Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Aug. 20, 1954, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE TWO THE PILOT, Southern Pines, North Carolina Southern Pines “In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated, paper. We will try to make a little money for all concerned sion to use our influence for the public good we will try o o i . alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. ^ North Carolina We will try to keep this a good Where there seems to be an occa- And we will treat everybody The School Budget Controversy — HI There are those who deplore as unseemly and unwise the controversy between the county- commissioners and the board of education on how much money for school plant construction and equipment shall be aUotted in the 1954-55 county budget. The argument seems to be that county otii- rials should not permit themselves to become involved in open controversy and that every thing should be settled quietly without the em barrassment of having to hang up the w^hing where the public can see what officials’ opinions look like. In the sense that the controversy has brought many facts into the open that might not other wise have received publication, the public is the gainer whatever the outcome of the arbitration or possible court decision that will eventually settle the matter. Although we realize that compromise is an essential of the art of government, entirely too many public matters—involving the public’s money and the welfare of public institutions such as the schools—are smoothed over, kept quiet or “compromised” at all levels of govern- ™b\s to the credit of both boards that the atti tude of each, and the reasons for their attitude^ ' have been stated openly in public meetings witn representatives of the press notified and present. As a close observer of recent joint sessiom of the two boards, we are frank to say that we have learned more about school fmancing and school law in the last few weeks than in many years of association with public officials. ^ The board of education is to be commended, we. think, for‘insisting on a strictly ' ling of the school money dispute, given the fact that both boards are inflexible in their own honest opinions on the matter. It is a much healthier situation to have a pub lic dispute aired out and submitted to an m- partial judge, as provided by law, than to foiro ulate agreements behind closed doors that are then given with a smile to a bewildered and un informed citizenry. Youth In Court: A County Problem A large number of young offenders—^youths aged 16 to their early 20’s—appear as defendants on the calendar for this week’s term of Superior Court in Carthage. One 19-year-old is charged with participation in a $500 robbery and break-in at a store while he was free on bond awaiting trial on several forgery charges. If we didn’t know that the cause of delinquen cy usually lies deeper than obvious, superficial influences, we’d say that the automobile is the chief disrupting agent in the moral lives of these young people who were to go on trial this week. From our observations during court sessions, we have seen that many acts of lawlessness ap- . parently start with a gang of boys or young men riding around in an automobile with nothing to do until the bolder or more unprincipled mem bers of the group lead the others into some crime that ofien ho doubt began as a search for entertainment or adventure. Frequently, the offenses have to do with the cars themselves—stealing gasoline or tires, for instance. The tragic series of events that led to the fatal shooting of Police Chief Bunn Cam eron at Carthage several months ago, started with a group of young men riding aroimd in a flashy car, acting mean and arrogant and appar ently looking for trouble, getting into an argu ment with attendants when the car went to a fhbng station for gas. But we cannot rightly blame the automobile for human folly, although we sometimes wist fully think that the world would be happiy and certainly a lot of dead people would be alive, if cars had never been invented. In these cases’ of delinquency, cars simply offer the one sure, immediate answer to the question of what to do in young people’s spare time. You c^ always take a ride—and, as you speed down the road, it makes you feel pretty good and Pretty important, but riding gets boring and that s when you get into trouble. It seems so easy to break in a country store and get away, fast and far, in an automobile. . Law enforcement officers have done their share in controlling juvenile delinquency m Moore County and have a fine record in track ing 4own and arresting offenders. They are doing their part and doing it well. It is now up to good citizens in all parts of the county to recognize their responsibility in helping to cre ate, in both towns and rural communities—in homes, churches and schools—an environment that will make avaUable to young people legiti mate and constructive outlets for their energies. The McDeed’s Creek Highway Proposal Mayor Clark told the council that South ern Pines is an extraordinarily fortunate com munity in having a highway “by-pass” route available that may enable No. 1 to be re-routed through the town on an adequate 200-foot right of way. For most communities, including nearly every North Carolina town and city of any size on No. 1 highway, a “by-pass” means just that—a com plete avoidance of the community. Howls of protest going up from some of these towns are understandable, but the fact remains that the highway must be re-engineered to modem traf fic standards, if it is to continue to serve as a major north-south traffic artery. The route through the McDeed’s Creek ravine, as we understand the situation, still is not final ly adopted by the State—and may not ever be adopted, although the highway department will consider it favorably if this route is endorsed by the community, speaking through the coun cil. The final choice, however, lies with the State, not with the town. While we are not blind to the advantages of this route in pulling toiuist traffic our way, there is some question in our mind whether this 200-foot barrier should be laid down through the community. Certainly, provision,for ade quate access between East and West portions of town including both KnoUwood and West Southern Pines, should be made. If this involves several overpass or underpass intersections, the task may prove too compU- cated and expensive to the State. Yet without several crossings to "West Southern Pines and KnoUwood, would the new highway act as a barrier or deterrent to development rather than a 100 per cent blessing? Also to be considered is the fact that a 200- FRIDAY. AUGUST 20. 1954 * The Public Speaking ' % , >1' i ' '4' - ' < Cl, ^ . Agree With "faxpayers* I To The Editor: We appreciated the letter to the 1 citizens of Southern Pines printed in the August issue of The Pilot about the GoUcrest contract and I signed “Taxpayers.” We had understood tliat the 1 present council policy had repudi ated the former council procedure of paying taxpayers’ money for the accommodation of out-of-town developers in the matter of water and sewage pipes, and were puz zled by the seeming reversal of [this policy., We are grateful to “Taxpayers”, I for clarifying this issue and con- 1 sider their points very weU taken. We agree that no town funds [should be used for these or other municipal services to finance any [real estate development. OTHER TAXPAYERS. DEFENSE AGAINST DEATH—To help avoid accidents like the one shown here, Jackie P. Hunter, 19, of Wake County, demonstrates an idea Motor Vehicles Commissioner Edward Scheldt hopes wiU catch on throughout North Carolina. It’s a simple homemade red flag snagged securely to a cane pole flying five feet above the young farmer’s slow moving vehicle. Tractor operators are being asked to voluntarily mount similar warning devices on their equip ment when it is being used on public highways. I Consideration Given By Officers Slow Driver Is Unique Road Hazard By ED SCHEIDT N. a Motor Vehicles Commissioner foot right of way all the way across town re moves from business or residential development a very large area, although it would also stimu late development, largely commercial, nearby and it is true that the ravine itself is unsuited to either business or residential purposes. Modern highway construction is open to in dictment, in one sense, as a ruthless business. All over the nation, super highways are pushing over the land like voracious reptUes, gobbling up and pushing aside all that gets in their paths. Yet such highways must be built and it is al most inevitable that some one somewhere must suffer in the process. The other side of the coin, of course, is the very real damage to businesses such as restau rants, service stations and tourist homes that will be undergone by property owners along the abandoned route of No. 1 highway on May Street and in Pinedene. Whereas the property of persons along the new route, however much they might think it would be damaged, will probably actually in crease in value, there is a real and urgent prob lem for the persons who may be left high and dry in a business way after the main stream of No. 1 traffic is moved off May Street. Yet here, too, the “greatest good for the great est number” must be invoked. The town wiU be relieved of the traffic peril that took a wom an’s life on May Street not long ago and which offers hazards at some 15 street intersections, and residents along this primarily residential street will be relieved of the noise and fumes of heavy highway travel. There appears to be no doubt that No. 1 high way will be moved off May Street. The question of where it is to be placed should be studied very carefully. Born Twenty-Five Years Too Soon It is apparent to ex-Boy Scouts of 25, 15 or even 10 years ago that Scouting today is a vast ly more fascinating business than it used to be. Not that there wasn’t plenty of fun long ago when the guy who was lucky enough to own a Scout uniform—or sometimes half Or two thirds of a uniform—was likely to be elected patrol leader on the strength of sheer admira tion for his outfit. As we recall it, the big item was a hat—a stiff-brimmed affair, dented on four sides jn the manner of those worn by World War I doughboys. If you had a hat, you really rated Scouting. Waiting until you were 12 years old to join the Scouts was torture. Now, not only can you become a Scout at 11, but for two or three years prior to that you can be a Cub. No such luck in the old days. A boy nine, 10 or 11 years old in former times just hung around wistfully, practicing the three-fingered Scout salute in in front of the bathroom mirror, until he reached the magic age of 12. And by the time he had outgrown his 12- year-old shirt at 14 or 15, he was for aU prac tical purposes through with Scouting. There was no Exploring in those days. Now, look at the world of glory open to boys. Several Southern Pines Explorers (15 and over) recently took a week’s cruise on a 2,000- , passenger Navy transport out of Norfolk, Va. It’s the accepted thing in Exploring today. A couple of other Moore County Explorers made a bus trip to the National Scout Ranch, 127,000 acres of it in the state of New Mexico, . where horseback trips in the mountains, so help us, are daily affairs. Other Moore County boys are junior staff members there—spending most of the summer at that heaven on earth for a teen-ager. Bom 25 years too soon? Sometimes we think so. In October, 1953, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles and its enforcement arm, the State Highway Patrol, deci ded to give increased attention to the problem of the excessively slow driver. This decision, made largely in response to public opinion, was the outgrowth of an intensive program! to enforce the speed laws. The more pressure put on speeders, the more point ed became the comments that slow drivers were also a menace —and something should be done about them too. The important thing is for mo torists to drive neither too fast nor too slowly, but to drive in ac cordance with the flow of traffic. For motorists who have some particular reason for driving slowly, Scheldt said the patrol men would suggest that they pull off the road and allow the speed ier traffic to get by. What Is a Slow Driver? A slow driver is an excessively slow driver or one who unneces sarily drives appreciably slower than the normal rate at which traffic flows. This definition pre supposes that road conditions warrant faster speed and that traffic flow is within the legal limits. A test of slow driving is whether the car tends to accumu late a line-up behind it. The North Carolina enforce ment program has afforded the opporttmity to find out from large numbers of slow drivers why they poke along. It must be admitted that many of them have good reasons; in fact even the en forcement official plagued by de mands that he do something about the slow pokes can often sympathize with the pointy of view of the leisurely motorists who interfere with the forward progress of others who are in a bigger hurry. One would also sympathize with a blind pedestri' an who would like to get across „ busy highway, but sympathy should not be carried to the point where dangerous practices are encouraged or tolerated. It’s up to the patrolman to keep traffic moving. In prodding the slow driver, situation may arise reminiscent of the story about the New York policeman who was clearing the sidewalk during a Communist demonstration. Don’t shove me. I’m an ^ anti communist,” said one man in the crowd. “I don’t care what kind of a Communist you are; you can’t block traffic,” replied the policeman. Enjoying Scenery Take the case of the slow driv er who is riding around for the purpose of enjoying the scenery It’s really a pity to have to inter fere with such innocent pleas ure; unfortunately his desires conflict with those ot a larger number of motorists who have destinations to reach. The patrol man can lapparopriately suggest to him that he choose less heavily traveled highways and that he keep his weather eye open for cars behind him and help them pass or get out of the way when the road permits. Other slow drivers whose view point has merit include: Elderly persons who say that their inferior eyesight and slow reactions make slow driving man datory. Drivers of obsolescent automo biles who maintain that mechani cal old age prevents or makes in advisable greater speed. (North Carolina at present does not have a mechanical inspection law.) Farmers traveling short dis tances between fields and farms or inspecting their crops from an adjoining highway. Some in spect their fencing from slow- moving cars. . Persons suffering from tem porary illness or nausea. Inexperienced or beginning drivers who lack the confidence to travel faster. Motorists driving in unfamiliar territory, particularly where the roads are narrow and winding. Persons apprehensive of speed laws who play it safe. Good judgment must be exer cised in dealing with the above or comparable cases. By .making these pe*ple more aware of the effect on others of their actions it should be possible to reduce the amount of their interference with traffic, as they are for the most part well-intentioned persons. Less Justification Slow drivers with less justifica tion for their actions include: Daydreamers, who are simply not aware of blocked traffic. Young people courting as they drive along. Drunks trying to compensate for their impaired faculties. Chronic laggards with no ex cuse at all. They say “I always drive slowly.” , These people have little or no regard for the rights of other us ers of the highways and some times exhibit a belligerent atti tude. An Excuse for Others Any discussion of the slow driv ers should take into consideration that not all of the complaints against them are valid or even sincere. It is not unusual for a speeder or reckless driver, when arrested, to demand “Why don’t you do something about the .slow poke? If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have taken chances.” Letter to Mayor Clark iTo the Editor: I am enclosing an open letter, the second of a series, to the Hon orable Lloyd T. Clark, Mayor of Southern Pines, North Carolina: Mr. Mayor: A part of your oath of office states that you “will well and truly execute the duties of of fice of Commissioner according to the best of your skill and ability.” In view of this let us take a look at the record. A talkative Councilman stated a long time ago that it was against the law for him to furnish our town with uniforms for our police officers. Therefore it cannot be Such statements are in reality attempts to distract attention from the offender’s own wrong-doing. There is no logical, moral or legal justification for this attitude. Ev ery driver owes the duty of obey ing the law and driving safely in I assumed that you. Mayor Clark, accordance with existing condi- | were unaware of the legal restric tions. Although slow drivers don’t jus tify speeders or reckless drivers, the realistic traffic administrator will take human nature into con sideration in his enforcement pro gram. The trouble with the slow pokes is that they create condi tions which result in more chances being taken by other motorists. The other motorist is wrong tions of a public official’s con tracting or doing business with himself. Evidently you failed to consult our town attorney, whose services are gratis to you, before acting as agent, or representative, of the company selling hospital insurance to the town for its em ployees and their families which cost our taxpayers about $600 ev ery three months to carry. Had taking these chances, but he still I you done so, very probably you does, it and wiU keep on doing it would have been advised that until the driving public is a great deal more safety-conscious than it is today. Safety promotion and education can reduce the number of people “goaded” into improper dangerous passing but we might as well face the fact that it won’t eliminate them or even cut them in half in the foreseeable future. We must also realize that a mo- your actions were contrary to G.S. 14-234 Director of Public Trust Contracting for his Own Benefit - State V. Eugene Williams 153 N.C. 595 (1910). Enquiries at the Town Hall fail ed to disclose the length of time you, Mr. Mayor, had been the agent or representative of the company selling insurance to the torist thrown behind schedule by town, therefore the amount, in ^ intolerable delays has a tendency to try to make up lost time when he gets the chance and might commit speeding violations when he wouldn’t otherwise do so. On a four-lane highway, two dollars, you received is unknown at this time. I am informed that you are no longer profiting from this situa- jtion, but it would be appreciated [if you advised the citizens of this for each direction, the slow-driver community to what extent you problem is insignificant. It is to be hoped that there will be a steady increase in the mileage of such highways, as traffic war rants, thereby reducing the mile age in which slow-driving diffi culty is inherent. It seems clear that under pres ent conditions, the enforcement phase of the ^slow-driver problem must be approached from both ends: A violator who takes risks and then attempts to blame the slow driver should receive no sympathy but should be judged (Continued on Page did profit from it while in public office. I repeat the statement I made last week, it is situations such as this that disclose your lack of leadership, therefore you should resign as our mayor. A. R. McDANIEL. Southern Pines. 3) About Mrs. Eadie W. I. Rawcliffe of Riverside, R. I., son-in-law of Mrs. Elizabeth Eadie, former Southern Pines res ident who died recently at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rawcliffe, writes with additional informa tion about Mrs. Eadie, the letter arriving after The Pilot’s obituary had been printed. He recalls that she was a native of Scotland and came to Southern Pines in 1922 and that she owned and operated the Quality Grocery Store, formerly the L. C. Smith stor0. “She dearly loved Southern Pines, as she loved the beauty of the outdoors,” Mr. Rawcliffe re calls. Making Headlines Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Irwin weU known Southern Pines win ter residents for many years, have been at Sunnyside Inn, Asheville, this summer. Recently, Mrs. Irwin, whose name is Letitia and is known to her friends as Tish, had an abcess under her right thumb. This led, as described in a letter from Mr. Irwin which was forwarded to us by the recipient, to the following events: The other day (Mr. Irwin wrote) when Tish was on the way to the Medical Center to have her thumb operated, a policeman sauntered through the traffic and offered to have her arrested for jaywalking. He said, “What’s your name? How do you spell it?” She obliged and he said, after a while, “I guess it begins with an L. Do you want to be killed? The way you butted into traffic looked like it.” Tish put on her softest South ern accent, being diplomatic, while the cop pointed a gold pen cil toward the police station. A crowd gathered. The argument went for 22 minutes, elapsed time. Then, wearied by his own elo quence, the gendarme said, “I’ll let you go this time, Mrs. Irwin, but the next time it’s the jug and a fine.” There must have been a repor ter in the crowd, for the Evening I News came out with the illustrat ed headline: MRS. WALLACE IR WIN, THE ONLY WOMAN WHO EVER TALKED A COP OUT OF | A TICKET. About Mental Illness To The Editor: Serving as a member of the North Carolina Hospitals Board of Control since 1949 is one of the privileges for which I am most grateful. Through the association with the staff of our mental hospi tals I have myself become more objective and less emotional in thought and action. Through the problems of the more than eleven thousand disturbed patients I have become familiar with mental Ul- ness. The percentage of volun tary admissions to our mental hos pitals is increasing, thereby im proving the ratio of recoveries. Unfortunately, some cases which might be helped by early treat ment wait until legal commitment is necessary, and the possibility of recovery is impaired. I am al ways available to any who wish further information. JOHN S. RUGGLES Southern Pines. The PILOT Published Every Friday by THE PILOT, Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carcdina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Above Estimate John Gilchrist of West South ern Pines, who was pictured re cently in 'The Pilot standing be neath a huge fig tree from which he said he expected to pick around 400 quarts this year, told us this week that the actual harvest of the tree, with picking practically completed is 573 quarts. From another smaller tree in his yafd, the local man and his wife have gathered 365 quarts, making a total of 938 quarts as the summer’s harvest in his yard at the comer of Henley St and Wis consin Ave. Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict News Editor Dan S. Ray — Gen. Mgr. C. G. Coimcil Advertising Mary Scott Newton Business Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Bay, Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen Subscription Ratos: One Year $4. 6 mos. $2t 3 mos. $1 Entered at the Postoffice id South ern Pines, N. C» as second class midl matter Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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Aug. 20, 1954, edition 1
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