied reports for ES and
JI activity.
We have a staff member employed
it the Cherokee Indian Reservation
>utpost as a counselor I. The facilities
here are furnished by the eastern
land of Cherokees.
Paul Edward Guy, counselor
rainee, has been an employee of the
Commission for almost two years. He
ransferred from the ES Mobile Unit at
>ylva to an assignment at the Chero-kee
outpost on October 1.
The counselors have already tested
he 1969 senior class at Cherokee High
School and members of the Neighbor-lood
Youth Corps. They are develop-ng
plans for a counseling program and
ire offering residents of the Reserva-ion
all phases of ES services including
esting, counseling, selection and re-erral
to training, job development and
)ther services. The counselors are dis-maying
a genuine interest in economic
levelopment of the area they serve.
For years we have noted a seasonal
rend in our ES and UI activity.
During the summer months we have
lumerous job openings because of
ninimum rates of pay, living condi-ions
and other factors. Recruitment
rom other areas does not prove to be
ittractive. In the winter months in-lement
weather conditions and other
nfluences cause the return of workers
o their homes. We have many in the
irea who migrate to other sections for
obs in the construction and auto
nanufacturing industries and they
eturn to their homes during the win-er
months. This requires utilization of
til staff to take care of the UI activity
or a period of several months.
We have in the area several indus-ries
operating on a year round basis,
vlagnavox Corporation at Bryson City
nanufactures television cabinets for
)oth Magnavox and Zenith Corpora-ions.
This company employs approxi-nately
425 workers. Heritage Quilts,
nc, manufactures comforters and dra-peries
of the finest quality and design,
located in Bryson City, it employs
ipproximately 175 people. Fairlane
sportswear in Bryson City employs
ipproximately 50 workers in the
nanufacture of lace.
On the Cherokee Indian Reserva-tion
we have White Shield of Carolina
employing approximately 135 workers
in the manufacture of mattress pads,
quilts, and plastic products. A good
percentage of the workers are Indians.
Saddlecraft, Inc., employs almost 200
workers in the manufacture of whips,
moccasins, Indian attire, etc. All
workers are Cherokee Indians. Vassar
Corporation, also located on the Re-servation,
is engaged in the manufac-ture
of hair accessories. This company
employs approximately 125 em-ployees
and approximately 75 percent
are Cherokee Indians.
Bryson City and the Cherokee
Indian Reservation are located in the
foothills of the Great Smoky Moun-tain
National Park. The services
required by an agency such as ours is
almost as unique as the seasons of the
year. Our "four seasons" display a
great work of natural beauty. The
tourist industry is continually trying
to utilize year 'round attractions
rather than the seasonal business it
now enjoys. The Great Smoky Moun-tain
National Park, the Cherokee
Indian Reservation with its feature
"Unto These Hills" and the "Museum
of the Cherokee Indians," Frontier-land
and many other attractions are
exotic sights for the tourist in the area.
Spring offers the beauty of the bloom-ing
Mountain Laurel, Honeysuckle,
Azalea, Rhododendron, Dogwood, and
many other fantastic scenes. Summer
is refreshing with the cool mountain
streams filled with trout, the majestic
mountains with a coat of green inter-spersed
with blooms of sourwood. The
hot days and cool nights that can be
enjoyed by any nature lover. Fall, with
the hues of color—crimson, green,
gold, brown and the amber waves of
grain, fields of shucked corn, pump-kins,
and the harvest, can no place on
earth be more clearly evidenced by the
splendor of God's artistic hand.
Winter—a wonderland it is indeed.
Snow, ice, frost, combined with the
brisk, clean, pure mountain air, make
a setting that could only be compared
by the scenes at Bethlehem.
No wonder, no wonder, the people
flock to the mountain and home to
enjoy the wonders of the hills.
Hendersonville
Staff Active
In Community
The Hendersonville local office
serves the three county area of Polk,
Henderson, and Transylvania.
All three counties are mountainous
and enjoy mild temperatures year
'round. For this reason, many retirees
move to these counties.
The area possesses an industrial-agricultural
economy. The major
agricultural crops are corn, apples,
cucumbers, gladiola, pole and bunch
beans. Most of these crops require
migrant labor to supplement local
labor during the harvest season.
Service to agricultural employers and
the migrant laborer is provided by the
farm placement section of the local
office.
The primary industries in Hen-derson
County are the General Electric
Company, Berkley Mills, Cranston
Print Works, J. P. Stevens and
Company, and Ruths Originals Cor-poration.
These industries provide the
majority of the industrial em-ployment.
Itinerant point service is provided
to Polk County once each week. This
county is a small, isolated rural area. It
is noted for its resort and retirement
facilities. The major industries in the
county are Hatch Mills and Stone-cutter
Mills.
Transylvania County is served once
a week by itinerant service for
unemployment insurance purposes.
HENDERSONVILLE
ESC QUARTERLY 11
The local office staff is composed
of seven members with office facilities
provided for outstationed personnel.
The following staff members are
assigned to the local office: manager
Charles N. Erwin, veterans employ-ment
representative Clyde C. Taylor,
interviewer (alternate counselor) Ken-neth
Skaggs, interviewers Fred
Arledge, Lonnie Jerry, and inter-viewer-
stenographer Katherine Elgin.
Occupational analyst Coy Robertson is
stationed in the local office and
provides industrial services for the
Asheville administrative area.
Farm placement supervisor W. D.
Brackett, representative Dennis
Hodges, and typist Doris Anderson
comprise the farm placement section.
Field representative Arthur B.
Wray, Jr., and tax auditor Steve
Carlisle are provided office quarters by
the local office. Carlisle is a member of
the board of directors of the local
Community Action Organization.
The staff members are active in
community life. Taylor is presently
serving as first vice commander and
membership chairman of the American
Legion Post No. 77. He is also presi-dent
of the men's class of the First
United Methodist Church.
Arledge has served as adjutant of
the American Legion Post No. 77. He
is currently Post Veteran Employment
Officer of VFW Post 5206.
Skaggs is active in the U. S. Air
Force Reserve, holding the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel. He is a member of
American Legion Post 77 and VFW
Post 5206. He is a past president of
the Hendersonville Lions Club and a
past commander of American Legion
Post 77.
Erwin, who was assigned to the
local office in August, 1968, is a
member of the Mayor's Committee on
Employment of the Handicapped.
Marion ESC Aids
Rural Community
The Marion local office serves the
area of McDowell County which in-cludes
the towns of Marion and Old
Fort. The rural community between
these towns is highly developed and
thickly populated. In McDowell
county the two leading industries are
textile and related industries followed
closely by furniture. The textile in-dustry
is represented by two large
weave mills and one knitting mill
which manufacture cloth; two thread
processing and dyeing plants and a
cloth dyeing and finishing plant; one
manufacturer of carpets for auto-mobiles
as well as a number of hosiery
MARION
mills of varying sizes. Three furniture
plants in the area manufacture bed-room
and dining room furniture pri-marily
and one plant manufactures
pianos.
The staff of the Marion office
consists of a manager and two inter-viewers.
David S. Gray, Jr., the
manager, began work with the Com-mission
in April, 1942, as an inter-viewer
with the Farm Placement pro-gram
in the North Wilkesboro office.
He transferred to Marion in June,
1944, and has been located in Marion
since that time. He is a native of
Rutherford County. At the present
time he is an officer and active in the
work of the Pleasant Gardens Grange
and in the past has served as an officer
in various civic organizations.
Mr. & Mrs. Gray's son is a member
of the faculty of Sacred Heart College
in Belmont where he teaches history
and literature. Their daughter teaches
piano in Sanford.
Mrs. Mary Egan Little joined the
staff in Marion as an interviewer in
March, 1956. She is a native of St.
Louis, Missouri. She lives with her
husband and children on a 300 acre
farm 5 miles southwest of Marion
where they raise Holstein cows. She is
a member of Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church, Pleasant Gardens
Grange, Providence Home Demonstra-tion
Club and Sweet Adelines singing
organization.
Mrs. Brenda Allison Keeter, the
newest addition to the Marion staff
since February, 1966, is also an inter-viewer.
She received a B. A. in English
from the University of North Carolina
at Greensboro in 1965. In August,
1968, she married Steve Keeter both
of whom are natives of Marion. It is
noted that the combined service
records of these three staff members
with the Employment Security Com-mission
totals 43 years of which 41
years have been in the Marion local
office.
Employment In
Morganton Up 33%
The Morganton local office with
Ned W. LaFevers, manager, serves all
of Burke County except the Hildebran
and Henry River communities. Total
employment in the area has increased
by 33 percent (7,000 workers) during
the past five years. This increase was
the result of the community's intense
effort to bring new industry into the
area and provide job opportunities for
its citizens, in addition to unusual
growth records by existing industries.
The office serves a considerable
number of applicants from 10 sur-rounding
counties who commute a
distance up to 40 miles. These com-muters
constitute a valuable source of
labor because the local labor supply is
inadequate to staff the long estab-lished
and new industries. Many large
expansions have been made by existing
industries which have added a heavy
strain on the labor force.
The Morganton local office pro-vides
manpower services in an area
that has 800 employing establish-ments.
One of these firms is the largest
furniture manufacturer in North Caro-lina
and the eighth largest manufac-turing
establishment in the State.
Other primary industries are textile,
including hosiery, apparel, food and
kindred products, electrical machin-ery,
boot and shoe, paints and
varnishes, paperboard containers,
piano, synthetic marble and slate, and
government.
The government sector includes
several large State institutions and
constitutes approximately 12 percent
of the 28,000 persons employed in
Burke County. This important part of
the workforce commands an annual
payroll in excess of $12 million.
This office is staffed by the
manager, with 23 years service with
the Commission, a selection and refer-ral
officer, a veterans employment
representative, two counselors, and!
three interviewers. The staff has ar
aggregate of 112 years (an average oi|
14 years) of service with the Com
mission and is characterized by its
versatility which enables each membe;
to function in any phase of offic*
procedure when the situation demand;
it.
The entire office force is well repre
sented in the affairs of the communit]
being identified with various civic
educational, religious and fraterna
organizations.
The local office has enrollei
approximately 3,000 trainees unde
Manpower Development and Trainin
Act programs. Training in initial skill
12 ESC QUARTERLY
nd upgrading of acquired skills has
een provided in several local indus-
:ies, institutions and service establish-lents.
The training projects have
lcluded such occupations as steno-rapher,
machinist, furniture workers,
loe manufacture, medical technician,
lectrical switch assembler, water puri-cation,
sheet metal worker, psychi-tric
aide, etc.
MORGANTON
All staff members regularly parti-ipate
in job development contacts,
romotional telephone calls, employer
isits, and other public relations acti-ities.
Several staff members are
roficient in public speaking, and have
een requested to address various civic
nd educational groups. Outreach,
mployer relations and industrial
;rvices are provided to the extent that
;aff limitation will permit. The office
?rves one itinerant point in Valdese
rhich provides ES and UI services,
umerous spot points at various indus-
•ial plants are served when needed.
A very close and harmonious work-lg
relationship is maintained with
roughton Hospital, Western Carolina
enter, Western Piedmont Community
dllege, and several other govern-lental
agencies. Services primarily
rovided are job training, testing,
ounseling, job development, place-lent,
and follow up.
The wide range of services provided
3 the people, industries, agencies and
istitutions is facilitated and enriched
y the good public image enjoyed by
le ESC in the Morganton area.
NDUSTRIAL GROWTH
)VERTAKES CHEROKEE
The Murphy local office provides
'herokee County with employment
ervices. In addition to Cherokee it is
lso responsible for claims taking func-ions
in Graham and Clay Counties.
The local office area prior to 1960
was predominantly agricultural in its
employment. A dramatic change has
taken place since then in industry
development. The primary industry in
the area consists of textile, electronics,
lumber and wood, garment, and furniture
manufacturing. These include the well
known American Thread Company. A
subsidiary of Magnavox Corp., oper-ating
under the name of Andrews
Furniture Company makes T.V.
cabinets here. Litton Industries oper-ates
an electronics plant in Cherokee
County under the name of Clifton
Precision Products. They make small
motors for navigational use. In gar-ments,
Rimco Manufacturing makes
lace, Brumby manufactures underwear
and Levi-Strauss Company produces
its famous "Levis" dress pants. Ameri-can
Enka operates a yarn manufac-turing
plant here under the name of
Peachtree Products. Berkshire Interna-tional,
one of the oldest plants in the
area (16 years), is currently expanding
even more. They manufacture ladies
seamless hosiery. These companies,
plus a growing tourist and recreational
industry compete with a progressive
agricultural establishment in Cherokee.
The local office is staffed with only
four members, one less than it had
when the rapid growth of the area
began. The local office staff have
prepared labor market information for
each of these plants and helped with
their staffing as they moved in. The
staff has done an outstanding job in
working with local employers on many
MDTA "on the job" and "coupled"
training projects during the past two
years.
Each staff member is active in some
type of community activity with the
exception of the manager who was
recently appointed to this office.
Graham H. Hendricks, a native of
Gastonia, is the new manager. He is
also the acting Veterans Employment
Representative. Mrs. Virginia Scroggs
and Mrs. Juanita Weaver, both employ-ment
interviewers, are members of the
Murphy Business and Professional
Women's Club.
Avery Gains
New Resort
In Spruce Pine, the Employment
Security Commission office is located
in the center of the two counties it
serves:, Mitchell and Yancey. Avery
County is served by a new office at
Boone. Yancey is served every Thurs-day
at Burnsville.
These counties are three of the
highest in North Carolina and each has
one of the highest peaks in the State.
Mount Mitchell in Yancey County is
the highest peak east of the Mississippi
River. Grandfather Mountain in Avery
County and Roan Mountain in Mit-chell
County are among the top peaks
and both are noted tourist attrac-tions—
Grandfather Mountain for its
mile-high bridge and Roan for its
Rhododendron gardens. When com-pleted,
the Beach Mountain resort,
which is located in Avery County, will
be one of the largest resorts in the
eastern United States. Its year 'round
facilities include an airport with a
5,000-foot runway, six golf courses
and swimming facilities. It also has
eight ski runs.
Until 1961 the primary industry in
the Spruce Pine area was mica and
feldspar mining which employed over
70 percent of the total industrial
employment in the three-county area.
Eighty percent of the feldspar and 70
percent of the mica mined in the
United States was from this section.
Mining is still an important industry
but it now employs only about 15
percent of all industrial workers in 11
establishments.
The textile industry has shown a
steady increase since 1961 and now
employs about 80 percent of the total
industrial payroll in 14 establishments.
There are seven hosiery mills, five
sewing plants, one broad woven cloth
mill and one rug yarn mill. Seven of
these have been located here since
1961. The newest industry is a furni-ture
plant which began operations in
July, 1967.
The Spruce Pine office opened on
October 1, 1942, with Davis M.
Nichols as manager. He is still manager
of the office and is active in civic
affairs. A member of the local Cham-ber
of Commerce, Nichols belongs to
the Rotary Club, the Mitchell County
Technical Action Panel, the Avery
County TAP, and to the Mitchell
County Industrial Development Corp.
He's also a member of the WAMY
Community Action Advisory Panel
and the Overall Development Program
advisory committee of all three
counties.
Counselor James Acuff is comman-der
of the local VFW post and is a
member of the board of directors of
the Spruce Pine Jaycees.
WAYNESVILLE BUSY
WITH TOURISM
The Employment Security office in
Waynesville offers the complete Em-ployment
Security program to Hay-wood
County and handles unemploy-ment
insurance claims and the
Manpower Development Training Act
program in Jackson County.
ESC QUARTERLY 13
Haywood Uounty embraces
347,520 acres of land in the moun-tains
of western North Carolina. Its
borders reach into the Great Smoky
Mountain National Park and the Pisgah
National Forest. The Blue Ridge Park-way
skirts its mountain tops. The
county has some 19 mountain peaks
with elevations of 6000 feet or more.
These mountains are covered with fine
timber and contain many fertile val-leys
where towns are located and
farms are cultivated.
The County has four incorporated
towns, Waynesville, the county seat
and largest, Canton, Hazelwood, and
Clyde. Lake Junaluska, the world capi-tal
of Methodism, is a summer recrea-tional
and educational community
built around a 250 acre lake. Maggie
Valley is another community be-coming
quite thickly populated.
Manufacturing, centered in or near
the towns, is about as diversified as
could be found in any county in the
state. The largest industry is Champion
Papers, recently merged with U. S.
Plywood. It employs over 2500
workers and is engaged in the manu-facture
of paper and pulp. A small
branch of this plant is located in
Waynesville and makes laminated
papers.
The second largest industry is rub-ber
goods manufacturing. Dayco
Southern, a branch of the Dayco Corp.
of Dayton, Ohio, employs more than
1600 and is growing yearly. It makes
foam rubber pillows and mattresses,
various types of rubber hoses, V-Belts,
and several items for use on textile
machines.
Another industry is shoe manufac-turing,
also classified in rubber because
of the rubber soles which are vulcan-ized
to the uppers by a process devel-oped
and owned by the company
itself.
The oldest factory in the area is a
tannery which makes leather from raw
hides and cuts soles.
A bedroom furniture factory pro-vides
work for 400 to 500 persons.
Several smaller manufacturing
industries exist. Among the items they
make are upholstery materials, foam
rubber mattresses and springs, woven
labels for clothing, dairy products,
wooden novelties, women's clothing,
chemicals and other wood products.
As might be expected, the forests
have contributed much to the eco-nomy
of the area. Lumbering and
logging have been important industries
since pioneer days. They provide full
time work or supplement farm income
of many of the county's people. Saw-mills
are seen almost daily hauling
from the forests to the paper mill.
More recent products such as Christ-mas
trees and ornamental shrubs are
coming from the forests.
Over half of the county's popula-tion
lives in the rural area and agricul-ture
is one of its chief industries. The
fertile valleys and mountain slopes,
plentiful rainfall, warm days and cool
nights are ideal for the growing of
grass, vegetables, corn, burley tobacco,
tomatoes and apples. The county is
one of the State's top producers of
apples and trellis type tomatoes, and is
also a leader in poultry, dairying, and
good beef cattle.
The fastest growing industry, and
one of the most profitable, is the
tourist and travel business. The scenic
beauty of the mountains and their
wonderful climate have always
brought many tourists to the area. The
development of additional recreational
facilities and the fine system of high-ways
through the area are bringing
more and more visitors, not only in
the summer, but in the winter for the
skiing season. To accomodate these
tourists, scores of motels and restau-rants
have sprung up. Retail trade,
construction, and other service busi-nesses
have been enhanced by tourism.
The estimated annual income from the
travel industry in Haywood County is
between $7,000,000 and $8,000,000.
The county is considered to be one
of Carolina's best balanced counties.
Its real estate brings a high premium
and its economy is good. While it has
always had a surplus of labor, the gap
between supply and demand is narrow-ing.
Farm income is good and the
average wage is the highest in the
State.
To serve all of the people and the
industries of this area, the local office
has a staff of six people, one assigned
exclusively to the agriculture program.
All employers cooperate well with the
office and most of them call on the
office for services. Demands are heavi-est
during the spring and summer
months when hundreds of seasonal
workers are needed by the tourist
businesses. In addition to the regular
staff, a claims deputy and a field
representative have their headquarters
in the office. The local office staff
members are closely associated with
the life of the community taking part
in its social, religious and civic affairs.
The office is recognized and used
frequently as a source of labor market
information for the area. It is also
called on for cooperation and assist-ance
in development programs. The
veterans employment representative is
an active member of the VFW and the
American Legion, being a member of
the board of directors and adjutant in
the latter. The manager is a member of
the board of directors of the Haywood
Improvement Foundation, is a com-mittee
chairman in the local Business
and Professional Women's Club, is a
member of the board of directors of
Mountain Projects, the CAP for both
Haywood and Jackson Counties. She
has held offices in this organization
and is now serving on a special com-mittee
composed of representatives of
all counties west of Haywood to study
plans for a Concentrated Employment
Program. She is a member of the local
Technical Action Panel and a member
of the Advisory Committee on Adult
Education and Training for Haywood
Technical Institute.
A rather unique thing about the
Waynesville Office is that it has been
managed by a woman almost from its
beginning. Its present manager has
held the position since 1946 and she
succeeded another woman manager.
Shares in
America
for sale.
only
$37.50
only
$56.25
$7,500
Take stock in America
Buy U.S. Saving* Bondi & Freedom Sharet
SP-1004
14 ESC QUARTERLY
HN H.WILSON
irea Supervisor
HH
GEORGE ASHLEY
Forest City
Gastonia - Hickory
ESC Administrative Area
CARL HARRELSON
Gastonia
! s
*-r?\
III H. D. BOYLES
Hickory
HENRY ALLEN
Lenoir
PAUL LAWING
Lincolnton
CEPHAS CLONINGER
Newton
TROY PERRY
North Wilkesboro
FRANKLIN WARE
Shelby
WADE WILSON
Statesville
ESC QUARTERLY 15
L^LCYMEKT S L=CUUtTV COMMISSIOK
FOREST CITY
Rutherford ESC
Places Handicapped
The Forest City local office pro-vides
employment services for Ruther-ford
County. The county covers 625
square miles with a population of
45,000. One-third of the population
reside in the tri-city areas of Ruther-fordton,
Spindale and Forest City. The
remaining two-thirds are widely dis-persed
throughout numerous unincor-porated
towns and small communities.
Although the majority of people live
in rural communities, 90 percent of
the county's 18,460 work force is
non-agricultural. One of every three
workers in Rutherford County is em-ployed
in the textile industry. Trade
and services employ 17 percent and
furniture 6 percent of all workers.
Eight percent of the work force are
government employees. Total employ-ment
is expected to increase by 10
percent between 1965 and 1970.
The Forest City office has a staff of
five people, which includes a farm
placement interviewer. The manager,
George Ashley, began work with the
Commission in 1967 as an Interviewer
in Rockingham. Prior to coming to the
Forest City Local Office, he worked as
a job developer in the Concentrated
Employment Program in Lumberton
and later as center coordinator at the
CEP center in Lumberton. He came to
Forest City in October, 1969. David L.
Bray, veterans representative, has been
with the Commission since 1946. He
came to Forest City as a claims deputy
in 1960 and became veterans represen-tative
in August, 1966. Janet Toney,
employment interviewer, started as a
stenographer in May, 1965. She was
promoted to interviewer in June,
1967. Cromer Curtis has been farm
placement representative since Feb-ruary,
1963.
Members of the Forest City staff
participate in many professional, civic,
and community groups. A partial list
of their affiliations includes: Ruther-ford
County Human Relations
Council, Rutherford County Personnel
Association, Rutherford County Tech-nical
Action Panel, assistant scout-master,
bloodmobile chairman for
American Red Cross, Board of Direc-tors
Vocational Workshop, Rutherford
Mental Health Association, personal
representative for County Welfare
Family, VFW, Jaycees, Lions, and
Civitan clubs.
A review of 1968 activity shows
that 2,217 new applications were filed
through the Forest City office. Em-ployment
counseling was provided 455
applicants. There were 690 placements
made, including 43 handicapped work-ers.
Several of the easiest remembered
accomplishments in 1968 include:
placing a totally blind applicant, who
was later selected as the outstanding
handicapped worker of the year for
Rutherford County; obtaining a job
commitment for a local man which
resulted in his release from federal
prison in another state; and placing a
handicapped woman who has only one
leg as driver for a blind social worker.
During the year staff members pre-sented
18 programs before school,
civic, agency, and community groups
covering all phases of local office
employment service operations.
Gastonia Office
Aids Local Industry
Gaston County is strategically
located in almost the exact geogra-phical
center of the Piedmont plateau.
Manufacturing plants began operations
along water courses in 1846, process-ing
raw materials raised on local farms.
From these humble beginnings Gaston
County has grown into one of the
foremost industrial and textile centers
in the Nation. It has more spindles in
its textile plants and uses a larger
number of bales of cotton than any
other county in the United States. The
textile industry employs more than
28,000 persons out of a total employ-ment
of about 64,000. The overall
economy is very vitally affected by
business and employment conditions
in the textile industry.
Prior to the 1940's Gaston Countj
had practically all of its eggs in th<
textile basket. Intensive efforts on th<
part of community leaders to diversify
local industry began to reap dividend;
in 1946 when Sunspun began opera
tions. West Virginia Pulp and Pape;
Company (corrugated boxes), Sou
thern Paper Industries, Pyramid Elec
trie, Homelite Manufacturing Com
pany (chainsaws), Northwest Plastics
Garlock (oil seals), Talon, Inc. (zip
pers), Lithium Corporation, Ower
Steel, Standard Business Forms, Pyra
mid Mills (Christmas ornaments)
Danoca Industries (girls' dresses &
sports clothes), and many other com
panies have greatly diversified oui
industrial operations.
The Gastonia local State Employ
ment office has recruited, tested
screened and referred workers to staf:
new or expanding operations foi
Homelite, Burlington Industries, Medi
center, Amp, Inc., Garlock, Holidaj
Inn, Textiles, Inc., Danoca, Airtownt
Mills, Sears, Paul Rose, Rose's Variety
Store, West Virginia Pulp & Papei
Company, Pyramid Mills, Clark's, Wix
Corporation, McDonald's, Hardee's
Shoney's, and others.
Products manufactured in Gastor
County include: carded and combec
cotton, synthetic and worsted yarns
sewing thread, woven cotton anc
synthetic goods, tire fabric, knil
goods, woven labels, shoe laces, ho
siery, textile machinery, gears, drives
castings, card clothing, rolls, ring tra
velers, weavers' knotters, belting, tex
tile aprons, dyeing machine forgings
business forms, chemicals, oil and ai
filters, oil seals, corrugated boxes
chain saws, plastics, electrical compo
nents, Christmas ornaments, knittin;
yarn, wreaths, brushes, apparel an<
slide fasteners.
Gaston County has experienced un
paralleled prosperity and exceptionally
good employment conditions durin;
the mid '60's. During 1964, 1965, an<
1966, 11,410 new jobs were createij
for an exceptionally high growth rat
of 21 percent for the three-yea
period. Business conditions were no
as good in 1967, but 1968 has bee
another boom year. This unprect
dented demand for workers plus nei
agency programs, concepts, and phik
sophies has very greatly affecte
operations of the Gastonia Emploj
ment Security Commission Office.
In the past five years, 1963-196'
record breaking numbers of new appl
cants registered for jobs: 7,173
1963; 8,213 in 1964; 8,823 in 196!
9,186 in 1966; and 9,303 in 196'
Employers placed orders for aboi
40,000 workers with the local offic
during this same period. More the
25,000 persons have been placed c
jobs during the past five years by tl
Gastonia Employment Office. Opi
mum manpower exchange servic
could not be given to individual app
16 ESC QUARTERLY
nts and employers because of this
[usually large volume of business.
The local office has had a staff
nging from 16 in July, 1964, to 17
January, 1969, and staff size has
mained relatively unchanged through
e years.
The population of Gaston County
s increased from 87,531 in 1940 to
5,775 in 1965.
During the past few years, the
blic employment service has greatly
oadened its objectives and concept
services from that of manpower
change to human resources develop-
?nt and utilization. Gaston County's
st settlers were Scotch-Irish, Scotch
ghlanders, and Germans—all thrifty,
iustrious persons of high moral
>er. The greatest asset of any com-anity
is its people. If the available
)rk force is not fully utilized, many
rsons remain liabilities and tax bur-ns
rather than productive citizens.
; present, one of every 2.2 persons
len, women, and children) in Gaston
>unty is gainfully employed.
The unusually strong demand for
>rkers during the past few years has
rerely depleted the supply of exper-iced
and high-quality trainable
Mfkers. A shortage of low and
3dium cost housing has greatly de-rred
importing of workers. So at
esent the only semblance of a solu-
>n to the severe labor shortage in the
sa is to educate, train, and upgrade
ailable workers.
Our staff evaluates the qualifica-
>ns of each applicant to determine if
has been utilizing his total capabili-
;s to the fullest extent, and if he has
e requirements or potential for jobs
ailable in the community. If the
plicant cannot qualify for any of
ir job openings, we do not just sadly
ake our heads and say "I'm sorry."
e try to assist and motivate him to
ke positive, planned steps to become
lployable or more employable.
Applicants are referred to employ-ent
counselors for assistance in
oosing, changing, and/or adjusting
a job or a field of work. An
terview or a series of interviews is
id in a private office by the coun-lor
to obtain detailed data concern-ing
the applicant's work experience
(elements liked and disliked), educa-tion
and training, leisure time activi-ties,
skills, socio-economic factors, per-sonal
traits, interests, and aptitudinal
potential. The counselor may use
interest inventories and proficiency
and apptitude tests. During these inter-views
the counselor is also giving the
applicant information including job
openings in the area and elsewhere,
prevailing wages, and advantages and
disadvantages of jobs or fields of work.
Then the counselor and applicant de-termine
the best of sometimes many
alternative fields. The applicant then
arrives at a vocational plan. There is
seldom a short straight line between
"where the applicant is vocationally"
and "where he wants to go."
In some cases the individual may
only need to learn to read well enough
to follow simple written instructions
to obtain the job he desires. He may
need to complete his high school
education or take refresher courses to
enter college. He may need a tempo-rary
"stop-gap" job or part-time work
to finance vocational, technical, busi-ness,
or college courses. Gaston
County fortunately has two four-year
colleges, beauty schools, a business
school, N. C. Vocational Textile
School, and a Community College that
offers adult education, vocational,
technical, and college parallel courses.
Applicants are also referred to
Vocational Rehabilitation for physical
and mental evaluation, medical, sur-gical
and hospital services, artificial
applicances and training; to Gaston
Skills (sheltered workshop); to Health
and Welfare Departments for suppor-tive
services; to Social Security; and to
MDTA and other training courses.
Employees of the local office are
members of many community organi-zations
including Gastonia Chamber of
Commerce, Gaston Personnel Associa-tion,
Social Planning Council, Mayor's
Citizens Advisory Committee, Tech-nical
Action Panel, Interagency Club,
Interagency Case Conference, Gaston
Skills Executive Board, American
Legion, Pilot Club, and Mental Health
Association. Participation in activities
of these groups keeps us informed and
GASTONIA
aware of community needs, problems
and happenings, and allows us on
many occasions to explain, offer, and
promote ESC services. These contacts
and aquaintance with community
leaders make us more effective and
enhance community understanding
and acceptance of our agency and
operations. Employer representatives
and community leaders are generally
most cooperative when we ask them to
serve on the Manpower Advisory and
Employ the Handicapped and Older
Worker Committees.
Applicants who are deemed ready
for jobs are of course referred to
available job openings. Considerable
efforts are made to develop jobs for
individuals after training and rehabili-tation.
The local office staff has devoted
considerably more time and effort per
individual applicant recently, espe-cially
for mentally and physically
handicapped persons, veterans, youths,
including many drop-outs, older wor-kers,
welfare recipients and nonwhites.
When we are successful in motivating,
guiding, and assisting individuals to
take steps to improve themselves and
in placing them on jobs that utilize
their fullest potential, we can then
have a personal feeling of accomplish-ment
in achieving our goals.
Balanced Industry
In Hickory Area
Hickory, Look Magazine's All
America City of 1968, is located at the
foothills of our beautiful western
mountains in the rapidly industrialized
upper Piedmont section of our State.
Long noted for the manufacture of
fine furniture and as the men's hosiery
capitol of the United States, it is fast
becoming a major retail shopping
center for the western part of North
Carolina.
The Hickory local office takes pride
in its part in the economic growth of
this area, which includes not only the
city of Hickory and its surrounding
suburbs, but the town and area of
Longview, parts of eastern Burke
County, southern Alexander County
and southern Caldwell County.
Hickory is spoken of as a well
balanced industrial area with a wide
variety of consumer goods manufac-tured
locally and distributed all over
the world. There are over 60 firms
making fine furniture of all types,
including bedroom and dining room
suites, upholstered furniture of all
types, school and institutional furni-ture
and fine custom made church
interiors. The concentration of these
plants locally has been the impetus for
the furniture supply firms to locate
ESC QUARTERLY 17
their plants in the Hickory area. These
include manufacturers of foam rubber
and poly-foam material, sofa and chair
springs, woodcarving plants, uphol-stery
fabric weavers, plants making
saws, bits, and other cutting tools, and
paper product plants for packing and
shipping, and many large trucking
firms.
Buyers from all states visit Hickory
at least twice a year to view new styles
at our two furniture market buildings,
and to observe the beautiful show-rooms
various manufacturers maintain
at their plants.
The men's and women's seamless
hosiery manufacturers have their pro-ducts
used all over the world. We have
over 100 plants making men's,
women's, and children's hosiery, knit-ted
cloth, and knitted garments. The
high quality and originality of these
products have caused their brand
names to be household words nearly
everywhere. Many of these mills have
been located in this area for very many
years, but the nature of this enterprise
is such that new mills can be organized
and succeed rapidly.
The hosiery industry, like the furni-ture
manufacturers, has been responsi-ble
for the rise of makers of supplies
for the hosiery trade, such as paper
box plants, printers of labels and
decals, yarn plants, machine shops,
and many others.
The Catawba Valley Hosiery Club
has a yearly show at the Hickory
Community Center to enable equip-ment
manufacturers from all over the
world to display their newest pro-ducts.
Buyers and dealers from every
state and many European countries
attend this event and plans are under-way
by this organization to build a
permanent structure for year-round
exhibitions.
Hickory also has plants making
woven fabrics, yarn mills making
cotton, synthetic and stretch yarns for
every purpose. This area is the home
of Shuford Mills, with five plants.
Burlington Industries has two plants.
We have five plants making elastic yarn
and one plant making Lycra and
Spandex yarns.
Other industries for which Hickory
is noted include The General Electric
Company's Hickory transformer plant
which makes all types of electric
power transformers and employs over
1000 skilled workers. The Superior-
Continental Corp. makes telephone
and TV cable of all types, Central
Telephone components, and com-munity
TV equipment. Shuford Mills
plant makes all types of pressure sensi-tive
tapes. Lamcal, Inc., manufactures
continuous roll plastic fabric which is
used for building insulation, packing
material, backing for various materials,
shower curtains, plastic containers,
and many other items.
The retail sales of this area have risen
from $82,000 yearly in 1958 to over
$225,000 in 1968. Three major shop-ping
centers are located along Highways
64-70 and 1-40. Many nationwide
retail stores are represented in these
shopping centers, including the largest
J. C. Penny store in the State. W. T.
Grant, Eckerd Drugs, Belk's, Sky City
Stores and many others are included in
the Catawba Mall, Catawba Shopping
Center, and the Midtown Shopping
Center. Plans are now being made to
erect another shopping center to be
opened within the next three years.
The Hickory office, under the
direction of its manager, H. D. Boyles,
has a staff of 12 members, Boyles'
assistant is John H. Heffren, inter-viewer
III, with Jane Abernethy in
charge of claims; James M. Whitworth,
veterans employment representative II;
Keith Teague (who also serves the
Lenoir office two days each week),
and Bill Holsclaw, counselors I; Margie
Osborne, interviewers in claims, re-ception,
testing and placements; Bon-nie
Lineberger for managerial, profes-sional,
and clerical occupations; James
Besse for sales and service personnel;
and Frances Wood for hosiery, textiles
and sewing operations. Jim Whitworth,
in addition to his assignment as VER,
is also responsible for furniture and
miscellaneous industries, and John
Heffren deals with all industries when
required.
All staff members have a wide
knowledge of our local industry. The
acceptance of our office by the indus-tries
of Hickory is evidenced by the
numbers of signs posted by the em-ployers
stating that all referrals to
them are made through ESC.
Our staff is well represented in the
many civic organizations, fraternal,
and churches of the city. We have a
Steward of the United Methodist
Church, members of the Board of the
Lutheran Church, and Sunday school
teachers. All eligible staff members
belong to the American Legion and
VFW. Jim Whitworth is past Comman-der
of Post 48. He is also director of
the Catawba County Fair Association.
The Hickory local office staff is also
represented in Masonic Lodges, Moose,
and Elks, Altrusa, and others. We are
members of the Mayor's Committee to
Employ the Handicapped, consultants
for the Good Neighbor Council, the
Flynn Home for Alcoholics and the
Hickory Sheltered Workshop.
We feel that our principal form of
service to the community is to work
closely with all facets of our area's
citizenry, not only to help staff our
growing industry, but to find the best
possible job opportunities for our
applicants. We strive to open the doors
of industry to those considered disad-vantaged,
to assist in the training and
upgrading of those underemployed, to
create a congenial, informed, and
interested service organization in
Hickory, and to assist our people
attain their economic goals.
-~-»rr-"-—— _- v
LENOIR
Furniture Major
Industry In Lenoir
Nestled under the slopes of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, Lenoir is shel-tered
from much of the snow and icy
road conditions of surrounding areas.
In over 30 years of operation the
office has never been closed because of
weather conditions.
The Lenoir Employment Security
Commission office serves Caldwell
County, which has a total population
of about 58,000. The total work force
is estimated to be approximately
22,000, with a total employment of
21,650. The ESC office is located on
the main access route leading east
from downtown and occupies a new
brick building designed to ESC specifi-cations
and completed in March, 1968.
Population of the area served is
concentrated within a ten mile radius
of the local office, so itinerant servict
is not required.
Furniture manufacturing, employ
ing over 60 percent of all industria
workers, is the major industry and the
economic backbone of Caldwel
County. Over one-third of the tota
work force is directly engaged in furni
ture occupations, and some of th<
world's finest furniture is made here
The furniture industry has made spec
tacular growth during the past fiv
years, and will continue to do so if th
necessary labor supply can be obf
tained. However, lack of adequat|
housing has been a major obstacle h
relocating workers from surplus labc
areas.
Textile operations, while secondar
to the large scale furniture industrj
constitutes some 3,000 jobs to th
area and is significant to the overa
economy.
The Lenoir office staff consists of
manager, one veterans employmer
representative, two interviewers an
one interviewer-stenographer. A!
except the manager, are natives <
18 ESC QUARTERLY
Caldwell County. In addition to the
egular staff, we provide office facili-
;ies for an outstationed evaluation
ipecialist, and a field representative.
Counseling service is provided on a
wo-day per week itinerant basis by a
:ounselor from the Hickory local
)ffice.
Staff members are affiliated with a
lumber of community groups. The
nanager, Henry B. Allen, is a member
>f the VFW, American Legion, Ki-vanis,
and the local Technical Action
'anel. One interviewer is a choir direc-or,
PTA member, and a member of
he Caldwell County JACS Com-nittee.
The interviewer-stenographer,
vlargaret M. Huffstetler, is a charter
nember of the Lenoir Business and
'rofessional Women's Club and she has
>een secretary-treasurer of a local
Sunday school for over 20 years.
Jnemployment
)rops In Lincolnton
The Lincolnton labor market area
ticludes all of Lincoln County with a
lopulation of 30,000 persons and also
Jherryville and vicinity in Gaston
bounty which has a population of
0,000 persons. It is located ten miles
outhwest of Lincolnton.
Prior to 1963 Lincoln County
lepended mainly on the textile indus-ry
for its livelihood. The economic
rowth in Lincoln County has contin-led
steadily since 1963 and has grown
rom one of surplus workers to one
vhich now has a shortage of workers,
^his is due to new plants, under the
^rea Redevelopment Act program,
hopping centers, motels and other
etail outlets, which have caused a
teady increase of approximately
,000 new jobs. A new 100-bed hos-
•ital is now under construction and is
lated for completion around July,
.969. Several textile and garment
tlants recently expanded operations
nd this increased their total number
>f employees. Many of these plants
LINCOLNTON
continue hiring trainees. The furniture
industry has improved the growth of
the area with a steady increase in
employment. The increases in manu-facturing
have also caused an increase
in the trade and service fields. The
demand for workers will continue
since plants which have started opera-tions
in the past five years continue to
glow and expand.
There is no major industry in the
eastern part of the county which
borders on Lake Norman. This section
of the county is rapidly developing
into a large recreation area with a large
number of families building permanent
homes near the lake. These people are
employed and commute to surround-ing
cities, such as Charlotte, Newton,
Mooresville and Lincolnton.
Non-agricultural wage and salary
workers (excluding domestics) are esti-mated
at 14,150 for this area, 9,205 in
manufacturing and 4,945 in other than
manufacturing. The textile industry is
the largest industry, turning out such
products as synthetic and worsted
yarn, hosiery, shoe laces, carded and
combed yarn, woven cloth and synthe-tic
goods. Workers are found in other
diversified industrial plants including a
processing plant and metal working
plants.
Various sewing operations in the
Lincolnton area include the produc-tion
of sweaters, T-shirts, athletic uni-forms,
women's and children's gar-ments
and sports clothes. Our largest
sewing plant moved their entire opera-tions
to Lincolnton from Pennsyl-vania.
This firm was the first secured
after the Lincoln Industrial Commis-sion
was formed.
A large furniture company is now
in the process of expanding one of its
plants and expects an increase in
employment in the near future.
The Lincolnton office has a staff
now of five and two/ fifths persons,
including the manager, veterans
employment representative, two inter-viewers,
a stenographer and a coun-selor
two days each week. The staff
works closely with the Lincoln County
Chamber of Commerce and the Lin-coln
Industrial Commission by supply-ing
them with labor information and
other facts concerning available
workers. We also meet with prospec-tive
employers to discuss the avail-ability
of labor in the area.
A rare new business started opera-tions
in Lincolnton the first of 1969.
It's a plastic house manufacturing
firm. This is a unique plant and
employment was around 30 when the
firm began production.
The Lincolnton State Employment
Office renders testing services to
seniors of the four high schools in the
area each year. These students are
given the General Aptitude Test Bat-tery
for purposes of placement on jobs
or to enter technical schools. One high
school offers career day each year for
the seniors, and a staff member from
the ES office is invited to participate
along with representatives from col-leges
and business schools.
Lincoln County has grown from a
total of 4,543 workers covered by
unemployment insurance in 1960, to a
total of 7,405 for the second quarter
of 1968. The present rate of un-employment
is .8 percent compared to
14.5 in 1961. This area has grown
steadily from one of textile employ-ment
to one of a more diversified area
which is good for the economy of this
area. This should continue throughout
the coming years.
Catawba ESC
Staff Diversified
Catawba County is one of the few
counties in the State having two
employment offices.
The Newton office is located in the
county seat and serves the eastern
portion of the county, including
Maiden, Claremont and Catawba.
Total population for this section of
the county, as projected to 1967 by
the University of North Carolina, is
43,416 persons. Total employment for
the area, according to ESC figures, is
in excess of 17,000.
The Newton city limits joins the
Conover city limits and the population
of these two municipalities is 9,895,
while the population within a three
mile radius is 30,500 and employment
is 75 percent of all that located in the
eastern portion of Catawba County.
Maiden is located in the south-eastern
part of Catawba County and
joins the Lincoln County line.
Industry within the Maiden area
employs 2,500 persons, while the
population within a three mile radius
is approximately 3,500. Claremont
industrial establishments employ 800
persons, but the town's population is
only 735. Within a three mile radius
the population is in excess of 2,000.
Catawba industries employ 700
persons in a city of 509. The estimated
population within three miles is 1,500.
The point is this: All but approxi-mately
11 percent of the population
of the county is located in what we
consider the right angle of eastern
Catawba which includes the previously
mentioned towns and cities.
Some of the main industries in our
area are:
(1) Household furniture manu-facture,
including many types of
upholstered furniture and case goods.
(2) Cotton and synthetic fabrics
manufacture, including dyeing and
finishing knit goods. These are pre-
ESC QUARTERLY 19
dominantly modern plants with the
most up-to-date equipment and
machinery available.
(3) Glove manufacture with one of
the largest glove manufacturing centers
in the nation.
(4) Hosiery manufacture. There are
many medium to small hosiery plants
located in this right angle.
(5) Garment manufacture. This
section continues to increase with
modern plants and steady facilities.
(6) Paper, paper board box, and
box manufacture with modern plants
and steady employment.
(7) General building and con-tracting.
This field continues to
expand because we have lots of indus-trial
and commercial expansion as well
as new residential construction.
(8) Finance, insurance and real
estate. This is an expanding field
because industrial and population
growth is higher than average.
Other industries in the area include
plastics and buffing.
Seven persons are assigned to the
staff of the Newton employment
office, including a claims deputy. In an
office this size each member must be
able to perform practically all duties.
Bill Osborne, in addition to his
veterans employment representative
role, is assigned to handle the textile
field, construction, and others. Also in
charge of handicapped employment,
he is a member of the American
Legion and the VFW.
Interviewer Joyce Seagle, in addi-tion
to her normal duties of this
position, has charge of the youth
program, high school program, and
assists with the handicapped program.
She is on the board of the "Joint
Action of Community Services"
(JACS).
Interviewer Paige Brotherton is
responsible for employer relations
with the large furniture and affiliated
industries in this section of the
county. He is a member of the
American Legion, Jaycees, and
Amvets.
Employment counselor Geraldine
Propst handles the employment coun-seling
program in the Newton office.
She belongs to the North Carolina
Personnel and Guidance Association.
Stenographer Sylvia Moretz, in
addition to the regular stenographic
duties of this office, also handles
certain interviewing duties such as
claims taking, applications, and orders.
Manager C. A. Cloninger, Jr., is
active in the Eastern Catawba County
Chamber of Commerce, Technical
Action Panel, Mayor's Committee, Bi-
Racial Committee, and the Inter-
Agency Council.
Claims deputy Charles W. Durham
is stationed in the Newton office and
is assigned to the following offices:
Newton, Hickory, Lincolnton, Marion,
Morganton, Spruce Pine, and
Burnsville.
Office Serves Three
Mountain Counties
The North Wilkesboro local office
area includes Alexander, Alleghany,
and Wilkes Counties. These three
counties are located in the Northwest
Development Association. Alleghany
lies along the beautiful Blue Ridge
Mountains. Wilkes County is sur-rounded
by the Blue Ridge and Brushy
Mountains, and Alexander County is
at the foot of the Brushy Mountains.
These counties have a total population
of 72,239 persons, and a civilian work
force of 27,740 with employment of
26,870.
The industry within the area is
diversified. It includes two electronic
plants, three shoe manufacturing and
two mirror plants. Other industries are
apparel, glove manufacturing, hosiery,
textile, furniture, smoking pipes and a
manufacturer of saw blades for hand
and power-driven saws. The newest
addition to industry in this area is the
Abitibi Corporation, a $12 million
plant, which is now under construc-tion
and is scheduled to be completed
in January of 1970. This plant will
manufacture plywood paneling. The
area can boast of having one of the
largest mirror manufacturing plants in
the world.
It is also the home of Holly Farms
Poultry Industries, Inc., the largest
poultry processing plant in the world.
This firm processes almost 2,000,000
chickens a week for distribution to the
nation's supermarkets. The firm em-ploys
approximately 2,400 people in
Wilkes County and 250 in Alexander
County. In addition to this employ-ment,
they have 500 contract growers
in the area. The company also has 400
head of cattle scattered on farms
throughout Wilkes County and are
contributing to other agricultural pro-ducts
in many ways. One of the most
recent ventures is the purchasing of all
local corn produced in the area at a
reasonable rate, providing farmers
register acreage with their company.
North Wilkesboro is the home
office of Lowe's North Wilkesboro
Hardware, a retail building supply
company, with 55 stores in 10 states.
This is also the home of the North-western
Bank, which is now operating
96 offices in 56 cities and towns in
western and Piedmont North Carolina.
The Northwestern Bank is the fifth
largest bank in the State. A branch of
another large bank, North Carolina
National Bank, is located in North
Wilkesboro.
The area is noted for its recrea-tional
facilities. Two of the noted
resort areas, Blowing Rock and Roar-ing
Gap, along with five ski resorts and
a number of golf courses and camping
areas, are now operating in the three
mountain counties. Others are in the
process of being developed.
The North Wilkesboro office has a
staff of seven. Manager Troy L. Perry
is a native of Alleghany County. He
joined the Commission in April of
1944 as an interviewer, was promoted
to veterans employment representative
and then to manager in December of
1953. Other staff members are a vet-erans
employment representative, em-,
ployment counselor, employment
interviewer II, three employment inter-viewers
I and one stenographer. Claims
deputy Grady H. Reagan who serves
the North Wilkesboro and Lenoir
offices maintains headquarters here.
The manager served as president of
the Kiwanis Club in 1965 and has been
reelected as the vice-president for the
year 1969; is secretary of the Mayor's;
Committee for the Physically Handij
NORTH WILKESBORO
20 ESC QUARTERLY
tapped, and is past master of the
^orth Wilkesboro Masonic Lodge and
>ast High Priest of the chapter. He is
ilso active in Church and other com-nunity
organizations.
Veterans employment representa-ive
Harold L. Elder is a member of
he VFW and American Legion.
Counselor Thomas G. Roberts is a
nember of and past president of the
lotary Club, is on the board of
lirectors of the Yadkin Valley Dairy
^o-op. and is current president of his
ocal P.T.A. in Ashe County.
Interviewer Conrad Kilby is a mem-ber
of the local VFW and has been a
member of the North Wilkesboro Vol-unteer
Fire Department for a number
of years.
Interviewer Meneta Proffit is a
member and past president of the
Department of North Carolina of the
Ladies' Auxiliary to the VFW.
Since the North Wilkesboro office
serves three counties on an itinerant
basis weekly, the staff carries an un-usually
heavy work load, as some of
the members are out of the local office
four days per week.
STATESVILLE ESC CIVIC MINDED
The Statesville office serves Iredell
bounty which has a population of
52,526 residents. Statesville, located
lear the center of the county (1960
>opulation of 19,844), and Moores-fille,
located in southern part of the
:ounty (1960 population of 6,918) are
he principal urbanized areas of the
:ounty. While the office is located in
Statesville, the Mooresville area is
;erved with itinerant service each
rhursday afternoon.
A civilian labor force of approxi-nately
33,000 now reside in the
:ounty with 80 percent employed as
vage and salary workers in non-igricultural
industries. Manufacturing
ndustries employ approximately 60
jercent of these workers. Iredell
bounty is well diversified in types of
nanufacturing industries; although
extiles, while well diversified within
tself, ranks number one.
The Statesville local office has nine
staff members assigned. The total
ength of service of these members
with the Employment Security Com-nission
is approximately 119 years.
[Tie local office staff is identified with
;he civic, religious and cultural life of
;he community.
Manager Wade Wilson is currently
;he chairman of the occupational
nformation committee of the States-ville
Rotary Club. He is on the board
of directors of I CARE and serves on
its manpower advisory committee. A
charter member of the Iredell Per-sonnel
Club, Wilson is also a member
of the local Technical Action Panel
and belongs to the local Elks Club and
American Legion.
Veterans employment represen-tative
Richard Arthur serves on the
board of directors of the Iredell
County Covered Workshop and is
active in the American Legion and
Kiwanis. He serves as committee chair-man
on Vocational Guidance.
Counselor Judy Wilson, named one
of the Outstanding Young Women of
America in 1968, was on the board of
directors of the Junior Service League
and was active in the local Arts and
Science Museums. She has recently
taken a job in the central office in
Raleigh.
Interviewer Koula Litchos is on the
board of directors of State's Business
and Professional Women's Club.
Johnny Hoover is our counselor.
All Statesville local office staff
members participate in church acti-vities
and most are involved in various
civic responsibilities.
Shelby Office
Counsels Students
The Shelby local office is located in
the heart of Cleveland County and is
surrounded by communities and small
towns. The total population is 70,000
with a civilian work force of 32,000
persons. The two urban areas in the
county are Shelby with a population
of 17,600 and Kings Mountain with
9,800 population.
The Shelby area is continuing its
industrial growth with 19,282 persons
covered by the unemployment insur-ance
program. The major industrial
plants of the area have become very
diversified. The main products at one
time were cotton yarn, sewing thread,
broad woven products and hosiery.
New industries manufacture narrow
fabrics, synthetic fibers, a fine denier
of polyester yarn, men's and ladies'
hosiery, textured yarn, cardboard
package containers, dining room and
upholstered furniture, plastic bobbins,
carpets and floor covering, drapery
and upholstery material, all types of
bonded knit cloth, and various knit
wear garments. A mobile home build-ing
industry began in 1968. This called
for a processor of pre-finished rolled
aluminum.
We have three operations in the
eastern section of the county that
mine mica, spodumene ore for various
uses, and limestone for road building.
Brick is another product manufactured
in this area as well as various gypsum
products.
The current staff for the Shelby
office consists of seven persons man-ager
Franklin L. Ware, Jr., four inter-viewers,
a veteran employment repre-sentative
and a stenographer. Most all
staff members are active in the civic
and community life within the coun-ty.
Some of the organizations to
which they belong and activities in
which they participate are as follows:
member of Chamber of Commerce,
Personnel Council, Public Administra-tors
Organization, Technical Action
Panel, Cleveland County Civil Defense,
VFW, American Legion, chairman of
Mayor's Committee on Youth Em-ployment,
vice president of the depart-ment
of North Carolina of the Ladies
Auxiliary, and Sunday school teachers.
Office space is provided for Fred
Swift, the claims deputy for this dis-
(See SHELBY, Page 53)
STATESVILLE SHELBY
ESC QUARTERLY 21
DON HUDSON
Area Supervisor
Asheboro - Salisbury
ESC Administrative Area
CLAUDE WHITLEY
Albemarle
-auto..
JOHN BROOKS
Asheboro
LEWIS MORTON
Concord
DWIGHT LEONARD
Charlotte
*•
• •
III WAYNE PATTERSON
Kannapolis
ALAN KNIGHT
Lexington
FLOYD HARRILL
Monroe
J. S. J. HORTON
Salisbury
22 ESC QUARTERLY
Textile Industry
Big In Albemarle
The Albemarle local office serves
Stanly and Montgomery Counties. The
two counties are separated by the
Yadkin River which forms the Badin
Lake and Lake Tillery. These lakes are
fast becoming the playground of the
Piedmont. Also located on the Yadkin
in Stanly County is the popular
Morrow Mountain State Park which,
during each week of the summer,
attracts thousands of visitors from
across the nation.
Located 12 miles north of Albe-marle
is Pfeiffer College which, in a
few years, has grown from a junior
college to a four year accredited col-lege
noted for its excellence.
Stanly County has a population of
43,400 persons and Montgomery
County, 19,400. The two counties
have a combined work force of
approximately 28,050. Of the 27,340
employed workers, 55 percent are
employed by manufacturing firms.
ALBEMARLE
Although agriculture accounts for only
six percent of the total employment,
Stanly County is one of the leading
poultry producing counties in the
State.
During last year, employment
covered by the Employment Security
Law accounted for 19,540, or 70
percent of all job holders. Textiles are,
by far, the predominate industry. The
33 textile plants, which include yarns,
dying and finishing, woven fabrics,
carpets, hosiery and other knit goods,
account for 46.2 percent of all covered
employment. This is followed by
wholesale and retail trades with 10.8
percent; apparel and related with 9
percent; furniture with 4.3 percent;
construction with 4.2 percent; primary
metals with 3.9 percent; electrical
components and machinery with 3.8
percent; and food processing with 2.5
percent.
The area has enjoyed excellent
growth during recent years. Since
1965 new and expanding manufac-turing
firms have accounted for 2797
additional jobs. The trend continues
and future growth will be limited only
to the availability of qualified workers.
With the office located in Albe-marle,
Montgomery County is served
by two itinerant points established in
Troy and Mt. Gilead. In April, 1968,
services were expanded by the addi-tion
of a Job Mobile in Montgomery
County. The Job Mobile is a mobile
office set up in a panel truck which
visits the outlying communities on a
regular schedule, making all ES ser-vices
available to all the people.
The staff of the Albemarle Office is
proud of the area's progress and the
part they have played in manpower
services, as well as in religious, civic
and community affairs. The office is
allocated seven ES and one UI posi-tions,
although several positions are
currently vacant. The combined length
of service of our staff members is 88
years. The manager, Claude C.
Whitley, joined the agency in 1941;
the VER, Hubert L. Fesperman, in
May, 1956; James D. McGill, inter-viewer,
in January, 1955; Mrs. Marga-retta
Peeler, interviewer, in July 1957;
Mrs. Dorsey Trivette, stenographer-interviewer,
in February, 1961; and
Roby A. Burleson, counselor, in
October, 1967. Mr. McGill retired on
December 31, 1968, after 14 years
service.
RANDOLPH EXCEEDS
STATE GROWTH RATE
The Asheboro office of the Em-ployment
Security Commission serves
Randolph and Chatham Counties in
the central Piedmont. These counties
comprise an area of approximately
1,000,000 acres and nearly 1,600
square miles.
Asheboro is the county seat of
Randolph County and Pittsboro is the
county seat of Chatham County.
Randolph County has a civilian
work force of over 29,000 with over
16,000 being employed in manufac-turing.
There is much diversification of
industry with textiles, including ho-siery,
being the largest employing
nearly 10,000, followed by furniture
with 1,900, machinery with 1,200,
apparel with 1,000 and lumber and
wood near 600. Approximately 2,500
people are employed in trade and
1,700 derive their living from agricul-ture.
Randolph County consistently
exceeds the average population and
employment growth rate of North
Carolina.
Chatham County has a civilian
work force of over 11,000 with nearly
5,000 being employed in manufac-turing.
Textiles, including hosiery, is
also the largest manufacturing concern
in Chatham County employing 1,900
employees. Food processing employs
nearly 1,000 followed by furniture
with over 600, apparel 500, lumber
and wood with 500, and stone and
clay nearly 300. Trade employs over
1,000 with agriculture employing
nearly 1,500.
The local office is located at 328
Sunset Avenue, Asheboro, in a new
spacious well lighted building. It is
easily accessible to walking traffic
from the uptown business area yet
sufficient parking is available for appli-cants
and employers using automobile
transportation.
There are 12 members of the Ashe-boro
office staff totaling 135 years of
service with the Employment Security
Commission. The staff members are at
present, or have in the past, served in
many voluntary positions of com-munity
interest. Some of this includes
church work—members of official
boards and governing bodies of various
churches, church school superinten-dents
and teachers; commission or
committee members and chairmen,
Sunday school class officers and presi-dents,
advisory committee members
for Industrial and Technical School,
officer and president of board of
ASHEBORO
Exceptional Children School, PTA
work, Governor's Advisory Committee
on Rehabilitation, Mayor's Committee
on Handicap, Mayor's Committee on
Employment Opportunities, United
Fund executive committee, scout dis-trict
commissioners, scout master,
scout committeeman, cubmaster, Girl
Scout leader, and many offices in
American Legion and Veterans of For-eign
War, including national com-mittee
member, state committee chair-man
and member, District Com-mander,
Post Commander and Adju-tant,
officers and members of civic
clubs, including Lions, Kiwanis, Elks
and Moose.
Most of the members are active in
and some have served as committee
members and chairman, secretary,
treasurer and State president of the
Commission's affiliated organization,
The International Association of Per-sonnel
in Employment Security.
The office staff continually strives
to improve services and the local office
image, and to be accepted as the focal
ESC QUARTERLY 23
point of employment opportunities
and manpower problems by both
applicants and employers. We expect
to offer services to all groups and
occupations from professional appli-cants
to laborers and domestics.
The office also cooperates with the
schools of this area and provides test-ing,
employment counseling and job
placement for students entering the
labor market. Special services are pro-vided
for veterans, Job Corps re-turnees,
and other groups as the need
arises. Labor market information,
wages and hours surveys and various
information of interest to community
groups is furnished.
Concord Ranks
High In
Household Income
The Concord local office serves 53
percent of Cabarrus County. The
County has experienced a population
growth from 68,137 in 1960 to
75,564 in 1968. The city of Concord
has experienced a growth from 17,799
in 1960 to 19,917 in 1968. Concord,
per household income, ranked 4th
highest in the State at $12,779 per
year.
Industries in this area are primarily
textile and hosiery, employing 64.4
percent of all non-agricultural wage
and salaried employees. Cannon Mills
Company has nine plants in the area.
There are 15 hosiery plants in the area.
In November, 1968, the unemploy-ment
rate was 0.2 percent.
The Concord local office consists of
seven staff members and one claims
deputy. They are: manager Lewis B.
Morton, interviewer Marie F. Brewer,
employment counselor Bobby J. A.
Overcash, veterans employment repre-sentative
William E. Prim, interviewer
Deon G. Ritchie, interviewer Jerry K.
Young, stenographer Marilyn K. Miller
and claims deputy James C. Bradham.
The combined years of service of the
staff is 118 years. All staff members
are dedicated to their work and per-form
in an outstanding manner serving
applicants and employers. This is
realized in that for two of the past
four years the office has been first in
the State in the placement of handi-capped
workers.
The high school testing and coun-seling
service is carried on at all high
schools in the area. This is to assist the
seniors, not planning to attend college,
in determining what type of employ-ment
to plan for. Our General
Aptitude Test Battery is administered
to applicants for the majority of the
manufacturing plants in the area, and
is available to all plants free of charge
to both applicant and employer. Other
special programs are services to the
handicapped, the older worker, Job
Corps returnee, special services to all
applicants with an employability pro-blem,
services to youth and prison
releasees. Very important is our vet-erans
employment service. Our local
veterans employment representative
contacts each discharged veteran offer-ing
our services and explaining, in
detail, the many programs available to
the veteran.
The manager is a member of the
Chamber of Commerce Industrial
Development Committee, on the
board of directors of the Concord
Boys Club and Salvation Army. He is a
past president of the Concord Lions
Club, a former State Vice Commander
of the 40 & 8, served eight years as
adjutant, American Legion Post 51,
and served as Chef de Gare (comman-der)
of Voiture 1465-40 & 8 for 10
years.
Other staff members are members
of veterans organizations, civic and
fraternal organizations and churches,
that serve the community in numerous
ways.
KANNAPOLIS ESC
OFFERS MANY SERVICES
The Kannapolis Employment Se-curity
Commission serves five percent
of Rowan County and 43 percent of
Cabarrus County, including the unin-corporated
town of Kannapolis with a
population of 33,000 persons and
little or no rural area. The area in-cludes
approximately 470 individual
employing units which have a total
labor force of about 21,350 workers.
Principal industry in the area is
manufacturing with approximately
13,500 of the total 14,500 manufac-turing
workers engaged in textile em-ployment.
Transportation, communi-cations,
public utilities, retail trade,
finance and insurance, real estate,
service, government and miscellaneous
non-manufacturing industries employ
about 6,500 people.
In the matter of development pro-grams,
the local office has for years
extended a wide variety of services to
the city and community. Testing,
counseling, interviewing, we make
every effort to match the applicant
seeking employment with the openings
existing with local employers—giving
full consideration to the interests,
inherent skills and training possessed
by the applicant. Office personnel has
been trained to provide extensive test-ing
and screening processes that assist
greatly in placing the best qualified
man on the best job that it is possible
to get him, thereby rendering a special
service to both employer and em-ployee.
The office also works with and
assumes the responsibility of preparing
the disadvantaged workers to meet
KANNAPOLIS
competition in the local labor market.
These programs are well known and
are being used by major employers in
the Kannapolis area.
We moved into new quarters
January 1, 1969, and in these new
facilities we hope our services may
expand.
Lexington Area
Experiences Growth
The Lexington local office operates
from the county seat of Davidson
County and serves all of the county
except Thomasville. The area served
covers approximately 533 square
miles.
Lexington's primary industries are
the manufacture of wood bedroom
and dining room furniture, tables,
chairs and cabinets, the manufacture
of both synthetic and cotton goods in
the textile industry, the manufacture
of shirts, and related products, the
manufacture of men's and children's
hosiery, trucking and food processing.
Furniture leads with 4,400 employees,
followed by textiles with 3,300, appa-rel
with 1,300, trucking with 700, and
food processing with 700. Industries
which have been added in the last
decade are the manufacture of ceramic
tile, aluminum building products,
machined and plated parts, heavy
industrial drying equipment, mercury
batteries, cardboard containers, and
the manufacture of fiber glass yarn in
the order of their entry into the area.
Together these firms employ over
LEXINGTON
24 ESC QUARTERLY
2,000 workers. When fully staffed,
employment in these same firms will
increase to over 2,600 workers. Local
furniture interests have expanded their
operations by building five additional
Dlants employing around 1,300 per-sons
since 1956.
The Lexington area has a work
'orce of 23,650 people. During the
?ast several months the area has aver-iged
a 1.2 percent rate of unemploy-nent
among workers covered by the
Employment Security law. Employ-nent
in manufacturing makes up 61
jercent of total employment in the
urea. The following is a percentage
jreakdown of employment by
ndustry:
Furniture 37%
Textile 30%
Apparel 11%
All Other 22%
Most of the work force is in manu-facturing
with furniture, textile, and
ipparel making up 78 percent of all
nanufacturing employment. Because
)f this heavy concentration of indus-
;rial employment, a high percentage of
ictivity of the local office involves
ipplicants and employers in this seg-nent
of the work force.
There has been an unprecedented
;rowth in the Lexington area in the
Dast seven years. The rate was accele-rated
in 1965 and 1966, but slowed
down slightly in early 1967. This
growth was resumed in 1968 and by
the end of the year employment was
at an all time high.
The local office has six full-time
persons on the staff, including a coun-selor,
who is stationed in Salisbury and
works in Lexington two days a week.
Other staff members are the manager,
two interviewers, a veterans employ-ment
representative, and a steno-grapher.
Also stationed in the office is
a field representative who works in the
unemployment insurance division
under the supervision of the State
office in Raleigh, and serves Davidson
and Randolph Counties.
Staff members are active in various
church and civic activities. Among
their affiliations are membership in the
Lions Club and the Exchange Club,
Coordinator of JACS—Joint Action in
Community Service, membership in
American Legion, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, American Veterans, the Lexing-ton
Employ the Handicapped Com-mittee,
the Davidson County Social
Service Club, N. C. Personnel and
Guidance Association, the Davidson
County Community Action Com-mittee,
Committee on Adult Educa-tion,
Chairman of Division of United
Fund Campaign and others.
Union County Engineer Lures Industry
The Monroe office serves Union
bounty, with a population of approxi-nately
50,000 people, and is located
it 128 South Main Street. The office
las been in operation at this location
;ince June 8, 1960. It was formerly an
tinerant point of the Charlotte office
intil early 1950 when it was estab-ished
as a full-time office. It has a
;taff of four members, consisting of a
nanager, a veterans employment re-wesentative,
a clerk-stenographer and
i placement interviewer.
The office has numerous functions
md offers vital services to the area,
rhis includes job placement, the filing
>f unemployment insurance claims,
)rovision of up-to-date labor market
nformation to employers and poten-tial
industrial prospects, assisting
employers in their personnel practices
ind, in general, contributing to maxi-rmm
regular employment and expand-ng
production through cooperative
community action. New industries
ocating in the area depend largely
apon employment office assistance in
staffing plants.
A total of 57 new industries have
located in Union County since Sep-tember,
1952, which roughly coincides
with the date that the present man-ager,
Floyd Harrill, became head of
the office. A total of 48 are still
operating and provide employment for
approximately 9,000 workers. Expan-sion
by local industries has provided
employment for an additional 2,000
workers. A total of 20,000 workers are
now employed in Union County.
Union County employs a full-time
industrial engineer to help secure new
industries. This has proven to be a
worthwhile investment by the county,
and has been a major factor in provi-ding
job opportunities for a major
percentage of the available workers
here. During the three months period
ending November 25, 1968, the per-centage
of workers in covered employ-ment
that were unemployed in
Monroe remained at 0.5 for each of
the three months. There were only
seven towns in North Carolina with
lower unemployment rates during
October, 1968. Prospects are very
good for employment to remain at a
very high level during 1969.
The textile industry employs the
largest number of workers in the
county, followed closely by apparel
plant employment, with construction
employment being a close thiid. The
machine trades also provide jobs for a
large number of workers. Food pro-cessing
and related work provides
employment for a large segment of
workers that fall within the special age
groups.
Personnel of the Monroe office are
affiliated with and participate in a
variety of activities within the Union
County area. The placement inter-viewer
served as vice-chairman and
former chairman of the Fairview divi-sion
of the Piedmont Area Develop-ment
Association which has won first
place four years out of the past seven.
He is also an Elder in the Bethlehem
Presbyterian Church, a Sunday school
teacher of 27 years and Clerk of
Sessions of the church, a past Worthy
Patron of the Order of Eastern Star
and a member of Union Lodge 618 A
F & AM.
The VER is active in veterans
organizations in the area, having served
as Chaplain for the Melvin Deese Post
for the past seven years, and has also
served as chairman of the Legion
Oratorical Contest for the county for
the past five years, producing a second
place winner in the statewide competi-tion.
Staff of the Monroe Employment Security Commission Counselor Jerry
McDaniel; Stenographer Margery Griffin; Veterans Employment Repre-sentative
Solon Walden; Interviewer Buford Price; and Manager Floyd
Harrill (seated).
ESC QUARTERLY 25
The manager is a Rotarian, and a
past president, a member of the Melvin
Deese Post of the American Legion
and the local 40 & 8 Organization,
having served twice as Commander of
the local Legion Post, Past District
Commander and also has served as
secretary and Chef de Gare in the 40 &
8 organization. He is currently serving
on the Board of Directors of the
Anson-Union Community Action com-mission,
Inc., and coordinates acti-vities
between that agency and the
local ESC office. He has served as
deacon and Sunday school teacher in
the First Baptist Church, Monroe. He
also works closely with the Union
County industrial engineer by provi-ding
labor market information prior to
final decisions being made by indus-trial
prospects. Testing, counseling and
job placement services have been pro-vided
for these firms, enabling them to
begin operations smoothly and
speedily and enter into production
much earlier than they would have
been able to do had they found it
necessary to do their own recruiting.
Salisbury ESC
Part Of Community
The Salisbury local office of the
Employment Security Commission is
located in the heart of the central
Piedmont of the State. Spencer, our
adjoining sister-city, is considered the
population center of the Old North
State. Salisbury is the county seat of
Rowan County and the office serves
all of Rowan County, except the town
of Landis, and all of Davie County.
Rowan County is over 200 years
old and like Davie County has been
traditionally conservative economi-cally
for 50 to 75 recent years. This
attitude was not carried to the
extreme and has, we feel, been instru-mental
in giving the area a stable basis
upon which we have been able in the
past 20-25 years to bring in new
industries and expand many existing
firms. Today we find our area in a
most healthful and reasonably pro-gressive
economic condition.
Our growth has been well balanced
in that we not only have not had an
overly large increase in one type of
industry but have had, in addition to
our diversified growth in employment,
a parallel increase in educational, cul-tural
and recreational facilities. We
have taken these steps smoothly and
with no over burdening of our tax
structure. Our citizenry, by and large,
is well pleased with the tempo of our
progress and consider this "a good
place to live." In-migrants from other
areas are quick to sense this feeling
and the sincerely friendly spirit of our
people and their loyalty to their
employer has made it easy for our new
firms and their "imported" executives
to feel and to actually become a part
of the community with only the
briefest of transitional periods.
From its earliest days our area has
been a trading center and we are still a
leader in per capita sales in the State.
Total non-agricultural employment for
our area ranks in the following order:
manufacturing, trade, government,
service, construction, transportation-communications
and public utilities
and finally, finance, insurance and real
estate. While a large segment of our
population is "non-urban" our average
agricultural employment (1966) was
1310 which is only about four percent
of our total civilian work force. Our
ma