The Fr
T A TKvft^y
Times
Your Award Winning County Newspaper
LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
/
County Employees Underpaid
The Franklin Grand Jury has raised
an interesting p^int in its statement
last week that in comparison to other v
surrounding counties, Franklin Coun
ty employees are underpaid." This fact
might have been reported by some
past Grand Jury, although we missed
it. It is nevertheless a fact which
anyone can readily see, if he or she
bothers to look.
Actually the discrimination -if one
might use the word- goes further than
meets the naked eye. All employees of
the county are not necessarily under
paid. Many work for the county under
policies and pay scales determined by
the State or Federal government.
These are paid salaries, which if not
entirely satisfactory to them, are in
reasonable comparison to those of
other neighboring counties.
Some positions in the Welfare De
partment, Health Department, Educa
tion system. Agricultural agencies and
others are paid on a scale set by other
than local governmental agencies.
The county employees who suffer
most are those whose salary is set by
the Legislature and paid solely from
county funds. Somewhere along the
line, these positions were left not to
the determination of State agencies in
line with other comparable positions,
but to the fate of local bill passage in
the General Assembly.
This means that when and if such
positions ever demand pay in accord
with comparable positions elsewhere,
a bill must be introduced for this
county alone and it must meet the
approval of the General Assembly. It
must also meet the approval of the
County Commissioners who must tax
to raise the funds necessary to meet
the payroll.
This arrangement brings forth ttle
much larger question now confronting
the General Assembly and county
officials as well. That is, where to find
additional sources of revenue for local
governments. Franklin officials re
duced the valuation of property here
some time ago and closed the, door to
the possibility of more ad valorem
taxes. Many believe that property has
already been taxed to the limit.
this problem, while great and as
yet unresolved, does not ease the pain
of those people dedicated to their jobs
who are caught in the bind between
inflation, rising costs and an almost
hopeless situation . where additional
income is concerned.
Much is being said nowadays about
increased teacher pay and indeed,
teachers in this county need the in
crease as much as does anyone else.
However, it is still somewhat dis
turbing that a teacher working five
days a week with little responsibility
after school closes is better paid than
the Sheriff of the county who must,
of necessity, be on 24-hour call
throughout the year. The situation is
even more acute with deputies and the
same applies to other department
heads and their assistants.
There might not be an easy answer
to this problem of under payment to
county employees, but right now is
the time to launch an investigation
into it. While the General Assembly is
in session, the County Commissioners
should name a committee to search
out those underpaid and to make
recommendations as to how their
salaries might be brought more in line
with comparable positions in neigh
boring counties.
Such an investigation thould be
made public and once the people see
the facts, perhaps a way may be found
to finance the increases. Little would
be the harm in taking a look. We call
on the County Board to make such an
investigation. The Grand Jury report
means very little unless it is followed
by action.
/
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Et Tu, Brute
The Henderson Daily Dispatch
That may not be the exact Latin,
but Caesar's final utterance of dismay
when he was fatally stabbed by his
friend Brutus has its counterpart in
the proposed Imposition of an excise
tax on one of North Carolina's chief
agricultural cash crops and one of its
principal industries. Proponents are
not retarded by these considerations
in their effort to impose a tax on
tobacco products, especially ciga
rettes.
Perhaps people in the tobacco busi
ness in its many phases wonder why
legislators are moving to strike at one
of the prihcipal sources of livelihood
for producers and employes in manu
facturing establishments.
The argument, of course, is that
every other State is taxing cigarettes.
But no other State has so much at
stake in this field of activity as does
North Carolina, and this ought to be .
recognized and respected.
It is difficult to comprehend why
there is need fof more money to the
extent of turning to thi* vital means
of livelihood for so many people. It is
claimed that the tax will not cripple
tobacco, but it will if it encourages
smokers to desist because of costs.
Something of that character is evident
in many of the States where taxes
have been imposed which equal or
approach the basic cost of the pro
duct.
Tobacco has enough troubles al
ready without others being added.
Revenue hunters ^re not likely to be'
discouraged by efforts to have Con
gress place further restraints on cig
arette sales. Apparently they are not
concerned about that. But impositions
now in effect, together with those
proposed, if enacted, may result in
disappointment to legislators who
think tobacco taxes will add so and so
many millions to State income.
Essentially, this is another tax, of
which there are already such h#avy
burdens as to make it difficult for
many people to come up with the
cash to meet requirements. What will
be taxed next remains to be seen.
The Fraj&Jin Times
Established 1870 - Published Tuesdays fc Thursdays by
The Franklin Times. Inc.
Bickett Blvd. Dial CY6-3283 Louisburg. N. C.
CLINT FULLER, Managing Editor ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Bualnm Manager
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
Advertising Ratas ^
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In North Carolina: Out of State:
One Year, $4 64; Six Months. $2.83 One Year, $5.60; Six Months, $4.00
Three Months, $2.06 Three Months, $3.60
Entered u second daw maii mailer snd pottafe paid al the Pott OfTkc si Loukburj. N. C. 27549.
Radical!!"
''"ZStlUESO^C -smeMvBoao wis >*j*>
What Mr. Nixon Said
The News Reporter
The reversal of President Richard
Milhous Nixon's philosophy on the
freedom of choice plan for schools, as
initiated by Secretary Robert H.
Finch of the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, has put U. S.
Sen. Strom Thurmond on the hot seat
and Mr. Thurmond has no way to turn
except toward the President.
More than any other man, Mr.
Thurmond was instrumental in swing
ing the Southern yote to Mr. Nixon at
the Miami Republican Convention and
on the promise that, if he were elect
ed, Mr. Nixon would relax regiment
ing tactics against the South on the
integrating of schools.
The switch in policy has Republi
cans down South itching for the Thur
mond scalp and Democrats are sitting
back and waiting to take in the
scalping. Mr. Thurmond is a former
Democrat.
The Charleston, S. C. News and
Courier puts the situation in the cor
rect prospective as follows:
A statement of opposition to "free
dom of choice" school plans issued by
Robert H. Finch, secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare, is a repudia
tion of the stand taken by Richard
Nixon in his presidential campaign.
Mr. Finch, in a tribute to Ralph
McGill, publisher of the Atlanta Con
stitution, said: "I consider it neither
legally nor morally defensible to 'turn
back the clock' and to accept as
public policy so-called 'freedom of
choice' plans which do not bring
about effective school desegregation."
Mr. Nixon, in an interview last
September on station WBTV in Char
lotte, said he favored freedom of
choice plans.
"I wouldn't want fo see a federal
agency punish a local community," he
added.
In a television speech beamed at
the Carolinas during the election cam
paign, Mr. Nixon said he believed the
Supreme Court school decision was
correct : :
"But on the other hand," he
added, "while that decision dealt with
segregation apd said we would not
have segregation, when you go beyond
that and say that it is the responsi
bility of the federal government and
the federal courts to, in effect, act as
local districts in determining how we
can carry that out, and then to use the
power of the federal treasury to with
hold funds or give funds in order to
carry it out, then I think we are going
too far."
It is proper to remind Mr. Finch
and the administration of Candidate
Nixon's words last September. Mr.
Nixon's commitment to freedom of
choice school plans was one of the
reasons why many Americans voted
for him instead of Hubert Humphrey
or George C. Wallace. He pledged, in
effect, to relax the iron control that
the Johnson administration exercised
over local schools.
To fulfill his promise, President
Nixon has an obligation to bring Mr.
Finch into line with the stated Nixon
philosophy on local schools.
I
Legislative Report
By Rep. Jamet D. Speed
Raleigh ? I believe the sig
nificance of tobacco on the
overall economy of North
Carolina and the adverse ef
fect of additional taxes on
thia commodity is dawning
on more and more members
of the General Assembly.
It has been and remains
my conviction that the pro
posed state tax on tobacco
would hurt not only the to
bacco in
dustry but
alio the
economic
well-being
and liveli
hood of
many,
many
thousands
of our clt
iitns.
More than
4 0,000
r??*"7n "^AMESSPEET
North Carolina work In to
bacco manufacturing and pre
ceding plants and auction
warehouses with a total pay
roll of $177 million a year.
Sales by our flue-cured and
burley tobaccrt growers are
more than $431 million each
, year.
It Is estimated that the
value of the crop is
; $536, 253. 000 annually and
the value of the products
from North Carolina tobacco
exceeds $4 billion a year.
Already the tobacco Indus
try pays more than $31 mil
lion a year In taxee4n North
Carolina alone, not to men
tion heavy federal taxation
and the taxes levied on to bee
co product! by other states.
For example. North Caro
lina tobacco manufacture!*-,
pay 12.2 million a yea iyij
state corporate income taxes.
$1.7 million in franchise
taxes, and $8.4 million in
local property taxes.
Cigarette smokers in North
Carolina already pay $5.4
million a year in sales taxes,
and they are being asked to
add 20 per cent, or five cents
per pack, to the retail price
they must pay.
Tobacco plant worker*
pay more than $3.2 million a
year in income taxes to the
state.
It is little wonder that
there is strong opposition to
the present tobacco tax pro
posal among thoae who know
the facts concerning th? im
portance of tobacco to North
Carolina, its present tax bur
den and the effect of too
heavy, discriminatory taxa
tion in other states and our
larger cities such as New York
City. We believe Governor
Scott made a mistake in re
commending the taxing of
tobacco and I am hopeful
that alternative sources of
necessary revenue can be
found.
I am not in agreement
with the governor that so
much as $227.5 million in
additional state revenue Is
necessary. Some additional
taxes will be needed to carry
out the new programs and
Improvements the state
should have. But I think the
tax proposals can be substan
tially reduced by putting
more emphasis on economy
and efficiency and that th<
necessary revenue cn be
, raised from alcoholic bev
erages, luxuries and bottle*
drinks.
In regard to additional gas
oline taxes I. believe thai
another one cent, if properi)
used, would be sufficient U
take care of our needs.
I also feel very stronglj
that anything done now tc
Increase Highway Fund rev
enue must be strictly on I
"pay as you go" basis t(
avoid further inflation o
highway construction cost
and further highway debt.
Many legislators feel as 1
do that any additional gas
ollne tax should be earmark
ed for distribution to guaran
tee each county a fair ?n<
proportionate part.
I am in full agreemeni
with proposals and legislatioi
submitted by the Attorney
General's office to strengthei
law enforcement throughout
the state, such as a Polio
Information Network, train
ing programs and more per
sonnel and facilities for tlx
State Bureau of Investigation
I feel that these will be In h<
interest and protection of al
law-abiding citizens in tlx
state and I intend to suppor
them.
Living Costs
The Labor Department hai
announced that living cost
roae 4.7 per cent In 1968 foi
the highest one-year Jump ii
17 years. The report state?
that this Increase virtually
wiped out wage gains of 41
million rank-and-file worken
"COME 1
J r T?
jBr think
r
^ OF IT..
by
frank count
You'll never guess who I bumped into the other day. It was
old Melvin Smudgen. You remember him. I told you about old
"Cussit" (that's what we called him in school) back last
summer. He was running for Congress when I seen him last.
Like I told you then when I seen Jjim standing on the
corner picking his teeth and campaigning. I'm mighty proud of
Melvin. We went to school together.
Well, the other day there I was in a hurry and not looking
and bang . . . right into old Cus
sit" I bumped. I'd ah known him
anywhere. He hadn't changed one
lick since Ulst summer. 'Cept, of
course, he won't wearing new
overalls. Oh, he was dressed al
right, he just won't dressed up.
He won't wearing no shoes this
time and I asked him about that.
"Cussit", I said, "Why ain't you
wearing no shoes?" He looked
down at this blue toes . . . stand
ing naked before the whole world
. . . and said, rranK, (ne always
called me Frank. I always called him Cussit since we went to
school together). "Frank," he said with a mistful look in his
brown eye, "I ain't running for nothing no more and I don't
see no reason for me to keep being uncomfortable."
I kinda felt sorry for him. There was a tear coming from his
blue eye. "Cussit," I said, "It can't be all that bad.
Somebody's got to always lose in elections. Maybe you didn't
do it right."
Well sir, it almost tore me up what he said next. I
remembered the time he got caught smoking and he looked
exactly like that then. Smoking won't so bad . . . but I had to
admit the teacher was right. Cussit didn't have no business at
his age smoking a cat's tail . . . 'specially with it still hung on
to the cat.
"Frank," he said, "I tried, I wore them new overalls the
whole summer. I didn't even take 'em off to sleep. And them
shoes liked to give me blisters . . cept I didn't wash my feet for
four months . . . they would have. I told everybody I was agin
taxes and how I was for law and order. I even kissed three
babies. You ever kiss a baby with a cold, Frank?"
"Well, Cussit", I said, "You can't take all that to heart. No
I ain't never kissed no babies under 16. It ain't your fault you
was before yore time. You didn't promise enough. You got to
promise more and I got faith in you Cussit. You're what this
country needs. A shoeless, tooth-picking common man."
Well that's when Cussit went into what he used to call his
med-i-tating trance. His eyeballs fell back to his ear lobes and
his hair stood straight up ... all three pieces of it . . . and his
big toe wrapped around his little toe (and that ain't easy. You
just ought to try it one time). 1 knowed good and well I'd be
there for a spell. ?
It was nigh on to nightfall when Cussit jerked. I knowed he
was coming too and I could hardly wait for his re-vel-ations.
"Frank", he said, straightening his gallouses. "You're right.
I will run again. I'll promise them I won't tax no tobacco and
I'U dress up in a hundred dollar suit and go on television. I
know two birds that promised that and got elected. Yep,
Frank. I'll do it." /
"Now Cu9sit, you're talking my language. Tell 'em you
won't and then after you're elected don't pay no attention to
what you promised. That way you can keep gitting elected.
Now put your toes back in place and start growing some
sideburns."
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Explains Text Book Issuance
. To The Editor:
It is with interest and a
desire to offer an explanation
that I respond to Mrs. H. E.
Caaaell's letter which ap
peared in your column on
February 18, 1969. .
Mrs. Casaell's statement
that "there are 17 basic read
Ing books which must be
F shared by 30 students" is
i correct tout -somewhat mis
leading. There are 10 reading
[ titles in the first grade, or two
sets with five books in each
comprising three pre-primers.
one primer and one first read
I ing book. This will provide
for small reading groups and
while one group is using set
' one, the second group should
be using set two. This should
be reversed at the completion
of the series and should pro
vide a book per pupil at all
times.
Regulations of the State
Board of Education state:
"Basic reading should always
be taught In small groups and
there is, no need to have more
books than there are pupils in
the largest reading group.
Books are to be distributed
on the basis of 60% of the
membership if the school has
more than 20 pupils In the
grade."
Thete regulations apply
not only to Oold Sand Ele
mentary School, or to Frank
lin County, but to all of
North Carolina. Theae distri
bution regulations are noth
ing new for I hive been con
nected with the issuing of
textbooks in Franklin County
for the past 12 years and they
?have been in existence for at
least that long.
I can understand Mrs. Cat
sell's concern and hope that
this will explain to hef and
other parents as well why
there is not a book per pupil
in each' reading title in our
lower grades at the same
time.
Yours truly,
Allen W. Shearin
P. O. Box 449
Louisburg, N. C.
Aid For Biafra
Senator Edward M. Ken
nedy, (D-Masa) has urged
President Nixon to give Im
mediate attention to the
strife and starvation in Biafra.
The Senator said that the
nation's posture toward the
breakaway county results
from a "bankruptcy of Amer
ican foreign policy."
Department
Chief Named
President Nixon has nomi
nated Gerard ^Smlth to be
director of the 'Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency.
The 'President said his task
was among the most impor
tant of the aaministration and
promised him ready access to
th* White House.