Newspapers / State Port Pilot (Southport, … / March 23, 1949, edition 1 / Page 4
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The State Port Pilot Southport, N. C. Published Every Wednesday JAMES M. HARPER. JR Editor Entered as second-class matter April 20, 1928, at the Post Office at Southport, N. C., under the Act of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES ONE YEAR .... *1"50 SIX MONTHS 1-00 THREE MONTHS 75 Wednesday, March 23, 1949 The School And Politics There is nothing we would like bet ter than to be able to believe the state ment of Representative Odell William son that his decision to make a sweep ing change in the membership of the Brunswick County Board of Education is based upon a desire to take the schools of our county out of politics. But his action of taking full responsibil ity for creating a new board fails to bear out this statement, and we have a firm conviction that no group as impor tant as this body should owe its exis tence to the efforts of one man. We do not intend to compare the re lative ability of the men whom Wil liamson proposes to name with the abil ity of the men whom they are to replace. The board would be stronger, we think, if some were appointed from each group. The point we raise is whether it is right for a Representative to ignore the precedent of filling existing vacancies only; whether he is within his rights when he disregards the preferential vote given two of the men whom he pio poses to replace; and whether it is morally right for him to take action of this kind without a clear mandate from the people. Certain it is that he could not have received the nomination last May if he had stated as a part of his program that he proposed to appoint whom he pleas ed to the Board of Education; and if he had managed to clear the Spring hur dle he surely would have tripped in the General Election had he taken a stand on this policy. The only mitigating circumstance we can find in his action is that it is no worse than his report of efforts that have been made by other Brunswick county citizens who sought to use an other means of political approach to take the matter of naming the board of education out of the hands of the man whom the people elected. Representative Williamson tells us that the group which attempted to un dermine his efforts did so without first discussing the school situation with him. If these men really had the best in terest of the county school system at heart, a good place to have started would have been with a public hearing called for the purpose of letting the Brunswick county representative know the wishes of the majority. The action of Representative Willi amson is sure to create a major contro versy, and regardless of the outcome we fear that the result will not be to take school matters out of politics. The Bonus Bill There are several features we like about the bill introduced last week by Representative Odell Williamson to provide the payment of a bonus of $25. to arresting officers for each conviction in connection with arrests of persons operating a still in Brunswick county. For one thing, it provides no extra payment in cases where no person is ar rested along with the destruction of a still, and in this one respect alone would be a great improvement over past performances of cutting up a still whose operator escaped. For another, it provides that this pay ment of $25.00 be made a part of the costs of the case, and that only one bonus fee shall be paid in each case. It also is noteworthy that no fee isUo be paid unless a conviction is obtained. One of the points on which we dis agree with this measure is in the pro vision that where the defendant is not taxed with the costs or where he is un adble to pay these charges, the bonus of $25.00 must be paid by the county from its general fund. But our principal objection to the bill is that there is no provision made for local jurisdiction at any point, and we believe this is a dangerous measure to write into our local laws without placing this power at the discretion of some county agency. Our own choice would be the county commissioned, and if the bill is amended enabling them to provide these payments within their own knowledge of conditions and prop er discretion, we think that it "should be enacted. Too much, both pro and con, has been said about this pending legislation, and much of it has had nothing at all to do with the merit of the bill. Two men who represent rival factions within their own political party are using this argument for jockeying into a more fav-j orable place of power. Their exchange' should not be permitted to cloud the is sue, and where sides are taken the de cision to do so should be based upon facts and not upon prejudice. Complete This Road On Sunday it was our pleasure to visit three of Charleston's Famous Gar dens, and while we were tremendously well pleased with the beauty of these places, we were much more impressed with the fact that the State of South Carolina has done an excellent job of rendering these places easily accessible to the motoring public. This is in direct contrast to our own State, about whom much has been said in connection with the good roads pro gram. In other words, no visitor this year can reach beautiful and historic Orton Plantation without having to travel over some dirt road. True, the | River Road has been surfaced to within a short distance of the garden gates from the Wilmington end, but a seven mile stretch extends from that point in the direction of Southport for which no bid has been asked. We hope that these conditions will be entirely corrected before the next blooming season. There are no grounds upon which to attack the value of pav ing the remainder of this road, for aside from the great benefit which will result from its development as a tourist route, the territory through which it runs comprises some of the richest farm lands of Brunswick county. Orton Plantation is without question North Carolina's outstanding scenic at traction during the early spring. We are proud that this wonderful show place is located within our boundaries, and we want everyone to have an op portunity to visit these gardens, and to' be able to do so with comfort and safety. 4 Cow And Schools We hope the weary, overworked mem bers of the General Assembly of North Carolina were not too busy to read about the cow which jumped into a silo in Oklahoma and couldn't get out. Grady is a 1,400-pound cow. She jumped through a door seventeen and one-half inches by twenty-five inches in size. She couldn't possibly have jumped through that door. But the fact is she did. Maybe there's a moral for our solons. It doesn't seem possible for them to do justice to our schools, but they can. And if they do, history will say they did the seemingly impossible and survived to become famous as did Grady, the cow. Mental Barrier Now that so many folks are voicing concern about possible economic trends, it seems opportune to remember the story of the man, the bass and the min nows. The man, according to our recollec tion, decided on an experiment. In his pool, he placed minnows and a bass, but between the minnows an dthe bass he placed a piece of glass. The bass could see his prey but he could do noth ing more than dart here and there against the glass. Finally the bass gave up and quit at tempting to get to the minnows. When the experimenter observed this, he removed the glass and the min nows went swimming around the bass, unharmed, unmolested. We should be careful in our thinking lest we create a mental barrier which would let prosperity go swimming by without seizing the opportunity to grasp it. STANALAND AND Continued From Page One Carolina as poorly paid and as poorly equipped for Law Enforce ment as is the Sheriffs office in Brunswick County. ??I am very sorry indeed to think that Mr. Frink, who is considered the Democratic party s head felt it necessary to give out his first information on our counK' law-inforcement to the public press. This is very harm ful to the Democratic party of Brunswick county and as the party head I think Mr. Frink should have taken the matter up with me personally and discussed the bad conditions in my set-up which he has never done. I will gladly discuss with him at any time 'or with any other person law violations that they know about. This is my business and I spend; my time at that. There are some sections where it is hard to get cooperation and that makes it very hard on the success of Law Enforcement. "I don't see any chance for what Mr. Frink calls a racket in the Williamson bill which is now pending in the Legislature. I don't think the Williamson bill is the dead negro in the woodpile. There is another major interest that is about to come up and fric tion is trying to be generated a bout it, and what the Law Enforce ment has done or noi. done, has nothing to do with it. "Outside of the president I think the people have voted for a change from Washington right on down to Brunswick County and I think they are entitled to it, and for my part they will get it so far as I am able to make it. As I see it Mr. Frink is on a sinking ship and he is going to drown and is catching at every straw that passes and with dis regard to the future interest of the party. It is very painful to me to be forced to reply to Mr. Frink's public attact. If there was any justification for an attact, against me or my organization, indeed I think it should have been private and not publ;.". at least to start with. I have talked with Mr. Frink on other matters and would have gladly conversed with [ him on this because I am seeking information of that kind. "I dp not have a quarrel with Mr. Frink. My only point is that Mr. Frink has done dis-serviee to our county and to the law en forcement officers of our county. I will be happy to meet with! your board at any time and would like for you to extend an invita-J tion to Mr. Frink to attend that meeting and hope that he will at | that fime furnish me with names | and information of persons who j may engage in the liquor traffic i in our county. That is my job. and I welcome information and help | on the part of any good citizen in the enforcement of all of our laws. "Odell Williamson is a good re presentative and is up in the Leg islature trying to do what his people want done and carry out his obligations to the people that sent him. ? "I hope Mr. Frink will be able to see Senatof Bob Hester. Per haps he can get Senator Hester to change the Legislature's long standing rules to fit the selfish few." The Rovin' Reporter (Continued from page one) doubted if such amusements would pay h4m much this year. But, he realizes the beach is growing and gr?wing fast. Am usements installed there now would grow up with the resort and help the resort to grow. Nominated by William Bragaw as being our No. I reader fan, and supported by tiie young G. I. in person, we met up with Mrs. Hugh Marshall cf the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill, this past week. We don't see any especial distinction in being our No. I fan, but it was pleasant to have a very nice young woman claim that she was just that. She says she reads everything we write. It certainly has not happened before, not within our time, to have the peak of the flower blooming season come along in mid-March. Whether such an oc curance is believable or not, the peak of the flowering is here and folks from up-state and elsewhere ! who wish to sec azaleas in their I crowing glory should visit Beans 1 wick county gardens now. There i will be a lot of blooms for some j time yet but the peak is here | now. For once at least we have 1 done something worthwhile, some ! thing we will not be sorry about. We donated a box of nylon hose, j the kind the womenfolks wear, to the Cape Fear Area Girl ! Scouts, Inc. Those girls, by sel-1 ling cookies and trading were able to acquire Pretty Pond and the surrounding land area in Brunswick county. Now they are ( again selling cookies to raise money with which to build their lodge and start a girls camp for New Hanover, Pender, Columbus and Brunswick counties. They can auction off or otherwise dispose of our "socks" and put the money if there is any, in the cookie kitty. We have already said it once, so this is just repeating some thing we have already asked. It pleases us to hear of the many folks in Brunswick county who are building nice new homes. We believe the rest of the folks in the county are interested in such things and that they make good publicity. If you or your neigh bors are building a nice new home just "write us about it, telling us how large it is who owns it and where it is located. Not asking for it, not expect ing it. not getting it. We have been carrying on as well as we could with publicity for South port and Brunswick county for a number of years when we had to dig down in our own pocket for some of the expenses, and had to give all of our own time. Both of these things were done gladly, despite the fact that we had noth ing to gain personally. In five years no citizen of Southport has personally contributed a dime to aid in the effort. So, it made news one night this week when Ormond Leggett came to the of fice where we were working a lcne and handed us a nice little check, saying: "That's a little | bit of my appreciation for the fine publicity you are always ? giving Southport." > It wasn't the money as much as it was the ap preciation that caused this to be I a very pleasing incident. | The weather, like some other things, can be one man's meat and another man's poison. Tues day morning of last week a very warm wave struck here. We wrote something for the papers accordingly. Well sir. between the time when we wrote that stuff and when it appeared in the papers the warin wave bounced eff and about the coldest weath er since Christmas struck in its place and held on for two or three days. We were so sure of Tues day's warm wave that we did not hesitate when Jerry Ball, press relations man for the Stan dard Oli Company in Charlotte, phoned in to ask if we would take him fishing the next after noon. We had to phone Jerry next morning and tell him the fishing trip was just as much off as the hair on a baldheaded man The new hardware annex of the Shallotte Trading Company at Shallotte is, we believe the most complete hardware store in Brunswick. With the Trading Company's business outgrowing I ability to take care of it all un ? der one roof, the anex for hard ' ware was a happy solution to the problem. Buying the Trading Company a number of years ago after being brought up as a member of the G. W. Kirby & Sons at Supply, Hobson Kirby, the owner, has kept pace with the business needs of a large section of fine farming country and the town of Shallotte. SCHEDULE W B &B BUS LINE Southport, N. C. EFFECTIVE TUES., JAN. 20,1948 WEEK-DAY SCHEDULE LEAVES SOUTHPORT LEAVES WILMINGTON ?? 7:00 A.M. ? 7:00 A.M. ?9:30 A.M. 9:30 A. M. 1:35 P. M. *1:30 P.M. 4:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. 6:10 P.M. 6:00 P. M. 10:20 P. M. *?These Trips on Saturday Only. **?This Bus Leaves Winnabow at 6:ip Daily. -SUNDAY ONLY- ' LEAVES SOUTHPORT LEAVES WILMINGTON 7:30 A.M. 9:00 A.M. 10:50 A.M. 1:35 P.M. 4:00 P.M. 6:10 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 10:20 P.M. Not Exactly News Hie other day Bennie Sellers, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Selers of Supply, came in the of fice with his father and picked up a copy of The Pilot and started reading. We were flatter ed at this attention and so we asked our young visitor what is the first thing he reads when their paper comes each week. "I alius turns to the movie programs the first thing," Little Bennie confided . .. The baseball boys were out at the ball diamond Saturday afternoon getting things in shape for practice this week. Ben Stephenson, music director for Southport high school, has ambitious plans for a school band next year and promises to bring -wt the first edition of this musical organization before the end of this term . . . Billy Benton, Leland boy who is one of the best athletes ever de veloped in Brunswick county, is now busy work ing out with the Agusta team of the South Atlantic League. Benton was purchased from the Wilmington Pirates last season by the Philadelphia Athletics,'and he has been farmed out for this year to the Class A Georgia Team. When he moved to Southport several v ago Ross Livingston, father of the South mayor, brought with him a beautiful horse which first attracted his attention 111 marching in t'.ic first inauguarl para.ie f President Woodrow Wilson . . . Xot only js u I R. Hewett a good surveyor, but he is "a ; I woodsman as well. When he starts out v.ith'v?. bush knife in his hands you needn't be afrJ! to follow him through the thickest tw?mp. tw weapon not cnly serves to clear the way \ comes in handy in beheading snakes, " It got warm enough one day last \veel( ^ start up some discussion about speed beta Davis Creek, at the lower end of Long Be*i should be a busy scene for this activity th j summer with the landing being easily acctmitj, by good road . .. His audience cheered Speafor Bill Hiatt Friday night when he appeared rJ5 the screen in the color picture of Orton Plants! tion. Incidentally, we recommend that movie a. a good program for any club who can get it And that's that for now. So far as we remember infor mation obtained from former county agent J. E. Dodson some months ago was that the aver age corn yeild per acre has in creased four or five bushels dur ing the past ten years. This speaks well for several things, better seed, better preparation of the land, better fertilization and cultivation. Better tools may have also entered largely into the increase. This week County Agent A. S. Knowles and a lot of farmers have been getting to gether to discuss better practices of corn growing. With lands al ready built up greatly by legum es there should be continued yearly increases in the average corn production. This is the season of the year when the timber land own ers in Brunswick view with real concern the possibility of woods fires and the damage they can do. High winds may now be con sidered as almost certain. Along with the winds there is the ever present danger of dry weather in late March and throughout April. The combination of wind and dry weather is a dangerous one. The timbfl" owners now needs to be constantly on the alert to see that forest fires do not reach his woodlands. The public should share this alertness and cooperate by promptly reporting forest fir es that they find breaking out anywhere. Wiley Sholar, timber dealer of Lenoir, former president of the South Atlantic football officials association and our fishing com panion several times a year, ran In this week to say hello and to ask what were the prospects for a fishng itrip this year with us. The nearest we ever came to seeing a real big time football game was when Duke University played Southern California a few years ago In the Rose Bowl. Our only nearness to that game was when Wiley tried his best to get us to go with him as his guest, and we never came near going. Mrs. Sholar was with him on the trip this week and she looks a great deal better than he does. Williamson Names Five Continued From Page One was done," Williamson says, Withbut any contact, being: made with me and without any effort I being: made by this delegation to j work through me as their repre j sentative, the normal channel for handling this business. "Furthermore," Williams said," I have been informed that one | of the members of this delegation is at present a member of the I board of education. Apparently he j did not feel inclined to continue service on the board unless he was given the privilege to name the men who would serve with | him. For that reason I feel fully [justified to leave him off." "In naming the new Board of ! Education", Williamson continued, j "I have done as I promised in the | primary election and that is to i give representation to each of the .five school districts' i I each man I have named it , * 'citizen, fully qualified to office. "This week I plan to introduce :a bill which will create a Utt | providing for five srhrxil districts j in Brunswick county. At present no such statute is on the twiks. but I feel that the best inter? of education in Brunswick county can be served through this means ; of representation, and I will mak? | provision that it shall be done ? this manner in the future." RECORDER HEARS ~ violation of previous sentence. Mayan Taylor and William C.i Taylor, reckless operation, damage to property, continued. Abraham Ravenel, drunk anil disorderly, 30 days in jail, sus pended on payment of a fine ot $10.00 and costs. LESPEDEZA HAY $30.00 & $35.00 Per Ton. DUPONT DYNAMITE Fuzes & Caps SEED - FEED - FERTILIZER Farm Equipment THE COUNTRY STORE Rice Gwyn, Jr., Proprietor Longvvood, N. C. DO YOU WANT A TELEPHONE? I In an effort to interest telephone people in provid ing adequate service to the sections of Brunswick coun ty not now served, the Brunswick County Farm Bu reau is collecting data on the need of phones. 4 This information is to be assembled and presented to parties who may be interested. If you live in or near .any of our thickly settled com munities and wish telephone service, you are invited to write the undersigned without further delay. Advise where you live and if it is your intention to put in a tele phone if this service becomes available. Write this information today. Do not put it off. Address: J. J. HA WES, SECRETARY Brunswick County Farm Bureau, SupplyyN. C.
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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March 23, 1949, edition 1
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