Wirt County Journal November 17, 1999 Remember When ... * From the Wirt County Journal files June 10, 1921 Teachers Salary Law The provisions relating to the minimum that can be paid to teachers are as follows: Third grade-first year, $50; second year, $53. Second grade-first year, $65; second year, $68; third year, $70; fourth year, $72.50; fifth year, $75; six to 10 years, $80; 10 or more years, $85. First grade-first year, $85; second year, $88; third year, $90; fourth year, $92.50; fifth year, $95; six to 10 years, $100, 10 or more years, $105. Short course-first year, $90; second year, $93; third year, $95; fourth year, $97.50; fifth year, $100; six to 10 years, $105; 10 or more years, $110. Normal course-first year, $100; second year, $103; third year, $105; fourth year, $107.50; fifth year, $110; six to 10 years, $115; 10 or more years, $120. College courses-first year, $110; second year, $113; third year, $115; fourth year, $117.50; fifth year, $120; six to 10 years, $125; 10 or more years, $130. This law does not apply to schools in independent districts, cities and incorporated towns. Farm Bureau Notes By the county agent William E. Simpson The state livestock specialist Mr. Creech, was in our county for a short time last week. The C.H. Bumgarner lot of cattle was weighed and it was found that they had made an average gain of 80 lbs. per head on pasture in two months. A community farm club was organized at Science Hill last Wednesday evening. Officers as follows: Carl McCoy, president; Walter West, vice-president; and John A. Davis, secretary. Letters have been sent out to many of the sheep men of the county asking if they wish to pool their Lambs. The plan adopted by the Wool Growers Association for each community to go together and list lambs to be taken up at the local scales where lambs are usually sold. When the results of the community pools are forwarded to the selling committee, Hugh Prather, Lee Smith, and Imory Griffin, they will get bids on the lambs and sell to the highest responsible, bidder. We believe that the buyer can pay a little more when he does not have the other to hunt up each individual sheep grower. This method of marketing ought to work to the advantage of both the buyer and producer. However, the success of such a movement will depend on a good number listing at once bids that would offer any advantage cannot be obtained unless a good amount of lambs in each community is listed. The big consideration in any business is the man you am dealing with. February 6, 1959 (Due to space only a portion of the front page story can be reprinted.) Industry Story Unfolds Since 1890 the population of Wirt County has dropped from over 10,000 to a little under 5,000 today. Hoping to stop this trend, Wirt County Industries, Inc., was formed three years ago with an initial capital of $25,000 subscribed to try to attract an industry to Wirt County and provide employment at home for a substantial number of young people who now have to leave the county to get work. Wirt County Industries bought 15 acres of the County Farm from the Wirt County Court. Some grading was done on this ground. The balance of the money was put on interest in the Wirt County Bank until an industry could be located to come here. It is quite a job to get a plant to locate in a new area. The competition is terrific. Every city and town in the country is trying to get a new industry. A great many prospects were investigated but none seemed feasible until we got in touch with Ravens Metal Products, Inc., an aluminum and metal fabricating company. This seems to be an ideal industry for Wirt County with the great future expansion of the aluminum industry and our location between the Kaiser and Olin Mathieson plants. This, plus the fact that the two men who started Ravens Metal were both former Kaiser employees and graduate engineers with a wide knowledge of the aluminum industry made it seem double attractive. Several Wirt County Industries stockholders meetings have been held. At all these meetings they have expressed unanimous approval of this program. Meetings almost without number have been held in all parts of the county to acquaint the people with what was going on. The trouble is to get enough of the right people to come to meetings. The board of directors, which includes Herbert Roberts, Louis Reed, Dr. R.W. Coplin, Brooks Sims, Eloise H. Sturm, Faustine Huffman and myself, plus former Director Ed Chambers, has worked hard and put in an awful lot of hours working this out. None of us have any regrets for the time and effort we have put into this, but we would like to bring it to a happy conclusion soon. We all have plenty to do trying to run our own businesses. To date, all but about $6,000 of the moneys for the first building has been raised. $22,500 of the working capital has been paid in and about $ 10,000 more pledged, which I am sure will be paid. What we ask is not a gift, but an investment which could bring you not only a substantial monetary return, but also the satisfaction of making an investment in the future betterment of Wirt County. Think it over. Sincerely, ROGER E. ROBERTS, President, Wirt County Industries, Inc.