The Chowan Herald SECTION B Utilities Commission Hears Rate Increase Request TARBORO - The N. C. Utilities Commission began hearing testimony in Raleigh on Tuesday, as part of its consideration of Garolina Telephone’s request for a general rate increase. Public hearings on ' the company’s request were v scheduled for the last week of January at Elizabeth City, Tarboro, New Bern and Fayetteville. In testimony filed on January 12, the Public Staff of the Utilities Commission recommended that only 516.3-million of the com pany’s $47.2-million request i he granted. The Public Staff represents the public in rate proceedings before the Commission. The Staff found that “the overall service provided by the Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Company is good” and agreed with the company’s proposal to in crease local calls from coin telephones from 20 cents to 25 cents. • Disagreement on four principal areas accounts for the majority of the dif ference between the com pany’s request and the Public Staff’s recom mendation. These dif ferences center around the level of long distance revenues received by the company, whether or not to consider revenues from Yellow Pages advertising in setting rates, the capital i Licensed | Tax Preparation \ $ 7 50 And Up Jig) Special For Students gjjjj/ Doris & Bill Herman 812 N. Broad Street Across from Zip Mart Phone 482-7579 For Appointment i Open Sundays From 1 To 4; And Weekdays From 9 To 5. Shop Monday Through Thursday J i/«J /7~ 9:30 A.M. Until 5:30 P.M., Friday] /7/ / -f II 9:30 A.M. Until 9 P.M., Saturday 1 THE COMPLETE GIFT Hearts and Flowers Pendant j , in its own Valentine’s Day Card I February 14th j J | ENGRAVED j FREE / be I i j \23^ / $ > io ; m Bright-cut flowers on a satin-finish heart pendant M carry a sentimental message to last more than \ m lust a day. Choose its specially designed m greeting card for one-stop shopping. Card with i m envelope shown 75% actual size. Jewelry shown H&; - ? ■ actual size. . f ( Personalized by ROMAN ! Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, February 4, 1982 structure of the company, and the rate of return stockholders should be allowed to earn. In supplemental testimony filed with the Commission chi January 22, the company reduced its request from $47.2-million to $45.8-million to reflect its increased estimate of long distance revenues. Wayne Peterson, president of the Tarboro-based utility, recently indicated that the amount of the company’s request may be further reduced if the Commission approved a pending request to increase long distance rates. However, Peterson said, “our need for ad ditional revenue is certainly higher than the Public Staff contends in its testimony. In its August, 1981, ap plication, the company cited inflation, deregulation, competition, and the need for a higher return to attract investors as the principal reasons behind its request to increase rates. The com pany requested an 18 per cent cent return on stockholder investment as part of its requested 13.28 per cent overall rate of return. The Public Staff recommends a 15.75 per cent stockholder return and an overall 12.33 ppr cent rate of return for the company. The staff also contends that the capital structure of the company should be based on the consolidated operations of United Telecom munications rather than the operations of Carolina Telephone as the company contends. Carolina Telephone is a subsidiary of United. “Although the Public Staff’s recommended return on stockholder investment represents an improvement over its previous recom mendations, we don’t Flanagan Leaving Football Post LAFAYETTE, La. - Dwight Flanagan, offensive coordinator on USL’s Ragin’ Cajun football staff and a member of the Cajun staff since 1974, has announced his resignation from the staff to enter private business. The 33-year-old Flanagan, who took over duties as offensive coordinator last July after serving six years as wide receiver coach, announced his resignation this week in a letter to USL president Dr. Ray Authemeqt and athletic director Dan (Sonny) Roy. Highway Fatalities Down RALEIGH For the first time in 18 years, fewer than 1,500 people were killed on North Carolina highways in a single year. Based on figures released today by the State Highway Patrol, 1,483 people died in traffic accidents in 1981. Colonel John Jenkins, State Highway Patrol Commander, credited the dip in highway fatalities to the “concern for improved safety by. most drivers in North Carolina as evidenced by their voluntary com pliance with the 55-mile-per hour speed limit, and the strict, but fair and im partial, enforcement of our traffic laws by the State Highway Patrol Troopers.” The 1981 traffic fatality figure of 1,483 deaths is 31 fewer than the 1,514 people who died on North Carolina believe it adequately recognizes the return in vestors can earn elsewhere today,” Peterson stated. “This is especially true when you consider that the Staff’s recommended return is based on a capital structure not appropriate to Carolina Telephone.” The company contends that applying United’s capital structure to Carolina Telephone is like saying that “I’ve been contemplating getting out of the profession for some time,” Flanagan said. “I’ve had some other coaching opportunities, but I’ve just about ruled out any coaching positions at this time.” The departure of Flanagan leaves a vacancy on the USL staff, and Roy said that an announcement of a position vacancy would be forthcoming in the near future. Flanagan came to USL in 1974 as a graduate assistant and became a full-time staff highways in 1980. There were 174 fewer driving under the influence arrests made by troopers in 1981 compared to 1980. “In 1980, Colonel Jenkins said, “troopers arrested 48,270 motorists on DUI charges, the largest number ever charged for DUI in the 52- year history of the Patrol, and they charged 48,0% during 1981.” Colonel Jenkins praised the troopers for their determination to remove every drunken driver possible from the state high ways as evidenced by the high arrest numbers for DUI in both years. “We know that speed and alcohol-impaired drivers are the leading causes of highway fatalities, and I know of no greater con tribution that can be made to saving lives on our high ways than to remove the alcohol-impaired driver from our highways,” he said. During the first eleven months of 1981, total high way accidents in North Carolina dropped by 2.7 per cent compared to the same period in 1980. There were 132,151 accidents in that period in 1980, and 128,629 in 1981. In the same time period, alcohol-related accidents increased by 12.3 per cent in 1981 compared to 1980. There were 12,426 alcohol related accidents in the first eleven months of 1980 compared to 13,948 in 1981. Colonel Jenkins praised the public for their con tribution to the decline in traffic fatalities and ac cidents in 1981 compared to 1980. “The public’s support of | lur collision prevention program contributed I greatly to the dip in highway I fatalities and accidents in 1961,” Jenkins said. | “We hope that the public I will continue to support our I efforts to reduce traffic I accidents and that 1982 will be an even greater year for ) traffic safety on the high | ways of North Carolina,” ' Colonel Jenkins said. | The Leaning Tower of Pisa k has tipped ah additional I foot in the last century. I IMPORTANT NEWS FOR BACKACHE SUFFERERS! MOMENTUM* Tablets are I 50% stronger than Doan's. I Before you take Doan's Pills lor r muscular backache, remember tins i MOMENTUM Tablets are 50% stronger I than Doan's That means MOMENTUM i gives you 50% more pam reliever pe* I dose to relieve backache l lb reduce pain, soothe inflammation | so muscles loosen-you can move more I treety m minutes' There’s no stronger i backache medication you can buy with- I out a prescription than MOMENTUM k labials lake only as directed SECTION B the local Chevrolet dealer is just a smaller version of General Motors,” Peterson commented. Both the company and the Public Staff will formally present testimony to the Utilities Commission at the Raleigh hearings which are expected to last about eight days. The commission is expected to issue a ruling on the company’s request around the first of April. member in 1975, and in his six years as receiver coach practically every Ragin’ Cajun passing and receiving record was broken. He began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1971 and received his masters’ degree in 1972 in education before earning an educational specialist degree from USL in 1974. He served as an assistant at New Hanover High in 1972 and went to Samford in 1973 as receiver coach before coming to USL. “One of the main reasons I’ve stayed here,” said Flanagan, “is that if I ever decided to get into private business that this would be the place to do it. My family likes it here, both of our children were born here and it’s the type of area that’s a great place to live. “I plan to be one of the players’ biggest boosters,” he added. “I’ll be pulling for them just as much from the stands as I used to from the sidelines.” shop |i i SHOP I HIM z 13 mi I COME AND SEE KOCAN ANDYODA SATURDAY ■E"9n 12 TIL 6 FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY (cha ' artw Port,a » al > MONEY BACK IffijSl " May The Force GUARANTEE! R AjR Be Wlth Your NO LIMIT ON PACKAGES | TRUCKLOAD COCA-COLA SALE l£ NO DEALERS 2 LITRE BOTTLE NO DEPOSIT ■ I 1 m. Jff m | mmppi'"''' if HIGHWAY 17 LEADERS W. P. (Spec) Jones, of Edenton, left, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the Highway 17 Transportation Association In North Carolina, is shown discussing the highway with fellow executive committee members, William B. (Bill) Page, center, of Washington, the association’s president, and Tommy Combs of Elizabeth City, right, the vice-chairman of the Association’s Professional Advisory Council. The association is working to get the highway four laned through Eastern North Carolina. Veterans May Receive Extended Benefits Officials of Beaufort County Community College announced today that veterans discharged bet ween August 5, 1964, and May 7,1975, may be eligible for an extension of their educational benefits. Because of recent TfbuwU ß 7