Warren Would Suffer In New
Road Allocations Proposal
HENDERSON — Changes in
the formula for parcelling out
secondary road construction
funds bfting worked on by the
administration of Gov. Jim
Hunt would take funds away
from four of the five counties in
the 13th Congressional District,
Rep. William T. Watkins
confirmed Monday.
"Vance would receive more
money, although not much
more."Watkins said, noting
Warren, Granville, Person and
Caswell counties would be
among the 50 counties with a
reduction in secondary roads
funds.
About $30 million per year is
at stake in the reshuffling,
which will reduce the money
available to about 50 counties,
"increase funding in 47 others,
and leave only three counties
unchanged.
The formula will significantly
shift funds away from northern
coastal and western counties,
with the southern Piedmont,
Sandhills and interior counties
in the East being the major
beneficiaries.
Allotments in 1976 totaled
$889,500 for Granville, Vance
and Warren counties, including
supplemental funds of $119,300
allocated last September.
The new formula, which
would go into effect July 1 if
approved, is expected to bring
some dissent from representatives
of the areas earmarked
for significant funding cuts.
"I've always felt roads do not
follow development, but development
follows roads,"
Watkins noted, adding that the
new formula would reverse this
belief.
Sen. James B. Garrison,
D-Stanly, a legislative appointee
to the State Transportation
board, wants the present
statute, based on each county's
unpaved road mileage, changed
to divide the $30 million with
one-half based on unpaved
mileage and the other half on
paved mileage.
Garrison, whose own fivecounty
district would receive
$450,000 more a year than it
does now, said last week that
the Holshouser administration's
policies had favored
traditionally Republican western
counties.
"The West had been left out
before that in secondary-roads
money, but now this will catch
things up" for other areas, he
said. 'There's a little loss in the
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West, a little along the coast,
but I think the West will understand
that Holshouser tilted
things toward the mountains."
The mAst outspoken opposition
is expected to come from
legislators, the legislature's
Republicans, and western
Democrats whose roads were
badly damaged during winter
storms.
Charles Hayes, Warren
County manager, said Monday
he could see both sides of the
proposed bill, although he was
naturally against his county receiving
a cut.
"I can understand what more
developed counties are saying,"
Hayes said, pointing out that
these counties feel to continue
developing, they need a good
road system and need to keep
the paved roads maintained.
"But by the same token, if
Warren County is cut, we won't
have anything, and we don't
have anythng now," he said.
Of the $306,100 Warren
County received for secondary
roads construction in 1976-77,
the entire amount went to
maintaining already paved
roads and improving dfrt roads.
"Warren County did not pave
a single mile last year because
it took all our money for
maintenance." Hayes said. And
if funds are cut further, there
will be little money to improve
even the dirt roads.
Roads are paved according to
their priority on a list prepared
in the various districts, said
Robert Ross, District Engineer
in Henderson.
"Each unpaved road is checked
to see the number of houses,
schools, amount of traffic and
school bus use each year." he
said. The survey is then
computed to points, and the
road given a number.
"This is done every two
years, and roads have to wait
for paving until their priority
comes up," he continued.
Vance County has about 84
miles of unpaved roads
compared to about 330 in
Granville and 225 in Warren.
And although persons desiring
to have their road paved
must submit petitions signed
by all the landowners giving
the state the needed right-ofway,
it may be years before any
work is begun, Ross said.
State funds are presently
allocated under a formula
adopted by the 1973 General
Assembly. Emphasis is placed
on less developed regions with
fewer miles of paved roads.
In many cases, the new
formula would mean more
money for better developed
sections of the state. Wilkes,
one of the four counties with a
GOP voter-registration majority
would see its allocation drop
$230,000 a vear, from $848,000
to $818,000".
Mecklenburg would go from
$175,000 to $375,000; and
Wilson, home of Gov. Hunt,
would jump from $162,000 to
$247,000. New Hanover County,
with the smallest unpaved
mileage among the 100 counties
would go from $33,000 to
(110,000.
Garrison, who is advocating
the new formula along with
Sen. J. J. Harrington, D-Bertie,
said additional funds are
essential to urbanized Piedmont
counties and those with
growing middle-sized cities in
the East. Costs of upgrading in
these areas are high, particularly
in obtaining land for
rights-of-way for widening
obsolete roads.
One westerner. Rep. Liston
B. Ramsey, D-Madison, has
circulated a letter among House
members, including with it a
three-page chart showing
present funding and changes
under the Garrison plan.
"A formula based on the
number of unpaved miles in
each county is the proper way
under the present statutes to
disburse these funds," Ramsey
says.
The change in formula for the
road money will wait until after
passage of the Hunt administration's
plan for reorganizing
the transportation board,
Garrison said.
But Watkins said he sees no
way he can vote for the formula
when it would take funds away
from four of his five counties.
"We haven't seen all the
details yet and it hasn't been
introduced, but I don't see how
I could vote for it," Watkins
said. His fellow representatives,
John Church and Tom
Ellis, could not be reached for
comment.
Allow Grain Crops To
Recover From Weather
Farmers are being cautioned
not to abandon fields of small
grain until the crops have had a
chance to recover from cold
weather damage.
"A crop that looks bad now
may recover," comments Ronald
E. Jarrett, agricultural
extension agronomist at North
Carolina State University. "If
plants are hurt as much as 50
per cent, they may still recover
sufficiently to nuke 90 per cent
of the original crop."
Jarrett and NCSU forage
crops specialists Lamar Kimbrough
and Paul Mueller, along
with county agents across the
state, are urging farmers to
examine plants closely for signs
of life. If the roots and growing
points are living, the grain will
make it, they say.
If the grower doesn't have
almost a complete kill, he
should consider topdressing his
grain with nitrogen before
March 15. Nitrogen is the
primary factory in promoting
tillering, particularly where the
grain has been thinned out.
For farmers who are growing
the wheat, oats or barley for
grain rather than forage, the
decision is slightly more
difficult. If there is very little
stand and most of the plants are
dead, grain growers may want
to turn the crop under and get
ready for corn, soybeans or
some other crop.
Dairymen who anticipated
using small grains for grazing
or silage may want to consider
spring oats. They may be
seeded alone or as a mixture
with the present wheat, oat or
barley crop.
Since spring oats don't tiller
well, high seeding rates are
suggested—three to four bushejs
an acre. Use similar
nitrogen fertilizer rates as in
topdressing the original crop.
Plant before March 15 for
best results. Best spring oat
varieties from the Midwest
nclude Clintland, Clintford,
Noble, Stout, Allen, Dal, Good
land, Otee, Garry and Pennfleld.
Of these, Clintland is best
for hay and is probably the
most readily available one.
Some of the familiar
fall-seeded varieties can be
sown in the spring. They are
Windsor, Coker 66-22 and
Salem. All three may be used
for silage. Some Moregrain is
available, and Roanoke can be
used for silage or hay. Roanoke
performed best in one NCSU
test.
Another alternative is overseeding
the damaged grain
with rye. The use of ryegrass
will cause more problems for
future small grain crops.
Dairymen hard-pressed for
feedstuff* may want to consider
additional pasture fertilization
for more growth. The sorghumsudangrass
hybrids, when
aeeded in May, can be used as
wilted (flage in about 46 day*
from planting.
Farm** are urged to consult
with their county extension
'■••• •• • :• \
agents on any practice suggested
with which they are
unfamiliar.
The NCSU specialists made
two other points: 1. Where
spring oats are planted, double
cropping with soybeans will be
delayed; 2. Fall-seeded grains
do better in North Carolina
than spring-seeded crops, so
the spring seeded practice is
only being suggested as an
emergency measure.
Noriina Mayor BOJ Perry [right] pins a chiefs badge on Norlina Polke Chief Homey Williams.
Williams was named chief after the death of George E. "Buck" White, who had served as chief
since 1957. I Staff Photo |
Fertilizer Aids In Recovery
Winter-stressed landscape
plants will recover faster if you
help them along with a feeding
of plant food—fertilizer.
Any complete commercial
fertilizer—an 8-8-8 analysis, for
example, or 10-10-10—will be a
good choice. Over-feeding is a
risk, so don't try to rush things
with too much fertilizer.
Henry J. Smith, extension
landscape horticulturist at
North Carolina State University.
suggests using three to
four pounds of fertilizer per 100
square feet to stimulate new
plant growth.
An easy way to determine
the correct amount, Smith
suggests, is to weigh out a
pound and apply it to an area
measuring five feet on a side.
The NCSU specialists reminded
homeowners to wait
until an accurate assessment of
winter damage can be made
before pruning away dead
wood. Then cut this away and
get the plant growing quickly
with a correct application of
fertilizer.
Missions Week
Is Observed
The Baptist Young, Women
held a meeting for the home
missions week of prayer on
Thursday evening at the
Littleton Baptist Church.
Miss Mary Sue Davidson,
Mrs. Beverly Riley, and Miss
Barbara Jeffers told of mission
work in New Mexico, Utah, and
Colorado. Scripture verses that
Paul used as he prayed for
churches were used.
Mrs. Katie Harvey was
hostess for the meeting.
; Interruption
i Planned
' The electric service inter "
ruption scheduled for a portion
of the Warren ton service area
on Sunday, March 13, has been
rescheduled for March 20 from
6 a. m. until 9 a. m., Gordon
' Greene, CP&L area manager,
announced Tuesday.
Greene said the disruption is
necessary in order for line and
service personnel to perform
needed maintenance work on
company facilities.
The interruption will affect
customers on the Country Club
road and to the end of the
I company facilities on Highway
58 East. Customers on Loop
Road also will be affected.
Additionally, service to a
portion of the business district
along North Main and Macon
IStreets in Warrenton will be
interrupted, Greene said. He
said the work will be
accomplished as quickly as
possible so as to cause
minimum inconvenience to
customers.
Greene added that in the
event of bad weaftier condi
tions, rescheduling will be
made each Sunday until
weather permits.
Your Business Is Always Appreciated
Designate
YOUR TOBACCO TO
Centre
Warehouses
No. 1 and No. 2
Warrenton, N. C.
Our competent sales force works together to
bring you the most for your tobacco crop.
Sell with the men with the experience to bring
you the top dollar for your 1977 crop.
Ed Radford • Ed Moody * B. M. Griffin