The E. S. C. Quarterly
OLUME 14. NO. 3-4 SUMMER-FALL. 1956
Hstribution, Sales and Servicing oi Autos and Trucks
Playing Major Role In Economic Life of North Carolina
First Duryea gasoline-operated motor vehicle (1893)
PUBLISHED BY
mwmm mm
Employment Security Commission of North Carolina
RALEIGH, N. C.
PAGE 74 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 1 95<
The E. S. C. Quarterly
(Formerly The U.C.C. Quarterly)
Vol. 14, No. 3-4 Summer-Fall, 1956
Issued at Raleigh, N. C. by the
EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION OF
NORTH CAROLINA
Commissioners: Mrs. Quentin Gregory, Halifax; Dr. Harry D.
Wolf, Chapel Hill; R. Dave Hall, Belmont; W. Benton Pipkin,
Reidsville; Bruce E. Davis, Charlotte; Crayon C. Eflrd, Al-bemarle.
State Advisory Council: Public representatives: James A. Brid-ger,
Bladenboro, Chairman; Sherwood Roberson, Roberson-ville;
W. B. Horton, Yanceyville; Mrs. R. C. Lewellyn, Dob-son,
and Dr. J. W. Seabrook, Fayetteville; Employer repre-sentatives:
A. L. Tait, Lincolnton, and W. A. Egerton, Enka;
Employee representatives: Melvin Ward, Spencer, AFL, and
H. D. Lisk, Charlotte, CIO.
HENRY E. KENDALL Chairman
R. FULLER MARTIN Director
Unemployment Insurance Division
JOSEPH W. BEACH Director
North Carolina State Employment Service Division
ROY G. BRANTLEY Editor
Public Information Officer
Sent free upon request to responsible indiri^vali anrncifs.
organizations and libraries. Address: E. S. C. Informational
Service. P. 0. Box 5R9. Raleiah. V. f.
CONTENTS
Paqe
M. R. Dunnagan Retires 74
Coverage Extended to 32,000 Additional Tar Heel Workers 75
The Employment Picture: Generally Good Throughout State 75
Joint Service Offices Filling Vital Roles in ESC Program 76
Research and Statistics Unit : They Put Meaning into Figures—
Commission's Legal Department Performing Many, Varied Duties
—
Having Workers at the Right Place and at the Right Time 77
3,000 Workers Are Brought Into Is
T
. C. For Harvesting of Tobacco 77
For Those With Fraud in Mind, They Had Better Beware 78
4,172 High School and College Graduates Placed By Commission 78
More N. C. State College Grads Take Jobs in State and South 78
Wage Study For Selected Occupations Completed in State 79
ESC and Prison Department Join in Experimental Program 80
Highlights of Asheville's Industry and Employment 81
Eight Communities in N. C. Are Eligible for Federal Benefits ,. 82
In N. C, Ample Labor Resources for Industrial Growth 83
Old Age and Survivors Insurance Changes Are Discussed 84
Larger Number of Physically Handicapped Winning Jobs 85
Work Lives On 85
Motor Vehicles Generate Employment For N. C. Workers 86
Automobile Dealers Association Has Nearly 1,000 Members 87
Folger Soon to Begin 50th Year in Automobile Business 89
John Flanagan Buggy Company Celebrates 90th Anniversary 90
Carpenters—Four Generations of Automobile Salesmen 91
Apple Pickers Are Recruited for Record Crop in West N. C 91
North State Chevrolet Company: A Leader in Piedmont N. C 92
From the Bicycle Business to Cadillac-Olds Dealership 93
'We Want to Know All of Our Customers . . . That's Important' 93
Stabler Pontiac Company Boasts Spacious, Colonial-Design Plant 94
They Started With the Peerless; Now a Leading Chevrolet Dealer 94
Deal Buick Co. of Asheville—Sales, Service in Western N. C 95
T&B Oldsmobile—27 Years of Service in Fayetteville 95
Parkland Chevrolet Company : Parts Business Thrives, Too 96
This Company Specializes in Foreign and Sports Cars 97
Yarborough Motor Company, Inc. Began Operations in 1934 98
Cape Fear Motor Sales Selling Fords in Southeastern Section 98
Carolina Garage, Inc.—A Leader in the Sale of Macks 99
Automotive Wholesalers Association—Young But Large 100
For Southern Bearings and Parts, 35 Years of Service 101
From a Small Beginning to a Role of Leadership in N. C 102
N. C. Service Station Association is Active Organization 102
Downtown Garage, Winston-Salem : An Expanded Service 103
Monteath's—Service to Motorists in the Mountains 104
Wrightsville 66: One of N. C.'s Small, Active Service Stations 104
Four-State Area Is Served by Bowers Firm Charlotte Branch 104
An Idea that Mushroomed Into an International Business 105
Off the Assembly Line: Rebuilt Ford Engines and Parts 106
One of Nation's Leaders in Truck, Bus Body Manufacture 108
Thomas Firm's School Busses Distributed Over Wide Area 110
Charlotte Factory Branch Does Large Volume of Business 110
Truck Bodies Built By Murphy Now Rolling in 35 States Ill
Triangle : Building Custom-Made Truck Bodies Since 1927 Ill
oota*\Ji|>il# JJwoDany : Jobs From Maine to Florida 112
yrWnP fMiftaOtgta State . Its Past and Its Future 113
ftiTensiiied Assault Begw/uV Age Barriers to Employment 115
Jafylsl Bqc«ti> IVfeii^4a*turirf^/S|orage Batteries in 1919 115
rr^ 1'bWo1n sRaTe.r4rarSet TJpf'or 28,000 Employers In State 116
rarajfloyer (^opej-atipmitetoed inJExpanded ESC Program in N. C 117
EmpTnyer Iwpe/iende Mtihg Albounts In North Carolina 118
/-Large Number of ESC Emploj/es Attend Institute at Chapel Hill 124
" Changes ^*vT. ., 125
leant Activity^Measffira in September, 1956 (Chart) 126
PTrWteaffdns of MflUjj&rrait Security Commission of North Carolina 127
yMIKE' DUNNAGAN RETIRES
Macon Rush "Mike" Dunnagan, public informa
tion officer of the Employment Security Commissio:
of North Carolina since 1937, and editor of "Th
E. S. C. Quarterly" for many years, retired July 1
Mr. Dunnagan became public relations officer fo
.the Commission January 15, 1937, soon after enad
ment of the Employment Security (UC) Law by th
special session of the General Assembly in Decembei
1936. He has been with the Commission since, e>
cept for a period of some four years when he wa
on loan with the War Manpower Commission, operal
ing the U. S. Employment Service during Worl
War II.
As editor of "The Quarterly," Mike traveled e>
tensively throughout the State and became we
known to many of North Carolina's industrial an
commercial leaders. He started this magazine am
in this publication he has handled special article
on close to 2,000 industrial and commercial firms i
North Carolina.
Prior to his service with the Commission, M;
Dunnagan had a wide newspaper and public relation
background. A native c
Yadkinville, Mr. Dunnaga
got his first newspaper jo
as a reporter on the Winstoi
Salem Journal in Septembe:
1909. A year later he entei
ed the University of Nort
Carolina, receiving his A.l
degree in 1914. He returne
to the Journal and becan
city editor, serving as sue
until April, 1918, when \
entered military servic
serving in the Gas Defens
Division in Philadelphia f<
about a year.
Returning to The Journal again, Mr. Dunnagsl
continued as city editor for about six months, the
he became city editor of the Charlotte Observe
After three years he resigned to enter the Pulitzt
School of Journalism, Columbia University, Ne
York City, receiving his B. Litt. degree in Journd
ism in 1923. He was named managing editor of tl
Asheville Citizen, remaining there for about a yea|
after which he returned to the Charlotte Observer.
In 1926 Mr. Dunnagan moved to Durham and b
came manager of the Durham News Bureau, lat
doing special reporting for the Durham Herald.
November, 1927, he was named personal secreta:
to Governor McLean, continuing through the 19!
session of the General Assembly in Governor Gar
ner's administration. He then became capital co
respondent for several North Carolina newspape
and a Washington newspaper. He handled a seri
of industrial articles for North Carolina Educate
(Continued on page 124)
M. R. Dunnagan
NOTE—The cover photo and all of the other "old
car" photos used in this magazine were supplied by thl
Automobile Manufacturers Association. "The E.S.C
Quarterly" is grateful to the AMA for its cooperation il
providing these photos for use in this "Automotive Irl
dustry" issue.
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 75
Coverage Extended lo 32,000 Additional Tar Heel Workers
An additional 32,000 North Carolina workers have
:ome under coverage of the Employment Security
Law since January 1 of this year. More North Caro-ina
workers were covered under the law in the first
parter of 1956 than in any earlier period, a report
prepared by Hugh M. Raper, director of Research
ind Statistics, has shown.
The increased coverage is due to a new provision
)f the law which went into effect January 1. Under
;hat provision, firms employing four to seven work-ers
became liable for tax contributions for the first
dme. It is expected that by the end of the year over
55,000 Tar Heel workers will have been brought un-jier
the law because of the extended coverage.
i The General Assembly, at its 1955 session, amended
the law to extend its provisions to employers of four
br more workers after Congress had amended the
federal Unemployment Tax Act in the same manner.
Previously, only employers of eight or more workers
were liable.
During the first quarter of this year, coverage in
!^orth Carolina reached the monthly average of more
;han 794,000—an all-time high. The full impact of
;he expanded coverage will not be reflected until
ater quarters, since the requirement is in terms of
four or more workers in employment for as many as
20 weeks in a calendar year.
Up to June 30, a total of 6,974 firms were brought
into the program under the new coverage provision.
The total number of firms participating in the pro-gram
as of July was 26,599. This figure is likely to
exceed 28,000 this year when all firms file reports
with the ESC and when investigations are completed
by Commission representatives. It is the responsi-bility
of employers to notify the ESC whenever they
meet requirements for coverage under the law. But
ESC field men now are checking on a number of firms
from whom reports have not been received.
Frequently in checking for coverage under the
new provision, the Commission finds employers who
actually were liable under the law's old requirements.
These employers must pay retroactive contributions
plus interest at the rate of six percent per year.
Total earnings for the first quarter amounted to
$604,972,000 giving a weekly average earning of
$58.59. This set a new first quarter record high.
Taxable wages amounted to $586,055,000 during
the quarter. This was an increase of 17.5 percent
over the $498,655,000 in the first quarter of 1955.
With the employers' tax averaging 1.23 percent, con-tributions
exceeded $7.2 million.
fhe Employment Picture: Generally Good Throughout the State
The employment picture in North Carolina was
generally good during the fall months and the work-ng
force is expected to remain stable or increase
lightly during the remainder of this year, according
o reports from the ESC's Bureau of Research and
Statistics. A moderate decline arising from the
isual seasonal adjustments is expected for the first
f 1957.
CHARLOTTE
The Charlotte area reported in October that dur-ng
the preceding two months, non-farm wage and
alaried workers increased moderately, bringing the
stimated total to 92,300 (37,870 women). Com-
>ared with a year ago, a very substantial employ-nent
gain occurred—3,200 or 3.6 percent. During
he two months, the most significant gains occurred
a trades, transportation, communications and public
itilities, and miscellaneous manufacture. Declines
ell mainly in textiles, machinery manufacturing,
<nd construction.
Seasonal activity, which usually gathers speed
iter Labor Day and lasts through mid-December,
•romises to be intensified this year. A gain of 500
3 expected in trades and 100 in service. Construc-ion
anticipates losses brought about by tightening
f loans and less favorable weather conditions. Tex-iles
will take another drop with another large plant
losing.
Overall gains of 160 were expected by mid-Novem-
'er. By mid-January, an employment decline of
lore than 500 is anticipated.
WINSTON-SALEM
The Winston-Salem area reported that non-agri-ultural
wage and salaried employment declined
about 400 between July and September. This was
due to a labor-management dispute in the electrical
machinery that overbalanced heavy seasonal em-ployment
increases in tobacco, plus lesser gains in
most other industries. The mid-September non-farm
wage and salaried employment level of 64,500 was
only about 900 less than a year ago, even with nearly
2,900 striking workers excluded from the current
employment total.
Some 2,200 workers were added to payrolls of to-bacco
stemmeries and re-drying plants. Rising em-ployment
also was noted in furniture, trade, and
service groups ; employment was down in construc-tion
and government.
Unemployment was estimated at 3,300 in Septem-ber,
down 1,000 from July, but about 100 above the
year-ago total. Another seasonal increase in em-ployment
of around 900 appears probable by Novem-ber,
while unemployment during the same period is
expected to drop about 700 to a record low. How-ever,
these changes will depend largely upon even-tual
developments in tobacco. The outlook by Janu-ary
is for a reversal of the recent rising employment
trend, as nearly half of the seasonal tobacco work
force is released almost simultaneously with mod-erate
post-holiday reductions in trade. Heavier cut-backs
also are scheduled in construction. These
seasonal adjustments and other changes are expected
to lower employment totals by about 1,600 and boost
the unemployment level to around 4,800.
ASHEVILLE
Asheville's employment, currently estimated at
48,600, is down slightly (50) from that of July, but
(Continued on page 116)
PAGE 76 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 195<
Joint Service Offices Filling Vital Roles in ESC Program
The Employment Security Commission of North
Carolina has two major divisions—Employment
Service and Unemployment Insurance—carrying out
the broad aspects of the program objectives. There
are six joint service offices that provide services
necessary for maintenance of plant and equipment,
render highly technical or specialized services, and
handle personnel requirements of the agency. They
RESEARCH AND STATISTICS UNIT:
THEY PUT MEANING INTO FIGURES
By E. Stanhope Dunn, Supervisor of Reports &
Analysis, Bureau of Research and Statistics, ESC
The Bureau of Research and Statistics is directly
responsible for the research and statistics phase of
the Employment Security Program, and in carrying
out its function considerable participation in the re-porting
program is required of most other branches
of the Agency at both the State and local office levels.
In fact, practically all of the research and statistics
activities of the Bureau comprise the treatment of
data collected from or fur-nished
by other depart-ments
and the local offices.
Therefore, at the outset,
due credit is given to those
who furnish the Agency's
operating statistcs which
enables the Bureau to fulfill
its responsibility.
Research and statistics
in Employment Security is
likened to a combination of
the accounting, sales, and
research departments of a
large corporation. With
respect to accounting, it is
true that the Bureau does
not have to account for the
money that is expended by
the Agency, but it does
have to keep an accounting
of practically all of the ser-vices
that are derived from the spending of such
money. Research and Statistics takes on some of
the aspects of a sales department in that much of its
work is concerned with promoting Agency accom-plishments
through the medium of regular releases
of operating statistics and analyses of these data.
Also, it disseminates valuable labor market informa-tion
to workers, employers, and the public in general.
Then, like research departments in industry, the
Bureau is often engaged in research for the purpose
of guiding and bettering Employment Security
operations and services. Thus, the responsibilities
and work of Research and Statistics in Employment
Security can be classified under three broad groups
:
namely, (1) Accounting, Reporting, and Evaluating;
(2) Research; and (3) Labor Market Information.
Accounting, Reporting, and Evaluating
This phase of Research and Statistics consists of
the following treatment of the Agency's operating
(Continued on page 119)
Hugh M. Raper, Director
of the Bureau of Research
and Statistics, ESC.
are : Office of Business Management, Office of Chie
Counsel, Office of Personnel, Bureau of Research am
Statistics, Evaluation and Training, and Informa
tional Service.
Responsibilities and functions of two of thes
offices—Bureau of Research and Statistics, am
Office of Chief Counsel—are discussed in the fo)
lowing articles.
COMMISSION'S LEGAL DEPARTMENT
PERFORMING MANY, VARIED DUTIE!
By W. D. Holoman, Chief Counsel
The office of Chief Counsel of the Employmen
Security Commission is composed of the Chie
Counsel, three attorneys, and a hearings reporte
and four secretaries. It is directly responsible t
the Chairman of the Commission. One of the pri
mary functions of this department is to interpre
the Employment Security Law and to serve as leg?
advisor to the Commission, the Chairman and a
departments or divisions of the Employment Securit
Commission. The Chief
Counsel and the members
of his staff counsel and ad-vise
the Chairman, the
Commission, department
heads, supervisors and per-sonnel
of the Commission,
on policy, administration
and legal questions involv-ing
the Employment Secur-ity
Program, including the
formulation and prepara-tion
of legal rulings, inter-pretations
and Statements
of Policy for adoption by
the Commission which, af-ter
adoption by the Com-mission,
are official inter-pretations
binding upon the
officials and agents of the
Commission. They review
Rules and Regulations promulgated under the ai
thority of the Employment Security Law and assi:
in the preparation of same and approve such Ruk
and Regulations before adoption. When official!
adopted by the Commission, these Rules and Regul;
tions have the effect of law. They give advisory opii
ions to employers throughout the State with respei
to liability under the provisions of the Employmei
Security Law and to employees (claimants) wit
respect to their benefit rights.
The Chief Counsel and the members of his sta
represent the Commission in all court actions ar
judicial proceedings in all of the courts throughoi
the State of North Carolina. This includes the pr
paration of transcripts of record which must be ce
titled to the Superior Courts and to the Supren
Court for judicial review; the preparation of tri
briefs and the actual trial of the cases in the court
It also includes the preparation and presentation
the courts of all petitions and orders to compel tl1
production of records and documents and procee
(Continued on page 121)
D. Holoman,
! Counsel, ESC
UMMER-FALL, 1 956 THE E. S. C QUARTERLY PAGE 77
(Stale college pnotos.)
Tiro of North Carolina's big money crops are tobacco and cotton. Note pipes for irrigation.
ARM PLACEMENT SERVICE:
Having Workers at the Right Place and at the Rinhl Time
One of the major programs conducted by the Em-oyment
Security Commission of North Carolina is
le Farm Placement Service, an activity that plays
vital role in the harvesting of crops in the agricul-iral
East and in some areas in the Blue Ridge
ountains. This program recruits and places local,
tra-state, and inter-state workers in the harvest-g
of such crops as cabbage, beans, gladiola, white
)tatoes, squash, cucumbers, pepper, sweet corn,
sed corn, tobacco, cotton, sweet potatoes, straw-
>rries and peaches. The aim of the Farm Place-ent
Service has been directed toward having an
nple supply of workers at the right place and at
ie right time without any undue loss of crop caused
j lack of labor. In both war and peace times the
arm Placement Service has met this goal.
The farm placement activities fall into two major
itegories—seasonal and year-round. Seasonal ac-vities
are directed toward the harvesting of major
ops with "day-hauls" and migratory labor. These
orkers are secured through local intra-state and
iter-state channels. In the year-round program
ie Farm Placement Service is concerned chiefly
ith securing sharecroppers, tenants, and regular
irm laborers. One of the most effective ways used
Y the Farm Placement Service in securing these
orkers is the "Farm Clinic". During these "Farm
linics", held throughout the state on designated days
om December through March, arrangements are
lade for farm employers and farm workers to meet
ad work out year-round work agreements.
One of the most interesting phases of the Farm
lacement Program is the placement of North Caro-na
tobacco curers in Canada. For about 35 years,
sperienced tobacco curers from this state have been
laking the trip to Canada. The program began in
920 with only a few dozen people involved and grew
:eadily until in 1940 a peak of 2,000 workers was
cached. In recent years the number of people in-olved
in these annual trips has been decreasing
iid in 1955 there were only about 1,000. But this
fear nearly 2,000 border-crossing permits were is-led.
The Farm Placement Service uncovered some in-
3,000 WORKERS ARE B
N. C. FOR HARVESTING
teresting facts in a study it conducted to learn why
these tobacco curers go to Canada. A cross section
of tobacco-curing applicants was studied and it was
(Continued on page 123)
3HT INTO
OF TOBACCO
Some 3,000 workers were brought into the State
from Mississippi and other Southern states this year
to help harvest North Carolina's tobacco crop.
They began arriving in the State around July 4
under the program carried out by the Employment
Security Commission of North Carolina.
In Lenoir County, with some 17,000 acres of to-bacco,
close to 400 workers were brought in from
Mississippi, largely from Vicksburg, Lexington and
Greenwood.
In Pitt County, with about 34,000 acres of tobacco,
1,000 out-of-area workers were recruited, including
about 300 workers from Mississippi and Florida. In
the Mt. Olive area, 275 workers from Mississippi
joined 200 migrant workers from Florida, Alabama,
Georgia and South Carolina to help in harvesting the
tobacco crop.
That picture held true throughout the heavy to-bacco-
producing section of Eastern Carolina. In
some counties, including Wake, out-of-state workers
were used this year for the first time.
Under the program conducted by the ESC, farmers
needing the seasonal labor are contacted by repre-sentatives
of the Commission at spring meetings held
throughout the tobacco-producing areas of the State.
At these sessions, the farmer lets the ESC repre-sentative
know the number of workers he'll need
and the workers are recruited through ESC officials
in other Southern states. The farmer agrees to fur-nish
the workers living quarters.
The workers usually travel in crews, under crew
leaders, and arrive in this State by truck and bus.
Used to supplement local labor, about 90 percent of
them make "good hands," farmers report, and many
return year after year to the same farmer.
PAGE 78 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 195
IT'S PROMPT PAYMENT FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE, BUT—
For Those With Fraud In Mind, They Had Belter Beware
The Employment Security Commission of North
Carolina promptly pays benefits to those persons who
are unemployed and eligible for unemployment in-surance
checks. But the Commission also is on the
alert for those persons who may try to collect bene-fits
when they are not eligible to receive the checks.
Even though it's a losing cause, there are some
persons who will try to take advantage of a program
that has benefited hundreds of thousands of North
Carolinians. But the Commission has a specially-trained
watchdog crew that defeats those with fraud
in mind.
This fraud detection and prevention unit brought
1,558 cheaters to grief last year alone. A report
prepared by S. F. Teague, Chief of Benefits for the
ESC, reveals that out of 1,712 cases prosecuted,
there were only 154 in which the defendant was ac-quitted
or a nol-pros was taken.
The Commission does a careful, thorough screen-ing
job in deciding which cases are to be prosecuted.
In finding that 1,712 cases warranted prosecutions,
investigators checked into a total of 4,902 cases of
suspected overpayment or fraud.
The courts do not look kindly upon anyone who
has tried to get an illegal check. When convicted of
fraud, a person is subject to a fine of $20-$50, or 30
days in jail. Further, the courts may order that tr
Commission be repaid or the Commission deduc
the overpayments from any future benefits to ths
person.
One of the stiffer penalties is the loss of bene!
rights. The law provides that an individual coi
victed of fraud shall not be entitled to receive ben
fits for one year beginning with the first day of ar
benefit week in which fraud is proved.
Generally, fraud involves failure to report eari
ings. Then, there are cases where persons refufl
offers of work, or give false information as to wfcj
they left their last employment.
The Commission has 22 claims deputies in the fie]
and a department in the central office checking c
possible fraud. In running down suspected cases (
fraud, they go through the usual procedures of checl
ing employer wage reports and benefit payment re
ords. And there are special investigations in ce:<
tain areas. But outsiders help, too, in stacking tr
cards against any person looking for the illeg;
dollar. Frequently, other claimants will "put tl1
finger" on somebody who received a check illegally
All in all, it's a losing game. Fortunately, moi
and more people are beginning to realize that, Con
mission officials say.
More N. C. State College Grads
Take Jobs In State and South
More engineering seniors at North Carolina State
College accepted employment in North Carolina and
the South this year than last, according to the 1955-
56 Placement Report prepared by Mrs. Marie P.
Wicker, placement director for the N. C. State Col-lege
School of Engineering.
Industry and government in North Carolina at-tracted
67 seniors this June, compared to 50 in 1955,
the report states. Including those who will work in
the State, 144 engineering seniors elected to remain
in the South, while only 112 accepted employment
in the South in 1955. Fifty-seven seniors accepted
employment out of the South, with the largest num-ber,
17, going to work in California. In 1955, there
were 206 graduates in engineering; in 1956, there
were 232.
Aircraft companies and manufacturing and re-search
companies in the electrical and electronics in-dustry
employed more graduates than any other
types of industry, the report says.
Salary offers took another jump upward this year,
according to the report. A total of 943 offers were
reported by the seniors. Salary offers in 916 known
cases averaged $417.21 a month.
Accepted salaries are known for 188 of the 201
seniors who have gone to work. For these graduates,
monthly salaries accepted averaged $421.84 for a
40-hour week, exclusive of overtime payments, cost-of-
living allowances, bonuses, and other financial ad-ditions.
Salaries accepted ranged from $350 to $550
a month.
4,712 High School and College
Graduates Placed By Commissio
A total of 4,712 of this year's high school and cc
lege graduates were placed in their first regular jc
through a special program carried out by the En
ployment Security Commission of North Carolina
ESC Chairman Henry E. Kendall released a r
port on placement of graduates covering the peric
July 1, 1955 to June 30, 1956.
The program, administered by the Employmei
Security Commission's Employment Service Div
sion, is aimed at finding jobs for graduates of fou
year colleges, junior colleges, commercial and bus
ness schools, and for high school graduates who (
not plan to go to college.
Under this program, Commission representative
work with placement officials at the various colleg
and universities, and give general aptitude tests ar
counseling service in the high schools.
Chairman Kendall said that through this proces
regular positions were found for 345 graduates
four-year colleges, 184 graduates of junior college
and 433 graduates of commercial and busine
schools.
A total of 3,750 high school graduates we:
placed in jobs through this special placement pn
gram, which is set up to make the placements at tl
end of the regular school year.
It was pointed out in the report that the placemei
figures cover only graduates who were placed in the
first permanent job. Not included were graduat
placed in temporary jobs or those placed in new joli
after leaving former positions.
UMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 79
Wage Study For Selected Occupations Completed In Stale
By Hugh M. Raper, Director, Bureau of Research and Statistics, ESC
The story of what changes have taken place in
orker's wages and salaries always has interest for
nployers and for workers. There are many sources
>r data which suggest the answer to questions as to
ends in per capita income, average weekly earnings
: workers, and other general wage concepts. There
not but little information available in terms of
>ecifically defined non-production jobs on a local-ed
basis.
In each recent pre-legislative year the North Caro-
1a State Personnel Department has requested the
jmployment Security Commission to make a survey
[ the wage and salary rates paid to selected occu-ational
groups represented on the State's payroll
rid likewise extensively used by industrial, trade
rid service firms in all parts of the State. These
ata, along with similar data derived from other
purees, are used by the Personnel Department to
etermine wage and salary trends and in preparing
s recommendations to the Advisory Budget Com-lission
and the North Carolina General Assembly.
It goes without saying that the wage structure in
ldustry and commerce is constantly changing, par-cularly
at a time when the whole economic structure
; making rapid advances. The Personnel Depart-ient's
interest lies in both the nature and scope of
lese changes.
Actually in the 1956 Survey 50 different jobs were
efined and included in the study. For its own pur-oses
the Employment Security Commission supple-mented
the Personnel Department's list with seven
jobs in electronics and fabricated metal products
industries.
Briefly, the survey procedure follows
:
(1) The fifty-six employment security local offices
contacted and collected wage data from 748
firms in all parts of the State representing all
types of industry, trade and service employing
workers represented on the list.
(2) These reports were edited in the Bureau of Re-search
and Statistics and tabulations were pre-pared
by the Bureau of Machine Services for
each office area and for each job.
(3) These tabulated data for all jobs are compiled
into a state-wide summary report; and, when
the number of workers represented three or
more establishments, area data were developed.
In the smaller office areas, groupings were made
so that a reasonable coverage of listed jobs
could be given without divulging individual firm
rates.
Specific area data were developed for the fourteen
larger office areas while fifteen groupings were made
for smaller areas; e.g., Rutherfordton-Henderson-ville
; Elizabeth City-Edenton-Williamston and Wash-ington.
The State Summary Report for the 43 occupations
making up the study for the State Personnel Depart-ment
follows
:
POSITION TITLES
Total
Number
of
Workers
Average
Weekly
Earn-ings
Under
$25. CO
%
25.00
to
27.49
$
27.50
to
.9.99
$
30.00
to
34.99
S
35.00
to
39.99
$
40.00
to
44.99
S
45.00
to
49.99
S
50.00
to
54.99
$
55.00
to
59.99
$
60.00
to
64.99
65.00
to
69.99
S
70.00
to
79.99
$
80.00
to
89.99
$
90.00
to
99.98
S
100.00
to
509.99
110.00
to
124.99
$
125.00
to
139.99
$
140.00
to
154.99
$
155.00
to
169.99
$
170.00
to
184.99
$
185. 0C
to
199.9?
S
200.00
and
Over
erkl 2,256
1,441
1,438
1,083
3,125
1,020
233
757
628
275
74
21
84
445
325
9
145
45
1,177
176
11
21
55
75
181
68
1,211
1,202
201
171
100
60
1,415
488
12,294
851
1,310
2,354
1,390
430
444
56
93
47.16
64.83
47.68
52.23
62.72
54.46
74.86
57.01
74.79
107.64
57.07
51.50
49.57
51.24
51.81
68.27
68.19
108.56
51.71
63.17
112.40
132.28
103.13
129.64
73.50
87.45
73.78
72.21
94.44
65.23
83.94
118.72
44.59
32.03
45.61
77.24
68.77
58.13
63.04
72.68
73.58
64.72
52.73
2 16 30
9
20
5
84
36
46
14
4
10
788
74
422
174
27
222
2
89
10
505
117
369
226
31
112
4
121
18
593
213
404
224
124
143
11
160
64
5
12
8
25
81
100
99
200
90
256
153
293
23
139
43
4
14
3
4
45
57
5
13
1
232
10
1
65
124
43
117
443
67
34
77
63
6
4
29
92
19
39
129
72
40
50
67
2
10
25
392
7
24
163
67
33
44
161
17
5
2
1
14
9
16
99
4
3
31
15
41
19
87
28
4
4
56
1
erklll . 21 7 1
T)ist Clerk I 1 12
enographer Clerk I 1
enographer Clerk III 17
14
18
26
42
45
1
2
2
9
14
33
67
1
3
ock Supervisor I
counting Clerk I
counting Clerk III
18
1 5 12
25
38
8
30
7
21 5 3 1 3
uplicating Mach. Op. II—
aphotype Operator
idressograph Operator
:okkeepirg Mach. Op. II.
ey Punch Operator II
ey Punch Unit Supervisor
lb. Equip. Operator II
1 10
7
19
120
55
13
1
22
102
73
2
3
2
3
7
5
4
44
13
3
29
1
120
26
3
20
2
1
8
8
1
1
1
8 5 16 25
21
23
18
3
33
29
1
12
7
4
23
13
6
1
3
1
5
10
2
1
3
2
17
2
15
8
40
49
36
4
6
10
1
3 3
1
11
13 46 6 76
4
414
40
208
ib. Technic. II (Non-med.) 17
2
9
10
22
7
5
16
3
23
1
5
3
28
3
2
1
3 1
1
1
1 1
2
22
5
186
124
4
13
7
1
22
3
365
367
37
43
14
2
22
4
221
149
196
366
570
227
176
12
13
9
2
23
12
251
205
34
19
21
4
1
13
3
14
7
60
93
45
2
17
9
1
10
1
2
1 4
4
1
4
30
10
1
9
18
19
43
73
17
4
86
106
2
22
3
24
15
151
131
5
38
3
ngineering Aide II. 2 1
3
echanic Foreman . 7
utomotive Parts Clerk I..
6 2
1 1 7
• 1
7
6
14
6 14
8
2
hemist III 18 5 3 1
16
188
12
25
37
6
27
18
2
82
81
465
98
5
1,188
596
66
5,333
9
43
455
7
16
208
12
2,375
12
81
259
13
in
4
4
16
181
59
1,053
69
135
477
84
11
15
5
9
61
13
729
49
119
216
82
10
28
5
6
94
5
710
109
145
203
197
26
48
15
8
4
188
82
318
107
182
56
82
3
1
laid
11
161
119
91
115
28
52
6
2
1
87
48
119
118
3
18
3
1
55
78
2
15
42
21
51
4
12
5
1
11
2
6 1
9 1
16
7
31
2
5
ieet Metal Worker
elder II
1
1 3
2
rounds Maintenance Man 32 1
A somewhat different Summary Report was pre-
»ared for the seven positions studied in the elec-tronics-
fabricated machined products group,
report follows
:
This
PAGE 80 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 1 95(\
POSITION TITLES JOB DEFINITIONS
No. of
Workers
In
Sample
Average
Weekly
Earnings
$
40.00
to
44.99
"45.00
to
49.99
$
50.00
to
54.99
%
55.00
to
59.99
$
60.00
to
64.99
%
65.00
to
69.99
%
70.00
to
79.99
%
80.00
to
89.99
I
90.00
to
99.99
I
100.1
to
124.!
Electrical Wirer
Assembler. ... - -
Perform wiring, assembling and soldering operations on a limited variety of
product parts, sub-assemblies and electrical chassis following instructions,
prototype, or sample and using standard methods and procedures. Dress
wires, follow color code in fastening, solder connection and clean. May
perform other duties under direction such as repair returned assemblies.
Simple repetitive short cvcle assembly of a few parts on bench or conveyor
following prescribed methods. Fixtures usually provided where applicable.
Examine articles after various stages of manufacturing or processing or after
completion. May use various devices for measuring, testing and checking.
Drill, ream, tap, bore, etc., to layout or using complicated jigs. Close
tolerances. Set-ups may require blocking and aligning of parts. Select
speeds, feeds, tooling, determine operation sequence. Numerous unusual
operations such as drilling large number of very small holes, deep drilling,
boring to exacting requirements, etc. May lay out work as required.
Perofrm a range of blanking, piercing and forming operations on a variety
of parts. Set-up press; adjust air or mechanical knock-out devices, auto-matic
roll or dial feed mechanisms and length of ram stroke and operate
press. Determine when dies need sharpening.
Operate single or multiple spindle automatics for a normal range of opera-tions,
following standard procedures and general instructions. Operate
only afterset-ups have been made and checked by others. Remove, sharpen
and reset tools, gauge work, make slight adjustments when necessary.
Repetitive grinding using magnetic chuck or fixtures for holding work.
Simple set-ups. Close tolerances but not difficult to maintain. Speeds,
feeds, wheels usually prescribed. Dress wheels.
855
1.920
013
256
219
78
53
53.16
50.06
58.13
61. n
54.87
59.71
60.64
42
484
90
17
34
2
3
141
813
86
15
51
3
3
532
288
351
23
32
25
10
65
192
65
66
35
10
7
6
77
100
53
42
13
13
63
32
92
13
2
19
12
1
12
87
43
2
5
2
i
22
16
26
21
1
3
1
15
Drill Press Operator,
Single Multi-Spindle
Puneh Press Operator
Screw Machine Op-
Grinder, Service
A comparative analysis of the average weekly
wage scales effective in June 1952 with those shown
in the June 1956 study for twenty-four jobs in which
no material changes in the defined job responsibili-ties
suggests that a decided up-grading has taken
place in the wage and salary pattern in the foui
year period. These changes are shown by geners
type of position in the following tabular arrange
ment.
Clerical Positions
Clerk I
Steno. Clerk I
Steno. Clerk III
Percent Change
17.9
17.4
13.0
Machine Operators and Supervisors
lvev Punch Unit Supervisor-.
Percent Change
Stock Clerk I . 12.9 28.2
Tabulating Equipment Operator II. . .. 8.9
24.0
24.0
27.7
11.3
9.5
Professional Positions
Civil Engineer I „ _. . _
Mechanics and Machinists
Mechanic Foreman
Machinist II .... _ . ...
Chemist I_ _ -
Chemist III .
17.0
9.2
Civil Engineer III . 5.4
3.6
1.0
19.2
13.1
Mechanic II-. -- -- 11.1
^
Perceni Chang
Custodial—Buildings and Grounds
Grounds Maintenance Man 27.8
Janitor 15.8
Maid 12.4
Laborers and Foremen
Labor 17.4
Labor Foreman 11.9
ESC and Prison Department Join In Experimental Program
Some months ago, the Employment Security Com-mission
and the State Prison Department began a
series of discussion looking towards providing more
job opportunities for released prisoners. Those
discussions and long planning were culminated Oc-tober
15 in the beginning of an experimental pro-gram
in rehabilitation of released prisoners.
ESC Chairman Henry E. Kendall and Prison Di-rector
William F. Bailey announced that four prison
camps will take part in the experimental program
that will run for six months, ending April 15. If
the project proves successful, it will be extended to
other camps.
Those prison camps participating in the program
will be Camp 603 at Fayetteville, D. C. Lewis, super-intendent;
Camp 701, Graham, H. T. McAdams,
superintendent; Camp 804, Troy, D. L. Freeman,
superintendent; and Camp 704, McLeansville, T. J.
Mitchell, superintendent.
It was explained that the cooperative venture will
work like this:
The Prison Department will make available for
interview those prisoners who wish assistance in
securing employment. The interviews will be con-ducted
on a regularly scheduled basis 15 days before
release during normal working hours Monda
through Friday. The Prison Department also wi
provide ESC interviewers with any "pertinent infoi
mation" that might affect employment.
Interviewers from the local employment office i
the area in which the camp is located will register th
prisoners and forward employment applications t
appropriate local offices around the State. Emploj
ment counseling and testing will be provided by th
ESC local office in the area in which the prisone
desires employment.
Mr. Kendall and Mr. Bailey said the Commissio
will attempt to place releasees in work "that wi
provide occupational, social, and economic rehabil
tation."
It was stressed that this program is a pilot stud:
If results justify the time and efforts of the Priso
Department and the Employment Security Commit
sion, the cooperative program will be extende(
they said.
At the request of George W. Randall, chairma
of the State Board of Paroles, discussions are beinl
held between representatives of the Paroles Boar!
and the ESC concerning development of a job plactj
ment program for prisoners eligible for parole.
UMMER-FALL, 1 956 THE E. S. C QUARTERLY PAGE 81
Asheville, largest city in Western North Carolina.
I Highlights of Asheville's Industry and Employment
By Elizabeth DeKay Johnson, State Labor Market Analyst, Bureau of Research and Statistics, Employ-ment
Security Commission of No?*th Carolina
This is ninth of a series of articles discussing employment conditions
in leading North Carolina cities. Asheville was selected for this issue
because it ranks high as a trade and distribution center.
Asheville, county seat of Buncombe and largest
ty of western North Carolina, has a population
pproximating 55,000. Located in the "Land of
le Sky," a part of the fertile plateau lying between
le highest ranges of the Great Smokies and the
lue Ridge Mountains, it is best known as a vaca-on
and resort area. However, since 1952 manu-icturing
has been expanding, and constitutes an
nportant segment of the local economy. Itself un-rowded
and in a predominantly rural area, Ashe-ille
is so situated that within a 400 mile radius lie
11 of North and South Carolina, and most of Vir-inia,
West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,
.labama and Georgia with a combined population
xceeding 30,000,000.
Though the city proper has experienced rela-tively
small population gains due to the fact that
I limits have not been extended since 1930, the
utlying areas have had a steady, healthy growth,
onsequently, the population increase of Buncombe
ounty is more properly an indicator of both urban
nd rural gains. Currently estimated at more than
34,000, its 14.4 percent growth during the 1940—50
eriod slightly exceeded the State rate, and occur-ad
despite a continued heavy outmigration to more
ighly industrialized areas.
Nonagricultural employment of wage salaried
workers fluctuated seasonally between 36,300 and
37,900 in 1956. Manufacturing, accounting for
about one-third of the wage earners, remained
relatively stable. Trade and service hiring two-fifths
of the salaried workers, followed their usual
seasonal cycles. Both substantially expanded dur-ing
the summer months under the impact of the
tourist season, and trade had another upsurge in
November and December for the holiday buying.
In manufacturing, textiles and industrial organic
chemicals (synthetic fibers) dominate the employ-ment
picture and together account for almost two-thirds
of the workers. The other third are well di-versified
and include makers of apparel, furniture,
lumber and wood products, food products, electrical
machinery, fabricated and machined metal pro-ducts,
parachutes, jewelry, and silveware. Total
employment in the more than 100 manufacturing
firms was 12,200 in September 1956.
Textile mills of the area, 18 in number, account
for 3,600 to 3,900 workers. Over half of these are
in mills making cotton fabrics, blankets and napped
fabrics. Others are in numerous large and small
plants with a variety of products such as : full fash-ioned
hose, men's socks, wiping cloths, rugs, home-spun
fabrics, and cashmere sweaters, and in firms
engaged in dyeing and finishing of textiles. Closely
related to the textile industry is the manufacture
of synthetic fibers, and the rayon-nylon producer is
among the largest plants of the area.
In addition to the "big two" of manufacturing
—
PAGE 82 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 195
textiles and industrial organic chemicals—apparel,
furniture and fixtures, and lumber and wood prod-ucts
rank high with about 800 employees in each in-dustry.
Firms engaged in the manufacture of ap-parel
produce a wide variety of articles, including:
women's and children's sportswear; women's under-wear
and nightwear; ready-to-wear coats, suits
and dresses; men's and boys' shirts; and nylon
handbags. Furniture manufacturers make: wood
household furniture and wood parts for furniture;
mattresses and bedsprings ; Venetian blinds and
awnings; small furniture; and made-to-order furni-ture
and fixtures. In the lumber industry most of
the local employment is centered in sawmills and
planings mills; however, there are numerous logg-ing
contractors and several producers of carved and
other wood novelties.
Other manufacturing with total employment of
approximately 2,400 includes firms producing: flour,
feeds, cornmeal, meat products, bakery products,
bottled soft drinks, ice cream and dairy products,
plastic pipe and tubing, abrasives and cleaning
powder, harnesses and leather goods, stamps and
seals, optical goods, custom made tools and dies,
steel rock bits, textile machinery, fabricated struc-tural
steel, hand-made silver and copper jewelry,
and cargo parachutes.
Among the newer industries to locate in the Ashe-ville
area are the electronics and silverware manu-facturers.
These are evidencing a healthy growth
and include among their products such electrical
equipment as: insulators, resistors, and synchroni-zers.
The silverware plant makes both flatware and
hollowware.
The importance of the nonmanufacturing seg-ment
of the local economy is shown by the fact that
of nonagricultural wage and salaried workers, 67
percent (25,000 to 27,000) are so engaged. Among
these industries trade and service dominate, trade
accounting for 8,300 to 8,800 depending on the sea-son,
and service giving employment to some 8,000
to 8,300 persons.
Construction fuctuates from 2,000 to 2,500 ; trans-portation,
communication, and public utilities usual-ly
hire about 2,800 ; government 2,000 to 2,200 ; and
finance, insurance and real estate 1,200.
Trade is the most important nonmanufacturing
industry with employment exceeding the combined
payrolls of the two largest manufacturing indus-tries.
Asheville's role as a thriving trade center is
due in part to the fact that it is the largest city west
of Charlottee, and in part to the expanded buying
power resulting from tourist and resort business.
According to the 1954 Census of Business there were
1,195 retail and 185 wholesale establishments in the
area in November of that year. Sales for the year
amounted to $119,293,000 in retail and $116,669,000
in wholesale stores.
Asheville is a city of few large, and many small
employing units. Nonmanufacturing establishments
(excluding educational, medical, and governmental)
number about 2,000, and have an average employ-ment
of 7 persons. Though 50 to 60 units employ
more than 50 persons, only 20 to 25 have 100 or
more on their payrolls, while some 1,100 employ
fewer than 4 workers. Manufacturing shows the
same characteristics, with only 20 units employing
more than 100 persons and about 70 having fewe
than 8 on their payrolls.
A network of highways and railways radiatl
from Asheville, testifying to its importance and a(
cessibility. Ample and varied transportation i
provided by ; 4 lines of the Southern Railway ; 3 ah
lines (Delta, Capital and Piedmont) ; 5 State an
5 U. S. highways ; motor freight and motor transfe
companies; and interstate and intrastate bus con
panies. A more-than-ample local labor supply i
available. It consists primarily of native born whit
workers who have ably demonstrated their willing
ness and ability to fit into the pattern of industrij
employment.
Asheville and its environs is not only favorabl
located as a resort and tourist area, but endowe
with those topographical, climatic, and populatio
characteristics which make of it a desirable are
for the location of new industries and expansion c
existing ones.
EIGHT COMMUNITIES IN N. C. ARE
ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL BENEFIT
According to the latest study made by the Burea
of Employment Security of the U. S. Department c
Labor, eight North Carolina communities are elig
ble for federal benefits in plant construction and pre
duction contracts because they have been classifie
as areas of substantial labor surplus.
Two of North Carolina's large cities—Durham an
Asheville—are eligible for the benefits. Other area
eligible under the Defense Manpower Policy pre
viding procurement preference and rapid amortiz
tion include Kinston, Rocky Mount, FayettevilL
Mt. Airy, Shelby-Kings Mountain, and Waynesvill
In all of these areas, the number of workers seel
ing employment is considerably in excess of th
currently available job opportunities. Under th
Defense Manpower Policy, plants in these towr,
may receive priority when governmental contrad
are awarded, in keeping with the policy of directin
the government's buying towards firms located i
labor surplus areas.
The policy also encourages industrial developmer
in these areas by allowing firms a stepped-up ta
write-off of costs of construction of new plants c
expansion of their facilities.
Three other major areas in the State were repor
ed as having a "moderate" labor surplus. Thes
were Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and the Green;
boro-High Point area.
In areas classified as areas of "substantial" labc
surplus, unemployment is more than 6 percent c
the total labor force.
Classification is made by the federal agency o
studies carried out by the Bureau of Research an
Statistics of the Employment Security Commissioi
In the larger metropolitan areas, the study is mad
bi-monthly. In the smaller areas, the study is mac
each six months.
UMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 83
In N.C., Ample Labor Resources For Industrial Growth
ly Robert G. Kellogg, Research and Methods Spe-cialist,
Bureau of Research and Statistics, ESC
One asset necessary for industrial expansion is
ibor. North Carolina has a surplus; consequently
ae importance of promoting industrial growth and
ncouraging the full and intelligent utilization of
lis partially dormant labor force.
In every county throughout the State, there exists
labor reserve recruitable for new or expanding in-ustry.
This supply can be divided in two broad
roups : those persons actively seeking employment,
nd those who would accept jobs under favorable
trcumstances.
The first group, those seeking employment, na-irally
would include the unemployed persons in the
rork force—about 20 percent of the total recruitable
ibor force. Also included are the underemployed:
ersons engaged on a seasonal or intermittent basis
ho are desirous of full-time industrial employ-ient,
or who are working in jobs not utilizing their
lighest skill or providing opportunity for economic
dvancement.
Second Broad Group
Several segments comprise the second broad
roup of workers who would accept employment
tily under favorable circumstances. These persons
ould be recruitable by industries paying wages
nd offering working conditions equal to, or slightly
etter than, the existing industrial pattern of the
rea.
Industries affording these conditions could re-ruit
labor from such groups as
:
Housewives who would join the labor force; of-ten
wage scales have to be sufficient to make the
employment of a domestic worker to care for
the home or children profitable.
Workers now commuting to other areas due to
lack of local opportunity, but who prefer work
in their home community in order to reduce the
physical and financial burdens attributable to
commuting.
Young people who could be induced to join the
labor force of the area upon graduation from
school or release from military service if jobs
with advancement potential were available.
Handicapped workers and older employables not
currently being absorbed by existing industry
since these firms do not have operations which
could take full advantage of the latent skills
found in this group.
. Minority groups that would readily accept regu-lar
work should industry create conditions fa-vorable
to their employment.
. New entrants from agriculture seeking industrial
employment for the first time, but who will re-main
on the farm unless such work would ap-preciably
increase their incomes.
One Aim: Stabilization .
One of the important functions of the Employ-ment
Security Commission is to promote stabiliza-ion
of the labor force. In order to do this, it is
ecessary to first ascertain the number and charac-eristics
of the recruitable group, and then pro-
RECRUITABLE LABOR ESTIMATE
October 195
DEFINITION OP RECRUITABLE WORKER
i person deemed available for employment locally in anew or expanding
Industry offering wanes and working conditions equal to or slightly battar
taaa the present indnatrlal pattera of the area. Recruitment woold be from
ssch froaps as: (1) The unemployed and underemployed; (2) Housewives avail-able
ander conditions more favorable than tboae existing; (s)Vorkers nowcon-matitf
or employed at distant points who prefer local employment; 14) Tontha
expected to Join the labor force; and (S) other segments.
f ,„. Asheville l/ v.n. 20 (lie Radius *<Road Miles)
Sstinate of Recruitable
Workers in Defined Ares 9,600
Total Population
of Defined Area llA.OOO
Characteristics Total White Ot"ner
M F M F
Total (1. 2. and_a add^dj, 9,600 3,580 k,86o 'h6o 700
1. Skilled 535 390 110 35
2. semiskilled 1,645 730 850 35 30
3. unskilled 2/ 7,1*20 2,1+60 3,900 390 670
Trainable anon; unskilled
under 45 years of age
5,700 1,930 3,010 260 500
Basic Trade of Experienced workers Skilled Semiskilled
1. Mechanical 70 85
2. Textile 185 760
t. Furniture 10 50
h. Sewing 20 3^5
5 . Construction 185 80
• The defined area iacladas only those regions providing highway accessibility and road
cosditioas which permit a worker to reach his place of employment with travel approxi-mating
the specified radisa.
OCMflEHTS:
1/ U. S. Department of labor classified area of substantial labor surplus.
Industry eligible for preferential defense contract consideration and
accelerated tax amortization.
2/ Available employment insufficient to assimilate new entrants to labor force;
therefore considerable out-migration. High percentage of unskilled workers
are under 1*5 years of age and yr^Sa
e^L|y
?or industrial skills.
BUREAU OF RESEARCH AND STATISTICS
EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION OF NORTH CAROLINA
RALEIGH. NORTH CAROLIUA
mote the development of industry to utilize this
work force.
Civic and industrial promotion organizations in
areas with a surplus labor supply frequently request
aid in analyzing and presenting their recruitable re-serve
in the most advantageous way to prospective
industry. On the other hand, employers often di-rect
inquiries asking for data relative to the labor
supply situation in locations being considered for new
or expanded facilities. Unfortunately the number of
North Carolina communities with labor surpluses
seeking industry is much greater than industrialists
seeking locations.
In order to provide this information, a program
is operated whereby each Employment Service Of-fice
in the State makes bimonthly estimates of the
(Continued on page 124)
Page 84 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, i 95t
Old km and Survivors Insurance Changes Are Discussed
By M. D. Dewberry, Regional Representative, Re-gion
III, Department of Health, Education, and Wel-fare,
Social Security Administration, Bureau of Old-
Age and Survivors Insurance, Charlottesville, Va.
In the last issue of the Quarterly we discussed
most of the changes in the Social Security Act as
amended in 1954. In this issue we will bring you
up to date by outlining the improvements made by
the 1956 Amendments. This will include coverage
for additional professional self-employed persons,
benefits for women at age 62, disability benefit pay-ments
at age 50 and coverage for policemen and
firemen. Benefit payments have not been changed
except for the actuarial reduction for women under
age 65. However, the tax rate on employees and
employers increases to 2 1/i % each on wages paid
after 1956. For the self-employed person the tax
rate increases to 3%% on earnings for taxable years
ending after 1956.
Extension of Coverage: Self-employed lawyers,
dentists, osteopaths, veterinarians, chiropractors,
naturopaths and optometrists were covered under
social security for the first time by the 1956
Amendments to the Social Security Act. This
coverage is effective for taxable years ending after
1955. Benefits could be payable to this group be-ginning
with April 1957, or earlier if reports are
made on a fiscal year basis. Practically all types of
self-employment are now covered under social se-curity
except for doctors of medicine.
The new provision in the law covering some land-lords
is particularly important to the people in
North Carolina. Under this provision the cash or
crop shares a landlord receives from his tenant or
share-cropper will count towards social security if
he participates materially in the production or
management of the farm. This provision is ef-fective
for taxable years ending after 1955.
Military service is covered the same as any other
employment effective January 1957. This means
that a person entering the service will pay the same
tax and receive the same credit for his base pay as
if he was working for any other employer. More-over
credit is given for service after 1950, regard-less
of any other benefits which might be paid based
on the same service, provided there was some active
duty after 1956.
Benefits for Women: Women are now eligible to
begin receiving benefit payments as early as age 62.
However, if she starts receiving a wife's benefit or
her own benefit based on past employment the
amount of the benefit is actuarially reduced. If
she elects to receive a wife's benefit before age 65,
the full wife's benefit would be by 25/36 of 1% for
each month she is under 65. If she elects to re-ceive
her own benefits before age 65, the full amount
is reduced by 5/9 of 1% for each month she is un-der
65.
Widows and dependent mothers may receive a
full benefit at age 62 without any reduction.
The tables below give some examples of the bene-fits
that will be paid at different ages
:
WOMEN WORKERS' BENEFITS
Amount of Monthly Benefit
Average It Claimed If Claimed If Claimed If Claimed
Monthly at 62nd at 63rd at 64th at 65th Birthday
Earnings Birthday Birthday Birthday or Later
$ 45 S 24 . 00 t 26.00 $ 28.00 $ 30.00
101) 44 . 00 47.70 51.40 55.00
150 54.80 59.40 64.00 68.50
200 62.80 68.10 73.30 78.50
250 70.80 76.70 82.60 88.50
300 78.80 85.40 92.00 98.50
350 86.80 94.10 101.30 108.50
WIFE'S BENEFITS
Amount of Monthly Benefit
Worker's
Benefit
Amount
30.00
55.00
68.50
78.50
88.50
98.50
108.51)
If Claimed
at 62nd j
Birthday
11.30
20.70
25.80
29.50
33.30
37.00
40.80
If Claimed
at 63rd
Birthday
12.50
23.00
28.60
32.80
37.00
41.10
45.30
If Claimed
at 64th
Birthday
13.80
25.30
31.50
36.10
40.70
45.20
49.80
If Claimed
at 65th Birthday
or Later
15.00
27.50
34.30
39.30
44.30
49.30
54.30
Disability Benefits: Prior to the 1956 Amend
ments old-age and survivors insurance providec
some protection against the hazards of old-age an<
death. Now there is protection against a thir<
risk—the risk of being unable to work because o
severe disability.
The 1956 Amendments provide that cash disabil
ity payments will be made, beginning in July 1957
to those persons who are unable to engage in an;
substantial gainful employment and who are be
tween 50 and 65 years of age. To be eligible fo:
these payments the worker must have worked in 5 o:
the last 10 years before the established beginning
date of the disability and in V/o of the last threi
years before that date. The amount of the benefi
will be computed and paid at the same rate as if hi
had attained retirement age and will continue a;
long as the disability lasts or until age 65.
Another new provision of law concerns childrei
who are disabled. This feature provides for pay
ment of a monthly child's insurance benefit afte
age 18 if the disabling condition occurred befor
age 18 and the child is dependent on a parent en
titled to old-age insurance benefits or was dependen
on a deceased parent at the time of the parent';
death. In addition, the child must not have mar
ried.
The following example illustrates how this par
of the law works
:
Jim Hawkins was disabled at the age of 15
when his father was 50, and has been disabled
ever since. His father is now 65 and is receiv-ing
old-age insurance payments under the
social security law. Jim may get child's insur-ance
benefits after 1956 even though he is now
30 years of age.
Coverage for Policemen and Firemen: The Socia
Security Act provides that policemen and firemei
may not be covered under the law if their position,'
are covered under a State or local governmental re
tirement system. The 1956 Amendments made ai1
(Continued on page 125)
UMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 85
::::::>:/; ''::'::;>:
{*::' " *j\ > > £
% ":~4M" - f>
a ^
;.
> ; >**
% •^ :
'
IS-GOO
Poster distributed during NEPH Week.
These decals went to agencies and firms participating in
NEPH Week observance.
Larger Number of Physically Handicapped Winning Jobs
National Employ the Physically Handicapped
Veek was observed in North Carolina and across
lie nation October 7-13. The Employment Security
Commission of North Carolina took an active part
i this observance, with ESC representatives work-ig
with other groups and organizations to stress
he point that a properly placed handicapped worker
3 just as efficient and productive as his able-bodied
ellow-worker. Placement of the physically han-icapped
is a year-round program with the ESC,
ut the one-week observance in October serves to
mphasize the program that is being carried out.
Last year, from September, 1955 to August, 1956,
he Employment Security Commission placed 6,396
andicapped persons in jobs they could satisfac-orily
perform. This represented four percent of
he total non-agricultural placements of 159,986.
ISSUES CHALLENGE
One of the highlights of this year's observance
/as the appearance of Governor Hodges before a
neeting of the North Carolina Employ the Physical-y
Handicapped Commission. In his remarks to the
"ommission, Governor Hodges challenged the phys-cally
handicapped persons to do all they can to help
hemselves return to a productive place in society,
le told the Commission he likes the philosophy of
rying to make a disabled person "an economic
aember of society." The Governor pointed out that
ederal and State governments spend large sums to
lelp physically handicapped persons, and he said
(Continued on page 122)
WORK LIVES ON
E. Franklin Wittmack, the handicapped artist
who painted several annual posters for the Pres-ident's
Committee on Employment of the Phys-ically
Handicapped, died of a heart attack last
May. Although he had lived for several years
with a cardiac condition, he always threw himself
into the work on the NEPH posters with a special
zest.
The 1956 poster (shown on this page) is a self
portrait completed a few months before his death
and shows Wittmack as a thoughtful employer
looking out at the world and saying, "Hire the
Handicapped ! I Know It's Good Business."
Known to his friends as Ed, Wittmack was recog-nized
as one of the finest marine painters in
America and he has been called the "greatest liv-ing
marine artist" by Rube Goldberg, former pres-ident
of the National Cartoonists Society.
Other Wittmack NEPH posters include those
for 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1954. During World War
II, Mr. Wittmack visited hundreds of disabled
servicemen in the hospital wards and made
sketches for them. He collaborated with W. P. Mc-
Cahill, then a Captain in the U. S. Marine Corps, in
a war book, "Hit the Beach," published in 1943 and
notable for the fine pen and ink drawings depicting
Marine battles at Midway, Wake, Guadalcanal,
and Corregidor.
(From the Employment Security Review.)
PAGE 86 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 1951
' %^:
Old Dobbin moves over to make way for the automobile. In 1900, the U. S. had 11 million horses and only 8,000 automobiles.
Today, about SI million passenger cars and eight million motor trucks are in use in America.
Motor Vehicles Generate Employment For N.C. Workers
By Hugh M. Raper, Director, Bureau of Research and Statistics, ESC
Since the advent of the automobile in the early-part
of the century, the distribution, sales and ser-vicing
of the "car" has become an important area
of business in North Carolina.
Data from the 1954 Census of Manufactures and
the 1954 Census of Business shows that more than
5,600 business establishments carry on activities
which contribute to our motor vehicular travel, ex-cluding
of course, road building and commercial
transportation activities which have been described
in earlier issues of the ESC Quarterly. These cen-suses
show that more than 38,600 of North Caro-lina's
people are errmloyed in the following broad
pursuits: transnortation eanipment and parts man-ufacture
(4,925) ; automotive wholesale firms (3,-
480) ; new and used car dealerships (15,050) ; auto
accessories and parts (2.550) : oetroleum bulk tank
stations (4,200) ; and retail filling stations (8,400).
The gross wage pavments to these workers amount-ed
to more than $120,000,000 in 1954.
The nature of these businesses, particularly the
filling stations and the used car dealer groups, sug-gests
that only a relativelv small percentage of the
total number of establishments were covered by
unemployment insurance in the calendar year 1955
when the coverage was in terms of employing units
having eight or more workers for as many as twen-ty
weeks in a calendar year.
It is significant to note, however, that more than
four-fifths, (82.3%). of the State's motor vehicular
production, sales, distribution and service indus-tries
payroll was subiect to the Employment Secur-ity
program in 1955 before the lowered coverage
(4 or more) became effective. Similarly about
seven-tenths of the workers in these activities were
covered while less than one-fourth of the establish-ments
were insured; i. e., excluding some 2,350 ser-vice
stations of the 5,176 total operated by individ
ual proprietors who reported no wage payments tj
the Census Bureau.
The following summary data on insured firms!
workers, gross payrolls and earnings give a good pic
ture of the contribution of the motor vehicular in
dustry to the State's economy during 1955
:
Type of Business
No.
Firms
Insured
Workers
Total
Wage
Pavments
1955
Average
Weekly
Earnings
1955
Motor Vehicle Equipment and Parts
16
141
795
20
108
199
117
F 1 , 050
F2.575
15,350
225
1,675
4,400
1,450
$3,992,000
10,290,000
57,200,000
712,000
5,320,000
17,371,000
4,080,000
S 72.70
76.84
75.82
61.44
61.41
Automotive Wholesalers...
Retail Dealers—New and Used Cars.,
Used Car Dealers Onlv
Auto Accessories and Part Sales .. _
Retail Filling Stations. 54.48
1,396 26,725 t 98,965,000
The insured workers allied to the broad grou
engaged in the sales, service and distribution o
motor vehicles exceeds in number insured worker
in the processing of food and kindred products o
insured workers in apparel manufacture and th
annual payroll is likewise greater than that fo
either of these industries. In fact, the total insure
payroll (about $99 million) of this broad group ex
ceeds the insured payroll in the whole wood house
hold furniture manufacturing group ($96.4 million)
Much like the automobile's present day value t
the average individual, the automobile's contributio
to the State's economy has become an importan
component in our forward movement. There a;
ways remains with us the desire for better autc
mobiles ; better highways ; more travel ; and, the
greater job opportunities for individuals in the dis
tribution, sales, and servicing of our indispensabl
automobiles.
>UMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 87
NO MORE CRIES OF #GET A HORSE!'
Automobile Dealers Association Mas Nearly 1,000 Members
(Prepared by N. C. Automobile Dealers Assn.)
Cries of "Get A Horse, Bud", accompanied by
oud guffaws have long since died across the land,
md American families today take ownership of at
east one automobile or truck as much for granted
is eggs for breakfast.
It has been said that the wheel was the greatest
nvention of all time. Be that as it may, the wheel,
n the form of a motor vehicle, certainly revolution-zed
American living. Widespread travel by car
or business and pleasure has become common-
)lace; swift hauling by truck has made available
resh foods daily; and ease of transportation has
ifforded children the educational advantage of
arge, consolidated schools.
The Transportation Revolution did not spring
orth overnight. It evolved gradually through a
ystem of manufacturing and distribution second
o none the world has ever seen. From Charles
Duryea's first "gasoline driven buggy" in 1892,
;hrough Henry's Ford, today we have come to more
J;han 20 makes of automobiles to choose from and
pore than 15 kinds of trucks. And dealers have
panged as much as the cars. From a few hardy
|;ouls displaying cars as curiosities along with bug-gies
and hardware, the dealer group has grown to
|nore than 30,000 all over the nation.
j In North Carolina alone we have more than 1,000
flealers handling every make of car and truck under
franchise from the manufacturer. These North
Carolina dealers, each an independent businessman
n his own community, in a 1955 survey showed a
;otal investment in buildings, equipment, etc. of
?144,281,665.80 and a payroll of 20,465 employees
Nho have some 45,000 dependents.
As it has always been since caveman days, men
)f common interests come together to talk over
Ip'THC MATHESOHttAKCSFfRfECT
SCORf
Officers of the N. C. Automobile Dealers Associaton, left to right: Walter A. Deal, Asheville, vice-tresident;
John M. Tiller, Durham, president ; Charles G. Conn, Jr., Raleigh, immediate past-presi-lent;
Hal Hoyle, Sr., Lincolnton, secretary ; Mrs. Bessie B. Ballentine, Raleigh, executive secre-ary.
Joe A. Watkins, Oxford, treasurer, is not shown.
The Matheson, shown here, was a luxury car of 1907. It seated
seven, had a 50-horsepoioer engine, and sold for $5,500.
The top teas extra at $250.
mutual problems and ideas. These groups range
from the Tuesday lunch date with "the boys" to
large, comparatively formal Associations perform-ing
many and varied services for members. And so
it is with the North Carolina Automobile Dealers
Association which was begun in 1935 with one staff
member and has grown today into an organization
of close to 1,000 members with a staff of 20 persons.
Through the years NCADA has concentrated
its efforts on behalf of members in the fields of in-formation
and service. Dealers must constantly
cope with Federal and State government in the
fields of taxes, wage and hour legislation, insurance,
employment security, finance, and motor vehicle
registration and regula-tion.
New laws affecting
dealers in one or more of
these fields are passed an-nually,
and new regula-tions
and interpretations
of existing laws are made
almost daily.
To keep dealers in-formed
on business and
governmental matters,
NCADA in its infancy
published a monthly
magazine. This publica-tion
soon erave wav to a
weeklv bulletin, FLASH-ES,
still going out todav.
Not content to relv ex-
^usivelv on written in-formation,
the Associa-tion
has established a
svstem of elected and an-noiTi+
pd officials d^ienod
to take NCDA matters to
everv dealer on a nerson-al
basis. The State's
counties are divided into
PAGE 88 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 1956
22 Districts and each has a Director elected by deal-ers
in the District's counties. These men, together
with the Association Officers elected on a Statewide
basis, form the Board of Directors. Further the
NCADA President each year appoints one dealer in
every county whose responsibility it is keep dealers
in his area up-to-date on important matters and re-port
local opinion and requests to the Association.
One of the first services performed for members
by NCADA was compilation of statistics on regis-tration
of new motor vehicles in the State. Obvi-ously,
these figures are of primary concern to a
man selling motor vehicles, and it is interesting to
note that 2,629 new cars and trucks were register-ed
in the State in the month of October, 1938, as
compared to 14,061 in the month of October, 1955.
Another service to members, a group insurance
plan, was instituted in 1947 with a few hundred in-sured.
Today the Association offers four plans and
insures 8,160.
In an effort to cut down on-the-job accidents
among shop personnel the Association recently con-ducted
a year's Shop Safety program in cooperation
with National and State Departments of Labor.
From information furnished by the Labor Depart-ments,
NCADA compiled 21 monthly bulletins, each
covering a different shop hazard and what precau-tions
to take to avoid injury.
Apart from services to members, the Association
at the instigation of its members has carried on a
number of related projects in the public interest,
particularly in the field of highway safety. Per-haps
the largest of these was formation of the Caro-lina
Safety League, a program of free, voluntary
motor vehicle inspection. Under this program
dealers offered free inspection of brakes, lights,
tires and other safety features. In the year this
project was carried on, 210,00 vehicles were in-spected—
of which 58% were found safe and ap-proved;
35% were repaired and made safe; and
7% were rejected and the owners failed to author-ize
repairs.
North Carolina dealers in 1955 had more automo-biles
on loan to schools for driver training than any
One of America's first trucks teas the "Rapid" produced in
1902. This one was used as a sight-seeing bus.
"Electrics" were favorites in the earliest days of the
automobile.
other state in the union, according to the Nationa
Inter-Industry Highway Safety Committee. Work
ing in cooperation with the N.C. Department m
Public Instruction, dealers throughout the State lasl
year equipped 161 cars with dual controls, insurec
them and lent them free of charge to their loca
high schools.
Another recent Association project was the pur
chase and gift to 1,400 4-H Club Members of th(
official Motor Vehicle Department Book, "Traffii
Laws and Highway Safety."
Currently, the Association has undertaken ai
Arson Reward program in an effort to effect a lonj
range reduction for motorists in automobile im
surance rates. NCADA is offering $300 reward t<
any person in the State for information leading t<
the arrest and final conviction of an individual on
charge of burning a vehicle to collect insurance.
None of these varied undertakings could be car
ried on effectively without the wholehearted suppor
and cooperation of every North Carolina deale
member. What is a motor vehicle dealer like
The average one has been in business 20 years
87 % of those in this State belong to community or
ganizations such as Chambers of Commerce, Unitei
Funds, and PTA groups with 47% having held offic
in one or more of these organizations; and 32% o
N.C. dealers have held public office—either city
county or State, including the General Assembly.
No word on the North Carolina Automobile Deal
ers Association would be complete without mentio
of its Executive Secretary, Mrs. Bessie B. Bailer
tine. She and the Association are synonymous
Wife of North Carolina's Commissioner of Agri
culture L.Y. Ballentine, she has been with the oi
ganization since its beginning; and her zeal, driv
and determination have made it the strong, activ
group it is today.
And if "Miss Bessie", as she is affectionatel
known to dealers, has anything to say about it, th
North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association wi
continue to grow and progress as long as cars an
trucks ply the highways and dealers sell them.
,UMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 89
Folger Soon to Begin 50th Year In Automobile Business
The automobile industry's senior representative
n North Carolina, Lee A. Folger of Charlotte, be-gins
his 50th year in the auto business in Decem-
>er as owner of the largest Buick dealership in the
Carolinas.
Last year, Lee A. Folger, Inc., 900 South Tryon
street, Charlotte, sold some 2,111 new and used cars
or a volume of business in excess of four million
lollars. With about 100 persons employed by the
ompany, the average annual payroll amounts to
ipproximately $473,000.
Mr. Folger was born in Indiana. He moved to
^orth Carolina in 1900, becoming a clerk and book-keeper
in a hardware store in Greensboro. He re-named
in this position for seven years, entering
;he automobile business on December 24, 1907.
In 1909, Mr. Folger joined C. C. Coddington, in
harlotte, Buick distributor for the two Carolinas,
md the first automobile distributor in the area.
VLr. Folger says that was the beginning of Charlotte
is a distributing center, and he points out that to-lay
virtually all of the major automobile companies
lave factory sales branches in Charlotte.
Mr. Folger served as vice president and wholesale
nanager of the Coddington company until Mr. Codd-ngton's
death on December 4, 1928. He continued
;he corporation for the stockholders until June 30,
L929 when Buick Motor Company took over the
company as a factory branch in Charlotte. Mr.
folger then became GM zone manager until 1937
when he began his own business.
An interesting sidelight of Mr. Folger's associa-tion
with C. C. Coddington, Inc. involves a train re-erred
to back then as "Folger's Folly." Shortly
ifter World War I, with railroad equipment scarce,
lecessitating the driving of automobiles from the
Michigan factories or, doing without them, with
:he roads in poor condition and rail service in some
ireas not any too good, Mr. Folger got the idea
hat Coddington, as distributor, could operate its
)wn train and get plently of new cars from Michi-gan
to North Carolina. He met with the leading
Buick dealers in the Carolinas and got them to go
ilong with him on the venture.
The company purchased 50 flat cars and became
inown as the only automobile firm in the country to
Lee A. Folger's, Inc., plant at Charlotte, one of the best known
Buick dealerships in the Carolinas.
Lee A. Folger, Charlotte Buick dealer. "Folger's Folly"
paid dividends.
(Charlotte Observer Photo.)
buy a new train. The purchase also became known
among some other dealers as "Folger's Folly." But
after a year's operation when Mr. Folger presented
operational costs and profits to Mr. Coddington, the
figures showed that the operation was anything but
a "folly." The dealers got more cars, realized more
profit on a car that had not been driven from Mich-igan
as had been the case, and in addition to that
actually showed a profit on the rail operation in
freight fees.
Lee A. Folger, Inc. operates from a main plant
that provides some 75,000 square feet of floor space.
In addition to that there's a body and paint depart-ment
in another building, and two used car lots. A
total of 143,450 square feet of space is utilized by
the company. The firm
has been at its present
location since June 1,
1940.
Mr. Folger serves as
president of the com-pany,
and his son, Spen-cer
Folger, is vice presi-dent
and general mana-ger.
Clarence E. Wil-liams
is secretary and
treasurer.
Mr. Folger saw service
in both World Wars, vol-unteering
for duty each
time. During the first
World War, he served
PAGE 90 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-Fall, 1 95<
overseas in the Air Service, non-flying, then known
as the "Signal Corps Aviation Section", being dis-charged
as a captain. In World War II, Mr. Folger
served as a lieutenant-colonel with duty in Washing-ton
and Detroit and other cities throughout the coun-try.
His duties were with the motor vehicle prepara-tion
unit of the Ordnance Department.
He is a member of the Board of Directors, and
former chairman of Carolina Motor Club and has
been active in the Masonic Order and Shrine. A
member of the Shrine Hospital board of governors,
he helped organize the annual Shrine Bowl football
game.
He was twice president of the Charlotte Automo-bile
Dealers Association; one of the organizers and
first president (1920-21) of the Carolinas' Auto-mobile
Trade Association, which was later dividet
into two separate organizations, one for each State
the North Carolina unit now being known as thi
North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association
He has served as a director of the Charlotte Cham
ber of Commerce (1920-21) ; a director of the Unioi
National Bank of Charlotte (1929-32), retirinj
from that position when he accepted full time em
ployment with General Motors ; director of McClarei
Rubber Company, formerly of Charlotte, later sol<
to Dayton Rubber Company; other civic responsi
bilities from time to time were discharged, includ
ing Red Cross and Salvation Army Advisory Coun
cils, American Legion (Commander Post No. 64)
(Revised by Firm.)
John Flanagan Buggy Company Celebrates 90th Anniversary
The John Flanagan Buggy Company, one of the
leading automobile dealers in North Carolina, is
celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.
The Greenville company, oldest business firm in
Pitt County, was started in the days immediately
after the Civil War as a little buggy making shop
by John Flanagan, one of the outstanding business
and civic leaders in Pitt County during the latter
part of the 19th century.
Today, John Flanagan's grandson, E. Graham
Flanagan, is heading a company well known in
North Carolina as one of the leading Ford dealers
in the State.
While people today associate the name Flanagan
with Ford automobiles, trucks and farm imple-ments,
over half of the company's lifetime—as the
name implies—was devoted exclusively to the pro-duction
of the finest buggies in the South. And
although the company has very successfully made
the transition from the buggies to the Thunderbird,
it still retains its original name, The John Flanagan
Buggy Company.
Although the company takes the year 1866 as
the actual year of its founding, the company which
was its predecessor actually in existence prior
to the Civil War. The
firm's founder, John
Flanagan, was born Feb-ruary
6, 1828 in Farm-ville.
When he was 18,
he came to Greenville
and served as an appren-tice
in the Nelson Car-riage
Factory. Three
years later he moved to
Washington where he be-came
a journeyman in
the buggy manufactur-ing
business. After sev-eral
years in Washington
he moved to Hamilton
where before the out-break
of the Civil War he
had begun his own buggy
manufacturing business.
At the outbreak of the
war, Mr. Flanagan closed
his shop and joined the
Confederate troops.
When he returned to Hamilton after the war, m
found that his factory had been destroyed by fir
during Foster's raid through this section of thi
State. He began operations again in 1866 and tw<
years later the John Flanagan Buggy Compam
moved its buggy manufacturing plant to Greenville
In 1902, the founder of the company died, an(
the business was carried on by his son, the late E
G. Flanagan of Greenville, and associates. In 1932
E. Graham Flanagan, Jr. and John Flanagan, son:
of E. G. Flanagan, bought into the firm.
It was in April, 1914, that the company signed ;
contract with Ford Motor Company for distributioi
and sale of Ford cars and trucks. Later in the sam<
year, the company also took on the sale of Buick an(
Oakland automobiles together with Pope and Indiai
motorcycles. The Buick and Oakland franchise:
were surrendered by the company in 1918, but th<
Ford franchise continues.
Even after the company began handling automo
(Continued on page 120)
Home of John Flanagan Buggy Company, Greenville.
(Photo by Bill Taylor, Greenville.)
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 91
Carpenters — Four Generations of Automobile Salesmen
Four generations of
Carpenters have sold and
serviced Chevrolet.
That's the way a full
age layout in the Dur-ham
Morning Herald's
(Centennial edition was
headed on April 26, 1953.
The special page feature
was appropriate, too for
Parpenter's was marking
jits 60th anniversary.
Now in its 63rd year,
the present firm had its
beginning back in 1893
when J. E. Carpenter
opened a small grocery
-store at the site where
Hobinson Tobacco is now
located in East Durham.
^n 1901, J. E. Carpenter
and his brother J. W.
Carpenter, together with
their father, Duane Car-penter,
formed a part-nership
to deal in heavy
groceries, feedstuffs, wa-gons
and buggies. This
business was located on
Parrish Street.
In 1910 the firm began
to sell Metz Automobiles
and Kohler Trucks from
Catalog pictures. Both of these lines were chain
driven, similar to a present day bicycle and the
Kohler truck was cranked from the side.
During the period 1912 to 1915, the firm became
the first Ford dealer and the first Dodge dealer in
Durham. In 1915, the company secured the Chev-rolet
agency and since that time has been the
Chevrolet dealer although the firm has incorporated
and somewhat changed names in that time. During
the years, the firm also handled and sold the follow-ing
line of cars: Pullman, Oakland, Oldsmobile,
Liberty and Elgin Cars.
The company was known as Carpenter Bros, un-til
1923, when the sons of J. E. Carpenter came into
the business. From 1923 until 1933, the firm was
known as Carpenter Motor Company. In 1933, it
was incorporated and became Carpenter's, Inc.
During its early years, the firm occupied various
buildings around Church and Parrish Streets. In
1923, due to congestion and lack of space, a three-story
building was erected on East Main Street to
house the dealership. Later, another three-story
building was added and a one-story service depart-ment
had to be erected to meet business needs.
The firm continued to expand and in the past few
years, the company has completely renovated and
remodeled the first three-story building that was
erected and has also added a large, modern, build-ing
used as a truck showroom and garage. One of
the three-story buildings, including an indoor show-room
and lots on both sides, is devoted exclusively
to used car business.
Today, the great-grandsons of Duane Carpenter
Main plant and new car showroom of Carpenter's, Inc., Durham.
are selling from 616 E. Main St. some of the same
customers that started trading with the Carpenters
when they sold wagons and buggies in 1901. In the
special edition layout, pictures were carried of three
of the longtime customers. Under the pictures
were these lines: "These three gentlemen have
traded with four generations same as hundreds of
other good people of Durham have done."
The company, one of the oldest auto dealers in the
State, was featured in "The Chevrolet Dealers
News," a national trade publication.
Present officers of the company are Marcus G.
Carpenter, Chairman of the Board; Marcus G. Car-penter,
Jr., President; Stanley M. Carpenter, Secre-tary-
Treasurer; and J. W. Carpenter, Vice-Presi-dent.
APPLE PICKERS ARE* RECRUITED
FOR RECORD CROP IN WEST N. C.
Workers, both out-of-state and local, were recruited this
fall by the Employment Security Commission of North Caro-line
to help harvest what was reported as the heaviest ap-ple
crop in many years in the State's western and north-western
counties.
Out-of-state apple pickers were brought in to work in Sur-ry,
Yadkin and Stokes counties, and local labor was rounded
up throughout the apple-producing area.
Two ESC field men, Dennis Smithwick and Paul Nance,
were transferred from the Washington office to North
Wilkesboro to assist apple growers and packers in lining
up workers. Some of the heavy apple-producing counties
for which workers were recruited include Surry, Yadkin,
Stokes, Alexander, Wilkes, Transylvania, Buncombe, Hay-wood,
and Henderson.
PAGE 92 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 195^
Overall view of the plant of the North State Chevrolet Company, Greensboro, showing the main offices at right, used car
lot at left, and service facilities in background.
North Stale Chevrolet Company: A Leader In Piedmont NX.
North State Chevrolet Company of Greensboro
celebrated its 20th anniversary two years ago by
moving into a new $400,000 home at 451 North
Eugene Street. Now in its 22nd year of service to
the motoring public, the company has risen from an
operation that started with capital of around $15,000
to become one of Piedmont North Carolina's leading
automobile dealers with capitalization at the three-quarter
million mark.
North State was organized in February, 1934, by
T. A. Williams and J. E. Miller and opened for busi-ness
in a brick building at Bellemeade Street and
Commerce Place. Sometime later, to secure larger
quarters, the company was moved across the street
into a building formerly used as a tobacco ware-house.
That structure was city-owned property,
and when the city decided to convert the building
into a farmers curb market in the mid-40's, North
State moved to a location on West Market Street,
just in front of the Post Office, known as the Boren
Building. When it was found that more space was
needed, the company acquired the adjoining Smith
Building. But even those quarters proved inade-quate
in some respects, especially regarding out-side
parking, and North State purchased property
on which its new home is located. The company
moved into its modernistic plant February 1, 1954.
Situated on a large corner lot containing about
two acres of ground, the North State building pro-vides
approximately 50,000 square feet of floor
space. Adjacent to the building are large off-street
parking areas and a used car lot.
The two-story front section of the big L-shaped
structure houses the showroom, sales and general
offices, and the parts sales department. The parts
department is one of the area's largest and most
modernly equipped. About a half of the second
story is given over to storage facilities for the heavy
and bulky parts and accessories. The remaining half
contains restrooms, ladies lounge, storage room,
printing room, offices and a large room for confer-ences
and organizational meetings. A feature of
this room is a completely equipped snack bar or
kitchen.
All types of the largest service equipment and
facilities are to be found in the large service depart-ment,
offering complete service for the care and re-pair
of cars. Twin post lifts are available to each
mechanic. A heavy truck servicing area also is
provided, along with a large body repair department
All service and repair operations are directed from
a dispatcher's tower, which provides the operator
with a full view of the entire shop. The operator,
through the tower's communication system, directs
the flow of work through the shop.
North State, employing between 85 and 90 per-sons,
sells around 700 new Chevrolet cars and trucks
a year. In addition, something like 1,000 used ve-hicles
are sold each year, giving the company a total
annual volume of business of around $3,000,000.
The firm has been operated by Mr. Williams and
Mr. Miller since its organization. Sometime after
the firm was founded, J. L. Jones joined the com-pany
and now is secretary-treasurer.
Mr. Williams, the company president, is a graduate
of the University of North Carolina, receiving his
degree in 1925, and is a native of Rockingham Coun-ty.
He is a past president of the N. C. Auto Dealers
Association and served as highway safety chairman
of the State association for several years. He for-merly
operated Chevrolet dealerships in Mebane and
Winston-Salem.
Mr. Miller, the company vice-president, is a native
of Croton-On-the-Hudson, N. Y. He is a former dis-trict
representative of the Chevrolet Motor Division
of General Motors. Before that, he was with the
overseas operation of General Motors.
The company's secretary-treasurer, Mr. Jones, is
a native of Greensboro. He came up "through the
ranks," serving as salesman, and sales manager.
Mr. Williams' son, T. A. Williams, Jr., is serving
as business manager in charge of purchase and per-sonnel.
He is a graduate of the General Motors In-stitute
at Flint, Mich., one of the leading schools in
automotive merchandising.
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 93
From the Bicycle Business io Cadillac-Olds Dealership
G. C. Thomas, presi-ient
and manager of
rhomas Cadillac-Olds,
tnc., has been selling au-
;omobiles in Charlotte
>ince 1918, but he got his
start in the automobile
)usiness even earlier
han that.
Mr. Thomas, a native
)f Forsyth County, mov-d
to Winston - Salem
vhen he was 22 and went
nto the bicyle business,
t wasn't long though
—
n 1906—that he opened
i garage for the sales
md servicing of Cadil-acs,
said to be the first
Jarage of any kind in
Winston-Salem.
' In 1918, Mr. Thomas
inoved to Charlotte. His
prst garage in that city
jvas located on East
Fifth Street. In the fol-lowing
years, it has
hifted locations three
imes—from Fifth Street
was moved to South
Pryon Street, then to the
^oddington Building on
Vest Trade, and finally to the present building on
^orth Church, which was occupied in 1942.
Today, Thomas Cadillac-Olds is selling some 3,500
:ars a year, including new and used autos, for an
tnnual volume of business approximating eight mil-ion
dollars. There are about 130 persons employed
>y the company and the annual pavroll amounts to
ome $582,000.
The company is housed in a four-story plant at
Thomas Cadillac-Olds Company plant in Charlotte.
214-220 North Church Street that provides over
42,000 square feet of floor space. It was occupied in
1942 and purchased outright by Thomas Cadillac-
Olds, Inc. on May 4, 1949. The company then car-ried
out a complete modernization and remodeling
program.
The building includes a spacious showroom, a
(Continued on page 126)
'We Want to Know All of Our Customers . . . That's Important'
''We're a small business operation. We never
vant to get so big we won't know all of our custom-rs."
That's the way Rupert Atkins, president and gen-ial
manager of Atkins Motors, Inc., of Raleigh, ex-
)lains his company's position in the highly competi-ive
automobile business.
Rupert Atkins has been selling Nash automobiles
ince 1929 with the exception of four years during
Vorld War II when he was with the Air Force.
Actually, Mr. Atkins got his start with the Nash
teople back in 1923 when he went to work with the
>ld Nash Motor Sales Company, located where San-lers
Motor Company now has its plant.
In 1928, the old Nash Motor Sales Company went
>ut of business, and in 1929, Mr. Atkins joined with
wo brothers to organize their own company. They
pened for business at a location on Salisbury Street,
le recalls the rough sledding during the depression
ears when they "worked night and day" to keep the
ompany going. In 1946, the company moved to its
present location.
Today, the company—as Mr. Atkins will tell you
—
is not a big operation, but it is a successful one.
With a staff of 15 persons, the company shoots at a
goal of 120 new car sales a year. In addition to the
showroom and garage at 108 South Blount Street,
the company has a used car lot at 218 East Morgan
Street, and a service lot at 1 12 South Blount Street.
The company is proud of its closely-knit "family"
relationship among the employees. B. L. Brown,
service manager, has been with the Atkins Company
since 1929. Mr. Atkins serves as president and gen-eral
manager; C. C. Lupton is secretary: and Jerome
Council is parts manager.
Mr. Atkins, a native of Wake County, celebrated
his 25th anniversary as a Nash dealer in 1954. Over
the years, he's built up a wide circle of friends, and
on this he places much value. "We're not big," he
says, "and never expect to be big. We want to know
all of our customers, to keep that personal contact,
That's important to us."
PAGE 94 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 1956
New, Colonial-design home of Stabler Pontiac Company and Stabler Car Company, Winston-Salem.
HARVEY MOTOR COMPANY
THEY STARTED WITH THE PEERLESS;
NOW A LEADING CHEVROLET DEALER
The Harvey Motor Company, one of the largest
Chevrolet dealers in Eastern North Caorolina, has
come a long way since 1924 when the company open-ed
its doors and began selling Peerless cars.
Today, under the guidance of Leo H. Harvey, the
company is selling some 400 new Chevrolet cars and
trucks each year from a new, modern plant on the
Greenville Highway in Kinston.
The company was started by Mr. Harvey in 1924.
He was associated with his father in L. Harvey and
Son Company, a department and general supply store
in Kinston. Mr. Harvey founded Carolina Peerless
Company at the corner of Blount and Heritage
Streets in Kinston, and became the agent for the
Peerless car. During that same year, Carolina Peer-less
also began selling Chevrolet automobiles.
In 1934, the company moved to 409 North Queen
Street and began selling Oldsmobile automobiles,
along with Chevrolets. Eventually, the Oldsmobile
franchise was discontinued and the firm began sell-ing
Buicks and Chevrolets. Buicks were sold by the
company until 1949 when the Buick franchise was
discontinued and the company began selling Chev-rolet
cars and trucks exclusively.
Harvey Motor Company moved into its large, up-to-
date plant on the Greenville Highway in 1953.
The plant, covering some four acres, features an at-tractive
display area and a service department that
offers the motorist the most modern equipment avail-able
to insure expert care of his automobile. The
building was designed by company officials who
"checked out" even the smallest detail. There are
some 23 working stalls in the service department,
with 10 hydraulic lifts in operation. Adjacent to the
new building is a large used car lot. The company
has a working force of some 46 persons.
Company officials, in addition to Mr. Harvey, pres-ident,
are: George G. Harper, vice-president; R. L.
STABLER PONTIAC COMPANY BOASTS
SPACIOUS, COLONIAL-DESIGN PLANT
Boasting one of the finest plants in this part of
the country, the Stabler Pontiac Company and the
Stabler Motor Car Company of Winston-Salem are
selling Pontiacs and the German-made Volkswagen
automobile from their spacious quarters at 101 S.
Stratford Road.
Owned and operated by Louis Stabler, Sr., and
Louis Stabler, Jr., the company last year sold some
560 new Pontiacs and 1,180 used cars. Volume of
business came to about $3,009,000.
Mr. Stabler, Sr., a native of Virginia, started his
Pontiac dealership in 1943. Before moving to its
new home on South Stratford Road three years ago,
Stabler Pontiac Company operated at a location next
to City Hall in downtown Winston-Salem. The Sta-bler
Motor Car Company acquired exclusive Volks-wagen
dealership last year.
The company's new home, of Colonial design, oc
cupies some 11 acres, and cost approximately $300,
000. It provides 21,000 square feet of space in the
modern service department, 4,000 square feet in the
beautifully decorated showroom, and 8,000 square
feet of space in the parts department. A feature of
the service department, constructed without columns
to provide the maximum in floor space, is a dynamo-meter
which enables mechanics to test a car's operat-ing
performance under simulated road conditions.
When opening ceremonies were held for the new
building, a crowd of 15,000 persons attended.
Some 57 persons are employed by the company
which also operates a used car lot adjacent to its
plant.
Kirk, secretary-treasurer; E. G. Barrett, Jr., man-ager;
James D. Turner, new car sales manager;
F. M. Pittman, truck sales manager; C. A. Gran-tham,
parts manager ; W. A. Heath, service manager
;
and George Elliott Brown, office manager.
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 95
DEAL BUICK CO. OF ASHEVILLE—
SALES, SERVICE IN WESTERN N. C.
The company known today as Deal Buick, Inc., of
Asheville was organized in 1930 by E. 0. Thomas
in the same building- currently occupied by Deal
Buick. At that time the company had about 15
employees and only one telephone with two exten-sions.
Today Deal Buick employs about 65 persons
and its large plant is served by a switchboard with
22 extensions.
Deal Buick does an annual volume of business of
about 2i/> million dollars. The annual payroll will
amount to about $200,000. Walter A. Deal, presi-dent
and general manager of the company, and a
native of Salisbury, joined Thomas Buick in 1934
as secretary and treasurer. In December, 1946, Mr.
Thomas was killed in the Wynecoff hotel fire in At-lanta,
Ga. and in January of 1947, Mr. Deal pur-chased
controlling interest in the firm. The com-pany
continued to be operated under the name of
Thomas Buick Company until 1954, at which time
it was incorporated as Deal Buick.
Deal Buick does its own financing through Ashe-ville
Acceptance Corp. which is actually a depart-ment
of Deal Buick, being organized by this firm.
Eight persons are employed by Asheville Acceptance
Corp.
As Deal Buick business expanded, the company
took over a building that adjoins the plant at 84
Coxe Avenue. Some 37,600 square feet of building
floor space is available for the company's use and a
large portion of this is utilized by a complete service
Deal Buick Company, Asheville. At left is unique "drive-in
shed" where motorist leaves auto for service, picks
it up when job is completed.
isiwjja
jjjllltlf
ft||
Radiator repair section in service department of Deal Buick.
Company, Asheville. This is a busy section, with much work
being done on tractor and bulldozer radiators, in addition to
usual auto work.
department, body shop, and large parts department.
Deal Buick maintains an inventory of some $50,000
in parts, a necessity in this area because of transpor-tation
difficulties. The company does much uphol-stery
work, has a complete radiator department that
is utilized at times by tractor and bulldozer opera-tors,
and in addition to regular service department
functions, frame straightening, painting, underrat-ing,
and polishing, Deal provides motorists with
quick lubrications and tune-up jobs.
The entire service pro-cedure
is supervised from
a control tower. This
tower takes over from the
moment a motorist drives
his car under a unique
"drive-in shed" until the
time it is ready for de-livery.
Deal Buick with its
complete service arrange-ments
has been featured in
a Buick trade magazine.
Ernest Ogle is sales man-ager
of the company.
T&B Oldsmobile~27 Years of Service In Fayelleville
T & B Oldsmobile, Inc., one of Eastern Carolina's
oldest and largest Oldsmobile dealers, is now in its
27th year of continuous operation in Fayetteville.
In January of this year the company moved into a
spacious, modernistic plant located at 929 Bragg
Blvd.
In December, 1929, George Tinnin and Lawrence
Blackwood formed a partnership that was the be-ginning
of T & B Oldsmobile. Mr. Tinnin had first
come to the Fayetteville area in February, 1925, as
operator of a service station and garage at Fort
Bragg. It was on December 27, 1929, that Mr. Tin-nin
and Mr. Blackwood formed the T&B Super
Service. Operations of T & B Super Service wTere
moved from Fort Bragg to Fayetteville at the corner
of Franklin and Maxwell Streets. Mr. Tinnin main-tained
his service station and garage business at
Fort Bragg until 1937.
T&B Super Service, specializing in brake service,
maintained complete auto repair service with a staff
of six men. The company purchased the first brake
testing machine for four-wheel mechanical brakes to
be used in the Fayetteville section. The company
also was among the first to bring into the area a
wheel alignment machine. In those days T&B also
PAGE 96 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 1956
had dealership for Hupmobile and B. F. Goodrich
tires.
In 1932, T & B moved to 400 Hay Street where the
business remained until the recent move to Bragg
Blvd. In 1937, T & B secured the dealership for
Oldsmobile cars and GMC trucks.
The company is operating in one of the South's
most modern buildings equipped for service to the
motoring public. Adjacent to the new building is a
large fully paved used car lot with its own office.
The company now has approximately 70 employees.
George William Tinnin, co-owner of T & B Olds-mobile,
Inc., was born in Alamance County near Bur-lington.
A member and past president of the Fay-etteville
Kiwanis Club, he has been active in civic
and community activities in Fayetteville, Fort Bragg,
and Cumberland County. He has been a member of
the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce for the past
25 years and has been on the board of directors sev-eral
years. He is a charter member of the Haymount
Modernistic new home of Td-B Oldsmobile, Fayetteville.
foreground is company's large used car lot.
Methodist Church where he serves as chairman of
the board of trustees.
Lawrence Blackwood, executive manager of the
office, was born in Chapel Hill. Before becoming
associated with Mr. Tinnin in 1929, he worked for
one year with the post exchange at Fort Bragg. Mr.
Blackwood is a member of the Fayetteville Rotary
Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He is an act-ive
member of the Hay Street Methodist Church, and
now serves on the official board of the church.
George Craig Stewart, Jr., who joined T & B in
October, 1954, is general manager. Graduate of the
United States Military Academy at West Point in
1945, he is a veteran of combat duty in Korea. He
is a member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Co-lumbus
and is a member of St. Patrick's Catholic
Church.
T & B's large used car department is managed by
Festus Spell.
Parkland Chevrolet Company: Parts Business Thrives, Too
The Parkland Chevrolet Company, Inc., of Ashe-ville,
was organized in 1938 by Thomas D. Hunter,
who had previously served as Chevrolet factory man-ager
for North Carolina and South Carolina with
headquarters in Charlotte.
Parkland, with a staff of about 65 employees, sells
some 600 to 700 new Chevrolet cars and trucks a
year. In addition the company sells from 900 to
1,000 used cars and trucks yearly.
Parkland's parts department, with an inventory
of about $100,000, does a large volume of business
both retail and wholesale. The company operates a
wholesale parts truck that calls on dealers and
garages and other wholesale accounts over a large
part of Western North Carolina. The company has
one of the most complete automotive service depart-ments
in Western North Carolina, plus a large paint
and body shop that is equipped with a Devilbis paint
booth and baking oven. Parkland is one of the area's
Parts and accessories department of Parkland Chevrolet Com-pany,
Ashcville, one of largest and most
complete in that rea.
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 97
leading auto painters, painting over 400 cars a year.
The company owns the two-and-a-half story build-ing
it occupies at 50 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. Some
42,000 square feet of floor space is contained in the
structure.
In addition to Mr. Hunter, company president,
other officers of the firm are: Joseph L. Hunter, a
son of Thomas D. Hunter, who is vice-president and
general manager; J. A. Campbell, secretary and
treasurer; and Robert C. Hunter, another son of
Thomas D. Hunter, who is general sales manager.
Joseph Hunter joined his father in the firm in 1940.
Robert C. Hunter came with the company this year.
Parkland operates a used car lot adjacent to its
plant at 50 Coxe Avenue and in addition the com-pany
has a used car office and lot in Candler, N. C.
Parkland Chevrolet Company, Asheville, showing used car
lot at right.
This Company Specializes In Foreip and Sports Cars
One North Carolina company that has taken note
of the ever-growing interest in foreign and sports
cars is Alexander and Mann Motor Company of
Greensboro, a firm that devotes itself exclusively to
these lines of cars.
The company, located at 234 Commerce Place in
Greensboro, sells and services the Volkswagen, MG,
Triumph, Porsche, Austin-Healy, and Jaguar.
Alexander and Mann Motor Company now sells
about 350 of these cars a year, with people coming
from throughout North Carolina and from neigh-boring
states to purchase the automobiles.
The company was started June 30, 1951 by Rai B.
Alexander and a son-in-law, Peter F. Mann, who later
sold his interest in the firm to Mr. Alexander's son,
Edward H. Alexander. The company now is owned
and operated by the Alexander father-and-son team.
Prior to the organization of the Alexander and Mann
Motor Company, Mr. Alexander was in the general
auto repair business in Greensboro for 24 years.
Alexander and Mann, with 13 employees, operates
a service department designed to handle the various
lines of foreign and sports cars, and has a fully-equipped
parts and service department and paint and
body shop.
The MG and Austin-Healy are made in Coventry,
Volkswagens sold by Alexander and Mann Motor Company,
Greensboro.
England by British Motor Corp., the Triumph is
made by Standard Motor Co. in England, the Porsche
is made by Porsche Manufacturing Company in Ger-many,
the Volkswagen by the Volkswagen company
in Germany and the Jaguar is manufactured by
Jaguar Cars, Ltd., England. Alexander and Mann
deal through distributors in this country. Capital
Car Distributors is the firm handling Volkswagen;
Imperial Motors of Hampton, Va., handles MG and
Austin-Healy; Hoffman Porsche Company of New
York is distributor of Porsche cars ; and Southeast-ern
Motors at Hollywood, Fla., is distributor for
Triumph. The Jaguar distributor is Jaguar of
North America, New York.
Alexander and Mann Motor Company picks up the
cars in New York, Washington, Florida, and Charles-ton,
S. C. and other ports of arrival. They are driven
back to Greensboro if the number received is less
than five. If live or more cars arrive, they are trans-ported
by trailer.
Mr. Alexander says that the Volkswagen is the
cheapest of the cars he handles and that it sells the
fastest. He says he usually has orders from cus-tomers
far in advance of actual delivery of the cars.
A franchised Volkswagen dealer, Mr. Alexander is
enthusiastic about the car. He says it is almost
trouble free, durable and
cruises easily at 55-60
miles an hour with its
four-cylinder, air-cooled
motor that's installed in
the rear of the car. One
thing he points out: The
fan belt is the lifeline of
the Volkswagen and an
extra fan belt is provided
each Volkswagen buyer.
The purchaser also re-ceives
a service kit with
instructions on how to
make minor repairs.
PAGE 98 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY Summer-fall, 1956
Yarhoroucfh Motor Company, Inc. Began Operations In 1934
The Yarborough Motor Company of Fayetteville,
one of the better known Dodge-Plymouth dealers in
Eastern North Carolina, was founded in March, 1934
by Wilson Yarborough and began selling Packard
automobiles from a location on Gillespie Street. The
company operated there until April, 1936, at which
time the firm bought the Lewis Motor Company and
signed a franchise with Dodge and Plymouth.
The company operated as Yarborough Motor Com-pany
until January, 1950, when it was incorporated
after Mr. Yarborough's son, Wilson, Jr., purchased
a 50 per cent interest in the firm. Mr. Yarborough,
Sr. and his wife retained a 50 per cent interest in
the company. Yarborough Motor Company now is
under the direction of Wilson Yarborough, Jr., who
is president and general manager. Wilson Yarbor-ough,
Sr. is vice-president and his wife is the com-pany
secretary-treasurer.
Yarborough Motor Company, with some 50 em-ployees,
sells about 300 new Dodge and Plymouth
cars and Dodge trucks a year.
Mr. Yarborough, Sr. was elected to the State
House of Representatives in 1955 and was re-elected
for the 1957 term of the General Assembly. He is
a past president of the North Carolina Automobile
Dealers Association, having served in 1954-55. Mr.
Yarborough also has served as president of the local
association which he helped organize. He has served
as member of the Board of Directors of the State
Association for nine years. Mr. Yarborough also
has served as Fayetteville City Councilman.
Mr. Yarborough, Jr. started working in the com-pany's
shop while still in high school. He is a grad-uate
of the 1951 class of the University of North
Auto display at YartorougTi Motor Company, Fayetteville.
Carolina, receiving a degree in Business Adminis
tration. He spent two years in the Air Force as a
Lieutenant, serving one year in Japan.
CAPE FEAR MOTOR SALES SELLING
FORDS IN SOUTHEASTERN SECTION
One of the larger Ford dealerships in Southeastern
North Carolina is Cape Fear Motor Sales, 215-217
Market Street, Wilmington.
The firm is now under the direction of P. R. Smith,
Jr., son of one of the earlier owners of the company.
In its early history, the company's ownership chang-ed
several times, but the firm is now largely owned
by the P. R. Smith family, with the C. B. Parmlee
interests owning 25 percent of the company.
The company was organized in 1915 by John
Chipley, who owned and operated the firm until 1928.
Cape Fear Motor Hales, Wilmington. Service department is
at extreme left.
In that year, P. R. Smith bought the company and
operated it until 1933 when it was acquired by the
J. R. Mauldin interests. In 1936, the company was
purchased by C. B. Parmlee and in 1940, P. R. Smith
again bought back into the firm.
From 1936 until 1942, the company was known
as Mauldin Motors, Inc. In 1942, it was incorporated
as Cape Fear Motor Sales, Inc.
In 1946, the company became a limited partner-ship,
operated by the P. R. Smith family, selling
Ford cars and trucks, and farm implements. The I
farm implement line was taken on in 1945 but in
1953 this phase of the business was discontinued
when the farm equipment business was sold.
P. R. Smith, Sr., who died in February, 1952, was
a native of Elizabethtown. He got his start in the
automotive industry there in 1915 when he was 20
years old, founding the P. R. Smith Company. He
moved to Wilmington in 1928 and during the years
also had dealerships in Fayetteville, Gastonia, White-ville,
and Dunn.
His son, P. R. Smith, Jr., now is partner and gen-eral
manager of Cape Fear Motor Sales. C. H.
Spooner, who has been with the firm 25 years, is
sales manager. L. M. Tapp is service manager, Stra-ley
Hatcher is office manager, and Roger Miller is
parts manager.
The company, employing about 65 persons, sells
over 500 Ford cars and trucks a year, and over 900
used vehicles.
Summer-fall, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 99
Carolina Garage, Inc. —A Leader In the Sale of Macks
Carolina Garage, Inc. of
Winston-Salem, consistently
one of the country's leaders in
sales of Mack trucks and bus-ses,
was founded in 1936 by
John L. Reich, a Winston-
Salem native.
The company, which moved
into a new building in 1947,
began operations in a building
on Cherry Street, between
Fifth and Sixth Streets, now
occupied by Colonial Stores.
On May 4, 1936, Mr. Reich
sold his first truck to the Wa-chovia
Oil Company. Later
that month, C. D. Kenney pur-chased
a Mack and before the
year was out, Mr. Reich had
sold five units. The new ope-ration
was under way.
By 1941, sales had reached
annual volume of over a hun-dred
units, and now the com-pany
sells from 300 to 400 units a year. For 14 years
Carolina Garage has sold more Mack trucks and bus-ses
than any other dealer in the country.
The company moved from its Cherry Street loca-tion
to larger quarters at the intersection of Waugh-town
and Main Streets, but with expanded business
came the need for an even larger plant. In 1947,
the company moved into its new quarters at 201
Waughtown Street.
The plant covers five acres and contains over
37,000 square feet of floor space. It features a well-stocked
parts department, with over 15,000 different
parts on hand, the inventory amounting to about
$300,000, and distributes parts over three states.
The company says it can build an entire truck out
of its own stock. The main shop floor contains over
15,000 square feet of floor space, room to service
many trucks simultaneously.
The service department is equipped with modern
testing devices, including a dynamometer for check-ing
performance and horsepower of a tractor, equip-ment
for diesel pump inspection and repair, general
motor overhaul, and painting and body work.
Interior view of ivell-stocked parts department, of Carolina
Garage, Inc.. Winston-Salem.
Main plant, Carolina Garage. Inc., Winston-Salem.
The company, with about 60 employees, now does
a gross annual business of from four to five million
dollars. In addition to handling the Mack units,
Carolina Garage also sells and services the Divco
trucks, a specialized truck for dairymen, laundry-men,
and other businesses requiring door-to-door,
local delivery.
Mr. Reich, the company's founder, is its president
and general manager. He was born and reared in
Winston-Salem. In 1949, the Mack Company asked
Mr. Reich to serve on its Advisory Council, and the
following year he served again and was elected chair-man
of the Council.
His wife, Mrs. Lillian R. Reich, is company secre-tary;
a daughter, Mrs. Daphne R. Diemer is vice-president;
and his son-in-law, Forrest Diemer, who
has been active in the business since 1946, is vice-president
and assistant manager. Poe W. Eskridge,
Jr., is sales manager.
It urns rough going on the first transcontinental trip
hy ?notor truck.
PAGE 100 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY SUMMER-FALL, 1956
By Jesse F. Jones, Jr., Executive Secretary,
N. C. Automotive Wholesalers Association, Inc.
The North Carolina Automotive Wholesalers Asso-ciation
is composed of business firms throughout the
State who are wholesale distributors of automotive
equipment, supplies, accessories, tools and parts.
The industry in North Carolina is composed of
over 300 independent firms, employing nearly 5,000
employees.
The principal role of the automotive wholesaler in
North Carolina's economy is to supply the merchan-dise
necessary to repair and properly maintain in
safe operating condition, the thousands of automo-biles,
trucks and buses in our State.
The automotive wholesaler stocks and maintains
in his warehouse, the necessary parts, equipment
and supplies to service the hundreds of different
makes and models of automobiles owned by North
Carolinians.
The N. C. Automotive wholesaler markets his mer-chandise
through retail outlets in every city, village
and cross-road in the State. Such retail outlets are
automobile dealers, service or filling stations, ga-rages,
paint and body shops, fleet owners, accessory
stores and other retailers.
The North Carolina Automotive Wholesalers Asso-ciation
is a young association, comparatively speak-ing.
Organization of it was begun in 1951 by a few
of the leaders and oldtimers in the industry in the
State. The association was officially organized in
January, 1953, when it was incorporated and the
Board of Directors employed Jesse F. Jones, Jr., as
executive secretary.
Despite its youth, the North Carolina Automotive
Wholesalers Association is already the second largest
State association of automotive wholesalers in the
U. S. The Texas Automotive Wholesalers Associa-
Officers and directors of the North Carolina Automotive Wholesalers Association, Inc. Officers seated, (left to right) are: E. L.
Brown, Hickory Auto Parts Co., 1955 president; R. E. Kirkland, Barnes Motor & Parts Co., Wilson, 1956 president; W. E. Stan-ford,
Motor Bearings & Parts Co., Greensboro, 1956 vice-president ; L. T. White, Jr., Motor Bearings d Parts Co., Raleigh, 1956
treasurer; Jesse F. Jones, Jr., Raleigh, executive secretary. Directors, standing (left to right) are: Alex Strickland, Jewell &
Strickland Auto Parts Co., Wilmington; H. M. McKethan, Fayetteville Supply Co., Fayettevllle; Edward MacClements, Automo-tive
Electric Associates, Charlotte; B. E. Winstead, Jr., Rawls & Winstead, Inc., Rocky Mount; J. R. Maxwell, Braxton Auto Parts
Co., Whiteville; and R. G. Devlin, Devlin Supply Co., Winston-Salem. Another director, not shoivn here, is Max A. Hayes, of
Hayes & Hopson, Inc., Asheville.
Automotive Wholesalers Association — Young But Large
tion, a much older association, is the only other State
industry association with larger membership.
The purpose of the association is : "To promote the
best interests of the wholesale distributors of auto-motive
parts and supplies in the State of North
Carolina and to unite the members of the North
Carolina automotive wholesale industry in all lawful
measures for its common good."
Its governing body is a president, vice-president,
treasurer, executive secretary and eight directors
from throughout the State.
The association headquarters are in Raleigh. Jesse
F. Jones, Jr., is the executive secretary. Prior to
his acceptance of this position, he was assistant
executive secretary of the National Candy Whole-salers
Assn., in Washington, D. C. Mr. Jones is a
graduate of the National Institute for Trade Asso-ciation
Executives, Northwestern University, Evans-ton,
111.
Other officers and directors of the association this
year are: R. E. Kirkland, Barnes Motor & Parts Co.,
Wilson, President; W. E. Stanford, Motor Bearings
& Parts Co., Greensboro, Vice-President; L. T.
White, Jr., Motor Bearings & Parts Co., Raleigh,
Treasurer; Immediate Past President and Director
is E. L. Brown, Hickory Auto Parts, Hickory. Other
j directors of the association are: Alex Strickland,
Jewell & Strickland Auto Parts Co., Wilmington;
Max A. Hayes, Hayes & Hopson, Asheville; B. E.
Winstead, Jr., Rawls & Winstead, Rocky Mount;
Edward MacClements, Automotive Electric Asso-ciates,
Charlotte ; H. M. McKethan, Fayetteville Sup-ply
Co., Fayetteville. The first president of the as-sociation
was George McFarlane, Mac's Auto Parts
Co., Wilmington. Floyd C. McLean, McLean Auto
Supply Co., Laurinburg, was president of the asso-ciation
in 1954.
SUMMER-FALL, 1956 THE E. S. C. QUARTERLY PAGE 10
For Southern Bearings and Paris, 35 Years of Service
Southern Bearings and Parts Co., Inc., of Char-lotte,
one of the South's leading automotive whole-sale
concerns, was established 35 years ago by Rob-ert
M. Schnore and John H. Northey. The firm, an
off shoot of the old Southern Bearings Company of
Atlanta, began operations with an original invest-ment
of $3,262.27 in new ball bearings, $245.34 in
re-ground ball bearings, $300 in a used Chevrolet
car, and $1,000 in cash. The company, known then
as Southern Bearings Company, occupied a building
at 122 South Poplar Street, using about 600 square
feet of floor space. Today the company has its head-quarters
in a large building, located at East Eighth
and North College Streets, which contains approx-imately
55,160 square feet of space. The company
moved into this building in 1952. In addition to the
Charlotte store, the company has branch units in
seven other Carolina cities—Winston-Salem, Fay-etteville,
Statesville, High Point, Lumberton, and
Rockingham in North Carolina, and Lancaster, S. C.
The company's first employee was Clarence E.
Beeson, today its president. When Mr. Beeson join-led
the firm, business was limited to the sale of ball
bearings, but soon the firm had obtained a number of
lines of automobile replacement parts. The name
of the company was changed to Southern Bearings
and Parts Company in 1924, and in that year it open-ed
its first branch in Winston-Salem. In 1930, the
High Point store was opened, in 1933 the Fayette-ville
store, in 1939 the Statesville store, in 1940 the
Lumberton and Lancaster, S. C. stores, and in 1946
the Rockingham store.
The company outgrew its first store with its 600
square feet in floor space in a few years, and in 1926
moved to a building at 124 East Sixth Street. Five
years later still more room was needed and the com-pany
moved to a building at 315 North College
Street. As business expanded, four different build-ings
were occupied in that neighborhood before the
firm's new home was completed on North College
Street. All local divisions were moved into the new
building in January, 1952. In addition to the auto-motive
division, the company has an appliance di-vision,
handling home appliances and TV, and a
record division, selling Columbia records and record
players.
The automotive division handles all types of auto-motive
parts, accessories, supplies and service equip-
^outhern Bearings and Parts Company's spacious headquarters
in Charlotte.
ment. The firm sells wholesale to service stations,
car dealers, farm implement dealers, fleet operators,
repair garages, paint and body shops, and any other
company connected with the automotive service
trade. Southern Bearings and Parts is the agent
for the Waukesha engine in North and South Caro-lina.
This engine is used for industrial power of all
kinds. Some 14 automotive division salesmen cover
central North Carolina from Shelby to Elizabeth-town,
and from Fayetteville to Reidsville. The cov-ered
territory reaches on to Wilkesboro and Elkin
and into the border counties in South Carolina. The
company has some 105 employees.
The company's Charlotte plant is a modern, two-story
structure providing warehouse space, show-rooms,
o/iices, ^pace lor other departure ir/u r.ee:,s
The company's president, Clarence E. Beeson, is
a native of Winston-Salem. He joined Southern
Bearings and Parts Company in June, 1922, as the
company's first employee. In March, 1927, Mr. Bee-son
purchased an interest in the company and be-came
secretary and treasurer. In 1940, he was
elected treasurer and general manager, a position
which he held until 1946 when he was named execu-tive
vice president and treasurer. In November,
1947, he was elected president and general manager.
Mr. Beeson has been active in the